The new Oukaïmeden has begun

With the expansion of the road leading to Oukaïmeden nearing completion, the historic Moroccan winter resort is beginning to shape its future. The next step will be within the resort itself, with a first phase that not only includes the announced gondola lift and panoramic mountaintop restaurant but also the installation of up to eight new lifts.

A new piste map, recently leaked by local media and social networks, confirms that the modernization project has begun.

Oukaïmeden, located in the High Atlas, has lost much of its appeal for skiing in recent decades. Today, most visitors come to sled or try sliding with rental equipment in the lower area. The chairlift and ski lifts that still exist operate sporadically, shared between pedestrians and skiers.

It is not the first time that big dreams have been entertained. 20 years ago, a business group from Dubai wanted to turn Oukaïmeden into the largest resort in Africa, but its distance from major tourist centers—with the exception of Marrakech, which is more oriented towards summer tourism—buried the project.

Now, the Moroccan Government seems determined to invest in Oukaïmeden. The improvement of the access road, including a bike path, is key to absorbing the tourist flow. Once completed, it will pave the way for the installation of the gondola lift, the renovation of the existing chairlift, four new ski lifts, and two conveyor belts—one for beginners and one for sleds.

The total planned investment is around 30 million euros, with an initial injection of 7.5 million destined to start works in 2026. However, there is a critical point yet to be resolved: artificial snow production. Without this system, modernization could fall short in a context of increasingly irregular seasons.

If everything goes as planned, Oukaïmeden will not only regain its role as a skiing benchmark in North Africa but will also become the largest resort on the continent, surpassing even Afriski in Lesotho, which has barely one kilometer of slopes.

From the High Atlas, the project looks beyond skiing; it seeks to revitalize the mountain economy, diversify tourism, and place Morocco on the international winter map. This time, the countdown has begun.