Morocco’s last remaining ski destination — and Africa’s highest — may soon welcome skiers back to its slopes. Reports from local media suggest that Oukaïmeden, perched high in the Atlas Mountains, could reopen for lift-accessed skiing in winter 2026 after a major infrastructure overhaul.
Oukaimeden skiing park, Morocco/GuHKS/Wikimedia Commons
According to these reports, around 75 million dirhams (US$8.25 million) has been allocated for a 12-month project that would see the creation of new ski runs, a chairlift, five surface tows, and two conveyor lifts, according to Snow Forecast.
Just 80 kilometres south of Marrakech, Oukaïmeden sits at over 3,200 metres above sea level, making it Africa’s highest ski resort. It typically enjoys a short season from early January to mid-March — entirely reliant on natural snowfall, with no snowmaking facilities.
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In recent years, lift operations and slope preparation have been minimal, with inconsistent snow cover increasingly linked to climate change. Built in the late 1940s under French colonial rule, the resort’s original infrastructure was installed by the military to encourage mountain recreation.
Efforts to revive Oukaïmeden have been announced several times over the past 30 years, yet none have materialised — prompting scepticism online about whether the latest plan will stick.
If successful, the revival would be significant for African skiing. With former resorts in Algeria, Tunisia, and parts of Morocco long closed, and South Africa’s Tiffindell shuttered since 2019 and now for sale, Africa’s ski scene is currently limited to Afriski in Lesotho (operating June–August) and Ski Egypt, an indoor slope near Cairo run by the operators of Ski Dubai.
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