Scrambling: Northwest Ridge Zaghouan

Distance: 7.1km
Hiking up: 460m
Hiking down: 460m
Level: difficult, scrambling
Time: 4-5hrs
GPS Track

The route looking in northwestern direction

For those who are new to the word scrambling: It's essentially moving up and down rocky terrain, just using hands and feet (so no climbing equipment). Whilst the climbing should be safe and relatively easy without using a rope (otherwise it would become proper rock climbing), the terrain can be exposed with big drops. For safety, a helmet should be worn when there is a danger of rock fall.

The first section of the route, a bit of shrub to fight at the start

To get to the trailhead, drive up the mountain road from Temple des Eaux. As the road climbs, after 4km the road will make an almost 180 degrees turn (a dirt track continues along the ridge that you will tackle on this route). Shortly after there will be two switch backs. About 300m further you can park your car at a relatively flat spot. It's not an official parking but locals park their car here as well.

The start of the route is a bit hard. Hike in northwesterly direction. There is no path up the ridge. You will have to work your way through the shrub for the first couple of hundred meters. The actual crest of the ridge is quite clear and it's easy enough to avoid the bushes. The first bit of scrambling starts soon, with massive hand holds and good footing. Gradually the terrain becomes a bit more complicated, but there are usually more options to scramble up.

Using hands and feet and a helmet on the more vertical sections

The first sections have short scrambles up (and occasionally down too), maximum 3 metres. Halfway the upward part of the route there's a bigger wall, looking quite daunting but in reality is not very difficult. It starts at a dip in the ridge of about 8 meters. To get to the base of this wall, don't walk all the way to the end where the gap is. You will need a rope to abseil this as it is vertical. 20 metres before that, there's a way to descend. However, it is a little tricky and you will have to stay cautious.

The biggest but not most difficult obstacle on the route (find the hikers!)

The big wall (25-30 metres) is, as said, not too hard although it appears to be at first glance. You have to see it like a giant's staircase, with always a bit of flat ground underneath you. Just take the time to find your way up. Once you're up you'll find the crux (hardest part) of the scramble. A vertical bit of around 3 metres has to be tackled, with a bit of climbing needed. The hand holds are big though. Up this rock ledge it's pretty exposed so bring your vertigo pills! Just one more climbing section more, a lovely scramble, and you are up the summit plateau.

The crux of the scramble

The fantastic last section of the scrambling part of this hiking route

There is still no clear path on the summit plateau, but it's easy to find your way through grass, low shrub and a pointy limestone surface. As the plateau widens, you want to stay slightly on the left side as at some point you will meet a shepherds path. If you go to much to the left, the terrain becomes difficult again. It's worth the effort finding the proper trail. The trail leads to the upper part of a mining complex, where mainly the metal lead was excavated. The mine shafts are still open, but are not in use anymore. A track winds down, to the main complex. There is a small trail meeting up with a wide dirt track on the base of the mountain ridge. It's a bit hard to find. There is a little open space at what seems like a view point (overlooking the southern ridges and Jebel Zaghouan. From here, the trail zigzags down to the track. Turn left (going up) and climb almost 400m up to the main (tarmac) mountain road. Turn left here and find your car after half a kilometre.

This photo gives a good impression what the scramble is about

This is climbing DOWN a tricky section, performing the correct technique

Opening Zaghouan's biggest alpine route: The Green Mile

It has been a while ago (June 2014), but nevertheless quite a milestone in my personal climbing "career" as well as a milestone in the development of climbing in the limestone crags of Zaghouan. The opening of a new alpine route called "The Green Mile". Together with Michael Pfau it needed several sessions of exploring, putting in bolts at crux positions and some clearing. We have had help with developing the route from Mourad Attia, the head of the local climbing club Escalade Attitude. 5 pitches takes you from the bottom of the massif (503m) to the top (680m) of the plateau on the northwest side of the massif. The route name The Green Mile has been chosen for it's many trees and shrub along the route, the length and keeping in line with naming all the big new routes after movie titles.

Taking on the start of the route

Despite the green character of the route, we have managed to find a pretty clean line on solid limestone, with an occasional fight with some shrub (especially at the start of the second pitch). While developing the route (first from bottom up and the last two pitches from top down), we mistook a connection with between the third and fourth pitch. Two ledges, some 80 metres from one another looked so alike that we accidentally bolted a line that did not connect. That's why a via ferrata between the two fourth pitches is planned.

Minna Dederer topping out the 4th pitch on the inauguration of the route

Although crux sections (usually F5B and harder) and sections with no possibilities for trad placements are bolted it's vital that anyone trying this routes should have a full rack of traditional climbing equipment and the experience to use it. For more information about the route you can drop me an email: jan@37north.info.

Michael preparing the abseil down from the top of The Green Mile

New route: Gone with the wind

It is just incredible how a small mountain area harbours so much rock climbing potential. The area is roughly 10 by 5 kilometres, but has many, many yet unclimbed walls and buttresses. Only one canyon in this limestone range has been developed with sports routes. And even here it's only a fraction of the possibilities.

We baptised the buttress on the right Gone with the wind (it was a very windy day!)

While looking for routes on the wall Kaf al Blida (western part), me and my climbing mate Michael Pfau recognised a great line on a yet unclimbed buttress that leads to the top of the wall we were initially after. As this was my very first time climbing and leading a trad route and this was a virgin route I skipped the initial 4 metres (the first possible placement was a bit too high for comfort...). After that Micha and I zipped up a lot faster with no major difficulties. Stoked to have opened my first route! See below for the photo of the route in detail plus gradings and guide for placements.

First ascent of "Shark Bait" on the recently discovered "Shark Tooth"

A week ago I was hiking in the western part of the Zaghouan Mountains, around Sidi Medien (see Sidi Medien Loop). One object made my heart beat a little faster; a spiky limestone rock with the shape of a shark tooth (so we baptised the rock itself "Shark Tooth"). I got home and send my climbing buddies the pictures of this gem, urging them to climb it the week after. Sven, just back from Germany with a bag full of new trad kit, was eager to try his stuff out. Despite of rain forecast we went out early, to get up the crooked chunk of rock.

The Shark Tooth

After a 20-minute hiking in we reached the base. It looks daunting and Sven, eager to test his new gear, starts climbing the first pitch. Slightly nervous, as this is his very first trad climb, he shoves in some cams and nuts and gets up the first relais without any trouble. The line was not the most difficult one, but important to get to know the state of the rock (which luckily is solid).

Sven finding his way up, Michael belaying

The second pitch had a bit more vertical start (my guess is that the crux is a severe). I had to solo the first 4 metres before finding a good crack to shove in a nut. However, the hand holds were good and there's some good small ledges for the feet. Again, solid rock, beautiful little cracks for gear placements and ledges for hand and feet. What a joy to climb this!

Myself taking on the 2nd pitch

The first 25 metres are proper vertical rock climbing, after that the route to the summit is nothing more that a grade 3 scramble. The big block on the summit is too sharp for the rope to abseil from. The best place to abseil is about 15 metres below the top. On the edge of the drop is a big boulder which allows us to wrap the rope around, without having trouble pulling it out again. The 50m double rope is just enough to get down the way we climbed (with the stretch of the rope you actually still have to clip out a metre above the bottom). We're back at the little plateau between the first and second pitch. Getting the rope back proved harder than we though. Only when we both pull with our full weight we manage to pull the rope down (it had started raining already). From here we scrambled down unroped. What a magic climb!

Shark Bait: 90m, 1st pitch 40m vdiff, 2nd pitch 50m severe