Taghia Gorge: Moroccan Honey Moon climb established by Iker Pou, Neus Colom

Some choose to relax in the crystal clear waters and on the untouched sandy beaches of Bora Bora in French Polynesia for their honeymoon, others dream of establishing new rock climbs in the steep Taghia Gorge in Morocco. Those who definitely belong to the latter category are Iker Pou and Neus Colom, the two Spanish climbers who immediately after their wedding at the start of May travelled to the tiny Berber village located at an altitude of 2000m in the famous gorge in High Atlas mountain range to make the first ascent of a new 330-meter rock climb.

Nine pitches with difficulties up to 7b+ were established ground-up, using trad gear where possible and bolts only where necessary. The route darts up the Oujdad wall and, facing southwest, was established in the early hours of the day when the wall was still in the shade.

"We know that our honeymoon wasn’t normal, but climbing is what we love and we wanted to add a new route to this wonderful massif and leave our mark here." explained Iker "Given the exceptional quality of the rock and the fact that the Oujdad face is one of the most beautiful in the entire canyon, we reckon that Honey Moon will become extremely popular. For a repeat take a set of Friends from 0.1 to 2. The route can be climbed with an 80m rope. All belays are equipped with two rings for the abseils."

Honey Moon is now the second route put up by Iker in the Taghia Gorge, after Agur established in 2018 with his brother Eneko Pou.