Crowdfunding campaign for solar powered water pump in Taghia, Morocco

Ever since the mid 1970's, the Berber village of Taghia in Morocco has played host to hundreds and hundreds of climbers who have travelled here to explore the gorges and leave their mark on these towering ochre-coloured limestone walls. Located at an altitude of 2000m, Taghia is one of the last inhabited villages of the High Atlas mountains reachable only on foot, two and a half hour walk from the village of Zaouiat Ahenesal. While abundant springs supply fertile fields via a skillful network of channels, many of the village's 600 inhabitants rely on drinking water that is pumped upstream by an electrogen group. When not malfunctioning, this is powered by diesel which, in turn, is transported on mules.

This may soon change as a group of climbers spearheaded by Iñaki Arakistain, Alex Honnold, Aitzol Ibarzabal, Arnaud Petit, Christian Ravier and Sean Villanueva O´Driscoll has now launched a crowdfunding campaign to install a solar powered pump to supply water from a nearby spring to the houses that occupy the upper part of the village.

Called Eguzkiz Blai, the idea of the project came to Arakistain and Ibarzabal on a climbing trip to the area while mobility around Europe was restricted due to the pandemic. Writing on the campaign's website, they explain "The muleteer in charge of guiding the donkeys with our material told us that we were therefore the only climbers who had come to the area since the beginning of the epidemic. This was a pleasant surprise, as we had the opportunity to meet Said’s family and to establish a close relationship with them. They told us that a few years ago the Government of Morocco planned a pump installation to supply the town with water, but after making two tanks and setting up a diesel pump, it never started up. It was at that moment that we saw the possibility of reciprocating such kindness, carrying out a photovoltaic pump installation, since the location of the village met optimal conditions for the use of solar energy, an abundant and free resource."

For those wishing to contribute to the project, visit the official website on go directly to the dedicated gofundme page

TAGHIA - A BRIEF CLIMBING HISTORY by Maurizio Oviglia
The Taghia area was discovered by Spanish climber Manuel Punsola in 1974. The first routes were established a year later by a group of French climbers which included African expert Bernard Domenech and Erik Dechamp. They climbed the most logical lines, 600m high in total isolation. In the 80's and 90's the area was sporadically visited above all by Spanish climbers who, bivouacking on the routes, created a number of big walls.

A fresh impetus and excellent quality new routes came at the hands of the Frenchmen Remi Thivel and Christian Ravier, whose difficult 400-600m routes were protected, only occasionaly, with a few bolts. The first modern day sports routes were established by Spaniard Toni Arbones (from the ground up and with aid) and, in May 2003 by the French trio Michel Piola, Benoit Robert and Arnaud Petit. These three established Les rivieres pourpres, 7b, 6c obl. 600m and Canyon Apache, 6c, 300m and a series of single pitches up to 8a+ in the Taghia gorge. In October that same year the Italians Rolando Larcher, Michele Paissan and Maurizio Oviglia established Sul filo della notte (7c+ max; 7b obbl), at the time the hardest route in the Gorge.

For decades almost completely unknown, during the last 20 years the Taghia gorges have quietly transformed into a highly sought-after climbing destination. The climbing guidebook written by Christian Ravier and published in 2019 currently lists over 300 routes