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The present 360° unveils the mysterious «stormy mountain» of N.12371, which I had discovered by chance in 2010, on Christmas day, while traversing the Atlas from Demnate to Skoura, in part under the rain, along the wonderful, yet unknown and in that occasion quite muddy, R307.
I stick to the name Inghamar which I first got to know, probabily on the Michelin map, but be aware that this is one of the most variable names that one can imagine. For example, the powerful Cicerone guide pointed out to me by Martin Kraus (see the discussion in my Ayachi panorama N.12604) reports: Jbel Anghomer (Anrhomer, Inghemar; formerly Jebel Ounila) 3609 m (3607 m). Openstreetmap uses Anrhomer, 3607 m.
A former Inghamar summiteer who once saw a partial summit view of mine on Panoramio wondered where was the big pyramidal mark, so similar to the one on the Toubkal (the one which one sees in each end every summit selfie...). As you may see here, it has been smashed down by the wind, which as usual on the Atlas may be very strong.
For topography addicts, I report some of the remarks and cross-references that I collected during the labelling process. They are indexed by their 0-360 degree. Most of them can be recognized only in the much larger version https://bit.ly/3n8oRD9
012: Tizi-n-Outfi is the first pass on R307, the road Demnate - Skoura (see N.12371). Hidden little below the pass is the isolated village of Aït Tamlil;
050: Jebel Rhat (Rat, Ghat) is one of the bulkiest mountains of the Atlas, and of the most visible from the Atlantic side.
The name of the high pass between Rhat an Tignousti is drawn from the Cicerone guide;
062: I have put the label R307 whenever the road is clearly discernible in the larger picture;
063: The long Jebel Tarkeddid appears minimal since it is perfectly aligned with the view; see N.9534 to realize this;
072: The hidden pass of Tizi-n-Ouloun is the standpoint of N.10654, where one clearly sees Jebel Tignousti and the high Tessaout gorge, called Wandras gorge according to the Cicerone guide;
080: The crowding of mountains in this section does not properly render the privileged position of Jebel Aklim on one side of the M-Goun massif; its isolation is better understood from N.6438;
101: this is the highest section of the Jebel Sarhro, in the vicinity of Tizi-n-Tazazert (see N.6508).
121: I was not able to determine the name of the third pass on R307. After this point, the road winds town to a riverbed which it substantially follows to Assermo. Here, while the riverbed points directly to the lake of Ouarzazate (as is clearly visible even in the small picture), the road continues in direction Skoura. The «Third Tizi» is an excellent observation point of the Inghamar, with the Toubkal massif on the far background as a bonus: www.panoramio.com/photo/72601442
127: The 2047 m mountain dominates the descent to Assermo
134: Clearly visible the rift of the Drâa valley, which in its central (Zagora) stretch is perfectly aligned with the view;
240: The Ourg massif lies only 30 km from Tizi-n-Test, and looks down already in direction Agadir!
250: The Toubkal pyramid can be unmistakably recognized in the Panoramio version
263: For the bulky mountain dominating Tizi-n-Tichka no source seems to be able to choose between the Arabic name Jebel Bou Ourioul and the Berber name Adrar Tircht. I climbed it the day after the Inghamar ascent, and in www.panoramio.com/photo/71134695 one enjoys a closer view on Adrar Meltsen and the Toubkal massif.
Sebastian Becher, Jörg Braukmann, Hans-Jörg Bäuerle, Paul Chater, Friedemann Dittrich, Gerhard Eidenberger, Jörg Engelhardt, Sj Jamali, Martin Kraus, Wilfried Malz, Giuseppe Marzulli, Jan Lindgaard Rasmussen, Danko Rihter, Arne Rönsch, Werner Schelberger, Christoph Seger, Jens Vischer, Augustin Werner
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Comments
I am, however, even more curious - from where did you climb the mountain? There is a hint on #12371 that you didn't come from Tizi n'Fedhrat which looks like an obvious approach from here - the "other side" also probably not being the lake? How is the R307 - would it be recommendable also with a rental car (considering my trips are a bit less adventurous than your's...)
Cheers, Martin
Snow: I think this is the rule for these mountains. Snow does not lack (look at the Ayachi and M-Goun panoramas for a proof), but the significant snowfalls typically come later.
Martin: I cannot forget that moment in December 2007 when, cycling from Ouarzazate to Skoura, I saw a dirt road leaving on the left, through the hammada. It will perhaps reach some hidden group of houses, I thought. But then I noticed that it was signposted: there was written somewhat like "Demnate 150 km". And, yes, Demnate was on the other side of the Atlas. In the 2006 Michelin 1:1.000.000 map that I still use there is an outline of it, but the stretch from the Tessaout river to Tizi-n-Fedhrat (50°-80° here) appears as no more than a mule track...
The curiosity stood alive for three years. In December 2010 I realized that actually the whole road is now asphalted, but there is also some truth in the mule track affair. I mean: the stretch coming from Demnate across Tizi-n-Outfi acts as the normal access to the Tessaout world around Aît Tamlil, and is swept by a regular flow of those Moroccan mountain trucks that you surely know. Hence, it is kept in reasonable conditions. The crossing of the Atlas, on the other hand, is considered kind of a luxury, and it is not guaranteed. Photos like www.panoramio.com/photo/89126900 or 89127704 should clearly illustrate this point.
However, if you look at photos 20-60 of the Picasa album that you find linked under the above photos, you should have a clearly idea about the whole road. I apologize that this material comes from the era when I uploaded directly from camera to Picasa - now in the Lighroom era I should prepare a more decent presentation, but who finds the time?
As for the mountain: my ascent line can be understood very clearly from the map picasaweb.google.com/albertopedrotti/MaroccoNatale#5563299474529610578
The magenta line is the piste coming from Aît Benhaddou, which was already prepared for tarmac. I left the bicycle at the gîte d'etape of Tighza, from where the red loop starts. I walked 2-3 hours in the late afternoon, stopping at an azib where, in order to get asleep, I read some page of Kapuszinski's "Travelling with Herodothus" - more precisely, where he recounts the story of Tomiri, the Central Asian queen who killed the Persian king Cyrus. I did not even imagine, at the time, that some months later I was going to look from above at the grave of a "related" queen, namely, the Altai Princess.
Incidentally, not only Herodotus slept in the azibs of the valley, but also Cicerone, as you can check in your book... I argue that no over-2000 shepherd huts in the High Atlas are acquainted more than these with classical culture.
Next morning I went to the lake, from which I followed the direct couloir to the ridge: Cicerone finds it regretful due to its 900 m of loose scree, but I found it very rewarding for the view. Next, I followed the whole summit ridge in direction WNW, returning through a short gorge which posed a little incognita, but which turned then out to be harmless. Incidentally, should I guide somebody on this loop, I would do it the opposite way, that is, clockwise.
The ascent to the mountain from Tizi-n-Fedhrat should be straightforward, following a ridge-line that however is very articulated, as you can guess in «The stormy mountain».
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