The Couscous Rocket - Samir Azzimani's Olympic Result

Samir Azzimani, the "couscous rocket", realised his dream while fulfilling his sporting goals. At the Alpensia resort he crossed the finish line of the 15 km cross-country skiing in a modest 111th place, more than 13 minutes behind the winner

Samir managed to complete a race in this most demanding sporting discipline at the age of forty and was then involved in what has been a defining image of this year's Winter Olympics.

Mexico’s German Madrazo was heroically skiing in last place to the line, proudly brandishing the flag of his country and smiling jubilantly. After crossing the finish after 15 kilometres of gruelling freestyle cross-country racing on Friday, he was lifted high into the air and onto the shoulders of Tonga’s Pita Taufatofua, who finished 114th, and Samir Azzimani, for whom just getting to the end was an achievement in itself.

The 43-year-old Madrazo came 116th out of the 116 who made it home, fully 25 minutes 51.5 seconds behind the winner Dario Cologna of Switzerland.

Tonga's Pita Taufatofua (L) and Samir Azzimani (R) lift Mexico's Madrazo onto their shoulders at the finish line

Azzimani made history by becoming the Arab world’s first dual-sport Olympian after competing in the alpine skiing event at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. In addition to his desire not to finish last, in reality, his main goal was to represent Morocco at the Winter Olympics for the second time in his career, after those of Vancouver, in 2010, in which he finished 44th in slalom and 74th in giant slalom.

At the end of last November, he was forced, with a pair of skis on wheels, to cross Morocco from north to south in five weeks. At the price of unimaginable suffering, those 1700 km forged attitude to long races.

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Morocco's Olympic Competitors

The two Moroccan skiers Adam Lamhamedi and Samir Azzimani will defend Morocco's national colours at the Olympic Winter Games scheduled for February 9-25 in Pyeongchang

Lamhamedi is registered in alpine skiing, while Azzimani will compete in the cross-country skiing event. A first in the history of the Moroccan Olympics.

Samir Azzimani

The Moroccan flag will be flown for the eighth time under the Olympic banner, during the 23rd Olympic Winter Games. Adam Lamhamedi will compete in the slalom and giant slalom events in downhill skiing. Lamhamedi will be assisted by his younger brother, Sami and Noureddine Bouchaal, in his quest for an Olympic medal, similar to the one he won at the Youth Olympics in Innsbruck in 2012. Lamhamedi also took part in 2014 Sochi Olympic Games. An honour that was subsequently marked by the IOC, who decided to exhibit his suit and helmet, flocked with the Moroccan flag, at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne.

Samir Azzimani, he will take part in the 15 km free cross-country skiing event. Azzimani will be accompanied by Denis Boissière. After competing at the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver in 2010 in the alpine ski event, Azzimani is back in another event - the 15 km cross-country skiing.

To prepare for it, the Moroccan followed a long program, which led him to the Moroccan desert, where he perfected his resistance to extreme conditions. Both athletes received financial support from the Moroccan National Olympic Committee and the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

In Pyeongchang, there are no less than 3,000 athletes from 93 countries, who are expected in the capital of Gangwon Province. 102 events in 15 different disciplines are on the program. Eventually, a hundred medals will be distributed to the winners. A first in the history of the Winter Olympics.

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Morocco's Oukaïmeden Ski Field ~ Great Snow - Poor Infrastructure

Oukaïmeden and Ifrane are two of Morocco's ski fields and this year they have been experiencing a boom, thanks to the best snowfall in years. However, it takes more than snow to make a great ski field. It takes infrastructure and that is sadly missing

This season has seen as many as 30,000 visitors per day visiting Oukaïmeden and because of the lack of accommodation they are destined to be day visitors. The two or three places offering accommodation have five or fewer beds, whereas there are hundreds of families who would opt for a longer stay if beds were available.

Other obstacles to development are the poor road conditions and a lack of car parking. One local described weekend conditions as "a nightmare" and said with 5,000 vehicles arriving, many simply give up and go home,

According to local Hassan Azougagh, "The road is too small and can sometimes be closed because of snowfalls."

An Oukaïmeden traffic jam

The authorities of El Haouz province have arranged several car parks and bus station as well as a new regional road but it is still less than is needed. There is little private investment with the only major project announced more than eight years ago to the sum of $1.4 billion by the UAE group Emaar. Sadly the project is on hold.

"In comparison with Europe we still lack the infrastructure to support skiers,"says Mohamed Bennani, a ski instructor with the Royal Moroccan Federation of Skiing and Mountaineering (FRMSM)

Oukaïmeden, at 3,600 m above sea level is the highest ski filed in Africa and offers 18 runs of around 1,000 vertical metres. If it can put the infrastructure in place, and the snow keeps coming, then it has the potential to become a valuable destination for Moroccan tourism.

An alternative answer to boosting the local tourist market may be ecotourism. In addition to climbing and trekking, paragliding and hang gliding, green tourism has the advantage of the longer summer seasons. It is also not dependant on snow.

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Snow Fun in Morocco's "Little Switzerland"

The View from Fez is in debt to Al Arabiya News for a timely reminder that Morocco is not all sun and dessert. The Atlas and High Atlas mountains have a great reputation for trekking and climbing, but also, for skiing. Now, Ifrane,‘Little Switzerland', is holding its first ever snow festival.

Built by the French in a European style, Ifrane was once a summer resort for colonial families and has long been a popular winter destination for ski-lovers. But this year, the local authorities decided to hold the town’s first ever snow festival in a bid to widen the resort’s appeal and attract larger numbers of tourists.

“This festival has many objectives for the local population in the fields of tourism, culture and development. This is the first year we have done this initiative and we will see what further steps we may take for next year,” said chairman of the provincial council, Abdallah Ouhadda.

Visiting Ifrane in winter? Rug up, it gets very cold! 

The event, which took place on Saturday (February 2), attracted thousands of visitors, both from Morocco and abroad. Alongside a colourful parade, one of the main highlights of the day was the ‘snow princess’ contest, which saw ten girls aged between 8 and 13 compete for the coveted title.

Local girl Zineb Azira, who won the prize, received her crown from Ifrane’s provincial governor.

“I am very happy because by winning this title, I brought pride to Ifrane. I am very happy to win the title of snow princess,” she said.

The idea of organizing a snow festival in Ifrane was first mooted two years ago, to boost tourism and promote the region’s rich Amazigh culture. One of the organizations behind the competition said the aim was educational. The chairman of the Toutrit - or ‘garden’ in Amazigh - Association, said organizers wanted the younger generation to be proud of their local heritage and more aware of environmental issues.

“Why a snow princess and not a snow queen? Because we wanted to play an educational role in this province for young girls and boys. The other objective of this event is to help local development in the region and also the marketing of local products,” said Abdelkader al-Achni.

Michlifen

Twenty kilometers away from Ifrane, the Michlifen ski resort is popular with urban dwellers who want to escape the cities and enjoy some outdoor exercise.

But as well as winter sports, Ifrane’s cool summer climate means the region continues to attract tourists all year round, as residents from cities such as Fes and Meknes seek to escape the scorching heat of the summer months.

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Odd spot! Doorstep skiing in Fez

A South African website is offering an apartment to rent in Fez, only 60 yards away from the ski slope ...

At less than Dh3000 per week for four to six people, this sounds like a steal. Where exactly the ski slope is in Fez remains to be seen.

The nearest ski resort to Fez is Mischliffen, just over an hour's drive from the city. Not exactly 60 yards.

Oh, and a postscript: The number of people who have been asking us about the swimming beach in Fez... oh, dear. Do look at a map.

Lone Moroccan at Winter Olympics.

Samir Azzimani has plenty of reasons to be proud. Not only has he qualified for the Winter Olympics but he is the only Moroccan to do so. His chances of getting a medal are very small, but a natural optomist, Samir said in a recent interview that "There will be a guy from Ghana and also one from Senegal and if I beat them, I'll be the champion of Africa."

Samir Azzimani was born in Levallois (France) in October 22nd, 1977. Placed in a foster home for family reasons, Samir had the opportunity to go to a holiday camp at La Chapelle d’Abondance in the French Alpes. There, he discovered his passion for skiing. He was only 6 years old, but a dream was already growing in his mind: taking part in the Olympics.



Now his dream is a reality and it is a dream he has decided to share. He is travelling to Canada with eight secondary school children from Woippy, a depressed suburb of eastern French town Metz that made headlines for riots last month when youths torched cars and clashed with police after a young man died while trying to flee police on a scooter.

The View from Fez wishes Samir the best of luck in the Men's Downhill and Giant Slalom.