Toubkal 4,167m (Morocco) |
| Climbing Toubkal was a trip I had been thinking about for sometime and it was recommended to me by Andy Caird who said that I really should climb it in the winter. So when I saw a great deal going with the Adventure company for the winter climb I quickly booked my spot and packed my bags. I was off to Morocco! |
| After arriving in Marrakech and settling down for the night in the hotel we woke early to meet in the breakfast area where we met the rest of the group and sorted out the local payment. There were seven of us in the group and two guides. With bags packed and ready for the climb we headed off for a quick guided tour around Marrakech and were soon off to the mountains in the mini bus. After a quick stop for chicken and chips by a nice river we arrived at our first stop in the village Imlil (1,790 metres) from where we walked for 1 hour to the village of Aremd and our first refuge. A simple place with fairly good amenities and great views up the valley towards Toubkal although there was a bit of cloud around higher ground which was a bit of a talking point. The food that night was really good and this is where we had our first taste of one of the many sweet teas that are drank in Morocco. |  |
| We got to know each other better over dinner and of course we had a million questions for the guides. It wasn't long before we were all yawning and wanting sleep time. So the first of many early nights which was just as well because there were a lot of early starts too. |
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An early start the next morning and a nice breakfast to start the day. After a quick bag packing session and loading the mules we were soon saying bye to the owner of the refuge and heading up the valley through the walnut trees. As we walked around the valley the scenery suddenly changed into an dry, dusty and baron looking terrain. The rocks were a strange mixture of colours, purple, orange, green and brown which looked really strange. There were few plants around but we were assured that in the summer there were lots of flowers about but the baron landscape was just amazing in it's own right. And the skies were crystal clear all the way up the valley which gave us all a lot of hope for a clear summit. We had a couple of brief stops including one at the Sidi Chamarouch where there is a grave of an islamic witch doctor and is covered by a huge white stone. |
| This is a very popular pilgrimage for Moroccans and only muslims can cross the little bridge to visit it. So we sat by a local shack and drank sweet tea and sugar coated nuts, which is another thing they like in the Atlas mountains. After plenty of pictures and a rest we walked the last couple of hours up to the Toubkal refuge (3,207 metres) where we came across our first snow and ice. This was our chance to try out our crampons and winter gear to check everything was in working order and ready to go to the summit. The refuge is great and has hot water, comfortable rooms and plenty of extras including a log fire and a small shop with chocolate and drinks. Normally the next day would be climbing another mountain near Toubkal but because of the crystal clear skies the guides and all of the group wanted to go for the summit the very next day. It seemed like the best plan so after a really nice meal and a game of chase the ace we headed back to our dorms. So packed and ready for the summit day we got an early night and briefly talked about irrelevant things as you do in a dorm, before falling to sleep. |  |
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Early the next day we all got up for breakfast, a little excited and a little nervous of what the day would have in hold for us. Crampons on, ice axe in hand and all manner of warm clothing slipped on we were ready for Toubkal. We left the refuge and straight away we were scrambling up a rocky section which was next to a frozen waterfall and looked very impressive and very cold. Then we were onto the section we had looked at from the refuge and was really quite steep with mixed sections of deep snow and ice. This is where the pre training comes into the equation. It might sound fairly easy but is was a heavy steep plod at around 3,600 metres. The skies were getting lighter by this time and it was looked like we were going to have another crystal clear day. This really started to raise the atmosphere in the group and things became easier some how! Eventually after what seemed like and endless zig zaging plod we reached the ridge from where we got our first taste of the sunshine and our first views of the summit and surrounding Atlas mountains. A really great view but we knew it would be better on the summit. |
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So after a snack and some more water we headed up the ridge towards the summit around some fairly steep and tricky sections. Then suddenly we could see the outline of a huge triangle. It was the summit. As we all walked along the final hundred metres the views got better, the triangle got bigger and the excitement got greater. |
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And then there we were on top of north Africa. Toubkal summit at 4,167 metres high. After plenty of congratulating and shaking of hands it suddenly struck us that we were standing on the top of the Atlas mountains looking down on Marrakech, the desert, the rest of the Atlas mountains and Morocco. And it felt amazing. I think the reason people go on these trips is because of that very feeling which you can't really explain until you have been there!, but once felt never forgotten. You almost feel like you are standing on top of the world looking down on everyone and nothing else matters. We took pictures from every angle and direction until we had run out of ideas and decided after eating more sugar coated nuts we would head back to the refuge. It was a real shame to leave the summit but we were all tired but we had really enjoyed the experience. |
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On the way down we went a more direct route which was really steep and icy at first and the second guide had to make an ice axe arrest on a really steep section which was lucky because he wasn't far off a huge drop. That was a reminder of how dangerous mountains can be and why we had the ice axes with us. Strangely we were all a little more careful after that. Until we came to a huge snow field where we sat down and glissaded down using the axes to control our speed and direction. It's amazing how quickly we managed to get back down to the rocky section near the refuge. And after we conquered that section we arrived back at the refuge elated, knackered and strangely in need of sweet tea. That night we celebrated with sweet tea over dinner and talked all night. We had climbed Toubkal and I have to say it was one of the best I have ever climbed and the extra smaller climbs that followed over the next couple of days completed a great trip. After returning back down the valley we celebrated in Marrakech with a nice meal and a few bottles of wine. I think we will be seeing more of Morocco. |
Overall the trip was amazing, the guides and local people very friendly, Marrakech is a cool city and the people are relaxed about their views of westerners. The views are stunning! You will love it here, we did! Tristan Bawn A big thanks to everyone on the trip for making it a classic. Youssef (guide), Noreddine (guide), Trudi, Paul, Chris, Harry, Steve and Malanie. |
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