Running in the Atlas Mountains is a passion of mine. As anyone who follows this blog will know. It began as a way to keep fit for mountaineering, and developed into a major part of the running tours we offer in Morocco. I first got into mountain running in my early thirties when I was
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Ultra Running in Morocco
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Climbing Toubkal with Teens
This month we organised a summer ascent of Jbel Toubkal for a large group of teenagers. The idea was to help them to overcome their limits and have an incredible adventure. Of course, the other aim was to enable them to safely ascend the highest mountain in North Africa! It was a great time, and
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Toubkal Access Changes 2019
Since the terrible events in Imlil in December 2018, there have been marked changes in access to Jbel Toubkal. These changes have been brought in by the Moroccan Government, to ensure the safety of all people wishing to ascend this splendid mountain. This blog post is to help you understand what these changes mean for
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Toubkal Winter Conditions Feb 2019
There has not been a good snowfall in the High Atlas since November, so what remains on Toubkal now is very old névé. Most North-facing aspects still have good snow cover above 3000m. Below that it is melting fast. A lot of the south-facing aspects of the High Atlas are now completely clear of snow.
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Toubkal Winter Weather conditions December 2018
Toubkal Winter Weather conditions December 2018 Here in the High Atlas there was another big snowfall at the end of November, and then almost two weeks of sunshine. This has compacted the snow and has made for ideal winter mountaineering conditions. The snowline is well below the refuge, and crampons are essential even on the
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Toubkal Winter weather conditions November 2018
It’s been a while since we did our last Toubkal weather update. As you can see from the pictures, there has been a lot of snow over the autumn. The snowline is now down below the refuge, with good cover above 3000m. As of this week, mules are still able to take baggage to the
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Toubkal winter conditions 1 Nov 2017
This is our first Toubkal winter conditions post for this year. It’s been a very hot and dry autumn. Back in mid-October there were a few days of rain, otherwise the weather has been sunny and hot. The featured picture on this post was taken yesterday from Ager Sioual on the approach to Imlil, looking
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Trekking in Morocco off the Tourist Trail
Trekking in Morocco off the Tourist Trail The Atlas Mountains extend for a distance of over 2500km across North Africa. It’s a real shame then that the majority of hikers are content to only trek up Toubkal, the highest peak. There are so many other mountains to explore here, many of them more remote and
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The importance of stretching for Trekking
It was day four of a village-to-village trek in the Atlas Mountains. We were aiming to summit Toubkal. I was leading a mixed group ranging in age from teenage lads to a couple of guys in their sixties. As we ascended towards a high coll I was asking them how they were finding the trek
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Climbing Toubkal in Winter
Climbing Mount Toubkal in winter conditions is the best way to enjoy this classic mountain. Imagine standing on the highest point of North Africa, feet in the snow, looking down over the Sahara Desert. This is an incredible experience! The winter air is so clear above 4000m that you can sometimes see as far as
