UKC

hi,

im currently considering joining an organised trip out to climb toubkal,
early oct. just wondering if anyone's been out there and would
you recommend it ???

In reply to EllieEP:

Toubkal is great fun, in early October you should still have summer conditions unless there's some really freaky weather. Email a few local guides closer to the time of your trip and most are happy to reply with current weather conditions. There's very little technical ground if you take the normal way up, but part of the route could be on incredibly loose, sandy scree.
Toubkal can be done as part of a long multi-day trip going along various paths across the Atlas, or you can be up-and-down in two days from Imlil. If you are a keen trail runner, you'd be able to do it in one (long) day.

I wrote a short story about my trip up Toubkal early last November, which can be found here:
http://altitudinalnoodles.wordpress.com/2013/11/25/jbel-toubkal-81113/

In reply to Pete Houghton:

Hi Pete,

Thanks for your reply and link to blog, ill take a look

In reply to EllieEP:

I did it about 12 years ago as part of an organized trek. We spent a week walking from village to village around the Atlas, then finished by doing Toubkal. It was really good to do it that way, as much of the rest of the trip was quiet and remote compared to the relatively busy Toubkal, and it gave me a much better experience than just "bagging it" would have done for me.
The other thing we did, which is highly recommended if conditions and abilities allow, was to climb it at night and arrive on the summit at sunrise. I'll never forget that.
We were in mid-September, and it was still hot and very arid. I assume you'd have it a little cooler.

Enjoy!

In reply to EllieEP:

I have done Toubkal in winter. I dont think I would have enjoyed it in summer conditions. Its a bit of a plod to the summit. The second day we did nearby peaks call Ouanoukrim. This was more pleasurable with a little ridge scramble.

In reply to EllieEP:

No problem Ellie. Any other questions, I'm happy to try and answer them as best as I can.