Читать книгу Mountaineering in the Moroccan High Atlas. Walks, climbs & scrambles over 3000M онлайн

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Multi-day ridge traverses will require some access to water for drinking and possibly cooking in. Melting snow is the normal way of getting water on these ridges – otherwise long descents and reascents may be required to find a stream. There is therefore a limited season for multi-day ridge routes before snow on the north-facing slopes melts away altogether.

Short days in December and January mean long nights, which are accentuated if you are camping or bivvying, but other than during the Christmas/New Year season these are quiet months. February sees the arrival of ski-tourers in ever increasing numbers in the Toubkal region and, to a lesser extent, in the Mgoun massif. Easter is particularly busy, with the two Toubkal refuges often being booked out by French and Spanish parties. The Mgoun region is also popular at this time. Other areas are quiet year-round.

Mgoun ridge in summer

Counting the walnut harvest

Summer sun-baked rock may be idyllic in the more northern parts of the globe, but in the High Atlas can be very unpleasant. Similarly, the summer months of July and August can generate such heat in the plains and the cities of Marrakech and Taroudant that it can stifle all desire to move. This is a good time for visiting Ait Bougammez and making high-level journeys around the Tarkeddit plateau, which at 2900m is high enough to feel cool even during these summer months – particularly if a strong afternoon wind develops, which is not unusual. The author has been trekking in mid-August in this area, daily enduring heavy hail storms and cold winds, while people in Marrakech have been lounging in the shade by the pool!