The Atlas Mountains, located entirely within Morocco, bear little resemblance to their African location – they are dry, high mountains, their peaks blanketed in snow in winter and parched by the heat of the Sahara in summer.

The highest point of the Atlas is Mount Toubkal, lyrically called جبل الذاكرة -Jabal Al-Da'akirah ("Mountain of Remembrance") by the Arabs. What do they remember when gazing at the snow-capped peak, hovering like a mirage at an inaccessible altitude above the scorching sands of the Sahara Desert, remains a mystery.

Perhaps they remember how, thousands of years ago, warlike Berber savages descended from these mountains and plundered Arab caravans and fortresses... But that's just my hypothesis.

For the climbers, Toubkal is a relatively easy climb, according to mountaineering classifications, nice enjoyable route to the highest point of the Atlas Mountains with its boasting stunning summit views.

Here is the link to the climbing program

#mountaineering #africa #morocco #toubkal

At the end of the old year and the beginning of the new, so many movements through space overlapped that only now have I been able to sit down calmly with my laptop (don’t ask where) to wish you a happy celebration of updating the final digit of the year.

I wish all of you strength and health in the year ahead — both physical and mental. I wish you the ability to hold firmly to true bearings and not to drown in the madness that, alas, has afflicted our world… But it will recover.

For that to happen sooner, it is important that we do not lose our way and that we keep the right direction. What could be more stable and eternally calm than mountain peaks?

I truly hope to be on the same trail with you, heading toward the most beautiful summits in the new, coming year. Keep your crampons sharp and your ice axes ready, shake the dust off your backpacks, and be prepared for new heights and new achievements.

Happy New Year to all of you!

Hey! I am still alive and wish you the same. Being iceclimbing in Kyrgyzstan