GCU Mountaineering conquer Morocco’s Mount Toubkal

GCU’s Mountaineering Club have been reflecting back on their magical Moroccan adventure.

12 students travelled to Marrakesh in January to climb North Africa’s highest peak, Mount Toubkal. The week-long trip saw those involved soak up Moroccan culture, as well as the unseasonably tropical weather.

Cyber Security student Paul Riley gave us an insight into the decision to travel to the Atlas Mountains, and how their exposure to climbing at altitude has helped prepare them for their next big adventure.

Just to start us off, how did you become interested in mountaineering?

“I started from quite a young age and mostly went with my grandad. I was up the hills in Ayrshire quite a bit and did that alongside being involved in the Scouts, but I eventually fell away from it. When I came to University, I then found about the Mountaineering Club and knew I had to get involved. Fast forward a couple of years and I’m on the committee.

“Everything’s been great – there’s been so many day and weekend trips. I decided if I was coming to university as a mature student I was going to do it properly, so I’ve made the most of my time.”

How did the Morocco trip come about?

“Basically a very good night in the pub! I had read an article where someone spoke about going on a four-day river rapids adventure holiday. I went onto the company’s website and I saw there was a trip to Morocco’s Mount Toubkal and thought it could be a good shout.

“We had a couple of nights in the pub and we’d been having a good chat about different things we could do – Mount Toubkal then came up in conversation and it was decided we would go ahead with the trip.”

Tell me a bit about your arrangements and how it all worked?

“We flew directly from Edinburgh to Marrakesh, which was very handy. This company then picked us up at the airport and took us into Marrakesh for the night. The next morning we were the taken by bus to the bottom of the mountain.

“There was 12 of us there from the club so we had enough for a private group along with the two guides responsible for us. There was also other local people climbing who were providing us with food, which was definitely helpful!”

“Mount Toubkal is about three times the size of Ben Nevis – it’s pretty high! We had decided to do the trip in January because we wanted it to be a winter trip with lots of snow but climate change well and truly struck. There was no snow and it was 26 degrees each day! We’d been expecting snow and had all our heavy gear. I carried an axe up the mountain for absolutely no reason…”

How was it climbing a mountain three times the size of Ben Nevis?

“Everyone that came on the climb was really fit. We were a day up to the base camp, a day to the summit, and then a day back down. You climb up from the village all the way to the base camp, which has a small hotel with electricity for three hours of the day. There was also a wee shop and the main thing being sold was Pringles – they absolutely love them there!

“Base camp was actually at 3200m, which left less than 1000m to the top; you can imagine the altitude sickness. The last part of the climb is where the air gets thinner and you’re basically forced to move slower. Another thing we hadn’t appreciated was that once you hit altitude your heart rate starts increasing quite a bit, basically because you’re having to work harder.”

You mentioned you had people providing food, what sort of things were you eating to give you fuel for the climb?

“We were told to bring snacks so we did a big trip to Decathlon and picked up cereal bars, fruit bars, and counted all our calories….I hardly ate any of the stuff I brought with me. Every time we stopped there was tagine, lamb, vegetables, cous-cous, potatoes – it was amazing!”

What was the highlight of your trip?

“Before coming back down on the final day we got up a couple of hours before dawn to climb to one of the high passes and catch the sun rise – it was absolutely fantastic to see!

“The summit itself was obviously incredible. It was funny because we were up there barely able to breathe with the altitude and all the guides were singing away quite happily.”

The Mountaineering Club seem to be a close group overall, are there plans for more trips?

“We’ve now actually got 53 members which is pretty good going, and more than last year. We went to Dornie at the end of March and had our very own qualified guide with us, so that was a good way for us all to learn.

“Our next big trip is a return to Chamonix and a couple of us are thinking about climbing Mont Blanc. I’m definitely up for it because my main concern was the altitude and our trip to Morocco has set us up well to deal with that.”

Find out more about the GCU Mountaineering Club here

By Ross Clark          
Got an SHLS or GSBS story? Email me at Ross.Clark@gcu.ac.uk or message me on Twitter