Starting out?

Will you be having porters or carrying your own stuff, that will dictate your size of sac.

If you will be having porters then around 25/30l should be enough.

As for which one you need to try lots on and find what fits you, select one you like the look of, stick it on and get the shop to put some weight in it, sandbags or some use a couple of ropes. If it feels comfortable then spend at least half an hour wondering round the shop browsing other things, trying on boots ect to see if the sac is still comfy.

I have not done Toubkal so as to which boot rating you need I will leave that to others who have done it.

When you buy your boots make sure the shop has a ramp, jump up and down facing down hill to see if your toes are hitting the end badly. If they do you will be sore after a long decent.

Buy some smartwool socks, you can wear them day after say and they will stay fresh and they will reduce you chances of getting blisters.

Hi,

As Julia (almost) suggested I'd go for a porter to get from Imlil up to Neltner and then as she says all you'll need will be a daysack for your food, water, warm gear and waterproofs.

I've work both Han Wag and Merell in the Atlas and both work well for me but it really is a personal choice. Coming down off Toubkal can be a slog esp. if you decide to go from Imlil to Neltner on day one then summit the next morning and walk back down to Imlil the next day. It is perfectly doable but you'd want to be confortable in all your gear.

You may well not need crampons in October, that said I've not done Toubkal in the autumn. There has been a lot of rain so far this year/winter so there may be more snow on Toubkal when you are doing it if this isn't just a blip and the heavier rains start again in the autumn. Check the weather nearer the time.

Hope this helps.

Just come back from doing Mt Toubkal this saturday, very warm in Marakesh but about minus three at the Neltna hut..  snow around but not very heavy, we did it with axe and crampons but didn't need them after the first sharp bit..I would imagine you will be dragging up the scree in october,

It's a long walk from Imlil so would advise a night at the Neltner hut or a stay at Arroumd, there's a bunk house there.

Despite the chance of a wee headache  it's an easy climb. If you have been up Nevis you will bomb up, plenty of food and drink at the hut so you only need your personal stuff...

but remember to get used to the altitude  

Thanks for all the advise and I'm looking at doing Nevis as part of my training so should have a good idea of how hard it's going to be.  We are going to beuing Proters so a daysac it is. 

For boots I'm going looking this weekend so I can start some proper training.

Thanks again and if anyone else has any advice please commentt. As the heading says I'm a total novice.

Hi Derv.

Ref boots, I have 4 season Scarpa boots with matching crampons but did Mt Toubkal in Asola boots with flexi crampons, both perfectly suitable for the task. there is quite a walk in and out, and the rigid boots are a menace on flat walking,  great at shredding your feet. 

The cash you need for a pair of 4 season boots plus carampons is serious, the Asolo boots are multi purpose suitable for most things in the uk.

Enjoy it

Hi there,

   I'm climbing Toubkal in June with my brother and also have no experience, I could also do with some advice on what to take, how cold will it be? I doubt there will be much snow by then will there?

Richard

In June it shouldn't be too cold at night. I went last October and it didn't get cold at night til after 2000m. We didn't see any snow but it snowed the very day we came down again so were lucky.

Boots - it's a slog, I did it in a pair of 3 season Meindl's and they were more than adequate for the walk in walk up and walk out. I had a 25l rucksack which was also adequate as we had a porter.

Treat your own water - I can't go on about it enough seeing as both my bf and I got giardia and was in a right state. Don't trust steripens either - they didn't work. Good old fashioned iodine and neutralising tablets. Don't let your porters treat your water regardless of how nice they are. Don't eat the shared nuts.

In June there may be snow in areas that don't get sun but nothing significant where you'll walk. The overnight camp at neltner will be chilly but not uncomfortable.

Take a porter - the slog up to and down from neltner will be a bit much if you are a novice, have the mule carry bottles of water purchased in Imlil or, as Jules suggests, filter/treat your own. Any daysack so long as it is comfortable, boots too. I use shoes up as far as Sidi Chamarouche but would summit in boots that you are comfortable with.

Make sure you have your jabs, esp. Hep. A - I speak from experience.....

Thanks for the replies.

The plan is to get a taxi to imlil on day one, stay there the night, then trek up to the refuge du toubal, summit the next day and hopefully make it down to imlil again.

I'm planning on taking at 70L rucksack which should hold my 3 seasons sleeping bag and will be under 15kg.

Do I need a coat or will a couple of fleece layers do?

I'm trying to do it on a tight budget and it seems shoes are the most important things, how do Karrimor's cope?

How much do mules cost? There will be 3 of us.

Thanks,

Richard

Plenty of people do Toubkal as you are planning to do, but to be honest I do think you'll find the trip more enjoyable if you can find a way of spending a little more time at a reasonable altitude to aclimatise. Once you're in the mountains living is pretty cheap, so shouldn't hurt the the budget too much & having gone all that way it would be a shame to rush it with a headache!

I did it in September, so weather not directly relevant to your trip. We climbed in the night so we could summit at dawn (fantastic, see my avatar for an idea of the view!), & it was extremely cold (estimated -10C). By mid-mornnig it was 30C+ as we descended. I think you need to assume that you need to take a bit of spare clothing - a very light waterproof combined with your fleece layers should do it. Like any mountain, the weather can change very quickly, even in Africa!

We were part of an organised trip so only had daysacks. Filling a 70 litre pack sounds a lot, & if you do use mules will be over the top.

Karrimor shoes. Plenty of people use these happily, though obviously without further information as to what type its hard to know. THe cheapest Karrimor shoes you find are not to be recommended IMO, but the main KSB range should be OK. The terrain is quite rocky, lots of scree, so an ankle height boot would be my preferred minimum, rather than just a shoe/trainer height. I do tend to prefer heavier, bigger boots though - I did it in my 4 season leather boots.

Enjoy!

So Derv how did you get on, all ok?

 Depending when you are going, I think most of the time a good 4 season boot that can take B2 crampons is  enough. In winter you might need 5 season boots, (maybe even Plastic Double Boots).

When I was there in April, camping at @ 3600m it fell to -20c in porch of tent.  So unless in summer, take crampons and ice axe.    h