Mount Toubkal, the highest peak in North Africa, offers an unforgettable trekking experience. However, it is crucial to prioritize safety throughout your journey. Here are some essential safety considerations:
- Physical Fitness: Toubkal is a challenging trek, requiring a good level of fitness and endurance. It is recommended to train regularly before attempting the hike.
- Altitude Sickness: Toubkal’s summit is over 4,000 meters high, which can lead to altitude sickness. Symptoms include headaches, nausea, and fatigue. Ascend gradually and drink plenty of fluids to prevent or mitigate these effects.
- Acclimatization: Allow sufficient time for acclimatization before attempting the summit. Spend a few days in Imlil or other nearby villages to adjust to the altitude.
- Weather: Weather conditions in the mountains can change rapidly. Be prepared for extreme temperatures, rain, snow, and strong winds. Carry appropriate clothing and gear.
- Equipment: Essential equipment includes sturdy hiking boots, trekking poles, a backpack with plenty of water and food, and first-aid supplies. Consider renting crampons and an ice axe if hiking during the winter.
- Guides and Permits: It is strongly recommended to hire a certified mountain guide for the ascent. They will provide guidance, ensure safety, and assist with permits.
- Hydration: Staying hydrated is crucial. Carry at least 3 liters of water per person per day.
- Food: Pack high-energy snacks and meals to sustain you during the trek.
- First Aid: Carry a basic first-aid kit with essential supplies for treating minor injuries.
- Communication: Ensure you have a reliable means of communication, such as a satellite phone or personal locator beacon, in case of emergencies.
- Insurance: Ensure you have adequate travel and medical insurance that covers trekking activities.
- Listen to your body: Pay attention to your body’s signals and rest when needed. If you experience any discomfort or altitude sickness symptoms, descend immediately.
Safety Considerations for Hiking Mount Toubkal
By following these safety considerations and preparing thoroughly, you can minimize risks and maximize your enjoyment of the Mount Toubkal trek.
Hence, we are bringing our expertise and familiarity with us as we embark on the ascent of Mount Toubkal. Additionally, we plan to apply our past encounters and know-how to ensure a successful and safe climb to the summit of the mountain.
Use of Gamow Bags on Toubkal
A portable sealed chamber known as the W A Gamow bag, hyperbaric chamber, or portable altitude chamber is a straightforward device that can accommodate an adult in a reclining position. By attaching a foot pump to a valve inlet, the chamber can be filled with enough air to simulate the desired altitude. This works on the principle that air pressure increases with lower elevations.
While these devices are highly recommended for Mount Everest expeditions, where it can take up to four days to reach a safe elevation on the north side and regular sessions in the bag can temporarily raise a climber’s SpO2 levels to prevent cerebral and pulmonary edema during evacuation, deploying a Gamow bag on Toubkal is usually not a helpful option due to the associated delays. Instead, immediate descent is typically the preferred course of action.
Using Helicopter Evacuation / Flying Doctor Scheme
In the Moroccan High Atlas, there is no mountain rescue available. However, there is a private helicopter service located in Marrakech that can travel to the Toubkal mountain refuges to retrieve an injured person. It’s important to note that if someone is injured high up on the hill, they will need to be transported to the refuges to have any possibility of being airlifted out.
Use of Supplemental Emergency Oxygen
It is recommended to opt for a rapid descent once a climber has received oxygen, as continuing to ascend poses a risk. The intake of oxygen-rich air at high altitudes deactivates the body’s triggers for adapting to high altitude, increasing the likelihood of becoming hypoxic once the supply of supplemental oxygen is depleted.
We equip ourselves with reliable aluminium canisters and regulators, similar to those provided to the US State Department, to carry emergency oxygen during our expeditions. It is crucial to note that supplemental oxygen is solely intended for emergency use by the support team and should not be relied on to assist climbers in reaching the summit.
Pulse Oximeter
A small plastic clamp is placed on a finger, through which two wavelengths of light penetrate the tissue. The amount of light that is absorbed by haemoglobin at a particular wavelength is related to the blood’s oxygen saturation level. This reading provides an accurate estimate of the oxygen level in a person’s blood. However, it is important for the climber to breathe normally while the measurements are being taken since hyperventilation or holding one’s breath can cause a low pulse rate/high SpO2 reading.
We typically advise against the frequent use of pulse oximeters for climbers to assess their condition and acclimatisation level at altitude, or to diagnose the onset of acute mountain sickness. This is due to our observation that most users have a poor understanding of how to interpret the readings. Many people assume that a high SpO2 reading implies safety and indicates better health than a low SpO2 reading. This misconception is risky, as a climber may still suffer altitude-related complications even with a high SpO2 reading, which may mislead the person monitoring the climber into thinking they are safe when they are not, potentially leading to fatal consequences.
On the other hand, we have consistently observed that individuals in poor physical condition may trigger an emergency response that raises their SpO2 at relatively low altitudes. Meanwhile, athletes with rigorous training regimes that regularly push them beyond their anaerobic thresholds may not feel the need to alter their physiology until much higher altitudes. This is because their bodies perceive mild hypoxia as relatively normal since they experience hypoxia during their demanding training sessions on regular days when they are not at risk.
Therefore, a healthy and sufficiently acclimatised athlete may have an SpO2 reading of 70%, while an unfit person may have a reading of 80%. It is crucial to recognise that it is possible to develop cerebral oedema with an SpO2 saturation of 80%. We strongly advise against using oximeters indiscriminately, as the readings are only beneficial to experienced and qualified individuals. Instead, it is preferable to rely on the experienced guide’s ability to recognise symptoms of danger in a casualty.
Although we have pulse oximeters on all of our climbs, we discourage their daily use.
Portable Defibrillators at High Altitude
Sir Ranulph Fiennes has asserted that he owes his survival to a portable defibrillator that was present at Bristol Airport. It is a well-known fact that portable defibrillators have rescued numerous individuals and it is highly recommended that they are readily available to those who have a serious heart condition, except at high altitudes. Despite their frequent advertisement on Everest expedition kit lists, there have been no reported cases of portable defibrillators saving lives on high altitude expeditions. The likelihood of resuscitation efforts being effective in the Crater is highly debatable, given the typical barometric pressure of 500-550 millibars, which has historically been where most fatalities on Kilimanjaro have occurred. Our company offers Philips Heart Start portable defibrillators at an additional cost of USD 30 per day per defibrillator for climbing groups that have already expressed their desire for them. However, the inclusion of a portable defibrillator on a climb necessitates that all participants are in agreement and that our staff is not held accountable for any consequences resulting from resuscitation efforts in an oxygen-deprived environment that may result in long-term brain damage.