Anyone been Trekking/climbing in the Atlas Mountains??

Is it any good??
Thinking of going in May to do something in the mountains. wondering what other people have done, self sufficient, trekking company, carry all your gear? accommodation? Best areas for alpine style mountaineering and/or backpacking/trekking?.
What’s the best resource for info? best guidebooks?
Any advice, recommendations or stories welcome
Cheers
Paul

You going solo or with Exped adventures? Just noticed they seem to do a very good deal on supported/guided trip.

lovely place, take your own booze if you’re into it, remember altitude might effect you. I went with “Explore” who were good, well organised and seemed in tune with the locals (using local guides, staying in locally owned houses, food from villages etc). there is a nice loop roudn the mountains ending with an ascent of toubkal, I don’t have maps but it is east to find. May was nice, hot but not too hot, snow in places, toubkal still quite deep on ascent but not “winter” technical!

Almost certainly Solo small group of 4. We’ve never used guide groups and no intention unless told we had to (the organising is half the fun IMO), however we might possibly consider employing selected local individual guides. Not sure about accommodation, what’s the refuge hut network like?.
Meehaja, did you need axe/crampons on Toubkal? I think we’ll be looking for low grade stuff which doesn’t require ropes and paraphenalia.
We’ve climbed extensively in the alps over 20 years to middling grades, but want to spread our wings a bit to something similar but a bit more adventurous, but possibly not involving hauling climbing kit.

The High Atlas is a lovely region for trekking/climbing – i went 15 years ago with my mate. Not on an organised trip with a firm, but planned it ourselves. We wwnt in April and the weather was great – like meehaja says, below the snow line was a lovely temperature. Toubkal required crampons and axes, and the snow was pretty deep in places. We were not ‘ice climbing’ as such, just a ‘trek in the snow’ 🙂

We got a grain truck – that was an experience in its self, sat ontop of tonnes of grain as the truck winds along the mountain roads – from the taxi rank in Marakesh all the way up to a village called Imlil. Here were hired a guide and donkeys to carry our kit upto the bivvy station at Toubkal. We were up and down Toubkal in a day from this base station – getting up stupid early. We stayed in a bunk house in Imlil for a night on return.

From Imlil we trekked across to Setti-Fatma – took about 3 days i think. There was no need for a guide here, we carried our own kit and followed the map.

Basically we just walked into the villages and were immediately surrounded by kids who would take us to a bunk house (usually a stable). The family would then cook an amazing tajine, served with bread and berber whiskey (not thw whiskey we know). For a few dirham you get fed and watered and kip on the floor. The Berbers were really friendly and helpful.

From Setti-Fatma we splashed out on a taxi to get back to Marakesh, but it was still dirt cheap.