A critical piece of equipment, the ice ax I rented in Imlil proved invaluable on the icy slopes of Toubkal. We set off at 5 a.m. from our mountain refuge, using only the light of our headlamps to climb. I became separated from my guide when inexperienced climbers slowed our pace, and I found myself lost on the ice-covered mountainside. Fortunately, after about an hour, I spotted the headlamp of a German climbing group and joined them to reach the summit. I captured this moment with my trusty ice ax when we were nearing the top.

Toubkal, High Atlas Mountains, Morocco (February 2024)