The Climb - Mt Toubkal, 4167 meters

Just before the pandemic me and my dearest friend Sally decided to embark of one of the toughest challenges in our lives and climb to the Summit of North Africa’s highest peak, Mount Toubkal which is 4,167 meters above sea level. The journey was a mixture of emotions from exciting to inspiring to heart breaking and gruelling. With our merry band of travellers we met in Morocco beforehand, it took us 4 days to reach the summit whilst stopping in various places to rest and take in the culture and outstanding surroundings.

We started each day at 3am in total darkness and temperatures well below freezing. With a torch on our heads, we attached our crampons and grabbed our ice axes to move closer to the end not knowing what the day would bring or how we would get there.

Slowly but surely, one step at a time we moved up the mountain in the pure darkness only able to see the person in front and their footprints in the snow. Gradually each day the sun began to come up and we saw magic unfold as the light bounced from across the mountain range in all its glory and colour. And once again we could see our goal. We had no idea how far it was or how long it would take but we could see it! That was enough to keep us going.

The trip changed us, our perspectives are different and our goals and aims have broadened. It was truly the most magical experience we could have imagined.

And now as we build Swapi I am reminded of exactly the same feelings. The synergy between climbing Mt Toubkal and building a business is uncanny.

• In the beginning we have a plan and a vision. We ‘think’ we know how we will get there
• We look for our merry band of likeminded people to join us on the journey
• We place our trust in those we believe in and soon create strong bonds which carry us through the toughest and unplanned moments
• We learn to communicate much better amongst each other
• We have no ‘status’ we treat everyone the same and we work as one towards the same goal
• When times are hard and the path ahead is unclear we lean on each other for ideas and support
• We celebrate together when we make breakthroughs and reach new milestones
• We learn every step of the journey and we continuously look back to remind ourselves where we started and the huge achievements we have made since we started
• We keep our focus on the goal ahead, reaching each milestone one by one

I’ve no idea how long our journey to the ‘swapi summit’ will take but what I can tell you is that the journey to get there is one of the most amazing experiences I’ve ever been on!

One step at a time – Keep focus!