Bestard in the Azzaden Valley

Walking for Something Bigger Than the Mountain

Words and photos: Edu Lalanda | Malamalama Travels, May 2026

Once a year, we at Malamalama organised an expedition whose real objective cannot be found on any map: we walk to raise funds for the CRIS Cancer Foundation. We have been doing it since 2023, when it all began on Kilimanjaro, and this year Morocco was our destination. Twenty-three people, Toubkal on the skyline, and a shared determination to sweat for something that matters more than any summit.

But the mountain, never one to follow the script, decided to make things difficult. The weather turned, putting the summit beyond the reach of most of the team. Only seven continued upwards, completing a remarkably late winter ascent of Toubkal. The other sixteen of us lowered our sights but kept our spirits high. I led the group into the Azzaden Valley, a secluded green corner of the Atlas that lies well away from Toubkal’s normal route.
And that is the beauty of a journey like this: when the summit is no longer possible, you realise you never needed it to make the trip worthwhile. Our reason for being there remained untouched.

Valley Days, Forgotten Feet

Our days in the Azzaden were the good kind: following the valley, climbing and descending, sharing conversations over mile after mile, with hardly any technical difficulty. On terrain like that, the last thing you want is heavy footwear or anything that keeps demanding your attention.

I wore Bestard’s Speedwave II shoes: light and nimble, with the kind of feel underfoot that simply disappears. That is exactly what you want when your focus is on the people around you rather than on your feet. Vibram soles provided reliable grip on dirt and loose rock, while the shoes felt almost as effortless as everyday trainers as we moved through the Atlas valleys.

Raquel wore the Turó Lady. A featherweight mid-cut boot, it combines the flexibility of a trail shoe with the ankle support you appreciate when the path becomes uneven and the days begin to add up. For a route like this, comfortable and long, with distance as its main challenge, it was exactly the right tool: plenty of protection, with none of the punishment.

The Morning We Woke to White

Then the mountain reminded us once again who was in charge. Snow fell during our first night, and on the morning of our planned walk to the Irhoulidene waterfalls, we woke to a world turned completely white. A different landscape, a different plan, and different boots.

I put the shoes away and pulled on my TR Quantic boots. They are in another league: more substantial, more protective and better insulated, without becoming cumbersome high-altitude boots. My feet stayed warm and dry throughout the day, with firm grip on soft snow and wet rock and a level of stability that made a real difference. When you are guiding in snow, that matters. Once you know your feet are taken care of, your attention can stay on the group instead of on every step you take. The climb towards Irhoulidene, with its half-frozen waterfall and the snow-covered valley around us, became the image we all carried home.

Every Step Counts

I would rather not share the amount we raised. What stays with me is something else: twenty-three people chose to spend their holidays, their energy and their own money walking against cancer. The mountain may have denied much of the group its summit, but it could not take away a single ounce of our purpose. That is the expedition we return to every year, the one that is truly worth guiding.

Footwear does not cure cancer, of course. Its role is different: to carry you to the place where you can make a difference and, once you are there, stay out of the way. From the calm of the valley to the snow of Irhoulidene, that is exactly what the Bestard footwear did. It disappeared. It made sure our feet were never the story, leaving our minds free to focus on the only thing that mattered: walking together for something bigger than the mountain.