OutdoorUAE - December 2014

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CAMP COMMUNICATION

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BONDING UNDER THE STARS Farms & Forests

RAK CAMPING

HONEY BADGERING CONTINUES

MOZAMBIQUE ON THREE WHEELS

DUBAI OFF-ROAD & ADVENTURE SHOW

NOW THAT THE DUST HAS SETTLED

ADRENALINE HIGH

WHITEWATER ZAMBEZI

Plenty of

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Issue 48, December 2014

MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

Cover photo by: Pete Maloney General Manager Daniel Birkhofer Managing Editor Andy McNab Editor Glaiza Seguia-Godinez Designer Jung Francisco Administration Jane Mesina Sales & Marketing (advertisement enquiries) Linda Turcerova Tel: 04-447 2030 Mobile: 055 9398915 linda@outdooruae.com Published by Outdoor UAE FZE In cooperation with D32 Events P.O. Box 215062 Dubai, U.A.E. Tel. 04-447 2030 contact@outdooruae.com www.outdooruae.com Distributor Tawzea, Abu Dhabi Media Company P.O. Box 40401, Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. Printed at Galadari Printing & Publishing LLC P.O. Box: 11243, Dubai, UAE

© 2014 Outdoor UAE FZE Issue 48 December 2014

DECEMBER 2014 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

Finally the dust has settled after our first Dubai Off-Road and Adventure Show and I have had some time to reflect on the event and begin my list of additions and improvements for the next one, which will come in 2015 for sure.

It has been another busy year, with many developments in and around OutdoorUAE. There have been personal things, like team members coming and going, I managed to take my biggest and longest work escape so far (my honeymoon to South America) and yes, a report is still due! Linda very recently gave birth to Zoe and entered the adventure of motherhood, but the two ladies will still be with OutdoorUAE so it is only a welcome to Zoe and luckily not goodbye to Linda.

Of course there were and still are many, many things ongoing behind the OutdoorUAE curtains, which keep us busy and are due to be released soon. Some new and ongoing things are that we will start to run an annual major event, like the Off-Road and Adventure Show; also brand new that we offer together with our mountain/expedition expert Sean James some special trips and tours both in the region and internationally. The second edition of the Off-Road Adventure Routes guidebook will be released during December, and we are also working on a second brand new publication for this season (details to come).

The next and long, long awaiting development is the launch of our new website and an updated and refreshing looking magazine in January 2015. Actually our anniversary and 5th birthday is in fact this issue (48) and our new look layout resizing will start in the January and propel us into our 6th year of growth. Also, the few long time followers will know that actually the very first OutdoorUAE magazine, the caveman of all OutdoorUAE magazines left the cave in March 2009 but it took some months until he was able to walk upright, so we ignored three initial issues and started counting with the 4th issue ever published in January 2010. There will be a little history lesson about our evolution next month.

So the OutdoorUAE family and offers are growing in order to meet new demands and to help you make the most of your valuable outdoor adventure time, whether having fun with family and friends or participating in sports or however you love to spend your time outdoors.

The weather now is perfect so please, let’s all make a pact now right here right now, to do what we can to enjoy the outdoor season as much as possible.

Daniel

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BETWEEN THE LINES

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The information contained is for general use only.

We have made every attempt to ensure that the information contained in this magazine has been obtained from reliable sources. The publisher is not responsible for any errors. All information in this magazine is provided without a full guarantee of completeness, accuracy and chronology. In no event will the publisher and/or any of our affiliates be held responsible for decisions made or action taken in reliance on the information in this magazine.

All contents are copyrighted and may not be reproduced in any form without prior written permission.

Daniel Birkhofer Founder and General Manager daniel@outdooruae.com

Andy McNab Managing Editor andy@outdooruae.com

Glaiza Seguia-Godinez Editor glaiza@outdooruae.com

Sean James Mountaineering and MTBing expert

Linda Turcerova Sales and Marketing linda@outdooruae.com

Jane Mesina Administration jane@outdooruae.com

Jung Francisco Designer and Photographer jung@outdooruae.com

Eulogy van Dyk Outdoor-loving Qatar explorer

© 2014 Outdoor UAE FZE Reg. at Creative City Fujairah P.O. Box 4422, Fujairah, U.A.E. Kit Belen Our fishing pro

WHEN YOU’RE DONE READING, PLEASE RECYCLE!

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EXPERTS & CONTRIBUTORS

Ian Ganderton Kayaker, climber, mountainbiker and snowboarder.

Enthusiastic jack of all trades, master of none.

John Basson Moto/ATV and all round adventure seeker

Tori Leckie Writer, runner, blogger and adventurer

Marina Bruce The Desert Diva and off-road expert.

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MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

DECEMBER 2014 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

CONTENTS 18 KITESURFING UAE

12 DUBAI OFF-ROAD & ADVENTURE SHOW

EVERY ISSUE 05 BEST SHOTS 06 EVENTS CALENDAR 42 LIFESTYLE 46 PRODUCTS 58 PEOPLE 71 DIRECTORY

EVENT REVIEWS & REPORTS 16 MTB HIMALAYA 2014 24 555 MARATHON 30 FAMILY CAMPING

TRAVEL + ADVENTURE 32 VICTORIA FALLS ADVENTURE

34 TREKKING EVEREST BASE CAMP 38 SEAN IN SCOTLAND

LIFESTYLE 42 OUTDOOR RECIPE 45 HABITUALLY HEALTHY

OUR EXPERTS 52 DARK SKIES CHALLENGE - MARINA 54 RAK ATTACK – JOHN

TIPS + TRICKS 68 FISHING KIT 69 TRIATHLON TIPS 56 CAMPING IN QATAR

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64 NIGHT HIKING

MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

DECEMBER 2014 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

BEST SHOTS WINNER!

Here are the best shots sent in by you for the monthly “Want Fame?” photography competition!

Thank you for all your entries, they were all great and it was hard selecting the best photos this month.

Congratulations to the top three winners, who will each receive Buff headwear, five free copies of the magazine and the Advance Off-road book: Bishworanjan Das, Barry Simpson and Ahmed Al Ali. Well done!

To submit your entries, simply email us at competitions@outdooruae.com with the subject “Best Shots.”

Calling all snap-happy photographers and keen outdoor folk!

Bishworanjan Das

This was taken in Wadi Damm, Oman. Nothing beats the pleasure of jumping into a natural clear pool early morning!

The OutdoorUAE Calendar Photography Contest is back! Visit outdooruae.com/calendarcontest and see page 11 for more details!

WINNER! WINNER!

Barry Simpson

The calm before the storm.

Ahmed Al Ali

This is me sitting in a crazy steep rock on the last third portion of Jabal Shams in Oman. My friend Abdulaziz and I did not find the regular hiking route so we explored our own route.

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MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

DECEMBER 2014 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

EVENTS CALENDAR Stay up-to-date with the latest events Ignite Group Exercises and Military Boot Camps Starting December 1 to 17

Ignite Fitness & Wellness, is offering military boot camp sessions for the month of December in various locations like the Jumeirah Beach Park, Umm Suqeim Beach Park, The Springs and more. Standard boot camp course is four sessions per week for four weeks. Due to the holiday season, the sessions are only until the 17th of this month. For more information, contact 04 452 0001 or email info@ignite-wellness.com.

Silverback Criterium GP Series December 5 to March 13, Hamdan Sports Complex

The Silverback Criterium series will be held on a 1.5km circuit and is an exciting format of road cycling for both the riders and the spectators. The event is a multi-lap race of 50 minutes plus three laps for Elite, Novice and Ladies. Juniors (under 16) will do 25 minutes plus two laps. All entrants stand a chance to win a Silverback Space 2 bike valued at 10,000 AED! For more information and to register online, visit www.supersportsdubai.com and www.premieronline.com.

Johnson Arabia Dubai Creek Striders Half Marathon 2014 December 5, 6:00am, Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club

Organised by Dubai Creek Striders, the 13th year of this half marathon that winds around the beautiful Creek, is followed by its just as popular post-race breakfast. In keeping with the DCS’s philosophy of being a social running club and focusing on long-distance running, the race was created to provide a truly unique and inspiring half marathon experience, as well as acting as a stepping stone to the full marathon and to help promote a healthier lifestyle. For more information, visit www. dubaicreekstriders.org and www.premieronline.com.

Saucony Dubai Autodrome 5km Race December 11, 7:00pm, Dubai Autodrome

The Dubai Road Runners present the 5km running race around the floodlit Autodrome track. The race is open to adults, who will do two laps clockwise direction in the circuit, and juniors under 16 will do a 2.5km. For more information, visit www.dubairoadrunners.com and www.premieronline.com.

Spinneys Dubai 92 Cycle Challenge 2014 December 12, 6:00am, Nad Al Sheba Cycle Park

The Spinneys Dubai 92 Cycle Challenge is back! A challenge for beginners and experts alike, spanning 92 kilometres across the immaculate Dubai roads, including Dubai’s most famous landmarks The Burj Khalifa, The Dubai Mall, The Burj Al Arab. It is the largest cycle challenge in the Middle East! For more information, visit www.cyclechallenge.ae or www.premieronline.com.

The 5 Star Aquathlon Race 2 December 12, 7:30am Saadiyat Beach Club

The Abu Dhabi Tri Club takes the 5 Star Aquathlon series to a new location on Saadiyat Island, with the private Monte Carlo Beach Club opening up a pristine location for the venue of Race 2.

Participants will swim in the crystal clear waters of Saadiyat Island before crossing the wind sands to the curving footpaths. A fun aquathlon the whole family can participate in and open for all ages.

Spectators are welcome to accompany family and friends participating in this event. Starting with the Super Sprint and Sprint races, these events are open to ages 13 and above and will kick off at 7:00am. Our Tiny Triathletes will wade the shore from 8:15am. The Junior race will be a deep water swim of 200m, swim out to a bouy and back, followed by a 1.5km run. For more information, visit www.abudhabitriclub.com and www.premieronline.com.

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MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

DECEMBER 2014 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

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EVENTS CALENDAR Urban-Ultra 24hr Insomnia December 12, 12:00pm, Dubai

Participants will run around a 500m flat looping course under the sun and stars with a stunning backdrop. Whether solo or a team relay, they will run for 24hrs, 12hrs or 6hrs (12 noon start for all).

This is a real test of endurance that will bring out the sense of adventure, stubborn determination and fun in every competitor! A race village will provide rest areas, food for racers and a great atmosphere for family, friends, supporters and crew. For more information, visit www.urbanultra.com or www.premieronline.com.

Jones Lang LaSalle Triathlon - Race 2 December 13, 6:30am, Jebel Ali Golf Hotel

The option of a super sprint or sprint triathlon returns for the second race of the JLL series. The swim will be in the sea, followed by the bike section that will take place on the open roads outside of the hotel, with the final run through the beautiful grounds of the resort (and not on sand). For more information, visit www.race-me-events.com.

Giant Duathlon Series

December 19, 8:30am, Nad Al Sheba Cycle Park The Giant Bicycles Duathlon Series is aimed at triathletes, duathletes, cyclists, runners and fitness enthusiasts of all ages and abilities. Kids are welcome too as the courses are traffic-friendly and safe for all competitors. Each race is run-bike-run and will be open to individuals and teams of two. A commemorative cycling top will be given to the first 100 entries received for the five-race series. For more information, contact andy@race-me-events.com and visit www.premieronline.com.

Dubai Desert Road Run 10km and 3km December 20, 7:30am, The Sevens, Dubai

The race will feature two distances – 10km and a 3km fun run. Both distances will be timed and will award medals to all finishers. The 10km winners in each age category will receive trophies, the first three male and female finishers in the 3km (no age categories for this distance) will also be awarded. For more information, contact info@dubairunning.com and visit www.premieronline.com.

ADNIC Yas Run

January 16, Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi One of UAE’s favourite community running events is back for the fourth time. This twilight run sponsored by Abu Dhabi National Insurance Company and welcomes over 4,000 participants offer runners of all abilities the chance to run on the same asphalt as world’s favourite Formula One drivers for 1km, 3km, 5km and 10km distances. To register, visit www.yasmarinacircuit.com and www.premieronline.com.

This is just a selection of the events taking place this month, for more upcoming events visit: www.outdooruae.com/event

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MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

DECEMBER 2014 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

NEWS + COMMUNITY

Good news from the latest Biosphere Expeditions study of the DDCR

Words By: Andy McNab Photos By: www.biosphere-expeditions.org

‘Clearly-defined targets’, ‘critical issues’, ‘sustainable conservation’, ‘citizen Scientists’, ‘education and training’ and ‘creation of protected wilderness areas’ are just some of the buzz words that sum up Biosphere Expeditions (BE) and what they aim to achieve through their non-profit, International Union for the Conservation of Nature endorsed, programs of volunteer expeditions.

There is a cost to these expeditions (all accounted for and published in each report), but, as a ‘citizen scientist’ you are very well catered for and constantly learning as you go; working alongside professional field scientists and gaining an introduction to numerous relevant outdoor life skills, such as radio and GPS telemetry, safe trapping and setting up a comfortable oasis field camp.

The reason BE have come into view this month at OutdoorUAE HQ is their most recent Arabian Desert report, in which they studied the majestic Arabian oryx, illusive Gordon’s wildcat, wily sand foxes, flighty gazelles and assorted other desert fauna.

There was good news from the report, most notably, “The successful collaboration between Biosphere Expeditions and

Reinforcing important outdoor skills.

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Working alongside experts.

the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve (DDCR), initiated in 2012, continues.” That “Citizen scientists collected data on nine target species. Data gathered alerted the DDCR management to several conservation issues and also allowed for informed, fact-based management decisions to be made in a showcase of how the work of citizen scientist volunteers can aid the efforts of conservation professionals.”

Regarding the fragile Arabian oryx things continue to improve, “In 2013 Biosphere Expeditions monitored Arabian oryx herd health and found severe undernourishment. As a result, DDCR management increased supplementary feeding. In 2014, the expedition body scored 278 Arabian oryx for herd health again, resulting in an average score of 2.9, which is just below the fit and healthy score of 3.0. This is a highly satisfactory management result and body score monitoring will continue.”

And a first, “A rare sand fox was caught by the expedition for the first time in the history of the DDCR, As a result of this capture, further expeditions will start targeting this species in an attempt to obtain more information about it.”

For those of you who lean towards, science, the environment, conservation and the general betterment of the region and planet (all of you we hope!) the full 43 page report is available at, www.biosphereexpeditions.org/reports#expeditionreports-archive and go to “Arabian 2014”.

See our FB for links.

Biosphere have a January expedition in the pipeline (10th -17th), whereupon they will continue their positive impact on the region and hopefully have more good news to report towards the back end of 2015. So, now is as good a time as any to sign up and surprise your kids with a seasonal gift that will last a lot longer than the latest tech craze.

If you are interested in research a little further afield than our backyard then there are many other international options available for you to pick, including tracking snow leopards in Kyrgyzstan, a Slovakian lynx, wolf and bear week or even a trip to deepest Amazonia to study just about everything.

Please also find a little holiday time to follow Biosphere Expeditions on their social media outlets, FB, YT and Google+, or visit their website at www.biosphereexpeditions.org where you are even given the opportunity to become a ‘friend of BE’, which is something we recommend fully.

Arabian fox, first time capture.

MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

DECEMBER 2014 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

Hatta Mountain Bike Trail Centre New opening, all the details!

Words + Photos By: Sean James

November saw the official opening of a number of new mountain bike trails in the Hatta area. Even good news spreads fast, and the first weekend saw many MTB enthusiasts camping and exploring the trails.

At present there are three trails totaling nearly 18km. All are colour-coded, using a similar grading to ski resorts. Green the easiest progressing through blue and then red. Work has already begun on a black trail which winds its way to the top of the range. If you look up towards south you will see a boulder perched high on the ridge line. The trail will climb steadily offering an immense view of the valley and intertwining wadis below before plunging back down to meet the other trails.

The Hatta Mountain Bike Trail Centre is the result of many months of planning and hard physical work by Andy Whittaker, the local Hatta Municipality and their workforce.

The morning that we arrived to test the trails, Andy, one of the central characters behind mountain biking in the region had offered to show groups around. Jumping ahead and then dropping back to offer tips and directions to riders of all abilities, his enthusiasm and welcoming nature is immediately evident. The pleasure

The ups and downs of Hatta’s hilly landscape.

that we had riding the sweeping turns, technical sections and features such as the wooden bridges and drops of the trails is clearly a result of his passion for the sport and trying to pass this on to others in this region. The fact that the local municipality has also seen the potential benefit and offered their full support is typical of the UAE. Future plans include a campsite, general facilities and a café – so something very similar to the massively popular Dubai Cycle Centre at Al Qudra. When finished, the total trails will be at least 50km. Let’s hope the progress continues as it started.

The result will surely attract floods of mountain bikers not just from the UAE but also further afield.

Hatta Winter mornings at Hatta are spectacular; only one hour from Dubai it is the perfect location for mountain biking. The air is crisp and clear with occasional smoke from outlying farms drifting up gently.

The sun rises slowly over the green, jagged mountains; their greenish colour the result of a mineral-rich ground. At this time of the year the temperatures remain cool throughout the morning, as the vast shadows cast on the rock strewn ground

stretch down past the Omani border to the Gulf of Oman. Although the trails can be ridden in any direction, it is best and easiest to ride trails in a clockwise direction. All trails are marked and colour-coded, and GPS data can also be downloaded.

To find the Hatta Mountain Bike Trail Centre take the E44 towards Hatta. Parking at N24°48’46.77” E56° 9’37.04” – it is easily accessed by 2WD. If you are staying the weekend, a great, nearby five-star option is the Hatta Fort Hotel – a green oasis and tranquil escape from Dubai. The hotel welcomes cyclists and the breakfast and service is top class.

An alternative is to camp near the parking for the trails. Soon there will be an official camping place along with café and facilities. OutdoorUAE looks forward to seeing you on the trails. We will definitely be there ourselves. Make sure you get the January issue for full details of all the routes and trails.

For an awesome HD Hatta MTB Trails flyby experience visit, vimeo. com/111909674.

For any latest updates and all essential information visit the Hatta MTB Trail FB at www.facebook.com/ groups/1559672054262346/.

Back on the flat. Hatta farms in the background.

The initial tracks. A result of a lot of planning, hard effort, cooperation and sweat!

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The world’s fastest half marathon A firm fixture on both the regional and international running calendar, the RAK Half Marathon continues to enjoy the patronage of elite and local runners alike.

With a record number of eight (male) runners breaking the one-hour mark for the first time in 2014, all eyes will be on the finish line for the final times on February 13 2015.

Will nine (male) runners break the same one-hour barrier? Will the African nation of Kenya continue its podium dominance held over the previous years? Will the current world record time of 58:23 be beaten?

At the world’s fastest marathon, anything can happen.

A strictly applied procedure of measuring, pre-measuring and post-measuring is in usage for every (AIMS/IAAF) certified race course, the RAK Half Marathon being no exception. This procedure guarantees no cause for contest in relation to distance for a world record application – one of the many checks that take place, such as in the case when Mary Keitany set the women’s world record of 1:05:50 in the 2011 edition.

For 2015, the race measuring procedure has become a necessity for another reason, as now the route is slightly altered, adding a brand new section to the course. The race now nearly entirely circumnavigates the Mangrove Lagoon, heading along Al Qawasim Corniche in the direction of the port before turning around. This new section also adds colour and variance to the course, which has followed its previous route for the preceding six editions.

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Many will be hoping that new personal best times will be set with the fresh course layout.

After the new route reaches the extremities of the port, the course turns back on itself and rejoins the previous route (at the point locally referred to as “Court Roundabout”) taking in the local landmarks many returning runners will now recognise – Al Shuhada (clock) roundabout, the Ruler’s Palace, Tower Links Golf Club and then back alongside the mangroves to the finish line.

The location of the race village, along with the starting and finish line remains situated in the Manar Mall car park (opposite City Hotel), just outside the Carrefour sign. In continuing one of many local improvements the car park has now been asphalted allowing for a more even, suitable village area. The village retains its vendors, with booths featuring race sponsors, kiddie

play area and food and drink available for participants and spectators alike.

While the continued support of visiting elite athletes is a notable achievement, the inclusive spirit of the RAK Half Marathon also extends to those who feel they may not be capable of running the full 21.0975km, in the form of the RAK Free Trade Zone Team Relay. Each relay team consists of four runners, three of whom run 5km and one who runs (just over) 6km, each running consecutively after the other, thereby completing the entire course as a team.

Often becoming a focal point for companies’ team building activities, raising funds for charity or simply for a group of friends looking for a good reason to wear a fancy dress, the team relay is a great way to be involved in the event in manageable pieces. Far from frivolity however is the prize pool –15,000 AED is shared between the top three finishing teams!

The inter-school relay competition caters to young aspiring athletes, with their own dedicated category and a prize pool totaling 13,000 AED. Students are advised to start training early if they hope to participate, as RAK Academy’s 2014 time of 1:39:09 will be hard to beat for the 7,000 AED first prize.

With a predicted temperature range of 13–23 degrees, the RAK Half Marathon will hopefully produce the same pleasant weather that historically draws crowds from near and far – and with any luck, also a few new world records along the way.

The RAK Half Marathon 2015 is presented by Saqr Port and together with the RAK Free Trade Zone Team Relay Challenge is supported by Saucony, UPS and RAK Hospital. Registration is only available online at www.rakmarathon.org until 15th December 2014.

2015 Calendar Photography Contest CALLING ALL PASSIONATE OUTDOOR PHOTOGRAPHERS! OutdoorUAE invites all photographers, no matter whether amateur or professional, who are based here in the Middle East to capture the beauty of nature through your lens(es) and enter the 2015 OutdoorUAE Calendar Photography Contest.

Last year we received hundreds of entries this year we want thousands!

These are the 12 categories to get you reaching for your tripods:

Off-road Motocross Mountain biking Hiking or running Water sports and fishing Camping

Diving / underwater Nature Outdoor people / culture Outdoor travel Outdoor lifestyle activities Outdoor kids

The 12 selected photos (one for each category) will be included in the 2015 OutdoorUAE calendar to be launched January next year. From the 12 finalists, the overall top three winners will be decided through online voting during the month of January.

The link for the online voting will be published in the calendar.

Franky Hohne

Photo deep water soloin

To submit entries, visit outdooruae.com/calendarcontest.

Photo by: Patrice

Over AED 10,000 worth of prizes!

AL BOOM VOUCHERS, MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTIONS, WAECO CF35 COOLER, TROPHIES AND BRAGGING RIGHTS www.OutdoorUAE.com Facebook.com/OutdoorUAE

Dewergifo Dubai R

CALENDAR 20 14

12 PHOTOGRA PHERS AND 12 AMAZING OUTDOOR PHOTOS OUTDOORUAE READ FROM THE MIDDLE E

Twitter.com/OutdoorUAE Instagram.com/OutdoorUAE In the footsteps

OutdoorUAE_Cal

endar for 2014.indd

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of “Lawrence of

Photo by: Alexandra Schwarz Arabia” at the Wadi Rum in Jordan.

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THE DEBRIEFING

THE INAUGURAL

2014 Dubai Off-road and Adventure Show Getting Herr Birkhofer’s reflections on the Dubai Off-road and Adventure Show 2014 Words By: Daniel Birkhofer Photos By: Jung Francisco and Abrito Rosellosa Jr.

It had been in the pipeline for a long, long time and when it finally became a reality in the first weekend of November very few people from the outdoor community were left wanting more.

Daniel Birkhofer, the founder of OutdoorUAE and one of the many creative heads behind this event gives his account of the event.

When the OutdoorUAE website initially launched it was at the Outdoor Adventure Show in Dubai World Trade Center in December 2009. Since that date, we were waiting for a repeating outdoor focused event in the coming years, but all the people who tried seem to have failed and no event was ever realised. So why should we try?

For the very simple and obvious reason that we don’t need to make financial profits from an event, since our focus is on the outdoor community and to grow it, the event

is a great tool for that; and for this objective we even founded an affiliate event company D32 Events to serve this purpose. This understanding was shared by the more than 40 companies and clubs which supported the event.

At the beginning there was a vision which was developed by OutdoorUAE and many of our industry experts and partners of what the event should look like. Of course all our ambitious plans could not be realised in the first year, but when I was looking down the race track at Dubai Autodrome on Thursday the 6th of November 2014 I manage to take in a minute - after years of brain storming on the beach, bonfires in the desert, hikes in the mountains and riding my bike, I was

standing there and could hardly believe that we had finally made it. The dead and empty tarmac of the race track was turned, within two days, into a colorful event space, with tents, displays, off-road vehicles, a climbing wall, a pool, trampolines, a high ropes course, a zip line, a pump track and many other activities. Even more on offer was a bit out of site on the custom build MTB track (special thanks to Rahim and Andy for their time to help building this course), a ATV try out area and a 4x4 technical off-road track – a shame that I had not the time to try any of the offered activities myself!

Actually myself and my team were so busy that we didn’t manage to setup our own stand and the OutdoorUAE stand was an

MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

un-finished display, which only got a breath of life through Sean’s presence and his promotion of the adventure trips OutdoorUAE is offering from January 2015 onwards.

If you went to the event, I hope and am almost certain that you enjoyed your time and did your best to try new activities and/ or products. If you haven’t been there you missed a lot and should definitely make sure you will be there for the next one. Please visit our facebook page, outdooruae.com or dubaiadventureshow.com to browse through the photos of the event - we just uploaded them 1st December, so see what you might have missed or to recall the great time you had there.

As mentioned before, the event was focused on the community, but of course it is also intended to be profitable one day, but at least it should be the highlight for all outdoor and adventure lovers, marking the start of the new season and providing the platform to exchange information no matter if commercial aspect or personal experiences and knowledge.

Therefore we have the say a big THANK you to all the parties involved in this event.

Thank you to all the clubs for being there and supporting the event: EDA, Champions 4x4, Emarat 4x4, Gulf for Good, ME 4x4, Oasis Offroad, Offroad Bug, Extreme 4x4 and Abu Dhabi 4x4.

Thank you to all the companies supporting the event financially and with their presences. I cannot stress the importance of their support enough, since the community is dependent on financial support which can only be provided from the industry and which

was well understood and supported by all these companies. Especially in a market corrupted by short term returns which are only measured in financial value, it is hard to find understanding and support for sustainable long term goals where profits might be hard or not easy to measure. So everyone in the outdoor community should appreciate these brands because they value you as customer: GO Sport, Polaris, Keen, Mad Canopies, Monviso, 4Wheel, Admirals, Adventure HQ, Al Boom Diving, Al Boom Marine, Al Yousuf Motors, ARB, The Cycle Hub, Fun Ride Sports, Global Climbing, Gulf Camping, Naish, OceanMan, Mebar, Rahal, Ramy 4x4, Robbies Motorsports, SeaYou, Speedminton, Restube, Hanma, AEE, Waeco, Watercooled, Weber, Wire World, AAA, Capella Club, Sports City, Red Bull, The Els Club, Jeep, Dubai International Boat Show and media partners Dubai Blog, Hayat FM, Radio1, Sports 360, The Filipino Times.

Thank you to our marathon DJ Maryo Figo who plaid no-stop tunes from the 2pm midday heat until the chilly 11pm nights.

And of course thank you to the 3,000 visitors who made their way to the Autodrome for the first ever Dubai Off-Road and Adventure Show. Since I am talking so much about community, I will also not hide and take personal responsibility for all short comings and hiccups on the event. It was a great event and I am proud of my team and everyone involved but we also saw and recorded areas of improvement for the next show. So compliments should be address to all the mentioned parties including my busy bees

DECEMBER 2014 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

the OutdoorUAE team. Any feedback for improvements and suggestions should be address to me Daniel and be send to info@ dubaiadventureshow.com with the guarantee that you get a reply, since we care about the community which is made up of you.

Please mark the beginning of the outdoor season 2015/2016 for the second edition of the Off-Road and Adventure Show. Of course any outdoor club or group will again be welcome at event to grow the community with free space and to have a fun time.

We will also welcome any new manufactures, outlets or dealerships who feel the Dubai Off-road and Adventure Show would be a good fit for their sales development.

So the Dubai Off-Road and Adventure Show was not an empty promise and OutdoorUAE and our affiliate event company D32 Events will directly give you the next promise - the next edition will be even bigger and better than the last one. Mark my words.

Happy happy people: some quotes from the weekend.

“The kids really enjoyed it. Especially the climbing wall and high rope course.

It’s a nice first time event.” – Kate McIlveen & family “It’s really great that you guys [OutdoorUAE] have set up this event, it’s a great chance to bring together different parts the outdoor community.” – Malcolm Anderson, Team Dune Raider “Boys loved the SUP pool. Was the first thing they wanted to do, quite difficult to fish them out.” – Mike Mills, George and Alfie “Fun event, great crowd , setup was nice.” – Ziad Mikhael (Off-road Bug)

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EVENT REPORT

YAMAHA AT THE

GULF BIKE WEEK 2014 The end of October saw the latest installment of the region’s Blue Ribbon event as far as all things two wheels is concerned.

Gulf Bike Week (GBW), now in its 8th year was, as always, a raucous, openthrottle affair that featured all the usual fan favouites like the “Thunder Parade” and Custom Bike Competition; as well as some new live action events, like the “Globe of Death” and stunt rider Julien Welsch. Any Wheeler Dealer fans would have been delighted to see Mike Brewer comparing on the show’s main stage as madness seemed to explode in all directions around him.

As with every year, all the great and the good from the world of biking were in attendance; and as one would expect, Yamaha were one of the manufactures (in partnership with Al Yousuf Motors LLC) who took their usual spot, centre stage of the merchandising village. Alongside the famous AlpineStars & Nolan, and who doesn’t know these brands?! Or that most of the world champions of every motors sport use these two big names.

Al Yousuf Motors were there to showcase some of their most popular merchandise as well as to provide an important personal service, advising the public which of their newer products and product ranges were the best fit for their specific needs.

We grab a quick five with their Product Manager Nader Ahmad to find out a little more about the big ‘Y’s involvement.

Yamaha must feel very a home at GBW. There’s no question you occupied some prime real-estate at the event. Are the dates for GBW the first thing that go into a new calendar at the start of each year?

It’s always important to be at GBW with good spot as I believe it’s the biggest bike show in the area, so yes it gets into our calendar at the start of each year, as a matter of fact it gets there before my birthday!

Humbly speaking, it has always been Yamaha, the Banshee before which developed to become the Raptor 700, it’s a fact it became a nickname for any ATV, as we have other models but they are still called raptors by our customers, even they call me raptor at the end of the day!

The Bolt

There was tremendous interest in the Yamaha stand throughout the weekend, what were people most interested in?

Yes there was, as our main focus was on Star which is the cruisers brand of Yamaha which has been in production since 1995, and Cruisers are probably the biggest motorcycle category in the area. Bolt is our new model, it’s powered by V-twin 950cc and has that classical heritage style, which makes it real eye-candy for every cruiser rider. On the other hand we’ve got the Stryker which is powered by V-twin 1300cc liquid and air cooled, and with its modern chopper, laid back style.

What made it even better this year, was that we got Alpinestars and Nolan on side to style us with the best and biggest collection of accessories in the area, starting from helmets in all kinds of colours to the best protection – stylish leathers and boots.

In theory Yamaha could pull off an event of their own, does the company have any exclusive Yamaha events in the pipeline?

Well, yes we have (whispering) and it will be very unique and special, I’m pretty sure all bikers, sport, cruisers, adventures, off roaders will love it. Plus we always have our own events with the coordination of our partners, Alpinestars and Nolan either in the dessert for our MXs and ATVs and at the Autodrome.

To me Yamaha are most famous as a motorbike manufacturer, but given the popularity of the ATV and particularly the Raptor range who is leading the popularity contest?

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When I was at the event, I checked out the “Globe of Death” they weren’t Yamaha bikes were they?

Oh yes they were! Those were the SR125cc, those little monkeys can be real quick even though they’re only 125cc, especially with their 2 stroke engines.

An event like GBW must be all about meeting the public am I right?

Definitely, meeting with new riders, groups, clubs, it’s a get together with old buddies and of course bond with “I want to be a biker guy” (newbies) and encourage him to enter the wonder-world of bikers.

There is a sales angle at GBW, is that your biggest motivation?

No. Exposure, as many people like bikes, but never thought about visiting a showroom, therefore GBW is a chance for them to spend time with the family and see some beauties (bikes I mean) and then the inception happens. So again it was the Bolt, Stryker as well as AlpineStars and Nolan as they can satisfy all riders.

As far as the Yamaha range in Dubai goes what is your personal flavour? Are you sports touring, cruiser, supersports, competition or utility?

As long as it’s two wheels, I’m in. I just prefer the tar a little more.

And finally, any personal message from Yamaha to its fanbase in the Gulf?

OF COURSE! Guys we are here for you and we would accept nothing but the best for you. Please share your opinions, suggestions and gumbles (if any).

Come join us and let Yamaha rev up your heart and remember WE/R1.

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EVENT REPORT

Going hard in the Himalayas From Down-And-Out to a Podium Finish Words By: Mike McLean Photos By: Samir Azad and Akash Deep

Pedals spin, sweat pours down on the handlebars, my breathing is ragged, the rough jeep track I am riding on just won’t stop revealing itself, any illusions of making the podium look to have disappeared like the riders in front of me on the 20km long climb up to Gada Kuffar and the first night’s camp.

The 10th edition of Hero MTB Himalaya held on 27th September to 3rd October in the foothills of the Indian Himalaya covered 550km of riding and over 12,500m of climbing over seven days, with claims to be one of the toughest mountain bike races in the world.

On the start line in Shimla – the former British winter capital – an eclectic mix of riders gathered from 14 countries.

Canadian national marathon champion Corey Wallace lined up along side road racing legend Raymond Dietzen; second in the Vuelta in 1988. Whilst further back lesser luminaries like Dattatreya Patil had bare feet poised on the pedals up for the 10th successive year. Some had an eye on Mike and the Greenfrog India/Mountain Bike Kerala (www.mountainbikekerala) are sponsored by Osprey Packs.

sizeable 16,000 USD prize money while the rest of us were just happy to be on the start line for the adventures ahead. We rode through scenic villages on rutted jeep trails, through high altitude meadows and onto forested trails that revealed glimpses Cory at 10th Hero MTB Himalaya 2014. of even bigger mountains round every corgreat day for Corey Wallace, mountains of ner. Climbs were epic, 20km and longer, great food, a few drinks by the campfire, hours pedaling at a time through orchards well-earned sleep, breakfast, ride and then of apples that the friendly Himachali peorepeat. ple plucked off trees to hand out the riders

By Day 4 riding legs had declared a as we winched our way past. decree of autonomy from the rest of the Massive climbs and long distances body and seemed happy enough whirling rather than more technical terrain set round oblivious to other bodily pains, this the tone for the event, this was the race was good news, as other riders looked organisers’ preferred way of testing the to be suffering more. More technical rider’s abilities. By the end of Day 2 it felt descents suited my riding style and gave a like a personal vendetta against me, I felt nice adrenalin kick from a surge at the botspent as other riders streamed past. At tom the inevitable climbs that followed. I the days finishing line, paranoia gave way was now filled with more hope than fear as to relief, other riders confessed to feeling overtaking became a welcome new hobby. the same way; this was a massive test of By the last stage the pain of the climbs stamina for all. the exhilaration of the descents had all Comparisons were made to the Cape blurred into one memory a shared experiEpic, South Africa’s toughest MTB race, ence for all. Motives, hardships and elation and those that had done both thought this varied from rider to rider to a degree but was its equal. we all shared the same trails, the same But the rewards were great. The food, the same finishing line and in my scenery was just simply breathtaking, case a shared podium in the Master endless steep sided forested valleys with Category. This time it wasn’t the sweat post monsoon rivers cutting through the that poured but the bubbly. greenery. Higher up exposed jagged rocks poked through the mist giving the trails an otherworldly feel. At nighttime riders shared stories over a few bottles at camp.

Music was cranked up from the sponsor’s tent and a festival-like atmosphere took over as riders filled their plates with well-earned food as they watched pictures from the days riding on the big screen.

As the days went on, body and mind adapted to the rhythm of the multi-day stage race, the big days in the saddle, the bike repairs, the results showing another

OVERALL RESULTS

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Sr. No.

Jersey No.

Name

Category

Total

1

33

Cory Wallace

Men Solo

19:47:51

2

46

Manuel Wesseinbacher

Men Solo

20:48:28

3

12

Andreas Hartman

Men Solo

20:53:01

4

65

Velez Juan Jacob

Men Solo

22:39:03

5

1

Aayman Tamang

Team Singletrack

22:59:33

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Emirates Desert Championship round up Words By: Mark Ackerman Photos By: Sarka Svobodova

The second leg of Baja was always going to be a great success and, with the field maxed out a record 135 entries, the scene was set for a great day out.

The race was situated in the big dunes just past Al Lehbab Police Station on the Hatta/Oman Road making for very different terrain to the season opener.

115 motorcycles set off in waves of 15-20 from very dusty pit conditions. A rapid

pace was set by Jake Shipton and Sam Sunderland (KTM UAE both) who were swapping positions with Ross Runnalls (Liberty Kawasaki) who put on an early chase. Khalid Al Falasi (Yamaha) put in another faultless performance in the +450cc category, for a second win in that class with Tim Trenker (SRG Portable Shade Husqvarna) finishing first in the Masters category, another solid win from Chris Dunn (KTM) put him on top of the Marathon podium. In the quad class, Mohammed Al Shamsi made a move to the Yamaha and put a full lap on the chasing pack and tenth overall, a sterling performance from a very fit rider.

When the dust finally settled on the race after 120 minutes of high rev action, there were only 89 riders to be seeded for the day, with 26 failing to complete what was a very tough race, due to mechanical difficulties and minor injuries.

A big thanks to the medical staff and organisers for prompt and professional support at all times. EDC takes a seasonal break now until Round 4 on January 16, as always spectators are most welcome and should look forward to improved catering and shade options.

Overall classification for Round 2 in Moto Class: 1. Jake Shipton – KTM UAE 2. Mohammed Jaffar – Balooshi KTM Racing 3. Mohammed Al Balooshi – Balooshi KTM Racing 4. Sean Gaugain – SRG Portable Shade Husqvarna 5. Mark Grams – Sandy Helmets Honda Overall points classification after Round 2 in Moto Class: 1. Mohammed Al Balooshi – Balooshi KTM Racing – 45 Points 2. Mohammed Jaffar – Balooshi KTM Racing – 44 Points 3. Mark Grams - Sandy Helmets Honda – 32 Points 4. Saeed Al Shenqiti – Balooshi KTM Racing – 29 Points 5. Mark Ackerman – SRG Portable Shade Husqvarna – 28 Points

ACTIVITY REPORT

Glen’s basic rig laid out by the jogging track

Great to see. Kiteboarding and other watersports being enjoyed by so many.

Flying high in Dubai Words + Photos By: Glen Grixti

If you are a regular beach bum then you cannot help but noticed the rise in popularity of Dubai’s shoreline as a playground. With huge sails and buff bodies, Dubai’s kiters standout as the epitome of cool. This month, our kitesurf aficionado Glen Grixti, invites us to Dubai’s two hottest beaches and goes over a few basic dos and don’ts.

The kiteboarding season started a bit late this year, but thankfully recent winds have been on our side, with sea breezes ranging from 10-20 knots kiters rushed to the two most famous beaches found along the Jumeirah coastline.

Dubai is rapidly becoming a fast-growing kitesurfing destination year after year, and the colours of the sails across the beaches continue to attract other beach activities, such as beach volley, stand up paddling (SUP) and beach tennis to name a few.

I landed in Dubai around 10 years ago, and for those of you who have been here for at least that long, we all have to agree that this place has seen exponential changes.

There are several locations where one can kitesurf across the UAE and we will be discovering some new and exciting beaches together in the coming months.

In the meantime, let’s dive into the most popular beaches for resident (or visiting) kitesurfers across the country.

is another beach where kitesurfers also hangout and practice their skills. It is also ideal for beginners as it is enclosed in a “C” shape (a bay) reflecting waves at either ends and thus making it a fantastic, calm learning pad with great launch zones. Nessnass Beach [25°11’6.19”N 55°13’21.10”E] could be found just behind Sunset Mall along Jumeirah Road. Years ago this was probably the first beach that kiters used as their initial playground before spreading around on to Kitebeach.

Both beaches are very popular, especially on the weekends and depending on the forecast, and should good conditions continue to blow over these beaches in the coming months, then rest assured you’ll find some great kitesurfing action.

The wind in Dubai generally picks up in the afternoon, and with at an average speed of just over 10 knots (the lowest limit to go sailing) for around a third of the year, it is understandable why some days get so busy. Occasionally there are days when the wind is blowing offshore, and although strong enough, the direction is unsafe

Nessnass and Kite Beach Kite Beach [25° 9’58.22”N 55°12’31.74”E], which can be found in the Umm Suqeim 3 locale (just behind Wollongong University) is a long stretch of sand that is undergoing constant development; and any day of the week you can find a number of kitesurfing instructors there to help kick-start your adventure into this amazing sport.

This beach is perfect for learning as there is a large area to practice flying the kite on land – which is essential before moving onto the water. The topography of the sandbank is constantly changing due to the currents that hit the shore, and hence the introduction of the new barriers to reduce sand shifting and making the shoreline more stable.

The shallow water and sand is very helpful when learning kitesurfing, as before going further out in deeper waters, it feels Checking the weather forecast is essential; but taking reassuring to feel something soft under your own wind measurements cannot be beaten. your feet; however, due to the sandbanks constantly changing, if you are more experienced and using a longer finned boards this could become a minor hazard.

Further north (about a kilometre) there The recent renovations and improvements to Kite Beach allow pedestrians to enjoy the spectacle

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Kite and Nessnass beaches, also DOSC and Jumeirah Beach Road.

for kiting unless your goal is to cross the Arabian Gulf! For offshore conditions it is better to kite at Jebel Ali Beach, just south of the Jebel Ali Golf Course and Resort.

Kiters who prefer “flat water” for doing tricks and wake-style riding would prefer to head south to Abu Dhabi and Yas Island, where the wind might also be a few knots stronger. There is a long man-made launching spot, which features a stretch of flat water with a slow current. It is also excellent for learning, as there are large ample spaces available close to the shallow water and a safe distance away from open sea. Several qualified instructors also teach different levels and it is ideal to practice tricks for more advanced kiters.

During the weekend the beaches might get really crowded, depending on the time of the year, and with the most pleasant temperatures hovering around the mid-twenties in November, it is important that anyone, both advanced and beginner should keep a few pointers in mind in order to avoid accidents and take precaution to promote the sport.

It is important to check the weather forecast before you go to the beach, but also do not rely entirely on it. It is always handy to have a portable wind metre and take a live measurement on the beach itself in order to make sure you put up the

Source: Google Maps Early morning at Kite Beach. Kiters preparing to get wet.

right sized kite and equipment. Keep in mind that although in Dubai the weather is generally stable and predictable, there are days where it may quickly change quite drastically.

Right Of Way rule explained simply.

There are the basic rules for sailing that also apply to kiting: • “Port gives way to starboard” • “Upwind gives way to downwind” • “The upwind kiter keeps their kite high when passing another” You should know this properly before entering the water, but if you are unsure which direction you are riding, your right hand leading means you are riding starboard and vice versa.

For more information on rules, regs and best practice visit, www.ikointl.com.

1) Always do a “pre-flight check” of your gear before going into the water – especially the Dynema lines and bridles as they might get creased and that reduces their efficiency by more than 50%.

2) Ask locals what the hazards are and always plan a safe exit for yourself and others should things go haywire.

Right! Enough rules for now I’m jetlagged and writing this article here in my San Francisco hotel room at 3:00am local time I am constantly checking the webcam in Dubai, where the time is 12 hours ahead and biting my fingernails because I totally wish I am kiting, seeing that Kite Beach on the other side of the planet is full of kites and heaps of action. Not that I’m not enjoying writing this article, but nothing can come close to the exhilarating feeling of actually kitesurfing. This is the bubble we all live in, and when we sit together over a coffee, we always share with each other our stories and experiences, discuss new moves we have accomplished or are attempting, or the next trip or adventure. Kitesurfing is not only a sport it is a lifestyle!

In the meantime I’m really excited to go and check out Santa Cruz, Half Moon Bay and San Francisco Bay area in hope of finding some good conditions and to have a story to share with and tease my kitesurfing buddies.

3) Make sure you know your safety rules and recovery techniques properly, and it does not harm to do a mental review and go over them a few times before dropping into the water.

4) Read all the rules of the beach, as there are always constant changes affecting swimmers, kitesurfers and all others who practice any beach activity.

5) Kite safely and if you have to show off your tricks make sure it will not harm others by giving yourself plenty of space.

6) Leave a fair amount of distance between other kiters as well.

7) Know thoroughly the “Right Of Way” or “ROW” rule (explained further down) 8) Keep away from the swimming area as much as possible and should the wind drop and you cannot avoid this area, make sure that you kite with others who can come and help you out immediately to avoid injuring others.

9) Remember that people who are new to a sail do not necessarily know how to handle equipment properly and might not know that the lines could become razor sharp under tension.

10) Avoid collision or accidents at all cost, this means, leave your ego at home.

11) If your trainer did not teach you the safety rules, instructions, recovery and self rescue, consider your training incomplete. Kitesurfing is a thrill sport and some serious risks are always involved, therefore precautions should be undertaken carefully and responsibly at all times.

In months to come Glen will share a few real-life experiences and tips and is also here to field any of your kitesurf related Qs. So, if you have any ahead of the UAE season kicking off, send them in and we’ll test his knowledge. Please check Glen’s blogsite at, www.boardertube.com

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ACTIVITY REPORT

Lhasa to Kathmandu

Mountain biking across the roof of the world

Part 2 Words By: Sean James Photos By: Sean James and Makalu Adventure

There is more to the Lhasa to Kathmandu extreme MTB experience than simply cycling in the shadow of Everest – there’s Dahl Bhat, Lake Yamdrok and no FB! Just be careful which books you pack for you downtime . . .

This is concluding in the mini series looking at mountain biking in the amazing country of Nepal. Last month we looked at single-track mountain biking in the Kathmandu Valley and also riding the majestic Annapurna Circuit. This month we look at the epic Lhasa to Kathmandu ride which passes through the very heart of the Himalayas – with views of the highest mountains in the world and which includes riding in Everest’s shadow.

Less than five years ago the entire road, over 1,000km, gravel track, now, thanks to the Chinese much of it is now paved with smooth blacktop. However there is still enough off-road and adventure to keep any mountain biker happy, and the completion of the one of the greatest roads in the world will stay with you for a long, long time. The scenery is stunning - Nepal has eight of the world’s highest mountains, plus more than 240 peaks over 6,000m.

It is through these geological giants that

you will cross on your mountain bike from Lhasa to Kathmandu.

There are few countries in the world that are as well set up for independent travel as Nepal. The country’s indie travel infrastructure is relatively recent and still less than a million tourists arrive in Nepal each year, so it’s not completely overburdened.

Wandering the trekking shops, bakeries and pizzerias of Thamel and Pokhara, it’s easy to feel that you have somehow landed in a kind of backpacker Disneyland.

Nothing quite compares to Nepal in terms of culture, scenery and the people. Many aspects of Nepal are still deeply rooted in the past and ultimately hindered by a lack of development and investment. However, this stands right next to the bustling, thriving and progressive Thamel district in Kathmandu, with its modern coffee shops, in which groups of young backpackers now sit down to 4 USD lattes in front of their Priceless

Another snow covered mountain

Macs. Once out in the countryside, there lies a quite different Nepal, where traditional mountain life continues at a slower pace, and a million potential adventures glimmer on every mountainous horizon.

Lhasa

The number of mountain bike operators and shops in Kathmandu has grown massively over the last five years, and the dusty, bustling and vibrant capital is where most trips start and finish. If you haven’t The Rongbuk Monastery

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Sights of Kathmandu

The adventure never stops

been to Kathmandu, there is so much to see and do. For a few days as you adjust to the altitude, climate and different food you will learn to love this city, whilst trying to avoid the slow moving traffic and rickshaws. A number of airlines offer direct flights from the UAE and will allow you to bring your own mountain bike. If you decide to hire one from the local agent, the good news is, bikes are generally the latest models.

The 1,000km ride from Lhasa to Kathmandu starts in the Nepalese capital. If you bring your own bike, it will be taken to Lhasa by road with the support crew. More than likely you will then fly to rejoin your beloved piece of carbon. Part of the enjoyment of riding a route is seeing new scenery. It is possible to drive with the bike to The Potala Palace

the start, but then some of the expectation has been removed. In addition, although it’s only 1,000km you will be exhausted. It’s a monster journey through the mountains, landslides, Chinese custom checks, and high-passes. It is much better to fly. Nepal has changed rapidly since it became a Democratic Republic in 2008 and is now embracing modernity and many freedoms that were previously prohibited. Widespread poverty and wealth inequality is still very evident, and in 2011 it was estimated that 25% of the population surviving on 1.25 USD per day. It is very easy to ignore this as you ride through the countryside on your 20,000 AED bike; however, thankfully this situation does not detract from the experience or the welcome offered to you by the Nepali people.

The ride starts in the mythical city of Lhasa. Made famous by the book and the movie “Seven Years in Tibet”, Lhasa is one of the highest cities in the world at 3,490m,

La Paz in Bolivia being the only notable contender. When crossing from Nepal to Tibet, or to be more precise the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) this spring I had a copy of the book. Unsmiling Chinese customs officials quietly removed the offending material, as it is on their “undesirable” list. Those with Kindles were luckier and managed to keep their propaganda.

Landing directly in Lhasa you will definitely need a few days to acclimatise both to the altitude and the change in food. Lhasa means, “place of the gods” and has had a turbulent recent past. Now it is like any large, modern city, and only has a small Tibetan quarter. The first thing modern travellers arriving in Tibet will notice is that Wi-Fi is widely available, just like in Nepal.

The second thing you will notice is that Facebook is not. This is China and certain basic freedoms are restricted.

The route from Lhasa to Kathmandu is historically important and for many centuries has been an important commercial route for trade caravans. As you travel from north to south, you will see different types of traffic and fleets of mountain bikers in colourful, technical kit. On a mountain bike the whole trip takes an average of 11 days – the distances you ride each day are not huge, and you will find yourself stopping many times to take in the sights – one of the most beautiful is the lake of Yamdrok.

At a breathtaking height of nearly 4,500m, the turquoise colour of the water is made even more vivid by the stunning backdrop of the snow covered peak of Nojin Kangsang, which, at a height of 7,191m dominates this snapshot. All of this as you crest the Kamba La Pass at a lofty 4,700m. If you simply go with the intention of completing it as quickly as possible you will miss many of the additional experiences. A loop to take in Everest Base camp, although long and dusty, is a must and having your

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Stunning campsites in Tibet

photo taken, riding on a dirt track with the highest mountain in the world in the background will trump most people’s Instagram posts. For the duration you will, as always in Nepal, be fully supported both

by Nepali mountain bike guides, cooks, drivers and a whole host of other staff.

This contact with the locals is also part of the experience and should definitely make your ride more enjoyable.

One of the best things about mountain biking amongst Nepalis is the food, then, on the other hand one of the worst thing about Tibet or China is the food. Dahl Bhat is the Nepali staple, and consists of rice and lentils, with a spicy vegetable or meat curry. It is gorgeous. Having Nepali support crew, will ensure your plate will be refilled and refilled until you can eat no more. Momos are another traditional food, are similar to a dumpling and contain a variety of fillings, both meat and vegetable either fried or steamed. Many people come back from expeditions at altitude having lost huge amounts of weight – I don’t know how!

Despite the best efforts of the Chinese, there are still monasteries and stupas left to see in Tibet. One of the most famous is the Rongbuk Monastery on the Everest Base Camp loop. At this point, your final days in Tibet are all downhill. From the top of the Tong La pass at 5,200m to the border at Zhangmu make sure you have gloves and a hat! From this bleak, windswept outlook, draped in prayer flags take a final glance at Shishapangma, the last 8,000m peak that you will see. Standing isolated and alone, it is still a long way off, but its immense bulk is impressive. If it is climbing season (spring or fall) try to imagBlessing for a safe journey

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Fertile farmland of Tibet

ine the mountaineers on the snowy slopes, who you have no chance of spotting, but are working intensely for the chance to stand briefly on the summit, 8,027m: over three vertical kilometres above you.

As you start to descend the 90km, downhill stretch to the border, you will be aware of the change in landscape, as the dry, dusty and barren high altitude plateaus are replaced by more humid and steamy rainforest. It is more than likely this is the longest downhill in the world and the road can only be described as spectacular. It is now paved, (again, thanks to the Chinese) and you will want to stop at every bend to take pictures. Avoiding the huge stationary queues of decorated lorries transporting goods to Nepal is part of the many varied experiences. The border crossing is exactly what you expect when leaving one of the most tightly controlled countries in the world. Chinese flags fly everywhere and after being stamped out, you cross the high bridge with a red line in the middle, indicating you are back in Nepal. Despite the crossing being named “The Friendship Bridge”, and having just ridden The Friendship Highway for the past two weeks, there is a change of mood as you enter Nepal. Your final taste of China are the two Chinese soldiers standing upright and staring into the horizon. Forming a human gate for you to pass through – they do not smile or flinch even when you wave your camera at them before rush across to the safety of Nepal.

A change of atmosphere is tangible as you rushing towards the far side, Facebook and the fluttering prayer flags alongside Finishing in the wonderful city of Kathmandu

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the very unique Nepali flag. Chaos returns and smiles are genuine. Even the flag lifts the feeling of happiness. The Nepali flag is over 2,000 years old and is the only national flag in the world that is not either a square or rectangle. The two triangles of its design symbolise the Himalaya Mountains and also the two major religions, Hinduism and Buddhism. The crimson red represents the colour of the rhododendron and also the brave spirits of the Nepalese people, the sun symbolises fierce resolve – a very nice way to finish a bike ride.

As we fully immerse ourselves back in Nepali life, we realise it is a public holiday – three or four days of holiday and festivals.

Flowers and paint are liberally scattered over the road. To start the roads are quiet, but approaching the capital it starts to get busier. From the border it is a “relatively” short distance to Kathmandu, with some strenuous uphill sections. The race from Kodari, the first Nepal town across the border and Kathmandu is frantic as thoughts turn to coffee shops, cheesecake, restaurants with unlimited menus, showers that work, bars with Nepali bands rocking out to Pearl Jam and Pink Floyd - the pleasures are endless. However, for a short time the more you must concentrate. No longer can you ride in a straight line, and your eyes must be constantly on the road for potholes, swerving motorbikes and lorries trying to overtake on hairpin bends.

For the last part of this journey you are riding through heavily forested hills. The roads are nearly always washed out here in the monsoon season, and you will spot the heavy machinery kept by the road, used to rebuild the tracks. Like the one lost as the result of a massive rain-flooded landslide in August 2014 which 150 lives, and was and immense it created a lake which was later drained by dynamite blasting – reconstruction work is still, very much, ongoing.

So your journey ends where it began; back in the wonderful country of Nepal.

Something about Nepal makes you want to keep returning here. There is so much to do and so many adventures to be had. The current slogan of the Nepal Tourist Board is, “Once is not enough”. I’ve been coming here for years and still love returning, so I guess they are very truthful with their statement.

MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

DECEMBER 2014 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

EVENT REPORT

WINDSURFING

is back in UAE

On Saturday 22nd of November SeaYou held their very first windsurfing challenge off Palm Jumeirah from the stunning venue of Sofitel, The Palm Resort & Spa.

With the support of Dubai Sports Council, Nakheel, Sofitel The Palm Resort & Spa and Starboard 12 participants (from eight nationalities [and including two females]) were happy to be part of the Watersport Challenge organised by SeaYou. For this first event, participants had the privilege of using the brand new STARBOARD PHANTOM 295 windsurf equipment.

The STARBOARD PHANTOM 295 is a raceboard, one-design class board, which means that all the competitors were sailing on the same board with only different sail-fittings to their body type.

This board is equipped with a retractable daggerboard rudder which is perfect for light wind conditions (most common in the UAE).

The race was launched at 2:30pm from Sofitel’s beach in light (8 knots) winds. The racing area inside Palm Jumeirah was an amazing spot for windsurfing. There were three laps of about 20 minutes over a rectangular course. During each lap, the competitors were sailing upwind, downwind as well as crosswind.

After the race, all

competitors were invited to a prize giving followed by a beachfront buffet on the sand as the sun set. The first female prize (trophy, Starboard merchandise and Sofitel spa time) was won by Marie Lalanne Pierre Gaubert won the first overall prize and was rewarded with a trophy, Starboard T-shirt, spa time and a 1,000 AED of voucher for SeaYou watersport equipment.

All competitors were glad to participate at this Windsurfing Phantom 295 Race and hope to compete again at the next challenge event, scheduled for the end of January.

SeaYou is expected to organise at least four more windsurfing races over the next 12 months, so keep an eye on www.seayou.ae for any upcoming events and registrations.

MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

DECEMBER 2014 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

EVENT REPORT

5 Marathons, 5 Days, 5 States Words By: Maria Conceição

For most people running a marathon is a once in a lifetime achievement, but for charity gal Maria Conceição it has become a daily routine like washing dishes or walking the dog.

How did I end Up Here?

So, the day had come, the first of five full marathons in five consecutive days in five different Appalachian states – an amazing event with around 150 runners starting in Bluefield, West Virginia. I had a stream of nervous thoughts going through my mind as I collected my bib number only minutes before the race. There were so many confident looking runners; “seasoned pros”, with “Marathon Maniacs” or “50 States Runner’s Club” vests, chatting casually like this wasn’t a big deal; most of them weren’t even bothering to warm up! What was I doing here?! I’m just a charity girl, up until a couple of years ago the only running I had done was to catch a bus.

It’s true, only a couple of years ago Thumbs up!

I had never taken part in any sports. I started work at a very young age and work was all I did, usually with several jobs at the same time. Very soon after I joined Emirates Airlines, where, in 2005, I started the Maria Cristina Foundation, which just meant work, work and more work. It wasn’t until we realised that we weren’t capturing a big enough audience that we started to look into extreme challenges.

My intention had been for volunteers to take on these challenges, not me! I don’t do sports. I don’t have the time, the body or the coordination to do such things.

But, being a person who likes to push people to step out of their comfort zone, it reached a point where I had to put my money where my mouth is.

So, trying to pin my number on my shirt, with cold, damp and nervous hands, as everybody started shuffling towards the start line, I’m thinking, “What if I didn’t load up with enough carbs?” “How fast should I run so that I save something for the next four days?” “Have I made a mistake?” “Have I taken on too big a challenge?” “What if I am too slow and the other runners start to take bets on how many days I will last?” and “Have I done enough training? Maybe I should have done more strength training or taking the threshold training more seriously?”

The reason I kept asking myself so many questions is because I didn’t know who else to ask. I mean who has even done this before? My “virtual” coach is brilliant I have always trusted his training but in the back of my mind I know that even he hasn’t done something this extreme himself. By this point I have ran some marathons, I have even ran seven 50km ultra-marathons in six weeks at the beginning of the year, but one week recovery between races can do wonders.

Well, at least it would be compared to less than a day of recovery. Help!

Two minutes until the start and the heavens open, everybody makes a mad dash to their car for their waterproofs. Oh my goodness, I have only run once before in the rain and I got injured. What if I get injured on Day 1? It could be game over already. How will my nice new 2XU gear and Newton Running shoes perform in the rain? What if the wet causes blisters? I can’t run another four days on blisters!

Although I had run marathons before, I only did one in the last seven months.

The build up for this had been a couple of back-to-back half marathons and then five half marathons in five days a few

weeks before this. Anyone who has made the transition from “Half” to “Full” knows that it is a huge step up and a whole new world of challenges and pain. So to go from five half marathons to five full marathons . . . what was I thinking?

Race Day 1

And we are off! And I am straight into the zone, head down and a good steady pace. Within 200m my feet are completely soaked – the puddles are so deep, but then we are in the hills. “Whoa!” I don’t like these; most of my training has been in flat Dubai. A few kilometres on though and I’m nicely warmed up and feeling good – not even noticing the wet at all.

I’m really in the zone now. The course is made up of several ‘out and back’ loops so you see people running in both directions. Somebody shouts “Whoa! slow down speedy, you’ve got four more days to go after this!” Then somebody else says, “Wow, are you going for the world record?” A lot of people are running very

MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

slowly . . . hmmm, oh my goodness, I must be overcooking it, I’m going to burn out on day one. I’m going to “bonk” or “hit the wall” – things I’ve only ever read about. I really need to slow down, okay that’s better, I’ve slowed down, taking it easy. Then a girl goes past me, then another. Hang on they’re not taking it easy.

“Oh no you don’t ladies!” Head down and back into the zone, “here comes Maria!”

The first day went well. I did keep forcing myself to slow down, to save something for the coming days, so my time was slower than my usual pace, but I was happy, a couple of people really pushed for some fast times (I’ll get them tomorrow) but most took things at a pace that suits them. The event has such a wide range of abilities but also a great atmosphere of camaraderie with the fastest runners encouraging the slowest runners and vice versa. Time to get some rest, the next race is at the same venue, as it’s on the border with Virginia so no travelling, but I need lots of stretching and serious amounts of good food and rest to get any chance of recovery before tomorrow’s race.

I feel stiff the next morning before the race, but that’s to be expected I guess, I did run a marathon only yesterday after all. But I’m not so nervous, although I have never run two consecutive marathons before this point, at least I know what to expect of the course. So, off we go again. The rain was on tee at the start, only this time, there was even more of it.

The wind picked up too. Altogether terrible day for a marathon, but I ploughed my way through it. Overall I felt good, but at the points where I felt weak, it was worse than the day before (everybody has their weak points in marathons, mine are usually somewhere between 15km and 30km). I finished strong and then hit the road for a three-hour drive to North Carolina. It’s the first time I’ve ever completed two consecutive marathons – it felt fantastic!

North Carolina was a nice course that looped around a national park in the town of Morganton. Although the aches and pains were starting to increase, in general my legs feel strong. But my energy levels are definitely starting to decrease; my GU Gels are getting me through though.

Three in three, done, I am so happy I really had no idea if this was even possible,

DECEMBER 2014 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

but I’m still going.

Rain, Rain and more Rain

Race 4 in South Carolina started with heavy rain, only to be followed by torrential rain. We even had tornado warnings which never came, but we had to cope with running through six inches of water with freshly formed rapid rivers running through some of the hilly sections. Blisters were inevitable with so much wet running, but by this time I already had blisters on my blisters. My legs are strong but I’m still struggling to find energy, especially midrace. I always managed to find something to finish the race but this is purely mind over matter. I’m happy to finish Race 4, but I’m exhausted. I will really struggle tomorrow unless I do something about it. Although I have been eating well after the races and at night before bed – brown rice, tuna, fruit and veg, lots of water etc.

– now I tried doubling my portions, literally force-feeding myself for the rest of the day and night in preparation for Day 5.

Day 5, Georgia. It’s hard to believe I have reached this far. Due to the original course being waterlogged, the route has been changed. The new course is through the green fields of the Unicoi State Park.

Beautiful scenery, not that you really care when you are about to run a fifth marathon in as many days. You just want a nice easy run, but instead it is very wet and very muddy. I felt energetic and tired at the same time, a strange combination of joy and relief with it being the last day, and slight apprehension and absolute exhaustion.

Gimme 5

Georgia was hard work, my body had gradually weakened more and more each day throughout the week but I managed to keep a strong pace. So strong in fact, that I was the first female to finish and only a handful of elite male runners finished in front of me. I cried when I finished. It wasn’t the first time I cried that week; I had cried from pain, from exhaustion and occasionally from relief to get through each day, but this time it was definitely tears of joy. I was happy to complete these grueling five days, simply to know that I can do it and that I am one step closer to being able to run seven marathons on seven continents in seven days. More than anything, I was happy that I could achieve something so monumental, something that very few people have done, when only three months earlier I had struggled to finish one half marathon. (I cried that day too).

Maria’s Message

A proud moment

1st Marathon

October 11, 2014 Bluefield, WV/VA

Second overall women 4:42:05

2nd Marathon

October 12, 2014 Bluefield, WV/VA

4th female overall 4:52:41

3rd Marathon

October 13, 2014 Morganton, NC

3rd female overall 4:38:25

4th Marathon October 14, 2014 (Flooded 6 inches of rain and Seneca, SC lots puddles torrential rains for over 4 hours)

3rd female overall 4:47:44

5th marathon (Trail)

1st female overall 4:57:02

October 15, 2014 Helen, GA

It is so satisfying to step out of your comfort zone and achieve something challenging. In some ways I am lucky as I have the kids in Bangladesh to push me; my charity is so desperate for funds that I have to take extreme measures to get attention. I don’t plan to run five consecutive marathons again though, because I already know I can do it – I need to keep pushing further. Next is seven consecutive marathons, then it’s 777, and then it will be something more extreme or challenging or something completely new. I say to anybody who is thinking of doing something outside their comfort zone, “stop thinking about, set the date, put the goal in sight and start aiming for it!” It is so rewarding.

Visit, www.mariacristinafoundation. org/maria/ to find out more about this bionic charity case and of course her heartfelt cause. As well as discovering what events are on her horizon.

OUTDOORUAE

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DMX LIBERTY motors Green Daredevils continue their run of good results!

Words + Photos By: Andy McNab Additional Photos: Liberty Motors LLC

Welcome one and all to December’s DMX overview. Temperatures have indeed dropped to more acceptable levels, which will certainly make on-track and off-track conditions more bearable for the riders and spectators respectively; but, what impact will stronger winds and the possibility of standing water have on the Green Daredevils bid to consolidate a great season opener?

The second installment of DMX was a bit less straight-forward for the Daredevils, Ross Runnalls and Dale Jullien continue to impress in MX2 class, after their Round 2 races Ross is sitting pretty again, but a couple of minor engine problems saw Dale battle on bravely to an unplaced finish.

Dean Jullien managed a brace of first places in his 125cc races and young Abdullah Al Nuaimi stayed strong for another third place finish in 65cc class – his best laps only a couple of hundredths of a second away from the 90 second target he must surely have set himself.

Meet the Baba Weighing in at a ripe-old 38 years (don’t worry, I did get his permission to reveal this!) is The Green Devil’s veteran rider Jinan CD. He has been faithful to the

Pretty easy to find the Kawasaki Liberty camp at DMX. Swing by and say hello.

into motocross?

My family members are mostly into teaching; I’m the only rider in the family.

The green dream machine.

Greens for the past seven seasons, and has no thoughts of taking a blow until he has at least ten in the bag. “Ten, 15, 20, who knows?” He joined the ‘Liberty Family’ in 2008, when, having just been crowned No. 1 in the Indian National MotoX Championships, he was snaffled up by Kawasaki to join their Sales & Marketing team. It will come as no great surprise to anyone, to hear, that he also found himself pulling on his new green team colours and revving up No. 50 that very same year.

Jinan still loves his riding and rates Dubai’s DMX league as the best he has experienced in his lengthy pro career.

Although, he’s most probably been there and seen it all, when I grabbed a chat with him, he was just relaxing in the cavernous loading bay of a team GMC with some support crew chatting and taking on rehydration salts before his next 20 minutes hanging on to a powerhouse 450cc.

How did you get into motocross?

I started riding when I was 18 with a Kawasaki KB100 in India. I have also competed in Indian Motocross National Championship and won the title five times.

“Aww, so cute.” Little and Large.

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What’s your greatest racing achievement so far?

I was awarded with the first position in 2014 Sheikh Marwan Desert Race Championship in Umm Al Quwain.

Is anyone else in your family

What’s your training like?

I want to practice more but due to workload and family commitments, whenever I manage to pull some free time I go for riding and practice.

What’s your race strategy?

Whenever I race, I just constantly think to win the race and take Liberty’s flag to the top. I always thrive to win, I know my limits and stay consistent.

Is the competition tough between other riders and between your teammates?

Most of the riders are professionals and it’s always tough to ride when you ride amongst pros like yourself.

What do you love about this sport?

It’s the thrill, passion, mad motocross skills and the adrenaline that I love, and it keeps me fit as well.

What has this sport taught you?

Building concentration, patience, self control and most importantly, discipline.

Have you had major injuries?

Nothing major, only minor bumps and scrapes, which is a part of the game.

What’s your advice for those who want to get into this sport?

Motocross needs passion and mad skills.

The rider needs to be 100% fit, confident and focused on the track and staying away from smoking and alcohol will help you build stamina.

How do you balance your job and training schedule?

In motocross sport there are no shortcuts, and one always has to make

A flat-out race to the first bend.

some time out for training. As many people already know, I also work for Liberty Automobiles Co (Kawasaki) and get tremendous support from Liberty Kawasaki management team in every possible way.

Team Green getting ready to rumble!

support and learning from my end which, I have gained over the years of practicing the sport.

How do you see the sport developing in the region?

The sport has started to grow rapidly in the region and the future for motocross is looking very bright.

What do you like most about riding for the Liberty Kawasaki team?

Kawasaki falls under the umbrella of Liberty Automobiles and I love to ride MY Kawasaki with the team as there is lot of learning and sharing within the team which makes it a lot of fun. Liberty Kawasaki have been extremely supportive and they encourage the team to do their best.

So this is how you spend your Fridays?

I spend most of the time practicing at the track. I am so passionate about motocross that I invest lot of time practicing on weekends Aren’t you worried about accidents as well?

No pain no gain.

What has this sport taught you?

Building concentration, patience, self control and most importantly, discipline.

And finally, what are your future plans?

I want to ride for another 10 years depending on my fitness and give the best performance till the last race.

What does riding mean to you?

Riding is my passion. I live for it.

What should fans and spectators look forward to this season?

They will see more action on track. The competition is going to be tougher than last time as more professional riders will be joining the race this season.

After a couple quick photos in his Liberty Kawasaki polo he was off. Protective gear on in flash – next I saw of him, was his flying start from start gate. Both the same age, one of us writing about DMX the other getting stuck in and actually risking all in pursuit of greatness. Sad but true, I felt quite jealous of him and his passion for this extreme motor sport.

How tight is the competition this year?

I am very excited about the competition this year because more riders are going to be introduced this season and the competition is going to be very tight.

As one of the seniors in the group, do the other riders look up to you?

I am 39 years old now and most of the young riders get a lot of motivation,

Ross Runnells pushing it hard through the home straight.

DMX 2014/15 Championship MX1 Season: 2015 Pos 1 2 3 4

No. 731 18 1 3

Legend:

10/10/2014 10/10/2014 10/31/2014 10/31/2014 Name Jack Shipton Ben Menzles Ross Runnals Dale Jullien

1st place

2nd place

Total 100 82 74 71

Diff 0 18 26 29

Gap MX1 Total MX1 Total MX Total 0 18 8 3

25 22 18 15

25 22 18 15

25 22 20 18

25 22 20 18

25 20 16 22

25 20 16 22

MX Total 25 18 20 16

25 18 20 16

DMX 2014/15 Championship 85cc

Season: 2015 No. 1 555 23 2

Legend:

10/10/2014 10/10/2014 10/31/2014 10/31/2014 Name Ross Runnals Ryan Blair Mohammed Jaffer Dale Jullien

1st place

2nd place

Total 92 89 76 73

Diff 0 3 16 19

Gap MX2 Total MX2 Total MX Total 0 3 13 3

22 20 18 25

22 20 18 25

25 22 18 20

25 22 18 20

20 25 22 12

20 25 22 12

MX Total 25 22 18 16

25 22 18 16

Legend:

10/10/2014 10/10/2014 10/31/2014 10/31/2014 Name Dean Jullien Darren Berry Harry Suddards Nicholas Kefford

1st place

2nd place

No. 19 22 174 18

10/10/2014 10/10/2014 10/31/2014 10/31/2014 Name Eugenio Barbaglia Nicholas Kefford Abdulla Alnuaimi Jasim Alkubaisi

1st place

2nd place

Total 97 91 75 69

Diff 0 6 22 28

Gap

85

Total

85

Total

85

Total

85

Total

0 6 16 6

25 22 20 15

25 22 20 15

25 22 20 16

25 22 20 16

22 25 15 20

22 25 15 20

25 22 20 18

25 22 20 18

3rd place

DMX 2014/15 Championship 65cc

Season: 2015 No. 5 73 310 22

Season: 2015 Pos 1 2 3 4

Legend:

3rd place

DMX 2014/15 Championship 125cc

Pos 1 2 3 4

Crowds are beginning to swell now at Jebel Ali track and with there being only one December fixture “Open event on 12th” there can be no excuse for you missing it. Looking ahead, the 9th and 30th of January are your New Year dates. Off-track atmosphere remains fun, but when the bikes are racing that fun vibe disappears pretty quickly as team members, family, friends and supporters cheer on their preferred riders. Visit ‘DMX (Motorcross) Dubai’ FB for all the latest track-talk and some fantastic enthusiast videos that really capture the spirit of the sport.

Keep on revving and Go Green!

3rd place

DMX 2014/15 Championship MX2

Pos 1 2 3 4

Name: Jinan CD Age: 38 Nationality: Indian Occupation: Sales consultant in Liberty Automobiles Company L.L.C Race Number: 50 Bike Model: 2014 Class: MX-1

Total 100 88 70 60

Diff 0 12 30 40

3rd place

Gap 125 Total 0 12 18 10

25 22 18 20

25 22 18 20

125 Total 25 22 16 20

25 22 16 20

125

Total

25 22 18 20

25 22 18 20

125 Total 25 22 18 DNS

25 22 18 0

Season: 2015 Pos 1 2 3 4

No. 1 22 174 11

Legend:

10/10/2014 10/10/2014 10/31/2014 10/31/2014 Name Total Yurajsinh Kondedeshmvki 95 82 Jamie Horn 80 Ahmed Alnuiami 78 Siguro Johansson

1st place

2nd place

Diff 0 13 15 17

3rd place

Gap

65

Total

65

Total

65

Total

65

Total

0 13 2 2

20 18 22 25

20 18 22 25

25 20 18 22

25 20 18 22

25 22 20 18

25 22 20 18

25 22 20 13

25 22 20 13

DUBAI MOTOCROSS CLUB

MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

DECEMBER 2014 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

EVENT REPORT

WWA Wake Park World Champions in Abu Dhabi, UAE 1080° stunts, obstacles, rails! The day that every wakeboarding champion eagerly awaits happened last month at the WWA Wake Championship in Abu Dhabi.

Wakeboarding would be incomplete without JOBE wakeboards, which are kitted out with new specifications and the choice equipment for wakeriders. Representing Jobe, Al Yousuf Motors had a great presence during the event. It was a fun day as Jobe international riders hung out at the Al Yousuf stand all day.

The finals started early and ran up until sundown. All divisions showcased some incredible riding skills, from participants ranging from age five to 46 and hailing from all over the world. The presence of riders from 26 countries, including world title holders, proves the sport’s undeniable popularity. The riding levels were off the chart and everyone was pushing not only their own limits, but also breaking the boundaries of their beloved sport. Wakeboarding is continues its rapid growth in UAE and is encouraging Emiratis, expats, women and children to be a part of movement.

One of the highlights took place during the awarding ceremony, when all local nationals cheered on upcoming wakeboarding star Omeir Saeed, who won the Amateur Wakeskate Champion title.

Saeed, who rides JOBE Conflict Wakeboard, placed first in the UAE National category and placed fourth in the Professional Men’s category competing against the world’s wakeboarding legends – a great achievement for the young lad.

On the other hand, Jobe’s International Women rider Maxine Sapulette performed tremendous flips, air tricks, stale-

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fish heelside, mute landings and much more. Sapulette rode her own design ‘Grace’ Jobe board for this battle. She got third position in the Women’s Professional category.

During the show, Al Yousuf displayed the new season’s (2015) Jobe Wakeboards and received marvelous feedback from professional riders as well as competing brands. Jobe Sports incorporates multiple techniques to make their wakeboards unique for air tricks, rails, obstacles and whatever else you require. Jobe wakeboard bindings also provide nice and snug fit for maximum comfort and confidence to do everything the riders want.

After three days of wakeboard battle, Daniel Grant (THA) and Julia Rick (GER) took home the 2014 WWA Wakeboarding Championship crowns.

After all the daytime action, the night

was abuzz with beats and a light show, capping off the event in style.

Al Yousuf Motors always encourages passion for sports and wishes luck to all the riders gearing up for next year’s battle.

Safety first: Wakeboarding is considered an extreme sport, so it is highly recommended you buy quality safety items through authorised dealers such as Al Yousuf Motors, where only high quality products are available at competitive prices throughout different Al Yousuf Showrooms across the UAE. Please contact us at any time for any water sports assistance, it will be our pleasure to assist you.

Email: saferide@alyousuf.com; Tel: +97150 379 0737.

ACTIVITY REPORT

Father and Son

UAE CAMP ING ADVENTURE Words By: Pete Aldwinkcle Photos By: Pete Maloney

Tom, my 15-year-old son, had managed to escape from his elder and twin sisters in England for a couple of weeks in Dubai.

Like all of Tom’s (and his sisters) visits, I was unable to take an extended period away from the office, so we mixed the time up with work and short trips during the week with longer excursions during the weekend. Tom had spent the first four days of his visit assisting with changing the climbing routes in our company gym.

Unbeknown to him, my company had an impending deadline to deliver various camping-orientated adverts and marketing materials for publication. Ian G was due to run with this, but with his motorcycling injury, well documented elsewhere, he was not in a position to effectively contribute from his hospital bed.

Working with the guys at our marketing company, a very rough plan was quickly hatched that would give us 18 hours to shoot images and just enough time for working some digital magic and integrating them into the marketing materials. The brief to Tom was little more than, “We are going camping, bring your toothbrush.

We are leaving very soon.”

The truck was quickly loaded and the dog, Gollum, wedged on the backseat between sleeping bags and mattresses. As per

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Sunset silhouette

the plan, we met Pete the photographer in a gas station. By this time I had realised some of the shortcomings of the plan; we had no food or water. [A shortcoming indeed! – Ed.] Tom was dispatched to collect water while I hastily swept a shelf of sandwiches into a basket.

Our initial intention was to head to Hatta, a journey that required some official documentation; Gollum had not brought his passport, so we diverted to Showka.

This was an area, located off the Sharjah to Kalba road that is popular with mountain bikers with rolling rocky hills, moderately steep wadis with flat bottoms and a backdrop of the Hajjar Mountains.

With the minimal of exploration, we soon found a great camping spot a

short distance down a track off the metaled road. Even the heavily loaded 2WD was capable of negotiating the few steep rises and manoeuvre through the rocky wadi bed. It did require Tom to move a couple of small boulders, check the vehicle was not going to bottom out and give directions.

Our site was on the edge of a flat wadi with steep sides and clusters of trees.

These trees provided welcome shade as we cleared an area of stones and set up the tent, rolled out sleeping bags and inflated mattresses. With no phone signal and the vehicle parked up out of sight a 100m away, we were surprised how quickly we started to attune with nature. There were a significant number of birds and insects providing a natural audible backdrop, which was relaxing after the drone of the city.

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Gollum’s going nowhere

Tom quickly got the stove going to boil water for the first of many cups of coffee that we would consume. While the light was still good we collected plenty of deadfall in preparation for the expected chill once the sun dropped below the horizon.

With no external distractions we chatted and busied ourselves in organising our camp, ensuring Gollum did not wander off and enjoyed each other’s company.

The presence of Pete with his camera, associated equipment and the imperative of capturing suitable product images was soon almost forgotten. Of course we had to light the stove numerous times, drink more coffee than any sane person would consider safe and ensure our shadows did not fall in the wrong place. It also provided Tom with many opportunities to make various jibes about avoiding the flash and my bald head. My response of “one day my boy” was laughed off.

As the sun settled above the horizon and the shadows drew out and started to merge, it was time to light the fire. I was all for a splash of fuel, paper and tissues but Tom had other ideas. Quoting some outdoor survival hero off the Discovery Chanel, he carefully selected some dried bark, various pieces of small timber that were fashioned to the required shape. Minutes

DECEMBER 2014 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

Campfire reflections

later, without a lighter or matches, he had the bark smoldering and the first flicker of flames rising from the base of our fire pit.

Time to eat something. As a vegetarian I was extremely disappointed with the sandwich selection as it was all chicken and tuna. Tom selected the best bits and the Gollum cleaned up afterwards while I grew progressively hungrier.

It seemed like an age since we had left the city as we sat round the fire and chatted. Pete would occasionally run off a number of images but there was no requirement to stage situations. As the evening progressed we all relaxed into the tranquility of nature. After many months of curious waiting I was able to get Tom to give me his version of events that had been reported by his mother in a series of SMS messages. The usual format of these were along the lines of, “In casualty, skateboard/BMX/mountain bike, not too serious”. There was also the YouTube video link, sent to me by Tom’s sister, of a kitchen being engulfed in a fireball as a home chemistry experiment appeared to get out of control. Tom shrugged this off as insignificant on account of the fact that the house did not burn down! Fortunately our fire did not explode at any point, and once there was a good bed of hot coals, various cuts of meat and kebabs were cooked to perfection; my stomach grew progressively louder.

Our morning started early, well before the sun was up. Tom surprised me as he had the fire going and coffee ready before

it was light and my head was off the pillow.

There is something about sleeping in the fresh air that improves sleep enormously.

There was plenty to do before we had to head back to Dubai. As the sun rose over the mountains Pete wanted some particular images that were light dependent. Gollum did his best to disrupt the programme as he first set off after a mountain biker in the adjacent wadi and then confronted a runner that stumbled upon our camp. On both occasions Tom was dispatched to retrieve him while I got busy trying to make breakfast.

We reluctantly packed up, completed a litter sweep and headed back to the city.

Whilst only an hour away it was emotionally far further. Tom and I had managed to talk more than we ever had; enjoyed every moment of our time away from our normal lives and hopefully laid the foundations for many more adventures in the future. Many thanks for joining me Tom; it was fantastic.

We went to Showka 25°3’16.88” N 56°1’25.06”E. We used Vango camping equipment: functional, adaptable, lightweight and dependable – which Tom and I will be using it on our next adventure wherever that may be.

Pete Aldwinckle is the joint owner and GM of Global Climbing. Does not see his kids enough but does have the privilege to oversee the distribution of some awesome outdoor brands throughout the region.

Early morning cuppa

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Victoria Falls Adrenaline Adventure Words By: Simone Caprodossi and David Robinson Photos By: Simone Caprodossi, Zambezi Memories and David Robinson

After a week’s amazing slowpaced safari in the Okavango Delta, and an easy border crossing from Kasane in Botswana, we arrived at Victoria Falls, considered, by many, the adventure capital of Africa.

We had an adrenaline packed two day schedule of whitewater rafting on the Zambezi followed by a bungee jump off the bridge connecting the falls two host nations, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Victoria Falls is a backpacker haven with crowds of gap year students in their early twenties hanging around a plethora of very easy going low budget hostels and lodges.

Being a little further on in life than the twenty-somethings, we picked a more up-market accommodation, the Victoria Falls Hotel. The hotel was the very first to be built in Victoria Falls in 1904, and as you enter the lobby you are immediately transported back into colonial days, until reception hands you a piece of paper with wireless connection code, rushing you back to the present. Stepping through the inner courtyard and past the salons you open up on the beautiful front garden, with an open view on the famous bridge.

You can already spot the little dots of people jumping off and hanging from a thin line of rope in the middle of the gorge - making very real the experience I had booked myself for.

From the hotel a small private path leads to the entrance of the Victoria Falls National Park. As you get closer to the falls the dry and dusty landscape turns into lush forest, with intensely green ferns and lots of birds enjoying the well humidified air on the gorge’s edge. Coming out of the trees, the first viewpoint offers a side-on view of the falls width that is as mind blowing as the sheer volume of water and the huge vapourous clouds creating almost full 360° Terrified.

Determined.

rainbows. You then walk along a series of viewpoints getting closer and closer to the waterfront, and accordingly getting wetter and wetter. The last gorge viewpoints offend any possible safety precautions [we like that. - Ed.] being practically open access to the slippery rocks on the ledge of the gorge. On the positive side, if one avoids falling, it offers amazing unobstructed views. Being there in the afternoon we also got the low warm sunset light to tint this incredible scene.

Next morning it was time to get properly wet and experience the falls from below.

We got picked up at 6:30am to get to the Adventure Zone Lodge (www.adventurezonevicfalls.com) where we would collect the gear and get briefed for our rafting adventure experience. We met our rather young boat companions and after signing off all responsibilities for our potential drowning and death we got on a big open truck, to get us to the edge of the cliffs above the river.

As we arrived on the top of one of the first gorges of the Zambezi river, just after the falls, we found our gear laid out for us: paddles, jackets and helmets. We were then introduced to white water rafting basics, and once ready, we had to descend about 100m down a steep and slippery path into the canyon. At the bottom, we climbed into our rafts and endured another wave of training, ‘paddle up’ and ‘paddle down’ until our leader was happy with us.

We were tired before even starting, but Hanging on!

as we glided along, heading to the first rapid it was amazing to take a moment and breathe in the incredible scenery. We could still see and hear the falls behind us as the deep canyon stretched out in front of us.

Time quickly came for the first rapid which was a pretty intense start as you jump straight into a level 4. Very proudly we managed to get through quite smoothly only to see the next raft loose two people and giving us the chance to practice pulling one of their lost girls (who was pretty shaken up) out of the water.

We were reassured that if that happened to us the secret is to hold onto the jacket and believe that eventually it will pull you up to the surface. Having seen how easy it is to fall, we approached the next set of rapids, a mix of level 4 and 5 (the greatest intensity for commercial rafting). With great commitment to follow instructions and get through alive, we started out really well as we always emerged from the rapids safely inside the raft.

This was not to last long as we got to rapid number five, ‘Stairway to Heaven’ a long chain of rapids starting with a 5 pass, followed by a series of smaller rapids one after the other. We quickly understood the alternative nickname of the rapid ‘Highway to Hell’ as a sudden wave just smashed our raft upside down at the first big rapid.

Suddenly I was underwater holding on to my paddle. I did not panic and indeed quickly came up to the surface, all seemed

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good for a couple of seconds, but I was suddenly pulled into the next rapid and as I emerged again the next rapid pulled me even deeper. It was a series of ups and downs and, the downs seemed longer and longer, while breathing time seemed to become ‘drinking’ time. The confidence to reemerge started to fail me, and I thought if I got pulled under again that would be it and I would probably not come up again.

With no energy left to try to swim up, I finally hoped that the promise of the jacket saving us would work and, mercifully it did. After what seemed like an underwater eternity I finally surfaced into a calmer spot, cheered for a minute about not having died and spotted a guide on a kayak coming to help me.

The drowning nightmare seemed to be over and I held on to the kayak to be towed to safety, finally the long stairway of rapids was over and we reached a flat where all other rafts were waiting for us and I could see all my fellow raft companions being pulled from the water. Apparently we fully capsized and everyone went through the same near death experience; at least it was not only me!

Quite shaken from the experience and not really keen to get back in the water anytime soon, we approached the next rapids, fortunately for us quite a few of them had an ‘easy’ option side to take that we unanimously went for. Eventually we reached a crazy rapid called ‘Commercial Suicide’ where we got off on foot and the team carried the rafts down for us as it was just too intense for us newbies. After Commercial Suicide, the river seemed to calm down for a bit and we could regain all our energy and relax again admiring the scenery and spotting a few crocs on the banks before getting to the next wave of rapids.

The second part is easier until you reach rapids number 12 and 13 which builds

Just hanging around.

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What can you say other than breathtaking.

up slowly. You have to get through ‘The Three Ugly Sisters’ starting easy but then having to paddle very strongly not to fall in the twirl of ‘The Mother’. We managed to get through The Mother fine and with our maximum effort avoided falling into the deadly twirl of the ‘The Washing Machine’.

Having made it through these last evils, the flow finally becomes a really easy ride and we could all relax enjoy the views until the end. We came out of the raft exhausted, but still high on the experience and then, the next shocking truth hit us.

We had to actually climb the steep 500m back up the top of the gorge. That was a last major effort and struggling rafters slowly climbed up with many pauses, while the porters sped up in flip-flops carrying full rafts on their back. At the top of the gorge it was time for well-deserved food and drinks, and to finally enjoy the feeling of satisfaction after this pretty intense but absolutely amazing experience.

The original crazy plan was then to get the bungee jump that afternoon, but nearly dying once was enough for one day and we agreed to do my jump experience the next morning. As the alarm clock woke me at 8:00am, it suddenly dawned on me that I was soon going to be dangling off a bridge and adrenaline started building up again. We were picked up promptly and dropped off at the Zimbabwean side of the bridge where had to get a bridge stamp in order to pass the border post into officially suspended Zambia.

After signing away my life . . . again! We

went to check the bridge from a viewpoint on top of the gorge and the reality of what I was about to do became even more vivid and scary. It was past 9:00am and no one was calling me for my jump so I went to enquire. It turned out that the municipality were repainting the bridge and so no bungee could be done until they had finished.

With a hard deadline of 10:30am to make my flight it looked like hopes of bungeeing were lost. The guys then saw my desperation and proposed that I have a ‘swing’ instead. Committed to jumping off that bridge at this point I quickly agreed, not even knowing what this swing was, but it could not be that much worse than jumping off tied by your feet! The swing is a twist the regular bungee, you are harnessed on your stomach, your harness is attached to a rope, the rope is attached to the middle of a cable that runs across the full width of the gorge. Once you are all set, you stand on a platform on the edge of the bridge 120m up, say a quick prayer and jump off. The freefall is as long as a bungee about 70m freefall straight down towards the rocks and river below, then as the rope becomes tight you start to arch and thankfully swing away from the rocks you were hurtling towards fractions of a second before. With the scary freefall part over, you are basically left on a giant swing marveling at the beauty of the gorge and feeling totally high while you swish over the fast river. After some long swings the arch gets smaller and you start getting pulled back to finally climb back onto the bridge. The only thing left was then to run off to the airport to fly back to Dubai, still on a crazy high and savouring the memories of these unique experiences.

TRAVEL + ADVENTURE

Everest Base Camp The joys and pains of trekking Words By: Kaiz Galang Photos By: Edwin Rolian, Miguel Mapalad and Rowjie Galang

A cautionary tale. For most adventure seekers, a trip to EBC is the number one bucket-lister, but read the fine print first! All that trekking, altitude and weather doesn’t come with a satisfaction guarantee.

However, there is an old saying that we are all familiar with. “No pain, no gain.”

The smallest aircraft I’ve ever boarded touched down. Tears were barely clinging when I saw the ragged Tenzing-Hillary Airport signage. I almost couldn’t believe that the scene I was witnessing was real. I used to just see it in National Geographic shows. Then the chilling air kissed me as I stepped down from the aircraft as if saying, “Welcome to Lukla. Sagarmatha has long been waiting for you.”

Trekking in the Himalayas is extremely popular with adventure seekers the world over, not just because it is where most of the eight-thousanders are located but also because of its teahouses. Teahouses are restaurants-slash-lodges where trekkers can eat and spend a comfortable night after a day of exhausting hiking – thus bringing food, tents and other equipment is no longer a necessity.

I consider our teahouse trekking to the base camp of the world’s 10th highest mountain, Annapurna, as one of the most memorable moments in my life. Who would’ve thought that just a year later, I, along with my husband Rowjie and

Tenzing-Hillary Airport

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friends Agot, Migs, Dwine, and Rhoda, set off on another exciting adventure – this time to witness the beauty of Mount Everest.

Walking for just four hours from Lukla to Phakding, I felt that same pain I experienced when we reached the Annapurna base camp (ABC) at 4,130m above sea level (MASL). My head ached like it was being shattered into pieces. I was gagging and couldn’t eat. Worst, the elevation was just half the height of ABC. Right there and then, I knew the following days wouldn’t be easy.

The trek to the Sherpa capital Namche Bazaar on our second day wasn’t any better. If not for the amazing views along the trails, refreshing suspension bridges, the several encounters with yaks and zopkios, I may have already gone mad. Luckily, the third day was not as taxing as the first two, and we used it for acclimatisation, so our bodies could adapt to the condi-

tions and elevation, and therefore lessen the risk of us acquiring the fatal altitude mountain sickness (AMS). Here, we got to visit the Sherpa Museum and hiked to Syangboche’s hill for a better view. This was also the day when we first had a glimpse of Mount Everest.

On our fourth day of trekking to Deboche, we had our first encounter with unfavourable weather. We were on our way to Tengboche to visit the largest gompa [fortified Buddhist monasteries] in the Khumbu Region of Nepal when it started drizzling followed soon after by a thick blanket of fog. We went inside the monastery, as we were told that we could enter the main prayer room of the Buddhist monks, but I could no longer move. My whole body was frozen despite the three layers of jacket I was wearing.

I urged our team leader to move on as I knew for sure that the trail to Deboche from Tengboche was like a scene from the epic movie, “The Lord of the Rings” but I couldn’t appreciate it because of my weakening condition. At dinner, I only had a cup of hot soup.

Trekking to Dingboche on our fifth day was, for me, the worst part of our activities. It was drizzling all day. The majestic views of snow-capped mountains and lush scenery we should have had were all blocked by more thick fog. I couldn’t even remember a thing about this day, only that my wish was for it to finally end.

It was like an endless agony of walking. I was one of the firsts to arrive in the teahouse; Rhoda shortly followed us, crying.

Apparently, she wasn’t at her best condition either since day two and just wanted to stay there and wait for us to get back from the EBC. The next day, we had to hike to Nagarjun Hill for acclimatisation. As expected,

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Thukla Pass

it was another day of chilling temperature and views of nothing but fog. When we descended back to the teahouse, I had my last hot bath, which cost me 600 Nepali Rupees (AED 22) until after we reach the base camp.

We woke up to amazing weather the following day, which got us all excited.

One more day and we will reach the base camp . . . or so we hoped. With renewed energy, we happily started our seventh day of trekking to Lobuche. We were now surrounded by towering snow-capped mountains and the views couldn’t get any better. We were told that the trek from our last stop to the next destination would only take two hours, but we were at it for more than three hours because we just couldn’t take our eyes off the amazing landscape we were witnessing.

We knew we were nearing EBC. Each movement has become more and more exhausting due to the thinning oxygen.

Then we reached Thukla Pass signifying that Lobuche was less an hour away. Little did I know that this particular ‘hour’ would last forever. I felt drowsy and sick again, it was 2:00pm yet the temperature has already dropped to 9°C and I couldn’t hold on any longer. Thankfully, as if my prayers were heard, I saw the teahouse where we would be spending our night.

It was day eight and the temperature is at -13°C. The small streams surrounding the village of Lobuche had frozen.

Despite being sick the night before, I got Following the signs to Everest Base Camp

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“Made it!” EBC

up early as we needed to start at first light because we were about to face the most challenging part of our trek. We started walking but really slow as every little step and breath counted; however whenever we saw puddles of water turned into ice we couldn’t help but poke and make fun of them like little children playing. It’s not every day we get to see this kind of setting in the tropical Philippines. This went on for quite a while until we felt tired and numb from cold. “GORAK SHEP!” We had arrived in the last village before EBC. Upon arriving in the village, two of our friends were at rock bottom. Migs had succumbed to AMS and decided she could no longer continue with the trek, and Rhoda rented a pony just so she could keep going. The village is three hours away from the base camp, which would make the day a total of six hours walking. It’s was already 1:00pm so we had to move quickly – the Himalayas can be unforgiving in the afternoon.

I was leading the pack. I don’t know if fear of arriving late was winning me over and that was why I was walking so fast, but after two hours of hiking, our guide asked me to slow down and pointed to a group of red and yellow dots which I couldn’t see. “Trekkers, tents, and that’s the base camp.” I was at my wits end.

I could now see the foot of the highest mountain, but it still seemed so far. I sat down, waiting and pondering. I honestly considered not pushing on.

“Experience snow”, “stay alive” and “capture that perfect shot so that I can show my future children”. These were the three goals I had in mind before I boarded the plane that brought us to Lukla. If I head back, I have a higher chance of staying alive. If I push through, I definitely would be sick or worse, but I would go home proud.

Another hour passed and we were now approaching 5,380 MASL. The trails were becoming different, from loose sand and rocks to unstable rock surfaces with a layer of ice. A few more minutes and we finally saw the prayer flags with “Everest Base Camp” written on them. From where we were standing, no words could do justice to the beauty of what we were seeing. The Khumbu glacier and icefall, Nuptse, Lhotse and Everest were all right in front of me, far greater than how they ever look from above.

You wouldn’t have any idea how happy I was to have finally set foot on natural ice, to have remembered that there’s joy in every pain, to have decided to push myself to do things I first thought I couldn’t achieve.

I looked for Rowjie, held his hand and hugged him. We made it! I may not have experienced snow but I was more than satisfied with just standing on an icy layer.

I am alive and now it’s time to take that ‘photo’. Euphoric, Rowjie, Agot, Dwine and I, held our team’s banner as we posed for a photo which we will forever be proud of.

Hillary Bridge

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TRAVEL + ADVENTURE

The Honey Badger Episode 8: Mozambique Destination: Pemba and the Quirimbas Islands

After faffing in Dar Es Salam for two weeks, we finally received a 30-day visa for Mozambique. Bored of the persistent rain and concerned about stories of friends being robbed in the southern part of the city, we were glad to head down the coast and said farewell to our South African friends.

Seven hours later, and after passing the biggest collection of Baobab trees we have seen we arrived in Mikilindi, a picturesque fishing town near to the border. We stayed at a friendly dive centre called 10

Big smiles all round.

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Diaries

degrees south and intended to cross the Rovuma River on a ferry to Mozambique the following morning. The hotel manager had the phone number of the ferry captain and we discovered that we would have a four-day wait until the spring tides were high enough for the crossing. This meant an early start and a 1,000km detour over the Unity Bridge in time to meet some friends from Dubai when they flew into Pemba.

We crossed the border with slight apprehension after hearing stories from overlanders who had seen the fighting during the brief civil war a couple of months earlier. We soon saw political propaganda covering walls and telegraph poles, and encountered a political rally.

The road was blocked by an excited crowd shouting and toting opposition party banners. We briefly paused to consider whether ‘legging it’ in the opposite direction might be the wiser option, but James decided to wave his hands out of the window and cheer in support. This was well received and with a bit of jostling and a few more cheers we were able

to continue down the track without any problems.

At 10:00pm we arrived at the Pemba Dive and Bush Camp exhausted and ready for bed – after an obligatory shisha, of course. In the morning we met our visitors at the airport and picked up their 1994 Toyota Rav 4. Ten minutes later it had broken down so we dragged it on to a nearby restaurant for lunch and waited for the repair man. Not a great start to their 2,000km journey with us down to Maputo, but our moods soon improved as the horizon came alive with humpback whales breaching off the coast of Pemba.

The perfect backdrop to an excellent PiriPiri chicken lunch.

With a new battery and alternator in the Rav 4 we returned to the campsite and met two Australians, Ryan and Jason.

They were also overlanding on 1200cc BMW bikes from South Africa. After exchanging a few travel stories and drinking a bit too much, we decided drive to Ibo and the Quirimbas Islands together the following day.

Feeling less than fresh in the morning

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The red dust roads of Africa.

we set off in our biggest convoy yet. Determined to keep up with the two bikes, and with the Rav 4 trailing along behind, we followed an unexpectedly exciting track north of Pemba to the Quirimbas ferry. There had been a lot of rain and much of the track was riddled with big ditches. It occasionally felt like our wheels on both sides were tracing the edges of an abyss, and the frequent fords were shaped rather more like jumps than river crossings. Whilst we laughed at the bikes struggling in the sand and they laughed at us launching all 4-wheels out of the fords, the Rav 4 had even more in store for us. It turned out that tightening the wheel nuts on the hire car was an optional extra. We discovered this as one wheel

decided to take a separate route off the track. Thankfully a helpful man following behind on his motorbike had been picking up the wheel nuts as they fell off and with four nuts rather than five, and after tightening all of the other loose wheels, we continued rather more slowly with the newly christened ‘Rav 3’.

Ibo Island would be an idyllic honeymoon setting. Perfect beaches, beautiful colonial buildings and very friendly local people. We had heard exciting things about scuba diving with dolphins and enormous coconut crabs on nearby islands so we booked a dhow trip as soon as we arrived. Unfortunately the weather had other ideas and the following morning we were at a loss for what to do as the

storms would take a few days to pass. Being proper Aussies, Ryan and Jason came up with the enlightened idea of considering our options – more drinks. Three days later and after briefly turning the quiet island into a mini Ibiza we decided that it was time for us to limp back to the mainland.

Not only were our Aussie companions excellent company, but they also offered to service the Honey Badger after our plans for an Al Futtaim service in Pemba had fallen through. Jason is a qualified mechanic and spent a full day with Ryan teaching James how to give the car a much needed service – brilliant!

“Wax on, wax off!” The Crane.

“No you can’t have your spare back!”

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Winter mountaineering in the Land of the Brave Words By: Sean James

Before you read on, look at the photos. Can you guess which winter wonderland Sean James is writing from this month?

Probably not . . .

Now is the time that all good climbers start to write their letters to Santa.

They ask for crisp, clear and cold weather that will create the perfect ice and snow conditions for the coming winter season.

Climbers in Scotland are no different and perhaps even write longer more desperate messages. Anyone who has been to Scotland knows there is a fickleness and seemingly immediate changeability to the weather, but when the conditions are “in”, it is the best climbing in the world.

Climbing is honest here, and the conditions forge tough, skillful mountaineers. It’s not without a reason that they say climbing Everest is good training for Scotland. No porters, bottled oxygen or yaks here.

Teahouses midtrial that offer Coke and Pringles? “Not a chance.” Fixed lines because the terrain is over 20 degrees. “You must be joking.” You want a certificate of achievement for climbing the Ben? “On yer bike!” Admittedly climbing and walking can be “hard as nails” in Scotland,

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but on a clear, sunny day there is nothing to touch scrambling along an airy ridge, overlooking the islands and lochs below, before returning to the warm coziness of a Scottish B&B. Scotland in the winter is an overlooked gem for the adventure seeker. It should be up there as an international climbing destination with France, Switzerland, Nepal, Alaska, New Zealand and South America; as well as all those other fancy, expensive places. After all, I’ve heard people go to Alaska and sit in a tent for a week because of a bit of bad weather. Show someone the photos in this article without telling them the location. How many say Scotland? Not many; Greenland, The Artic, anywhere but Scotland – The Land of the Brave.

So around October time, when the British rock climbing season is finishing, climbers in the UK will dig out their winter guide books, dust them off and start to prepare a new list. Routes they want to do over the next four to five months. These books, purchased many years ago and revisited every season possess an almost religious sentimentality. Even though many hours have been spent poring over the detailed text, descriptions and pictures, there is a satisfaction at returning to what

has been, and what maybe to come. These tomes contain not only the history of Scottish climbing, but for each individual the fabric of a rich, adventurous life. Each time a route is climbed, a small tick is placed beside the route. Some, the more meticulous, even put the date, style of ascent, partner and whether they agree with the grading. [We wonder how ‘meticulous’ you are Sean – Ed.] OVERLOOKED Scotland is often overlooked by international climbers. However, a visit to Scotland will leave you spellbound and wanting more. Nowhere in the world, and I’ve seen a lot of the world, will you find such absorbing, intricate and beautiful climbing or mountaineering as you will in this rugged peninsular.

This month in OutdoorUAE, to celebrate the launch of OutdoorUAE Travel, and to introduce you to some of the expeditions and adventures we are running in 2015, we will look at Scotland – one of the areas that we are offering to you for your 2016 adventure hit list. Whether you are taking your first steps with crampons or pushing your technical ice climbing grades, Scotland is the place for you. After reading this,

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simply sign up and join us in February.

There are two main areas in Scotland that are traditionally associated with walking, climbing and mountaineering in the winter; Fort William on the west coast and Aviemore, a small, plush ski resort further east near the Cairngorm National Park.

Only a short drive apart they offer completely different experiences, atmospheres, style of climbing and weather. Keeping a close eye on the weather forecast and then knowing how it will affect the conditions on particular crags will let you get the most out of your time in Scotland.

Fort William Just over two hours drive from Glasgow airport is Fort William. Quaintly known as the second largest “settlement” in the Highlands, it has a population of 10,000 and is situated on the banks of the stunning Loch Linnhe, one of Scotland’s longest sea lochs. Overlooking the town is the highest mountain in the UK, Ben Nevis, also known simply as, The Ben. Fort William can rightly claim to be an adventure capital of the world, and each year the Fort William Mountain Film Festival recognises the importance of climbing and walking to the area. Fort William is also known for a number of other adventure activities such as downhill mountain biking and has hosted a number of UCI World Cup events. Sailing is also hugely popular and a number of long distance trails start and end here including The West Highland Way and the Great Glen Way. There will be no problems with altitude sickness during your stay at Fort William (starting at sea level with a high point, Cow Hill at 942m), although every season there are a few headaches caused by a visit to one of the oldest licensed distilleries in Scotland. Water that comes down from The Ben is used for its finest products and a visit is well recommended.

Fort William is situated at sea level and

with Ben Nevis topping out at a monstrous 1,344m, an excursion from the north side to the summit will seem like the longest climbing trip that you have ever done. If you are climbing, it is likely your day will both start finish in the dark. There are many routes to the summit but the North Face is of major importance to British winter climbing. The climbing season is prolonged here by the shade provided by buttresses, ridges, towers and pinnacles holding snow and ice often into April.

Climbing here is memorable and one of the most famous scrambles is Tower Ridge; 600m of pure exhilaration with the legendary pitch known as “The Gap”. As is fitting with a world-class climbing venue, names on the North Face are suitably horrific and help to build anticipation: The Man-Trap, Cutlass, Maelstrom, Appointment with Fear, Devastation, Darth Vader, Point Blank, Satanic Verses, The Black Hole and The Shield – don’t worry too much though, there are other less worrying names though such as Banana Groove and The Pony Track.

Although Fort William has much more to offer than just Ben Nevis, such as Glencoe and the nearby Creag Meagaidh, The Ben is a mountain worth talking about.

The summit is the highest point for over 650km. There is nothing higher until you reach the Scandinavian Mountains in Norway. On clear days you can see across the Irish Sea to Northern Ireland and visibility in the clean, fresh air has been known to extend to 190km. As you plant your nation’s flag on the summit with the wind and snow stinging your face, lift your ice axe in victory and shout into the storm that legendary line by William Wallace aka Braveheart, “They may take our lives, but they’ll never take our freedom.”

Aviemore A week in Scotland is never enough to see and do everything, but to manoeuvre your

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way around changing conditions a trip eastwards to Aviemore is often necessary if you haven’t based yourself here. Aviemore is another centre that is used extensively by climbers. Even less populated, with just over 2,000 residents, although it definitely doesn’t seem like this during peak season, as Aviemore is the gateway to climbing and walking in The Cairngorms National Park. A few kilometres away from Aviemore, located amongst beautiful pine forests, is the Scottish National Outdoor Training Centre, Glenmore Lodge.

Whereas the ranges around Fort William are steep and craggy, the landscape here is typically wide river valleys, high moors and plateaus. The Rothiemurchus Forest is a hive of activity for mountain biking, quads, horse riding, snowboarding and skiing. The forest and moorland tracks are perfect for ski touring and getting away from it all. Be prepared though, as you may have to share the trails with sleds being pulled by huskies – as the area has the only working dog centre in the UK. Watching the mushers and teams skim across the snow, it is hard to believe you are not in the Arctic Circle. It’s even possible to take a two-day dog tour with an overnight stay in the snowy mountains. If you miss the huskies, you might be lucky enough to see the herds of reindeer that range freely in the mountains.

Aviemore has a fantastic choice of accommodation and the restaurants and bars add to the feeling of “après ski”. If you have a rest day coming up and want to take a more relaxed approach, this is the place. After all it does seem such a shame to miss the enormous cooked breakfasts provided by the friendly Scottish landlady in your hotel or B&B. Getting up early to be the first on the hills can be forgotten for a morning at least. Browse the outdoor gear shops until lunch, before wandering out for a gentle hike, swinging your ice axe as you stroll along snow covered ridges, all

MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

the time overlooking the lochs and forests makes you wonder why you don’t live here permanently.

Join us We use both Fort William and Aviemore as centres in Scotland for our adventures.

From these adventure hubs we can access ranges like The Cairngorms, The Nevis Range, Creag Meagaidh and the Isle of Skye. To get the best from your time in Scotland it is essential to possess the knowledge and experience to seek out the best routes. Whether climbing or walking, your guide will play a crucial role in your enjoyment of this fantastic place.

Those who have visited Scotland will try to tell you stories of climbing on the thinnest ice they have seen, barely clinging to the rock with water running behind, consistent low cloud and poor visibility, walking all day in stinging hail and rain, only seeing the person in front of them and hooking ice axes into clumps of frozen turf. These stories are all true. It’s fantastic.

What you won’t find in Scotland is extortionate peak permit fees. No one is going to charge you 1,000 USD to enter the Cairngorm National Park, like they do in Aconcagua; or 50,000USD just for your group to set foot on Ben Nevis. There is no risk of local porters with scales that add a couple of kilos to your baggage allowance.

It is likely you won’t bring home a strange

tropical disease. [One would hope not! – Ed.] There is no weird and wonderful food that will give you GI problems. Well maybe fried Mars Bars and a uniquely Scottish fizzy drink called Irn Bru; which is orange in colour and according to their long running ad campaign, ‘contains girders’.

In Scotland you won’t be taking a hairy flight in a small plane and landing on a crevassed glacier or a steep runaway on the side of a mountain. No signs of political coups or Maoist parties trying to take control in this country. Scotland is awesome. It is a giant playground for adults. If you want to tell your friends you’ve been somewhere exotic, how about being able to ski and swim in the sea in the same day? You can do that in Scotland. Ben Nevis was once a huge volcano. How awesome is that, just like Kilimanjaro and Cotopaxi. Summit success? How about the 100,000 people who summit Ben Nevis every year? You will be standing on top of all that remains of a Devonian volcano that came to a cataclysmic end with an explosion comparative to Krakatoa.

So join us for a spectacular week of climbing, where you can be assured of a warm welcome by the locals, great personalised training and some of the best days you will ever have in the mountains. For climbers and walkers, Scotland is a ‘mini’ paradise. In winter it is even better. From easy walks along airy ridges, to technical snow and ice climbs there is something for

DECEMBER 2014 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

everyone. I really don’t know why I don’t live there.

OutdoorUAE is offering three weeks in February where you can join us.

Week 1 Winter walking / Intro to mountaineering Ratio Instructor 1:6 clients Based in Fort William Week 2 Winter climbing / advanced ridge scrambles Ratio Instructor 1:2 clients This will be based from Fort William.

Climbs and the location will be determined by the experience of clients and the weather Week 3 Winter walking / Intro to mountaineering Ratio Instructor 1:6 clients Based in Aviemore Highlights • Overnight in a snow cave • Personal development plan • A visit to the Scottish National Outdoor Training Centre at Aviemore • Indoor ice climbing The Ice Factor at Kinlochleven • During the week there will be evening lectures focusing on winter climbing techniques, equipment, how to prepare for expeditions, Alpine climbing Our weeks are deliberately targeted for the best time of the winter. At the start of the winter, the more technical, mixed climbs in Glencoe and the Grey Corries are the best options as the snow and ice starts to form. As it gets colder, the watercourses and low-level streams freeze up, creating great water-ice climbs. January is usually a bit stormier and brings snow that thawsand-freezes to create perfect snow-ice climbs in gullies and on the faces. February is the most reliable month and offers a good range of everything, from climbing to walking. www.outdoorarabia.com for more information on the expeditions and skill sessions Sean has in place for 2015.

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OUTDOORUAE

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Join OutdoorUAE and Sean on some of the most amazing hikes in the Hajar Mountains in the outdoor season 2015.

Jebel Shams North Face, Oman three day adventure [ March 19th – 21st | 2,000 AED p.p. | max. 4 people per guide]

Jebel Mischt, Oman 3 day adventure

[ On request | 2,900 AED p.p. | max. 2 people per guide]

Overnight Hiking Expedition, UAE two day adventure [ Friday 30th – 31st January | 1,450AED p.p. | max. 4 people per guide]

Stairway to Heaven, UAE one day extreme hike

[ Saturday January 17th, Saturday February 14th, Saturday March 14th 795 AED p.p. | max. 4 people per guide] Suitable for

Families + Kids

Learn to Navigate, UAE one day adventure

[ Saturday 21st February | 450AED p.p. | max. 8 people per guide]

Northern Emirates Canyon & Abseil Adventure, UAE one day adventure

[ Saturday 28th February | 495 AED p.p. | max. 4 people per guide] Suitable for

Families + Kids

Classic UAE Hikes, UAE one day adventure

[ Saturday 24th January, Saturday 31st January, Saturday 7th February 450 AED p.p. | max. 8 people per guide]

Suitable for

Families + Kids

Suitable for

Families + Kids

Masafi Canyon Hike, UAE half day adventure

[ Friday 12th December 2014, Thursday 29th January, Thursday 26th February 450 AED p.p. | max. 8 people per guide]

Fossil Rock Hike, UAE half day adventure

[ Saturday 20th December 2014, Saturday 10th January, Thursday 22nd January, Thursday 12th February, Saturday 7th March | 450 AED p.p. | max. 8 people per guide]

If you have a particular date or adventure that you would like please contact us for individual trips and dates.

All trips are lead by highly qualified guides with expert knowledge of the region. Please check the grading of the hikes to be sure you will enjoy them, if you are not sure, please do not hesitate to consult us. (For red marked hikes an advanced briefing is mandatory unless you have been on a hikes with us before).

Conditions apply.

trips@outdoorarabia.com Office: +971 4 4472 030 Sean: +971 50 1246 478

20% introd for boo

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LIFESTYLE

Au Natural:

How to lead a healthier outdoor life Words By: Ivana Chiles

With the UAE outdoor season in full swing, I would like to share some useful information about how to prepare for your next adventure in order to fully enjoy it, come home feeling refreshed, and most importantly, recover fast for the next one! Over the coming months we will give you a whole host of tips to improve your body and overall wellbeing.

Live naturally Not too many people realise that what you eat, you run on. Literally! The food you eat creates your blood, your tissues, muscles, organs, nails, hair, etc . . . it would be foolish not to believe, that what you eat on your hike, will influence your performance.

This month I would like to share some useful tips on how to ensure, that you are well prepared for your hike in terms of nutrition.

Ivana hiking in the Hajar Mountains

Start off with good breakfast Rule number one: Always start off with a nutritious breakfast that will keep you going for a solid two to three hours before your first break on the trail. Opt for low GI food. The glycemic index indicates the rate at which carbohydrates will be broken down into glucose. Therefore carbs from food with a low GI will be released slowly into your bloodstream and will not cause sugar spikes and energy highs and lows. Low GI foods will also keep you feeling fuller for longer.

A typical example of such food would be whole meal porridge with banana, honey, dash of cinnamon and some nuts.

Warm food eaten for breakfast is the best

thing you can give to your tummy after waking up, when your digestive system has been resting at night. You can also prepare your own muesli by grating one apple or pear and mixing it with organic oats, coconut water (or regular water), yogurt (optional) and any additional ingredients of your choice. My favourites would be chia seeds, goji berries, almonds and walnuts, cinnamon and teaspoon of honey. Just remember to prepare it the night before the hike!

Hydrate Rule number two: Hydrate and hydrate naturally! Every hiker should ensure that they have plenty of water with them beHealthy delicious snacks for the outdoors

MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

fore setting on the hike. This is especially crucial here in the UAE, where we often hike in remote areas with no access to water and occasional settlements can rarely provide any water or food, but sometimes, if we are lucky, we do get offered tea in some mountain villages.

Generally, you should drink at least half a litre of water every hour depending on the temperature and difficulty of the terrain. Lack of water leads to the thickening of your blood, which in turn forces your heart to pump harder as it tries to circulate it. This will cause a headache and decline in your performance.

In addition to water, your body loses electrolytes, especially sodium, potassium and chloride, when it sweats. Our body’s cells use electrolytes to carry electrical impulses that help your cells communicate with each other, for example contracting and relaxing of the muscles.

I like to add one teaspoon of herbal syrup with honey to my water and have a couple of bottles of organic coconut water with me. It is excellent source of sodium and potassium, digestive enzymes and many vitamins. It is also delicious and refreshing! I have also purchased dehydrated coconut water recently, which too does the job too.

Food on the hike Let’s have a look now at what should be in every hiker’s backpack: I find there are generally two kinds of people. Those who tend to fuel up with small snacks throughout the day and then have a proper meal at the end of the day; and those who enjoy stopping to have generous picnics on the way while savouring breathtaking views from the top of the mountain (my kind of people). Either way, you know best which option suits you and should pack your lunch accordingly. [I try to combine both whenever possible – Ed.].

A hearty wholemeal sandwich is a definite ‘must’ on any of my hikes. There are plenty of protein wraps available in stores all over the UAE. I use organic butter which provides good fats and energy when needed. Alternatively use hummus or mashed avocado. I recommend boiled eggs for protein, hard unprocessed cheese and, unless you are willing to carry a little cool box (my husband happily does), avoid any meat, which will probably go off in few hours. There is nothing more disappointing than having to discard your sandwich on the top of the mountain.

I always pack plenty of celery, cucumber and carrot sticks to go with my sandwich. They are good source of vitamins and are certainly refreshing.

DECEMBER 2014 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

Fruits like apples and oranges are great, avoid bananas, which will probably not survive for too long. If you happen to be an owner of dehydrator machine, dehydrate some mangos, berries, apples or pears. They weigh very little, but give you lots of energy along with vitamins and minerals. Dates and figs are favorite local snacks here in UAE, along with nuts and seeds. Just remember to soak the nuts for at least four hours. This will make them digestible and much tastier!

Get something salty, but avoid conventional chips packed with unhealthy ingredients.

Oatmeal banana cookies for hiking in December Try making this delicious and wholesome snack for your next adventure.

• 2 very ripe bananas (mashed) • 1 cup quick cooking oats (uncooked) • 14 cup raisins, coconut flakes, chopped soaked walnuts • Heat oven to 350°C. • In a bowl combine mashed bananas and oats, add the rest of ingredients.

• Spoon tablespoons of the mixture onto a baking tray lined with a parchment paper.

• Bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until edges brown.

For some more delicious snack recipes like banana cookies or oatmeal snacks, have a look at my website www.ivanahph.com.

Hungry for more tips? Next month I look at what to wear on hikes, the best sunscreens, and how to deal with sun burn.

Ivana Chiles has been living in the UAE for almost 15 years. Her passions are nutrition, healthy cooking and gardening. Ivana is a certified health coach, member of American Association of Drugless Practitioners and also a keen outdoor enthusiast.

Banana cookies for hikers

Snacks: Do not waste money on power bars or gels. They are mostly packed with high fructose corn syrup and lots of preservatives to extend their shelf life. Make your own ones with some easy recipes found on my website www.ivanahph.com.

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MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

DECEMBER 2014 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

LIFESTYLE

CAMPING WITH YOUR PET Words By: Chris Queen Photos By: Sam Westhead

With the temperatures heading firmly into “very comfortable indeed, thank you” territory, and even touching on being a tad nippy for those of us who have been well and truly softened by living in perpetual warm climates, thoughts naturally turn to getting out of the city and heading into the desert, mountains and wadis of the UAE for some camping fun.

Many of us make such trips with our pets in tow and so this month we thought we’d offer some helpful hints on making the most of you and your animal’s adventure.

At this stage it is probably worth noting that the vast majority of us will be choosing to take dogs with us on camping trips and so this article will focus on this species, even though I am well aware that there are some who are happy to take their other furry and feathered friends out and about with them.

As for how best to approach the topic of camping with your dog, as a vet it feels natural to consider matters using the ‘Five Freedoms’ model for animal welfare, as I think it rather neatly covers most of the important considerations. However, in spite of throwing around heavy words like welfare, the aim is ultimately to have fun with your pet and ensure you all have a great trip.

Freedom from hunger or thirst It might be a pretty obvious statement to make but keeping your four-legged friend suitably fed and watered during your trip is essential if they are to really enjoy the experience and be ready and willing to join in all the fun. Taking enough food for the duration of your trip, factoring in both your dog’s increased energy requirements and extra for any additional nights spent away, either on a whim or out of necessity, is clearly important. I personally prefer dry food for camping purposes as it tends to stay fresh longer, is easier and lighter to carry and you can carry some in your pockets for on-the-fly treats during your hike. A food bowl will be needed, and collapsible/ foldable bowls, for both food and water, will be easier to carry.

Carrying sufficient water, especially when

there is no guarantee of easy access to clean sources, when out camping is probably one of the most important considerations here in the UAE, where temperatures can still hit heady heights even in the winter months. Carry enough clean drinking water for both you and your dog, in addition to a sturdy, collapsible bowl, to ensure both you and Rover stay happy and hydrated.

Freedom from discomfort Shelter or, in other words, having a big enough tent to accommodate Pete the Pinscher, or his own digs, is the name of the game. Providing shade from the sun, which can be punishing, is also a great idea when stopping for any length of time, and this can be as simple as spreading a shawl across a couple of trees or rocks for your dog to seek sanctuary beneath.

Many of the trails we get to explore here in the UAE can be quite punishing to our dogs’ paws, especially if they are not frequent trekkers, and rock and sand can get deceptively hot during the course of the day. Consider packing a pair of well-fitted boots for your dog to wear.

Ensuring your dog is actually fit enough for the trip you have planned falls into this category. It is not uncommon for dog owners to report their pooches feeling very stiff and sore in the days following big camping trips, when Rover will have likely clocked up countless kilometres whilst running around excitedly.

You wouldn’t run a marathon with no training so don’t assume your dog, who usually spends his days sat on the sofa with the occasional stroll round the block, can.

Freedom from pain, injury or disease First of all, ensure that your dog is up-todate with all of their vaccinations, deworming and, especially, tick control. Consider carrying a small bottle of tick/ insect repellent, a tick hook (please, please do NOT just pull them off your dog) and a small first aid kit as dogs are prone to cuts, scratches and stings. Consider going on a short pet first aid course so that you’ll know how to deal with any mishaps and save your vet’s number in your phone. Being confident that your dog is fit and strong enough for the trip planned is an important part in preventing mishaps.

Freedom to express (most) normal behaviour Although we wish to be able to allow our dogs the opportunity to really enjoy the outdoors with us, it is important to remember that we have a duty to do so responsibly. Keeping your dog on a leash – a long length of good quality climbing rope with carabineers to attach by – will allow you both to enjoy the great outdoors whilst reducing the risk of wandering off, interfering with wildlife or livestock and potentially upsetting local landowners and other users of the space. Remember that many people in the region do not like dogs and so bear this in mind in certain areas and when engaged in certain activities. For example, the wadi in which you’re swimming might well be the water supply for the village down the valley and not allowing your dog to swim in it is just good manners and diplomatic. Ultimately, the behaviour of your dog whilst out is yours alone and so be confident that your pet is well-behaved and well-trained. Knowing where your dog is at all times is also essential, so consider fitting a small LED light to your dog’s collar so you can keep an eye on them, especially at night. Do not also forget to microchip or ensure your dog has a name tag on their collar – this is fairly basic, but also very important.

Freedom from fear and distress This freedom should be satisfied if we follow the basic guidelines above. The very fact that your dog is out and having fun with you will mean that they are happy and free from distress. Applying the tips set forth in this article should help ensure that continues.

One final great idea for hitting the trails with your pooch is to get them to carry much of their own essentials, by using a decent doggy-backpack.

Whatever your outdoor plans are this winter, if you intend to take your dog then be sure to plan ahead and to make certain that you all get to make the most of this beautiful region in which we live, work and play.

Chris is a small animal vet based here in Dubai. When he is not treating the pets of the city at Umm Suqeim Veterinary Centre (Tel: 04 321 0799) he is training for his first Ironman race, as part of the Iron Vet Challenge, in aid of animal charity WVS (The Worldwide Veterinary Service). You can find out more at www.ironvet.net or www.thenerdyvet.com.

MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

DECEMBER 2014 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

LIFESTYLE

Habitually healthy Words and Recipe By: Chef Christopher Zerbe

Sweet Potato Dosa

To make 1 large dosa:

Now that winter has finally hit the desert and the cool breeze is a permanent fixture, outdoor activities have increased ten-fold! As well with the holidays approaching like National Day and Christmas and New Year, everyone needs a nice healthy alternative to their usual unhealthy eating practices. Why wait till after new year to start eating healthy? Now is as good a time as any to start trimming down, to start cooking simple healthy food at home. Over the years with all the traveling I have done, I have found my favorite ethnic dishes for breakfast (my favorite meal of the day).

I tend to get bored with the full fry up or pancakes or waffles. After 30 years of eating those food, I need a good healthy change! Well about a year and a half ago, I traveled to India and fell back in love with masala dosa. Only problem was that they were made from fermented ground rice and white potato. So I set out to create a healthy, Paleo version of a masala dosa but made with sweet potato and coconut flour instead. Below is my recipe for the final creation, which just so happens to be on my menu everyday now! This recipe is easy to follow along at home and can even be made in advance and served cold for a simple take away lunch. I hope that you enjoy it and as always feel free to email me if you run into any troubles. Eating healthy can also be fun and trying new things is always a great start to your journey to good health!

The Cycle Bistro GPS location: Latitude: N 25° 02.792 Longitude: E 055° 14.384 04 425 6555 Phone:

• Pre-boil your sweet potato and cool down, peel and cube into 2cm cubes.

• Pre heat your fry pan on med/high heat, add coconut oil.

• Add your sliced red onion and cook till slightly brown • Next add your curry leaves, then the dry spices till they start to soak up any excess oil.

• Once that happens, add your boiled sweet potatoes and fresh coconut and slightly mash with your spoon.

• Continue to cook till all is hot and soft and seasoned through, then remove from the pan and either chill it for use another day or place a large spoonful in the middle of your tortilla and fold into a triangle and flip over.

For the fresh coconut chutney:

• Preheat a skillet to med heat, add a tbl of the coconut oil and the onion, chili and seasalt • Cook for about 5-6min till just before the onion changes color • In the same pan, reheat and add more coconut oil. Once hot add the mustard seeds, cook till they start to pop • Now add the curry leaves, fry for 2min. Add a sprinkle of the asafoetida powder.

• Now that your “tempering” is done, pour all of it into your coconut and onion mixture.

• Stir together and taste the seasoning! That’s it! Fresh coconut chutney for your dosa!

This is for a bulk batch which makes 10-12 pcs of 27cm tortillas • Feel free to make a bunch and wrap tightly and keep for up to 3 days.

• Put all ingredients in a blender (dry first then wet) and blend until smooth.

• Preheat a nonstick fry pan (10in) and add a few drops of coconut oil to the hot pan.

• Pick up the pan from the heat and pour in enough batter to coat the bottom of the pan while • Swirling lightly same as you would to make a crepe or a thin pancake.

Ingredients Coconut Tortilla

Quantity

Unit

1

ea

Sweet Potato

0.09

kg

Curry Leaves

0.01

kg

Sliced Red Onion

0.02

kg

Garam Masala

0.001

kg

Deggi Mirch

0.001

kg

Tumeric

0.001

kg

Coriander Powder

0.001

kg

Fresh Coconut

0.035

kg

Coconut Oil

0.010

kg

Mixed Lettuces

0.050

kg

Beefsteak Tomatoes

0.060

kg

Coconut Chutney

1.000

ea

Ingredients

Quantity

Unit

Chopped Red Onion

1

ea

Sea Salt

tt

tt

Green Chili

1

ea

Grated Fresh Coconut

300

g

Mustard Seeds

12

ea

Coconut Oil

13

ea pcs

Curry Leaves

3

Coriander Leaves

5

g

Asafoetida Powder

1

tsp

Quantity

Unit

0.4

kg

0.005

kg

10

ea

Ingredients Coconut Flour Sea Salt Eggs

• Cook until large bubbles form and its 3/4 cooked. Then flip and remove the pan from the heat.

• Careful not to tear it while removing it from the pan, just slide it out to prevent this.

MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

DECEMBER 2014 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

PRODUCTS A round-up of quality products available right here in the UAE

Arc’Teryx Cassiar Jacket

2,695 AED

Available only at Modell’s Sporting Goods, Mall of the Emirates GORE-TEX® protection, fleece comfort and stretch performance in a streamlined on area ski shell. The Cassiar Jacket combines GORE-TEX® hardshell protection with comfort and stretch performance for on area use. N40s GORE-TEX® provides longwearing abrasion resistance without sacrificing lightweight performance and is bonded to a brushed polyester backing that provides warmth and assists moisture transport. The jacket’s trim fit is efficient, ergonomic and streamlined while allowing room for light layers.

Vango DART TENT DS 300 Excalibur 675 AED

Available at Modell’s Sporting Goods, Ibn Battuta Mall, Mall of the Emirates and Mirdif City Centre • Pop up tent • For three persons • Fire retardant • Waterproof 300DS

Alpinestars Stella T-GP Plus Jacket 900 AED (previously 1,000)

Available only at Al Yousuf Motors across UAE

IT’S LADIES TURN NOW! Taking styling cues from the Stella GP-Plus Leather Jacket, the Stella T-GPPlus is exclusively engineered for girls. Pre-curved sleeves and a D-ring waist adjustment combine for a sleek fit, while the zippered air intakes help you stay cool when things heat up.

• Constructed from PU coated, 600D Polyester fabric for enhanced strength, durability and abrasion resistance.

• Pre-curved sleeves for greater riding comfort.

• Removable CE certified Bio Armor elbow and shoulder protectors are slim, lightweight and offer exceptional impact protection.

• Chest pad compartment with PE padding (Bionic Chest Guard available as accessory).

• Back protector compartment with PE padding (CE certified Bio Armor Back Protector available as accessory).

• D-Ring waist adjustment and wrist flap with Velcro and textile tabs.

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OUTDOORUAE

Polar unveils a new, versatile GPS device with 24/7 activity tracking Polar, the leading pioneer of heart rate monitoring and wearable sports devices, together with Sport In Life, has launched its latest GPS produce in Dubai. The new Polar M400, which also has 24/7 activity tracking, is for people who lead an active life and spend a lot of time training outdoors. It is the perfect companion for urban and trail runners alike who are inspired by challenges and want to push their limits.

Polar M400 combines the best of GPS and 24/7 activity tracking with advanced sports technology using Bluetooth Smart.

Lightweight and compact in design, its clean and modern look adds to the style of any outfit, both during and outside of training sessions. Available in white and black, it suits men and women alike.

M400 is fully water-resistant, and its high-contrast and high-resolution display is ideal for outdoor use in any weather condition.

Equipped with features that capture Polar’s cutting-edge know-how in Smart

Polar M400 brings together style, performance and comfort

Coaching, M400 gives guidance throughout your training and shows the effect of your workout at the end of each session.

The gadget will also demonstrate how your sport activities are good for you as well as offering plenty ways to monitor your everyday activity: besides counting steps and burned calories, it gives alerts when it is time to get up and interrupt long periods of inactivity.

In addition to the advanced activity tracking capabilities, M400 packs a powerhouse of options for training and exploring in its sleek body. For example, M400 tracks pace, distance and altitude with the built-in GPS. The Back to Start feature directs you to your starting point in the shortest distance possible, allowing urban runners to try new routes or people who travel to run without fear of getting lost. M400 also keeps tabs on your personal bests and notifies you when you have broken your record. This helps you challenge yourself and stay motivated to

The Polar M400 retails at 890 AED or 1,100 AED for a version which includes a heart rate sensor.

Available at Go Sport, Modell’s, Adventure HQ and Intersport stores keep training and racing. When heading out for a run or a ride, it also estimates your end time based on your speed or pace.

Runners, in particular, will be happy with the Running Index feature, which calculates how their running performance is developing over time based on heart rate and speed.

All the training details can be easily synced between M400 and the Polar Flow web service and mobile app, where the completed and upcoming workouts can be viewed. With the Polar Flow service, planning and analysing every detail of a training session is easy and helps users follow their progress and get a deeper insight into their performance. With this online training tool, they can have a closer look at what they have achieved and what lies ahead, set training targets and get guidance on how to reach them. They can also relive their routes and share them with their friends and contacts in the Flow community.

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MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

DECEMBER 2014 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

PRODUCTS OZtrail Tourer Swift Pitch Extra 1,395 AED

Available at Adventure HQ, Times Square Center, Dubai and Dalma Mall, Abu Dhabi A six-person tourer tent. No pole assembly required so tent setup takes 30 seconds. Instant up Swift Pitch frame for more room.

Designed to be super easy to set up – simply peg out the four corners, extend the corner poles then lock in the central roof hub. Finally, draw the fly over the inner tent, peg out and relax!

Ideal for touring where you’re putting your tent up and down each day or for someone who prefers to spend less time setting up and more time relaxing.

Large front awning for plenty of shade.

A lightweight design makes it easy to carry to your campsite too.

Set up instantly to make life on the road more relaxing – 40% more room than the Tourer Swift Pitch for less than 1kg extra weight • Instant up Swift Pitch frame creates more headroom and shoulder space inside the tent • Oversize front D door for easy access • Large side and rear windows with protective awning • Total climate control via front door, roof vent, rear and side window system • Front awning and poles for added shade protection

OZtrail Royale Chair 280 AED

Available at Adventure HQ, Times Square Center, Dubai and Dalma Mall, Abu Dhabi Strong lightweight high tensile steel frame with plenty of padding - easy to get up thanks to hard arms.

• Strong 22mm steel tube frame with aluminum armrests • Weight rating – 160kg • 600D polyester fabric • Streamlined aluminum armrests • Comfortable padded seat and backrest • Side organiser pocket • Drink holder with insulated cover • Carry bag included

GoPro HERO4 Available at Al Boom Marine Introducing HERO4 Black, the most advanced GoPro ever.

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With a 2x more powerful processor, 2x faster video frame rates and even better image quality than its best-selling predecessor,

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OUTDOORUAE

HERO4 Black delivers footage that’s sharper, richer and more detailed. Combined with powerful new features and technologies— and improvements to audio, usability, wireless connectivity and more—HERO4 Black is the most advanced, highest-performing GoPro ever.

Nite

T25 vs T100 Available at Instagram: @almekshah Facebook: www.facebook.com/almekshah Mobile:+971 55 4005441

As a brand who sells both T25 and T100 GTLS illuminated watches, we often get asked what the difference is.

Radiation content is measured in millicuries (mCi), therefore, all watches with a T25 mark contain no more than 25mCi of radiation content and similarly, watches with a T100 mark, contain no more than 100mCi. All current Nite watches are fitted with GTLS tubes manufactured by the Swiss company mb-microtec. mb-microtec are widely regarded as the best manufacturers of GTLS tubes in the world and offer an extensive range of colour and size options.

The size and colour of GTLS will ultimately determine the final mCi rating of each model.

Whilst there are differences between the amount of mCi in the T25 and T100 models, the idea of “which is better� is simply a choice of preference and taste.

It would be of interest to us to gauge from our customers, your preference, and whether this is determined by the situations you are in, activities you use the watch for, or simply down to personal taste?

Some prefer the T25 GTLS illumination due to its more understated look and design, whilst others are believers that if you are to purchase a tritium watch, then you will want as much illumination as possible, and opt for the T100 models.

Our new ICON series features both T25 and T100 models within it, below is a comparison of the T25 and T100 versions of the ICON-209S.

OUTDOORUAE

49

MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

DECEMBER 2014 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

PRODUCTS Five Ten Camp Four and Camp Four Mid 695 AED Camp Four and Camp Four Womens 795 AED Camp Four Mid

Available at Adventure HQ stores In Times Square, Dubai and Dalma Mall, Abu Dhabi Be ready for when your world suddenly goes vertical. From the world’s most dangerous big walls to the world’s most dangerous big hikes, Camp Fours with their super sticky Stealth® S1™ rubber give you the confidence necessary for success.

The New Camp Four is a completely updated version of the previous Camp Four. It retains the burly stability and protection of its predecessor but adds a host of new features. In this new model we added a svelte heel cage, increased the soles lug height for better penetration into soft ground and reduced seams on the upper for improved durability and weather resistance.

Stealth S1 rubber is our premium hiking compound due to its high durability and excellent friction.

These supportive hikers are designed for multi-day trips with big packs, day hikes in rough, wet terrain and four-season stability.

Silverback Spyke and Senza

1,669 AED / 184.70 OMR Spyke 24” blue, orange, pearl, green and white 1,669 AED / 184.70 OMR Senza 24” blue, peach, white, violet, teal and red Available exclusively at GO Sport stores at Dubai Mall, Abu Dhabi Mall and Bawabat Al Sharq Mall in the UAE; Villaggio Mall and City Centre Doha in Qatar; and Muscat Grand Mall in Oman The gift of sport. The Spyke or Senza 24 is the perfect mountain bike for the up-and-coming junior cyclist. The alloy frame shares the same technology as its race-bred siblings, offering a great stiffness-to-weight ratio with junior specific geometry and a low standover height for easy fitting through the ages.

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OUTDOORUAE

Age of the Viking The best way to rough it!

The new Yamaha Viking VI from Al Yousuf Motors offers the best riding experience. Now what we love in the Viking is available in a better package for six. This six-occupant machine achieves driver and passenger comfort with a class leading 115.6� wheelbase that smoothens the ride and allows for bestin-class interior space.

The all-new Viking VI is ready to conquer whatever comes its way with a powerful 686cc, liquid-cooled, fuel injected, SOHC power plant. This engine boasts strong low-end acceleration and pulls hard through the RPM range to provide excellent overall power delivery. And what a better way to test it than with stamped steel dump bed rated to haul 600 pounds of gear and maximum towing capacity of 1500 pounds to get the job done.

Yamaha has also taken into account all measure for maximum comfort of its riders. The Yamaha’s proven electric power steering system on the Viking VI offers excellent handling over all kinds of

ENGINE terrain. Both front and rear centre seats are offset, as are the middle headrests, allowing for unmatched middle passenger comfort and convenience. All passengers have a three-point seatbelt for riding comfort. Front and rear passengers also have the convenience of an integrated handhold with hand-cushions that enhance comfort.

The Yamaha Viking VI from Al Yousuf Motors also comes with a digital instrument panel boasts multifunction LCD display with speedometer, odometer, dual trip-meter, hour meter, battery volt meter, 4WD status, transmission position, clock and fuel gauge. This way your trip can go as smoothly as planned.

Engine Type

686cc liquid-cooled w/fan, 4-stroke; SOHC, 4 valves

Bore x Stroke

102.0 x 84.0mm

Compression Ratio

10.0:1

Fuel Delivery

Yamaha Fuel Injection (YFI)

Ignition

TCI: Transistor Controlled Ignition

Starting System

Electric

To know more about the new Viking VI, visit any of our Al Yousuf Motors showrooms across the UAE, or follow us on Facebook and twitter for the latest and the newest.

DIMENSIONS LxWxH

153.5 x 61.8 x 76.6in

Wheelbase

115.6in

Turning Radius

244.1in

Ground Clearance

11.4in

Fuel Capacity

9.7gal

Wet Weight

1634lb

OUR EXPERTS

storm brewing

Dark Skies Challenge Words By: Marina Bruce Photos By: Olivia Flavin, Murray Kinnaird, Rachael Redfern, Tatiana Ovcharuk, Andrew MacLachlan and Maria Kraus

Warm up your winches! With some dunes running west to east and others north to south, some Liwa-esque and others just lumpy and bumpy, the Dark Skies Challenge had a bit of everything that the Oasis OffRoaders thrive on.

Having been inspired by the Wahiba Challenge run by ORAC (Off-Road Adventure Club) each year – you can read my trip report in OutdoorUAE February edition – Oasis Offroad planned their own “Dark Skies Challenge” which took place on the last weekend of October.

The challenge was to reach a remote camp spot some 110km into the Western Desert (Maghrib area) of the UAE, safely and in as short a distance as possible, driving on sand all the time. This is the last great desert area in the country; apart from the odd camel farm and a few phone masts there’s nothing here and therefore no light pollution will detract from the wonderfully dark sky, filled with millions of stars.

Five teams of four drivers from Oasis Offroad signed up, with each team comprising one experienced level three driver with leading experience, a couple of level two drivers plus an assistant marshal to support them.

The start point at Arada was such a long haul from Al Ain and Dubai that all teams were required to stay in the Liwa area overnight on the Thursday; most camped but a few stayed overnight at the Liwa Hotel, an

hour’s distance from the start.

Thirty-six hours before the start, all team leaders were forwarded a GPX file containing the start and finish points, overlaid by a grid showing the straight line, the north and south limits whereupon penalties would apply and lines denoting the end of each 10km sector. Team leaders were encouraged to check out the route on Google Earth to get an idea of the terrain and those with suitable Garmin devices downloaded Birdseye View® to have with them on the day.

This particular route was chosen as, due to the lie of the dunes, it would be impossible to drive in a straight line route unless you have a rally bike! Therefore considering/choosing a good line was vital, and all teams got the hang of this, some of them pretty quickly!

You don’t need an expensive, highly modified or brand new 4x4 to drive with Oasis Offroad – many of the vehicles taking part were 5+ years old, in fact the oldest car was a 1993 Toyota Landcruiser. Only one vehicle had mechanical problems, and amazingly, since collectively we drove offroad for over 2,800km on the Friday alone, just three cars sustained minor bumper damage, a testament to the leading and driving skills of the members.

I remembered from the Wahiba Challenge how easily teams which had only short-wheel-base jeeps navigated the terrain, so to create more of a level playing field for our event I specified one long wheel based car in each convoy. One of our teams, the Koeksisters and Winchboy (KSWB), ably led by Nicole White had all four cars with LWB but still managed to break the “century” of sand dune driving in a day; they probably had slightly more than average “stucks” [in sand] but at the

Winner - Stuck - Dune Busters Team

Winner - Desert Life - Team Sandsurfers

Winner - Sunset - Team Jolly Gazelle

Winner - Nature - Sand Worms Team

end Nicole reported “it was all in all an exhausting but utterly enjoyable trip.”

Teams started departing at 8:30am with the aim of reaching the Friday Night Camping area – and the buried treasure we’d left there 10 days before – before nightfall. The soft sand made spotting a good clean line very important and every leader grasped this by the end of the day, some a little earlier than others.

Using Garmin Basecamp I created tracks to make up a grid with the idea that the teams would SMS the rear sweep team whenever they cleared a sector, and this worked perfectly until the last 20km when the phone reception died out. An unforeseen benefit of the grid was that as the teams progressed through each sector it gave them a morale boost “six sectors down, just four to go”.

Large Liwa-esque dunes typified the first 45km of the route and at the start these were quite close together, however, after about 15km they started to open out a little and large valleys appeared between the dune lines. The forward sweep team – just me and my trusty co-driver Murray – shadowed the front teams theoretically to assist if required, but in reality we were not needed so we took photos and admired the scenery.

We paused to observe the Dune Busters, led by John Flavin, as they coached their team through some particularly soft bowls.

Another rule for the trip was that each team must have a winch, but they seldom had to resort to using Assistant Marshal Tom Bell’s Warn Zeon as careful driving, a bit of digging here and there and a loan of some sand tracks from KSWB had their convoy on the move most of the time.

Moving on, we encountered some tracks which could only have been made by Bernard De Wolff’s Cooper Discoverer M&S tyres and in a short time we saw him lead his team “The Jolly Gazelles” up and over some impressively high dunes. Bernard later wrote in his trip report, “We had our fair share of stucks, my winch seemed to be doing overtime, we dug, we pushed, we shoved but most of all we had a great time.”

Very soon we had the Sand Worms, led by Martin Wennerby, in our sights as they powered up a steep, complex dune.

They obviously didn’t need any help so we moved on; but just after we left them, they

MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

Winner - Action Shot - Team Jolly Gazelle

had an amazing encounter with some local falconers, who were 30km out in the desert flying their beloved bird - in between flights it sat not on a special perch but on an old car suspension spring! The owner asked Zach where they were going and had a hard time believing that a group of expats would drive so deep into the desert “for fun”!

Once past the large dune area the terrain became much easier. Unlike most of the UAE where the dunes are orientated west to east, in the middle of the Maghrib desert there is a huge patch of wide plains with smaller lines of dunes stretching north to south and this allowed everyone to “stretch their legs” and drive at speeds up to 80kph in places.

An extra task given out just before departure was to locate a sign which told observers they were at “Abu Dhabi Agriculture: Old Helio Farm”; those who were searching all over the area for a sign in English were to be disappointed – it was in Arabic. The leaders who worked this out and took a photo with all their team in front of the sign were rewarded with a bonus 5km to be taken off their final track distance, which was quite a bargain as they only had to go one and a half kilometres off the route line to find it!

The north to south dune crossings were relatively easy and this lulled some into thinking that the hard work was over. Almost immediately after the farm the terrain changed once more, this time comprising lumpy dunes and extra soft white sand with quite a few big bowls thrown in.

We followed the Sand Surfers as they meandered through this technical area, trying, (but often failing), to avoid the bowls – in fact they have their team name chosen already for next year’s event – “The Bowl Busters” [careful you don’t accidentally add an ‘e’ towards the end of the middle word – Ed.]. They alleged that every time the forward sweep – me – was watching them they hit tricky sand, so I headed further south out of their way.

Having driven over 100km without as much as a refusal the forward sweep had our only “near miss” of the day – on our own, almost stuck in soft sand, 397metres south of the “limit line” and with no phone reception there was nothing for it but to remain calm and dig! Once extracted we took an easy line to the campsite, and were amazed to be the first there, beating the Sand Surfers by 30 minutes. Leader

DECEMBER 2014 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

Winner - Teamwork - Sand Worms Team

Ivan Warnes later thanked the marshals for “providing such a safe environment for us to have fun in and enjoy the Liwa.”

Treasure was located, tents were set up and coffee and tea brewed. In a short time, and well before the sunset curfew the Dune Busters and the Sand Worms joined us but unfortunately the KSWB and the Jolly Gazelle had to camp some 15km short of the camp, along with the sweep team.

While the participants had scouted, winched, dug and sweated, the rear sweep team comprising Mark Bromfield, my husband Neil and his passenger, Chris Lidster, had shadowed the last team, stopping to fly their kite and watch some movies. It was compulsory for each team to have a winch which meant that in the main they were able to be completely self-sufficient however the Jolly Gazelle ended up with clutch problems so at last our sweep were able to assist someone!

On Saturday after a dash through the dunes in the early morning light we retrieved the satellite campers and the whole group was reunited at the inflation point near Umm Al Ishtan.

The team which went point to point in the least distance were the Sand Worms.

Martin said later, “our normal recovery techniques had to be changed rather quickly since the environment here was very different from what we usually see.

Our thanks to the marshals for organising the trip and letting us stretch our wings.”

We did not give prizes for this, nor for the fastest team, instead OutdoorUAE donated prizes for a photography competition in six different categories – thank you Daniel and team!

Everyone who participated found it to be a real challenge in places but with a combination of good driving, good humour and lots of teamwork, everyone made it through safely! To quote John Flavin when he summarised the trip: “great memories to be had showing the true spirit of Oasis Offroad Club.”

Here’s to the next one! **Just a quick note that OutdoorUAE would like to thank the Oasis Offroad Club for their three-day support of the Dubai Off-Road and Adventure Show and their kind offer to take any interested newbie drivers out for a introduction to desert driving course. Much appreciated!**

The Sand Worms - who made it to the camp in the shortest distance

Welcome to Old Helio Farm

Buried treasure in the middle of the desert!

The Desert Diva – read her blog at www.thedesertdiva.com Oasis Offroad is a free to join offroad club based in Al Ain offering family trips and overland adventures in the beautiful sand dunes of Al Ain and beyond. Their website is www.oasis-offroad.com and their Facebook page is www.facebook.com/OasisOffroad

OUTDOORUAE

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OUR EXPERTS

MAKING THE MOST OF THE SEASON

RAK-ATTACK!

We only have a maximum of

seven months of great outdoor weather in the UAE.

Most other countries have the full 12. They have winter and summer outdoor activities and thus a healthy spread of activities throughout the year. Here everything is compressed into seven, maximum eight months, of the year, with peak season being from November to February. Obviously I am also trying to capitalise on the weather and trying to ride every weekend.

It goes without saying that it is difficult to include mommy into the equation as, even though, she does John Basson Moto/ATV and all round ride quads on the odd occasion, it’s adventure seeker certainly not her favourite pastime.

It is events like the Just Gas It’s RAK Attack that we all benefit from: The weekend of November 21 saw the second “RAK Attack” hosted by Just Gas it. It is hard to believe that it has been almost a year since the inaugural RAK adventure. A social bike/quad ride from Just Gas It’s facilities in Dubai to the Bin Majid Beach Resort in Ras Al Khaimah. Sadly, due to the event overlapping with the F1 weekend, there were not as many riders this year, but it was still an

exciting and fun-filled event that was enjoyed by all those who attended.

The RAK Attack is a team event of at least four riders, and all must finish together as a team. There was no first prize, other than bragging rights up for grabs, and this made it more of a fun family event rather than a race. (This year we actually stopped and took photos along the route.)

To add some distance, as the direct line from Just Gas it to RAK is only 65km, the route initially routed north-east before altering westwards towards the coast, in total about 115km. There were no “cards to collect” at all the waypoints as last year, and my son has since gained some more experience. Last year this event was John-John’s first ride of more than 100km and he did very well. (Only 11 years old and riding a 450 quad for 120km is very demanding.)

The initial two thirds of the route was suitable for both bikes and quads. Then, as we got closer to RAK, the damned camel grass started spoiling things for the quads (our whole team were on quads).

Constantly bobbing and weaving to avoid hitting the mounds of sand and grass brings your average speed down by quite a bit. Never the less

we still managed to knock about a fifth off last year’s time. We were the first quad team to arrive again, only to find that the team ahead of us, or at least the team we thought were ahead of us, had not yet arrived. Seems their fearless leader had decided he knew the route well enough and did not need a GPS. Well Jaco, you did reach the coast, and eventually the resort, so in theory I suppose you did know the route . . .

In my opinion, these social rides and events, with a twist of competiveness, help develop and promote this sport more than most other events. Everybody can partake and everybody can enjoy. Ending the event at a beach resort where mommy and Jihan were awaiting our arrival was just a bonus. As mentioned at the beginning, we all benefit. Mommy gets to stay in five-star luxury for the weekend, I get to ride: All HAPPY! Thanks again to all the team at Just Gas It for hosting this event and we’ll hopefully see you next year.

Go for gold and ride safe!

John

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QATAR EXPLORER

Camping in Qatar The ideal winter breakaway weekend

Words By: Eulogy van Dyk Photos By: Erlanka Paquet

Usually we say, “Spring has Sprung”, but for us living here in the Middle East we celebrate the arrival of the winter season rather than spring! Mild outside temperatures and cool ocean waters make spending time in the outdoors simply fantastic at this time of the year!

CAMPING in Qatar is definitely at the top of all expats and Qataris’ winter todo-lists. When the fresh early morning breeze is felt in the air, you will see peoScenery of Ras Abrouq (Bir Zekreet)

ple leaving in their cars, fully packed with camping equipment, for a short weekend break away.

There are three (main) different ways in which people can experience the desert camping life in Qatar.

Overnight camping with local tour operators – For new residents or those only on a short visit to the country, an allinclusive package deal is well worth the money. Most tour operators have permanent campsites located at the inland lagoon (Khor al Adaid). They first treat you with an adrenaline-pumping dune-bash to the site, and then accommodate you in their comfortable woven tents. There are also additional activities like camel riding, quad biking or sand boarding available if you feel the need to stay active throughout the day (or night). Typically at the end of the day local cuisine will be served for dinner at a campfire under the stars. A big advantage of going with a local tour operator is that their campsites are well equipped and ablution facilities are available.

Semi-permanent winter camps for Qatari citizens - Many locals prefer to set up semi-permanent winter camps along the coast or also in the central parts of the country where family and friends can be comfortably entertained. Accommodation styles are not only in the large white canvas tents but also caravans and trailers.

One needs to obtain a license from the

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government to be able to set up such a camp, which includes water tanks, generators, home comforts such as electric lighting, air-conditioning and a thousand or so satellite channels. Some people say it is like the equivalent of a ‘weekend cottage’ in Europe.

Free camping – It’s very popular amongst the expats. Just take your tent along and be totally mobile! Due to the warm, dry temperature in Qatar pitching a tent requires a lot less preparations and equipment than say, Europe. There are various locations that are preferred throughout the country (just keep in mind the protected and prohibited areas – no camping allowed period). Naturally there are a few favourite spots as listed below: Ras Abrouq (Bir Zekreet) - (GPS: 25°29’08.7”N 50°50’51.1”E) Located at the very tip of a peninsula northeast of Dukhan, a 90-minute drive from Doha (four-wheel-drive is required).

The area is known for its limestone escarpment, where the chalky rocks have eroded into mushroom-like formations.

Camping is possible either along the beach or less noticeably in a cove or near the escarpment.

Khor al Adaid (Inland Sea) - (GPS: 24°37’21.1”N 51°19’32.6”E **Note: This coordinate is the actual sea itself you can camp anywhere along the shore** Located in the south of the country, 80km from

MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

DECEMBER 2014 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

Doha (four-wheel-drive is required). This is where you will find the crescent shaped sand dunes and clear sky blue waters of a shallow tidal lake with a narrow outlet to the sea that lies between Qatar and Saudi Arabia and has shores in each country. A favourite spot amongst most campers!

Fuwairit - (GPS: 26°02’43.6”N 51°21’47.6”E) This is a very poplar beach for either just a day visit or overnight camping. Located on the west coast one-and-a-half to two hours from Doha, take the Al Shamal (north) Road past the Al Khor, turnoff and after 44km, turn right at the Fuwairit sign; follow the road leading to a small village and as you reach the outskirts, turn left onto a rough track.

Al Ghariya - (GPS: 26°04’43.8”N 51°21’28.8”E) Located on the west coast approximately one-and-a-half to two hours from Doha.

Take the Al Ghariya turnoff only 4½ km beyond Fuwairit on the Al Shamal Road (northbound). Follow the tarmac road, keeping to the right when the road splits.

This area gradually developed into a small weekend facility for other campers.

Al Khor – Al Thakira Mangroves (GPS: 25°44′41” N, 51°33′39” E) Probably the finest mangrove area in

Free camping at the Inland Sea

Qatar, so make sure to take your kayak or SUP along. Located on the east coast about a one hour drive from Doha. A popular spot for free camping, but there are also several semi-permanent campsites that are pitched here.

There are several other spots that is not listed here, but as a good fisherman won’t tell you where his best fishing spot is, it is almost the same with campers in Qatar . . . you will just have to come and visit and discover it for yourself!

We recommend a 4x4 vehicle to reach most of the locations comfortably. There are no facilities or shops nearby most of the above-mentioned spots, so campers must come prepared. Ensure you have enough fuel in your tank, bring along barbecue equipment, firewood and garbage bags (leave it as you received it!)

to name a few. **It is also very important take enough water so that you are selfsufficient at all times.** Camping season is generally from October to April, but it is also possible to take a drive out in the hot summer months and spend one night there if you would like a change of scenery.

For thousands of years, camping was a way of life for the Bedu of Qatar, and this tradition still lives on with a few modern day luxuries and improvements of course.

So why don’t you come and experience the untamed beauty of Qatar in the true spirit of outdoor lifestyle.

Car fully-packed ready for a great camping weekend

Campfire under the stars with friends

Enjoying the camping lifestyle

WHERE TO FIND CAMPING GEAR IN QATAR? Shop

Location

Contact Number

GoSport

City Centre Mall, 3rd Floor Villagio Mall

+974 4463 1644 +974 4451 7574

Geant Hypermarket

Hyatt Plaza, Al Waab Street

Sawdanatll

SouqWaqif, Al Jasra Street

+974 55659992

LuLu’s Hypermarkets

D Ring Road Al Gharafa Al Rayan Al Khor Mall

+974 4466 7780 +974 4407 4000 +974 4432 4324 +974 4453 3533

Carrefour Supermarkets Located in most shopping malls

OUTDOORUAE

57

PEOPLE

Prepare to get wet! Flowriding is a very technical boardsport.

Riding the flow at Yas Water World, Alfian Affandi is happy to mix it up on the barrel, and hoping to have a few hours off, to grab a ride on a camel.

Flowriding looks awesome fun, and anyone who’s had a try is pretty much instantly hooked or put off for a lifetime. Can you remember your first ride?

I’ve been a boardsport enthusiast for over 10 years, and am constantly looking for new and unique challenges to overcome.

My first attempt on the flowrider was in 2009. I was 25 and training to become an instructor at Wave House, Sentosa.

Flow riding is kind of unique as it has the same fundamentals as most boardsports; the only difference is its technique. My first few attempts were horrible, but after some practice, I quickly got the hang of it.

Not an expert, but I’m guessing not all flowride waves are the same, what are some of the major differences, and where does Yas fall into the mix? Are rides graded?

Rides are not graded, but there are definitely different types of wave machine around. There’s a Flow Barrel 10 that creates a stationary-like wave; a Double Flow Barrel 10 and a sheet wave type that is called Flow Rider. Every ride has a different feel to it, and that definitely makes it interesting to travel around the world to different venues to ride.

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OUTDOORUAE

Photos By: Billabong and Linus Hablot

We’re hoping you’re also an open water sports enthusiasts. What’s your preferred beach activities?

I really don’t have a “preferred” beach activity. But besides flowboarding, I really enjoy skateboarding, skimboarding, wakesurfing and surfing. Ha! Told ya, I’m an all-boardsport enthusiast!

Ever come across a flowride you cannot handle or find more difficult than most?

Hmm . . . probably the older flow machines. Their bases are made out of a concrete. So that’s definitely way harder to ride than the newer models.

You’re a sponsored athlete [Billabong ambassador] life must be pretty good.

How much of the year are you on the circuit, and what do you find more exhausting, the schedule of PR or the actual competitions?

I’ve been signed with them for almost four years now. In fact, they recently extended my contract in July. It never feels like work with Billabong; it’s always been fun. And I’m lucky to have them fly me to competitions, and always giving me the kind of support that I need to further better myself in the sport. Beyond that, I get to do cool interviews like these with you guys too! It’s hard not be stoked out.

You have a few days free in the capital.

Any plans to get out of town and see the desert? Maybe do some sandboarding?

I really want to go to the desert and

Alfian looking pretty “stoked out”.

experience a whole new environment – do some sandboarding and ride the camels.

My teammate Ili – who’s also a Billabong athlete – did that last year, and the pictures she brought back with her were sick!

But this really depends on my schedule whilst here.

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LOCATIONS

DIGGIN’ DIGDAGA Digdaga Ghaf Forest: Green, pleasant, shaded and maybe a little rough round the edges.

Always best if your camp kit can fit into a couple of packing boxes or similar.

Words + Photos By: Andy McNab

When it comes to daredevil pursuits I am quite happy to leave it to the experts. Kit can take on the big game fish of the Gulf, Tori can keep her 10km training runs to herself and Sean James is more than welcome to abseil from whatever he wishes until the cows come home. I do love the outdoors, but equally I know my own limitations and comfort zone.

Camping and trekking are where I get my kicks in the great outdoors. And I would say over the past 14 years, my camping has improved. I recall the first camp I took here in the UAE as though it was a very recent, very real nightmare.

Mid-December, Acacia Forest in the Musandam [26° 2’31.84”N 56°21’50.74”E].

Who would have thought that in the few hours between sunset and 8:00pm the temperature would drop so far, that

Never a bad idea to test your camp kit at the start of each season and check for any repairs etc.

the cold of the night would actually get into your bones and render you almost paralysed with hypothermia? Maybe the fact I was wearing boardshorts, a vest and flip-flops was part of the reason.

That particular night I failed to sleep a wink. I had a tiny tent, a useless sleeping bag and that was it. The ground was unforgivingly hard and strewn with shattered rock shards and any body heat I possessed was drained into the floor within five minutes of lying down. I soon realised that no matter how much I loved the blanket of stars overhead or fact that the air of the forest was soft and pure, I did not love the lack of sleep and intense cold. I finally ended up sleeping so close to the campfire

embers in a desperate bid to scrounge any warmth at all, that my flip-flops began to melt and mold around the contours of my foot. The following day was not spent, as intended, by becoming acquainted with this, most beautiful part of the planet. It was spent grumbling in the passenger seat of a car lift en route back to my apartment, where I intended to catch up on my lost Zzzs.

So following on from this minor setback the course of action was an obvious one.

Burn the cheapo camp kit and get some proper ‘fit-for-purpose’ gear in. I did so promptly, and now, my camps are, confident, safe and I guess most importantly portable and comfortable. They are not perfect, and certainly not ‘glamping’, but they are comfortable, and surely, that is enough for most people.

So, can I recommend a campsite for the camping issue of ODUAE, I could recommend fifty or more. Will I? No. I don’t know if we’re reading off the same page here, but seeing as how I wrote the page I suppose we must be. My campsites are my campsites. Can you imagine, you have your favourite go-to campspots dotted all over the places to enjoy a little bit of solitude and tranquility in life, and then all of a sudden you head back to one, only to discover 30 or 40 people camping all over ‘your turf’, wafting their campfires with rolled up copies of OutdoorUAE. ‘La, la, la!’ That would be a worse nightmare that the Acacia Forest.

Here’s one for you though, one I did with a friend last year in the first week of January. It was a nice camp, not exactly wilderness ways, by sufficiently removed from fully built up areas that it was pleasant.

In fact the fact that it wasn’t entirely out in the sticks or off the beaten path, may make it a good option for a young family

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Perfect for the morning brew.

camp. There are a couple of hospitals and medi-clinics within a 15-minute drive, and if anything goes catastrophically wrong there are family dwellings nearby.

It is the Digdaga (and tell me that is not a cool place name) Forest on the outskirts of Ras Al Khaimah. To get there we followed the UAE Off-road Explorer Northern Emirates Route 2, Falaj Al Moalla; which is an entry-level desert drive (4x4 only) through Umm Al Quwain and ends in the farmland/forested area of Digdaga.

I drove with two other 4x4s, and would suggest you at least drive with one other.

Alternatively blacktop it all the way in using Google Earth road routes.

Firstly, this patch or camping realty is

FOOD RECIPES

pleasantly green, you will notice that immediately – the forest itself is not pristine or perfect by any stretch of the imagination and you may even be required to do a little litter pick up around your campsite if you prefer a tidy patch, but what to do?

We wish it wasn’t this way, but it is. It is difficult for me to recommend a precise GPS because half the fun is doing a little of your own exploration in the area, however, to help you on your way, 25°37’31.32”N 55°53’41.71”E should dump you in the middle of the forest on a blacktop road, from which you are in a good position to do some junior dune bashing. Obviously, when you have located your preferred pitch, give a little space between your campsite and any family homes or fenced farmland – just imagine a role-reversal.

There is wood around all over the place in the forest, but it is difficult to say whether or not it belongs to anybody or not, so definitely best to pack a couple of bundles of your own, because you will not survive the night without a fire for warmth.

You’ll be camping on sand, but watch out for thorny branches, is maybe best just to sweep under your tent and around your site first. Be warned, it will get very cold at night, because you are camping in what is

DECEMBER 2014 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

effectively a large sand bowl, so pack extra sheets, sleeping bags, hats and all other cold weather comforts. I always find a couple of layers of flattened cardboard boxes, between the base of the tent and sand is a pretty good way to insulate against the cold desert floor. You will wake up to the sound of roosters and cockerels, the smell of small farm fires and you may as well get the coffee on, chuck some bread rolls at the scavenging goats and take it from there – a trip to Khatt thermal pools, “www.goldentulipkhattsprings.com/en” is an easy half-hour diversion, or you may be in luck and catch a camel race in action within a 10-minute drive radius, or you could carry on up to RAK itself and spend a lazy day doing whatever you fancy – I am still slightly old school, and like a nice pool day at the Ras Al Khaimah Hotel [+971 (7) 236-2999] (entry/usage fees do apply). **One note, if you get over-excited and fall around the place shouting and balling like a Hoon in the middle of the night you will attract peoples’ attention. You may want to keep things a bit low key for this one.**

cooking outdoors in the uae Peel away all the hippy-dippy yoga, organic almond milk, spelt bread and Quinoa berries, and deep down we are still tuned into the caveman/woman matrix. That’s why, one of the great things about camping is the food. There’s no fuss, no nonsense, no aerosols, fancy foams or cutlery (certainly in my case - in fact lucky if you get a plate). So how about this month, a recipe from the office.

Editor’s Camp Beans

Guaranteed to warm you up when the temperature plunges to 18⁰C. Serves two or three or four, depends how much you want to eat. In theory, could serve 250, if you don’t mind having one bean each.

INGREDIENTS

Required but not essential Essential: A tin of beans (maybe 2) 1 Tin chopped tomatoes 1 Small portion of tomato paste Pre-cooked sausage (extra-hot chorizo preferred) or meatballs or chicken bits or anything that previously had a pulse and now sadly doesn’t. So long as it has been precooked and is safe to consume. (If you are a vegetarian add more beans!).

WARNING! Campfires are usually hot, so be careful.

Wear gloves, tied back hair, avoid face-planting.

Contains your essential camping five-a-day. Beans, sausage, hot sauce, barbecue sauce and charcoal grit.

1 onion chopped or sliced Herbs (I only know 3, so either coriander, mint or the other one) chopped Spices (Extra Hot Cajun / Extra Hot Piri Piri work very well) 1 Large splodge hot sauce, (proper hot sauce. Mouth on fire hot sauce. This isn’t even remotely funny hot sauce. Does my health insurance cover medivac hot sauce?)

1 Large splodge Barbecue sauce Salt, pepper and dried chili flakes Splash veg oil or similar

METHOD

Cook in cast iron crock pot or pan on hot coals or oven top hob.

Heat oil. Fry onions until sweet, and juicy looking.

Remove onions.

Fry chorizo until smoky and crisped up around edges Into same pan/pot chuck all other ingredients, including cooked onions.

Low heat beneath (if cast iron crock pot, couple coals on top of lid to create an oven effect) Cook and stir for anywhere between 30 seconds and 30 minutes. The longer the better, unless of course you have just finished an eight hour wadi walk and realised two-hours into it that you left your lunch pack and energy bars in the 4x4.

Chuck in the green, stir, slop it out, eat it with a spoon and clean plate with a slice of bread.

Perfecto. Chef McNab

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LOCATIONS

Musandam Dive sites in the UAE and Oman How to get there:

Al Boom Diving runs dhow trips most Fridays out of Dibba port. You can either drive yourself up to Dibba port and meet there for the 9:00am departure, or join the bus from Dubai at the Al Wasl Road dive centre which departs at 6:00am. The dhow normally returns to Dibba port at around 4:00pm, so expect to be back in Dubai around 8:00pm. Overnight dhow trips and speed boat trips are also occasionally organised.

(Other pick-up points are available, please call the call centre for more info)

Description:

The Musandam Dhow normally visits the following sites: • The Caves: accessible tunnels caused by limestone erosion open a chamber from 15m-20m into the rocks. Max depth of around 10m.

• Lima Rock: made up of two sites, Lima Rock offers various channels in the rock to dive, with max depths ranging from 1230m (and deeper for those Deep Divers).

• Ras Lima: rock wall and boulders close to the shore line cliffs drop down to around 15m.

• Ras Saria: a great wall dive running down to a max depth of around 25m.

There are often strong currents here which make for a fun drift dive.

In summer you can expect water temperatures of around 30°C, and in winter, an average of around 20°C. Divers can enter in many different ways, and backward-roll or giant-stride are the most common.

Location:

Musandam, Oman

Depth:

Up to 30 metres

Type of dive:

Rocky pinnacles covered with coral.

Level:

Beginners through to Advanced (and good for snorkelers).

Underwater the rock pinnacles are covered in soft corals and anemones (with clownfish), and provide a home for an abundance of marine life. Divers can expect 5-20m visibility and to see turtles, filefish, boxfish, morays, pufferfish, shrimps, yellow snappers, cuttlefish, frogfish and many more. Stingrays can also be spotted on the sandy outskirts of the dive site, and if you are lucky, you may get to see blacktip reef sharks, whale sharks and dolphins on your surface interval. Watch out for urchins, lionfish, stonefish and scorpionfish!

OBSERVATION:

“We had a great day going through the amazing surroundings which gave you a feeling of being in the fjords of Norway!”

Moh, from Egypt “This was my first time diving in Oman and definitely won’t be the last… the dives were excruciatingly good!”, Alex from Poland

“I was only snorkeling on the shallower sites, and it was majestic. Might have to get PADI qualified to enjoy it even more next time.” Shane from Idaho

Contact:

Al Boom Diving, Al Wasl Rd. Call Centre: +971 4 342 2993 or abdiving@emirates.net.ae Al Boom Diving, Atlantis, The Palm: +971 4 263 3000

d u bai inter n ati on al boa t s h ow

A Di sc ove r y of O ppo r tu n ities & E ver la s t ing Rela t ion s hips See you soon

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March 2015 Dubai International Marine Club Mina Seyahi SUPPORTING MARITIME AUTHORITY

OFFICIAL PUBLISHER

To be pa r t o f th e eve nt , c ontac t us Call +971 4 308 6204 or please email us at dubai.boatshow@dwtc.com OFFICIAL MAGAZINE

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LOCATIONS

Get outdoors in the UAE Hiking – A series of articles to help you start or progress your hiking in the UAE

Words By: Sean James Photos By: SJ, AH, TM and DC

No need for military night vision goggles, just give your eyes 30 minutes to reboot and let the silvery light of a full moon transform you favourite walking route into an otherworldly moonscape.

Night hikes There is a difference between getting lost on a hike and finishing in the dark, and deliberately planning to explore the UAE wilderness at night. The former is practiced by a few of my friends on a regular basis, but only ever recommended if you are of the more adventurous disposition. The latter should be on every hiker’s to-do list.

Darkness hides many things, such as familiar landmarks and even the trail, but it can also reveal many more aspects of the great outdoors. Other senses are heightened when it is dark, and you smell and hear so many more things in the UAE at night. A different set of wildlife emerges – sounds are strange, unique and sometimes intimidating – even with a familiar route, your perception is challenged at night, and a hike will

take on a completely different character.

This month in Outdoor UAE we will look at why night-hikes are so special and when is the best time to go exploring.

We’ll also get an idea of this season’s moon calendar.

You have probably heard of these terms but do you know their origins: Blood Moon, Blue Moon and Harvest Moon. Many of us who are old enough will associate them with Neil Young songs from the 90s. In fact they are all phases of the moon. They are evocative names that stir emotions. Hiking [and camping – Ed.] during these periods will definitely add something to the experience.

The moon

The moon is so special that many religions and cultures celebrate their festivals around these times, the Holy Month of Ramadan being the obvious example here. Hiking during a full moon has many benefits not just the added light by which to navigate. There is also the added myth and magic associated with full moons. For non-believers and sceptics, being on a high plateau at midnight with fellow hikers who believe in magical phenomena such as werewolves and insanity can be very interesting, and add some spice to the hike. Just to put your minds at rest, psychologists have found that there is no strong evidence for effects of a full moon on human behaviour – some studies show a positive effect and others show a negative effect. Take for example, studies on dog bite admissions to hospitals in the UK and Australia. The data from Bradford Royal Infirmary (UK) found that dog bites were twice as common during a full moon, whereas, the study conducted by public hospitals in Australia found that they were less likely [did they also do a survey comparing

koala bites? – Ed.].

Night hikes don’t have to last until the small hours of dawn and even a short hike or a couple of hours will leave you invigorated and refresh your enthusiasm for exploring the UAE landscape, and, added bonus, you can still do something during the day. At night be prepared to expand your comfort zone by escaping the artificially lit world that we live in.

You would think that although, Dubai and Abu Dhabi are such brightly lit megalopolises that emit vast quantities of light pollution at night, the night sky would not be so dark; however, on the contrary much of the Arabian Peninsula, such as the desert, Musandam and the Hajar Mountains are fantastic areas in which to hike at night and see the stars, planets and asteroids. The Musandam area, and border area with the UAE has a very low population density and does not suffer from light pollution. As a result, the stars and constellations that you will see at night are staggering. Download an app such as “Night Sky 2”, take your iPad and lie back to identify Orion’s Belt, Sagittarius and the Little Dipper.

Full moon

So what is a full moon and when do these periods occur? For those who are mathematical by nature this equation might mean something to you.

It is the formula used to calculate the

MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

DECEMBER 2014 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

Sky at night from Dubai 25th December 2014

date and time of a full moon. If the last time you did long multiplication and complex formulae was at school and have an aversion to algebra, then you are lucky that we at OutdoorUAE have researched the full moon dates for the hiking season ahead.

The moon or lunar cycle is a result of the moon travelling in an orbit around Earth; it takes approximately 29½ days to cycle from New Moon to New Moon.

At all times the sun illuminates the moon so that we can see it from Earth but at different stages in the orbit, the Earth’s shadow blocks the sunlight and we can see different parts of it, these are called “moon phases”. Each of these parts has a different name so we can understand at what stage or “age” we are in. It is these stages that have been given fantastically romantic titles such as “waxing” and “waning” and have been the subject of many poems, songs and books. It is thought a new moon will bring calmness and serenity and restore understanding and acceptance of others, whilst a full moon brings with it, stress and a lack of sensitivity towards others.

The stages of the moon are as follows: 1. New (Dark Moon) – not visible 2. Waxing Crescent 3. First Quarter (Half Moon) 4. Waxing Gibbous

5. Full 6. Waning Gibbous 7. Third Quarter (Half Moon but opposite from 1st Quarter) 8. Waning Crescent 9. New Full Moon dates in 2014/15 in the UAE Hopefully not all of you missed the Super Full Moon in August. This event happens only every 18 years, however, there are plenty of opportunities to get out in the coming months. Below are the times and dates for this hiking season in the UAE.

2014

6th December 2014 - 16:27

2015

5th January 2015 - 08:54 4th February 2015 - 03:09 5th March 2015 - 22:06 4th April 2015 - 16:06 4th May 2015 - 07:42 2nd June 2015 - 20:19 2nd July 2015 - 06:20 31st July 2015 - 14:43

The night sky in the UAE

A great deal of Islamic astronomy was detailed between the 8th and 15th centuries during a period known as “The Islamic Golden Age”. A number of stars such as Aldebaran and Altair, as well as astronomical terms such as Alidade, Azimuth and Almucantar are still referred to by their Arabic names. The Equatorium, an instrument used for finding the positions of the moon, sun and planets without calculation, is an Islamic invention dating from the beginning of the 11th Century.

One of the best things about night hiking in the UAE that you can’t get during a day hike, is being able to look up and see many different worlds and galaxies.

The focus of your hike will turn from the landscape at your feet, to the heavens above your head. Try to time your night

Sky at night from Ras Al Khaimah 22nd October 2014

hikes with special astronomical events such as meteor showers or full moons.

The UAE has many spectacular events that occur at night and they are usually well published. Recently in August 2014, we had, not just a full moon, but a “Super Moon”. This was a time when the moon was piercingly bright and at its fullest and most radiant. It occurred because the moon was at its closest to the Earth, also, earlier this year, was a meteor shower called Camelopardalids.

An easy way to find what is above is to use software such as Astroviewer – a free download to the desktop, where you can then input which location and at what point of time, past or future that you will be looking up. To impress your friends, print a copy and take it on your hike.

Another learning opportunity is to visit the Sharjah Planetarium, Al Khalidia, Sharjah, phone: 06 528 6227 or Dubai GEMS Planetarium, which is a state-ofthe-art facility with a database of over 300,000 stars and a 70 seat auditorium.

Groups such the “Dubai Astronomy Group” also exist in the UAE, and recent-

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ly hosted the International Conference on Astronomy and Space Sciences. They regularly organise events with as many as 5,000 people attending their camps in the desert. The UAE has over 300 days every year without clouds and in the winter when the dust and humidity has dissipated, the skies above are another world waiting to be explored.

DECEMBER 2014 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

Google Earth Screen shot of the route You can download the GPS files here: www.outdooruae.com/downloads/Decemberhike2014.zip

Tips

Of course hiking at night and in the dark needs a different set of skills, this is also part of the enjoyment. These tips will help you towards hiking safely and hopefully having a great experience.

Count. If you are leading a group, make sure you count more frequently than during the day to make sure no one has stopped to explore something interesting off the trail. Finishing a hike with a different number of people than you started with never looks good.

Headlights. Make sure you have a set of spare batteries per unit, and agree on a protocol within the group about when you should use them. It’s a completely different experience walking by the natural starlight and moonlight than following a circle of yellow halogen just in front of your toes. Turn off the headlights if safe and watch the world expand. You will also have more chance to see nocturnal

Quick Checklist Route planning

wildlife. If you do use the headlights don’t constantly blind your fellow hikers by looking directly at their faces [many head-torches have a red-light mode, try using this, it is less intrusive – Ed.].

Adjustment. It takes about 30 minutes for the eyes to adjust completely to absence of white light. Try refraining from switching a light on for that period.

Take a dog. Although dogs only see in black and white, they see almost as well at night as they do during the day because of their eye structure they see things that we as a human don’t.

Stop. Try to take a silent break a few times on your night hike to truly experience what is around you. The silence seems louder and more present, and you will become more aware of the wind and small movements and noises much more acutely.

Slowdown. Hiking in the dark will be slower, so adjust the length of your intended route. It is much better to be slower and safer and get home in one piece than rush around at the same

Start point

25°10’29.57”N 56°15’31.07”E

Off-road driving required

Yes but the short track to the parking area is well graded – 2WD is possible.

Distance and time from Mirdif to start

116km 68min. Also possible to go via Masafi

Navigation on hike

Requires some scrambling. Nearly all of the track is undefined, steep and loose rock.

Time required for hike

3.5 – 4hrs

Distance

8.4km

Elevation gain on hike

740m

High point

863m

Grocery / water on hike

No

Possible to encounter a vehicle on trail

No

Suitable for all the family

Requires experience in scrambling, decisionmaking and route finding, especially at night.

Nearly all of the track is undefined, steep and loose rock.

Directions to the start Enter the start point coordinates into your GPS device or follow the directions from Google.

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speed as you would in the day and risk a fall or sprain.

Organisation. When you take something out of your pack at night and put it down, inevitably you will lose it or forget about it. Try to be more organised when you pack your pack, think about the order and frequency that you use things and also what you do with them.

Navigation. Even with a GPS, navigation can be a completely different animal at night. Following a preset electronic route may seem easy, but allow for small errors that can add up to larger misjudgments and possible delays. Remember every landscape looks completely different in the dark, and some features you may miss altogether.

Opportunity. Once you have mastered and learnt to enjoy night hiking, you can use the UAE landscape all year round and then there is no excuse to stay indoors in the summer.

Starting point. A good time to start a night hike is just before sunset. Tackle a familiar trail and let your eyes adjust as the light dims. Keep it shorter and easier than normal and just enjoy being out in a different environment. Remember even in the UAE it may get cold at night (especially at altitude) so take appropriate clothing.

Hike for December

Naturally the hike for this month should be done at night. It is intentionally a shorter distance, so that time can be spent looking at the night sky and enjoying the ambience. It is best to start as dusk is falling so that the final highpoint can be sited. It offers fantastic views over Fujairah and is very atmospheric.

If you are not confident going or starting hikes alone or you just want to have an expert or a group of nice people with you, OutdoorUAE is offering hikes lead by our expert Sean James. www.outdooruae.com/trips

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TIPS & TRICKS

The Black Marlin is a very powerful animal and it does not give up easily, you could be fighting a good sized fish for hours before it tires out

Marlin Words By: Kit Belen

There are two species of marlin you can catch off the east coast of the UAE. The Black Marlin makaira indica and the Striped Marlin Kajikia audax.

Of the two, the Striped Marlin is the most commonly caught, while the Black Marlin is the most sought after because of its size and speed.

Where to find Marlin are pelagic fish and mostly hunt in the upper column of the water, they are constantly moving together with their temperature preference and prey. In the UAE, you will find them in international waters off Fujairah although at times, they may venture closer in search of prey. In our waters, the Striped Marlin would be the ones more commonly caught closer to shore than the blacks.

Live and dead bait trolling is effective when fish are concentrated around bait schools

Trolling with skirted lures have revolutionised marlin fishing, making it easier for enthusiats to enjoy

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It’s not uncommon to pass the rod to someone else when fighting this fish - as the fight is almost always a long one

How to catch Marlin are predators and can be caught in several different ways, they can be an incidental catch while targeting other species, like while drifting dead bait for tuna; however, day in and day out, there are techniques employed by the charter operations the world over that produce consistent success.

Live bait trolling is popular in areas where the fish are concentrated in and around baitfish. When live bait is not available, rigged dead bait trolled around the area also produces results. The most common method for catching marlin however, is with high speed skirted trolling lures.

Since its invention in Hawaii, this method has been used all over the world with great results and is the method preferred in tournaments.

Trolling with skirts enables the boat to cover as much water as possible. Trolling speeds of 7-8 knots are common and specialists that target grander sized marlin (around 500kg or 1,000lb) troll up to 20 knots.

For the fish encountered off Fujairah, you would need a set of heavy trolling rods rated for 40kg paired with the corresponding reel and line. You can go as light as 50lb (25kg) outfits for striped marlin; but this will take you a longer time to land the fish.

You will need five of these outfits for what is called a “trolling pattern”, as each rod position would have a lure that’s fitted for its corresponding distance from the boat, a specific size, colour and head type.

The object is to run a trolling pattern that works as a single unit to mimic a moving school of baitfish. This attracts the highly competitive and curious instinct of the marlin and triggers it to move up and investigate the commotion. When it is close to the lures, it will have a choice of five lures and it will strike the one that appeals to it the most. On paper, it’s a simple enough concept, in practice, it is probably one of the hardest fishing techniques to learn and master. It could be very frustrating and costly, as going the distance to the marlin grounds and trolling for long hours will consume a lot of fuel, all of this and no guarantee of hooking or catching one keeps everyone hoping to tangle with these beautiful apex predators. It is said, that if you are billfishing (the group of fish that the marlin is a member of) you will come back with a bill, either way – a billfish or a gas bill. The truth of the matter speaks for itself.

In the UAE, the most successful operation in catching marlin is the crew over at Soolyman Sportfishing. They have been consistently catching both Black and Striped Marlin since they started operating in Fujairah, a few years ago.

Availability and conservation Both the Striped and Black Marlin have been caught in most months of the year; however, they are mostly abundant when the water temperatures change towards the warmer months of the year. This is the time when catching them would be the most consistent.

Marlin travel vast distances and are very difficult to track making conservation a worldwide effort. Billfish are largely a “catch and release” species conscientiously undertaken by respectable sport fishing operations the world over.

The boat needs to be moving forward and the fish slowly towed just under the surface to force water to its gills before releasing it

Out fishing pro who shares his experiences and erpertise with OutdoorUAE through his regular column. thefishingkit@gmail.com

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TIPS & TRICKS

How to finish a race with a smile on your face Words By: Trace Rogers IN THE WEEK LEADING UP TO THE RACE: 1. Aim to get 6-8 hours of sleep a night and aim to be in bed well before midnight. Although you are not training as much this week, still wake up early. It will make it easier to fall asleep at night.

2. Watch your food intake. You will not need to eat as much as you would be when in peak training. Eat when you are hungry and eat until you are satisfied, but avoid eating no more than is needed. You do not want to be lugging excess weight around the race course.

3. Avoid all potentially dodgy food. This is not the week to try out the new roadkill grill that has been trending. It is also not the week to take advantage of that “eat as much as you like sushi evening”. Eat clean, healthy, trusted foods that will not have you spending your taper time hugging the bathroom porcelain.

4. Drink water but not in excess. You want to stay hydrated. Your urine should be light yellow (not completely clear – this would mean that you are drinking too much). This can be a tricky one so look and listen to what your body tells you.

You do not want to be dehydrated and at the same time, you do not want to have drunk so much water that the minerals in your body have been completely diluted and flushed out.

5. Avoid massages within three days of race day. Contrary to popular belief, having a prerace massage may not be the best thing to do.

You could land up with overworked and bruised muscles which will definitely impact on your performance on race day. If you do have a massage in race week, use a known and trusted therapist and keep it light and gentle.

6. Avoid all forms of resistance training. Please refer to No. 5 for reasoning.

7. Avoid sick people and potentially infectious places. This is not the week to go and visit your friend with mad swine fever. Also, if you don’t have children and don’t usually spend a lot time around children, this is not the week to awaken your inner Mary Poppins. Those little ankle biters can be carriers of nasty germs. The metro should definitely also be avoided.

8. Read your face briefing. Failing to prepare is preparing to fail. Make sure that you know everything regarding the course(s), rules, pre-race briefing times, nutrition on the course and any pre-race activities well in advance. Give yourself time to buy last minute necessities and enough travel time etc. Get to the race and start with the confidence that comes from being organised.

THE DAY BEFORE 1. Wake up early. This will help you go to bed earlier and hopefully get some sleep.

2. Give yourself time to prepare your race gear, get to bike racking etc.

3. Eat normally.

Lee

4. Drink normally.

5. Get your feet up. Yes, it is perfectly acceptable to spend the remainder of the day lazing on your couch. You will make up for it tomorrow.

6. Get to bed early.

ON THE DAY 1. Get up early. Give yourself enough time to: eat and digest your pre-race meal, get to the start, make the final preparations to your bike etc.

2. Stick to the game plan!!! No matter what your friend does, even if the person that pulled your pigtails in primary school is just ahead and you could easily catch and beat her (even though there are still 110km to go in the race). Stick to your plan. You have trained to it. You have learnt from it. You have refined it. Now make it work for you.

3. Expect and manage anxiety. During the early stages of the race, your HR will be higher than your average training day. Don’t worry too much about this. Make sure that you go out easy on the bike and give it an opportunity to settle. If this does not happen, you are going too hard on the bike. Slow down and avoid paying for it in the run.

4. Drink when thirsty NOT when hot. Only drink what you need to keep yourself hydrated. For cooling purposes – throw water over your head, neck and chest.

5. Stick to your nutrition plan.

6. Do not try anything new on race day. Even if the little marshal dangling a strange new packet of Gel in front of your nose claims that it will guarantee you a PB – don’t take it! Only use the products that you have trained on.

7. Savour the last 200m of the race. You have put in the training hours, said no to all those Friday brunches and ladies nights, stuck to the game plan, ticked off every single point on this document. Now it is your turn to enjoy your success. Breathe it all in. Smile! You have earned this moment. Love it. Celebrate it! You. Are. A. Champion!

MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

DECEMBER 2014 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

TIPS & TRICKS

Apps for the outdoors

Tech for pets Words By: Chris Queen

Whistle GPS

Words By: Glaiza Seguia-Godinez

Star Chart

Developer: Escape Velocity Limited Compatibility: iPhone, iPad and iPod touch and Android devices File size: 20.5 MB Price: Free What’s a five-star accommodation compared to a millionstar view, right? One of best things about camping is sleeping under the stars. With this astronomy app, you can explore the cosmos in augmented reality by just pointing your device into the sky – doesn’t matter if daylight or nighttime – and it shows what stars, constellations or planets that are in your field of view. The striking graphics (it even has a lens flare effect) will make it a hit for kids. It also has basic information like distance and planetary rotations, but the educational value could be improved. In-app upgrade purchases are also available for meteor shower dates and locations. By the way, Pluto is still considered a planet in this app.

Activity monitor and tracker for your dog Developer: Whistle Labs, Inc (www.whistle.com) Compatibility: iPhone, iPad and iPod touch and Android devices Size: 43.0MB Price: 474 AED then 18 AED per month subscription

PackPoint Travel Packing list

Developer: Wawwo Compatibility: iPhone, iPad and iPod touch ; Android devices; Blackberry File size: 25.9 MB Price: Free In the short list of free apps for “packing checklist,” PackPoint proves to be the most helpful to list-makers and forgetful travellers. Whether you are going for a leisurely camp in Hatta or a business trip in the UK, the pre-made and customisable item list can help speed things up. Just key in your destination, travel duration, gender and type of trip, then the weather forecast during your travel dates and the activities you will be doing, for example swimming or running or if you’re travelling with a baby. It will then identify what essentials are needed. The mintgreen interface is cool on the eyes too.

The Whistle activity and GPS monitor attaches to your dog’s collar and acts in much the same way as the many fitness bands we wear, measuring and displaying your dog’s daily activities right on your smartphone.

Lightweight, sturdy, discrete and very stylish, the Whistle offers dog owners daily insights into their pet’s behaviours, location and activities. Perfect for seeing just how much further your dog runs compared to you whilst out on your next camping trip.

FINAL THOUGHTS

OutdoorUAE’s latest recruit We are a small team, operating from a small office in a busy part of town. Sometimes we get so hung up on deadlines and booking forms and your stories that we almost forget the most important things in life. So, it is with great relief (the office is a very small space!), pleasure and joy we are able to announce the newest addition to the OutdoorUAE family.

Linda, João and baby Zoe

70

OUTDOORUAE

Although little Zoe Turcerova Guerra Delgado may not exactly be doing all that much in the way of outdoor activities right now, we are certain, given a six months she will be. Congratulations to Linda and João on the arrival of the healthy and happy daughter. Delivered weighing 2.7kg at 1:27am on Wednesday 12th November 2014.

Anybody who has had the good fortune to get to know Linda in any capacity, will be aware of her boundless energy (the

“FEED ME!”

day prior to delivery she managed to clock up over 8km of walking) and easy-going sense of fun. She is doing incredibly well, already back in the office (for meetings only) and looking forward to getting back on to her beloved SUP ASAP. Both Linda and João are enjoying the beginning of a new and exciting chapter in their lives and we know they would love to hear from you; so please, any congratulatory messages or Pampers will end up with her via Jane, jane@outdooruae.com.

Please don’t be shy, Linda would love to hear from you.

MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

DECEMBER 2014 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

UAE DIRECTORY General Sports Equipment Megastores

Adventure HQ, Dubai Times Square Center, Sheikh Zayed Rd, toll free: 800-ADVENTURE, +971 43466824; The Beach on JBR, Dubai: +971 44304419; Dalma Mall, Abu Dhabi: +971 24456995, www.adventurehq.ae Decathlon, Dubai, Mirdif City Centre, +971 42839392 Go Sport, The Dubai Mall: +971 43253595; Abu Dhabi Mall: +971 26454595; Bawabat Al Sharq Mall, Abu Dhabi: +971 25868240 InterSport, Dubai Times Square Centre: +971 43418214 and Dubai Festival City: +971 42066581,www.intersport.ae Peiniger BMT Est., CBD, Khalifa Street, Yateem Optician Bldg., Abu Dhabi, UAE, +971 26262332, www.peiniger.org Sun and Sand Sports, most shopping centres, +971 43504444, www.sunandsandsports.com

Adventure tours and desert safaris Alpha Tours, Off #512, 5th Flr., Al Qwais Bldg., Al Ittihad Road, Deira, Dubai, +971 42949888, www.alphatoursdubai.com Bike and Hike Oman, PO Box 833, Ruwi, Postal Code 112, Oman, +968 24400873, www.bikeandhikeoman.com Dadabhai Travel, SR 1&2, GF, Gulf Towers, Oud Metha Rd. Dubai, +971 43885566, www.dadabhaitravel.ae Desert Rangers, Dubai, +971 43572200, www.desertrangers.com Desert Road Tourism, Office 503, 5th Flr., Al Khor Plaza, Dubai, +971 42959429, www.arabiantours.com Dreamdays, First Floor Rm. 107 Ibn Battuta Gate (Offices) Sheikh Zayed Rd., +971 44329392, www.dreamdays.ae Dream Explorer LLC, Shop no # 9, Plot # 312-504, Al Musalla Building , Mina Bazar, Bur Dubai, +971 43544481, www.dreamexplorerdubai.com Dubai Relax Travel, National Towers: Churchill Tower Suite #614, Business Bay, Dubai, +971 44221776, www.dubairelaxtours.com Element Fitness, Dubai, +971 502771317, www.element-fitness.net Explorer Tours, Umm Ramool, Dubai, +971 42861991, www.explorertours.ae, Gulf for Good, Dubai, +971 43680222, www.gulf4good.org Gulf Ventures, Dnata Travel Centre +971 44045880, www.gulfventures.com MMI Travel, Mezzanine Floor, Dnata Travel Centre, Shk Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43166579, www.theemiratesgroup.com Net Group, Dubai and Abu Dhabi, +971 26794656, www.netgroupauh.com Oasis Palm Dubai, Dubai, +971 42628889, www.opdubai.com Rahhalah, Dubai, +971 44472166, www.rahhalah.com Vera City Tours, Downtown, Dubai, UAE,

+971 556100414, www.veracitytours.com Wild Guanabana, Dubai, +971 567954954, www.wildguanabana.com Clubs Abu Dhabi Fishing, Camping, Kayaking, & Adventure Club, +971504920860, mohammed.almahrouky@gmail.com

Air

Ballooning Adventures Emirates, Dubai, +971 42854949, www.ballooning.ae Dubai Paragliders, www.microaviation.org, +971 552120155 or +971 552250193 Jazirah Aviation Club, Ras Al Khaimah, +971 6139859, www.jac-uae.net Seawings, Dubai, www.seawings.com Sky Dive Dubai, Dubai, +971 501533222, www.skydivedubai.ae

YAS

Boating & Sailing

Manufacturer Al Fajer Marine, Dubai, Al Quoz, +971 43235181, www.alfajermarine.com Al Jeer Marina, RAK border Musandam, +971 72682333/+971 504873185, www.aljeerport.ae Al Shaali Marine, Ajman, +971 67436443, www.alshaalimarine.com Alyousuf Industrial, LLC, +971 43474111, www.aym.ae, yamboats@alyousuf.com Elite Pearl Charter, Saeed Tower 1 office # 3102, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, UAE, +971 43889666, www.elitepearlcharter.com Gulf Craft, Ajman, +971 67406060, www.gulfcraftinc.com Distributors and Dealers Art Marine, Shed Nr. 31, Jaddaf, Dubai, UAE, +971 4324061, www.artmarine.ae/ www.artmarinechandley.com Azure Marine, Dubai, +971 43404343, www.azuremarine.net Luxury Sea Boats, Dubai, +971 505589319, www.luxuryseaboats.com Macky Marine LLC, Dubai, +971 505518317, www.mackymarine.com Nautilus Yachts, Sharjah, +971 65576818, www.nautilusyachts.com The Boat House, Dubai, Al Quoz, +971 43405152, www.theboathouse.ae UAE Boats 4 Sale, Dubai Marina, +971 44471501, www.uaeboats4sale.com Western Marine, Marina Yacht Club, Dubai, +971 43039744 Equipment Ali Khalifah Moh Al Fuqaei, Deira, Dubai, +971 42263220 Al Masaood Marine, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43468000, www.masaoodmarine.com Blue Waters Marine, Shop 11, The Curve Bldg., Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43808616 / +971 553899995, info@bluewatersmarine.com, www.bluewatersmarine.com Extreme Marine, Dubai, +971 43992995, www.extrememarine-me.com Japan Marine General Trading, Al Garhoud Road, Liberty Building, Dubai, +971 559299111, +971 42828255, uday@japanmarine.jp, www.japanmarine.co Rineh Emirates Trading LLC, Dubai, Al Quoz, +971 43391512, www.rinehemiratesme.com Repairs and Maintenance Extreme Marine, Dubai, Dubai Marina, +971 43992995, www.extrememarine-me.com Rineh Emirates, Sheikha Sana Warehouse 1, Al Quoz, +971 43391512, info@rinehemiratesme.com, www.rinehemirates.com SNS Marine, JAFZA Techno Park, Jebel Ali, Dubai, +971 501405058, info@snsmarine.ae, www.snsmarine.ae The Boat House, Dubai, Al Quoz, +971 43405152, www.theboathouse.ae Cruise Operators Al Bateen Marina, Abu Dhabi, +971 26665491, www.marinaalbateenresort.com Al Marsa Travel & Tourism, Dibba, Musandam, +968 26836550, +971 65441232 Bateaux Dubai, Dubai Creek opposite the British Embassy, +971 43994994 Bristol Middle East, Dubai Marina, +971 44309941, www.bristol-middleeast.com Captain Tony’s, Yas Marina, Yas Island, Abu

Dhabi, +971 26507175, www.captaintonys.ae Delma Industrial Supply and Marine Services, Al Bateen Jetty, Abu Dhabi, +971 26668153, www.delmamarine.net Eden Yachting, Dubai Marina, +971 504586171, www.edenyachting.com Emirates Yachting, Dubai, +971 42826683 El Mundo, Dubai, +971 505517406, www.elmundodubai.com Four Star Travel and Tourism, Dubai, +971 42737779, www.fourstartravels.net 4 Yacht Arabia, Shop No. 5, Dubai Marina Yacht Club, 800 92248, www.4yachtarabia.ae Fujairah Rotana Resort & Spa, Al Aqah Beach, Fujairah, +971 92449888, www.rotana.com Ghantoot Marina & Resort, Abu Dhabi, +971 529933153, www.ghantootmarina.com Happy Days Sea Cruising LLC, Dubai, +971 558961276, +971 503960202, www.happydaysdubai.com JPS Yachts and Charter, Room 225, Emarat Atrium building, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43437734, www.jpsyachts.com Khasab Divers, Oman, +971 567255889, khasab.diver2@gmail.com Khasab Musandam Travel & Tours, PO Box 411, Khasab, Musandam, +968 93350703, info@tourkhasab.com Khour Shem Tourism, Oman, +968 26731919, www.khourshemtours.com LY Catamaran, Dubai, +971 505869746, +971 566506683, www.lycatamaran.com Marine Concept, Dubai, +971 559603030, www.marine-charter-concept.com Nautica1992, Dubai, +971 504262415, www.nautica1992.ae Noukhada Adventure Company, Villa 332/7, Al Meena Street, Abu Dhabi, +971 26503600, www.noukhada.ae RAK Marine LLC, Ras Al Khaimah City Hilton Marina, +971 504912696, +971 72066410 Sea Hunters Passenger Yachts & Boats Rental, Dubai Marina, +971 42951011 Sheesa Beach, Dibba, Musandam, +971 503336046, www.sheesabeach.com Smoke Dragon Of London Yacht, Abu Dhabi International Marine & Sports Club, +971 507011958 / +971 504546617 Summertime Marine Sports, Dubai, +971 42573084 The Club, Abu Dhabi, +971 26731111, www.the-club.com The Yellow Boats LLC, Dubai Marina Walk – opposite Spinneys, Intercontinental Hotel Marina, +8008044, www.theyellowboats.com Marinas Abu Dhabi International Marine Sports Club, Abu Dhabi, Breakwater, +971 26815566, www.adimsc.com Abu Dhabi Marina, Abu Dhabi, Tourist Club Area, +971 26440300 Al Jeer Marina, RAK Border, Musandam +971 72682333 / +971 504873185 www.aljeerport.ae Al Mouj Marina, Muscat, Oman,

+968 24534554, www.almoujmarina.com Al Wasl Charter & Fishing, Airport Road, Al Qwais Bldg., Off. 207, Dubai, UAE, +971 42394760-61, www.cruiseindubai.com Dubai Creek Marina, Deira, Dubai, +971 43801234, www.dubaigolf.com Dubai International Marine Sports Club, Dubai Marina, +971 43995777, www.dimc.ae Dubai Marina Yacht Club, Dubai, +971 43627900, www.dubaimarinayachtclub.com Dubai Maritime City Harbour Marina, Dubai, +971 43455545 Dubai Offshore Sailing Club, Dubai, +971 43941669, www.dosc.ae Emirates Palace Marina, Abu Dhabi, +971 43388955 Four Seasons Marina, Doha, Qatar, +974 44948899, www.mourjanmarinas.com Fujairah International Marine Club, Fujairah, +971 92221166, www.fimc.ae Intercontinental Abu Dhabi Marina, Al Bateen, Intercontinental Hotel, Abu Dhabi, +971 26666888, www.intercontinental.com Jebel Ali Golf Resort and Spa Marina, Jebel Ali, Dubai, +971 48145555/5029, www.jebelali-international.com Lusail Marina, Lusail City, Qatar, +974 55843282, www.mourjan-lusailmarina.com Marina Bandar Al Rowdha, Muscat, Oman, +968 24737286 (ext 215), www.marinaoman.net Pavilion Marina, Dubai, Jumeirah Beach Hotel, +971 44068800 The Pearl–Qatar Marinas, Doha, Qatar, +974 4965801, www.ronauticame.com Umm Al Quwaim Marine Sports Club, Umm Al Quwaim, +971 67666644, www.uaqmarineclub.com Dragon Boat Groups Dubai Dawn Patrol Dragon Boating, Dubai +971 508795645 (Michael), www.dubaidawnpatrol.org Dubai Diggers, Jumeirah Beach Hotel, pier next to 360, Dubai, +971 501547175 (Nick Hando), www.dubai-diggers.com UAE Dragon Boat Association, +971 507634008, www.dubaidragonboat.com

Camping & Hiking

Equipment Blingmytruck.com, +971 505548255, www.blingmytruck.com Gulf Camping, Dubai, UAE, www.gulfcamping.com Jack Wolfskin, Mirdif City Centre Dubai, +971 42840228; Al Wahda Mall, Abu Dhabi, +971 24437802 Picnico General Trading, near Sharaf DG Metro Station, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43951113 Tresspass, 2nd floor above ice rink, The Dubai Mall, +971 43398801 Tour Operators Arabia Outdoors, Dubai, +971 559556209, www.arabiaoutdoors.com Absolute Adventure, Dubai, +971 43459900, www.adventure.ae

MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

Desert Road Tourism, Al Khor Plaza – 503, Dubai, +971 42959428, www.arabiatours.com Libra, +971 559228362, www.libra-uae.com Mountain High Middle East, Dubai, +971 43480214, www.mountainhighme.com Sheesa Beach, Musandam, Dibba, +971 50336046, www.sheesabeach.com

Caving

Mountain High Middle East, Dubai, +971 43480214, www.mountainhighme.com Muscat Diving & Adventure Centre, Oman, +968 24543002, www.holiday-in-oman.com Oman World Tourism, Oman, +968 99431333, www.omanworldtourism.com

Climbing

Equipment Adventure HQ, Dubai Times Square Center, Sheikh Zayed Rd, toll free: 800-ADVENTURE, www.adventurehq.ae Barracuda Fishing and Outdoor, Dubai, Street 13A 1, Al Safa 1, +971 43466558, www.barracudadubai.com Global Climbing Trading LLC, Dubai Investment Park 1, Dubai, +971 48829361, www.globalclimbing.com Jack Wolfskin Mirdif City Centre Dubai, +971 42840228; Al Wahda Mall, Abu Dhabi +971 24437802 Services Absolute Adventure, Dubai, +971 43459900, www.adventure.ae Adventure HQ, Dubai Times Square Center, Sheikh Zayed Rd, toll free: 800-ADVENTURE, www.adventurehq.ae Al Shaheen Adventure, Abu Dhabi, +971 26429995, www.alshaheenme.com Arabia Outdoors, Dubai, +971 559556209, www.arabiaoutdoors.com Dorell Sports Management, Dubai World Trade Centre, +971 43065061, www.climbingdubai.com E-Sports UAE, Dubai, +971 42824540, www.esportsuae.com The Club, Abu Dhabi, +971 26731111, www.the-club.com Information UAE Climbing, +971 506456491, www.uaeclimbing.com

Mountain Biking & Cycling

Equipment/Dealers Bikers JLT, Unit H6, Cluster H, Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai, UAE, +971 526221888, products@allbikers.net Cycle Sports, Shop No. 1, Al Waleed Bldg., Al Barsha 1, Dubai, +971 43415415, www.cyclesportsuae.com Fun Ride Sports, 301, 3rd floor, Mushrif Mall, Abu Dhabi, Rm. 4, Mezzanine floor, C-13 Bldg., Khalifa City A, Abu Dhabi, info@funridesports.com, www.funridesports.com Micah’s Bike Shop, Warehouse no.4 6th St. Al Quoz 3, Dubai, +971 43805228 Peak Performance, Mall of the Emirates, Dubai Mall, Dubai, +971 43413056 / +971 43308023 Probike, Dubai, Al Barsha 1,

+971 43255705, www.probike.ae Rage Shop, Dubai Mall, Mall of the Emirates, Dubai Festival City, +971 43369007, www.rage-shop.com Revolution Cycles, Shop G05, Apex Atrium, Motor City, Dubai, +971 43697441, www.rcdxb.com Ride Bike Shop, Dubai Mall, Festival City, Oasis Centre, Mirdif City Centre, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43750231, www.ridebikeshop.com Sportz Unlimited, Sheikh Zayed Road & Jebel Ali, Dubai, + 971 43388644 Tamreen Sports LLC, Khalifa Street, Abu Dhabi, +971 26222525, www.tamreensports.com The Cycle Hub, Motor City, Dubai, +971 505528872, www.thecyclehub.com Trek Bicycle Store, Seih Al Salam, Al Qudra Road, Dubai, +971 48327377, www.trekbikes.ae Trikke uPT, Dubai, +971 45081202, +971 556096757, www.trikkeme.net Wolfi’s Bike Shop, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road, +971 43394453, www.wbs.ae Operator Absolute Adventure, Dubai, +971 43459900, +971 506259165, www.adventure.ae, info@adventure.ae Clubs Abu Dhabi Tri Club, www.abudhabitriclub.com Cycle Safe Dubai, Dubai Autodrome www.cyclechallenge.ae Dubai Roadsters, www.dubairoadsters.com

Diving

Equipment Al Boom Marine, Abu Dhabi and Dubai, +971 42894858, www.alboommarine.com Al Hamur Marine and Sports Equipment, Jumeirah Beach Road, Dubai, +971 43444468 Al Masaood Marine, Sheikh Zayed Road, +971 43468000, Dubai www.masaoodmarine.com Al Yousuf Motors, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43390621, www.aym.ae/yamaha Blue Waters Marine, +971 42232189, Dubai, www.bluewatersmarine.com Gulf Marine Sports, Abu Dhabi, +971 26710017, www.gulfmarinesports.com Premiers for Equipment, Abu Dhabi, Sh. Zayed 1st. Road, +971 26665226, www.premiers-uae.com Scuba Dubai, Al Barsha, Al Khail Road, Dubai, +97143414940, info@scubadubai.com Scuba 2000, Al Bidiya Beach, Fujairah, +971 92388477, www.scuba-2000.com Diving Centres Al Boom Diving (equipment), Dubai, Al Wasl Rd, +971 43422993, www.alboomdiving.com Al Jeer Marina, RAK Border, Musandam, +971 72682333, www.aljeerport.ae Al Mahara Dive Center, near Muroor St across from main bus terminal, +971 26437377, info@divemahara.com, www.divemahara.com Arabian Diver, Hilton Marine, Ras Al Khaimah, +971 72226628, +971 502428128 www.arabiandiver.com Arabian Divers and Sportfishing Charters, Al Bateen Marina Resort, Abu Dhabi, +971 506146931, www.fishabudhabi.com Coastal Technical Divers, glenn@coastaltechnicaldivers.com, www.coastaltechnicaldivers.com Deep Blue Sea Diving, International City, Dubai, +971 44308246, www.diveindubai.com Desert Islands, Sir Bani YAs Island, Abu Dhabi, UAE, +971 28015400, www.divemahara.com Divers Down, Fujairah, Rotana Al Aqah Hotel Resort & Spa, +971 92370299, www.diversdown-uae.com Emirates Divers Centre, Abu Dhabi, near Meena Fish Market, +97126432444, www.edc-ad.ae Euro-Divers Oman, Muscat, Oman, +968 95035815, www.euro-divers.com Extra Divers Ziggy Bay, Oman, Musandam, +968 26735555, www.extradivers.info Freediving UAE, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Fujairah, contactus@freedivinguae.com, www.freedivinguae.com Freestyle Divers, Dubai, Al Wasl & Dibba, Royal Beach Hotel, +971 43944275,

DECEMBER 2014 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

www.freestyledivers.com Fujairah Rotana Resort & Spa - Al Aqah Beach, Al Aqah Beach, Fujairah, +971 92449888, www.rotana.com Global Scuba Dive Center, Civil Aviation Club, Oman, +968 99317518, www.global-scuba.com Khasab Divers, Oman, www.khasabdiver.com Le Meridien Al Aqah Beach Resort, Dibba Road, Fujairah, +971 92449000, www.lemeridien-alaqah.com Moonlight Dive Center, Madinat Qaboos, Oman, +968 99317700, www.moonlightdive.com Muscat Diving & Adventure Centre, Oman, +971 503289642, www.holiday-in-oman.com Neptune Diving, +971 504347902, www.neptunedivingcentre.com Nomad Ocean Adventures, www.discovernomad.com, +971 508853238, Dibba, Oman Oman Dive Center, Muscat, Oman, +968 24284240, www.omadivecenter.com Pavilion Dive Centre (equipment), Dubai, +971 44068828 Scuba Oman, Oman, +968 99558488, www.scubaoman.com Scuba 2000, Al Bidiya Beach, Fujairah, +971 92388477, www.scuba-2000.com Scuba UAE.com, +971 502053922, www.scubauae.com 7 Seas Diving Center, Khorfakkan, +971 92387400, www.7seasdivers.com Sharjah Wanderers Dive Club, Sharjah, +971 50784 0830, www.bsac406.com Sheesa Beach, Dibba, Musandam, +971 503336046, www.sheesabeach.com Sky &Sea Adventures, Dubai, Hilton, Jumeirah Beach Road, +971 43999005, www.watersportsdubai.com The Dive Shop, 34G, European Center, Green Community, Dubai, UAE, +971 48135474, www.thediveshopdubai. com Clubs Atlantis Underwater Photography Club, Dubai, +971 44263000 Desert Sports Diving Club, Dubai, www.desertsportsdivingclub.net Emirates Diving Association, Diving Village, Al Shindagha, Dubai, +971 43939390, www.emiratesdiving.com Filipino SCUBA Divers Club (FSDC), Dubai, UAE, +971 566952421, www.thefilipinoscubadivers.com Freediving UAE, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Fujairah, contactus@freedivinguae.com, www.freedivinguae.com Sharjah Wanderers Dive Club, Sharjah, +971 507840830, www.bsac406.com

Fishing & Kayaking

Equipment Al Boom Marine, Abu Dhabi & Dubai, +971 42894858, www.alboommarine.com Al Hamur Marine and Sports Equipment, Jumeirah Beach Road, Dubai, +971 43444468

Walltopia’s ME Sales Showroom and Bouldering Facility Single visit: 80 aed Special rates for kids at weekends 10-visit pass: 500 Courses for beginners every month

Unleash the Beast! facebook.com.rock.republic.dubai info@globalclimbing.com 04 88 29 361

Al Masaood Marine, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road, +971 43468000, www.masaoodmarine.com Al Yousuf Motors, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Rd, +971 43390621, www.aym.ae/yamaha Arabian Divers and Sportfishing Charters, Al Bateen Marina Resort, Abu Dhabi, +971 506146931, www.fishabudhabi.com Barracuda Fishing and Outdoor, Dubai, Street 13A 1, Al Safa 1, +971 43466558, www.barracudadubai.com Blue Waters Marine, Shop 11, The Curve Bldg., Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43808616 / +971 553899995, www.bluewatersmarine.com Challenging Adventure, Wadi Al Bih Ras Al Khaimah, +971 561060798, contactus@challengingadventure.com Global Climbing Trading LLC, Dubai Investment Park 1, Dubai, +971 48829361, www.globalclimbing.com Ocean Active, Dubai, Garden Centre, +971 502898713, www.oceanactive.com Operators Absolute Adventure, Dubai, +971 43459900, www.adventure.ae Al Boom Diving, Le Meridien Al Aqah Beach Resort, Fujairah, +971 43422993 Al Hamra Marina and Yacht Club, Al Hamra, Ras Al Khaimah, +971 72434540, www.alhamramarina.com Al Mahara Dive Center, Downtown Abu Dhabi, +971 501118125, www.divemahara.com Al Wasl Charter & Fishing, Airport Road, Al Qwais Bldg., Off. 207, Dubai, UAE, +974 4 2394760-61, www.cruiseindubai.com Al Shaheen Adventure, Abu Dhabi, +971 26429995, www.alshaheenme.com Al Wasl Charter & Fishing (Al Wasl Passenger Yachts and Boats Rental LLC), Airport Road, Al Owais Building, Dubai, +971 42394761, www.cruiseindubai.com Arabian Divers and Sportfishing Charters, Al Bateen Marina Resort, +971 506146931, www.fishabudhabi.com Arabia Outdoors, Dubai, +971 559556209, www.arabiaoutdoors.com Barracuda Diving Centre, Fujairah International Marine Club, +971 9222558 Belevari Marine, Abu Dhabi, +971 26594144 Captain Tony’s, Yas Marina, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, +971 26507175, www.captaintonys.ae Fun Beach Water Sports, Dubai, +971 53244550, www.funbeachsports.com Happy Days Sea Cruising LLC, Dubai, +971 558961276, +971 503960202, www.happydaysdubai.com Hiltonia Beach Club, Hilton Abu Dhabi Hotel, Abu Dhabi, +971 26811900 Le Meridien Al Aqah Beach Resort, Dibba Road, Fujairah, +971 92449000, www.lemeridien-alaqah.com Nautica 1992, Dubai, +971 504262415, www.nautica1992.ae Noukhada Adventure Company, Villa 332/7, Al Meena Street, Abu Dhabi, +971 26503600, www.noukhada.ae Ocean Active, Dubai, Garden Centre, +971 502898713, www.oceanactive.com

MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE Sheesa Beach, Dibba, Musandam, +971 503336046, www.sheesabeach.com Soolyman Sports Fishing, Dubai, Umm Suqeim, +971 508866227, www.soolymansportsfishing.com Summertime Marine Sports, Dubai, +971 42573084, www.summertimemarine.comz Xclusive Yachts, Dubai, Dubai Marina, +971 44327233, www.xclusiveyachts.com Clubs Abu Dhabi Camping, Fishing & Kayaking Club, mohamed.almahrouky@gmail.com Dubai Surfski & Kayak Club, Kitesurfers’ Beach, Umm Suqeim 1, Dubai, +971 554986280, www.dskc.hu

General Sports Equipment Distributors

Adventure HQ, Dubai Times Square Center, Sheikh Zayed Rd, Toll free: 800-ADVENTURE, www.adventurehq.ae Al Yousuf Motors, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43390621, www.aym.ae/yamaha 800 Sport, Al Quoz, Dubai +971 43467751, www.800sport.ae Flip Flop Arabia, flipme@flipfloparabia.com, www.flipfloparabia.com Global Climbing Trading LLC, Dubai Investment Park 1, Dubai +971 48829361, www.globalclimbing.com Goal Zero, +971 509128353, www.goalzero.ae Highbury Trading, Dubai, UAE, www.highburytrading.ae Jack Wolfskin Mirdif City Centre Dubai, +971 42840228; Al Wahda Mall Abu Dhabi, +971 44437802 Ocean Sports FZE, +971 559352735, www.kitesurfsup.com PORTABLE SHADE UAE, Jebel Ali, Dubai, UAE, +971 4 3469600, www.portable-shade.net Sakeen General Trading, +971 47094224, www.sakeen.ae Sport in Life Distribution, Nad Al Hammar Rd., Ras Al Khor, Dubai, UAE, +971 42896001, +971 42896002, info@sportinlife.ae, www.sportinlife.ae Tresspass, The Dubai Mall 2nd floor above ice rink, +971 43398801

Horse Riding

Equipment Al Asifa Horse Equestrian & Requisites Trading, Al Khawaneej 1, Dubai, +971 554733110, www.asifa.ae Black Horse LLC, Abu Dhabi, +971 26422237, www.blackhorseuae.com Bonjour Equestrian Supplies, Nad Al Hammar Rd., Ras Al Kho, Dubai, UAE, +971 42896001, +971 42896002, info@bonjourequestrian.com, www.bonjourequestrian.com Cavalos Equine Care and Supplies, 16th Street, Al Khalidiyah, Abu Dhabi, +917 22222433, www.cavalosuae.com Emirta Horse Requirement Centre, Sheik Zayed Rd, Dubai, +971 43437475, www.emirtahorse.com Equestrian Clubs/Centres Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club, Al Mushrif, Abu Dhabi, +971 24455500, www.adec-web.com Al Ahli Riding School, Al Amman Street, DubaiSharjah Rd., +971 42988408, www.alahliclub.info Al Forsan International Sports Resort, Abu Dhabi, +971 25568555, www.alforsan.com Al Jiyad Stables, Behind Dubai International Endurance City, Dubai, +971 505995866, info@ aljiyad.com, www.aljiyad.com Al Sahra Desert Resort Equestrian Centre, Dubai, +971 44274055, equestrian.centre@alsahra.com Desert Equestrian Club, Mirdif, Dubai, +971 503099770 / +971 501978888 Desert Palm Riding School, Near Al Awir Road (going to Hatta-Oman), Dubai, +971 43238010, www.desertpalm.peraquum.com Dubai Polo Academy, Dubai, +971 508879847, www.dubaipoloacademy.com Dubai Polo & Equestrian Club, Dubai, Arabian Ranches, +971 43618111, www.poloclubdubai.com Emirates Equestrian Centre, Dubai, +971 505587656, www.emiratesequestriancentre.com Ghantoot Polo & Racing Club, Exit 399, Abu Dhabi/ Dubai Highway, Abu Dhabi, +971 25629050, www.grpc.ae Golden Stables Equestrian Club, Al Khawaneej, Dubai, (Nouri) +971 555528182, www.goldenstables.ae

HoofbeatZ, located just inside the Dubai Polo & Equestrian Club, Dubai, +971 501810401, www.hoofbeatz.com Mushrif Equestrian and Polo Club, Mushrif Park, Al Khawaneej Road, Dubai, +971 42571256, www.mushrifec.com Qudraland Community, info@qudraland.com, www.qudraland.com Rahal Ranch, Al Wathba Racing Area, Abu Dhabi, +971 566127914, www.rahalranch.com Riding for the Disabled, Dubai, lessons@rdad.ae, www.rdad.ae, Sharjah Equestrian & Racing Club, Sharjah, Al Dhaid Road, +971 65311188, www.serc.ae Racecourses Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club, Al Mushrif, Abu Dhabi, +971 24455500, www.adec-web.com Ghantoot Racing & Polo Club, Exit 399, Abu Dhabi/ Dubai Highway, Abu Dhabi, +971 25629050, www.grpc.ae Jebel Ali Racecourse, off the main Abu Dhabi - Dubai Highway (Sheikh Zayed road) beside the Emirates Golf Club, Dubai, +971 43474914 Meydan Grandstand and Racecourse, Al Meydan Road, Nad Al Sheba, Dubai, +971 43270000, www.meydan.ae Sharjah Racecourse, Al Dhaid Road, Sharjah, +971 65311155, www.serc.ae

Jet Ski

Dealers Al Masaood Marine, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road, +971 43468000, www.masaoodmarine.com Al Yousuf Motors, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Rd, +971 43390621, www.aym.ae/yamaha Japan Marine General Trading, Al Garhoud Road, Liberty Building, Dubai, +971 559299111 / +971 42828255, uday@japanmarine.jp, www.japanmarine.co Liberty Kawasaki, Dubai, Interchange 4, Sheikh Zayed Road, +971 43419341, www.libertykawasaki.com

Motocross & ATV’s

Dealers Al Badayer Rental (Rental), Dubai-Hatta Road, +971 507842020, www.albadayerrental.com Al Shaali Moto, Ras Al Khor, +971 43200009, sales@alshaalimoto.com. www.alshaalimoto.com Al Yousuf Motors, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Rd, +971 43390621, www.aym.ae/yamaha Golden Desert Motorcycles Rental (Rental), Dubai-Hatta Road, Dubai, +971 551532550, www.goldendesert-dubai.com Just Gas It, Hatta Rd., Al Aweer, Dubai, UAE, +971 509192394, www.JustGasIt.net KTM, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road, exit 42, +971 4323151, www.ktm.com Liberty Kawasaki, Dubai, Interchange 4, Sheikh Zayed Road, +971 43419341, www.libertykawasaki.com Polaris UAE (atv’s), Ras Al Khor, Nad al Hamar Road, Al Ghandi Complex, Dubai, +971 42896100, M4, Sector 13, 10th Street, Mussafah Industrial, Abu Dhabi, +971 25555144, www.polarisuae.com Sebsports, Al Quoz Industrial Area 1 Dubai, +971 43393399, www.sebsports.com Wild X Adventure Shop, Dubai, +971 48321050, www. wildx.ae Equipment Desert Road Tourism, Al Khor Plaza – 503, Dubai, +971 42959429, www.arabiantours.com Sandstorm Motorcycles (Rental), Al Quoz, Dubai, +971 43470270, www.sandstorm-motorcycles.com Sebsports, Dubai, Al Quoz Industrial Area 3, +971 43393399, www.sebsports.com 2XWheeler, Motorcity Dubai, +971 44548388, www.2xwheeler.com Wild X, Dubai, Um Al Ramoul Industrial Area, +971 42852200, www. wildx.ae Workshops and Services Moto-X and Quad, PO Box 476214, Dubai, UAE, +971 50 6169727, www.gasgasmotos.me

Motorcycling

Distributors and Dealers Al Yousuf Motors, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Rd, www.aym.ae/yamaha Ducati, Mussafah 4, Street 10, Abu Dhabi, +971 25535771, info2@ducati.ae, www.ducati.ae Duseja Motorcycles, Dubai, Al Quoz,

DECEMBER 2014 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

+971 43476712, www.dusejamoto.com Harley-Davidson, Mussafah 4, Street 10, Abu Dhabi, +971 25540667, hd.auh@harley-davidson.ae, www.harley-davidson-abu-dhabi.com Liberty Kawasaki, Dubai, Interchange4, Sheikh Zayed Road, +971 42822144, www.libertykawasaki.com Polaris UAE, Al Ghandi Complex, Nad al Hamar Road, Ras Al Khor, +971 42896100, www.polarisuae.com Tristar Motorcycles, +971 43330659, www.tristaruae.com Workshops and Services Al Forsan International Sports Resort, Abu Dhabi, +971 25568555, www.alforsan.com Dubai Autodrome, Dubai, +971 43678700 www.dubaiautodrome.com Emirates Motorplex, Umm Al Quwain, +971 67681717 2xWheeler Adventures, Dubai, +971 44548388, www.alainraceway.com Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi, www.yasmarinacircuit.com

Off-Road

Dealers Bling My Truck, +971 503634839 / +971 505548255, info@blingmytruck.com, www.blingmytruck.com 4x4 Motors LLC, Shk. Zayed Rd, Dubai, +971 43384866, www.4x4motors.com Liberty Automobiles, Dubai, 800 5423789, www.libertyautos.com Repairs and Services AAA Service Centre, Al Quoz, Dubai, UAE, +971 4 285 8989, www.aaadubai.com Icon Auto Garage, Dubai, +971 43382744, www.icon-auto.com Mebar Auto, Al Quoz, Industrial Area 2, Dubai, UAE, +971 4 3469600, www.mebarauto.com Off Road Zone, Dubai, Al Quoz, +971 43392449, www.offroad-zone.com Saluki Motorsport, Dubai, +971 43476939 www.salukimotorsport.com Equipment Advanced Expedition Vehicles, Dubai & Abu Dhabi, +971 43307152, www.aev.ae Al Yousuf Motors, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43390621, www.aym.ae/yamaha Bling My Truck, +971 503634839 / +971 505548255, info@blingmytruck.com, www.blingmytruck.com Heartland UAE, Al Mafraq Industrial, Abu Dhabi, +971 567231967, www.heartlanduae.com Icon Auto Garage, Dubai, +971 43382744, www.icon-auto.com Mebar Auto, Al Quoz, Industrial Area 2, Dubai, UAE, +971 4 3469600, www.mebarauto.com Wild X Adventure Shop, Dubai-Hatta Road, Dubai, +971 48321050, www.wildx.ae Yellow Hat, Nad Al Hamar, and Times Square Center, Dubai, +971 42898060, www.yellowhat.ae Tour Operators Arabian Adventures, Dubai & Abu Dhabi, +971 43034888, www.arabian-adventures.com Desert Road Tourism, Al Khor Plaza – 503, Dubai, +971 42959429, www.arabiantours.com Oasis Palm Dubai, Dubai, +971 42628889, www.opdubai.com Clubs Abu Dhabi Off- Road Club, www.ad4x4.com ALMOST 4x4 Off-Road Club, +971 507665522, www.almost4x4.com Dubai Offroaders, www.dubaioffroaders.com JEEP Wrangler JK Fun Club, suffian.omar@yahoo.com, www.jk-funclub.com ME 4X4, www.me4x4.com

Running

Clubs ABRasAC, Dubai, www.abrasac.org Abu Dhabi Tri Club, Abu Dhabi, www.abudhabitriclub.org Abu Dhabi Striders, admin@abudhabistriders.com, www.abudhabistriders.com Al Ain Road Runners, Abu Dhabi, +971 504188978, alainroadrunners@yahoo.co.uk Mirdif Milers, Dubai, www.mirdifmilers.info Dubai Creek Striders www.dubaicreekstriders.org

Stand up Paddling, Kite & Surfing, Wakeboarding

Equipment Al Boom Marine, Abu Dhabi & Dubai, +971 42894858, www.alboommarine.com Al Masaood Marine, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road, +971 43468000, www.masaoodmarine.com Ikönic Brands, Suite 509 Düsseldorf Business Point Al Barsha Dubai, UAE +971 506874178, info@ikonicbrands.com Kitesurf Dubai, Kitesurf Beach, Umm Suqueim and Jumeirah 3 +971 505586190, www.kitesurfdubai.ae Pearl Water Crafts, Dubai Marina Yacht Club, +971 553749398, www.pearl-watercrafts.com Picnico, Jumeirah Beach Road Opposite Sunset Mall, Dubai +971 43941653 Surf Dubai, Dubai, Umm Suqeim, +971 505043020, www.surfingdubai.com Surf Shop Arabia, Building 1, Al Manara Road (East), Interchange 3, Dubai, +971 43791998, www.surfshoparabia.com UAE Kite Surfing, +971 505626383, www.ad-kitesurfing.net Distributors Kitepeople Kite & Surf Store, International City, Dubai, +971 504559098, www.kitepeople.ae Ocean Sports FZE, +971 559352735, www.kitesurfsup.com Operators Al Forsan International Sports Resort, Abu Dhabi, +971 25568555, www.alforsan.com Dubai Kite Surf School, Dubai, Umm Suqeim Beach, +971 504965107, www.dubaikitesurfschool.com Duco Maritime, Dubai, Ras Al Khaimah and Abu Dhabi, +971 508703427, www.ducomaritime.com

MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE Dukite, Kitesurf Beach, Umm Suqeim, Dubai,+971 507586992, www.dukite.com Kite Fly, Dubai, +971 502547440, www.kitesurf.ae Kite4fun.net, Abu Dhabi, +971 508133134, www.kite4fun.net Kitepro Abu Dhabi, Yas Island and Al Dabbayyah, Abu Dhabi, +971 505441494, www.kitepro.ae Nautica1992, Dubai, +971 504262415, www.nautica1992.ae Shamal Kite Surfing, Umm Suqueim Dubai, +971 507689226, astrid@shamalkitesurfing.com, www.shmalkitesurfing.com Sky & Sea Adventures, Dubai, Hilton, Jumeirah Beach Road, +971 43999005, www.watersportsdubai.com Surf School UAE, Umm Suqeim Beach and Building 1, Al Manara Road (East), Interchange 3, Dubai,+971 556010997, www.surfschooluae.com Watercooled, Jebel Ali Golf Resort and Spa, Dubai, +971 48876771, www.watercooleddubai.com Water Cooled, Watercooled Sports Services LLC, Hilton Beach Club, Abu Dhabi, UAE, +971 26395997, www.watercooleduae.com Clubs Abu Dhabi Stand Up Paddle, www.abudhabisup.com UAE SUP www.uaesup.com

OMAN DIRECTORY Adventure tours and desert safaris

Dolphin Qasab Tours, PO Box: 123, P.C. 811, Khasab City, Musandam, Oman, +968 26730813, www.dolphinkhasabtours.com Go Dive Oman, Capital Area Yacht Club (CAYC), Sidab Muscat, +968 99289200, www.godiveoman.com Nomad Tours, PO Box: 583, Postal Code 100, Muscat, Oman, +968 95495240, www.nomadtours.com Oman Trekking Guides, PO Box: 917, NIZWA, Oman, +968 95741441, www.omantrekkingguides.com

Diving

Equipment Al Marsa Musandam, PO Box: 44, Dibba,

QATAR DIRECTORY Adventure tours and desert safaris

Al Mulla Travels, PO Box: 4147, Doha, Qatar, +974 44413488, almullatrvls@qatar.net.qa Alpha Tours, PO Box: 13530, Doha, Qatar, +974 4837815, info@alphatoursqatar.com Al QAYED Travel & Tours, Al Qayed Holding Bldg., D-Ring Road, PO Box: 158, Doha, Qatar, +974 44072244, www.alqayedtravel.com Arabian Adventures, Al Asmakh Street, PO Box: 4476, Doha, Qatar, +974 44361461, www.arabianadventureqatar.net Black Pearls Tourism Services, PO Box: 45677, Doha, Qatar East Marine, West Bay, Doha, Qatar, +974 55200078 E2E Qatar Travel and Tours, PO Box: 23563, Doha, Qatar, +974 44502521, www.e2eqatar.com Falcon Travels, PO Box: 22031, Doha, Qatar, +974 44354777, www.falcontravelqatar.com Gulf Adventures, 29, Aspire Zone Street Aspire Zone Al Rayyan City, PO Box: 18180 Qatar, +974 44221888, www.gulf-adventures.com Net Tours Qatar, PO Box: 23080, Doha, Qatar, +974 4310902, www.nettours.com.qa Regency Travel & Tours, Suhaim Bin Hamad Street, Doha, Qatar, +974 4434 4503/4718, www.regencyholidays.com Qatar Adventure, Al Matar Street, PO Box: 13915, Doha, Qatar, +974 55694561, www.qataradventure.com Qatar Desert Gate, Doha, PO Box: 18496 Ad Dawha, Qatar, +974 55594016, www.qatardesertgate.com Qatar Inbound Tours, Commercial Street, Al Muaither, Al Rayyan, PO Box: 21153, +974 77451196, www.inboundtoursqatar.com Qatar International Tours, PO Box: 55733

DECEMBER 2014 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

Water Parks

Aquaventure Atlantis, Dubai, Palm Jumeirah, +971 44260000, www. atlantisthepalm.ae Dreamland Aqua Park, Umm Al Quwain, Emirates Road, +971 67681888, www.dreamlanduae.com Wadi Adventure, Jebel Hafeet, Al Ain, +971 37818422, www.wadiadventure.ae Wild Wadi Water Park, Dubai, +971 43484444, www.wildwadi.com

Other leisure activities

Abu Dhabi Golf Club, Abu Dhabi, + 971 25588990, www.adgolfclub.com Al Tamimi Stables, Sharjah, +971 67431122 \ +971 44370505, www.tamimistables.com Blokart Sailing, Nad Al Sheba, Dubai, +971 556101841, www.blokartme.com Children’s City, Creek Park Gate No.1, Dubai, +971 43340808, www.childrencity.ae Dolphin Bay Atlantis, Dubai, +971 44260000, www.atlantisthepalm.ae Dubai Dolphinarium Dubai, Creek Park Gate No. 1, +971 43369773, www.dubaidolphinarium.ae iFly Dubai, Dubai, Mirdif City Centre, +971 42316292, www.iflyme.com

Sultanate of Oman, +968 26836550, www.almarsamusandam.com Al Sawadi Beach Resort, PO Box: 747, Barka - Al Sawadi, Oman, +968 26795545, www.alsawadibeach.info Diving UAE & Oman, www.dive-uae-oman.com Euro Divers CAYC Oman, Marina Bandar Al Rhowda, PO Box: 940, Muscat, Oman, +968 95035815, www.euro-divers.com Extra Divers Musandam, PO Box: 498, PC 811 Khasab, Musandam, Oman, +968 99877957, www.musandam-diving.com Global Scuba LLC, +968 24692346, www.global-scuba.com Moon Light Dive Center, P.O. Box: 65, Madinat Qaboos, Muscat Oman, +968 99317700, www.moonlightdive.com Oman Dive Center Resort, PO Box: 199, Medinat Sultan Qaboos, Oman, +968 24824240, www.omandivecenter.info Omanta Scuba Diving Academy, Al Kharjiya

Street, Al Shati Area, Muscat, Oman, +968 97700564, www.omantascuba.com Oxygen Diving and Adventures, PO Box: 1363 PC130 Alazaiba, Muscat, Oman, www.o2diveoman.com Seaoman, PO Box: 2394, RUWI PC 112, Oman, +968 24181400, www.seaoman.com Sub Aqua Dive Center, Hilton Salalah Resort, PO Box: 699, Salalah 211, Oman, +968 99894031, www.subaqua-divecenter.com

Doha, Qatar, +974 44551141, www.qittour.com Qatar Ventures, Barwa Village Bulding No. 12, Shop No. 33, Doha, Qatar, +974 55776679, www.qatar-ventures.com Clubs Doha Sailing Club, Doha Sailing Club, PO Box: 4398 (9995), Doha, Qatar, +974 44439840, www.qmsf.com

+974 44435626 Doha Sub Aqua Club, Doha Sub-Aqua Club, PO Box: 5048, Doha, Qatar, +974 66304061, www.dohasubaquaclub.com Extreme Adventure, PO Box: 33002, Shop 3, 4 Ahmed Bin Ali Street (Bin Omran), Doha, Qatar, +974 44877884, www.extreme.qa GoSport, City Centre Mall, 3rd Floor, Qatar: +974 44631644; Villagio Mall, Qatar: +974 44517574, www.facebook.com/gosport.qatar Pearl Divers, PO Box: 2489, Doha, Qatar, +974 44449553, www.pearl-divers.org Poseidon Dive Center, Ras Abu Abboud Street, Al Emadi Suites, Showroom #2, PO Box: 11538, Doha, Qatar, +974 66084040, www.pdcqatar.com Qatar Scuba Center, 187 Al Mansoura Street, Al Mansoura Area, Doha, Qatar, +974 66662277, www.qatarscubacenter.com Q Dive, Souq Al Najada cnr of Grand Hamad and Ali bin Abdulla Str.; Al-Odeid Aisle numbers 129-132, +974 55319507, www.qdive.net World Marine Centre, PO Box: 6944, Doha, Qatar, +974 44360989, www.worldmarinecenter.webs.com Dive Centres Al Fardan Marine Services, Najma Street (near Al Fardan Exchange), Doha, Qatar, +97444435626 Pearl Divers, Al Mirqab Al Jadeed Street, Doha, Qatar, +974 4444 9553, www.pearl-divers.org Poseidon Dive Center, Ras Abu Abboud Street, Al Emadi Suites, Showroom #2, PO Box: 11538, Doha, Qatar, +974 66084040, www.pdcqatar.com Qatar Divers, Marriott Hotel Marina Near Old Airport, Ras Abu Aboud Area, Doha, Qatar, +974 44313331, www.qatardivers.com Qatar Marine, Go Sport City Center West Bay, PO Box: 16657, Doha, +974 553199507, www.qatarmarine.net Qatar Scuba Centre, 187 Al Mansoura Street, Al Mansoura Area, Doha, Qatar, +974 66662277 / +974 44422234, www.qatarscubacenter.com

General Sports Equipment Megastores

Galaxy Sport, City Centre Mall, 3rd Floor, Qatar: +974 44822194; Villagio Mall, Qatar: +974 44569143; Ezdan Mall, Qatar: +974 44922827, www.galaxysportqatar.com GoSport, City Centre Mall, 3rd Floor, Qatar: +974 44631644; Villagio Mall, Qatar: +974 44517574 www.facebook.com/gosport.qatar Sun & Sand Sports, City Centre Mall, Qatar: +974 44837007; Dar Al Salam Mall, Qatar: +974 44932973, www.sunandsandsports.com

Boating & Sailing

Equipment Regatta Sailing Academy, Al Isteqlal Road, West Bay Lagoon, PO Box: 18104, Doha, Qatar, +974 55507846, www.regattasailingacademy.com Distributors and Dealers Speed Marine, Speed Marine, Museum Road, PO Box: 9145 Doha, Qatar, +974 44410109, www.speedmarinegroup.com

Horse Riding

Equestrian Clubs/Centres Al Shaqab, PO Box: 90055, Doha, Qatar, +974 44546320, www.alshaqab.com Qatar Racing & Equestrian Club, Racing and Equestrian Club, PO Box: 7559, Doha, Qatar, +974 44197664, www.qrec.gov.qa

Diving

Equipment Al Fardan Marine Services, Najma Street (near Al Fardan Exchange), Doha, Qatar,

Stand Up Paddeling, Kite & Surfing, Wakeboarding

Equipment, Operators Kiteboarding Oman, Sawadi Beach, PO Box: 133, PC 118, Muscat, Oman, +968 96323524, www.kiteboarding-oman.com Oman’s Kite Center, +968 94006007, www.kitesurfing-lessons.com

Sadiyaat Beach Club, Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Island, +971 25578000, www.sbgolfclub.ae Sharjah Golf and Shooting Club, Sharjah, +971 43999005, www.golfandshootingshj.com SkiDubai, Dubai, Mall of The Emirates, +971 44094000, www.skidxb.com Spacewalk Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, +971 24463653, www.spacewalk.ae

Health, Safety & Training

Safety Lessons Marine Concept Yacht Charter & Sea School, Rania Business Centre, Dubai, +971 559603030, www.marine-charter-concept.com Safety & Leisure Training Middle East, Dusseldorf Business Point, Al Barsha 1, Dubai, +971 44502418, www.sltme.com Sport and Health Centres Bespoke Wellness, Dubai, +971 553724670, www.bespoke-wellness.com Original Fitness Co., C6 Tower Al Bateen Bainunah St, Abu Dhabi, +971 2406 9404, www.originalfitnessco.com Orthosports, 5B Street, Jumeira Beach road, Dubai, +971 4355060, www.orthosp.com The Physio Center, Suite 405, Building 49, Dubai Healthcare City, Dubai, +971 44370570, www.physiocentre.ae

Camping & Hiking

Tour Operators Safari Desert Camp, PO Box: 117, Postal Code 421, Bediyah, Ghabbi, Oman, +968 99310108, www.safaridesert.com

Fishing & Kayaking

Equipment Az’Zaha Tours, +968 99013424, www.azzahatours.com Water World Marine Oman, PO Box: 76, Muscat, 113, Sultanate of Oman, +968 24737438, www.waterworldoman.com

Boating & Sailing

Manufacturer Saphire Marine, PO Box: 11, Post Code 118, Muscat, Oman, +968 99877243, www.sapphire-marine.com Qdive Marine Center, PO Box: 16657, Doha, Qatar, +974 44375065, www.qdive.net World Marine Centre, Old Salata Street, near the Qatar National Museum, Doha, Qatar, +974 55508177

Fishing & Kayaking

Equipment Al Mamzoore Marine Equipment, PO Box: 6449,Old Salata, Doha, Qatar, +974 44444238, almamzoore@qatar.net.qa Fish World, PO Box: 1975, Doha, Qatar, +974 44340754

Motocross & ATV’s

Dealers Qatar Adventures, Barwa Village, Building # 9 Shop # 11, Doha, Qatar, +974 77700074

Fishing & Kayaking

Spearfishing Shops Equipment Al Kashat, Fishing and Hunting Equipment, Souq Waqif, next to the Falcon Souq, +974 66724828 Extreme Adventure, Shop 3,4 Ahmed Bin Ali Steet, Doha, +974 44877884, www.extreme.qa State of Qatar (QatarSub), Souq Waqif, next to the Falcon Souq, +974 4431234, www.stateofqatar.com

Stand Up Paddeling, Kite & Surfing, Wakeboarding

Equipment, Operators Fly-N-Ride, Al Muthaf Street, Doha, Qatar, +974 4498 2284, www.fly-n-ride.com Flo Kite School, Westbay, Doha, +974 55041039, www.flokiteschool.com Kitesurfing Qatar, +97430179108, www.kitesurfingqatar.com QSUP, Qanat Quartier, Costa Malaz, The Pearl-Qc, Doha, Qatar, +974 66602830, www.qsup.me

Integrated Tie-down points Extremely low heat absorption Lightweight, hygienic & easy to clean Strong ABS latches with stainless steel fixing screws Intergrated polyethylene feet & large diameter drain plug Strong, ergonomic polyethylene handles ( WCI-42 and up) largest service network and 5 year warranty Thick polyurethane refrigeration grade foam insulation Designed for optimal performance/weight/volume balance Strong, seamless, UV stabilised/food grade polyethylene CFC free construction

www.waeco.ae – info@waeco.ae Available at

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