OutdoorUAE October - November Issue

Concludes its 16th Edition Bandana shares with us: TEN MUST DO THINGS IN ARMENIA

BIGGEST W.A.R of the SEASON a recap of the 18th Wadi Adventure Race in Al Ain PAUL TAKES US ON THE FINAL JOURNEY Oman trail #3 the A RUB’ AL KHALI CROSSING The ultimate camping gear for this season THE MADINAT TRIANGLE new off-roading route to follow & download

8 pages

PRODUCTS TO CHECK OUT

Price 11.00 AED 1.00 OMR

IN CAVES, IT IS EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE

TRYING THE SHARK SUIT AT THE GRAND BAHAMAS

Vol. 8, No. 6 Oct. - Nov. 2018

www.OutdoorUAE.com

2019 Kites PIVOT

FREERIDE/WAVE

SIZES 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14

SLASH

PURE WAVE/STRAPLESS

SIZES 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

DASH

FREESTYLE/FREERIDE

SIZES 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14

TORCH

PRO PERFORMANCE/FREESTYLE

SIZES 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14

BOXER

FREERIDE/FOILING

SIZES 3.5, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 16

RIDE

ALL-AROUND FREERIDE

SIZES 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14

Defining the Shape of performance QUAD-TEX SHARK TEETH BLADDER LOCK HT PLUS

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

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OutdoorUAE Team

The Dinosaur is still alive When I had a conversation with one of our contributors she mentioned that we are dinosaur enjoying and loving to read printed media this comparison included the perception of our future that our extinction is inevitable. I wrote already about the challenges we - and print media in general is facing at the moment but I don’t see our future so dark. Evolution is not only a constant process of nature and life it applies likewise to business. Dinosaurs could not adopt in time which was their end, luckily we are a bit faster in acting and racting and will go with the market demands and this issue is evidence that we are still here and well alive.

Daniel Birkhofer Founder and Managing Director daniel@outdooruae.com

Dan Wright Staff Writer and Outdoor Guide

Ireneo ‘Jung’ Francisco Photographer and Designer jung@outdooruae.com

Katherine Cañedo Patangui Administration kathy@outdooruae.com

So how is OutdoorUAE adopting? Most evident is the change that we will from now on print only four issues a year instead of 12. These issues will be focused on the outdoor season October/November, December/January, February/March and April/June. Throughout summer we will not print but will

Ian Sebeldia Circulation

still be on online channels. You will also see more digital content and regular interaction on all digital channels but for now, we still hold onto the printed magazine. So enjoy reading and holding a printed

OUR EXPERTS

magazine in your hands.

Daniel

Marina Bruce The Desert Diva and Off-road Expert

Editor For editorial content and press releases Tel. 04 398 3297 Mobile: 055 9398915 editor@outdooruae.com

Distributor Al Nisr Distribution LLC P.O. Box 6519, Dubai, UAE 800 4585 | 04-4067170

Sales & Marketing (advertisement enquiries) Tel: 04 398 3297

Printed at GN Printing P.O. Box 6519, Dubai, UAE

Mobile: 055 9398915 sales@outdooruae.com

© 2018 Outdoor UAE FZE Vol. 8, No. 6, Oct. - Nov. 2018

Published by Outdoor UAE FZE P.O. Box 215062 Dubai, U.A.E. Tel. 04 398 3297 contact@outdooruae.com www.outdooruae.com Cover photo by: Female Hiker - Joshua Resnick

Kit Belen Our Fishing Pro

Bandana Jain Outdoor and Lifestyle Contributor

Nico de Corato Dubai Blogger and Athlete

www.OutdoorUAE.com Facebook.com/OutdoorUAE

Paul Robida Photographer and Travel Blogger

Twitter.com/OutdoorUAE Instagram.com/OutdoorUAE

Rasmus Ovesen Fishing Travel Expert

Youtube.com/OutdoorUAE

CONTRIBUTORS 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.

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© 2018 Outdoor UAE FZE Reg. at Creative City Fujairah P.O. Box 4422, Fujairah, U.A.E.

> Aida Othman > Giles Richardson > Prabath Manghat > Toufic Abou Nader

WHEN YOU’RE DONE READING, PLEASE RECYCLE!

> Haris Anwar

OUTDOORUAE

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

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CONTENTS

25 BIGGEST W.A.R OF THE SEASON!

16 ADVENTURE INTO THE ARABIAN DESERT

EVERY ISSUE 06 EVENTS CALENDAR 08 BEST SHOTS 48 PRODUCTS 66 DIRECTORY

EVENT & ACTIVITY REPORTS 09 ADIHEX CONCLUDES ITS 16TH EDITION 12 WADI BIH RUN - HATTA NOV 2018 14 NIKON UNVEILS ITS FIRST-EVER FULL-FRAME MIRRORLESS CAMERAS Z7 AND Z6 4

OUTDOORUAE

37 IN CAVES, IT IS EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE

15 SULTAN OF THE GROMS SURF COMPETITION 16 ADVENTURE INTO THE ARABIAN DESERT 18 THE SPINNEYS DUBAI 92 CYCLE CHALLENGE CONTINUES AT FULL SPEED 19 TEN MUST DO THINGS IN ARMENIA 22 THE SALOMON TMBT ULTRA-TRAIL® MARATHON 2018 24 RAS AL KHAIMAH CLEAN & HIKE 25 BIGGEST W.A.R OF THE SEASON! 26 MERAAS AL MARMOON ULTRAMARATON 27 FIRST OMAN BY UTMB®

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

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62 TRYING THE SHARK SUIT AT THE GRAND BAHAMAS

44 EXPLORE THE OUTDOORS - LET’S DRIVE

TRAVEL & ADVENTURE 28 LOS OLIVOS CYCLING & TRIATHLON CAMP 30 OMAN TRAIL (LAST PART) 32 ESCAPE FOOTPRINTS 34 ULTIMATE DESERT CAMPING GEAR 37 IN CAVES, IT IS EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE

LIFESTYLE 40 RIPE MARKETS 42 THE CYCLE BISTRO 44 EXPLORE THE OUTDOORS - LET’S DRIVE 46 OFFROADER’S CORNER: JAMAL WARIS KHAN 47 OFFROADER’S CORNER: FAIROOZ HUSSAIN MALLAHI

58 DISCOVER OFF THE BEATEN TRACK OMAN

OUR EXPERTS 56 OFF-ROADING GEAR AND MODS - MARINA 58 DISCOVER OFF THE BEATEN TRACK OMAN - MARINA 60 SLOVENIA: IN PURSUIT OF BALKAN’S MARBLED GHOST - RASMUS 62 TRYING THE SHARK SUIT AT THE GRAND BAHAMAS - NICO 64 LURES AND MORE LURES - KIT

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

STAY UP-TO-DATE WITH THE LATEST EVENTS

red Ev u t

t en

Fea

EVENTS CALENDAR

OCTOBER - NOVEMBER 2018 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

DECEMBER

15 Wadi Adventure Race 18

Wadi Adventure will be hosting the 18th edition of its hugely popular Wadi Adventure Race (or commonly known as W.A.R) with a testing 5km, challenging 10Km and a grueling 15km military styled obstacle course.

When: 15th December Where: Al Ain Contact: www.premieronline.com

0CTOBER

NOVEMBER

31

09

Fujairah Offshore Fishing Tournament 2018

Wadi Bih Run - Hatta Edition

Palma Holding, in conjunction with the Fujairah International Marine Club, under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Hamad Al Sharqi, Crown Prince of Fujairah and follow-up of Sheikh / Saif bin Hamad bin Saif Al Sharqi, Chairman of Fujairah International Marine Club is pleased to announce the Fujairah Offshore Fishing Tournament 2018 which is an Offshore World Championship qualifying event.

When: 31st October - 3rd November Where: Fujairah International Marine Club Contact: www.foft.ae 0CTOBER

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Spartan Womens Race

The Spartan Sprint: This is our shortest distance. It is perfect for athletes of all levels; from Spartan first timers to seasoned racers. The 5+ Km Sprint may be our shortest distance but it packs more than 20 Signature Spartan Obstacles. If you think you can’t do it, you’re wrong.

Get to the starting line and show yourself what you are capable of.

When: 27th October Where: Jebel Ali Racecourse, Dubai Contact: www.spartanarabia.com

The ultimate mountain adventure trail run, with five relay and solo race categories traversing from the Hatta Fort Hotel through the Hatta mountains and back.

When: 9th November Where: Hatta Fort Hotel Contact: www.hatta.wadibih.com

NOVEMBER

02

Dubai International Triathlon

Experienced triathletes from all over the world will descend on Jebel Ali waterfront this November for the annual Dubai International Triathlon - part of the Tri Fest 2018 event. Endorsed by Dubai Sports Council, this gruelling race takes part in the middle of the Dubai Fitness Challenge When: 2nd November Where: Dubai Contact: www.premieronline.com

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

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OCTOBER

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Dubai Fitness Challenge

Dubai Fitness Challenge (DFC) returns from 26 October to 24 November 2018 to transform Dubai into the most active city in the world. With a month-long calendar of exciting events. DFC is all about motivating and involving Dubai’s residents to commit to 30 minutes of continuous exercise a day for 30 days.

When: 26th October - 24th November 2018 Where: Dubai Contact: www.dubaifitnesschallenge.com

NOVEMBER

NOVEMBER

23

NBF Fujairah Run 2018

Under the patronage of HH Crown Prince of Fujairah, NBF welcomes all fitness enthusiasts to a fun & family oriented running event in the emirate of Fujairah. Whether you’re a social or a hardcore runner, it’s a perfect day out with your family and friends with plenty of fun activities, music & refreshments.

When: 23th November Where: Fujairah Contact: www.premieronline.com

NOVEMBER

14

Dubai International Motor Show

Enjoy 5 days of super awesome motoring deals, 550+ cars & bikes, 100+ global & regional launches, 15+ supercar brands & 10+ mind-blowing concept cars. Plus lots of exciting adventures in store for you and your family!

When: 14-18th November Where: Dubai World Trade Center Contact: www.dubaimotorshow.com

29

Oman UTMB

Oman by UTMB is a difficult and challenging Ultra Trail Event which takes runners into remote areas. The course elevates from 600m at Birkat Al Mawz to the heights of Jebel Akhdar, the Green Mountain, peaking at over 2200m. With the 137km total distance bearing a vertical gain of over 7800m. Climbs are long and at times very exposed, requiring runners to be confident at height.

When: 29th November - 2nd December Where: Oman Contact: www.omanbyutmb.com DECEMBER

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Al Marmoom Ultramarathon

Al Marmoom Ultramarathon offers 3 gruelling distances; the world’s longest desert ultra-run 270km over 5 days as well as continuous 100km and 50km ultra runs. All three distances are self- sufficient, with water and tents supplied, and across desert terrain in the breath taking Al Marmoom Desert Reserve, Dubai UAE. When: 11th - 15th December Where: Dubai - Al Marmoon Contact: www.ultramarathon.ae

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

OCTOBER - NOVEMBER 2018 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

BEST SHOTS Here are the best shots sent in by you for our magazine 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. The winner “NAME“ will get a 1,000 AED shopping voucher for ZSI showroom in Al Barsha with amazing outdoor brands like Patagonia, EMU, and Marmot.

SPONSORED BY:

The two runner ups will get a cool cap, outdoor bracelet and free magazine copies sent. Well done!

To submit your entries, simply email us at competition@outdooruae.com with the subject “Best Shots.” Follow us on instagram and facebook to find out what will be up for grasbs in the December/January issue.

WINNER

Tonya Colson

Mountain Biking at the Hatta Mountain Bike Trail Centre.

Francisco Soares

Wadi Showka. While friend is training for an ultra-trail races, me and Matt went to explore the place and take a few pictures.

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OUTDOORUAE

Zubair Safdar

This photo was shot early morning on the Yas open beach in Abu Dhabi in UAE, I saw this lone glider approaching us in this pair of red wings reflecting beautifully in the still waters giving me my unexpected photographic opportunity.

EVENT REPORT

Visited by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed and Rulers of the UAE and more than 110 Thousand Visitors Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition Concludes its 16th Edition The Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition (ADIHEX) 2018 concluded on Saturday September 29th its 16th Edition, which celebrated the centennial of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

The exhibition, which was held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler’s Representative in Al Dhafra Region and Chairman of the Emirates Falconers’ Club, received His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, His Highness Sheikh Humaid bin Rashid Al Nuaimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ajman, His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Fujairah, His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler’s Representative in Al Dhafra Region and Chairman of the Emirates Falconers’ Club, His Highness Lt. General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, in addition to a number of Sheikhs, dignitaries and representatives of the diplomatic corps in the country.

The exhibition’s sections attracted a large audience, especially the stands of official institutions and heritage authorities, where visitors were given the opportunity to recall the past and heritage of the UAE through their collectibles and paintings, as well as traditional instruments used in ancient hunting trips. Visitors to these stands expressed their admiration for the exhibits they saw,

noting the great development of the exhibition as well as the improved quality year after year.

Many of the companies participating in the exhibition affirmed the importance of this exhibition in terms of the number of exhibitors and the diversity of companies that offer a wide range of hunting and equestrian accessories. A number of owners of arms companies and falconers achieved high sales ratios, explaining that organizing the exhibition before the start of the hunting season in the region played an important

role in raising the proportion of sales.

His Excellency Majid Ali Al Mansouri, Chairman of the Higher Organising Committee of ADIHEX and Secretary General of the Emirates Falconers’ Club said, “The current edition has achieved great success. More than 650 companies, brands and exhibitors from 40 countries participated in an area of 40,000 square meters. The UAE was represented by 201 companies and the exhibition was attended by 110,103 visitors throughout its duration and sales at ADIHEX were more than 50 million Dirhams.

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

All of this reflects the official interest and popularity of ADIHEX which has become the preferred destination for companies, visitors, lovers of hunting, equestrian and nature and media that has been present throughout the five days of the exhibition to cover this great event. ADIHEX contributes to the promotion and affirmation of Abu Dhabi and the United Arab Emirates on the map of world heritage tourism among a series of events, exhibitions and festivals that are concerned with the preservation of heritage and environmental protection in the world. This global status comes thanks to the support of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces and His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler’s Representative in Al Dhafra Region and Chairman of the Emirates Falconers’ Club.”

His Excellency Al Mansouri pointed out that the exhibition was able to bring together the major local, Arab and international companies in the field of outdoor sports, trips, weapons industries, traditional industries, craftsmanship, environmental protection and heritage in one location to share knowledge and experience and conduct commercial agreements that will benefit all parties involved.

He also affirmed that ADIHEX has contributed to raising the awareness of protecting the environment and heritage, which are keen activities of the leadership of the state as well as the organisers, sponsors and supporters of the exhibition who all have contributed to its continuity.

This year’s exhibition witnessed economic, cultural, heritage and sports activities, ranging from shows, competitions and training workshops to traditional arts, products, handicrafts, cultural and entertainment activities for children, and the completion of works on the late Sheikh Zayed’s role in preserving and protecting nature, competitions of Arabian Saluki beauty, falcon beauty and photography as well as live shows such as horses, K9 dogs, birds and falcons. There were also archery activities, shooting sport simulator, paint ball, auctions for camels and a silent online auction.

This is in addition to the art exhibitions, photo galleries, falconry, heritage activities and the Kids Knowledge Area where knowledge and entertainment is combined in an original and attractive form.

Express Your Love for Sheikh Zayed Signature Wall and the First Falconers Photo Gallery

“Rest in Peace Zayed,” “You are always alive in our hearts,” “Baba Zayed, we love you,” and many other expressions written by Emirati and non-Emirati people, were written on ‘Express Your Love for Sheikh Zayed Signature

OCTOBER - NOVEMBER 2018 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

Wall’ at the 16th Edition of ADIHEX. The wall is dedicated for visitors to express their love for the founding father the late Sheikh Zayed for the ‘Year of Zayed.’

All these words reflect how the late Sheikh Zayed, after all these years of absence, is still alive, beating in the hearts of those who loved him and how the people express their loyalty to the late Sheikh Zayed who dedicated his life to his people, and who harvested love in everyone’s memory.

The first thing that attracted attention is the desire of young people who have experienced the late Sheikh Zayed as children to write as if they want to emphasize that they carry the fingerprint of Zayed and that the title of ‘Sons of Zayed’ is not from a vacuum. Some bloggers have painted the image of the late Sheikh Zayed on the wall accompanied by poetry that glorifies the UAE and its Sheikhs.

This edition of ADIHEX also had the ‘First Falconers Photo Gallery’ which contains more than 3800 photographs of the late Sheikh Zayed during his falconry hunting trips in the UAE in different places such as Bainuna and Al Falah as well as during his hunting trips abroad in Morocco and Pakistan. The photographs were taken between 1976 and 2004 with the lens of his personal photographer Mohamed Khalidi.

In a number of pictures appearing alongside the late Sheikh Zayed are some of the Sheikhs, Rulers and Arab Princes. The exhibition also includes a number of photographs taken of the late Sheikh Zayed during the World Conference of Falconry, as well as some photos of him with horses.

Visitors to ADIHEX came to see the photos, especially that some of them are very clear despite being taken in the desert and a very long time ago.

GCC Participation at ADIHEX

There was wide participation of GCC nationals and companies interested in traditional heritage activities which reflects the depth of the brotherly relations between the Gulf countries.

Gulf companies expressed their deep satisfaction with the support and care provided by the Organising Committee of the exhibition, which contributes to the efforts of the Gulf countries to preserve the sports of their parents and grandparents, support scientific and research efforts in this field, implement awareness programmes for falconers and deepen the concept of sustainable hunting.

The exhibition included a group of leading

Gulf companies in the world of hunting and equestrian.

As an example Kashtaa Company which is a company specialized in the supplies of trips and hunting such as mattresses, sleeping bags, car processing, tents, coffee and tea bags known as Al Azab. This is the sixteenth participation of the company, as it has not missed one edition of the exhibition since its inception. The company is proud to have received at the first edition of the exhibition a visit to its stand by the late Sheikh Zayed and they stated that the turnout of visitors and consumers for their products has been growing continuously since the first edition of the exhibition. The company is proud of the high demand on the exhibition this year, which confirms the love of the Gulf people to hunting and trips, and it promises a distinctive hunting season as the hunting market is a seasonal market and is always witnessing an expansion in sales from year to year.

Also at ADIHEX was Mqnas Al Badyah from Saudi Arabia which specializes in travel supplies from tents, mattresses, pots, processing of cars with water tanks and bird mattresses in the cars’ trunk.

The company is participating in the exhibition for the sixth time in a row. The owner, Mubarak Al-Qahtani believes that the exhibition is a valuable opportunity to meet customers and identify companies working in the same field. His company is the exclusive agent in the Middle East of an American company and all the products are of international quality.

Also from Kuwait is Rammai for Hunting Weapons and Ammunitions Co which is specialized in the import of all types of weapons, ammunition, flight equipment, hunting equipment and accessories for falconry sport. The company is associated with the world’s largest manufacturers of weapons in terms of quality and high technology.

Bitywrehla, the Saudi company was participating in ADIHEX 2018 for the fifth time and exhibited a new and distinguished range of products for those interested in hunting and trips. The participation of Bitywrehla stores meets the expectations of visitors interested in hunting and equestrian equipment, and it is the exclusive distributor of the famous Phoenix lights and it has gained a reputation for providing outdoor travel equipment, searchlights, hunting knives, care devices, batteries and chargers in the Gulf, Middle East and North Africa.

This year from Kuwait, ABD CAM, a falcon training company with drone aircraft, took part for the fourth time in a row in ADIHEX. The company exhibited in its stand various models of self-piloted aircraft. The owner of the company, Abdullah Al-Sulili said that one of the aircraft produced by the company was designed specifically for ADIHEX 2018 and was named ‘Year of Zayed.’ Also there was another aircraft named ‘Abu Dhabi’ which was produced for the last edition in 2017.

Participation of Government Agencies

31 government entities attended ADIHEX this year reflecting the official interest in the sectors covered by the exhibition. The Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism took part in the exhibition and it is known for its support of the rich heritage of art and folklore in the UAE, which are treasures that the department works to preserve, develop and make available to future generations.

The department has been keen to provide quality publications in several languages, promoting the Emirate of Abu Dhabi as a unique international tourist destination.

The publications included a guide to touristic, cultural and entertainment sites, an Abu Dhabi city map, restaurants and hotels guide, as well as some brochures about the most important elements of the UAE heritage.

On the other hand, the supporting units of the UAE Armed Forces participated in ADIHEX in order to strengthen communication and extend the desired synergies between the armed forces and civilians, especially the students, youth and people with special needs of the UAE. Also ADIHEX witnessed participation from the General Authority for Sport for the sixth time in a row. Their stand attracted a wide scope of visitors who came to see its information and guidance on community sports and to participate in activities based on draws, competitions, prizes and sports gifts, as well as a number of booklets and publications

covering many important aspects of the authority’s work.

In addition, the Judicial Department, the Environment Agency of Abu Dhabi and the Infrastructure and Coastal Protection Authority also participated in the exhibition. This is in addition to the Mohammed bin Zayed Falconry and Desert Physiognomy School which is a global educational platform to introduce the new generation to the ethics of Arab falconry. The school also supports the principles of falconry, behaviour, its ancient arts and trains young people on the principles governing falconry and the enrichment of falconry locally and globally.

The Arena

This year the arena has included some of the most popular activities at the exhibition such as the Parrot Shows organised by Al Ain Zoo, which is an entertaining shows that shows the birds ability to learn numbers, rope climbing skills and play basketball. There were also shows of desert raptors where the birds reveal exciting movements accompanied by an explanation of the names of these birds, whereabouts and some scientific and cultural information around them as well as their external characteristics and composition. The event also included presentations of K9 dogs, an educational presentation on polo, heritage horse shows, how to deal with horses, camelauction, Saluki beauty contest and handicrafts and heritage weapons such as archery and swords.

Knowledge Area and School Visits

The 2018 edition of ADIHEX concentrated on kids and allocated many educational and entertainment activities for them, such as workshops and games to promote environmental awareness among children, linking them to their heritage and customs. This all took place in the Knowledge Area where there were specialized courses on Arab falconry, falcon

shows, Awareness Table, educational and art workshops, equestrian skills training and a Gymkhana course for children with special needs. The children’s activities have been organized in collaboration with the Mohammed bin Zayed Falconry and Desert Physiognomy School, the Dhabian Equestrian Club, the International Fund for Houbara Conservation and Al Ain Zoo.

Arms Sales More Than 34 million Dirhams

At the 16th Edition of ADIHEX arms sales amounted to over 34 million Dirhams for about 1,764 weapons purchased from exhibition stands. Brigadier Salem Hamoud Al Baloushi, Chairman of the Organising Security Committee confirmed that the sales recorded annually by the exhibition reflect the size of the public’s interest and are an indication of its success.

He referred to the efforts of the staff of the Security Committee and their role in providing facilities and services to the public by allocating offices to issue certificates of good conduct, conducting technical inspection of weapons at the scene of the event and introducing requirements for purchasing weapons and documents to be brought.

The event is organized by the Emirates Falconers’ Club and is supported by the Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi (EAD), International Fund for Houbara Conservation (IFHC), the Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT) and The Cultural Programs and Heritage Festivals Committee in addition to many local, regional and international media partners.

The main sponsor is His Highness Sheikh Mansoor bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Flat Racing Festival, while the Gold sponsors are Etisalat, The National and Arabian Tents, Silver sponsors are Wahat Al Zaweya, the Dhabian Equestrian Club, Smart Design LLC and Tiger Properties and the Bronze sponsors are AlMoe and National Geographic. ■

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EVENT REPORT

The origins of the Wadi Bih Run (WBR) can be traced back to a hardy group of expatriates living in the Northern Emirates of Ras Al Khamiah (RAK), who after a hardworking week would gather for social and sporting camaraderie with a run around the wadis and mountains of RAK. The Hash House Harriers (HHH), as they were known, enjoyed the great outdoors and exploring the wadis. Back in 1993 one of these pioneers, John Gregory, who himself was a long-term expatriate and resident of RAK since the late 1970s, hit upon the idea of a run from the Arabian Gulf coast through the wadis, up over the high backbone ridge of the Musandam mountains to descend into Dibba on the Gulf of Oman. The route followed a very rough track through the wadis and over the mountains which was a tenuous transportation link suitable only for four-wheel drives and frequently washed out by flash floods.

The essence and character of the run was for a team of 5 to be self-sufficient, with their own support vehicle, to face the physical challenges and navigate from coast to coast. There was always a degree of uncertainty on whether the event could follow the desired route through to the Gulf of Oman as the Wadi above Dibba would frequently be washed out by flash floods in the winter.

Wadi Bih Run is synonymous with teamwork where the camaraderie of the five team members is key to success. The original participants were typically social teams from various local running groups, from the Hash House Harriers, from different emirates in the UAE. However, the event now attracts teams from various schools, companies and running clubs and provides a great format and environment for teambuilding and bonding.

The original format of the race consisted only of team relay and the solo category was introduced as a regular feature recently

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for fanatical runners who want to challenge themselves. To open up the event to other less extreme solo runners a 50km solo was introduced in 2014 and in 2018 the Zighy 30 was introduced.

It’s fantastic that Wadi Bih Run, a unique local organically developed team relay running format is now being taken to the wadis and mountains of Hatta to explore new areas.

Hatta is an exclave of Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, high in the Hajar Mountains and the restored, centuries-old Hatta Heritage Village features a defensive tower, stone houses with palm-frond roofs, and falaj, the traditional water system, traditional weapons, furniture and crockery. At the nearby Hatta Dam, the Hatta Reservoir Visitor Point overlooks the pools of striking green water.

The village of Hatta along with its farms and agricultural communities are a complete contrast to the hectic chaotic city life of Dubai. It allows people to witness the old traditional lifestyle, at one with nature.

The Wadi Bih Run is a fantastic event that has a special meaning to all of the participants that have taken part in the 25-year history.

Some of the characteristics that summarize Wadi Bih Run are: • Teams pushing themselves in a wild terrain • Remote mountainous scenery • Wadis • Dramatic geography and setting In taking the Wadi Bih Run brand to Hatta the team will retain these elements whilst adding new features and appealing aspects.

Like the Musandam mountains of Dibba, Hatta is again a rugged mountainous environment but with a distinctly different character with rugged jagged fractured weathered red-brown igneous granite and basalt geological formations rising from the lush green wadi beds adorned with palm trees vegetation and wildlife.

The dominant feature of the area is the jagged centre piece of Jebel Hatta rising to an altitude of over 1300 m and a focal point for the dispersion of the multitude of tortuous wadis feeding down into the main Wadi Hatta.

The Wadi Bih Run 2018 Hatta edition will use the beautiful JA Hatta Fort Hotel as a start/finish point and as a venue for the event. ■

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

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EVENT REPORT

Nikon unveils its first-ever full-frame mirrorless cameras Z7 and Z6 A modern camera, new features, big sensor, a new mount – time to unleash the full creative freedom with Nikon Z series Innovators in camera equipment, Nikon unveiled its mostawaited full-frame mirrorless Z series. Perfected for capturing state-of-art images, Nikon Z7 and Z6 with its complete silent operation, is sure to be a muse for every photographer.

Launched with much fanfare at Za’abeel Studio, Nikon Z series saw a grand gathering celebrating the finest engineering in the photography landscape.

Narendra Menon, Managing Director, Nikon Middle East FZE commented, “The Z series is a product of great research and thought. We wanted to create a product that would become an ally and work as diligently as our photographers do. Z serieshas been designed to give photographers an ease in operation with the finest that Nikon has to offer in camera technology.” The buyers of Z series will have an advantage with Nikon Premier Member program (NPM), getting a chance to explore the excellent optical output facilitated by the entire Z series.

Narendra added, “Through NPM program the possessors of mirrorless Z series will be able to explore our finest engineering under the supervision of Nikon’s trained photographers at the photography excursions.”

On the launch, Marsel van Oosten, a renowned nature & wildlife photographerstated,

Narendra Menon, MD Nikon ME FZE at the Nikon Z7 launch

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Launch of Nikon Z7 camera

“The Z7 is exactly what I’ve been waiting for. With a beefy grip and Nikon’s famous ergonomics, the camera feels familiar and well-balanced. It’s compact and lightweight, and the image quality rivals that of my DSLRs - and more: the new S-lenses offer amazing edge to edge sharpness. For all my landscape trips or whenever space and weight come at a premium, the Z7 will be in my camera bag.”

On the launch, Stephen Segal, a celebrated fashion photographer said, “The new additions to Nikon’s already impressive lineup are a true testament to the company’s commitment to photographers and the pursuit of innovative relevant technology. As a traveling fashion and wedding photographer it is imperative to have a camera that is versatile, light weight, portable, durable, fast and has the quality to back it up. This range ticks off all those check boxes. What more could you ask for.”

In the opening remarks, Ali Essa, personal photographer of HH Sheikh Hamdan bin

Nikon Z7 camera testing

Nikon Z7 launch event

Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council and owner of Za’abeel Studio said, “The mirrorless cameras are inherently more convenient owing to their size and weight. When we factor in Nikon’s cutting-edge engineering, we have a winner in our hands. Nikon gets the formula for convenience and quality with these additions. They will no doubt become the medium for great works of art.” ■

EVENT REPORT

Sultan of the groms Surf competition

2018 Desert Invitational - Ras Al Hadd, Oman, Saturday 11th August Words + Photos by: Gee Sutton

This weekend saw the very first surf competition to be held in the Sultanate of Oman.

The event, organised by Oman Surf School’s, Nasser Al Ghadani, along with Mohamed Khamis Al Alawi of Sur Swimming and Diving Center, was attended by a crowd of about 100 dignitaries, locals and expatriHeat 3 Khamis ripping a bottom turn ates, who watched 12 of Oman’s youngest join Husain, and they enjoyed a rest while surfers, ages from 7 to 16 years old, invited they watched heat 3. The 3rd heat was a to battle it out for the crown of “Sultan of close call with the judges split between the Groms”. Most of the surfers came from Abdul Rahman and Khamis for the heat win.

Ras Al Hadd, but there was a 2 man team Finally it was of little concern as both would brought down by Oman Sail, some Sur resimake the final as Abdul Rahman won, and dents and Younis from Germany.

Khamis joined the heat winners in the final Small but clean waves early on Saturday with the highest runner up score from all morning were the ideal size and conditions three heats. for the young surfers to show off their skills The final was a hotly contested 30 minute in front of the Judging team, comprising the heat with all our surfers trading waves and Oman Surfers, Conal from Ireland, Marco posting excellent scores all the way through, from Italy and Gee from the UK. leading to a very close finish. When the final Starting at 8am, there were three rounds whistle sounded it was a clean sweep for Ras of competition, made up of four surfers in Al Hadd with Husain who took the honors, each heat, to whittle the competitors down followed by Abdul Rahman in 2nd and to four finalists, the top surfer from each Khamis in 3rd. heat along with the best scoring runner up.

Heat 1 saw Husain win easily to book his 1st place Husain Al Harbi - Ras Al Hadd place in the final, Fahhad won heat 2 to

Nasser preparing heat 3

2nd place

Abdul Rahman Al Harbi - Ras Al Hadd

3rd place

Khamis Al Hakmani - Ras Al Hadd

Runner up

Fahhad Al Alawi - Sur

The Ministry of Tourism Ali Khamis Al Alawi was on hand to present the prizes donated by Oman Surf School, Ninja Fotos, Beyond the Beach and Oman Surfers, along with glass trophies from the Ministry of Tourism to the happy finalists.

Along with the surf competition Oman Surfers also organized a beach clean along

Heat 2

the Ras Al Hadd beachfront the week before. The local fishermen and expatriate surf crew spent a few hours cleaning the beach around the south end of the village, a popular area for nesting turtles, fishermen and surfer alike, and there was a presentation of commemorative plaques for the local fishermen and surfers for their efforts.

It is hoped that more beach cleanups can be organized all around the Sultanate to help promote and encourage the locals to take a more proactive stance about litter and pollution to help keep their beaches clean. ■

If you would like to get involved in the local surf scene, help put on an event or organise a beach clean, please feel free to contact: Nasser (Oman surf school) 00968 9223 2023 Gee (Ninja Fotos) 00968 971 55 438 Maynard (Oman Surfers) 00968 9399 4060

Husain - 1st prize donated by Oman Surf School

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ACTIVITY REPORT

Words by: Luca Lombardi Photos by: Diana Kartasheva

Inspired by the travel and documentary photography of the early explorers and by stories like Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s “The Little Prince”, the photographer wanted to create a series of images featuring the arid desert landscape and how the adventures of cartographers and explorers could have felt like at the early days of automobiles. All at a time when travel wasn’t as easy and convenient as it is today.

Fossil Dunes, an area in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, part of the Rub Al Khali, the biggest contiguous sand desert in the world, was the perfect setting for her vision. Almost uninhabitable desert, harsh natural light, shapes of dunes formed over decades and warm desert winds, all perfectly lend themselves as the stage for the protagonist as well as the historic Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40.

The story developed while being on the 16

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location - the inspiration however started a lot earlier. The adventurer that struggles to conquer the difficult terrain and withstands the powers of nature – struggling through

sandstorms and climbing up dunes. Sand and its unique color in this particular area of the desert became a substantial part of how she planned this photographs. The visuals must take the viewer back in time to how the explorers and cartographers of the

mid-1900s would have looked and how the desert would have felt to them.

The project finally took his shape thanks

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to the collaboration with Luca Lombardi, an offroad and adventure personality in UAE’s community, known by the alias of “Luca Goes Offroad”, but also a very successful interiors, luxury and food photographer and, recently, also active as a model.

The rich sepia feel, homage to the analog film look, goes hand in hand with the dynamic range and detail of modern digital photography, giving a movie-poster like feel to the images. The explorer is at the center of attention, even in the wider shots, that become breathtaking environmental portraits.

The choice of props (glasses, map, old medium format camera), as well as the wardrobe, was as essential for the storytelling as the poses and actions of the model. The images come to live by staging scenes that could have happened in an area of the desert that was, until then, an only little cartographically recorded area of the world. ■

ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHER Diana Kartasheva, commercial photographer with over 10 years of experience. Originally from Tashkent Uzbekistan, now building her own successful wedding photography and videography company in Dubai.

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EVENT REPORT

The SPINNEYS DUBAI 92 CYCLE CHALLENGE Continues at Full Speed The cycle season is in full swing with over 500 cyclists taking on the 50km Spinneys Dubai 92 Cycle Challenge Build-Up Ride at Al Qudra Cycle Path recently as they prepare for the 92km challenge on Friday, 14 December starting at the Dubai Autodrome.

Excitement for the largest cycling event in the Middle East is building with cyclists further testing their training for the big event in December. There are now just two more distances to cover before the big day. The third 65km Build-Up ride will be held on Friday, 26 October and the fourth 85km BuildUp ride will be held on Friday, 23 November, both at Al Qudra Cycle Path.

Following the challenge, cyclists and their friends and family enjoyed the lively cycle village with a number of delicious breakfast treats provided by Spinneys Dubai and fun and energetic activities for everyone to kick start the weekend.

For anyone else wanting to join the Friday morning events, there’s still plenty of time to get involved and the team at Revolution Cycles Dubai is always at hand to help new-

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comers with this exciting sport.

For the younger ones, the popular Spinneys Dubai 92 Junior Rides are back. The timed 2.5km, 15km and 30km rides are designed for 6 to 15 year-olds held at the Dubai Autodrome on Thursday, 13 December - Registration is now open.

For all cyclists who wish to register but do not have a bike, there’s a bike and helmet rental option in the registration process. To register or find out more information on any of the Spinneys Dubai 92 Cycle Challenge events please visit www.cyclechallenge.ae or www.hopasports.com. ■

Spinneys Dubai 92 Cycle Challenge Dates: Build-Up Ride 3

26th October at Al Qudra (65km)

Build-Up Ride 4

23rd November at Al Qudra (85km)

Spinneys Dubai 92 Cycle Challenge

14th December, start at the Dubai Autodrome (92km)

Junior Rides

13th December at the Dubai Autodrome (2.5km, 15km, 30km)

TRAVEL & ADVENTURE

TEN MUST DO THINGS IN

ARMENIA Words + Photos by: Bandana Jain

Armenia, Georgia’s lesser known neighbor is making its presence felt through its layers of intriguing history and stunning landscapes. Bandana Jain undertook a power-packed, flavorful tour into this remarkable Caucasian hotspot that mesmerizes with a compelling blend of European and Asian heritage.

Armenia is a country small in size, yet big in character. It is an offbeat destination that is finally making its presence felt as a wondrous holiday destination. Bound by Turkey, Iran, Georgia and Azerbaijan, its rich culture, charming monasteries and medieval landmarks beckon increased number of tourists.

An incredibly old country with its 2800 year- old history (28 years older than Rome!) the country is drenched in history. It is packed with many unique historical and cultural attractions, that it is often dubbed as a ‘museum under the open sky’.

Dating back to the 8th century, Yerevan, the delightful Armenian capital is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The city as we are told, has developed phenomenally in the past decade resulting in hip restaurants, cafés, clubs, European style bars and hotels. Its wide, leafy boulevards are lined with cafés and wine bars where Armenians love to indulge late into the night. These mixed with the remnants of older days like the typical pink colored Soviet buildings, lend Yerevan a distinct appearance. You may not find any

grand landmarks here, but it’s a great place to absorb the chilled-out vibes and familiarize yourself a bit with the country you are in.

Below are ten must do things in Armenia, which will surely make you want to return to this amazing country: 1. Tour up the Cascade

Counted as Yerevan’s key landmarks, the Cascade is a giant stairwell that sits right in the city centre and is definitely worth a visit. I never envisaged that the climb up the steps of Cascade would give us such a good workout. If one doesn’t want the climb, the good news is there are escalators. Whichever way you take, you will love this dramatic complex featuring monumental limestone tiers rising up from the tree-shaded park and cafe-abundant Tumayan Street. At the end of this climb, one can savour the beautiful city views and also soak up one of the most important collections of modern glass in the Swarowski Museum as well as nuggets of paintings, drawings and sculpture placed strategically on every tier.

2. Amaze at Mother of Armenia

One of the most unique statues of Yerevan, Mother of Armenia symbolises the victory of the now-defunct USSR during World War II. Something that looks like a guardian of the capital city, Mother of Armenia is 51 meters high, which includes its enormous pedestal. Mother of Armenia is an amazing statue that represents the strong will of Armenian people and its nation. The spirit

of victory and the pride of the Armenian people can be felt around. The breathtaking view around it makes it so much more appealing and so did the museum inside.

3. Relax at Republic Square

We made it to the famous Republic Square, a perfect place to relax among the soothing musical fountain characterized by great lighting. This massive fountain is supposedly the heart of Yerevan that bases its popularity on the ritualistic musical show from early spring to late fall— a great way to unwind at the end of the day and a sign of resilience to the harsh history and its resurgence from decades of chequered past.

Surrounded by Yerevan’s monumental rosy pink stone buildings, the magnificence of Republic Square can be felt both in the day and night. Yerevan is often pegged as the ‘Pink City’ because of the colour of the stones used to build much of the city centre. The Square looks sombre and classy by the day and changes markedly in the dusk hours when it is all lit up to display its stunning musical fountain show. After enjoying this show, we strolled around lazily amongst its various lanes and by-lanes soaking in the beauty of the city centre.

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4. Take a cultural tour of Geghard monastery

Up a steep, cobbled road through an archway, past pine trees, this World Heritagelisted monastery is named after the lance said to have speared Christ’s flesh at the crucifixion. It is an architectural beauty as if planted in the midst of looming, densely forested cliffs.

Once inside the main church, which is protected by high walls, we are plunged into semi-darkness, which is figurative of its 800 year -old history. Devout Armenians were seen crossing themselves as they entered and lighting thin candles in a tray of sand. It is pitted with ancient cave chambers and monastic cells. It felt so old and there was a mysterious vibe to it as if stepping back in time. Somehow, I can well imagine this place surviving intact for another eight centuries.

Our guide Natasha told us that Armenia is home to countless beautiful monasteries and they are often found in areas of truly outstanding natural beauty.

Savour family hosted lunch on a cherry farm - For city dwellers like us, such experiences are far between and come as a refreshing change.A relaxed lunch under the shade of walnut and apricot trees as we witnessed a masterclass in the making of traditional bread called lavash. Lavash is a tasty flatbread that is the cornerstone of Armenian cuisine. It is interesting to know that it was placed on Unesco’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2014.

What followed was a delicious lunch withbaingan bharta, boiled beans, seasoned legumes and loads of salad topped up with the freshly baked lavash.It made for a unique meal as our group pf thirty something sat on a huge table passing around the dishes as we revelled in the

tasty food in countryside settings. The freshly-plucked cherries and sweetbread for dessert acted as the grand finale to this awesome, sumptuous lunch. This experience of having a family hosted lunch outdoors was a memory to cherish for lifetime.

5. Drink in the beauty of UNESCO heritage site called Temple of Garni

As seen from a distance, it is an extraordinary Hellenic temple with a fascinating façade beautifully perched on at the lip of a spectacular gorge.

The Temple of Garni is a beautifully proportioned Greco-Roman temple believed to have been built in the 1st century AD. It was reduced to rubble by an earthquake in 1679 and rebuilt in the seventies. With magnificent surrounding views, I took time to drink in the beauty of this stunningly impressive temple while enjoying the searing vistas framed by the ever-blue sky.

6. Shop till you drop at Vernassage Market

When our bus dropped us at the openair Vernissage market, the art lover in me jumped liked a baby! A visit to this flea market was, by all means no less than a

cultural tour. If I had left Yerevan without meandering through this artists’ paradise, I would have surely kicked myself.

Oozing with myriad stalls replete with ceramics, folk and contemporary art, rugs, textiles, jewellery and much more, it’s a must visit for every antique lover.

The shops laden with artefacts, souvenirs, handicrafts, clothes, homeware were spoiling us for choice. We stuffed our bags with plenty of memorabilia and headed to explore Yerevan Mall and the bazaar on foot.

7. Explore Armenian countryside at Tsaghkadzor

A quaint ski town, which when translated means ‘valley of flowers’. Tsaghkadzor (don’t ask me how to pronounce it!) is quite a popular destination for Armenians in winter thanks to its ski centre on the slopes of Mount Tegenis. Featuring well-developed ski trails and great equipment, it is referred to as Armenia’s ‘winter wonderland’ by ski lovers.

We took a ride on the ropeway (open throughout the year) and soaked in a panoramic view of the valley beneath.

Lovely flowers stood out in a myriad of hues. At this time of the year (in July), the grassy patches on the top were amazingly soothing and beautiful.

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8. Revel in the beauty of breathtaking Lake Sevan

As we drove towards Lake Sevan, we could see the apricot orchards popping with Armenia’s bright yellow national fruit and the lush green vineyards laden with juicy bundles of grapes. Heading north past potato fields and farmlands and meadows of poppies we drove up the western shore of Lake Sevan, one of the largest high-altitude lakes in Eurasia. Its turquoise waters are supposedly, an important source for fishing, irrigation and hydroelectric power.

It is said that the beauty of azure Lake Sevan doesn’t leave anyone indifferent. So well said! It is one of the highest fresh water lakes in the world and the largest in the Caucasus. It was impossible not to admire the picturesque landscape surrounding the lake: hills covered with forests, rocky cliffs and grasslands turning into alpine meadows.

9. Enjoy Indian lunch prepared by Armenian hands

Chef Klara, who happens to be the official chef to Indian Embassy in Yerevan made us feel highly privilegedwhen she treated us to a sumptuous lunch on the shores of picturesque Lake Sevan. Everything from the starter to dessert was so delicious! We were left wondering that Chef Klara with her 12- year experience in Indian cooking had become a kind of master chef in Indian cuisine. With great humility, she came to greet us and we were overjoyed by her presence.

Dressed in an elegant salwar kameez, she

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looked more of an Indian than Armenian.

And to add to this quotient of delicious food, the food was served outdoors in tent by the lakeside. Overall, another experience to cherish for lifetime!

10. Explore Levon’s Divine Underground

A man-made delight albeit of an unusual kind, Levon’s Underground is a labour of 23 years of toil by Levon, when he was asked by his wife for a basement space for storing potatoes during winters. The resultant was in the form of series of stunningly dug caves. Levon is not alive today but his story of toil has been shaped into a museum that displays artefacts, pictures, and publications dedicated to his unstinting devotion to the caves.

If asked for a candid review, Armenia surely won my heart despite the short amount of time we spent there-perhaps because of my innate love for unconventional places or my interest for places with energizing past. Its laid- back vibes, friendly people swept us off our feet. Defined by looming mountains and epic vistas punctuated by medieval time churches, the country offers an invigorating holiday experience! And not to forget the surprising delight of Yerevan, so exuberant and vibrant, yet tranquil and relaxing. It’s charming mix of tradition with modernity amazed me to no end. And above all, the exceptionally beautiful Armenian women with incredible features won our hearts! ■

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EVENT REPORT

Mount Kinabalu

Words by: Aida Othman Photos by: TMBT team (Dev Sidhu, Pamela Sidhu, Ted Teh, Geoff G George) and Izuan Siti

Heard about this race when the ex-Dubai runner, Victoria Leckie blogged about it in 2012. Since then I kept checking out this race and remembered talking to Clare Mullenger during our training run at the Fossil Rock years ago that she was very keen too.

Celebrating its 8th year, the oldest ultra trail event in Malaysia has gained popularity, thanks to its catchy name “The Most Beautiful Thing”. In fact, some runners kept returning annually. The recent event in early September was over signed compared to the initial estimate of 2000 runners, according to race director, Claus Pedersen.

My preparation was not the most ideal.

Having some months off for a summer holiday and Ramadan brought a new season of training of slowly building back.

Few slots of stair climb session weekly, climbing nearby mountains on one of the weekends, accommodating strength and One of the village

A stunning dawn before race kick off

conditioning with F45 were part of the training on top of the usual long runs.

The trip to Sabah was accompanied by few Dubai runners and friends. Honestly, I was looking forward to spending time with them rather than the actual race itself. I sorted the race pack collection including a mandatory gear check the day before the race. We also collected the race pack on Jenna Wilkinson’s behalf since she could not attend the race.

I attentively read the description of the 100km course to get some ideas of the route. Next morning, we boarded the 3am buses from Kota Kinabalu and reached Lingkubang within roughly 90 minutes. We left our drop bags, then crossed Kadamaian river via a hanging bridge to get to the hall where registration took place. Stunning morning it was, the dawn sky with Mount Kinabalu in the

backdrop - 100km, and 50km runners kicked off the race at the sports field of a local school.

Before 100km race pose

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Ellen Pavlovic enjoying 30km trail

James Constable crossed ankle deep stream in style Mr E finished in 26 hours

Amazing Clare Mullenger (finished 1st veteran)

Battling to continue be in the race

Smile even when is brutal

A quick pose with mountain backdrop

We ran and hiked from one village to another. At Bundu Paka village we were entertained by gong playing - an important traditional instrument of Sabah’s indigenous people. Few hanging bridges and river crossing were part of the fun - some with guards to ensure safety. Mount Kinabalu was getting closer and clearer.

Some trails were narrow by the ridgeline and occasionally we had to let fast 50km runners pass on the smaller trail. In one of the village, there was a group of bees ‘blocking’ the route. I ducked into the left side behind a parked car – yet still got stung behind my knee.

Stage 4 was the beginning of a continuous climb (600m gain) with a breathtaking view of the highland. After 6 hours into the race, I rested at one of drink stations where a girl with a Salomon red cowbell cheered us. I fueled up with more sugar; just what the body needed. We were relieved to reach Kiau Nulu village (Checkpoint 4) after the tough climb.

The next part I began to feel lethargic and dizzy but very slowly continued gaining 700m

elevation till the main road (Checkpoint W5a).

At this point, I’ve seen an old rubber plantation, paddy-field, pineapples farm, dead snake on the road and a pomelo tree.

Due to landslides, we were shuttled to the Checkpoint W5 with the race time being stopped. Going to the halfway point, there were sections of steep uphill and downhill with gravel, sealed road, and farmed vegetable areas. I got to the 50km mark before dark, at Mount Kinabalu Heritage Resort and Spa (1500m elevation), my legs were fine but I felt sick, and the dizziness seemed to get worse.

Shame that I couldn’t get food into the body from the buffet of hot meals provided.

I plodded along to Checkpoint 7 just after remarkable local runner Daved Simpat arrived to claim the 1st position. I reached the main road between Kundasang and Ranau, here I vomited and felt a lot worse. I decided to retire then and there. I didn’t want to race in this condition and wasn’t prepared to let myself become stranded in the next vegetable farm or wherever it may be despite many hours left before the cut-off time. Plus, the last bus departure to the city was at midnight and nothing till 7am next day.

The lesson taken for me is that I need to figure out my hydration and fuelling strategy precisely (or close enough) on race day taking into consideration the surroundings and weather. The body management part is The cabbage farm

crucial, other than actual training. Trail running is mysterious, extreme, and full of uncontrollable factors or variables – yet it’s attractive which I’m drawn into. No regret here, there’s always another race.

Congratulations to all finishers – especially my awesome sandpit mates: Clare Mullenger took 1st place for veteran women (30th), James Constable (60th). Mr. E, my other half finished strong despite weeks of no active running prior to the race due to a torn calf muscle. In the 30k distance, Ellen Pavlovic and Elizabeth Routley-Driver both conquered the trail their own way.

If I have to compare the sister race, Borneo Ultra Trail marathon (BUTM) which I raced in March - personally I prefer BUTM where I enjoyed the course better, plus there weren’t too many dogs on the route.

That said, Sabah is truly magical and this race deserves to be one on your bucket list – or try the sister race. It would be time well spent if combined with some traveling and a trip to summit Mount Kinabalu – just like Ellen Pavlovic and Liz Anderson did after their run.

As for me, things may have not turned out as beautiful and planned on the trail, yet this trip was indeed one of the most beautiful things. Thank you to my lovely friends. And till the next trail adventure. ■ Aida Othman (@_aidaothman_) is a lifestyle writer and content creator behind the website, Slice Of Torch Ginger. An avid ultra-runner, her longest run was the 7 Emirates Run in the UAE, covering 575km in 12 days to raise funds for the medical bills of a toddler born with deformed legs and the only woman to achieve this distance two years in a row.

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ACTIVITY REPORT

RAS AL KHAIMAH CLEAN & HIKE Words by: Arnaud Laviolette

Clean and Hike is a campaign initiated by the adventure enthusiast, Arnaud Laviolette, two months ago with the start of the outdoor season. He thought about creating a program which will ensure that the outdoor community is aware of how we should leave no trace when enjoying the outdoors and how important it is to keep it clean for the next visitors.

This was the second edition: on the first edition we had 44 participants and the second edition which took place on 6th of October, we had a total of 141 participants from different parts of the UAE. At the end of the activity a very impressive amount of 880kgs of mix trash was collected and RAK Waste Management and RAK Recycles sent it to their centers to recycle.

It was an impressive turnout showing how much people care for the country that we spend most of our time in and for doing adventures. Another high point was to see people from different communities, different backgrounds and cultures coming together for the same purpose of helping

the environment we live in.

All participants contributed to the success of the event but we cannot forget that this campaign would not be possible without the approval of RAK Waste Management /RAK Recycles and our very supportive and important partners.

A special thank you to all the communities and entities involved: ZSI Trading who truly support this initiative as the only outdoor retail company who gave hats to all participants as part of the safety essentials, fruits to start the day, and sunglasses to protect the eyes from sunlight.

RAK Tourism & Adventurati Outdoor for their guidance and support in terms of safety.

A group of dedicated team leaders and the planners behind the whole event.

We had some other outdoor groups who joined in as well and this was very

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important - Beyond Action /Commando_42 | Backapkers UAE | Rotaract Dubai | Rak Nature Treasures Thanks to Emirates Adventure for their great support as well.

All the participants were very important to us as they had to come from Dubai/ Sharjah/ RAK/Ajman/Abu Dhabi. It was truly amazing to see their involvement and the excitement in their faces. It was an incredible morning full of energy. We sincerely hope that everyone outdoors is mindful enough and treats the trails and location they visit for their activities with respect and leave no garbage behind. â–

Saturday, September 29th 2018, Al Ain, Abu Dhabi - United Arab Emirates: The past weekend marked the end of the 17th edition of the pioneer of obstacle races in the UAE, W.A.R at Wadi Adventure in Al Ain. More than 800 warriors descended upon Wadi Adventure in Al Ain to compete in W.A.R 17 to test their strength, grit and teamwork. The race featured the debut of an entirely new and updated set of obstacles, as well as the first ever running of W.A.R Juniors, a custom obstacle challenge designed for 7-13 year olds. Arriving at the crack of dawn, the participants made their way to an energetic warm– up conducted by Fitness Edge before heading over to the starting point where they got ready to begin their ultimate obstacle course challenge.

W.A.R is one of the fastest growing series in the sport of obstacle racing in the UAE. With each passing series, not only the participants but spectators have also increased alike. The race saw participants, spectators, supporters, media personals, and fitness enthusiasts from all over the UAE to witness the most challenging of all obstacle races. Watching on the sidelines were hundreds of supporters who came in to witness the event along with H.H Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, and H.E. Sheikh Salem Bin Rakad Al Ameri in addition to the police personnel. “It’s amazing to see such a variety of sport fanatics at W.A.R” said Wadi Adventure General Manager, Mr. Scott Wellington. “Whether you were in it to win it, or just wanted to try something new, there is something for everyone, and as for Junior W.A.R, we are really pleased with the amount of participants and also shocked to see how fast they all have blasted round the course!” W.A.R 17 features three race distances 5k, 10k, 15k and for the first ever time, 1.5k for

W.A.R Junior. With over 35 military styled obstacles for W.A.R adult, there were plenty of challenges to go around such as natural and man-made hurdles, climbing out of the largest man made Surf pool in the UAE before reaching the finishing line where all competitors received a finisher’s medal. The W.A.R Junior race proved to be the highlight of the day.

The race comprised of 2 categories; 7–10 years and 11–13 years who had to tackle their own 1.5km obstacle course whilst, dragging their mum and dad around with them. About 12 challenging obstacles helped the adventure-seeking kids unlock their potential and endurance up to their breaking point. In addition to new obstacles, the W.A.R has welcomed new partners including Coca Cola, Brighton

Winners Men 5K Podium 1st place:

College Al Ain and Pink Lady. Fitness Edge, Schmix, Abu Dhabi Sports Council, Eastern Motors and Texas Gym among others.

With W.A.R 17 finishing on a high note, participants enjoyed the complimentary buffet at Surf Café, and relaxed by the beach before heading home. Wadi Adventure events have a wide appeal—participants range from fitness enthusiasts to just for fun category to 65 -year old grandparents. About 44% of warriors signed up from Dubai, 26% from Abu Dhabi and 22% from Al Ain. Wadi Adventure Race series has undoubtedly become one the top most challenging obstacle races in the UAE. Registrations for W.A.R 18 are now open to all those brave enough to take on the challenge.

To book for the slot, visit https://www.premieronline.com/. Wadi Adventure is excited to welcome all back on Saturday, December 15th 2018. ■ Media: Dubai Life TV, The Source UAE, OutdoorUAE, Kabayan Weekly, Al Bayan, Khaleej Times, and Al Ain TV

Winners Women 5K Podium 1st place:

Dominique Mann

2nd Place: Michael Haddin

2nd Place:

Verena Koelle

3rd Place:

3rd Place:

Barbara Company Espejo

George Crewe Nawaf Al Mutawa

10K Podium

10K Podium

1st place:

Rashid Al Qubaisi

1st place:

Leanne Miles

2nd Place:

Ruan Ferreira

2nd Place:

Lani Hamilton

3rd Place:

Nolan Shaw

3rd Place:

Hanlie Signorini

15K Podium

15K Podium

1st place:

Yon Moreno

1st place:

Ivana Kolaric

2nd Place:

Toby Dovey

2nd Place:

Tetiana Maltseva

3rd Place:

Mohammed Mira

3rd Place:

Sara Aouad

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EVENT REPORT

This December, Dubai will make endurance history when it hosts the world’s longest desert ultramarathon in the spectacular confines of the Al Marmoom Desert Conservation Reserve.

Being held under the umbrella of Dubai Sports Council from December 11-15, the Meraas Al Marmoom Ultramarathon will be the ultimate measure of human athletic endurance and will test physical strength and mental stamina as runners traverse 270kms of stunning desert landscape in the Al Marmoom Desert Conservation Reserve.

The prize value totals US $80,000 in cash, trophies and medals, making it the biggest purse in the world for an ultramarathon.

All finishers will be awarded electronic certificates and medals.

It offers the choice of 3 distances, the world’s longest desert ultra-run 270km over 5 days as well as continuous 100km and 50km ultra runs.

All three distances are self- sufficient, across desert terrain in the breath taking Al Marmoom Desert Conservation Reserve, Dubai UAE. The base camp will be situated beside the beautiful lakes in Al Marmoom where there will be tents, medical assistance, water and basic refreshments. The routes will include

regular check points along the route where there will be water, time keeping, medical and race crew.

International elite ultra-runners will take on the Meraas Al Marmoom Ultramarathon 270km route which is divided into 4 routes; two 50kms runs, plus continuous 70km and 100km runs. Already signed up are some of the world’s leading desert ultra runners, including, Moroccan Rachid El Morabity, U.S Magdalena Boulet, Jordanian Salameh Al Aqra and Danish Bouchra Lundgren Eriksen.

The two additional ultra runs taking place at the same time will be over 100km and 50km distances.

Participants will follow specific routes as marked by the organizers and the course will be marked approximately every 500 metres.

All three distances are self- sufficient, with water and tents supplied, and across desert terrain, including soft sand dunes and hard sand tracks.

The Meraas Al Marmoom Ultramarathon is open to ultra runners of any citizenship aged over 18 years who can provide a medical certificate attesting to their ability to participate in a race of this type as well as an

ECG print-out dated less than 30 days prior to the race.

The race includes male and female athletes with race rankings for top 3 male and female runners for each distance and teams.

There will be special recognition awards for Emirati male and female competitors and male and female veterans (over 50) as well as individual stage rankings.

Al Marmoom Desert Conservation Reserve, the largest of its kind in the Arab world, stretches across 10% of Dubai’s land, and is part of a conservation initiative to promote Dubai’s commitment to a sustainable environment, providing a balanced ecosystem for thousands of wild animals and migratory birds, and includes environmental, cultural and sports-related activities.

The Meraas Al Marmoom Ultramarathon will take participants to the limit of human endurance and beyond. ■

REGISTRATION: Participants: www.ultramarathon.ae/participants.html Volunteers: www.ultramarathon.ae/volunteers.html Website: www.ultramarathon.ae MERAAS AL MARMOOM ULTRAMARATHON WEEKLY BUILD UP RUNS There are weekly training build up run sessions being held in the Al Marmoom desert.

They take place every Friday, 6am – 9am, and led by ultra runner and experienced running coach Rinat Mustafin.

The build -up runs not only prepare runners for the ultimate desert ultramarathon but also bring the ultra- running community together. It’s a great opportunity to meet other ultra runners and share experiences and training tips.

To join the build- up run sessions, please contact Coach Rinat: info@ultramarathon.ae Runners meet at the Last Exit Al Qudra, 6 am.

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EVENT REPORT

Hundreds of runners - including famous faces - rush to register for first OMAN by UTMB High demand for a place in the first ever OMAN by UTMB® event has seen hundreds of runners sign up, including many of the bestknown members of the international ultra-trail community.

With places filling up and the number of runners now exceeding 300, registration for a sought-after place in the 29th November event was closed on 30th September.

Among the elite runners registered for the newest addition to the UTMB® calendar are the USA’s Jim Walmsley, the 2017 Ultra Runner of the Year and currently the world number one in the ITRA rankings.

Joining him on the non-stop 137km event will be the Lithuanian-born 2016 Ultra Trail World Tour champion Gediminas Grinius, and the Swiss 2017 Ultra Trail World Tour champion Andrea Huser.

Also among the athletes representing no fewer than 49 countries are: Jason Schlarb, the top US finisher in the 2014 UTMB® Mont Blanc; former Swedish track athlete Ida Nilsson; Swiss runner Diego ‘Zpeedy’ Pazos, aka the ‘bow tie trail runner’; and Wyoming-based Meredith Edwards, one of the leading female runners on the circuit.

In addition, other familiar faces are expected to include Chinese national and Hong Kong resident Tsang Siu Keung “Stone”, one of the most successful trail runners in Asia, plus others from the growing trail running community in China.

“Ultra-trail runners enjoy the challenge of mountain courses and the beauty of the natural environment, and judging by the rush to enter, OMAN by UTMB® appears to have captured that enthusiasm in full,” said Salma Al Hashmi, Oman Sail Chief Marketing Officer.

“The authentic and unique landscapes of the Sultanate, particularly the route that takes in the heights of Jebel Akhdar, the

Green Mountain, will provide an exciting and competitive event for hundreds who have seized the opportunity to take part in this first edition.”

OMAN by UTMB®, hosted by event organiser Oman Sail and supported by UTMB® International and the organisers of UTMB® Mont-Blanc, will take the growing field on a remote and rugged course, with long and technical climbs and a total vertical gain of more than 7,800m.

UTMB® founder Michel Poletti was a member of the team that designed

the course: “The Sultanate is like no other place I’ve run before, the spectacular scenery, incredible mountains and warm people make this a must-do event,” he said.

“Having had the opportunity to revisit Oman I can now add that the country has a fantastic amount to offer visitors, it is very safe, with much to see and do that the whole family can enjoy,” added the UTMB Mont-Blanc Race Director.

The special benefits of participation in OMAN by UTMB®for those hoping to run in the heavily-oversubscribed UTMB® MontBlanc will apply to all registrations up to the cut-off.

Finishers will earn the maximum number of six qualifying points, valid for three years instead of the usual two, and will save one year in the UTMB® Mont-Blanc registration process. This will double the chance for firsttime applicants in the entry lottery for 2019, and guarantee entry for those reapplying a second time after being unsuccessful in 2018.

OMAN by UTMB® starts at Birkat Al Mawz, near Nizwa, at 19:30 on Thursday 29 November. ■

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TRAVEL & ADVENTURE

LOS OLIVOS CYCLING & TRIATHLON CAMP Words + Photos by: Giles Richardson

“Final call for Flight EZ8607 to Malaga departing at Gate 109”.

This is my flight and I quickly ran into WH-Smith to pick a bottle of water, a packet of wine gums - oh and yes, the August edition of Cyclist magazine.

Finally, I was on my way to spend a week with Julio & Janice (J&J) and their two dogs - Henry & Kavakat their new home in Andalusia, Southern Spain - the Los Olivos Cycling & Triathlon Camp. (www. losolivoscttc.info) Let me rewind to 2010. My family and I

had been living in Dubai since 2005 and I had decided to switch race focus from adventure racing (due to lack of races in the Region) to triathlon. These were the days prior to TriDubai Group when there were only small training groups. Long-time friend Kevin West who captained Tri-Pirates triathlon club, invited me into this small tightly knit group, and this is where I met J&J. Fast forward to 2018 and J&J now long gone from Dubai - living in their retirement dream location high up in the Sierra Jaen mountains running the Los Olivos Cycling and Triathlon Camp. Now, I had been promising to check out their camp for a while, but with the all familiar Dubai hectic work and continual excuses this promise kept on getting postponed. So, finally I was en-route!

So how can I describe Los Olivos? Their

home is a renovated Andalusian farmhouse ‘cortijo’ with 4 guest rooms, each with ensuite bathroom, high speed internet, several areas to relax and enjoy the panoramic views. Their camp can more be described as an upmarket bed & breakfast that is geared around like-minded sports enthusiasts and their families. The location is in a fantastic area of Andalusia with great access to many historic towns such as Granada, Cordoba, Malaga and Sevilla.

The local town of Alcala La Real (6 km’s from their cortijo) is a bustling traditional Spanish town overlooked by an impressive castle dating back to the 8th century –which kids would love to visit. There are plenty of cafes and restaurants sprawled around the historic town square, great to just sit and sip café as you watch Spanish locals going through their day to day pace of life. This is the real Spain and interestingly, throughout my trip I did not notice any other tourists.

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Are you looking for a very cost effective and easy holiday destination and a break from the heat and pace of Dubai that works virtually all year round? The area has some sensational cycling, running and open water lake and pool swimming in a very relaxed and picturesque area of Spain just a mere 2½ hours north of Malaga or 45 minutes from Granada (via British Airways/Turkish Airlines).

The Andalucía region of Southern Spain is steeped with history and was under Moorish rule from the 8th-15th centuries, a legacy that shows in its architecture, including such landmarks as the numerous castles & watchtowers that are nestled high on the mountain slopes. This region is the real Spain - far away from the southern Spanish coastline resorts that act as a magnet to the seasonal British bargain holiday hunters and European baby-boomer retirees. If you are addicted to your morning Starbucks coffee and a copy of the Daily Mail newspaper, then this place is not for you. Come and experience real café, locally made tapas and authentic Spanish hospitality.

After a 3-hour flight I breeze through immigration and am greeted by my excited hosts.

Fortunately, I did not need to pack my road bike as Julio lent me one of his Scott carbon road bikes which made my travel super easy. So, my luggage sports equipment consisted of only bike shoes, helmet and pedals. What’s convenient is that Los Olivos provides rentals of bikes, whether road or MTB, so just pack your lycra and sunnies!

My ears pop as we drive on the winding highway up through the foothills of the Sierra mountains and stop for some early dinner and my first taste of the local Cruzcampo cerveza. I was pleasantly surprised by the relatively cheap cost of restaurant food and beverages in this area – meaning you could be fed and watered for less than $6!

We arrive at Los Olivos before dusk, the shadows draw in over the olive fields and then we are greeted with an uninterrupted orange sunset that paints its way across the horizon from the balcony. The three of us discuss over some more cerveza and tapas, the plan for the next day – this being my first

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introduction to cycling the hills and countryside of the Sierras.

My residence was guest suite No. 2, a beautifully decorated annexed en-suite room that is accessible from the enclosed quaint white-washed terraced courtyard. I nod off to sleep quickly – even with the 3-hour time difference between Spain and Dubai.

We have an early rise, some coffee and then a chilly downhill cycle into Alcala La Real town to meet cycling friend Tom at their local café. We are greeted by a friendly waiter who understands the cyclist’s caffeine pre-ride fix. Finally, we are ready to spin our wheels to start the 85km circuit tour through the back roads and hills of the Sierra’s. What was immediately apparent to me was the virtually traffic free roads and respect of drivers once one did pass by. Safe cycling – yes, I would give this area a 9/10. Since we were also at >1000M altitude, the temperatures were very manageable – even in the height of summer and with the bonus of fresh mountain air.

When I first heard about Los Olivos, I imagined just hard-core triathletes and cyclists being attracted to this place and spend their non-riding time comparing their race times and how often they shave their legs. Simply incorrect – and a big draw card to this location is the bountiful opportunities for families also. J&J have created their home with a very chilled out ambience with several local attractions nearby. Great place to relax, read a book, amuse their very friendly dogs and train in the endless swimming and plunge pool.

J&J have developed 4 fantastic road cycling tours (differing levels) suitable at various times of the year that start and finish from their cortijo. Additional routes include the challenging and famous climbs often used

by La Vuelta a España and MTB cycling that will challenge and immerse you in the natural landscape. The trail running will improve your level of fitness as you navigate through the tracks that meander through the olive fields enjoying stunning scenery. Other ride options include Sierra Nevada mountain (3,478m elevation, being the highest road pass in Europe) which is a 55km drive and provides options of a 36km road or MTB climb. Winter options include some great (and affordable) ski/snowboarding at the Resort.

We have another successful day on the saddle and after an afternoon trail run it is time to relax and enjoy the cool evening breeze. Janice has cooked up a tasty healthy meal for us and we kick back with a local bottle of red to discuss tomorrow’s plans.

As part of Los Olivos camp, Janice is a fully qualified in-house sports soft tissue, massage & sports therapist (UK -VTCT Level 3&4) and gaining quite a local clientele base. So, all I can say is if you visit – you have no excuses! ■ www.flickr.com/photos/153051011@N05/ www.vimeo.com/user11603457 www.Instagram.com/gilesrichardson www.facebook.com/giles.richardson.750

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TRAVEL & ADVENTURE

Words + Photos by: Paul Robida

On the edge of Wadi Ghul, also known as Oman’s grand canyon, in the grandiose Al Hajar mountains, I stand uneasy, defying my fear of heights on a narrow trail alongside a never ending cliff.

This seldom used walkway is the only access to an old hamlet nudged on one of the canyon small terraces, and further along, to the Jabal Shams (The mountain of the sun) summit. Behind me, coming at a far greater speed, an Omani shepherd is leading three loaded donkeys and a few goats, some of them fighting gravity to grab just a few leaves from skinny bushes perched on the rocks.

I’m on the last leg of the Oman trail, now exploring Jabal Shams and Jabal Hakhdar on my way back to Muscat. It is the conclusion of a wonderful adventure, that took me around this country’s admirable beauty.

What a contrast it has been with the past accounts of early explorers such as Wilfred Thesiger, Thomas Bertram, who not so long ago, had ventured in a country still on the margins of the civilized world, deprived of basic modern comfort, and prone to intertribal violence. Their ordeal then was a far cry from the wonderful touristic experience I went through, and shows how Oman has evolved in the past decades.

It took the will of a new leader, His Highness Sultan Qaboos Bin Said, to turn things

around. The current Sultan, with the help of new found oil and gas revenues, began the transformation of the country in the early seventies. New infrastructures, such as roads, government buildings, schools, hospitals, airports, to name a few, began to rise from the ground, while easier access to proper education and vital commodities, like water, electricity, medicines, all improved daily lives drastically. In the span of forty some years, Oman jumped from the 19th to the 21st century, all the while keeping its soul and core identity, which differs strongly from the path taken by its closest neighbors.

Too clever to just rely on a small and limited supply of non-renewable energies for the country’s expansion and future, the Sultan made sure to diversify the local economy by tapping, among other things, into his land’s immense touristic potential: A wonderful natural shore line, majestic mountains filled with ancient architectural treasures, spectacular sand deserts, and, last but not least, an incredibly hospitable population. Oman just had too much to offer to stay ignored, and as a result of all those efforts, Oman is now a safe and trendy Arabian destination, offering a carefully staged mix of historical, cultural and outdoor activities for travelers of all ages.

Trekking the mountains of the North during the winter months, when temperatures are still bearable, is a good way to see one of the many facets of Oman. In my case, it’s a welcomed way to stretch my legs after so many hours sitting in my car. While a few trails have been marked around the most touristic areas of the Saïq plateau and Jabal Shams, so much of the region remains a

virgin template to be traced by the curious minds. Unknown to outsiders, ancestral tracks only traveled by local herdsmen between secluded hamlets, and not yet seen on any maps, offer breath taking perspectives on a geological spectacle to whom dare wander.

Not too far in front of me, a protruding rock, conveniently resting in the shade, offers a more suitable spot to safely let the shepherd and his animals pass me. As I reach it, I cowardly hug the rocky wall, offering them the small edge to maneuver. But passing they are not. Instead, in the typical Arabic tradition, he stops to greet me, see if I’m ok, or need anything. Despite my reassurance, he digs in his small bag and pulls out a piece of bread, some seeds and milk.

Unconcerned by the heights and potential danger of our position, he invites me to sit down with him to share some of his food.

Never mind my very poor notions of Arabic and his little English, we manage to engage in somewhat of a conversation, during which I try to answer his curiosity. Where am I from, what am I doing here, do I like his country, etc.

His name is Salem and my enthusiasm for his natural surroundings fills him with pride. Forget any plans he may had, it is now his utmost duty to be my guide for the day. Trying to tell him otherwise is useless.

I am his guest, and as such, deserve his full attention.

He has something special to show me. It isn’t very far he says, but might take some time to reach, particularly if we stop at every view point he thinks worth my pictures. He leads me carefully along the various hazards of the trail until we leave the canyon and enter a large plateau. From there, we can look down on what I just climbed, and enjoy a panoramic view of the surrounding mountains. While I catch my breath, he repeats the names of each one around us until I have them memorized. He also points toward our destination which lays higher, a small white dot that seems miles away. It is his village. A few houses, surrounded by terrace fields, supplied with water by a source irrigated by an elaborate falaj.

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

The village is actually divided in two. In its quest for modernity, the government has offered villagers new housing in standardized hamlets made of lined up white two stories houses with basic modern comforts. It can be reached by a new dirt road, used by the water trucks coming from the valley to bring the water they need for their new daily lives.

Salem doesn’t live in that part of the village.

He leaves with his father, Nasser, in one of the old houses of the original hamlet. Nasser is the special person he wanted me to meet.

Sheikh of the village, he is an older man with a long white beard, at first surprised to see his son home so late and with a guest. But before Salem can even begin to explain, I’m invited to enter their home. It’s a place beautiful in its simplicity, where you’ll find nothing but the essentials, except for a special room where Nasser created a small museum of what life in the mountains was like when he was a child.

There, carefully arranged, is a beautiful collection of traditional costumes, agricultural tools and daggers.

Back in the majlis we sit on rugs laid over the ground, while Salem prepares some food.

Within minutes more people arrive to join us, putting more food on the floor for us all to share. Everybody seats to listen to Nasser and his colorful stories about what most of us would consider a hard life of work and privation. But it is a life they wouldn’t trade for anything else in the world, especially not ours. Because in their minds nothing is more precious than their freedom, regardless of the cost...

It’s a freedom their parents and grand-parents have been willing to die for. The ruins of old

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villages, seen through out the mountains around me are not just the deed of time, but rather men propensities for conflicts and war.

The latest one took place in the 50’s, when the Sultan of Muscat, unable to defeat and control the tribes of the mountains aligned with the Imam of Nizwa, sent the British SAS to tame the revolt, leaving behind pain and destruction.

That episode is a clear reminder of what was once a divided nation. The Sultanate on the coast, and the Imamate in the mountains, each representing independent tribes, each fighting for influence. On the margins of those political divides, the bedus roaming the desert, free of all administrative constraints.

Acknowledging this historical separation is essential to understand this nation.

On one side, the coast. Open to the sea, conducting business with other regional powers such as Persia, India, East Africa and even as far as China. Exchanging goods and techniques, bursting with activities, harboring people from all over in its cosmopolite ports.

A coast also subjected at times to European greed and domination because of its strategic place on the road to the Far East.

The inland on the other hand, flourished in isolation. Preserved from outside influence until very recently, tucked in its mountains and deserts, it remained a closely knit group of tribes bonded together by their religion, an ancient branch of Islam called Ibadism, ancestral traditions and the ability to cleverly survive an inhospitable landscape...

With the sun setting comes the time to pray.

Nasser who is the Mutawa (the local word for Imam) leads the prayer, standing alone in front

of the others lined up in two separate rows. I watch from afar, listening to his musical voice reciting verses of the Quran, as they echo on the mountain walls.

It is also time for me to say goodbye. Every one thinks I would be wiser to spend the night with them as the sky becomes menacing, but respected my wish to go camp further up to watch the stars. They all insist on giving me more food just in case I feel hungry, despite the fact they need it more than I do.

This afternoon embodied what I call the true Oman experience. One for which you should “venture” away from the capital Muscat and the newly beaten tracks, and explore what Anthony Bourdain liked to call, the “parts unknown”.

Because posh resorts, lazy afternoons by the hotel pool, cheap thrills (aka “wadibashing”) crammed in the back of a chauffeured 4x4, or organized bus tours around freshly built or refurbished nearby landmarks, is a sharp contrast with the lives of those who survived for so long with next to nothing. The abnegation and endurance necessary to thrive in this harsh environment has forged a culture you can’t begin to comprehend without the proper perspective, theirs. To understand a nation, you first need to meet its people and learn where they’re coming from...

The next morning, as I wake in the chilling morning hours, Salem is already out gathering his goats, probably nearby just to check I passed the night without any troubles. Nothing beats Arabian hospitality... ■

For more informations on the Oman Trail, please go to lostandcurious.com

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

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TRAVEL & ADVENTURE

Escape Footprints – Great Italian Dolomites Words + Photos by: Prabath Manghat

We all long for escapes at each point in life. From our regular office schedules, small breaks for the favorite coffee, timeout for a short outdoor game or a treat to the eyes with a new place. This is about an escape moment that would arouse the thirst of mountain lovers.

Italy is a feeling of love for most of us with its Roma history, Venezia streets, Amalfi and Como. There is something there to excite every craving, whether its beaches, flashback to medieval times, lakeside gazing spots or even the best of cozy mountain huts. Being a fan of not so touristic places, I was in the quest for finding a place even more close to the nature and away from all city buzz. These days, once we decide a country, Instagram gives you tonnes of inputs from other crazy explorers, who would help you discover some of the untouched lands.

It was then I found, The Lago Di Braise in northern Italy home to mountain lovers, trekkers, campers, ones who likes to spend time outdoors close to the nature at high altitude, and get the freshest air away from all city buzz and noise. Its one of the not so touristic places in the country surrounded by the Great Dolomites (Italian Alps).Before I begin, let me show what it’s like to be on the road towards the Dolomites.

Yes, these roads only boosted my thirst to explore this scenic place. Since it is surrounded by Dolomites, a lot of searches were about the point of interest within its 100 km radius. Some of the Youtube videos offered breathtaking aerial views of the route offering amazing autumn colors, snake shaped roads, breathtaking viewpoints and fresh air. After doing the research about the places to visit, I was clear that this would be my main destination in Italy. To top it up, Porsche also had a video on their page that showed one of their drive series through this scenic route. It gave all the more reasons to explore this piece of land behind the wheels.

The Dolomites can be accessed through multiple routes, one from Venice and other from Milan. There are daily trains and buses from both cities. But this is a route for the ones who loves to take control of the wheels especially with hairpin bends, high altitude and more places to stop and enjoy the nature closely. We decided to drive from Venice and use the other route to reach Milan, so that both routes are covered. It’s about 3 hours of drive offering some amazing views during all seasons. This was during the first 32

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week of November this year, and snow filled roads was least expected.

The journey began by an afternoon from Venice and I had absolutely no idea where to halt for the night. However, I was sure that the entire area would have plenty of breathtaking places to stay and relax.

Setting Cortina d’ Ampezzo as the destination, we started the drive.

Cortina is a nice town in the Dolomites area popular for its ski-resorts.

The plan was that if it gets too dark and hard to drive, this could be the stop for the night, as Lago Di Braise is less than one hour from Cortina. The route towards Cortina had well maintained motorway with tolls and many petrol stations to stop for a coffee break or fresh air.

About thirty minutes after Venice, the great Dolomites started appearing from far-off with its snow kissed mountains and we realized, yes it was getting closer. By 5pm, we had reached Cortina and there was still a great level of energy to get closer to Lago Di Braise. This was mainly due to the snow filled scenes on both sides of road, mountains, curves and a fairytale feel.

A quick search found for us a small cozy town called San Candido and an amazing hotel called Rosa.

It was a lovely and clean hotel with a café that serves amazing coffee.

Next morning, we bid goodbye to San Candido and moved closer to the main destination, Lago Di Braise. The route from the main road took us through a small road filled with snow on both the side and some amazing small huts in between. Yes, the picture below was one of it without any filters.

Within about ten minutes, we discovered a parking lot filled with snow. Parking the car, we slowly walked into the small wooden gate that lead us to this amazing spot shown below.

The small wooden hut facing the snow filled mountains is the best combination of visual treat we could ever ask. At this point, it’s absolutely moment of bliss at its peak. Hours and hours could be spent at this place for its fresh air, plenty of trees, mountains guarding you and most importantly a sense of total peace. The lake was partly frozen with all the walkways covered in ice.

What activities does it offer?

The Lago Di Braise is a delight for all seasons depending on your preference. The area has hiking routes that would interest the adventure freaks. We were surprised to see a group of adventurers aged about 50+ finishing their hike trail without worrying about the snow and the cold weather. The beautiful lake can also be explored with a canoe during the spring and summers, however it’s a tough call during winters unless you want to fix ski gear underneath.

The lakeside also has a nice cozy restaurant offering some great Italian dishes including delicious tiramisu, mouthwatering coffees and good wines.

Travel from UAE? – Plan your trip during late October/ November to get your flights under 1500 AED both ways and avoid premium season rates charged by hotels. I travelled within 1300 AED through Pegasus airline via Istanbul and hotels were within 100-150 AED/ day. The amount you save can be utilized for your extra layer of cheese on that pizza or for the shopping in Milan. ■ Instagram: #EscapeFootprints

There are a million things you could take camping but what really makes sense or what is even an essential is a different story. The There are a ismillion things you could take camping but to what really makes sense and or what is Following even an essential is of a different story.

The challenge of course that a lot of things come down personal preferences taste. is our list the ultimate desert challenge of course that a lot of things come down to personal preferences and taste. Following is our list of the ultimate desert camping is gear: camping gear:

#1 Tent #1 Tent Unless you don't want to sleep under a canvas of stars you will need a

Unless youshould don't look wantfor to asleep underisasuitable canvas for of stars you willif need a tent. You size which your needs: you are tent.

You should look for a size which is suitable for your needs: if you are a family or a single. The other important thing is to ensure your tent is awell family or a single. The other important thing is to ensure your tent is ventilated. well ventilated.

#2 Sand Pegs #2 Sand Pegs If you have chosen your tent, you should get some special sand pegs Ifwhich you have chosen your tent, you should getwhich someare special sand pegs are widely available in retail.

The pegs coming with the which are widely available in retail.

The pegs which are coming with tent will not hold at all in sand, so to be prepared for a windy day the you tent will notsand holdanchors. at all in sand, so to be prepared for a windy day you need your need your sand anchors.

#3Sleeping sleeping Mat mat #3 #4Sleeping SleepingBag Bag #4

If you sleep on sandy ground even a small foam or yoga mat would do but Ifwe yourecommend sleep on sandy ground even a small foam or yoga domats but self-inflating camping mats with foam mat corewould (not air we recommend self-inflating camping mats with foam core (not air mats for the pool or beach) for the pool or beach)

Depending on the time of the year you will also need a sleeping bag. Winters can get quite cold in the Depending on the time of the year you will also need a sleeping bag. Winters can get quite cold in the desert. When buying the sleeping back look to the temperature rating - we recommend a comfort level desert. When buying the sleeping bag look to the temperature rating - we recommend a comfort level of of 0-5C and not more than 2kg weight. Very good are sleeping bags which you can open fully as a blanket 0-5C and not more than 2kg weight. Very good are sleeping bags which you can open fully as a blanket

#5 Water Water Container Container #5

You should always have enough water or fluids with you.

You should always have enough water or fluids with you.

Ideal is drinking water (min 3l per day per person) as well as Ideal is drinking water (min 3l per day per person) as well as water to wash hands and face (5l day). water to wash hands and face (5l day).

#6Cooler Cooler #6

A cooler is also essential if you like to enjoy some fresh fruits and cold A cooler is also essential if you like to enjoy some fresh fruits and cold drinks while camping. The choice of size and quality of coolers is drinks while camping. The choice of size and quality of coolers is endless so you should choose the one most suitable for your needs endless so you should choose the one most suitable for your needs

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#7 Fire Wood / Light #7 Firewood / Light If you are romantic a bone fire will be enough but in that case you need

Iftoyou areyour romantic a bonefire will in betimes enough butlight in that case you need bring fire wood otherwise of LED there are endless to bring your firewood otherwise in times of LED there are endless options.

We recommend to avoid the cold bluelight or white LEDs since options.

Wethe recommend to avoid the cold blue or white LEDs since they will kill nice evening atmosphere. they will kill the nice evening atmosphere.

#8 BBQ Grill #8 BBQ Grill The best BBQs for the desert should have some legs so that they are

The best BBQs should have some legs so -that are elevated.

Don't for usethe thedesert ready grills in the aluminum trays not they only will elevated.

Don'tthe usemost the ready grillsthey in the trays only will they generate garbage, arealuminum also so low that- itnot is impossithey generate the most garbage, are also so low that it is impossible to avoid getting sand on yourthey food. ble to avoid getting sand on your food.

#9 Camping Crockery #9 Camping Crockery You should avoid any type of disposable plates, cups or cutlery. In the

You avoid anyitems type of plates, the longshould run re-useable willdisposable be cheaper and cups they or arecutlery. much In more long run re-useable items will be cheaper and they are much more durable (try to cut a steak with a plastic fork and knife on a paper plate > durable (trydining to cutexperience). a steak with You a plastic fork and knife on a metal paper plates plate, not a nice find almost everywhere not nicewhich diningare experience). findand almost metal plates and acups ideal - very You cheap they everywhere will last for decades. and cups which are ideal - very cheap and they will last for decades.

#10 Coffee Maker #10 Coffee Maker

If you are a coffee drinker a coffee maker is an absolute must for any Ifcamping you aretrip a coffee drinker coffee maker an absolute must for any to have a gooda start into a newisday camping trip to have a good start into a new day

#11 Storage Storage #11

Camping in the desert will put dust and sand everywhere. To give protecCamping in the desert putfragile dust and sandit's everywhere.

To give protection to electronics andwill other things good to have some dust tion to electronics and other fragile things it's good to have some dust proof storage proof storage

#12 Camping Camping Chair Chair // Table Table #12

A matter of comfort but one you enjoy the whole evening. A table is A matter of comfort but one you enjoy the whole evening. A table is actually more essential than a chair coming back to the issue (#8) to actually more essential than a chair coming back to the issue (#8) to keep food and drinks away from the sand. keep food and drinks away from the sand.

#13 Solar solar charger #13 Charger

In case you stay longer a solar charger is a great gadget to keep phone, In case you stay longer a solar charger is a great gadget to keep phone, camera, mp3 player and other things charged. camera, mp3 player and other things charged.

We could could continue continue the the list list forever forever and and getting getting more more and and more more creative creative but but the the above above should should give We give you you a a good good starting starting point. point. The The best best way way is to make your own list note down what you missed at the last camping and what you did not use at all to complete your very is to make your own list - note down what you missed at the last camping and what you did not use at all to complete your very own own ultimate camping camping list. list. [also check check out out Marina’s Marina’s list ultimate [also list to to gear gear up up for for off-roading off-roading page page 56/57] 56/57]

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TRAVEL & ADVENTURE

Words by: Toufic Abou Nader Photos by: Gergely Ambrus - Inverse Everest

I have been exploring caves for 5 years since 2016, but I have never thought of exploring the world’s deepest cave, Krubera Voronya located in Abkhazia.

Over a casual catchup with my buddy Rayan Zgheib, an experienced and passionate Lebanese caver, he mentioned his previous exploration experience couple of years back to Krubera. The curious in me did not resist his stories, I wanted a share of this privilege, and an idea was born: to explore Krubera reaching the deepest possible point and be amongst the very few people who managed to do so…but I had 2 challenges; one, my caving experience goes only to dry and warm caves situated in the Sultanate of Oman, while Krubera is a wet, humid and a very cold cave. And two, I had no team to go with me, and caving is not an individual sport, it has a lot to do with the team you are part of.

Krubera’s depth is more than 2km vertical below earth, its temperature fluctuates between 2 and 7 degree Celsius, the humidity level is high, it consists of running underground streams and waterfall that you can’t avoid but to walk in, very tight and narrow spaces, tunnels and multiple claustrophobic meanders. To put it into perspective, imagine a 17km of hard obstacle course abseiling & climbing down from the top of Burj Khalifa then ascend back to the top; and to complete the entire depth of Krubera, you have to repeat it nearly 3 times. To put it more into perspective, imagine yourself doing 7 to 10 CrossFit sessions daily over 9 consecutive days, with minimal food and water, carrying 2 to 3 bags totaling to 30kgs-40kgs in very uncomfortable conditions, total darkness, no room for any human error, and no access to communication with the outside world. And if you haven’t figured it out yet, it is mentally challenging and tiring.

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So how can someone living in the UAE that has only 1 inaccessible vertical cave train for such conditions? The plan was simple, don’t sweat the uncontrollable and be in charge of all other factors. Such as my fitness level and my caving technique on ropes. So I set myself a routine of hard training over 3 months prior to the expedition in summer 2016, hoping to offer myself as a strong reliable caver to a potential international team in return of being a member.

The training consisted of few different practices. During the week, I do 3 to 4 CrossFit classes at Innerfight, daily cardio training such as running and rowing, and 2 sessions with a fitness coach to assess and improve my weakest points. And occasionally I add 1 or 2 yoga classes to enhance my flexibility (though my flexibility was a hopeless case) as it will help in very tight spaces. In addition I installed a rope, and kept ascending and descending over and over again, in order to increase my technical rope work efficiency, to avoid any human error in the cave or any delays. Every second I save on the rope-work counts; but it was not about seconds, it was about being safe and going thru the cave with no human

error, as one mistake can be my last.

Additionally, on weekends I would go to the caves in Oman and simulate the same conditions (except the weather of course), abseil and ascend with 2-3 heavy bags to polish my techniques.

Fast forward to the 30 day expedition.

These 30 days consisted of multiple expedition work. We had 2 main objectives continue the exploration carried by previous teams in 2 caves: Krubera and another adjacent cave, hoping the 2 caves link at one point and making a new discovery. And the second objective was reaching Krubera’s deepest accessible point. The daily work consisted of multiple tasks: Outside the cave, some work is carrying snow from the shaded side of the mountain to the sunny part, in order to melt and have water for drinking, cooking and washing.

Other tasks included cave work, getting in the cave carrying loads of gear, and taking out loads of garbage and unwanted/old gear.

Whilst most of the work involved squeezing in tiny holes hoping to find the next big discovery at the other side.

And last but not least, exploring Krubera.

Since cave explorations are not a guided tour teamwork is everything. In order to explore caves, one is in need for a very trustworthy team to rely on. The team dynamic is essential; however the most crucial part is trust. Each member has to trust the others to be self-supported, independent, able to selfrescue and play an important role in team rescue if needed; hence why great teams form over years of experience together. Most of the teams consisted of 5 to 6 members.

Prior to the expedition, I contacted one of the teams offering to carry communal gear in exchange to joining them. The Hungarian team, also known as “Inverse Everest Team” lead by Gergely Ambrus, had 1 main goal, to be the first team to document Krubera professionally for the first time. So I thought it would be great to offer to carry camera gear down the cave, however our communication didn’t seal positively, which is understandable given how team dynamics work in caves.

Soon enough I met the team at basecamp and we shared few days of different work.

Once they got to know me and my caving background, I was welcomed in the team!

Great relief…

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We started prepping for our 9 day underground endeavor. Prepping includes packing personal gear, emergency essentials (such as rescue & first aid kits), food and communal gear. Every item must be sealed properly making it rugged and as waterproof as possible.

The trickiest part is space and weight limitations; due to caves architectural nature, one cannot use a normal hiking backpack. The only option is a cylindrical shaped bag made out of hard PVC material with few handles on the sides. These bags are meant to take a lot of beating in the cave due to the repetitive acts of wedging, dragging, pushing, pulling and throwing them around. Each of us had a 2 x 40L bags each, and the entire team had 3 extra bags which we took turns in carrying them.

The 9 day journey began on a sunny midday, kissing-goodbye the natural light and welcoming the total darkness hereinafter. The first 4 days consisted of descending to the deepest accessible point in the cave, whilst the remaining 5 days were spent battling against gravity

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ascending out of the cave. In addition to the rope work, we spent most of each day climbing boulders, squeezing in meanders, crawling in long & tight tunnels, avoiding getting wet from waterfalls and streams (which is impossible), and often setting up the camera gear to take the perfect picture. Unlike the outdoors, in caves there is no natural light for photos, which means every photo has to be taken at a very specific accuracy. Every flash has to be perfectly placed, every caver in the picture has to be standing still (regardless how tired and how awkward your position is). On average, each day was 10 hours work, with very limited access to food and water. Then we celebrate the end of the day with a hot meal, tea and warmth at each underground-camp. Each underground-camp consisted of 1 tent we squeezed, laughed, cooked, and slept in.

After few hours of sleep, it is time to pack camp, put on the smelly wet caving suit and repeat all over again. Very simple life, we had nothing on our minds except the basic form of

our nature: moving, eating, and sleeping. People often ask me “how did it feel reaching the deepest point of the world’s deepest cave?”, the answer is: nothing to be proud of yet, well, there are 2 answers: The objective answer: “The longer and harder part of the journey is yet ahead.”

The emotional answer: “stillness, very few people have ever stepped foot in this place, yet it is not made public and not scalable on social media, it is only about me and enjoying the moment by myself, no crowd, no followers, and no ego boosters…”. Of course a lot more goes through one’s mind, but that’s mainly it.

The real celebration is once you are out of the cave safe and sound, seeing natural light, being able to stretch your body, the luxury of just looking at far distances… so quickly enough we set course to get out of the cave.

If I would to leave you with one lesson I learnt in that cave, and as cliché as it sounds, you can achieve whatever you truly want. ■

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

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LIFESTYLE

Ripe Markets The Ripe Market is all about supporting local, eating local and shopping local. Our goals is to bring the community together and support UAE based SME businesses, giving them a platform to sell their unique artisan products to residents and tourists. The Ripe Markets include a variety of delicious food concepts, arts and crafts, fashion, jewelry and much more!

This season we are going bigger and better! With our Abu Dhabi market in Umm Al Emarat Park, there is a big drive from the Park to really support us and bring together more community focused activities, groups and businesses. The market in Umm Al Emarat Park will start on 20th October and run until April, every Saturday 3pm – 9pm.

As the sun sets every Saturday, Umm Al Emarat Park will transform into a magical world of lights, alfresco eating and live music, perfect for a family dinner, a relaxed evening with friends, or a post work wander.

A community meeting place supporting SME businesses, for residents and tourists alike.

Set amongst the beautiful palm tree walk ways, the Ripe Market at Umm Al Emarat Park brings the community together to experience a wide variety of talented local food concepts, local fashion designers, arts and crafts and bespoke jewellery to say the least. This year will be even bigger as the Ripe Market is closely partnering with Umm Al Emarat to bring more community focused activities for the entire family to enjoy.

In true Ripe Market style, we will be offering a platform for local musicians, artists and designers to engage with the local community. The sounds of acoustic

music will fill the air and provide a relaxed backdrop for your dining and shopping adventures.

With Dubai, we have some exciting news. We are looking at a new location which is central and will be purpose built for the market. The Market will be inside the Dubai Police Academy Park on Umm Suqeim Street and will operate every Friday & Saturday, 9am – 7pm. We are still working through what capacity the Ripe Market will be in Zabeel and Al Barsha Pond Park this season, but we hope to announce all the exact details soon, so keep your eyes peeled on our socials for more information!

Each week under the lush greenery of the newly built community park take your taste buds on a journey of local produce paradise.

From seasonal organic fruit and veg, to freshly baked bread, or eat at some of Dubai’s best loved food concepts, there’s a tasty treat for everyone. But we don’t stop there, we’re getting the whole community involved, with over 100 passionate SME businesses including the best artisans, designers, jewellers’, artists and creators in town. If you’re looking for entertainment we have, yoga classes, kids’ activities, a petting zoo, horse riding, workshops, live music and more!

RIPE ORGANIC – DATE SYRUP With a booming rise in health awareness, it comes as no surprise that people are looking for healthier sugar-alternatives. Date

syrup is a great newer option alongside maple and agave.

Aren’t we lucky to live in a date paradise?

Considering they are locally grown, fresh and heavenly, you should add it to your shopping list. If you have some time on your hands you can simply make your own!

Date syrup is made by adding water to soak the dates. It is then heated up, blended and filtered. The final stage of the process requires evaporating extra water to get the gooey consistency and beautiful dark caramel color. Date syrup contains vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and amino acids. It is especially high in potassium and iron.

You can use it on pancakes, yogurt, or oatmeal. Incorporate it in some of your baking recipes too.

Pick it up at your nearest Ripe store or order online! ■ We are really excited to now offer same day delivery across Dubai! You can also find all of our products and more at our farm shops across the Emirate of Dubai: Al Manara [Open seven days a week; Sunday – Saturday | 8am – 8pm] Town Centre Jumeirah [Open seven days a week; Sunday – Saturday | 10am – 10pm] Shoreline 8, Palm Jumeirah [Open seven days a week; Sunday – Saturday | 10am – 10pm]

OVERNIGHT OATS • 1 tablespoon almond butter • 1/2 cup coconut or almond milk • 1/2 cup chopped strawberries and Cashew Nuts • Drizzle of Ripe Organic Date Syrup

REC IPE

Ingredients: • 1/3 cup old-fashioned oats • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon • 1 tablespoon chia seeds 40

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Method: • In a jar or bowl combine the old fashioned-oats, chia seeds and nut butter.

Add a splash of the milk and mix the nut butter into the oats. Then add the rest of the milk and stir to combine.

• Place the lid on the jar and refrigerate overnight, or up to 5 days.

• When you’re ready to serve, top with strawberries and chopped Cashew nuts and add a drizzle of date syrup and enjoy chilled.

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METHOD:

Step 1: Using sunflower oil, sautee the red onions, ginger, chillies till translucent and soft, add mustard seeds and cook futher for 5 minutes.

Step 2: Place half of the beetroot in a deep pan, add water bay leaves and peppercorns, cook till soft, peel and slice using a mandoline and place aside.

With the outdoor Season starting

THE CYCLE BISTRO has some healthy recipes and tips for you Prepared by: Chef Wisdom Mwandoe

Healthy food is required for healthy living. Eating provides your body with the vital nutrients that it needs to function on a daily basis.

Dosa, a savoury staple food of South India, is considered as a healthy food item. Known as the pancake of India, the flavor of dosa is relished by people all over the country. It is a versatile dish. The tasty pancake can be eaten for breakfast, dinner, or even as a snack item. The Cycle Bistro has twisted it in line with our paleo principles. Enjoy!

PALEO DOSA

Ingredients

Unit

Quantity

Step 6: Bake the sweet potato in the oven till soft, peel and grate using a grater.

Step 9: To make the coconut chutney, chop the lime leaves and the chillies finely, mix with the coconut yogurt add lemon juice salt and pepper to taste.

Step 10: For dosa wrap mixture, add all the ingredients together, starting with the dry followed by the wet ingredients, place in a food processor and blend well.

Section within Kitchen Number of portions

HOT 10

Category

BREAKFAST

Shelf life

2-3 DAYS

Black pepper

gms

400

Beetroot

gms

30

Red onion

gms

20

Ingredients

Unit

Quantity

Ginger

gms

8

Black pepper

gms

5

Chopped parsley

gms

5

Coriander seeds

gms

10

Mustard seeds

gms

3

White vinegar

gms

20

Cashewnuts

gms

15

Cinnamon stick

gms

5

Green chillies

gms

3

Water

gms

150

Salt

gms

To taste

Honey

gms

20

Black pepper

gms

PICKLING LIQUER

COCONUT CHUTNEY

Step 11: Place a non stick pan add sunflower oil and make thin pancakes.

Step 12: While serving heat the dosa mix in a pan or oven till hot, place in the middle of the dosa pancake, fold like an envelope.

Step 13: Garnish with the pickled beetroot.

Step 14: Serve with the coconut chutney.

Step 15: Good for 10 persons.

Ingredients

Unit

Quantity

Coconut cream

gms

30

Ingredients

Unit

Quantity

Eggs

gms

2

Lime Leaves

gms

3

Arrow root

gms

40

Salt

gms

To taste

Sunflower oil

gms

60

Pepper

gms

To taste

Coconut flour

gms

40

Lemon Juice

gms

5

Salt

gms

To taste

Green chillies

gms

3

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Step 5: Leave the pickling liquer to cool down, add to the raw beetroot and leave to pickle for minimum 2 hours.

Step 8: Mix both the cooked beetroot mix, baked sweet potato and bind with chopped parsley.

gms

42

Step 4: To make a pickling liquer, place all the ingredients in a pot, place on the stove and bring it to boil, immediately remove from heat.

Step 7: In a separate tray place the cashewnut in the oven and roast until they turn golden brown, dry hot pan can be used too.

Sweet potato

PALEO WRAP

Step 3: The other half of the beetroot peel, slice julienne using a japanese mandoline and place in a clean container raw.

Calories: 580

Fats: 46 grams Carbohydrates: 104 grams Protein: 9 grams

Located at The Cycle Bistro, Dubai Motor City Call: 04 425 3000 Website: www.thecyclebistro.com info@thecyclebistro.com facebook.com/thecyclebistro instagram.com/thecyclebistro The Cycle Bistro GPS location: Latitude: N 25° 02.792 Longitude: E 055° 14.384

LIFESTYLE

Words by: Haris Anwar

Inspired by the travel legend’s stories, a group of adventure lovers from Dubai formed ‘Let’s Drive’ a club of enthusiastic travelers who explore the nature and the world together at their own pace driving across deserts, wadis, mountain ranges and more interestingly across cultures through their international and intercontinental overland road trips.

The club started on Meetup in December 2014. With the overwhelming response to their activities, currently more than 2500 people have subscribed to its membership from the UAE, 15000+ people currently follow the group on social media and the group hopes to get bigger, better, and bolder in its adventures after its recent successful road trips across Middle East, Europe, Russia and Africa.

There are several types and levels of activities conducted by Let’s Drive on weekends and holidays and its open to all whether you are a beginner or a skilled adventure driver, there is always something to suit your

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level and interest. The activities range from driving to the deserts, wadis, mountains for camping, movie nights, photography, iftar/ suhoor amidst the calmness of surrounding nature and interesting engagement activities with people of similar interest from 40 nationalities. A close to 100 recreational trips have been executed successfully so far including trips/activities to cater social responsibilities like Learners Desert Drive - safe driving tips and skills, Wadi & Desert

Cleaning - keeping the nature clean, Helping others - fill the community fridge.

Our unique experiences in adventure driving have brought us to the attention of national media – Our drives have been featured in Khaleej Times, Gulf News, Al Bayan, Gulf Times, DubaiWeek.ae, MBC Arabia, Radio Spice 105.4, Radio Suno 102.4, BigFM 106.2 and Time Out Dubai.

The social media reach of posts from these drives has counted over 50,000.

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“This is only our beginning to scale the extreme. As our experience grows, our travelling will become more radical,” said Jamal, a banker, who is the group co-founder and a lead Marshal of the club. The organizing team is experienced in most kinds of adventure driving, not only have they mastered off-roading skills, the long driving has also tested their road skills.

Let’s Drive team along with its members has travelled through more than 25 countries including Iran, Azerbaijan, Russia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czechia, Germany, Switzerland, Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, Austria, Italy, Spain, France, Luxembourg, Belgium, Netherlands, Morocco and more.

The team takes pride not only in completing these drives successfully but also in the way of closely following and respecting all rules and regulations of each country while driving across them. Though there were challenges in communication at several border posts and delays due to documentation requirements, the team demonstrated patience and sincerity in completing all local processes and procedures.

Let’s Drive does it for the love of driving, exploration, and to promote road trips as a better way to experience the world. On the

OCTOBER - NOVEMBER 2018 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

international journeys the team engages with people on the way and meets interesting people around the world. During their international travels the team kept some miniatures and travel books, which were gifted to the people who they met on their way. It helps promoting the culture and any ongoing campaigns: #ReadingNation #YearofZayed in Dubai and UAE and provides opportunity to other enthusiasts with common passion to team up.

These adventure activities opened doors to the UAE locals and expatriate enthusiasts for participation and provided an opportunity to drive together on some of the most scenic routes in the world”. People in UAE can join this group for local fun and adventure activities conducted over weekends. To learn more about the team and their drive details check out the links at the end of this story.

Let’s Drive likes to take over-

land journeys and interesting country grand tours in various parts of the world.

“We never build 100% fixed tour plans to preserve the taste of adventure and exploration, this avoids any boundation to be at a certain place by a certain time. We live every moment of the tour: says Group Marshal Abdul Rafey.

At Lets Drive, we believe that everyone has a passion and many a times hidden behind the regular busy schedules, so while we live our passion we also encourage people we meet around the world to love their passion and live their passion.

Let’s Drive looks forward to gaining more heights in the area of adventure tourism in Dubai and beyond in the coming year through following their passion to drive and explore the world. www.letsdrivegroup.com www.meetup.com/LetsDrive www.facebook.com/letsdrivegroup www.instagram.com/letsdrivegroup

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THE

OFF-ROADERS corner

Jamal Waris Khan Nationality: Indian Occupation: Internal Control Auditor, Dubai Islamic Bank Vehicle: FJ Cruiser TRD

Tell us the background story of the car…

Perhaps the only FJ Cruiser TRD in UAE that has been driven in more than 25 countries from one end to the other in 3 continents on its wheels while covering more than 20,000 kms in overland journey, high altitude mountain passes in Switzerland, Germany and Austria, cross country drives and crossed almost all deserts in the country.

How long have you been enjoying the FJ experience?

I have driven Toyota’s TRD-SPEC FJ Cruiser, both on-road and off-road for more than 10 years now, only to conclude upon it as a wise choice of a SUV when it comes to driving performance whether on-road or off-road.

What makes you love this car the most, any unique features…

From my experience, there are some quite seriously useful modifications to make it an obvious choice for a new-gen off-roader with regular driving needs.

The makeover of FJ to FJ TRD makes it more suited for the purpose it was originally built for, while some modifications can be spotted easily on the interior and exterior looks, while technical features have upgraded significantly like wheels, suspension, fuel tank, air compressor and more.

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Talking about off-roading capacities, which features make it stand-out when compared to other SUVs.

Rocks - The TRD suspension including the shocks and coils contribute to a good 9.7 inch clearance which doesn’t only add to the visuals but works seriously to make it a better crawler in rocks coupled with an under-body skid plate security. We have tested it deep into rocky wadis of Oman.

Desert - There is the built-in air compressor for inflating tires after desert driving, which was much awaited too. We at Let’s Drive have completed more than 100 drives across all deserts of UAE including Abu Dhabi’s Liwa belt known as the ‘empty quarter’.

With the powerful 4.0 V6 engine and the relatively low weight with a shorter Wheel Base, TRD delivers a fantastic power to weight ratio, and not to stop here, it has a very good torque capacity of 377Nm which keeps the wheels turning where the sand is soft and pulling is heavy.

Other than off-roading, does it suit well to other purposes or needs?

Wherever you are, the FJ TRD never gives up.

It has it all to make it a perfect road-tripper.

I have taken 2 overland journeys on this FJ Cruiser TRD with my group called Let’s Drive from Dubai travelling to more than 25 countries and 3 continents with terrains ranging from the most serious desert drives in Liwa to high altitude mountain passes in Italy, Austria and Switzerland to the autobahns in Germany to remote roads in Russia, NOT ONE SPOT, did the TRD make me feel that the terrain is anything more than a ‘walk in the park’. It may not be the best choice for city drivers but it can do well for one’s daily city use with its softer utility features like navigation system, rear parking camera on the infotainment screen, cruise control, a refined music system etc.

Talking about road trips, what you will find not so easily is frequent fill ups especially when you are driving down in the remote areas of a country as big as Russia, FJ has just got it covered with its dual tank 159L (72L + 87L). What a blessing.

What would you say about the looks?

TRD has improved exterior looks including the much appreciated fender flares, 17 inch alloy wheels, and chromed exhausts to name a few.

The interior definitely got enhanced with the new inclinometer, gear shift knob and other cosmetics. ■

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

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Fairooz Hussain Mallahi Nationality: UAE Occupation: Senior Branch Manager at EmiratesNBD Vehicle: Jeep Wrangler Sahara 2014

Tell us the background story of the car…

I had been seeing Jeeps around since the childhood and always found it a remarkable and a must have one dream ride since forever. I bought my first Jeep Wrangler in 2014 which was a current year model and then changed to a fourdoor Jeep Wrangler Unlimited in 2016.

What modifications have been made, performance and cosmetic wise?

• Fox Performance Series 2.0 Stage 2 Suspensions • Rock Crawler 3.0 Lift Kit • Rock Crawler Lower Front and Lower Back Control Arms • Fox Steering Stabilizer • FUEL Brand Rims 17” • Dual Battery System • Built In ARB Dual Air Compressor for Tyre Inflation • Cooper AT/3 Tyres • Rubicon Hood • Rubicon Front Bumper • Rigid Lights • Opposite Lock Front Lights • And the list goes on

Do you have something that you consider to be a ‘special feature’ of the car?

Unique looks, performance and endless modification and accessories addition options.

What were your other options before you bought this car?

Nissan Patrol and Toyota FJ

How often do you use your car, and what activities do you take part in?

Mostly for desert drives, mountains drive, overnight camping, and also for daily uses.

there are always opportunities to modify and add new things ... and that’s always fun and a never get bored process.

What 4x4 do you dream of owning?

The all new Jeep Wrangler Unlimited 2019 known as JLU. ■ Want your 4X4 to be the next feature? Just send us an email at editor@outdooruae.com with the subject “Off-Roaders Corner” and you and your car might just be the next one on this page!

Are you planning any future modifications?

With Jeeps it’s a never ending story and

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

PRODUCTS

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A ROUND-UP OF QUALITY PRODUCTS AVAILABLE RIGHT HERE IN THE UAE

AOR Universal Orange HD Recovery Sand Plate Set

Trektop NX Glide Twill, Jeep Wrangler

Available at Ramy 4x4 Al Quoz Industrial #4, Dubai Al Musaffah, Abu Dhabi

Available at Ramy 4x4 Al Quoz Industrial #4, Dubai Al Musaffah, Abu Dhabi

An ideal recovery accessory for freeing a vehicle stuck in sand or mud or any type of soft ground.

To be placed under the driving tires when in need.

2 PCS in each set

Inspired by the most popular soft top in the market since 2012 – the Trektop NX – the Trektop NX Glide brings together versatility, durability, and extreme ease of operation – plus several patent-pending technologies exclusive to Bestop. The result is a whole new level of performance in a soft top that has state-of-the-art styling and function to match.

473 AED | Was: 788 AED

User Manuals: Remove the sand away from UNDER the tyres using a shovel or your hands. / Place the sand plates under the driving tyres (left and right side). / Drive the car forward or backward depending on terrain conditions.

Coleman 8 Position Chair 250 AED

Available at shops across the UAE With eight positions to recline in, you’ve got options that go from light relaxation to a deep snooze just by inclining your Pioneer 8 Position Flat Fold Chair. And the fully padded seat and backrest will give you support wherever you need it most.

Features 50mm open cell foam padding | Fully padded seat and backrest | 8 position reclining backrest | High Backrest | Include a heavy duty carry bag for easy transport & storage | 130Kg weight rating.

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5,963 AED | Was: 4,195 AED

Coleman Instant Tent 4 Person: 499 AED 6 Person: 599 AED 8 Person: 899 AED

Available at shops across the UAE Adventure is moments away when you set up the Coleman® 4-Person Instant Cabin. Pre-attached poles make setup a simple matter of unfold, extend and secure, so your cabin and the integrated, vented rain fly are ready in about 60 seconds.

If it rains, the Weather Tec™ system and its patented welded floors and inverted seams will help you stay dry. Inside, there's enough room to stretch out on a queen-sized airbed, and two storage pockets help to keep small items organized. When it's time to head home, the tent easily packs up into an expandable carry bag with a rip strip until you're off on your next adventure.

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PRODUCTS ARB LINX Vehicle Accessory Interface 3,465 AED

Available at ARB Emirates Abu Dhabi and Dubai Branch A unique modern controller that declutters the dashboard, centralizes the command of vehicle accessories by replacing classic switches, gauges, and monitors with one sleek and smart driver interface. Built on an expandable platform, LINX will continue to evolve your on and off road driving experience both now and into the future, Enhancing a modern 4x4 with a range of accessories, such as driving lights, Air Lockers, dual batteries and air compressors can quickly lead to a dash full of out of place, hard to reach switches and a myriad of gauges and monitors either stuck to the windshield or drilled into the dashboard.

ARB Weekender Recovery Kit 525 AED

Available at ARB Emirates Abu Dhabi and Dubai Branch Introducing the ARB RK12 Weekender Recovery kit. With a slim design, this simple kit can be easily stored in any vehicle, keeping vital recovery equipment on hand for when the need arises.

The kit includes the high-quality ARB 17,500 lb vehicle recovery strap (ARB705LB), which won several recovery strap tests in Australia and around the world. It also includes two type “S” galvanized 4.75t rated shackles, one set of leather gloves and a rugged PU coated cotton canvas recovery bag with dual internal pockets bathed in the ARB topographic styling.

POLAR VANTAGE V

HERO7 Black

Available at December at GO SPORT UAE and www.gritandtonic.com

Available at all major retailers in the UAE

2,299 AED

POLAR VANTAGE V –Polar’s new cutting-edge sensor fusion technology combines optical heart rate measurement with skin contact measurement to provide accurate heart rate monitoring even in the most demanding conditions. The Polar Vantage multisport watches are designed to help every ambitious, goal-oriented athlete reach their full potential. No matter what your chosen sport is, the Polar Vantage series will provide you the data you need so that you can focus on what’s important: the hard work itself.

1,649 AED

Freakishly smooth footage. Smart‑capture superpowers.

Battle‑tested 1080p240 and waterproof without a housing. This is HERO7 Black, the most advanced GoPro ever. With Hyper Smooth stabilization, you’ll get gimbal like video—without the gimbal. A new intelligent photo mode delivers the best, most brilliant images automatically. And now with live streaming and the GoPro app, you can share every amazing moment as you live it. HERO7 Black takes GoPro performance—and your photos and videos—to a whole new level.

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PRODUCTS BBB Airstrike DGT

Alpinestars Neck Brace BNS PRO

Available at Go Sport, Adventure HQ, YAS Cycles and Sport In Life Showroom.

Available at Al Yousuf Motors Across UAE

369 AED

The AirStrike is an extra long floor pump which inflates to 11 bar / 160 psi.

The extremely accurate digital pressure gauge with backlight displays bar and psi. It comes with Twist Headpumphead with air-release, a unique screw-on valve system which fits Presta, Schrader and Dunlop valves. Steel barrel with an overall length of 70 cm. The steel foot ensures extra stability with rubber pad for floor grip and protection. 120 cm high pressure rubber hose.

Constructed from an advanced, performance fiberglass resin to offer structural integrity and frame strength against heavy impact energies during a crash. Lightweight performance and comfort while riding. Resilience to low temperatures, below 0°CDesigned to provide a customizable, secure and personalized fit with SAS (Size Adapter System) for a versatile fitment in size ranges XS-M and L-XL. Lycra®-laminated foam padding kits are adaptable and interchangeable EVA foam pads. Strap system; light strap worn over or under a jersey.

Jobe Aero LIKA 9.4 Inflatable SUP PACKAGE

Jobe CHIPPER MULTI POSITION BOARD with Handle

Available at Al Yousuf Motors Across UAE

Available at Al Yousuf Motors Across UAE

Either beginner or advanced lightweight user you can find your way into SUP with this super lightweight and highly accessible board. Making use of a non-detachable thruster fin system the 9.4 SUP is ready to go as it is and supremely maneuverability.

Unzip your accessory SUP bag, inflate the board and you’re good to go and start paddling! This SUP is perfect for flat water conditions.

Specification: • Board Incl. Rope with Handle.

• Plastic Roto molded.

• Tow point For Easy Starts And Touring.

• Nylon Webbing Side Handle.

• Comfortable Eva Traction Pad Provides A Great.

• Foothold.

• All-In-One Product.

• Size: 100Cm.

1,995 AED | Was: 4,510 AED

• Length: 9’4 • Width: 30 • Thickness: 4 Board • Volume: 165L • Recommended Rider • Weight: up to 80 kg • Board Weight: 7.2 Kg * Package includes: Inflatable Board, Paddle, Air pump, Fins, leash, repair kit & bag

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1,255 AED | Was: 1,420 AED

OUTDOORUAE

995 AED | Was: 1,360 AED

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PRODUCTS Alpinestars Tech 10 Liberty Boots LE (Ltd Edition)

Nolan N100.5 Consistency Scratched, flip up helmet

Available at Al Yousuf Motors Across UAE

Available at Al Yousuf Motors Across UAE

Size: US 8-11 The one-piece co-injected foot chassis incorporates five different advanced polymer compounds in a single streamlined and lightweight piece to offer strength and flexibility throughout the structure, while maintaining its robust structural integrity with no joints or weak points. Frontal protection features a dual closure system with an internal microfiber flap, plus Velcro for a precise fit closure attached securely with a micro-adjustable, easy to operate, lightweight buckle. Innovative biomechanical inner ankle brace features medial and lateral “C” torsion bars to control ankle and leg rotation, while allowing freedom of movement

Size: S-XL The Nolan N100-5 is the successor to the popular N104 and N104 EVO modular helmets.

Alpinestars Mustang V2 Racing Gloves

BenQ TK800

2,450 AED | Was: 2,890 AED

400 AED | Was: 500 AED

Available at Al Yousuf Motors Across UAE Size: S-XXL Featuring a newly evolved design with a new cuff closure and increased accordion stretch inserts, the CE certified Mustang v2 Leather Gloves Hook and loop wrist closure.

Ergonomic stretch insert on palm. Thumb and palm reinforcement for a superior grip made from advanced poly blend. Touch screen compatible fingertip. Simple urban styling with embossed logo.

Full leather construction, plus perforation zones for improved breathability. Side reinforcement in synthetic suede. Hard PVC knuckle covered by leather. Stretch accordion inserts on fingers and sidewall for better comfort.

1,545 AED | Was: 2,050 AED

Features • Polycarbonate shell • P/J homologation means the helmet can be used either with the chin guard open (J) or closed (P) • Ultra wide face shield • Pin lock fog-resistant face shield (Pin lock insert lens included) • VPS sun shield with UV 400 protection, molded out of LEXAN, scratch resistant and fog-resistant • Ventilation system with Air booster Technology with chin guard air intake and rear extractors.

• Chin guard rotation with elliptical trajectory • Dual-action chin guard opening system • Micro lock double lever chin strap retention system.

• Removable and washable neck roll • Fully removable and washable Clima Comfort interior liner

5,775 AED with free installation Available at all leading electronics retail outlets Are you still watching your favorite sports, games and movies on the small screen? C’mon you are living in Dubai – the land of the largest, the fastest, and the highest. Isn’t it time you brought home the bigger picture?

Take home the BenQ TK800 today and enjoy your Truly Immersive 4K Big-Screen Entertainment. The BenQ TK800 Projector is meticulously engineered to deliver breathtaking picture quality, custom-tailored audiovisual modes, and easy setup flexibility with modern style ushering today’s families to heart-pounding 4K UHD sports action and movies in the comfort of well-lit living rooms or backyards or even the exciting outdoors.

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PRODUCTS Icepeak Women’s Willis

Chaco Men’s Z1 Classic

Available at Adventure HQ, Time Square

Available at Adventure HQ, Time Square; www.souq.com

Product description Waterproof with PU. Rubber outsole.

Breathable, flexible and soft Lycra lining for comfort.

Waterproof A.W.S film between the surface material and the lining keeps your feet dry even in challenging weather conditions. The soft and lightweight Phylon midsole absorbs shocks and provides support. Removable insole. Soft material in the collar and in the evening increases comfort.. Supports and protectors provide reinforcements in the tip and base of the shoe.

Product description Streamlined and dependable since 1989, our Classic series is comprised of only 8 component parts, making for the simple, timeless sandal design that made our name. Every pair comes standard with adjustable straps that custom-fits to your foot, plus our podiatrist-certified LUVSEAT™ PU footbed for all-day comfort and support.

Now featuring ChacoGrip™ rubber for our best performing Classic outsole to date. Experience our Classic Sandal like never before.

Marmot Men’s Tullus Jacket

ERGON SM Sport Gel Women berry

Available at Adventure HQ TimeSquare

Available at noon.com; frontiersports-me.com, yallaoutdoor.com

Product description All-around warmth and comfort will make this streamlined down jacket your go-to apparel of choice on chilly days – even in less-than-dry conditions thanks to the protective qualities of Marmot Down Defender technology.

An MTB comfort saddle especially for women providing additional comfort thanks to its large gel pads in the sitting area – for Tours, All-Mountain and Enduro. Maximum relief in the sensitive areas. Sportive comfort padding, flat rear section and freedom of movement in the typical moderately bent MTB position. Reduced-friction sliding flanks allow quick changes of position.

390 AED

670 AED

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365 AED

383 AED

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PRODUCTS Drum Grill

Stanley Travel Mug

Available at Speedex stores in AQ, DIP and DFC

Available at Speedex stores in AQ, DIP and DFC

The Drum Grill is the original oil drum barbecue.

Small: Height 58cm, Diameter 40cm Medium: Height 82cm, Diameter 46cm Big: Height 87cm, Diameter 57cm

The Stanley Mountain 0.35L Switchback Mug features a grit guard that covers your drink surface during travel and an over molded finger loop that carries with one finger or easily clips to packs. It also features a push-button lid that lets you open, drink, and close it with one hand. It is car cup compatible and dishwasher safe.

Small | Medium | Big: 799-1,099 AED

The Drum Grill is a barbecue, fire pit and a side table so it will give your evening plenty of fun with friends and family!

It is very convenient in its use. Ready to fire (no assembling needed). Comes in three sizes

145 AED

Features: • Leak Proof • 18/8 stainless steel won’t rust; naturally BPA-free • Double Wall Vacuum • Lifetime Warranty • Trigger Action 5 Hours Hot

BBQ Fire Box 12" Pizza

Naish 2018 Quest soft top 10’8”

Available at Speedex stores in AQ, DIP and DFC

Available at www.kitesurfsup.com

This La Hacienda BBQ Firebox 12" Pizza Oven is the perfect accessory for transforming the way you cook at barbecue parties. Not only can you cook tasty artisan Italian style pizzas but you can also cook fish, bread, meat, vegetables and much more! As soon as you bring the box home, it is ready to go as soon as you take it out of the box. Place it on your barbecue, leave it to rapidly heat up and is ready to use after approximately 5 minutes. Your guests won't be hungry for long as it cooks pizza in less than 5 minutes and they will love the taste of gorgeous homemade pizza.

With a recessed deck and full rails. Quest 10’8” delivers great versatility and stability. The longboard-style outline features a single-concave nose, which flows into a double-concave midsection and V tail, making it a great choice for everything from flatwater cruising, to surfing ankle-slapper waves, to charging double-overhead surf. The Quest 10’8” features plugs in the nose area which accommodate a bungee storage system to secure precious cargo.

535 AED

3,795 AED

Length: 10’8" / 325.1 cm Width: 30" / 76.2 cm Weight: 25.8 lbs / 11.7 kg

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PRODUCTS Naish Alana Beach bag 129 AED

Available at www.kitesurfsup.com Comfy over the shoulder Ladies Beach Tote Bag, light weight.

With Leather look exterior with Hawaiin design. Soft light blue fur inner with 2 side pockets inside, plus secure zip top. High quality and built to last. Measurements are 35cm x 35cm x 15cm. Designed in Hawaii by Naish International.

2,799 AED

Available at www.kitesurfsup.com Developed by the Naish team, the Thrust KS Foil is fast and stable. Naish’s unique stabilizer adjustment system allows to entire set up to be optimally tuned for individual riders. The long (90 cm) extruded alloy mast can be retrofitted to any style box system. This deceptively clean design has dominated our side-byside testing.

Restube Sports - your inflatable buoy

Throne 12L

Available at restube@flipsideglobal.com

Available at Adventure HQ, Yalloutdoor.com

The Restube idea - buoyancy wherever you go.

You wear the little pouch on a belt or attached to your equipment. One pull on the release and the yellow rescue buoy inflates within seconds via a CO2 cartridge. Now you have buoyancy, you can attract attention, pass it on to someone else or rest and swim back to shore. There you can fold up the buoy, equip it with a new cartridge and stow it in the little pouch. Your Restube is ready for use again. The safety that helmets offer skiers, snowboarders and cyclists - Restube gives to everyone in or around water for more freedom and water safety. Till today Restube has saved more than 30 lives.

The Vango Throne 12L is ideal for camping if you want to avoid mid-night trips to the campsite toilets. A high-density construction and ergonomic seat make it strong and durable, holding a maximum of 200kgs, yet comfortable to use. The piston pump, which allows for 3 directions of flush, improves the efficiency of the flush as well as the cleanliness of the toilet.

A detachable waste tank makes for easy cleaning. To empty the tank without splashing, press and hold the air pressure release button with your thumb while the pour out spout is pointing downwards, always use the air release button when emptying the waste tank. A storage bag is also included, increasing ease of transportation.

295 AED

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Naish 2018 Thrust Kite Foil Complete

OUTDOORUAE

761 AED

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PRODUCTS Specialized Riprock Coaster 12

Specialized Mio Helmet

Available at The Cycle Hub shop Dubai, Motor City, Autodrome

Available at The Cycle Hub shop Dubai, Motor City, Autodrome

With our Riprock Coaster 12, riding gets boiled down to its simplest element—fun. And to make sure of it, It was designed with tons of cool features that are easy for your little ones to use, like a coaster brake for simple stopping, wide 12x2.3" tires that increase stability and confidence, and tough components that will stand up to years of abuse. It's the perfect bike for your little ripper to start getting out on the trail with—we just wish that we had one when we were kids.

Perfect for toddlers on the move, the Mio helmet features bold graphics, a revolutionary magnetic buckle that prevents pinching, and the Headset SC fit system for an easy, secure fit.

Headset SC fit system with toddler-oriented sizing that's designed for an easy and accurate fit. In-molded shell improves strength and reduces weight.Magnetic buckle improves comfort and allows parents easy and secure strap attachment that helps to prevent pinching.

Specialized Align Helmet

Men’s Sirrus Alloy

Available at The Cycle Hub shop Dubai, Motor City, Autodrome

Available at The Cycle Hub shop Dubai, Motor City, Autodrome

If certified protection at an amazing value isn’t reason enough, this feature-rich Align helmet also includes the Headset SX dial fit system for easy fit adjustment and our 4th Dimension Cooling System for incredible ventilation.One-size system, designed for easy and accurate fit to a wide range of head sizes. Headset SX fit system with micro-adjustable dial for easy, secure, and accurate fit.4th Dimension Cooling System optimizes ventilation.

If you're going to get in shape, you need to move, and nothing wants to help you move faster than our Sirrus with hassle-free V-brakes. It takes a no- nonsense approach to its design, giving you everything that you need and nothing that you don't.

The A1 Premium Aluminum construction is plenty durable, while the rack, fender, and disc mounts give you an incredibly versatile package. V-brakes are dependable and easy to maintain,so you won’t have to worry about brake bleeds orlabor-intensive maintenance to have awesome stopping power.

950 AED

205 AED

215 AED

2,200 AED

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Need Now, Need Soon or Just Want?

Words by: Marina Bruce Photos by: Neil Bruce and Catherine Gibson-Poole

So, you’ve arrived in the UAE, discovered that there are wonderful deserts all around and cannot wait to get out there! Alf Mabrook (1000 congratulations)! You’ve spent time researching your ideal car, considered your family/daily ride/prospective offroad needs, bought it, registered it and it’s in your driveway ready to go. Next thing to do is invest in a few accessories but I suggest you start by splitting your shopping list into three categories.

NEED NOW - Things you should consider before your first off-road trip.

A BASHPLATE - If you are buying a second hand offroader there is a good chance it will have a bashplate fitted already, but if you don’t then get one. It’s really important to protect the underside of your engine, particularly the sump and radiator, against any impacts – more likely when you have just started offroading. Buy a strong one, ideally 6mm or 8mm.

RECOVERY POINTS – these are not always fitted as standard, even on some 4x4 vehicles! Note that the tie down points are not strong enough to withstand snatching operations so check yours and upgrade as required.

SHOVELS – always have more than one; it’s part of the passenger’s fare to help dig you out of stucks! The folding ones are passable, but you will get on much better with a larger lightweight one which will move more sand quickly.

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JACK PLATE – (a plate to put under your jack) - Should you need to change a tyre in the desert you’ll need one of these as your jack will just sink into the sand once it starts to bear your car’s weight. I have seen and used all sorts of plates – a piece of 25mm hardboard, a piece of metal (with the edges buffed down), a high lift jack based used upside down, and my favourite, a 25mm thick plastic chopping board.

BUNGEE CORDS/CARGO NET – it’s important to have everything tied down in your car to protect everyone inside. If yours comes to an abrupt halt everything not tied down will go flying and could injure you or your passengers! Also, ensure you have enough points to tie them down to.

TYRE GAUGE – deflating your tyres to a suitable pressure is vital for sand dune driving but to start with a key to press on the valve stem and a good gauge will do. Later on, you can buy tools to remove the valve stem and tell you the correct pressure.

A COMPRESSOR – go for one which clips directly onto your battery as the ones which plug into your cigarette lighter are more suitable for emergencies where you have one flat tyre! Not everyone in your group will need one but always make sure you have at least one compressor in your convoy as sometimes a tyre will “pop off” a rim and you will need a decent compressor to pop it back on!

Not vehicle related, but important for

passengers and driver alike- a cool box is essential to keep water and drinks cool on your desert travels – thicker walled ones will keep stuff cooler for longer!

NEED SOON - Things you need sooner rather than later SNATCH STRAP - Good quality snatch straps are available for as little as 350 AED and these, along with two rated shackles (which fit the holes in your car’s recovery points), are a sound purchase which, when used properly, will last for a few seasons.

Note: you want a snatch strap, not a lifting sling or a towrope. Make sure you are shown how to use them properly, either by an experienced driver or manufacturer’s You Tube videos.

A LIFT - If your car is not lifted, then consider lifting it – many models can be lifted by 1.5 or 2” using suspension. Doesn’t sound much but that extra inch or two could be the difference between clearing a bowl or ridge and bumper damage. Do some serious research before you buy as there are so many systems out there.

WHEEL SPACERS - Some cars have a high centre of gravity and once lifted, benefit from wheel spacers to increase the width of the wheelbase. Available in various widths, these might make your wheels protrude beyond the body, which means you will need fender flares before your car’s next registration test.

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ALL TERRAIN TYRES – For some reason, most 4x4s come with highway terrain tyres when they are new, but these are never the best for offroad. If you plan to drive on sand frequently then purchase ATR/ATS tyres with a soft sidewall which will give a wide area of contact when deflated. Conversely, if you plan on doing a lot of rock/wadi/mountain driving then get yourself a set of ATR tyres with strong sidewalls and an “aggressive” tread as these will withstand impact with small rocks and stones. There are tyres out there which are ok on sand as well as on rock, though, like with all compromises, they are not perfect for both!

A TENT – If you plan on staying overnight then a good tent is essential. I recommend you buy one which is very easy to put up and take down, and large enough for your family. For those driving overland or on rocks then a rooftent is also good; you don’t need to worry about finding a level rock-free site before turning in each night! I am not too keen on rooftents for big sand dune trips though, as putting a lot of weight on top of your car affects the centre of gravity, which causes a problem if you have to sideslope a dune.

A GPS – There is so much choice now, either an app which works on or offline using your phone (or even better, a 7” or 10” tablet), as well as a stand-alone dedicated GPS device.

I love my Garmin Montana which works faultlessly everywhere!

Things you probably want but are not really essential…until you have caught the desert bug and are there every weekend!

A ROOFRACK – Buy a good one which is rated to carry at least 100kg. Cheap ones will disintegrate very fast, whereas good ones will last for years.

AN AWNING – There are lots out there from standard pull out rectangular ones to the top of the range wing style ones. Great for picnics and short stops when exploring.

Once you have one you will wonder how you ever managed without it.

EXTRA LIGHTING – Makes night driving so much easier whether you are driving short distances out after an evening barbecue or full-on night driving then they are a worthwhile purchase. Make sure you have them covered when on the road, or at least when you go to get the vehicle tested for registration.

JERRYCANS/HOLDER – Once you are going long distance, unless of course you are blessed with a 160 litre petrol tank, then you will need to carry extra fuel. It is highly recommended to carry it outside your car, either on your roofrack or on an external mount.

A HIGH LIFT JACK – Bought with a set of wheel lifters, which will make putting unseated tyres back onto the rim a very easy job indeed! You can also purchase a hand winch kit to turn it into a (very slow) winch!

A WINCH – Bought more to help other people more than yourself! Very handy thing to have but, as with all expensive purchases, do your research before committing your cash. Learn how to use it properly and also invest in a snatch block to make heavy recoveries easier.

A FRIDGE – so much better than coolboxes if you plan on disappearing into the desert or mountains for a few days at a time.

These come in various sizes but be sure that it will fit comfortably in your car before you purchase! Buy a good one as it can double up as a spare house fridge when you have a party! Do remember that the larger models will drain your battery overnight so you’ll need to add a dual battery system to your shopping list or turn it off before retiring for the night.

COSMETIC UPGRADES – For many of the most popular offroaders (Jeep Wranglers and Toyota FJ Cruisers immediately spring to mind here) there are endless kits and gadgets to improve the look and performance of your ride. Some of these will add value to your vehicle at resale time whereas many will just make your ride look ultra cool (and there’s nothing wrong with that!). ■

So whatever you get for your vehicle, enjoy the desert, stay safe and make memories that last for a lifetime!

Social Media Facebook: /DesertDivaUAE Twitter: @15shadesofsand Insta: thedesertdivame Blog: thedesertdiva.com

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DISCOVER OFF

THE BEATEN TRACK OMAN 5 night/6 day Oman Tour Words + Photos by: Marina Bruce

After many years of exploring Oman, I have teamed up with Muscat-based Ibex Adventures to deliver an interesting and varied tour of Oman.

The Sultanate is such a beautiful place with friendly people and fantastic things to discover and it has taken me many visits to build and refine this itinerary, so I can share my love of this country with others. Regular readers will have already followed me to many of these places through the pages of OutdoorUAE - now there is a chance to see these sights for yourself!

Open to tourists and expats alike, whether with their own car or through our car hire partners, we will lead you to some amazing off the beaten track sights over approximately 1800kms with 3 nights hotel stay and 2 nights wild camping.

DAY 1 Arrive in Ibri, explore the area and stay overnight at the Ibri Oasis Hotel DAY 2 Early breakfast, head southwards to the Umm As Sameem and the magnificent dunes of Oman’s Rub Al Khali. Overnight remote camp – 250kms from the nearest town! You can read about some of our previous visits in Outdoor UAE Nov ’16 and Mar ’17 – this is one of my favourite desert areas here!

Driving along Khaluf beach

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DAY 3 Break camp, head eastwards to Khaluf.

Short 1 hour pit stop at small hotel for a wash and brush up! Beach drive and overnight camping on the sugar dunes, wake up listening to the sound of the ocean!

DAY 4 Travel northwards over the Wahiba Sands, stopping for photos and to explore, before making our way to Ras Al Hadd Turtle Resort, overnight there DAY 5 Explore Sur, stop at Wadi Dayqah Dam, exploring and meandering as we go. Overnight at 4* Crowne Plaza OCEC Muscat (Optional for UAE guests who may wish to make their way back home)

Rub Al Khali

DAY 6 Tour of Sultan Qaboos Mosque and Mutrah.

End of tour.

PACKAGE 1 – includes hotels, all food, car hire and petrol, guide – 11,700 AED, based on 2 persons in 1 car PACKAGE 2 – includes 2 nights hotel stay, all food, guide – 7,200 AED, based on 2 persons in 1 car (optional last night in Crowne Plaza OCEC Muscat for 500 AED B&B) Payment by Bank Transfer, Mastercard or Visa ■ DATES OF TOUR • 8th December 2018 • 28th December 2018 • 10th January 2019 (closing date for bookings 1st November 2018) • 9th March 2019 • 6th April 2019 • Minimum number of cars required for trip to run – 3 • Maximum number of cars on trip – 5 guest cars For full details and to book your place in the convoy please email marina@desertdivaevents.com

DOWNLOAD

OFF-ROAD ROUTE

outdooruae.com/routes

Name

The Madinat Triangle

Author

Marina Bruce AKA The Desert Diva

Distance

Offroad 35kms

Average Time to Complete

1-2 hours with no stops

Route Grade

Very easy

Suitable for families or kids

Absolutely

Vehicle requirements

4x4 or AWD Map Image - Google Earth

The Madinat Zayed Triangle is a very easy route, with occasional patches of very soft sand, which takes you into beautiful remote desert whilst still receiving a 3G (Etisalat) signal. It’s an ideal route if you want to swap the hustle and bustle of the city for the stillness of the desert.

Start by filling up at Madinat Zayed Petrol station (TMTWP01), then head north until you are out of town before taking the slip road and roundabout (TMTWP02) towards Ghayathi. (If you are travelling from AD or Dubai, and have plenty of petrol, go direct to TMTWP02.)

Carry on driving out this road until you see TMTWP03 on the wrong side of the road; do a u-turn at the next roundabout to reach this, your deflation point.

Start by driving down the gatch track, then pick your route travelling from way-

point to waypoint. Be aware that there are a number of camel farms here and you may come across some wandering camels in the area; please drive slowly and with care. It’s ok to visit a camel farm and if you are lucky you may be offered fresh camel milk, tea or dates!

Waypoints TMTWP04-TMTWP08 are merely to keep you on course and it is ok to meander off the track line, as this area is typified by large plains with narrow dune lines running north-south. Choose your crossing points with care as there are some small bowls which could catch you out!

TMTWP09 sees you back on a gatch track, take a right at TMTWP10 and follow the track down to the Shams 1 Power Plant.

TMTWP11 sees you back on the highway and from there it is approximately 18kms back to the petrol station should you need to air up.

If you would like to camp for the night there are plenty of possibilities between TMTWP06 and 08 – but remember you do not want to camp downwind of a camel farm! ■

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Words by: Rasmus Ovesen Photos by: Rasmus Ovesen and Jure Ramovz

The Balkan region is home to Europe’s largest living trout species; the marble trout. This elusive fish has found its last stronghold in the gushing and gin-clear mountain rivers and chalk streams of the Balkan region, and it is perhaps the ultimate challenge for the fly fisherman.

IT’S BASICALLY AN IMPOSSIBLE CAST. I’m squeezed onto a small ridge draped by overhanging branches, and the fish is in deep water towards the opposite bank; some 25 meters from my narrow observation post. There, it’s hovering like a faint ghost along a depression in the riverbed surrounded by cold and translucent water – with the sun and an iridescent green canape of trees freshly burst into bloom above it.

A little cascade further downstream provides a mesmerizing and faintly murmuring background static of gurgling water. Other than that, the silence is deafening along the river banks in the surrounding mountain valley, which – because of its nutrient-rich topsoil and warm Adriatic Ocean-climate – comprises one of Slovenia’s most significant wine districts.

I’m inclined to leave the fish be and spare myself the humiliation but my good Slovenian friends Jure Ramovz and Matej Furlan, who are perched on their toes next to me, each send me unmistakably firm and commanding looks.

They estimate the fish at a little more than 60 centimetres, and since I haven’t caught fish in that calibre yet on this particular trip, I guess they feel that I owe it to myself to at least give it a try.

SLIGHTLY APATHETIC, I tie a weighted #20 Pheasant Tail nymph onto the 0,117mm tippet section of my six-meter plus fluorocarbon leader, take a deep breath, and suddenly feel how my blood is starting to trickle and fizz within the winding labyrinths of my veins. It’s as if something otherwise dwelling has been reawakened inside me, and while I pull line off the reel and carefully study the current, the actual position

of the holding spot and the necessary casting angle and line mend of the imminent cast, all my self-doubt slowly fades away.

I probably won’t have more than a single shot, and it’ll most likely culminate with me getting snagged in a tree or spooking the fish by landing the fly line and leader too abruptly - if I can even manage to reach the fish that is.

Nonetheless, there’s something almost inevitable about the miracle as I anchor the fly line by my side and send an underhand roll cast across the crystal-clear water; a hoovering, long cast that stretches the delicate leader some three meters upstream from the fish. Afterwards, it’s as if time stands still...

INFINITELY SLOW, the nymph is taken downstream by the current, falling freely through the river’s seamless water masses, on a collision course straight towards the fish. The wait is almost painful! My heart thunders away inside its cage of bone and marrow, while my eyes desperately try to piece through the veil of the surface film to see if the fish makes any sudden movements.

Unfortunately, I get impatient. Certain that the fly has already passed the fish unnoticed, I begin to retrieve the line and lift the rod for another roll cast. In that very instance, the fish moves to the side and falls back into the current

with its jaws wide open. But it’s too late already!

The fly, which has been dragging behind on a dead-drift, now accelerates and the fish just barely misses it. I literally pull it out of its mouth! ”DAMN IT!” I hiss through my teeth out of sheer disappointment. And as I look up and meet Jure’s dilated eyes, I see that assorted Slovenian oaths and swearwords are about to escape from his mouth too. He has more self-control than I do, however. The only thing emanating from his lips is a series of guttural sounds of animal-like agitation – and, shortly after, as he comes to his full senses, he points silently towards the river with an eager look on his face. The fish has returned to its holding spot, seemingly unaffected by the incident.

Without any thought or hesitation, I send another cast across the river, once more surpassing myself. The cast lands impeccably some three meters above the fish; the nymph is taken slowly downstream by the current; and once I perceive the fly to be right in front of the fish, I lift the rod tip ever so slightly to make the nymph emerge a little bit in the water column.

The fish slides to the side and a bit upwards with its mouth suddenly wide open, and as it clamps its jaws shut again and turns towards its holding spot, I lift the rod and am instantly met by the gravity of the fish.

LOUD, REDEEMING ROARS now bounce and resonate across the river and down through its tunnel-like descend below us where the echoes are being cast back and forth between the impenetrable green walls of the tree-clad banks.

The fish is clearly irritated but it’s still doubtful whether it has fully appreciated the gravity of the situation. It isn’t until we come tumbling loudly into the water that it rushes irresistibly upstream and starts to thrash ferociously about. The pulsating tugs on the fly rods are heavy and violent. Several times it feels as if contact is broken, but every time I manage to re-establish the connection, and slowly but surely – as if by some invisible force – I patiently bring the fish towards the shoreline.

Jure is ready with the net as the fish precipitously circles around and moves downstream along our bank. I unwearyingly keep up with the fish and put as much pressure on the fickle leader as I dare. And it isn’t until the fish comes within close range that shivers of semipanicky nerves flush through my body and I lose all stoicism and calm. The fish is big! Far bigger than we’ve estimated initially.

The fish is within reach and I’m just about to yell out to Jure and implore him to simply throw himself at it with the net. At that very moment, however, the fish sees us, and it now rushes irresistibly across the river rounding a sunken tree in the process. On the other side of that sunken tree, which still has a fair share of distorted branches sticking out the water, the fish now commences to thrash about in the surface throwing glistening cascades of water high into the air. ”THAT’S IT – IT’S OVER,” I think to myself, but then I see Jure, out of the corner of my eye, forcing his way across the river in a halfsprint. Will he be able to land the fish along the opposite bank in such deep water? I have no idea, but I somehow manage to think clear enough to reposition myself a little bit further downstream, so I can use the current to my advantage and apply a bit of additional pressure on the fish. A while later, the fish capsizes and turns downstream towards Jure, who has found a rock to stand on just below the sunken tree.

He promptly dives halfway under the water and miraculously comes up with the net full of fish. Then wild cheers break loose.

Inside the net lies one of the region’s mythical marble trout and after giving Jure a big bearhug, we have a closer look at it. It is in the vicinity of 80 cm, and the little nymph is barely visible in the cavity behind its powerful and jagged jaws. I’m astonished by this distinctly beautiful fish, which has lived a long and obscured life in this relatively overlooked gem of a river. There is just something about its powerful olive-green flanks, gold-marbled gill plates and soulful eyes that really resonates with me. It’s like a hidden treasure from a world long gone – a glimpse back in time.

WE SHOOT A SERIES OF QUICK PICTURES and release the fish. And as it swims away, and quietly fades away into the shimmering mess of glare and shadow below the overhanging treetops, I’m no longer in doubt. This is one of the most memorable and unique fish I have ever caught. And, for a while, not even

the fact that this fish, along with many other endemic Balkan fish species, is acutely endangered by narrow-minded industrial profiteering, pollution, and inadequate regulatory management - not even that, can dampen my spirit.

Marble trout – Fact File The marble trout (Salmo marmoratus) is one of Europe’s most unique and overlooked species of trout. It is closely related to brown trout, but it differs in a number of ways; first and foremost, by the lack of black spots and by having very notable marbled patterns along the flanks and back. Furthermore, marble trout have a phenomenal and, in the world of trout, unparalleled ability to camouflage themselves.

In fact, they can easily change colorations according to their current habitat, surroundings, and activity levels – and surprisingly fast.

For instance, marble trout that dwell along the bottom – under boulders and undercut banks, usually display very dark colorations along their backs with broad, black stripes along the flanks. On the other hand, marble trout that hold in the free water masses and are actively feeding, are usually bright yellow with almost iridescent marbled patterns and, sometimes, discrete red spots.

Fishermen will oftentimes experience marble trout that change colorations during the fight.

As mentioned earlier, marble trout are closely related to brown trout – closely enough that the two species can hybridize and produce offspring that aren’t sterile. Brown trout aren’t endemic to the Adriatic Sea drainages, however. Like rainbow trout, they have been introduced in a wealth of different riversheds across the Balkans. Marble trout hybrids are very common – especially in Slovenia, and they are usually spectacularly decorated with a mixture of big, bright-red and black spots in addition to haloed marbled patterns along their backs, heads and cheeks.

If one disregards the Danube salmon, which is considered a primeval trout species, the marble trout is the biggest living trout species in Europe. There are unverified reports of specimens up to 30 kilos from Bosnia and Herzegovina, and from Slovenia there are several well-documented reports of fish up to 25 kilos. Among these is a fish caught by an

Italian fly fisherman on the Soca River in 2009.

It measured 120 cm and weighed an astounding 22,5 kilos.

Because they predominantly inhabit cold mountain streams, marble trout tend to grow relatively slow. To compensate, they can grow very old – as a minimum 10 years, but possibly even 20 years. Until they have reached a length of about 60 cm, they predominantly live off of smaller aquatic insects such as gammarus, caddis, mayflies, stonefly nymphs and the likes, and they feed actively in the whole water column; along the bottom, in the free water masses, in- and on the surface.

Larger specimens will still feed on smaller insects for periods of time, but to an everincreasing extent they will favour prey items such as grayling, lamprey, freshwater sculpin, chub, nose, and smaller trout. When this dietary shift supervenes, the marble trout will really start to build body mass, and - in the process - it will slowly but surely change behaviour. It will now seek out the craggy structures along the bottom of the deepest pools and hiding spots under boulders, cliff fragments, cascades and waterfalls. Here, it will typically hide during the daylight hours only to emerge later, when darkness ascends, to hunt.

In terms of distribution, marble trout can be found in a large number of cold and oxygenrich Adriatic Sea-drainages in the mountainous reaches of Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro. They are still rather prolific in the Soca-rivershed in Slovenia and Italy but, generally speaking, they are under a lot of pressure. The species is threatened by hybridization (genetic pollution) because of widespread stocking of non-endemic trout species, increased fishing activity, pollution, and habitat destruction.

For instance, there are plans to build five new dams on the Neretva rivershed in Bosnia and Herzegovina; a building project that will potentially prevent the local marble trout from reaching their spawning grounds. The same, sadly, also goes for a vast number of rivers in Slovenia and Montenegro. ■ For additional information: www.blueheart.patagonia.com www.ribiskekarte.si

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Trying the shark suit at the Grand Bahamas Words by: Nico de Corato & Cinzia Verzeri Photos by: Cinzia Verzeri & Cristina Zenato

Yalla, let’s meet Cristina, who’s been diving with sharks for the last twenty-two years Words by: Nico de Corato & Cinzia Verzeri Photos by: Cinzia Verzeri & Cristina Zenato

Diving with sharks? What a dream for many people! And I am one of them. I have been preparing for such an experience since I took the PADI Shark Dive Certification at the Dubai Aquarium, inside the Dubai Mall. Since then, I have been trying the same feat in Melbourne and various other places around the globe. But it was not until just a few months ago that I actually had my first shark encounter in open waters: a reef in Khorfakkan.

The encounter was brief as the shark was a few meters away from me only for a handful

of seconds, but it definitely ignited my passion for having more of these experiences in open water.

Then, I found out about Cristina Zenato watching one of the many documentaries I found on TV or YouTube. Cristina has twenty-two years of experience diving with sharks and is renowned by scientists and filmmakers who widely tap into her profound knowledge of sharks’ behavior and protection. She is instrumental for the safety of crews working in the water with sharks and also helps filmmakers making the most of the sharks’ presence for very successful shootings. She is based in the Bahamas but has travelled the world to gain knowledge of at least 12 types of shark families. She definitely sparked my interest!

And then, a remarkable coincidence…

Cinzia, a friend that, like me, is part of the heli rescue divers organization, Bergamo Scuba Angels, contacted me to let me know

Cinzia and Cristina Before a dive

she was about to depart for the Bahamas and had enrolled in a 3-day course with Cristina herself.

This is not the first time that I am prone to such coincidences. Some time ago, after watching a documentary by Joel Lambert on the great white shark, I actually contacted him just to find out that he was due to stopover in Dubai the day after on his way to Africa. Needless to say, I did not miss the opportunity to interview him!

I also didn’t want to miss an opportunity to meet Cristina, who is now such an authority in the field, but, unfortunately, despite my efforts, I was unable to rearrange my busy agenda to accommodate this trip. So, I had to limit myself to receiving daily news from Cinzia as she described her wonderful experience, sent me beautiful pictures and, above all, told me all about the esteem and gratitude she felt for Cristina.

She would say phrases like It was an unforgettable dive... she helped me to wear the steel sharksuit, and then down... everything is so different over there... I have no words to describe what I experienced today...

But also fun comments like: Today I learned a new verb I did not know about: “To SHARK”

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For Cinzia it was an unforgettable dive but also a very educational experience thanks to Cristina who debunked many false myths on sharks and helped her meet and interact with them during underwater walks. I truly cannot wait to meet Cristina and her sharks in person!

I am already looking forward to the experience as well as gaining all the knowledge that Cristina gives during her course. In her on-on-one sessions, in fact, she not only helps divers experience the feeling of being surrounded by Caribbean Reef Sharks, but she also starts the first day with lessons on shark biology, behavior, and reaction to food, to finish then with tips on shark handling and conservation.

In the first dive, the “student” observes Cristina as she interacts with the shark and demonstrates all that is explained in the morning. At this point, it is possible to involve certified friends and family that can be booked as additional divers in this observation phase. The day starts around 8:30am and ends at 4:30pm.

In the next two days, two training dives are completed, and the participant can actually feed, pet and handle sharks. Obviously at this point, no observers are allowed, but the entire experience is filmed by a videographer who will then deliver a DVD of the experience to share with family and friends.

The days end around 2:00 pm. It is impor-

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tant to note that these courses are not for those who would like to become professional shark feeder or that want to start their own shark diving business. It is also a course that is very specific to the location and the type of shark found there.

As I am also passionate about diving gear, I also can’t wait to try on a shark suit in my future Bahamas adventure. A shark suit is a very special gear used for scuba diving with sharks that is designed to protect against bites and to discourage sharks, who normally prefer softer preys, from attacking. There are many types of suits that have been experimented with, including gear covered with metal spikes or rigid plastic plates, but the most used type, currently, involves the use of chainmail.

What sounds like a very medieval gear, has actually reached such an advanced technological state that it lends safety to the many divers (scientists, filmmaking crews, aquarium personnel…) that spend many hours daily in contact with these great marine creatures. Newest suits allow for more

mobility and weigh less, for a more pleasant experience, but they still require dozens of manual labor and very hi-tech machines in order to cut the suit and weld the chain mail that form it.

I can’t wait to try the shark suit at the Grand Bahamas and add this wonderful experience to my “done” list! #NeverStopDiving...with sharks!

Cristina has been diving with sharks for the last twenty-two years. Her field knowledge about sharks has been utilized by scientists, filmmakers and people interested in learning about sharks, the world they live in and how to protect them.

Her day to day work is with the Caribbean Reef Sharks in the Bahamas, but she has traveled the world, worked with and experienced twelve different species of sharks.

As a professional shark diver Cristina can perform as a safety diver for talents and in water crew during video and image productions. Her knowledge of shark behavior will allow your production to obtain the best results in the sharks’ presence and reduce risk factors, delivering consistency and highly increasing your chances of success. ■

A pioneer in the shark-handling course, Cristina offers a three-day, one on one training course for those divers interested in experiencing how it feels to feed, pet and be surrounded by Caribbean Reef Sharks.

DAY 1: Cristina will start her course on the first day with a morning session about shark biology, behavior, and reaction to food; together you will discuss shark handling and procedures and learn about sharks’ conservation. Following the morning classes, you will complete an observation dive during which you will watch Cristina interact with the sharks and apply the information discussed during the morning.

This dive is open to certified friends and family as it is an observation dive. Ask Cristina how to book the additional divers. Day duration 8:30am through 4:30pm.

DAY 2 AND 3: You will complete two training dives per day while wearing the chainmail suit under the direct supervision of Cristina. The basics of feeding, handling and petting will be presented during the dives. A videographer will collect all the special moments and deliver a final DVD product of your experience. No observers are allowed during the training dives for safety reasons. Day duration 8:30am-2:00pm.

NOTE: This course is shark and location specific. It is built as a personal experience and does not constitute a training course for people interested in becoming a professional shark feeder and in creating a shark dive for guests.

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Words + Photos by: Kit Belen

This is the gear issue – after struggling with a few iterations…I have finally decided that instead of showing what gear I have been using, I would give everyone a very up close and personal look at a few things not available to the public as of press time – things I have been playing with for a sometime seeing if they would work for this place.

Since working for Rapala, I have had the privilege of seeing next year’s products a year or two before their release; this system insures the products we distribute are 100% compatible with the fish and conditions we have.

REALLY, REALLY FOOD You can run the new Rapala X-Rap Magnum Xtreme Over 20 knots. When I first hear this, I thought it was a joke. Even skirted trolling lures have a hard time running at this speed, and those are supposed to be the “fast trolling” lures.

I had a few earlier on to test out as I am part of the field testing team for Rapala, didn’t really take it seriously until I decided to cast them for tuna since they are shallow running and at 68 grams, makes for a great casting lure (16 cm is just the right size for tuna casting as well) I didn’t understand it at first but after closing the bail of my reel and reeling it in for the first time, I thought there was no lure at the end of the line, I had to recast it a short distance and reel it in again just to make sure I wasn’t day dreaming – there was hardly any resistance on the other end of the line!

The Xtreme has some really cool engi64

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neering, without going into detail, this much is certain – you can run them as soon as you get out of the marina and be FISHING while on your way to your favorite spots without sacrificing time or speed. This opens up a lot of possibilities; running from spot to spot searching for fish, or when the bite is wide open and you need to go fast to catch more, or just plain chasing after the boils that sometimes move so fast.

If you are a casting sort of guy, imagine this – it will swim and run true each and every single time you cast – run and gun fishing will forever change with this lure – it means you can cast a lot more times while your friend has to deal with a lot of resistance with whatever lure he chooses to cast – so you get more chances at casting to a school than everyone else on the boat.

This lure is also the first to sport the new “High Definition Colors” in any Rapala lure.

This is the new and revamped color scheme from Rapala.

I am personally excited with ONE particular color; it’s called the “HD Big Eye Scad”.

If you don’t know what that is, it’s the same color scheme as the fish we use for live bait here in the gulf.

The Extreme can be ran over 20 knots - thats really, really fast food

HD Big Eye Scad a color I am most proud of, coz I suggeted it

WHEN THINGS XPLODE The Rapala X-Rap Magnum Xplode was introduced earlier this year and it has been making a huge splash all over the world. I was part of its development and have tested it heavily in our waters to ensure its adaptability. This popper has been quite effective on big king fish in the gulf as well as big GT in both coasts of Oman.

The first shipment of this lure into the gulf was sold in less than 1 month, in ALL Dealers. The biggest bonus of all is that since it is made of plastic, it doesn’t get waterlogged like more expensive wooden lures. The construction is quite solid that it has already bagged a few fish over 50kg tuna and GT with no issues. Already comes rigged with very strong VMC hooks making it a lure you can fish out of the pack, unlike most GT / tuna lures.

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The Xplode is one of those lures that you can't help but love, its easy to use and a proven winner

This lure will change the way you jig

Here's a little secret - I was involved in the making of this lure

DOCAN SNAPPER BALL I was sent some samples straight from the factory so I could test them out, it was already towards the summer and fishing wasn’t as good as it was a few weeks before I got the first samples in – I lost all of them.

They were so good that in my trip to Japan, I cleaned out the shop I went to before these lures got on the shelves – the attendants were so surprised that I knew they had it before the others in the shop actually knew that they had them: IT IS THAT GOOD. Using this could not be easier – you drop it down to the bottom as soon as it hits the ground REEL IN! All you really have to do before this is to find the speed of retrieve to make the head swim. Unlike other lures of this type that rely on the skirt for the action, this snapper ball SWIMS. The first time I used this lure, I was able to pull in 7 fish in 7 drops. It was almost like fishing with a sabiki!

DOCAN V (VERTICAL) Probably one of the strangest looking lures you will ever see, the Docan Vertical is one of those lures that you would have to take a closer look at before you take notice.

At first glace, you see this lure and think it might not be for jigging, that it closely resembles a vibration lure because of the placement of the tie-in point, which is at the top of the lure.

Looks like nothing you've used before, when you see it swim, you'll be surprised

Lift the rod and drop it down, its as easy as that Very easy to use and very effective, just drop and reel and catch fish

What a lot of people don’t know is how this peculiar looking lure moves, on a stationary lift and fall (no reeling) or what more technical people would call “long fall”, it glides and drops with a figure of 8 movement underwater. This means it can stay within strike zones longer than any other lure.

Retrieving it with short pitches makes the lure move quite erratically and swims in a sideways vector unlike traditional jigs that either flutter or fall straight to the bottom, if you know what I’m talking about, this sort of action opens up a lot of possibilities, which before this lure, was thought to be quite impossible.

Rapala and Storm have been around for a very long time, the natural evolution of their lures have always centered on ease of use and maximum productivity, its really just up to us to maximize each lures potential, and we keep on discovering secrets on how to get the best out of each lure – You still think there are other lures out there that can do better? Think about this – Their lures hold the world record for most world records and the number grows each year. ■

Till next tide change, Kit

Unlike other snapper balls, this one swims with an _S_ pattern

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