OutdoorUAE November 2012

The Climbing Issue

Price: 10 DHS

THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE MIDDLE EAST EAST

+Rock Climbing in the UAE + Women in focus; gender is just a detail

‘like’ us on Facebook!

+MTB’ing Goes + ‘Pink’ ON TRACK

The Hot Cog Boys Ride Out For A Cause

Oman EDarsrylcgoapes es ‘spelunking’

we test

+Fighting +

in the Seventh Hole

Marmot DryClime Windshirt

in the Foxhole Craig Sweats It Out On A Crag

www.outdooruae.com

+The Run-De-Vous + 2012 Cath Runs Around In Circles, Literally!

Get to us on Facebook!

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Issue 23, November 2012

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© 2012 2012 12 Colum lu bia Sporrtswe bia riigh rig ved olum umbi tsswe ts w ar Compa we hts reser edd reser ese serrved.

Compa ompany. All omp om Alll righ

BREATHABLE FABRIC WITH LITTLE SILVER DOTS THAT REFLECT BODY HEAT. KEEP YOUR WARMTH, NOT YOUR SWEAT COLUMBIA.COM/SILVERDOTS

• • Mirdif City Centre • The Dubai Mall Dubai: Ibn Battuta • Mall of the Emirates

Abu Dhabi: Al Wahda Mall

THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST

November 2012 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST

On the Cover: Vanessa O’Malley photo by Tara Atkinson Managing Editor Daniel Birkhofer Editors Kim Perks, Tara Atkinson, Angelo Cabrera Designer Oybek Daniyarov Administration Jane Mesina Sales & Marketing (advertisement enquiries) Tara Atkinson Tel: 04-447 2030 Mobile: 055 9398915 tara@outdooruae.com Published by Outdoor UAE FZE P.O. Box 215062 Dubai, U.A.E. Tel. 04-447 2030 contact@outdooruae.com www.outdooruae.com

The temperatures are down to about 30 to 35 degrees over the weekends now, and with the season back in full swing, OutdoorUAE have been busy, and what an issue we have in store for you this month.

We head to the mountains for some gnarly mountain bike action with the Hot Cog Mountain Bikers, whilst we catch up with some of the best woman climbers out here in the UAE. Not to mention checking out what’s happening on the coast with a Deep Water Soloing 101 and ‘how not to be a newbie’ in the desert with the ME 4X4 Group. We also have a plethora of outdoor gear in our products section that you can browse through and some great product reviews throughout the magazine.

It has been a busy month to say the least, and finally coming out of summer hibernation although is amazing can really catch you off guard. Even for the more fitter of us all and even the long-day-specialists out there, the sun still plays a massive role in wearing you out very fast and causing heat exhaustion, and over the last few weekends we have not only been out in it, but have understood the importance of staying hydrated, being prepared and keeping cool as much as possible.

Distributor Tawzea, Abu Dhabi Media Company P.O. Box 40401, Abu Dhabi, U.A.E.

And with a cautious yet heady warning we hope you enjoy the magazine more than ever this month and of course the Outdoors! Remember to keep sharing your stories, adventures, events and ideas with us throughout the year, make sure you get in touch to get involved, and become a part of this growing outdoor community!

Printed at Galadari Printing & Publishing LLC P.O. Box 11243 Dubai, U.A.E.

See you out there,

Tara

© 2012 Outdoor UAE FZE Issue 23 November 2012 The Climbing Issue

Price: 10 DHS

+ +

THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE MIDDLE EAST EAST

+Rock climbing in the UAe Women in focus; gender is just a detail

‘like’ us on Facebook!

BETWEEN THE LINES

+MTB’ing goes + ‘Pink’ on TRACk

the hot cog Boys ride out for a cause

omAn escAp es darryl goes ‘spelunking’

we test marmot dryclime Windshirt

Daniel Birkhofer Founder and Editor in Chief daniel@outdooruae.com

Tara Atkinson Sales and Marketing tara@outdooruae.com

Oybek Daniyarov Graphics & Programming oybek@outdooruae.com

+ +

in the seventh hole

Fighting in the Foxhole craig sweats it out on a crag

www.outdooruae.com

+the RUn-De-VoUs + 2012 cath runs around in circles, literally!

Get to us on Facebook!

WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

Issue 23, November 2012

FREE

The information contained is for general use only.

While we have made every attempt to ensure that the information contained in this magazine has been obtained from reliable sources, however the publisher is not responsible for any errors. All information in this magazine is provided “as is”, with no guarantee of completeness, accuracy, timeliness or of the results obtained from the use of this information. In no event will the publisher, its related affiliates or anyone else be responsible for any decision made or action taken in reliance on the information in this magazine.

All contents are under copyrights and may not be reproduced in any kind without written permission. © 2012 Outdoor UAE FZE Reg. at Creative City Fujairah P.O. Box 4422, Fujairah, U.A.E.

WHEN YOU’RE DONE READING, PLEASE RECYCLE!

Kim Perks Copywriter and Editor

Jane Mesina Administration jane@outdooruae.com

Angelo Cabrera Junior Editor angelo@outdooruae.com

+ +

EXPERTS & CONTRIBUTORS

Kit Belen Our fishing pro

Pete Aldwinckle Climber and all-round adventure seeker

Gordon T Smith Desert Diver and wannabe Marine Biologist

Mike Nott The 4x4 expert

John Basson Moto/ATV and all round adventure seeker

Tori Leckie Writer, runner, blogger, adventurer and adidas athlete

Darryl MacDonald Photographer, journalist, climbing and hiking junkie currently living in Oman.

Ian Ganderton Kayaker, climber, mountainbiker and snowboarder. Enthusiastic jack of all trades, master of none.

Toby Foord-Kelcey

Climbing Expert WANT TO CONTRIBUTE? CONTACT US! contact@outdooruae.com

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THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST

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CONTENTS ON THE COVER

EVERY ISSUE 05 EVENTS CALENDAR 06 BEST SHOTS 34 PRODUCTS 54 PEOPLE 66 DIRECTORY

EVENT REVIEWS 13 Gulf Bike Week 14 Climbing Walls 16 DMX round 2 18 UAE Cyclists Go Pink 21 A Yoga Night with Adventure HQ

TRAVEL + ADVENTURE

32 Deep Water Soloing

54 Meet Ales and Vanessa

30 Brazil Prea Jericoacoara

etail 48 Gender is just a d

TRIED AND TE STED !

40 Nolan X-lite x5 51

22 ME4X4, NEWBIE DRIVE 58 OMAN ESCAPES : LOCATION 60 Get Them Off That Game Controller

OUR EXPERTS 42 GOIN GDEEP- THE FISHING KIT 44 Fighting in the Fox Hole - Craig Reynolds 46 Salalah Trip - Andy Whitaker 50 Run-De-Vous 100 Miler - Cath Todd

TIPS + TRICKS 64 The Sand Shoe 4

OUTDOORUAE

TRIED AND TESTED !

26 One Man’s Adventure: Paddling Coastal Oman in 57Days

THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST

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EVENTS CALENDAR Stay up-to-date with the latest events

The Dubai Pre-Owned Boat Show

November 8 to 10, 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club, Dubai According to its organizers, the boat exhibition is set to feature some of the best retail offerings from the marine and leisure industries, plus boat insurance and finance deals. The goal of the Dubai PreOwned Boat Show is to make sailing more accessible to everyone and provides visitors with the opportunity to view pre-owned boats for sale as well as take part in exciting activities on the waterfront for an enjoyable experience for the entire family. Call +9714 205 4535 for more information.

The Wadi Adventure Race November 9, 8:00 a.m. Wadi Adventure, Al Ain

Wadi Adventure describes their latest event as a head-to-head team challenge that incorporates six adventure activities in the park. The challenges include a combination of both physical and mental strengths. The activities include raging raft, bag toss, vertical climbing, water puzzle, surf pool retrieval and an obstacle course. The event is open for anyone from corporate, families, athletes and friends. A group must consist of a minimum of three people and a maximum of five. For more information, call them up at +9713 781 8422, or send an email to race@wadiadventure.ae.

The Dubai Women’s Run

November 9, 7:00 a.m. Atlantis The Palm Hotel, The Palm Jumeirah, Dubai Girl Power hits the track and get things going for the ladies to get active, fit and involved. According to the organizers, the motivating factors are the opportunity to run in a supportive and friendly environment and to socialize with other women runners. For others, such as competitive female runners it is the opportunity to be part of the front runners instead of feeling that they are the “chase” group. An all women’s race lets them experience the rush of being first across the finish line instead of being the first woman across the finish line. Visit www.5kwomensrun.com for more details.

Sunset SUP Classic

November 10, Umm Suqeim Open Beach, Dubai According to Surf Dubai, the Sunset SUP Classic is the SUP race is the one of its kind in Dubai. Among the divisions that the participants can join include the sprint, ladies, kids, and relay races. The main event will be the open division, where the country’s top male paddlers will be set to compete for the first Sunset SUP Classic trophy. For more information about the event, contact Donna Masing on +97155 5406 154 or send an email to donnamasing@yahoo.com.au.

Dubai Roadsters’ Coast to Coast Ride

November 16, 5:30 a.m. Lime Tree Cafe (starting point), Jumeirah Beach Road, Dubai According to the cycling group, this ride will undoubtedly be a challenge and a wonderful day out on the roads of the UAE. A certain level of fitness is needed in order to take part due to the distance and the amount of climbing. As it is a real privilege to be able to use these roads, we ask all cyclists to adhere to traffic rules and to respect other road users. The Dubai Roadsters also to remind and emphasize that this ride is a group ride and not a race. And through participating in the challenge, you agree to ride within the parameters defined by the organizers for a safe and enjoyable ride. Visit www.dubairoadsters.com for more information.

Ice Warrior Challenge III

November 16, 8:00 a.m. Ski Dubai, Mall of the Emirates, Dubai Modeled off the world’s toughest commando assault course, the Ice Warrior Challenge III aims to help raise money for the Beit Al Khair Society and its efforts to provide humanitarian services for disadvantaged community members, especially children with disabilities. It is open to all individuals aged 15 and above and will entail a customized course divided by 18 obstacles on the icy slopes of Ski Dubai. The winning contender will receive a six-person stay at Kempinski worth AED 50,000 with runners up being awarded with Fitness First membership and other exciting prizes. To register, log in to www.premiermarathons.com or visit www.skidxb.com for more details.

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Ignite Aquathlon Powered by Kelloggs November 16, 7:30 a.m. The Shack, Kitesurfers’ Beach, Umm Suqeim 1, Dubai

The Ignite Aquathlon is a swim/run with respective distances for both the Junior and Adult categories.

The event aims to encourage all age, skill and experience levels to participate. This event is very much a family affair with kids and parents all participating. Races will be split accordingly giving both equal importance in their own right. For more information, log in to www.premiermarathons.com, or send your queries to Nicole@ignite-wellness.com or Guillaume@ignite-wellness.com.

Spinneys’ Build-Up Ride 4 of 4 November 23, 6:00 a.m. Dubai

The latest Build-Up ride is the last of the four-part series prior the Spinneys Dubai 92km Cycle Challenge.

These rides are timed events and the results you achieve in each session will be used to “seed” the starters for the 92km Cycle Challenge in December. The seeding is to ensure that at the main cycle challenge, the starters go off in groups to make things safer and have groups of similar ability ride together. For more information, visit www.cyclechallenge.ae or sign up for the event at www.premiermarathons.com.

ADNIC Yas Run 2012 Featured Event!

November 24, 6:00 p.m. Yas Marina Circuit Grand Prix Start Line, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi Be amongst the runners who aim to beat their personal best on the Formula One track of the Yas Marina Circuit. The 10k Individual and Team relay categories offered will comprise two laps of the F1 track.

And according to the organizers, winners in the Male and Female 10km individual distances will be awarded return flights to New York to compete in the UAE Healthy Kidney 10km run! For more information and to register, visit www.premiermarathons.com.

BEST SHOTS Send your best and most adventurous outdoor shots to us before the 25th of November and enter into a chance to

WIN the FUJIFILM XP170 worth 1,000 AED! This nifty little camera was reviewed in our September issue of OutdoorUAE and is a great ‘roughty-toughty’ point and shoot that has four-way protection and perfect for the outdoor environment.

With a 14.4 megapixel camera, 5x optical zoom, it is also waterproof up to 10m, shockproof up to 2m and freeze proof up to –10°C, not to mention it’s perfect for sand and dust. With a great wireless image transfer that connects to your android application, it uploads through your device for some quick and easy sharing to your Facebook or social network! The camera also comes with full HD movie capture, underwater movie, and shoots at 10 FPS continuously. All that and so much more…

So if you’re adventurous enough and fancy winning a great little point-and-shoot camera, get snapping in and around the UAE and send your entries along with your name, contact number and where you took it, to:

competitions@outdooruae.com before 25th of November

Prizes:

1. First place winner will receive the FujiFilm XP170 2. Second place winner will receive 1 Buff Head Gear 3. Third place winner will receive one Meal Kit from Light my fire

WiFi image transfer

All entrants must reside within the UAE. All photos submitted must be taken within the UAE. All photos must have a title. You must supply your name, phone number and where you took the image to be accepted. You are allowed three photos per entry only. Photos must be supplied in 300 DPI for print resolution; anything below this will not be accepted. Prizes cannot be sent outside the UAE. If you do not claim your prize within 14 days of receiving notification you have won your prize will be forfeited to the next entry in line. OutdoorUAE will select the winners on the 28th November 2012. You confirm that you have all rights on the submitted photos and grant outdooruae unlimited user rights on the photos.

By sending your photo to competitions@outdooruae.com you agree to our terms and conditions

THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST

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NEWS + Comment ATCUAE-organised series makes Dubai debut as Arab Motorcycle Federation roles out 2012/13 motor bike racing season

Wadi Adventure Makes Its Mark At Shangri-La’s Dragon Boat Race

The Arab Motorcycle Federation (AMF) is gearing up for an exciting 2012/13 motor bike racing season, with Dubai set to host its first ever Arab Motocross Championship in just under a month.

Held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and taking place from 15th to 16th November at the DMX Motocross track in Jebel Ali, the two-day racing series will host more than 40 world class riders from 12 countries.

The Arab Motocross Championship is organised by the Automobile and Touring Club of the UAE (ATCUAE), and consists of races across two bike categories and one quad bike category.

The racing championship in Dubai is the first of the AMF after being restructured following a significant overhaul in August this year at its Riyadh based headquarters in Saudi Arabia – a process driven by the Union of Arab National Olympic Committees (UANOC), in order to take competitive bike racing in the Middle East to a new level.

Dr. Mohammed Ben Sulayem, President of the ATCUAE said that with the Arab Motocross Championship as a starting point, regional motocross racing can look forward to a bright future with a calendar of events run to the international standards laid down by the FIM, the sport’s world governing body.

“In just under one month, the AMF will enter a new chapter of world class internationally recognised motor bike racing events,” said Ben Sulayem, FIA Vice President for Sport.

“We are very grateful to His Highness Sheikh Mansoor for his patronage of this, the first ever Arab Motocross Championship in Dubai. His support is crucial as we look to grow motor cycle and quad bike racing in the UAE and wider Arab world.”

“As per FIM regulations, the championship complies with the highest international standards of competitive racing that ensure the safety of competitors, spectators, and all others involved.”

The Arab Motocross Championship will run on the more technical 1,600m DMX Motocross track, designed by Sean Gaugain at Gecko Motorcycles.

Consisting of manmade table tops, step ups, whoops, drop off’s, rhythm sections and doubles that enhance the natural surrounding terrain, the track is sand based and is ripped, rolled, and graded ensuring optimum performance before each race meeting.

Making its debut at the ShangriLa Abu Dhabi Dragon Boat Race this weekend, Wadi Adventure’s 20-strong team made its mark and set the tone for the upcoming Dragon Boat festival in Dubai in April 2013.

The team, consisting of a mix of staff from all departments at the new adventure park in Al Ain, put paddle to water for the first time in a dragon boat on Friday the 05th October.

They narrowly missed winning their first heat but second place meant they could move on to the semifinals, where they then took third place; good enough to take them on to the Corporate Cup Final.

Over a thousand paddlers gathered once again on Saturday

the 06th October for the final day of competition where the current world champions, the Dubai Diggers easily won in their category. Wadi Adventure faced 5 other seasoned opponents in the 200m race and, after leading the first 150m, they were caught up and ended the race fourth, missing out on third place by a whisker.

“We are incredibly proud of our team. Most people would think we had all our professional rafters racing but we only actually had six and the rest of team consisted of staff who hardly get the chance to hold a paddle during the week. To be able to beat 21 other teams in our category as first timers is immense.

We now know what to expect and what to work on and hopefully will be on the podium in the next one” says Wadi Adventure’s General Manager, Ben Barker.

Wadi Adventure were also one of the main sponsors for this year’s competition and provided prizes for the all the race category winners.

+ +

Q&A

A reader got in touch with us on facebook and was looking for any ideas for trail runs near Abu Dhabi, ideally something less than 20 Km in length, and not more than about 20 or 30 minutes outside Abu Dhabi.

Check out the Emirates International Endurance Village out at Al Wathba is a great place. It’s well signed off the Al Ain highway. Park your car next to the man made hill loads of hard pack trails that form a grid so you can form circuit routes of all distances and use the hill for those hill reps.

Also if you park at the Kite Surfing beach between Yas and Abu Dhabi on the Saadiyat Highway, there’s a trail that heads up to Abu Dhabi, you can cross under the bridge and run back down the other side, crossing under another bridge and back to the car. It’s a really nice route and you can also do part of it along the beaches and through mangroves.

A final option is Al Seimah Camel Race Track half way between Abu Dhabi and Dubai. There’s a lot of farms you can run through alongside and also the desert between the race track and the electrical sub station. There’s also a few water reservoirs on mounds that you can sprint up and down for some hill reps. Nice area and you quite often see Sand Gazelles.

Thanks to Damian King for this contribution.

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THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST

November 2012 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

EVENT REVIEWS

Get Ready for the RIDE of Your Life!

Ride Bike Shop opens the biggest shop in the region and has a group ride to celebrate

Eager riders ready to set off!

It’s that time of year again!

The windows are down and turning off the air conditioning feels like liberation from the fallacy of artificial air. It’s also that time where there is absolutely no excuse to get outside and take advantage of the fantastic weather we are blessed with here in the UAE. Along with the excitement of the weather change, it seems that Ride Bike Shop has timed the opening of their new flagship store on Sheikh Zayed Road perfectly, for cyclists and adventurers alike!

The new store which is just less than 5,000 square feet with its workshop covering 1,500 square feet makes it not only the largest bicycle store, but also the largest service centre in the UAE and GCC. Mr. Shahriar Khodjasteh, President of Dubai Desert Extreme, the holding company of Ride Bike Shops said, “We are delighted to launch the region’s largest bicycle shop.

As the distributor of some of the biggest names in the industry, which include Giant, Topeak, Mavic, Fox Racing Shox and many others, we always wanted to find the right space for our flagship store in Dubai. We already became the largest chain of bike shops in the region, with 4 stores open across Dubai within a 3-year span.”

He added, “But it was time for us to move out of the large shopping malls and into a large high street unit like this one. With the opening of the store on the very busy Sheikh Zayed Road, we bring to the region another level of bicycle stores. The plan now

8

OUTDOORUAE

The riders at Nad Al Sheba Cycle Track Celebration

is to open another similar size store in the major cities across the Gulf, first in Doha and then Abu Dhabi. Apart from this being the largest bike shop, it is also home to the largest workshop, which will be the Master Service Centre in the region for brands like Fox, Mavic, Giant, Crank Brothers and others. Interest in cycling in the Middle East is growing at a tremendous pace and is at an all-time high. Lastly, the infrastructure being developed by the authorities is making it much safer for cyclists throughout the UAE.” The new Ride Bike Shop was opened under the patronage of Mr. Osama Ahmad Al Shafar, President of UAE Cycling Federation,

who was an honored guest at the ribboncutting ceremony. He has helped make the infrastructure of the country far more cycle friendly, which has encouraged people to take up the sport. The Dubai Sports Council has also played a significant role in creating an atmosphere where cycling can thrive, while the RTA has expanded its network of cycling routes across Dubai.All of which was under the leadership and guidance of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed.

The other honored guest present during the opening ceremony wasMr. John Koo, CEO of Giant International & Giant Europe, the world’s largest bicycle manufacturer, who produces more than 7 million bicycles per

THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST

November 2012 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

year with an annual turnover over 1.6 billion USD. “This new bike shop is home to the first Giant Store-in-Store Concept in the UAE & GCC, and we are very proud to be part of the success and growth that our partner in the region is experiencing.

They have done a great job with this amazing new store, and it can be considered up there as one of the best in the world!” stated Mr.John Koo at the opening event. “It is also a great time to see the new 2013 Model Year Giant bikes on display.”

others. As part of the opening weekend, Ride Bike Shop along with the help of UAE MTB organized a Celebration Ride the morning after the ribbon-cutting event, and brought together over 100 riders! The group met at the new shop early on the Friday morning and rode as a big group to the Nad Al Sheba Cycle Park, did 3 laps and rode back to the shop to be greeted by a delicious barbeque breakfast of burgers and hot dogs! A big thanks need to go to Yes Chef for putting on a great spread! Yummy!

With the state-of-the-art workshop, friendly and knowledgeable staff, high standard of maintenance, and the best brands and products available, Ride Bike Shop offers consumers a number of reasons to choose their store as the one-stop-shop for all cyclists.

The opening also brought together some of the local cycling groups and communities, such as UAE Mountain Biking, Hot Cog MTB, and many

The riders at Nad Al Sheba Cycle Track Celebration

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9

Picnico Opens

On Sheik Zayed Road It’s the end of an era and Picnico at Jumeirah Beach Road is moving after 18 years. Everyone who is living in Dubai for more than five or six years and loves outdoor sports will have come across this lovely store on Jumeirah Beach Road. I bought there a lot of my initial outdoor gear here in the UAE since it was the only place I could find. Starting a business so long back, things didn’t seem to change much and the store concept of Picnico was different to all the new and modern retail concepts. The store always seemed to be unorganized for visitors but the staff always knew where to find what you wanted and these were little essential things you would not

expect to get.

But Dubai and the UAE are synonyms for change and progress and so, Picnico had to move on and adapt to the new market situation in the region and also, the significant increase competition. So if you look for Picnico at the old familiar place, don’t be afraid that they are gone; they just moved to Sheik Zayed Road in Al Barsha directly next to Sharaf DG Metro Station. Also, the

familiar old blue logo made way for a light orange logo which can be seen from Sheik Zayed Road. If you enter the new store, you will not recognize anything from the old Picnico apart from the familiar faces of the staff working there for decades, like Khaliq Ahmed Khan, Showroom Manager. The store is now very organized and provides more space to display the wide variety of products which at times had been hidden.

Even if I liked the treasure hunt in the old store, always finding something worthwhile upon looking for a desired piece, I prefer the new order which makes it easy and very comfortable to shop. The store now offers a whole new shopping experience and is the closest outdoor store in Dubai if you live in the Marina, Jumeirah Lake Towers, Emirates Hills or any other area in the direction

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towards Abu Dhabi. To make shopping easy, Picnico has its own designated underground parking for clients with direct access to the store from the underground parking. The products found in Picnico spans from A to Z with what you will need for the outdoors, no matter if it is for camping, watersports, hiking, climbing or barbecues and garden furniture; you can find it all at Picnico.

Asking Khaliq, if he misses his old store after 18 years working there he said, “Yes of course I do, especially our regular customers living nearby and those customers who have been on their way to the beach and

just got their last needs like umbrellas or charcoals from us before the went to the nearby beach.”

But the end of one thing brings the opportunity of something new and better and Khaliq sees the opportunity in the new store.

“We have now almost double the space from before 3,700sq.ft to now more than 6,600sq. ft which gives us the opportunity to show much more of our more than 3,500 products.

We are also expecting more customers from the new Dubai areas like The Palm and The Greens since we are very close to them. We also try to offer our products at very good

rates, to attract customers to buy from us and of course to come again.”

Picnico is located opposite Sharaf DG Metro Station in Al Barsha 1 between Exit 36 (2nd) coming from Abu Dhabi or through the Mall of the Emirates exit coming from Dubai on Sheik Zayed Road. There are six underground parking spaces available; the store can be entered from both sides of the building. Picnico offers 3,500 to 4,000 products on 6,600 sq.ft shopping area and is opened Saturday to Thursday from 9:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. and on Fridays from 11:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. Their phone number is 04 – 3951113.

Fly the

Gulf Bike Week

Light wind?

No problem.

Gulf Bike Week took place from the 18th to the 20th of October. The only expo and dedicated bike festival in the Middle East was a roaring success with the latest sport bikes, cruisers, apparel, off road and urban terrain vehicles on show to both the public and biking enthusiasts.

With a selection of custom designed bikes, motorcyclerelated products and all types

Photo By: Khaled Termanini

The Fly goes in virtually no wind and is incredibly fun to ride. Its exceptionally light weight is primarily the result of removing the center strut. In doing this, the center section of the canopy performs like a spinnaker and generates incredible power in light wind.

The Fly uses the Park’s proven easy-handling design, which gives it superior turning ability, but it incorporates more overall sweep, which helps the Fly relaunch in marginal wind conditions.

of international lifestyle brands this wasn’t an event to miss out. With the expo drawing over 30,000 visitors this year, it featured a motocross track, an FMX stunt zone with a Masters of Dirt preview show, street bike stunt zone, KTM Elimnator, Enduro Course, and not to mention live performances from Megadeath, Daughtry, and Razorlight, competitions and much more.

Overall, the 4th year running the expo not only became the central meeting point or hub for exhibitors but drew thousands of bikers who participated in the largest biking get-together in the Middle East with a ride around Dubai. It was an epic three days and certainly not to be missed next year!

Key Features: • Exceptionally lightweight • Based on the proven Park platform • The power of an 18 with the turning of a 12 • Two strut design • Amazing low-end • Superior water relaunch in light winds • Includes 10m extension lines OCEAN SPORTS FZE +971 (0) 55 935 2735 enquiries@kitesurfsup.com kitesurfsup.com > Facebook.com/NaishKiteboarding Photo: Mike Duhaime

REPORT

g n i b im

OutdoorUAE share a coffee

and some chat with Pete Aldwinckle of Global Climbing on Artificial Climbing Structures.

OUAE: So Pete, how long have you been involved with Artificial Climbing Structures?

Pete: My first real experience was at Leeds University in the early eighties. The gym had a number of modified bricks and real rock inserts that allowed climbers to train on. This was followed by many years hanging about on homemade structures in cellars.

I do very clearly remember the first commercial walls being built in Sheffield and soon after, Bristol in the early nineties. A group of us would make a round trip of some 250km three times a week to climb for the evening on a wall constructed out of cheap plywood hanging off reclaimed scaffolding in a packed but very cold, damp and disused church.

Soon after that, I was involved in the building of a commercial wall as an investor and overseeing several artificial wall constructions.

Etched on my mind and in my hands are the scars of many late nights over many months of slowly constructing the walls, with the completion date always appeared to be moving away from us. Fortunately, the industry has moved on significantly since then.

And then, five years ago, Global Climbing became the regional representative for Walltopia climbing walls. During that time, we have completed ten wall projects and two high-rope courses in the region.

OUAE: What is the appeal of climbing on an artificial wall?

Pete: Numerous, but it all comes down to climbing being a fundamentally very social sport/activity that provides the participants an opportunity to continually challenge themselves with the support of others. It is gender neutral in that women can potentially perform at the same level as men. And, irrespective of the standard or age of the participant, regular climbing will improve the participant’s strength, endurance and flexibility whilst lowering their resting heart rate. It is mentally stimulating and fun plus if you climb regularly, you will shed the excess fat – you do not see many fat climbers.

OUAE: What are the major industry changes in recent years?

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OUTDOORUAE

Cl

s l l a W ’s it What

Pete: Major change has occurred in two areas. Firstly, climbing on artificial climbing walls has become a mainstream recreational sporting activity. In Europe, the Americas and Asia, there are large numbers of people regularly climbing as an alternative to going to traditional gyms or fitness classes. The majority of these participants have little aspiration to climb outside and are happy to improve their fitness through participation in indoor climbing.

Concurrent to increased participation, wall manufacturing has matured into a professional industry with international standards of every aspect of design, manufacture and installation of all the components of a wall, its support structure and accessories.

Walltopia’s growth illustrates this; it was started in a garage in rural Bulgaria in 1996 by a couple of climbers. It now employs over 250 staff with professional architects, engineers, designers and an R&D department in its Sofia office.

Designs are now driven by user needs and fully digitized with 3D modeling. It has over 10,000m2 of modern factory for production of walls in a range of materials using modern manufacturing techniques, including five-axis CNC. It is an ISO 2000/2008 certified company with a

out

all ab

hat and w

xt?

is ne

range of additional international engineering certifications.

Whilst there are still smaller boutique producers that still cut timber on site and mix surface coatings in a bucket, the majority of companies in the industry have moved forward from this.

OUAE: What developments do you see in the future?

Pete: Increased participation and continuing improvements across design through to installation of walls. Munich in Germany is an interesting case study. A city with approximately 1.2 million residents, it has seven commercial walls with a reported 900,000 visits in 2010; that is over 350 visits per day, 365 days per year. I would anticipate that in the next ten years every town in a developed country will have its own commercial wall with the majority being owned by institutional investors and not the current rock climbers with an urge to own a wall as is the case now.

This means that wall design, production and installation techniques will have to improve and become truly industrialized without losing an element of uniqueness in the finished product; Walltopia is close to

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having a complete climbing centre ecosystem that will allow an investor to buy a complete climbing centre (walls, building, management, IT, etc.) with a specified user capacity and participants’ performance profile straight off the shelf. Whilst these climbing walls will be unique in overall appearance, their components will be from a harmonized design family that will allow route setting information to be shared and individual training plans developed and delivered across multiple harmonized climbing centres in dispersed locations.

In short, more people enjoying and benefiting from artificial wall climbing but in off the shelf centres that will be built like

climbers. A city like Dubai, if it was in Europe or North America would have at least two major centers with multiple walls catering for a range of abilities and be capable of holding international-level competitions.

I believe that the potential inclusion of lead climbing in the 2020 Olympics could be a catalyst for encouraging investors to develop the type of public facilities in the major urban areas of the UAE. This is particularly so when it is realized that climbing is a sport that Emiratis could excel in if the right facilities were available; as well as the inclusion of climbing in the strategy to address some of the significant health problems facing the younger generation.

In anticipation of an increased interest in artificial climbing structures, we are investing in a sales showroom in order to showcase the wide range of innovative Walltopia product currently available and allow us to be a part of the development and testing of the new ecosystem of climbing walls. This is scheduled for opening in February 2013. We will have over 250m2 of climbing surface, including over 215m2 of international competition standard bouldering wall. Unfortunately, we will not be opening to the public, but we will allow out-of-hours use of the facility on a strict membershiponly basis.

OUAE: Many thanks for your insights and thoughts.

Pete: Many thanks for the coffee, cake and opportunity to share with you.

Wallmarts or Ikeas according to a locations population and demographic.

OUAE: What do you anticipate with the artificial climbing wall scene here in the UAE? Pete: It is difficult to be precise about the short term. In the next twelve months, there will be at least one major centre in the UAE, but this will be privately-owned and unlikely to be open to the public. Currently, there are no real commercial or public climbing gyms, let alone centres in the UAE. There are some small climbing walls catering for climbers and mall-based climbing walls attracting large numbers of youngsters and beginner

Chris Sharma on Kak shte gi stignem, 8C+, Karlukovo, Bulgaria, June 2012 - Vladimir Pekov

Available in the UAE through Global Climbing, info@globalclimbing.com

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DMX

EVENT REVIEWS

round 2 & UAE National Champio

Round 2

Winners

of DMX 2012-2 held on the 12th of October at the013 Championship was also hosted on the same day the DMX track in Jebel Ali, it - organised by the Emirates Mo UAE National Championship torsports Federation (EMSF).

Do you fancy doing some thing a little bit different?

Get yourself and family down to the DMX (Dubai Motocross Club) Jebel Ali bright and early from 8:0 in some thrilling and exciting motoc 0 a.m. on a Friday to check out classes ranging from cadets all ross and quad biking action. With where you can watch the differethe way to masters, this is an event recently revamped track, not to nt classes and ages race on the great food. And it’s free to comemention the great atmosphere and and watch for everyone!

With nine races this season and UAE National Championship andthree or more club days, the National Championships being helthe 1st Round of the Arab d here, you still have great opportunity to come down, see wh at it’s all about and get involved.

If you are interested in finding out to get involved with racing or join more about this event or how ing the DMX club please get in touch with Laura Wojciecho ws ki on +971 50 4526489 or visit the website www.dubaimo ross.com.

Next race day for DMX is Fridtoc ay, 2nd of November, Round 3.

Photos By: Wayne Gray

from DMX round 2

DMX Championship Round 2

65cc Eugenio Barbaglia Abdulla Al Nuaimi Alexander Mortada

16

85cc Nicholas Kefford Jessie Lee Davidson Fraser Rose 125cc Eric Landgren Ryan Wynn Regan Laue Clubmans Jarno Elo Saif Al Kumiti John Herman Masters Shannon O’Connor Nic Bac Lee Corby Pro Quads Sebastian Husseini Mansoor Salem Mohammed Al Shamsi MX2 Ross Runnalls Dale Jullien Birgit Schelkle MX1 Ross Runnalls Mohammed Al Balooshi Oliver Eveleigh

OUTDOORUAE

Picture of National Championship winners - with Mr

nship Round 1

Ahmed Al Sharif, Director of the EMSF.

Empowering

Through The Sail

People have the ability to perform great feats even when it seems impossible, as they bear the courage to take on a challenge and believe to do the improbable.

The people behind Dubai Offshore Sailing Club’s Sailability Program are among those who have eyes for seeing unrealized abilities where the most of us can only see otherwise; the team empowers children with special needs by teaching them how to sail.

According to the DOSC, their advocacy of mentoring disabled youngsters to become sailors began seven years ago when a parent-organized group called ‘All for Downs’ began to arrange joyrides and sailing activities at the DOSC for children with Down Syndrome.

And in the spring of 2009, through rigorous adherence to the Royal Yachting Association’s (RYA) protocol and regulations on teaching kids with disabilities how to sail, the DOSC had achieved the RYA Sailability recognition and affiliation, thereby becoming amongst the select few of overseas centers to hold this status.

From that point on, the DOSC Sailability team has stayed true with their cause of bringing out the best in these kids through the aid of sail boats; the team had purchased a few specialized dinghies for them to use.

“The reception of the program varies from student to student.

However, we’ve found that they all enjoy the interaction with the volunteers and other students, and they love being out on the water!”

DOSC Sailability’s chairman Rachel Eglington said.

There are also other activities available that includes knot tying, kayaking and being close to the water, while some of the students enjoy being responsible for holding the sheets (ropes) while they are sailing.

“Our more mentally-able students love the sense of achievement in learning how to sail and for being responsible for the boat they are sailing in,” the chairman added.

According to Eglington, the Sailability Program has produced three independent sailors. They have all

passed the Certificates of Achievement and their RYA Level 1 Certificate. They are expected to pass their RYA Level 2 certificate within the first term of this season.

The group considers this as a noteworthy achievement, considering that one of these students would not maintain eye contact or hold a discussion with anyone in his first year of attendance!

Upon starting with a small group of six students at first, the Sailability Program currently has a total of 37 students who are learning how to set sail. They conduct the sessions in a morning and an afternoon schedule every Wednesday from October to May. The DOSC directly covers the cost of the program operations and has a few volunteers to assist them with their activities.

Groups can also support the DOSC Sailability Program monetarily by making donations that support the operations of the program or by working with the group to donate or purchase items that we can use as part of the program (such as kayaks, ropes, rigging, safety equipment, sailboats, etc.).

“Everyone can become involved with sailing - you have to try it at least once!” the program’s chairman ended.

EVENT REVIEWS

: Ian Ganderton Words + Photos

The regions cyclists collectively went very pink this October raising both money and awareness for Breast Cancer Arabia, whilst making a significant contribution on both fronts and having plenty of fun too.

Cycling groups including the Roadsters, Cycle Safe Dubai and Barchans, who all organised ‘PINK’ rides, but it was in a small car park next to a dam just outside of Ras Al Khaimah that probably was the most enthusiastic. The Hot Cog MTB group, with support from UAE Mountain biking, organized a camp out on the Thursday night and a photo call followed by the Pink Ride on Friday the 19th of October.

With an estimated 150 mountain bikers plus hugely generous support from Ride Bike Shop and Dubai based Lava Designs allowed the proceeds of the sale of over a hundred T-shirts to go straight into the foundation, with a total of 11,000 AED to add to the funds raised by the other groups and many other ‘PINK’ activities organized during October.

The ever growing community of mountain bikers continues to increase at a pace matched

ts s i l c y C E A U

Go Pink

by the development of the trail network out at Shawka, with people having a ball and getting fitter tearing it up on about 100km of trails.

The groups are active all year round, day and night, and there are trails to suit all abilities. A quick search on Facebook will quickly find the various very active groups above.

Before you hit the trails take a moment to visit www.breastcancerarabia.com The Breast Cancer Arabia Foundation’s mission is to pay for breast cancer treatment for women who cannot afford it. Money that has been raised through events, donations and the Breast Cancer Arabia business will be given to, and be used by the Foundation.

So please help us to help those less fortunate than ourselves. If you would like to donate or organise an event, please contact foundation@breastcancerarabia.com.

TENTS | SLEEPING BAGS | RUCSACS | TRAVEL BAGS | CAMPING ACCESSORIES

Available at: Go Sport in Dubai Mall, Adventure HQ in Times Square Center

Distributor

THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST

November 2012 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

At Sebsports ing We Love Build Café Racers.

Here is an example of a really unique way of bringing an old boring bike back to life and turning it into one of the coolest bikes to cruise the streets with.

We started with an old 1998 Honda Xr 600 which was a very popular bike here and cheap to buy. We found one with a good strong running motor. It doesn’t matter if the bike is not in the best of shape as all we are using for the café racer is the frame, engine , rear wheel and suspension.

We strip the whole bike down, dispose of the bodywork, tank, headlight, original exhaust and wheels. The original subframe is cut off and we fabricate a new lower subframe that is shorter and has a more café racer style to fit our custom made lower seat. All extra stuff is cut off the frame and the suspension is lowered.We use a steel fuel tank that is originally from a 1980’s Honda delivery bike and then use a nice classic styled round headlight.

We then do what we call a mock-up of everything, so we put the engine in and design and build the new custom exhaust system.

Once we are happy with the way everything looks and feels we disassemble everything and send everything out for paint, powdercoat, chrome plating and polishing. We design our own retro paint schemes that match each individual bike and owners preferences.

Once we get everything back, we carefully do final assembly with new bearings, brake parts and other parts.

The final product is a completely custom made one of a kind bike that no one else has and everyone else wants!

Definitely the coolest bike on the beach road!

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PRODUCT REVIEW

The Marmot

DryClime Windshirt

Words By: Kevin West

First of all, it is called a ‘windshirt,’ although just about everyone I showed it to said ‘nice jacket,’ so I will bow to them and call it a jacket. It is, in fact, more jacket-like than shirt-like since shirts tend to have collars and you can wear them in the office; I’d look a bit silly wearing this to work and with a tie! Anyhow, what it is called is really a moot point because this item of clothing is not meant for the boring indoors at all; it’s meant to get wet, winded and generally smashed around as we do our rather more interesting outdoor activities.

Admittedly, most of the actual ‘testing’ of the jacket was conducted indoors with a variety of ‘creative thinking’ activities since we are just only now approaching what can be described as the cool (as in not extremely hot) season here in the UAE. As many say, “there are opportunities in challenges,” so I put my imaginative side into action and came up with some improvised ways to see how this jacket would perform.

For those of us who like to pack extremely minimally, the jacket can just about be squeezed into its pocket; though I am sure Marmot did not plan it to be. I tried this because I have other jackets that are designed to fold into one of their jacket pockets and, thus, the pocket where the jacket folds up into has a double-sided zip so the full pocket can be zipped up (though this is not possible with the Marmot Windshirt and is something that Marmot might consider for future improvements).

In addition to its low mass, it weighs practically nothing which makes it an excellent thing to take to colder climates or if you want to wait it out here for the ‘real winter.’

The fleece inner is extremely comfortable against the skin and it’s possible to feel the warmth very quickly after putting it on.

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The jacket is very waterproof. How do I know this as the only real rain we’ve had here was a couple of years ago? I simply stood in the shower with it on! The water bounced off in the main and didn’t collect at the places that can allow water in like the zip covers, cuff and pockets. So, Marmot’s DriClime® Moisture Management Technology clearly works well. Now, how does this jacket perform in the wind? Using two indoor fans on maximum, there was no transfer of the moving air from the outside to the inner of jacket and again, the zips, cuff and pockets totally protected the user against the elements. But, you will say, that is not a fair test of this jacket’s ability to withstand wind and hence cold. So, off I went down to our friends at Adventure HQ and its Chill Room where you can test any of Adventure HQ’s products to your heart’s content. If you haven’t been and frozen your digits off in this room, you need to go! It has temperatures of MINUS 25 ˚C and a powerful fan to spread the coldness that will give you an ice cream headache in seconds! I stood in the room directly facing the fan for five minutes and, yes, it was as cold as ice…on my head.

The areas covered by the jacket were doing just fine, and I had to leave this meat-locker environment after about eight minutes, not because the jacket didn’t perform, but because I was beginning to feel like a side of frozen beef everywhere else!

What would I suggest using this jacket for? Here in the UAE, it would be great for those cooler mornings on the bike (as you can easily store in your bike shirt back pockets), kayaking, hiking, running (for those of you who love those early morning Wadi/ Desert runs), and it would be great for mornings at the campsite, too.I wore it for a few minutes on a recent Hatta bike ride and it is certainly something I would consider for biking in a cooler environment. It was actually a chilly 32˚C when I tried it! On the bike and riding at speed, it didn’t billow out like some jackets would – clearly a good attribute.

Abroad, it would be a great thing to take to keep warm in Northern Europe, the USA and other cooler places. Using it with wicking T-shirts or other under layers would increase its usefulness in colder situations like skiing

and snowboarding. As a cross-country skier, I can see that this jacket would be just about spot on for that, too.

I also did some other research on this jacket and found that the only drawback is that it is potentially very flammable, so be careful around those campfires. Having said that, I am sure many such clothing items are flammable due to the materials they are made from. However, after looking at all of the reviews (and do some looking yourself), it’s easy to see that there are no other drawbacks to owning this jacket, sorry…windshirt!

A Yoga Night with

ture HQ Adven Cancer Awareness

for

Breast

The advocacy to raise awareness about breast cancer had gained a huge following amongst various groups last month, which showed just how much people are getting involved in lending a hand to help out for the noble cause.

Among them are the folks from Adventure HQ, who hosted a free yoga session last 22nd of October, held right inside their store at Times Square Center on Sheikh Zayed Road.

The event was meant to raise awareness, and allow from the participants who joined in support of the cause to come together.

“A lot of people have been touched by breast cancer in their lives, whether it is personally or through family members or friends; holding a Yoga night seemed like a great way to reflect on these experiences and relax the body and mind during Breast Cancer Awareness month,” Adventure HQ’s marketing coordinator Cassandra Le Stewart said.

The evening yoga session was led by Ellie from Exhale Yoga, who had volunteered to run the class. The session was well attended by the ladies who were members of the store’s Adventure Club, where they got a great response; a handful of gentlemen also made their way to attend the class. One of them was Wild Guanabana founder and mountain climber Omar Samra.

“With all the spaces for the yoga filling up quickly, the class had to be kept fairly small in

order to maximize space for yoga positions. We had a perfect amount but we will definitely squeeze in a few more next time,” Le Stewart added.

Aside from the free yoga class, Adventure HQ continued on with their breast cancer awareness drive with the sale of ‘United in Hope’ Water Bottles by Nathan, with all the proceeds going to the Safe & Sound Burjuman Center’s Breast Cancer Awareness Program. They have also been supportive in the promotion of the Safe & Sound Pink Walkathon this 2nd of November at Zabeel Park.

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29/05/2012 11:0

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TRAVEL + ADVENTURE

ME4X4, NEWBIE DRIVE Why the heck should I go on a newbie drive?

Words by: Daniel Birkhofer

“Why

the heck should I go on a newbie drive” offered by the UAE off-road club ME4x4 was the first thing coming into my mind when I got the invitation. I’ve been in the desert for numerous times already leading friends safely to camping spots and have a high count of cars I’ve recovered in my own group, not to mention other stranded drivers. Of course, I also get stuck from time to time, which is part of the game. Mike Nott, one of the organizers and author of the Advanced Off-Road and Adventure Routes Guide Book was the one who invited me and was also the leader of our group.About 25 cars participating were split up into smaller groups, with each group being led by one marshal from the club. At the arrival and checking the other cars, I recognized that most of them were customized for desert driving, which indicated that most of the guys have been off-road driving before. So I asked Mike who was the newbie in our group and he told me, to the amusement of my girlfriend – “you, Daniel.”

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My ego was a bit bruised as I had the reputation to be the “expert” among my friends and always being prepared for any possible situation. The trips Mike and his friends from the ME4x4 club take are a bit above the driving we usually do when we weekend ‘off-roaders’ hit the dunes. Mike took the lead to guide us through the dunes close to Shweib. First we stopped to deflate the tyres and Mike gave instructions on how to drive in a convoy and all the cars were checked for recovery points and recovery essentials.

The sand was solid and gave generally good traction and no one in the group had issues following Mike and surprisingly, no one got stuck even if this was the purpose of the newbie drive; to get stuck and learn how to properly recover cars in various possible situations. After an hour of great dune driving, we stopped at some big dunes to learn how to descend long slip phases (not the height of Liwa sized dunes but high enough to learn). At the beginning of the day, and before any attempts, Mike gave clear instructions how to drive as well as an explanation why to drive in a certain way. To explain what he ran through in detail, it would exceed the set length of this article. Safety for you and as less stress as possible to the car are the highest priorities in the club. Hereby should be understood – stress to your car and equipment is unavoidable if you go off-road.

I broke a small bumper during day one and Sudhir, the other marshal in our group told me: “The desert god loves bumpers and eats them for breakfast, that’s the sacrifices you have to bring.” With this little sacrifice, I was able to recover myself out of a sand pit

which I maneuvered in.

The second part of the day was recovery, which normally I would use another car to help with once a vehicle was stuck, and a shovel was only one little supporting tool: ‘Using shovels and digging was the last resort, if it did not work, then pull the car out directly’. But the philosophy of the course is to learn how to recover yourself first, before asking others for help. This meant digging! I was really surprised how effective and how quickly you can recover a car by its own power if you dig at the right spots.

Where you dig is really essential. No matter where and how we got (purposely) stuck, Mike had a way to self-recover your car. For some situations he introduced some special tools which are none of the essentials like a shovel, recovery rope (strap), jack and jack-

THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST

ing board (See page 64 for the ‘Sand Shoe’).

It was a great day of dune driving, getting cars purposely stuck to recover them again, changing tyres on soft sand and of course exchanging stories and experiences with like-minded people. During the early evening when all the activities were finished the guys from Bling My Truck, who supported the event raffled off some great gear at the evening barbecue which was just the icing on top of the cake. My verdict is – thumbs up for the ME4x4 newbie drive!

Although I know how to drive in the desert, the essentials of maneuvering through the dunes and basic recovery, I still learnt a lot on how to recover a car out of almost every situation either alone or with some help.

If you’re ever going to do a newbie drive, don’t be stupid and think you’re superior and you know it all like I did. There are things about your car you won’t know, like driving in the right off-road settings (especially if you have numerous ways to differential locks, gear ratios, electronic drive controls like ESP…) and how they affect the off-road performance of your car. I’m certain you can learn something since a 4x4 club puts man and machine to the edge of what most weekend drivers will not do.

There are many off-road clubs in the region you can join, check the directory in the back of the magazine, our website (www. outdooruae.com), or Facebook to get in contact with them.

ME4x4 was founded in 1997 by Jon Harbour and it is probably the smallest off-road club in the country, but it has a wealth of

November 2012 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

experience that few can match. Many of the mentioned techniques within this article are explained in Mike Nott’s guidebook, which is a great start to learn more, but you should definitely get in contact with one of the experts from the 4x4 clubs to learn and master the techniques of dune driving and recovery.

Go off-road, but drive safely and if the desert god also takes his toll from you, please don’t leave your bumper behind. Take all your garbage and sacrificed parts of the car out of the desert to not harm the environment more than we, anyhow, already do.

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TRAVEL + ADVENTURE

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+40˚C

The Cold Run The Polar Circle Marathon, Kangerlussuaq, Iceland

42 k

ARCTIC TREME

-20˚C

20th October 2012 Words By: Diarmuid O’Malley

In February 2012, the seed was sown

sitting in Neil Munro’s office, in addition to talking about work-related items, the topic of running and the search for the next challenge inevitably came up, then we started to behave like “cardio junkies” looking for the next hit.

Neil had watched the Dubai Marathon with broken ribs after breaking them upon playing football, while I had done my fourth Dubai Marathon in a row and had competed in my longest run ever: the 72.2km Wadi Bih Run in beautiful Oman. Neil mentioned that he had just entered the Polar Circle Marathon, I had heard about this marathon a few years back from a friend of mine in Ireland and it intrigued me straight away. We discussed that if we were both to do it, we should do it with a mission, and the Christina Noble Children’s Foundation was the organisation that came to both of our minds straight away. Neil and I then discussed this idea of helping the foundation by raising 50,000 USD, which was the target that we set ourselves; it essentially was the annual budget of the Sunshine School in Vietnam, a school built from scratch by CNCF that educates and does so much more for over 200 kids in Vietnam.

We met up with Gill O’Farrell from CNCF and told her of our intentions, and straight

24

OUTDOORUAE

away, Gill was full of support. We then discussed many ideas of how to raise the fund at best.

Our first fundraising night was at Barasti at the Mina Seyahi on the 18th of April. Both Steve Thompson and Davvyd James, the former British and Irish Lions, were in attendance as ambassadors for CNCF. We did a raffle and raised over 1,500 USD. The rugby club that I coach, the Arabian Knights, have donated any excess money to CNCF; from day one, such has been the ethos behind the formation of the Arabian Knights over five years ago. We did another raffle at the end of season BBQ which raised over 2,000 USD. The Dubai Irish Golf Society (DIGS) then kindly offered to donate the money taken for the two return flights which was by provided by Emirates Airline towards Arctic Xtreme and CNCF. The next fundraising event was with the Voglia House & Garden store whose owner Rafik donated the profits from two agreed days to Arctic Xtreme, which generated over 5,000 USD. The next major fundraiser that was due to take place was a week before we departed for Greenland. This with our wonderful friends at the Armani Hotel Dubai where we raised over 12,000 USD. Then two days before the marathon, through my great friend Shahriar from RIDE Bike Shop at Sheikh Zayed Road, we had reached our goal and the donations had been still coming in; in the end, we had raised 52,219 USD. Setting off on the 17th of October on the Virgin Atlantic flight bound for London, we were both stepping into the unknown. Yes, we knew it was going to be cold. Yes, it was going to be different, but we had run over twenty marathons and ultramarathons between us, how hard was it going to be?

On the 20th of October, just after 9:45 a.m. we were about to find out.

On the morning of the race, it was a lot colder than the previous two days and had dropped to -11. At the countdown in the start line, there were 130 cold runners from 30 different countries who set off like ants up the first hill in single file; the race had begun.

We set off towards the ice cap glacier literally at the top of the world. We had to plough our way through six to eight inches of deep snow; our training in Ski Dubai hadn’t prepared us for this, it was like running on soft sand for the first 8km. But coming off the ice cap, the next 34km would be easier.

Despite the beautiful sunshine, trying to keep warm was an issue. But the scenery was truly amazing and we were indeed privileged to be in such and an amazing place in the Arctic Circle. At 33km, a runner from Greenland came up to me and said “fantastic that your still wearing your spikes but surely it would be a lot easier to run without them now” and I thankfully took them off and it was like running on air. Like any marathon, there will be moments when you

really wonder “why the hell did I sign up for this?” but thankfully, we both kept one foot in front of the other and adopted the phrase I use to my kids when things aren’t going their way: to “dig in deep.”

I ended up finishing in 16th place overall and Neil got inside the first half as he had wished. It was definitely a hard marathon, and may even be the hardest marathon we both completed, but the 200 kids in Vietnam kept us motivated all the way through.

When the journey started at the beginning of 2012, so many friends, families, colleagues, clients have really supported us. Without their support, we would not have reached the important goal which was the 50,000 USD for the Sunshine School. One of the proudest moments was when along the way to Greenland, I got word that my daughter, Ava, had brought a copy of a magazine with a picture of Neil and me training in a freezer in Dubai to “show and tell” class. My proud daughter told the class how her dad and his friend had been training in this fridge to run a marathon in the Arctic for the kids of Vietnam who aren’t as lucky as us.

It’s been quite a remarkable journey since that day in Neil’s office. While sitting in Heathrow en route to Greenland, I read the post on the Arctic Xtreme’s Facebook page from Cristina Noble herself and the sincerity in her appreciation to us both, which made us two very proud individuals.

THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST

November 2012 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

Becoming an Earthkeeper Eco-conscious , Heritage and Authenticity are Timberland’s definition of EcoCraftsmanship and the ultimate expression of Timberland Earthkeepers® collection.

With an ethos on protecting the environment, Timberland has released a new and innovative collection to start getting people thinking a little differently. With Earthkeepers® as their trademark, they have highlighted that everyone needs to do their part to protect the environment. They themselves of course realise that by making their products they are also a part of the problem. With a global collection, pr events, activations and a website dedicated to bringing the community closer together it seems that this initiative will be the start of something big in terms of informative, affordable and responsible shopping.

What is Earthkeeping?

Earthkeeping is straightforward, practical, common sense. It means taking actions that enable us to be good stewards of the earth. Earthkeeping is the way Timberland make their products. It’s using revolutionary breakthroughs like Green Rubber™ compound to make 42% recycled rubber outsoles. Earthkeeping is using renewable energy in their facilities. Earthkeeping is the more than one million trees they’ve planted around the world to help prevent desertification, reduce drought, fight global warming and green communi-

ties. Earthkeeping is how to take a stand on issues that affect the environment, like climate change.

‘Becoming an earthkeeper and get involved in the timberland community.

Protecting the outdoors is second nature. Timberland’s ethos is and sell gear to help us enjoy the outdoors.’

Some of the newest collection of the Woman’s footwear for Earthkeepers® was seen at the in store reader’s event held last month on the 17th in The Dubai

Mall Flagship Timberland store. With a turnout of over 120 people it was a great way to activate the brand here in Dubai and inform the public about the ethics behind the collection.

Overall by investing time and effort into this collection it appears that it is not just another off the shelf ‘eco-trend’, and with heart and soul, Timberland are leading by example. By taking the right steps to reduce their impact like cutting back emissions, using renewable energy and putting more organic recycled materials into their products Timberland are not only honest about their contribution to environmental problems, but on the brighter side of things highlighting that other companies should start taking a look at how the way they do business affects the environment- and should actively try and do something about it.

Earthkeepers® gear is one way that Timberland are trying to help out.

Timberland Earthkeepers® collection is now available across all flagships in the UAE.

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TRAVEL + ADVENTURE

One Man's Adventure:

57

Paddling Coastal Oman in

Days

Interview By: Darryl MacDonald

At age 64, Ernest Meili decided to take an unprecedented journey; the journey of a lifetime. When Ernest told his friends about his plans, some thought he had gone completely mad, others, the more adventurous ones, were able to understand the motivation to embark on such a unique quest. His family, on the other hand, couldn’t fathom why someone would take such a risk. Unassisted by any formal means, using a borrowed Dagger touring kayak, Ernest Meili had decided to Kayak the entire 1,900km coastline of Oman. The entire trip took a total of 57 days, broken into three sections, over a total of two years. I was fascinated with Ernest’s story when I first heard it and decided that it was too great and far too inspirational not to share. Ernest has since moved back to Canada but was kind enough to answer some questions for me so that I can share his story with you.

What was your initial plan for this incredible journey? Did it change over the course of the journey? “It is very rare in life to be presented with an opportunity to accept an outdoor adventure challenge that has not previously been met. I found the temptation simply too strong to resist, especially as it was an unusual time in my life when I had no commitments that couldn’t wait a bit. The fact that my wife was fully supportive of my decision was a huge benefit; I knew that in some ways it would be more difficult for her being in Muscat wondering about my safety. My original plan was to start the journey from the Muscat area in April 2009, and travel south in shorter segments so I could build up my strength, both for endurance and the ability I knew would be required to cover longer stretches with limited and difficult landing options.

This worked well until the temperatures

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climbed into the high 40’s and low 50’s in late May when I reached the Sur area, making it no longer bearable to be out in the water all day.

The decision was then made to get back on the water in the fall as soon as possible after my return from a summer vacation in cooler Canada, although the temptation was too great and I was back paddling in June.”

What were your favorite moments? “Long stretches in comfortably manageable conditions when I could settle into a steady rhythm and feel being a part of the sublime marine environment, soaking in the landscape, warm air and fresh ocean breeze. The occasions when my path crossed that of dolphins, turtles and the abundance of birds and fish. Times spent experiencing the remarkable hospitality of the Omani people who fish on these waters and live along these shores; I loved the time spent with them and their families hearing their stories

THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST

and the opportunity to see the faces etched by the hard life many experience making a living by battling nature every day to obtain their catches and bring them to the market.”

What were your scariest moments?

“Landings were often frightening as it was difficult to determine from out on the water what was in store once the decision was made to come to shore. Once you start riding the waves in there is no chance to reconsider – this was sometimes thrilling if I could ride a nice wave to shore, and sometimes infuriating if I grounded on sand or gravel and needed to haul my boat a long way inland for a safe campsite. The worst of these landings resulted in a severe crash when a huge wave drove me headlong into a steep sand bank between Sharbitat and Shuwaymiyah near Ras Mutaykaf. I ended up out of the kayak, badly bruised, with gear lying all over the place, a few things missing and everything full of sand. Getting back through that surf took a couple of attempts as the waves constantly knocked me back, as they typically do in heavy surf along the wave line. It was also pretty scary at times when winds would strengthen quickly building up the sea, particularly when I was well out from shore and far from any possible landings.”

Tell me about your longest day?

“A total of 19 hours near Shuwaymiyah on 15th of December from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. on the following morning, a distance of about 60km. I ended up traveling in the dark, judging the rugged shoreline by the sound and feel of the refractory waves bouncing off the cliffs. “ How did you get to and from your start/ finish points? “This was an adventure in itself, as I had to rely heavily on the kindness of strangers as well as my wits to get back to my trusty Galloper at the end of each segment. On occasion I was offered free transportation once I explained my need to get back to a particular location. Other times it involved paying a local resident to use his truck, paying a taxi or hitchhiking. Some of the most remarkable and often hilarious moments occurred when I was able to convince the driver to load the kayak on his truck, so I wouldn’t have to drive back to pick up the kayak and contents later. The fact that I was able to do this when necessary proved how totally trustworthy the Omani people are, as nothing was ever touched.”

Did you ever want to quit? What kept you going? “Definitely! Particularly at Ras Madrakah, where on two occasions I was rebuffed by storms and wild conditions and had to make the 20-hour round trip before

November 2012 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

the sea was tame enough for me to finally brave a launch, knowing full well that my next landing would have to be on a totally isolated beach through difficult surf! Personal pride played a major role in keeping me motivated, both because I had made the commitment to myself and because I knew I would regret it forever if I didn’t complete the task. Also the fact that so many people, particularly my wife, as well as Lamees Daar and the staff at the Environment Society of Oman, who had worked so hard to provide sponsorship, believed in me and encouraged me to continue.”

Did you have a favorite area on the coastline? “Although there were so many truly remarkable coastal cliffs and beaches where the sheer beauty took my breath away, there is no doubt that the fjords of the Musandam top the list; nowhere else can you experience such coastal variety over a relatively short distance.”

Looking back, what are your feelings about the journey now? “ I feel totally thankful and privileged for having had the experience and for the fact I was fortunate enough to have completed the journey unscathed; it has left me with a deep level of personal satisfaction and a much greater appreciation for the natural world and the beautiful people who shared it with me over those many days.”

What advice would you give to someone else attempting a similar journey?

“First, just do it if they have the inclination, as I’m certain they won’t regret the decision.”

“It would have enhanced the experience considerably if I had taken the time to learn more Arabic, as I often regretted the inability to hear more of the regional lore and the individual tales.”

“Obtain the proper authorizations from the government; I had some difficult interactions with local authorities, who on three separate occasions attempted to force me to halt my expedition.”

Are you planning any other big trips in the future? “Not at the moment as I have focused on family life in Canada, although I still hope to complete the second half of an 11,000km bicycle journey across Canada; the first part of which I did a few years ago.

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THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST

Other than that, as I approach 70, I think I will have to set shorter goals.”

Why did you decide to do this journey along the coast of Oman? “This was my fifth year in the country, a period in which I had fortunate opportunities to explore many of the spectacular coastal areas of this magnificent country on paddling, camping, hiking, snorkeling and sailing trips. These experiences sparked my imagination as to what wonders might lay in those many regions we couldn’t reach on wheels, but only by sea. “ Had you ever done anything like this before? “I had previously enjoyed several challenging kayak expeditions, some solo and some with either my wife or friends, on the rivers, lakes and coastal waters of Canada.

None of these outings had extended longer than a couple of weeks, so this was definitely a huge leap into the untested for my body and mind.”

How many years have you been kayaking for? What first got you interested in kayaking? “If I remember correctly, it was the summer of 1995 when I first slipped into a kayak and that in an entirely unplanned way. My brother-in-law had signed up for a racing kayak course on our local river, only to find his rather oversize physique wasn’t at all suited to support the craft . Beatrice suggested that I complete the course as it was already paid for and the rest was history as I immediately fell in love with the thrill of the sport.”

Tell more about your favorite interaction(s) with the locals. “This question is challenging as there were so many, many occasions when the kindness and generosity of the Omani citizens contributed so greatly to what made this journey so phenomenal and at times provided a safe passage when my life was in peril. I have fond memories of the moments when curious fishermen would motor up to me full of questions about why I was there and about the boat itself, always compelling me to share their fish and offering water. Following

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are three perfect examples of how important this generous spirit was to the success of this journey: “Once just past Telegraph Island in Musandam when a gentleman and his sons helped me portage my kayak and gear up a long, steep ridge, over a rocky, crevassed plateau and then sharply back down an incline through a field of boulders to a drop off back into the ocean. Throughout the difficult traverse and sweaty labor, they laughed and joked, even stopping as we passed their home to share a hearty breakfast. Without their help, this would have taken me at least one full day, rather than a few hours!”

“Typical of the selfless Omani character is the way Sheikh Shiliwah opened his home to me on the several stops I had to make in the Ras Madrakah area, inviting in friends and family for a generous feast, making sure there was someone in the group who could speak English well enough that we could share our stories. Their description of the conditions and landing ahead were invaluable in my planning. Like many others along the way they also helped arrange shuttle rides back to my truck.”

The closest friendship that developed was with Mohammed Al Mamari, who I accidently encountered while camping on the beach on the edge of the village of Taqah.

We stayed in regular contact throughout my travels along the rugged coast spreading from Lakbi south; on three separate occasions, he arranged water transport on fishing boats, shuttling me to safety for a night’s rest before being returned back to where I had left off to start another day, one of those nights was even spent on a fishing trawler where I was treated to a lobster feast!”

y Sample Food List - 5 Da Daily

Day 1

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Breakfast

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Lunch

Dinner

Dessert

Meat/tuna sandwich

Steak/veg pack

Chocolate Canned fruit

Day 2

Eggs-hard boiled

Chicken tikka

Chilli/bread

Day 3

Granola

Spinach pie

Curry mix/bread

Cake

Day 4

Granola

Cheese sandwich

Pasta + sauce

Chocolate

Day 5

Granola

Tuna can/bread

Dry food/couscous

Canned fruit

THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST

November 2012 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

EVERYTHING YOU CAN AN DO OUTDOORS UTDOORS IN THE UAE U

The Dubai International Outdoor Show is the only open air, family festival dedicated to all the t things you can do outdoors in the UAE. If you want to learn about, and experience, a whole range of outdoor activities through interactive features and displays – this event is a must for you.

This exciting three-day event offers a large selection of exhibits and interactive demos.

For dates and timings, and to buy your ticket visit DUBAIOUTDOORSHOW.COM Connect with us on:

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TRAVEL + ADVENTURE

Brazil Prea Jericoacoara Words + Photos: Astrid Petracchi

Every

year my family and I travel to a place far removed from the hurried modern world of traffic jams, endless queues, manic deadlines and the daily rush of life.

A place where the roads are paved with sand, where beaches are still untouched as far as the eye can see and you wake up to the sound of the waves every morning.

Prea is a small fishing village, windsurf and kite-surf mecca in Ceara, Brazil around 300km west of Fortaleza.

It takes quite some time to arrive at Prea; after a 14-hour flight from Dubai to Rio de Janeiro, and another short-haul flight of 3 hours from Rio to Fortaleza, we still have a drive of about 3 ½ hours before we arrive in the beautiful fishing village of Prea.

The road to Prea is a small, two-lane road alongside sand dunes and palm trees until you get to Jijoca. Because of Prea’s remote location, the last hour of the journey has to be by four-wheel drive vehicles along rugged dirt roads, and then along the final sandy stretch of beach. It’s a thrilling ride that adds to the experience when driving along trails with no direction signs.

Finally, after a long and exhausting journey we arrive at our destination in Prea, our most favorite posada Vila Prea. Since the first time we stayed here six years ago, it seems that every year our holidays are getting longer and longer because once you are in Prea, you simply don’t want to leave.

It is already past midnight by the time we arrive in our lovely little chalet and definitely time to go straight to bed so we can wake up with the first sunlight coming through the rooftop of our bungalow. The climate is so

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amazing that all chalets are built with open rooftops where the wind can blow through to keep a nice breeze, even during the hotter months of the year.

Nothing feels better than falling asleep to the sound of the waves in the background.

Early the next morning we are up and ready to enjoy our amazing breakfast of fresh-cut fruits, fresh fruit juice and French toast. We then spend the morning relaxing on the beach and going for a nice walk by the sea.

Once in Prea, you will only walk on sand or drive in dune buggies. It is as though the absence of cemented streets changes the pace of life and the mood of the people.

After an amazingly relaxed morning, as soon as it is 11:00 a.m. you can feel the wind changing and within a few minutes, the wind is up – get ready to set up the kite!

After such a long break from kite-surfing, I’m not sure what to set up, so start prepar-

ing my 7m2 kite. Just as I thought: within a few minutes, the wind picked up to about 25 knots and off we go for our first amazing ride on our kite equipment back in Brazil.

How we have been waiting for this!

To ride and have the wind blowing around your ears is the most amazing feeling and it didn’t take us long to meet some other surfers who are ready to go for a downwind ride of about 10km along the beach!

Riding along the most beautiful and lengthy beaches in the world just makes me remember once again how lucky I am to be able to come all this way with my family and enjoy such a beautiful place all together!

After our first down-winder, a buggy awaits us just by the turn of the beach at Pedra Furada, an arched rock that has become a symbol of Prea and Jericoacoara to bring us back to our posada where we will have a small break of Acai, a Brazilian berry, known as a “superfood.”

We went back out on the water, riding until the sun sets behind the fishing village of Jericoacoara, filling the sky with the most amazing red-orange colours you have ever seen.

Being one of the windiest places in the world due to its geographical location, Prea is an ideal place for kiting and windsurfing. However, it has much more to offer than this.

One of the most popular places to visit now is Jericocoara, another small fishing village about 15km

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from Prea. One of the most popular daily rituals in Jeri is to watch the sunset from the top of “Sunset Dune.” After watching the sunset, there are many capoeristas practicing their art at the base of the dune.

After another two days of kiting and enjoying the beautiful beaches just in front of our posada, we decided to take a day to visit the many freshwater lagoons surrounding the area.

Lagoa Azul and Lagoa Paraiso lie next to each other and share the same white sand and tranquil blue white waters. We found a nice, quiet place at one of the beachside restaurants and enjoyed a day of swimming and playing around the lagoons.

I even had a great kiting session when the wind had picked up.

After another day enjoying the beauty of the country, we arrive back at our posada tired but with the biggest smiles on our faces, ready for a nice Caibirinha and a delicious dinner of fresh fish from the daily catch.

A walk at night under a sky so filled with stars like you will never see again anywhere else, had us falling asleep happily and exhausted from another day in paradise.

TRAVEL + ADVENTURE Originated in the 1960s’

DEEP WATER

sOLOING

in Dorset, South England. Often called “Psicobloc” in Majorca and other popular DWS areas.

Translated to English meaning “Psycho Bouldering.”

Words By: Mike Green

Photos By: Zdenek Strýcek

It is early October and another weekend rears its glorious head.

The weather has cooled down and every weekend is now a climbing weekend. The simple pleasures of being out of the city, away from the hustle and bustle, and out of from the rat-race call to us from beyond the desert. Finally, it’s time for some recreational risk-taking. You know what I’m talking about!

Why do we skydive, surf, bungee jump or even lean our chair back onto two legs? It’s simple really: to feel more alive.

I head out with a taste for adventure.

I’m not alone. I am joined by a team of dedicated “weekend warriors.” No fakers, no posers, no egos, just genuine climbers.

Devoted, disposed, fanatic, obsessed. We hail from many countries brought together by a single passion.

This particular weekend, we’ve all decided to abandon our ropes, protection and equip-

ment, leave the inland crags, and pursue our thirst for adrenaline Deep Water Soloing on the coastal cliffs of the Musandam peninsula.

For the readers unfamiliar with Deep Water Soloing, it is a form of rock climbing practiced on overhanging sea cliffs relying solely upon the presence of deep water at the base of the climb to protect you from injury. No ropes, no bolts, no harness and free of all movement-encumbering items.

Often referred to as the purest form of climbing, DWS allows continual thought and flow of movement without stopping to place protection or to manage rope-work.

We arrive at the Dibba port on time,despite the recent border issues. Our local navigator and helmsman awaits and the sea looks calm. It’s hot as usual, but not the stifling, humid kind of heat that makes handholds feel slick and soapy. It’s a perfect kind of heat; the kind that dries your back and warms your feet after an inevitable free fall into the sea. We board the boat and head out to sea.

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After a short ride we’re near an area known as “Lima Rock.” Our captain had recently taken a group of divers here and, while waiting for them to re-surface, noticed the outstanding abundance of overhanging rock in this area so perfectly amenable to DWS. Our captain has spent several weekends baring witness to our daredevil shenanigans. Consequently, he no longer thinks we are crazy when we sit perched in the edge of the boat, pondering the potential of a seemingly bare rock face. In fact, it would be fair to say he has been bitten by the bug himself, working out the moves with mime-like hand movements alongside the other climbers.

The scope for new routes along the Musandam coastline is endless. Even climbing every day, you would have a lifetime of line exploration ahead of you. Putting up a new route involves instinct and experience. Each climber eagerly scans the coastline until an area resonates with him or her. The routes are as unique as the climbers themselves.

Some of us look for routes that are technical and sustained; others prefer ones with burly overhangs. Some people look for a balance of each of these things, and some are simply satisfied with routes that are high and scary!

One thing is for certain however; eyeing up potential routes from the boat only leaves you with a vague prediction as to what you’re about to embark on. Until you leave boat and start climbing, the true nature of the route remains a mystery.

This can all sound rather daunting at first.

When a route seems impossible or just too dang scary, you need to remind yourself to be open-minded, curious, brave. But most of all, remember – this is what you ENJOY! Each route presents a puzzle that you are tasked with solving. Once on the rock, there are only two possible outcomes: complete the route, or fall trying. Either way, you end up in the water. Each ascent is a learning experience, and wow – what a rush as well! This is why I love climbing. It continually demonstrates

the link between mental and physical strength. You can have fingers made of steel but if you’re not mentally prepared, your fears will make even the easiest of climbs feel loose, slippery and beyond your capabilities.

The boat is humming with the energy of a dozen restless climbers. Lima Rock is a new area for all of us and emotions run high.

Some are quiet, nervously picking at their nails while studying the rock. Others are excited, chatting to one another about the routes they have spotted.

One of the stronger climbers on the boat is eyeballing something he considers appealing. It’s a direct start leading to an overhanging horizontal roof about 12m above sea level. The line is burly, powerful and pretty exposed. His shoes are on, liquid chalk already drying on his hands. He’s got that look in his eyes; psyched would be an understatement.

Stepping off the boat, he climbs confidently but carefully, directly up to the underside of the roof. He pauses a moment under the roof and shouts back down at us, “THE ROCK IS REALLY DIRTY!” flashing us a blackened hand.

Leaning back, he slaps to something he can’t see around the lip of the roof. It’s a bold move, fall here and he runs the risk of plunging 12m into the water on his back. We all cheer him on, shouting out words of encouragement. DWS promotes a surprisingly high level of camaraderie for a sport with the word “solo” in its name. No one wants to see

their buddy do a 12m face plant.

The encouragement pays off and he pulls over the roof to relax on a ledge. “SPECTACULAR!” he shouts before jumping into the sea.

It’s begun, and now we all have to give it a go. One by one, we disembark onto the rock face. Each climber has his or her own strategy.

Some grunt and groan the length of the climb, shouting out with every muscular contraction. Others climb swiftly and silently, repeating a silent mantra to keep their anxieties at bay. This route is particularly exposed, which can throw even the most experienced climbers off their game. Exposure relates to the climbers’ vision, especially their peripheral vision. When a climb is classified as exposed, the climber is confronted with the exhilarating feeling of moving through a vast gap, engulfed by nothing but air.

Climbing an exposed route can make the search for hand and foot holds all the more desperate, your hands feel weaker, and your feet feel slippery. Exposure can emphasize a myriad of possible distractions, forcing you to look down, to hear the wind in your ears, or to over-analyze the route and the possible outcomes. This all takes its toll on your concentration. It’s a bizarre kind of pressure.

Most of us fall off the route, unable to break the steeply overhanging lip. We tumble to the sea and land in the watery crash pad before we even know what hit us. Those who make it to the top are faced with a barrage of questions: “Why did I finish this route?” “Now the jump is higher! Should I jump with my eyes opened or closed?” “Were the diver’s depth estimations accurate?” “It looks pretty shallow from up here, should I jump silently and as stiff as a board or scream and juggle invisible balls while pedaling an invisible unicycle?” “Has that black-tipped reef shark we spotted earlier left the area?” After a minute, the questions fade and you hear only the sound of your friends counting down your jump, “Five!

Four! Three! Two! Ooonnne!” your heart beats hard in your chest.

You hear your blood pulsing in your ears. You knew the deal when you started.You understood the inevitable: the higher you climb, the longer the jump. So what are you waiting for – JUMP! You hear the sea air rushing past your ears; for a moment, you are completely free. However, that moment comes to an abrupt end as the salt water assaults your nostrils. You surface, quickly thanking mother nature for your safe landing and rejoin your crew on the boat. They await you with outstretched arms, slapping you on the back and providing you with a detailed account of your adventure. You can’t stop grinning, none of us can – the day is only just beginning.

THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST

November 2012 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

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

FGarmin Edge 705 HR + CAD 1,575 AED Available at: Go Sport The Dubai Mall

Trainer. Navigator. Edge 705 pushes you to do your best, then shows you the way back. This GPS-enabled cycle computer knows no limits. Get heart rate, cadence, turn-by-turn directions, power data (from ANT+™-enabled third-party power meters) — the works. Even share your data with other Edge 705 buddies after your ride. All wireless with a color display, this is no ordinary cycle computer.

Additional features: High Sensitivity GPS, Expandable memory, Heart Rate Sensor, Cadence and Speed sensor, Virtual Partner, Barometric Altimeter, Garmin Connect

Mini Folding Chair 45 AED Available at: Picnico new showroom at Sheik Zayed Rd, Al Barsha 1, Dubai Phone: 04 3951113 Size folded: 37x27x0.5cm Weight: approx. 400g This miniature folding chair seems to be made for kids but is actually made for outdoor enthusiasts who like to keep their load low but don’t want to miss some comfort. The chair despite its size is very comfortable for adults and strong enough to hold even more than 90kg. The chair is foldable and will fit in any backpack and comes with a small storage bag.

Lightning boots 250 AED Available at: Adventure HQ, www.shamalkitesurfing.com Technical Features • • • • • • • • • • •

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Split toe Lightweight neoprene M-Flex (Tri-span) Teddy prene (Plush) shaft Glued and stitched seams Arch stabilizer “Put on” heel assistant Thin grip sole for optimal board feeling Twist control Velcro ankle strap Shaft strap

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THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST

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iGills 1,395 AED Available at: Adventure HQ, Times Square iGills is a complete diving system. Dive computer, 8 megapixel underwater camera, 1080p HD video, digital dive log, tagged photo albums, digital compass, backup flashlight.

For more information and to see the product in action log onto: www.igills.com

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Marmot DriClime WindShirt 367 AED Available at: Adventure HQ, Times Square Topping the charts year after year, the “Original’s” legendary, cozy, wind-blocking warmth is now being handed down from one generation to the next.

Features • • • • • •

Wind resistant, water repellent, and breathable DriClime® for breathability and excellent moisture transfer Mesh pit vents - for excellent breathability and moisture wicking Zippered chest pocket - to secure small items DriClime® lined collar and chin guard - moisture wicking fabric for comfort around your neck and face Angel-Wing Movement™ - allows full range of motion in arms so jacket doesn’t ride up

DriClime® Moisture Management Technology is a family of uniquely plaited bi-component knit fabrics engineered to mechanically draw moisture away from your skin to keep you dry, warm and comfortable.

NOVIK T.E.C. “ROOSTAFARIAN” Gloves 85 AED Available at: Sebsports, Tel: +97143393399 www.sebsports.com The Novik T.E.C. (that’s even cooler) glove line has been created to maximize rider grip feel and dexterity. Designed for riders that prefer a light feeling glove, while not compensating on dependability and maximizing glove comfort and breathability.

Features: • • • • • •

Light-weight and durable, single layer ‘Bomb-Palm’ palm and thumb reinforcement panel Pre-Curved lycra sidewalls on fingers provide superior fit and comfort Light-weight and breathable I-Span on top of the hand along with bold graphics Q-Span used in thumb panel to increase flex and comfort, while reducing break-in time Palm ventilation Silicone fingertips for increased lever control.

200g Loose Chalk 40 AED Available at: Adventure HQ

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THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST

November 2012 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

Campri Solar Shower 39 AED Available at: GO Sport Ibn Battuta Mall, Mall of the Emirates and Mirdif City Centre Sports Direct: Khalidiyah Mall, Abu Dhabi Campri Solar Shower is designed to use the sun to heat water without the need for gas or electricity.

• • • • •

Holds up to 20L Solar heated Durable PVC construction On/off flow control Compact and easy to use

TRIED AND TESTED PAGE 40

X-Lite X-551 Hyper Helmet 1,920 AED (Promotional Price)

2,400 AED (Original price)

Available at: Al Yousuf Motors Showrooms Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Al Ain, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah The new X-551 is the composite fiber helmet designed for riders of motard and street enduro motorbikes. Every detail was designed for a ‘crossover’ use of the motorcycle: choice of materials for the layers of the shell, extra comfortable high-tech fabrics for the interior, internal VPS sunscreen, standard ready for the N-Com® X-Series communication system.

Triple Shell The X-551 has three different outer shell measurements for the six available sizes.

Ventilation The innovative ventilation system includes a wide and functional air intake in the chin area that makes the NFR (Nolan Fog Resistant) & FSB (Full Silicon Bind) system even more effective .

Karrimor BOBCAT 55 – 65 Ruck Sack 455 AED Available at: GO Sport Ibn Battuta Mall, Mall of the Emirates and Mirdif City Centre Sports Direct: Khalidiyah Mall, Abu Dhabi featuring a spacious main compartment with extra storage to the front, sides and lid. This backpack also has padded mesh shoulder straps and the Supercool back system offering increased ventilation and comfort on the move.

ZEMgear Terra (Black/Night Blue Reflective) 300 AED Available at: Go Sports, AHQ and in the Trek Bikes store in Oud Metha www.zemgear.com The Terra is ZEMgear’s top of the range model in their Training series. The ergonomically moulded, separated protective toe guards promote barefoot agility and shield all toes from the perils of a more rugged environment. ZEM’s award-winning, reflective tech-bands are welded into the upper material to provide strong lateral stability and enhance night time safety. Enjoy the barefoot feel of the Green Grip outsole and count on its traction where it’s needed. Barefoot Performance with the Protection you deserve! Check in store, or on the website for details of other colours and models

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THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST

Jamie Oliver’s Wood Fired Ovens

When you think of wood fires it always conjures up warm, cosy, pleasant feelings, whether its sitting around a fire on a cold evening or cooking over an open fire on the beach or in the bush , fires connect with all of us in some way.

Jamie describes this connection as our “inner caveman” and he probably is on the right track.

Evidence has been found that man started cooking with fire approximately 250,000 years ago and we really only started cooking with electricity in the 1920/1930’s.

Of course throughout and even today there are many countries in the world that still cook over fires or with wood fired ovens, Italy being one of them. Because of Jamie’s love of all things Italian and wood fired cook-

November 2012 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

ing , the dome60 oven has been designed in the traditional way; it’s beautifully hand crafted and is made using thermally efficient materials and is a great place to start learning how to cook in this “ time honoured “ fashion.

Perfect for the U.A.E, the dome60 will fit perfectly into your garden, or on your terrace or balcony. The oven is delivered fully formed with a 60cm cooking floor, and its own stand which means it will easily fit into your lifestyle. Simply assemble the stand, pop the oven onto it and you could be cooking within a few hours.

The oven can reach internal temps of up to 425C/797F, perfect for pizza whilst remaining cool externally, and the heat retention is so good that you can continue cooking in it for up to two hours after the fire is extinguished.

It takes only approx. 30 minutes to heat up and you can cook an incredible variety of food in it.

Close your eyes and imagine wood fired pizzas crisping up inside the oven with the buffalo mozzarella balls oozing over the Italian tomato base and nudging the fresh rocket leaves out of the way.

Because of the dry heat and the stone floor the pizza base is crisp and cooks in two to three minutes. How easy is that for catering your child’s birthday party?

BBut that is not all…these wood fired ovens cook ‘melt in your mouth’ roasts with your root or Mediterranean vegetables on the side.

Fish the ‘family dish’ smothered in spring onions, garlic, ginger, olive oil.

Fresh home-made breads and even a “morning after” full English breakfast.

The difference is with the above food being cooked in a wood fired oven from being cooked in an indoor gas or electric oven is that it will come out with an incredible wood fired taste which is quite unique.

Looking for inspiration and cooking tips for your wood fired oven? Why not visit the Dubai Garden Centre where you can have a coffee and watch Jamie’s video demonstrating easy ways to cook all your favourite food in the dome60 wood fired oven.

Nereid Boyce, Head of Sales and Marketing, Wood fired ovens by Jamie Oliver, says “ the whole concept of Jamie’s wood fired ovens should be to step back from your hectic life and slow down , be with your family and friends and just have fun cooking” .

The dome60 is the smallest Wood Fired Oven by Jamie Oliver and is available only from the Dubai Garden Centre retailing at 6,495 AED with free delivery..

Looking for inspiration and cooking tips for your wood fired oven? Why not visit the Dubai Garden Centre where you can have a coffee and watch Jamie’s video demonstrating easy ways to cook all your favourite food in the dome60 wood fired oven.

We’ve made it easy to get the wood you need for cooking, why not pick up a couple of bundles to take home with you from the Dubai Garden Centre at 29 AED per bundle.

The range of Wood Fired Ovens by Jamie Oliver are exclusive to the Dubai Garden Centre.

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Distance FL Trekking Z-Pole 495 AED Available at: Adventure HQ Available in: 95 to 110cm, 105 to 125cm, 120 to 140cm Brand: Black Diamond Weight per pair: 445g approx.

Collapsed Length: 37cm Unisex Built with durable lightweight aluminum and featuring both our compactable Z-Pole technology and FlickLock® adjustability, the Black Diamond Distance FL defines on-trail versatility. Ideal for everything from backpacking to short day hikes, the Distance FL’s 20 cm of adjustability let you tweak the length for side hilling or for use with a tarp shelter. We also included a lightweight EVA grip with mini extension for quick choke-ups on steep inclines and interchangeable tips for variable trail surfaces.

• • • • •

Aluminum shafts 3-section folding design with speed cone deployment and FlickLock adjustment Lightweight EVA foam grip and breathable, moisture-wicking strap Non-slip foam mini grip extension for secure choke ups Includes interchangeable, non-marking Z-pole Rubber Tips, ZIncludes an indent that allows the use of Matrix Concepts tie-downs to strap into place during transport.

Raven Ice Axe and Ice Axe Protector 425 Available at: Available at Adventure HQ Brand: Black Diamond This classic mountaineer’s piolet has been used on classic climbs the world over for decades. The Raven’s durable aircraft aluminum shaft and investment-cast stainless steel pick are engineered for secure self-arresting.

Head, Spike: stainless steel, Anodized, light gray, Shaft : Aluminum, Weight Without Leash : 437g, 15oz (55cm)

Matrix Concepts M3 Utility Can 195 AED Available at: Sebsports Tel: +97143393399 www.sebsports.com All new shape, 4.0 Gallon can with 2 handle design. Easy-pour spout that can be personalized with name and number.

• Comes complete with 5” long extender hose spout with 1” plastic fill reducer with cap.

• 3” extra wide fill cap or easy and quick filling.

• Strategically placed side handle and special unique bottom handle for balance and easy handling.

• Made from hi quality HDPE plastic with heavy duty wall thickness.

• Reinforced ribbed bottom for extra strength.

• 4.0 gallon capacity makes the weight of the can easy to handle.

• Includes an indent that allows the use of Matrix Concepts tie-downs to strap into place during transport.

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TRIED AND TESTED PAGE 64

Sand Shoes from Epic Adventure Equipment 700 AED Available at: www.blingmytruck.com or call 050 3634839 Weight: 3.2kg each Dimensions: Approx 770mm x 207mm Colour: Green Material: Fiberglass The concept behind the product is that they effectively lift the vehicle out of the rut using their wave shape. Being significantly thicker than other recovery tracks / ladders makes them more robust. Whilst being short enough to be stored inside the vehicle, they also have a smooth round handle so that you can grab them more easily when pushing them under tires and when pulling them out of the sand.

The bright green colour makes them highly visible and you can mount them to your roof rack using ratchet straps, bungees, etc.

+ GoPro App GoPro Wifi Combto Kit +

When we were given another one of the GoPro gadgets to test, we were informed that there was some great news to come which would influence the review; GoPro had launched the 3rd edition of its successful camera with improved quality and includes the wireless function within the camera itself. Although the camera is not yet on the market and many will hold on to their Hero 2, we decided to publish the review which will still be relevant as the App and other functions will be the same for the new edition.

First of all to use the wireless pack of the GoPro which will enable you to remotely control the camera via a remote control included in the pack, as well as the option to live stream the image to your smart phone or table, you have to upgrade the firmware.

A bit strange and annoying as this has to be done for the camera, the backpack and the remote. This will require reading and following the instructions and might take up to an hour until everything is up and running.

The pack promises to have all the camera functions shown on the remote control with which you can control multiple cameras (50) which are enabled for Wi-Fi. The remote control can be worn like a watch and is waterproof up to 3m and works up to 180m from the device.

The remote works perfectly

and is really a useful tool. Before the release of the Wi-Fi, you had to press the record button of your camera after positioning it and then let the camera roll and roll and roll. This meant that you ended up with gigabytes of video footage in one clip, most of which was boring and useless. The remote control enables you to start and stop a camera mounted to your car from inside the car at any time and even change settings or modes. This applies for almost all situations. The arm wrist and waterproofing is especially useful if you use the camera on surf, paddle or kiteboards and the list of applications is almost endless. If you are already a proud owner of a GoPro, you will appreciate the advantages of the remote control. It also saves valuable battery capacity and storage on your SD card as you will only record what you really want to record.

The Wi-Fi backpack creates its own Wi-Fi network, which you can connect not only with the remote but also with your iPod for instance. I’ve read a lot about issues connecting to the iPod and getting the live stream up and running, but for me it worked well straightaway. The whole setup and installation of the new firmware on the devices plus downloading and installing the App takes some time but it is worth following the instructions in detail.

The live stream works well but you will recognize a time delay of the transmitted signal, so bear this in mind when you start capturing video or photos and

press the record button a bit in advance.

You might need to anticipate future events before recoding. The reach is also good enough to use the camera outside a car and control it from the inside with the iPod. For me, one of the greatest features is that you can change and view all the camera settings on the iPod screen. This makes it so much more comfortable to set the different modes and always have an overview of the settings which even the new camera display doesn’t allow.

Even without the live stream (app required), the remote control alone is worth the investment of 650 AED and if you have a compatible tablet or smart phone to run the app, I would definitely say it’s worth the little upgrade of your Hero 2. All these features are included in the new GoPro models and hopefully they will soon be available in the UAE.

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PRODUCT REVIEW

On the Road with Nolan X-lite x551 helmet I was invited to Al

Yousuf Yamaha on SZR to test their new range of Nolan X-lite x551 Dual purpose motorcycle helmets. Like a kid in a sweet shop, I was being shown around the impressive showroom and their new delivery of helmets; all I had to do was to pick a colour I liked. Perfect timing to give this helmet a true test; on that weekend I was going on an Emirates Bike Tour trip from Dubai to Dibba, 208kms off-road on sandy and mountainous terrain, as well as on roads.

Although I am slightly skeptical of the dual purpose/crossover helmets, I was pleasantly surprised at how comfortable it was when I tried in on the first time. The interior is very soft and fitted in all the right places. The helmet weight was good and felt very light when I had it on. Appearance wise, it is what you would expect from a dual purpose helmet: a street helmet with a small peak.

The helmet is based on the X-lite range and looks very sleek and stylish.

First impressions out the way; the test had started off on a good note.

Now, to the road test I knew having the perfect opportunity to give this a thorough test would be the Emirates Bike Tour’s first trip of the season from Dubai to Dibba: 208km through sand dunes,

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Words By: James Edmeades across mountains with rough gravel terrain and a few normal roads thrown in for good measure. This would show me what this product was all about with nowhere for any flaws to hide on this trip.

As we all gathered at the sports ground in Al Awir early that morning, I thought about how the helmet would stand up to this trip, and if any flaws were to be found, this would show them up pretty quickly. Asking if the helmet would be okay for this type of riding raised a few of my fellow riders’ eyebrows, however, these questions didn’t stop throughout the ride. At every stop, new questions were asked about how it was to ride in.

So the trip starts Leaving at 8:00 a.m. in the morning, the sun is still quite low, which can dazzle and blind you. If you tilted your head slightly, the helmet coped with it very well with the peak cutting the sun out completely. Also,

you could use the in-built tinted visor, which can be slid down using a button on the side of the helmet; this was better for the day riding, much like a built-in pair of sunglasses that stop you squinting for the day. The visibility is good all over, with the wide angle of the visor and the position of my head ensuring the helmet did not interfere with my vision, helping me keep my eye on everyone in the group with the odd camel testing my reaction from time to time by running out from bushes or from behind dunes.

As we were riding in a big group of 38 riders, a lot of dust and sand was in the air.

Typically, this is where off road style helmets are good as the goggles are sealed around your eyes and don’t let the dust get into them. I was worried that dust would get into the helmet and into my eyes easily as the visor is not sealed around them, but the seal of the visor and stretchy piece of material under the chin did a great job of keeping this out. The helmet stood up to the test

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Overview

Good Points Comfortable Stylish Great ventilation Good value for money very well, and did not let the dust hamper my vision or get in my eyes.

Riding anything in the Dubai heat can be testing, let alone riding eight hours off-road through very tough terrain in 40 degrees heat, the helmet’s ventilation system came into its own, not only keeping my head cool to concentrate and enjoy the ride through some of the best scenery the UAE has to offer, but also stopping the dust from getting inside through the filter and mesh in the vents. With such a heavily vented lid, wind noise can be quite loud. As I’m not a fan of wearing ear plugs I feel it can take away a lot of what you feel from the ride, (although an ear doctor would disagree with this). The helmet remains pretty quiet and wind noise didn’t disturb my ride; this was tested up to around 130kpm without any issue of unstableness or undue noise.

The safety aspect of a helmet is very important to me and I won’t put my head in just any lid (the saying two-dollar helmet, two-dollar head), but Nolan has a good reputation for building a safe helmet. There were a few spills on the trip, but I was lucky

enough not to be able to test on the shock resistance of the helmet. I felt safe enough wearing it and am sure that if called upon, it would do its job of shock resistance well as Nolan helmets on a whole are tested to the highest level and hold the Snell safety standard level.

Taking off the lid after eight hours of riding trip was a great relief, the helmet and my face remained dry and not too sweaty, and even had the new helmet smell.

Also, no pressure marks from bad fitting were visible on the face so we headed into the hotel for a well-deserved refreshing beverage without looking silly. All in all, a great day’s riding was enjoyed by us and I was impressed at how well this helmet worked with all the different riding conditions.

In my opinion, as I ride either off-road or sport bikes, I would usually use an off-road

helmet for off-road and a road helmet for road as they are purpose built for the use, but that might just be me being fussy. This is why a dual purpose helmet would be a good solution if you want to use a helmet for both, or one more aimed at the touring side of riding which would be comfortable for long trips on- and off- road as you won’t be disappointed with the performance.

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OUR EXPERTS

GOING DEEP Our fishing pro who shares his experiences and expertise with OutdoorUAE through his regular column. thefishingkit@gmail.com

One of the most productive ways of fishing almost anywhere is to troll deep diving lures. They are probably one of the most (if not ‘the most’) bought segments of the lure market and for good reason; they catch fish, lots of fish.

The very first trolling lure I bought for myself was a Red Head Rapala CD14; I still have a few of these fine lures in my tackle box and have used them quite effectively here in the UAE. The most endearing quality of deep diving lures for me is the fact that they are very simple to use and require little or no experience (and effort) for them to work and trolling them couldn’t be any simpler; tie one onto your leader, chuck it out into the sea, put some line between you and the lure, lock the reel and start moving!

The lures work because of the lip; it not only gives the lure the diving ability, but also the tantalizing wobble. In some cases, like the Rapala CD Magnums, it gives an added attraction via the flash the bib creates. They work in a broad range of speeds from 2 to 8 knots, tune them right and you can even go as fast as 10 knots.

After taking up kayak fishing, I’ve discovered that there are only few lures that work well because of the speed one can create with elbow grease. Aside from the obvious (and messy) live and dead bait trolling, the only other proven option was deep diving lures. Even if you intend on going bait fishing, trolling one or a couple of these lures behind your kayak to and from your fishing area can spell a catch or two…or three.

Truth be told, it’s been so effective, I almost forget bait fishing is an option and just troll on for the whole session.

On a kayak, I could do 2-3 knots; however, things get consistently better with a Mirage Drive-powered Hobie Kayak.

Three knots is just about perfect for these lures, but on the wind-powered Hobie Mirage Adventure Island, trolling these lures becomes a breeze. I could go faster than normal and cover a lot more ground.

Going faster also means my lures would go a bit deeper than they normally would and often gives me a few more strikes.

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This catfish struck a Sniper Spoon trolled 30 feet behind a diving board - the board went down to the bottom where the catfish was feeding

LURES AND OTHER STUFF IN MY BOX Most of these lures come with relatively-okay split rings and hooks, I recommend that you get aftermarket split rings and hooks (I replace mine with Owner split rings and hooks). Depending on the size of the tackle you use, the stock hooks or split rings will give way and could cost you a fish, even if you use light tackle, the hooks or split rings will bend in a prolonged battle.

Rapala CD Magnums These lures have been around for a long time and are true performers both for inshore and offshore fishing.

The CD18s and CD14s are to me, some of the most solid performers I’ve ever trolled, with the Redhead as my top producer and GFR (Gold Fluorescent Red) a close second. The lip tends to get banged up after a few fish and you would need to tune them to have them swim straight. You can search YouTube and find out how to tune them.

Two of my most consistent lures, Rapala CD Magnums; CD14 Redhead and CD18 GFR

YoZuri Crystal Minnow Deep Diver

Yo-Zuri’s Crystal Minnow is a spinning standard, in recent years, they have introduced a deep diving version that makes the lure an instant trolling favourite!

After using the original Crystal Minnow with great success in casting a few years back, I was pleasantly surprised that Yo-Zuri has introduced a deep diving version of this splendid lure. This filled the notch that the L-Jacks left when they pulled it out of production. They were an instant favourite and work just as well as the shallow-running originals. Even the small sizes dive deep and has accounted for quite a few fish over the last few seasons.

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Storm Deep Thunder and Rapala X-Rap Deep

THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND

• • • • The X-Rap Deep are a recent favorite bagging me quite a few fish for the last couple of seasons on board the kayak

Storm’s Deep Thunder is a killer deep diving lure for slow trolling

These two are basically the same lure, although Storms would have a bit more conservative dress code, but they are basically the same lure. When Rapala bought Storm a few years back, it was then only a matter of time before they incorporated what made Storm lures popular on its own – very deep diving lures.

I believe aside from the outrageous Mann’s Stretch series (which are hard to find in the UAE) these lures dive the deepest relative to size, which is something handy to have when you can’t really go fast for some reason.

Yo-Zuri K-Type Diving board The Yo-Zuri K-Type Diving Board is a mainstay in the UAE trolling style, although not much information about how to use them is readily available. They create too much drag on normal kayaks, but not much of a problem with Mirage Drive kayaks. I’ve successfully You are not limited to deep diving lures to go deep, diving used them on the Redbird and have caught boards such as the one pictured can get your lure down deep bottom feeding fish like catfish and grouper (hamour) to trevallies, kingfish and cobia. The trick is to find the right distance between you and the board and the right speed to get them down deep. I put about 30ft of leader (915cm) between my diving board and the lure (which is more than likely a spoon).

Take note of your mainline and leader – the thicker they are, the shallower the running depth of your lure Speed is a factor, the faster you go the deeper they go If you’re on a kayak, deep divers create a lot of drag and will take a toll on your stamina A braided line will make your deep divers go even deeper

I hope this helps some of you guys out there and I would love to see your catch!

Email me your images and stories and we’ll post them on Facebook!

Till next tide change,

Kit A spoon such as this Sniper Spoon is a killer behind the Yo-Zuri K-Type Diving Board

The genesis of this invaluable publication to local climbers goes back to the last century with Alan Stark, a former resident of the UAE, who took on the task of collecting scraps of hand written notes recording new route developments from various active climbers in the region. This was eventually compiled into the affectionately termed “Book of Chose”. This ‘hit the streets’ in the mid naughties in the form of a CD. The subcover_final.indd 1

Red Armada Publishing

cember since the UAE Rock Climbing Guidebook published by Red Armada and authored by Toby Foord-Kelcey first hit the bookshelves in the UAE. Since then, over 600 copies have been sold locally. This could be a possible indication of the local appetite for reading relatively obscure niche publications or the UAE residents’ enthusiasm for getting out into the mountains to test and scare themselves on the end of a rope.

UAE ROCK CLIMBING

It will be three years this De-

UAE ROCK CLIMBING

The UAE Rock Climbing Guidebook

11/10/09 9:16 AM

sequent years saw many climbers clutching their binders of printed route descriptions at various crags.

In the summer of 2006 Pete Aldwinckle had a fleeting attempt to update and adjust Alan’s work so that it could be commercially

printed. After a few fruitless discussions with local publishing houses and the major distraction provided by the sport route potential at Hatta, this publishing attempt was abandoned.

Step forward Toby who somehow managed to get an extended family leave pass and find additional time for research. A year on the road visiting almost every piece of rock climbed within the UAE and many over the border in Oman produced a completely re-written guide. Further pruning of the more esoteric climbing locations, editing and the application of self taught graphic design saw the final draft being dispatched with Global Climbing funding to China for print in Q3 2009.

Much has changed with the UAE climbing scene since then. Participation numbers have increased dramatically and many previously popular climbing areas have access restrictions and new areas have opened up.

The UAE climbers undoubtedly owe Toby a major debt of gratitude for bringing the guide to print and his continued recording of developments online at Red Armada Publishing. Hopefully we can all persuade him to break his climbing sabbatical in Canada and return to the region soon to update these invaluable resources.

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OUR EXPERTS

Fighting oxH o l e in the F

Craig Reynolds

Craig Reynolds was born and raised under the African sun and has been wondering around in the outdoors for as long as he can remember. He used to climb about twenty kilograms ago, often dragging an old Pentax K1000 up the crags. He is an unrehabilitated Land Cruiser addict who is often sunburnt and generally in need of a shave and you can see his photos and read his infrequently updated blog at sunburntandinneedofashave.com

ay in On a cool February Saturd ba, Mark Dib r nea i, ms Sha Kab di Wa a heavily McCabe stood looking at te Fox rou the on overhanging section mind. SeeHole1 trying to make up his already in re we es rop top e ing as som nt from the me age our enc h place and wit it. This for go to d rest of us he decide s the difficulture cap ges ima of ce uen seq x. The climb ty of moving through the cruof strength lot a so e’, anc is very ‘off bal r weight. is required to support you

Stretched to his ph laying almost horiz ysical limits and ontally Mark reaches for the holds into any available po , feet mashed lot of grunting and ckets. It took a far. A final stretch forsweat to get this and he’s through the a good grip still had a while to worst of it, but go before reaching the top.

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Leslie Strange grits her teeth on the Wonderwall, Oman.

Christopher “just call me Pike� Pike hanging out on 'Return of the Texas Chicken, Wadi Kab Shamsi.

Brian Coones practices an off-balance route on top rope.

Pillars of rock dwarf Chris Pike in Wadi Kab Shamsi

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OUR EXPERTS

Salalah Trip Having visited Salalah, Oman twice in the last 12 months to scope out new locations for mountain biking in the region, it was time to get a club trip down there to ride some of the amazing trails that had been discovered on the last two trips, a five-day camping and mountain biking Eid vacation It started with the 12-hour drive to Salalah from Dubai at 4:30 a.m. on the 22nd of October, and after a very easy and possibly the quickest ever crossing of the Jebel Hafeet (Mezyad) border we were in Oman.

The drive down was fast and un-eventful and we arrived in Salalah around 4:00 p.m.

After finding a suitable camping spot in the entrance to the wadi we would ride the following day, we settled down to dinner and a few drinks ahead of the first days riding.

Considering the time of year the temperature during the evening and night were very cool and looked promising for the days ahead, the first days riding was so different to anything in the UAE where we ride as a club, and resembled a landscape more akin to the Mediterranean, dry dirt trails through

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woodland that slowly became more denser the further into the wadi.

After a couple of km’s the trail started to climb steeply, twisting and turning through thicker and thicker woodland onto richer red soil tracks, such a contrast to the start of the route. After climbing on 4WD tracks there was an option to take an old camel droving path, a narrower single track route up higher into the valley, this eventually came out onto a high flat bottomed valley full of the most vicious thorny trees I’ve ever encountered, but offered a rest from the previous 45minutes of climbing. The trails took us into a small farming village with numerous local tribesmen sat around while their camel herds grazed the vegetation. From here we had around 20km of riding narrow animal tracks through semi open woodland in and out of various valley entrances and finally back towards the top of the initial climb. For the descent we chose to use the old 4wd track as having ridden this some 12 months previously I knew this route was going to have people talking for some time to come. This is possibly one of the nicest downhill trails in the region as it combines both fast tight and twisty track, with both hard packed, loose, rocky and root covered sections, enough to keep you on your toes for the full 4km of descent.

The second day was a mixture of riding in Wadi Dharbat, where there is the contrast of grassy meadows full of herds of camel and cows along with numerous donkeys, in

a scene like you might expect in Africa.. we got to experience riding the green grassy banks of the water filled wad Dharbat, scattered with woodland sections that gives way to a narrowing valley where we were able to have great fun riding water crossings, and getting wet feet for once (something rarely experienced in the UAE). The wadi gets narrower, the cliffs eather side start to close in and the wadi bed is filled with beautiful large aqua blue pools teaming with fish and perfect for cooling off. Eventually the wadi becomes much narrower and the flat pebble ground becomes huge rocky boulders and impossible to proceed further by bike, and a return route along the other side of the water is the preferred route back.... The second half of the day is taken up with one of my favourite routes into one of the big wadi valleys closer to Salalah city... This is a ride of around 27km made up of fast, twisty single track through woodland and wadi bottom, not technically challenging like the previous rides but a great opportunity for stretching

the legs and having a blast (this would make a great route for any beginners to mountain biking).

That evening quite tired we headed over to Khor Rori to camp on the beach close to the ancient archeological site of Sumhuram thought to date back as far as the 1st century CE. An evening of cool sea breezes and BBQ food saw a perfect end to the day.

The following day was a repeat of the first days ride due to demand for such great riding, and some of the further reaches of some of the upper valleys revealed yet more

km’s of possible trails to be researched on another trip.

This day was spent riding hard over ground the group had ridden before so the pace and enjoyment of this route was at another level and resulted in a exhausted bunch by the end of the day. The following morning was a short day for some with a quick morning ride and a few photos before starting the journey back to Dubai. However a couple of us remained to explore a new route that I had logged with the help of a few hours searching in Google Earth. This new route looked to be very, very promising and different still to anything done in the previous days, as it started in the grassy hill tops high above the northern end of the city of Salalah.

The final evening and following morning doing a first ride of a new trail were awe inspiring, and showed there are so many different landscapes and vegetation in the hills of Salalah, the new route was like riding in UK woodland and the hills of north of England. Riding along small animal tracks made in half-metre high dry grasslands interspersed with woodland areas was an incredibly bizarre experience and made it hard to comprehend we were still in Oman. So many alternative routes and tracks were in this area that it was hard to turn back towards the car to start the 12 hour drive back to Dubai, so another trip will be required shortly without doubt to continue the exploration of this amazing region So in conclusion, Salalah has without doubt the best and most diverse mountain biking in the region that can be accessed by car from Dubai/UAE without having to resort to flights.

I expect there will be numerous future club trips to this region to discover more and more top quality riding, as it feels we have only just scratched the surface and in many cases, I would imagine we have been the first people to pioneer mountain biking on these trails.

Andy Whitaker

THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST

November 2012 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

OUR EXPERTS

Gesnt addeertail is ju

“

ntain climbing Auto racing, bull fighting, and mou games. are rs othe all ... the only real sports Ernest Hemingway

are

Word By: Genevieve Boni

Rock climbing, in all its

many glorious forms is no exception to the majority of sports in the UAE, The Middle East and around the world; the sport is dominated by men. Whilst agonizing over the reasons why this might prove a worthy pastime for some, women all over are gearing up, tying in at the sharp end and playing their part in taking the sport to new heights.

Rock climbing is still a relatively new sport, dating back only as far as the last quarter of the 19th century. It’s easy to put that in perspective when you compare it to the sport of football. Records show the Greeks were kicking a ball around in Athens all the way back in 338 BC. Fast forward to February 2012 and finally The International Olympic Committee has formally recognized the International Federation of Sport Climbing.

This means climbing can now compete with other sports for entry to the 2020 Olympic Games.

In recent years climbing has seen some super-powerful women climbers burst onto the scene nameably Catherine Destiville, Tori Allen, Beth Rodden, Lisa Rands, Katie Brown, Tomoko Ogawa and Sasha Diguilian, all of whom have collectively ticked some fearless first ascents and smashed a variety of records. Few would argue that Lynn Hill is still perhaps the most famous female rock climber of all time. In 1993, together with her partner Brooke Sandhal, she became the

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first person, male or female, to free climb the Nose, El Capitan a 2,900 ft monster wall in Yosemite Valley that was once considered impossible to climb. Lynn, who is now in her 50s is still climbing really, really hard things as well as running a number of climbing camps for kids across the USA. Lynn continues to play a vital role in the development of climbing as well as being a role model and inspiration to male and female climbers alike.

Coincidentally, it was also in 1993 that the current world’s strongest sports climber was born in Czechoslovakia by the name of Adam Ondre. In October 2012, Adam climbed a 55m route called The Change in Norway graded at F9b+, after an exhausting but exhilarating 5 weeks of trying. A woman has yet to be recorded to have climbed at that grade. The hardest ascent stands at F9a+ by Josune Bereziartu. In May 2005, she made the second ascent of Bimbaluna, a route in Switzerland graded at F9a+. The female climber currently with highest international profile who is consistently trying hard things, and continuously challenging her body at the edge of it’s physical limits is Sasha Diguilian, a 20 year old from The States, who in October 2011 ticked a route called ‘Pure Imagination’ (F9a) in Kentucky, USA. She’s currently trying to balance being both a rock-star and a full time university

student. Sasha herself has said that perhaps the simple and only reason that women are not climbing quite at the same level as men might be nothing more than her suspicion that there may not be as many women trying to climb that hard? If any woman can tick a 9b+, it’s Sasha. Fingers crossed.

Climbers in the UAE and Oman, warmly regard Dee McEnery and her partner John Gregory as two of the most instrumental individuals who have been tirelessly paving the way for climbers here since the 1980’s.

This power-partnership has seen the development of hundreds of traditional climbing lines predominately in Ras Al Khaimah and Wadi Bih. To this day, they are still both passionately developing routes for others to enjoy. Another climbing power-partnership, helping to shape the sport in the region is

THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST

Guida Verschut and Pete Aldwinkle. Guida and Pete run the gear and equipment distributers Global Climbing and are bringing some of the world’s best brands in to the UAE. Woman from all nationalities, British, French (Florence Larpent, Genevieve Boni, Violaine Maincent), Canadian (Carla Hansen), German (Nadine Wiegert), American, Indonesian and Iranian have made their mark, along with John Gregory, Aiden Laffey and Tim Richards, to name a few. They have been braving the searing summer heat and the lovely windier days, spending hours opening new fine traditional and sports routes.

The UAE: a climber’s challenge

From Dubai, the closest outdoor crag is in Hatta, a good hour and a half away. For those who live in Abu Dhabi, a round trip of 6 hours is not uncommon. In addition to that, there is the heat and humidity to contend with that makes climbing in the summer almost impossible. On the top of all this, route cleaning is mandatory. Cleaning a route means spending hours hanging from a rope at 25 to 50m off the ground, a crowbar on hand to get rid of all sorts of rocks and objects that could kill you while climbing if not first removed from their nesting place.

But even still, if you look carefully, you will spot a handful of hardcore climbers, doing their best to stay hydrated, dodging the sun and lose rocks, by lurking around the more shaded crags in order to get their climbing fix.

Those bitten by the climbing bug will admit that once climbing gets under your skin, it becomes a way of life, a passion, an obsession; something you can’t live without.

For most of the hard core climbers, one recurrent complains is … we do not have enough time for climbing and training. If we had the time and money, we would become stronger, better, harder climbers!

This need to climb has seen some think

Rachael Garner on ‘Dueling with Duplicity’ F6a Hatta

November 2012 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

creatively about their living spaces with occasional small, homemade climbing walls (bouldering walls) springing up inside a villa or on an apartment balcony.

For 6 months of the year camping and climbing is a pleasure. Ladies and gentleman alike will fill their 4x4s with the necessities and head out into the mountains to escape the city.

Whilst women are evidently in the minority here, there is absolutely no evidence whatsoever to suggest that there is any sort of gender divide. Climbing is a sport that brings people together regardless of any differences of gender. No matter how passionate you are and how hard you climb, this is IT! Climbing is a way of life, where one can only be true to oneself and climbing partner.

Faced with the heights, fear of falling while leading and adventuring on new routes, climbers are confronted by the necessity of knowing their own limits as well as their partners’. Gender is just a detail.

On a final note, although the UAE is very transitional and climbers come and go, it is also a very exciting place to be as a climber as there is so much to do and develop. It is up to each one of us, men and women alike, to contribute; the more we develop, by cleaning it first to make it safe, the more climbs will be open and the more we will climb!

First ascents:

There have been many women in the UAE who been here both for a long and a short time contributing to opening various routes.

It would be impossible to name them all, however, to mention a few traditional routes taken on by a couple of women as an example: 300+ climbs in RAK done by Dee McEnery and John Gregory; One of the first ascents involving a woman, Genevieve Boni seconding Aiden Laffey was on traditional; Dove from above in Ghalila with 7 pitches through a big roof and several knarly chimneys and a dodgy descent where a location for the absail stations were still to be found.

Also to mention a new climber to the scene, Nadine Wiegert who has done a few first ascents with John Gregory and also climbed Wadi Shaha on transition Grag this year; a Traditional climb worth a mention.

Photo By: Nick Ahern

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OUR EXPERTS

Run-De-Vous 100 Miler

Photos By: Chris Jones

CA, USA

It turns out I have

a ‘thing’ for running around in circles (with the support from friends, as always). I trained hard for the Badwater 135-mile ultramarathon in July 2012, in the wadis, desert and roads, but also by running round and round the camel track near Nad al Sheba, clocking up to 91km in 10 hours during one particular session. I also trained running around in circles at Mushrif Park, a 4.5km loop, which I had previously run 100 miles around last November 2011. Having this affinity for running around in loops, I decided that the next 100-mile single-stage race of a loop course was on the cards.

Run-De-Vous is a 100 mile single-stage ultramarathon in San Martin, California (CA).

It is a two-mile loop which you have to run around 50 times. The course is paved and relatively flat. I chose this race three weeks before I had decided to venture to CA, mainly because I was going to be in the area and after coming off Badwater a month beforehand, I was ready for another longdistance run.

I flew from Dubai into Dallas, Texas. I rented a car and then drove across the country solo. The drive was along one straight stretch of road which took me from Texas, through New Mexico, across Arizona and

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Words By: Cath Todd

into California. I spent three days driving to CA, caught a glimpse of the Grand Canyon along the way, and spent two nights in CA before the race. One night was spent with a friend, Tara Barragan, and her daughters up in Folsom, CA. Tara and I had a quick look at the race website and Tara spotted the course records: 25h 56m 42s for the ladies and 18h 54m 43s for the men’s.

If I beat my previous 19-hour 19-minute PB in Sweden, I’d come close to beating the men’s. Game on and why not.

The morning of the race was fairly relaxed.

It was cool but not too cold; perfect running weather. There were 70 starters for the Run-De-Vous 2012 100-miler. There were a few people I recognized from previous races and there were also a lot of new faces. I had bought all of the essential ultra foods (chocolate, pineapple and mango pieces, crisps, pizza and coke) as well as the usual Aqualyte for hydration and chomps as a quick energy booster. Each runner set up their own little spot; chairs, tents, etc., at the start/finish area, which the runner would visit every time they did a lap (which was often).

A motley crew as ultra-runners are, we lined up just before sunrise to start running our circles. The US national anthem was played and the belt buckle shown to us; this is what we would get if and when we finished the 100 (belt buckles are usual prizes for finishing a 100 miler; the tradition started with the first 100 to be held, the Western States 100 Miler, when one man ran with the horses). After the starting horn was blown we took off; I took off a little faster than usual, running between 5:10min/ks and 5:40 min/ks. I thought I’d see how long I could keep this up for. It turned out I could keep up a good pace for a while and so I churned out the laps, just keeping my head down and trying to zone-out. I chatted to a few runners while the day passed and I ‘chucked laps.’ One runner, Steve Hernandez, whom I had recognized as he had crewed Badwater

this year, asked if I was elite. I said no, and that I do this for “fun.”

It started to rain very lightly through the morning and then once the rain had cleared, it actually became a very hot day. Some runners took time out to seek reprieve from the sun, others kept dousing themselves in water with the sponge and bucket which the race director, Rajeev Patel, had provided at the start-finish area. I chose the latter, as, having trained in Dubai over summer and running Badwater through Death Valley, I was prepared for the heat, so I just kept ticking off the laps through the day.

The only problem I really encountered on this race was that my left leg felt overstretched, as if something were pulled out of place. I downed two 800mg ibuprofens (and kept very well hydrated after doing it), which only slightly helped. Thankfully as the race progressed, the rest of my body became so sore that I couldn’t really feel the stretched leg much anymore. It was overridden by calf, quad, upper-body pain, chafing and blisters.

About eight laps into the race, a woman sped past me. She looked as if she was carved from iron and I asked a few 100 milers if she was in the race. They said if she was, I needed to go and trip her as she was going way too fast. I soon found out she was in the 100m event and that she was soon to represent the USA in the 24-hour world champs.

At the halfway mark, I ran past the start/ finish area, rather happy as I was halfway through the race; it was all ‘downhill’ from here. Upon running past, I was told I had another lap to go before halfway. Thankfully, my Garmin and my lap-counting abilities proved the time-keeper wrong and they cor-

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rected their mistake. When you are running 100 miles, you do not need to be told that you have another lap to go. Thereafter, I would yell out my current loop number with every lap and get confirmation that they had the same.

After the 100km mark, I had another girl go past me. I had previously been told that I was well in the lead and the next girl was quite a few laps behind me, but this was another lady. I caught up to her and asked what lap she was on. She said that she couldn’t remember. I asked what her Garmin was on, she said it was broken. So on the next passing of the start/finish area, I asked the RD who that girl was and what lap she was on but he didn’t know. Luckily, this is where I met Marien.

Marien, a French lady living in CA and doing the relay event, had passed me earlier. She had found out who this lady was and confirmed she was a few laps behind.

of the food and fluid my stomach couldn’t process in the last few laps of the race. A medic came over to see that I was okay. I was fine and felt better after a volunteer gave me a few toasted cheese sandwich slices.

I tried to sleep in the car, but failed miserably. I went across to watch the runners and was too cold. At 5:00 a.m. I fell asleep in the car for an hour and a half. I awoke to then drive for 12 hours back to Arizona and then another nine hours to Dallas, followed by a 15-hour flight back to Dubai. Needless to say, the travel was an endurance test in itself.

Apparently, crossing the US in pyjamas is socially acceptable though, as there were a few of us (although I’m not sure how many had run 100 miles the day before).

Best bit: Finishing with an awesome pacer and doing a good time.

Worst bit: The long haul home.

Marien then started to help me as I passed through the start/finish, to open fruit and get some drinks ready. On another lap I thought perhaps she would like to pace me. When I asked her, she said sure, once she had finished the relay event. So Marien joined in on lap 35 and she stayed pacing me until the end, lap 50. She was fantastic company, very chatty and a wonderful pacer, at times, racing ahead to get food and drink prepared, helping me with getting coke on ice, and mixing my Isagenix shake (also very very good). We ran on, counting down the laps and chatting about life. With three laps to go, I started to fade a bit. Marien kept my spirits up and really helped with getting me some nutrition. We came in for the last lap together and it was such a great feeling, finishing in 17h 43m 54s.

I had won the race overall, broken my PB from Sweden, beaten the male and female records, but I had also made another friend for life. It was such a great feeling to finish with someone so supportive. It’s great to be a part of such a fun, spirited and caring community of ultra-runners.

After the race I attempted a sip of a beer (it didn’t go down too well) and sat down with Marien who had a glass of red wine, to watch 2nd and 3rd place come in. I didn’t feel so well, so I went over to the car, changed into my PJ’s, then opened the car door and projectile-vomited everywhere.

The race was over, so it was okay to get rid

Andrea Boldrini Apache Light

Words By: Read Macadam

I am a self-proclaimed climbing shoe snob. For years I have been beholden to a single big name brand. So, when I was offered a pair of Boldrini’s to test, I was sceptical. What is this Boldrini brand? I’ve never heard of them, let alone seen a pair outside of some European climbing trips years ago. They must be relics of the 90’s, I thought.

Fit: Boy, was I misinformed! Boldrini’s ethos is about comfort. The shoes are very easy to slide on and the Velcro tab cinches the shoe on. No fuss.

Right out of the box the Apache Light suctions the foot, but they are comfortable.

Really. Comfortable. I made my wife try on

a pair and she gave me the look, right after the shhhlooop of air escaped her shoe when pulling the heel on. I know what she needs for her birthday, now.

There are no seams on the inside of the shoe where it counts; meaning, no abrasions on toe knuckles, no friction on the heel. Immediately, my mind is awash with strange feelings, “Where have these been all my life?” The shoes favour narrower feet. For example, I wear them two European sizes above my other climbing shoes for this reason, yet without sacrificing the performance, I would two sizes up on another brand.

Climbing: The Formula Enduro rubber includes soft plastic in the

mix to maintain rigidity and durability so, with 5mm soles, the Apache Lights are not as sensitive as they appear - I mean, they’re bright yellow Velcro slippers after all.

The shoes are somewhat out of their element on polished smears, becoming skittish, but what they lack in sensitivity for smearing is made up in edging and heel hooking. Once accustomed to the stiffer soles, the shoes provide exceptional power on small edges and pockets due to the aggressive shape. This is especially apparent on overhanging terrain where precise footwork is helpful.

And, because they are comfortable, you can focus on climbing – not the lack of blood in your toes.

Overall: 4*/5 The Apache Light is a good all-around solution for bouldering and single-pitch sport climbing outside or in the gym. Because they are so comfortable, yet aggressive and form-fitting, these shoes have been my go-to pair for sport climbing and bouldering. Whereas I would bring a comfortable pair and a performance pair to the crags; I’m now bringing only the Apache’s.

Details: 5mm Formula Enduro soles 70% Leather, 30% Microfibre uppers X-Tension and Full Contact Sole Technology Plunging FormBit – Aggressive downturned sole Web: www.andreaboldrini.com Pros: Comfort, air tight fit, durable soles Cons: Less sensitive soles, narrow toe box for wide footed individuals

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REPORT

Words: Angelo Cabrera

Getting Tougher, Pushing Stronger Angelo and Jane’s training for their first big run gets hectic!

“No fatigue, no exhaustion!” shouted our training

buddy Fred as he worked on the 12kg kettle bell during our BoxFit training with Ouali, our training coach from Ignite Fitness & Wellness who seemed to have a penchant for making us do routines which are absolutely exhausting, as well as fatigue-inducing.

But it was most probably just me whimpering about the variety of routines that went in the circuit training exercise that we took on: kettle-bell sumo squats, squat/shoulder press combo, push-ups, kettle-bell crunches and burpees with weights, all of which were then complemented with a gritty work of landing speedy combo punches on Ouali’s glove pads; those were among routines that we had to do in the span of a minute. After each routine (or even midway getting it done) Jane and I really were panting heavily like sweating dogs, not to mention feeling a bit prehistoric – groaning as our muscles were just DINO-SORE all over (sorry, it was just that bad).

On the bright side, I noticed that my stamina relatively improved based on my performance in our most recent Basic Fitness Assessment on the first week of October. I could take the punishing stress and fatigue of each routine that we were made to do within the span of a minute, and my record said it all:

Progress

Sit ups Rank 60 Secs

Push ups 60 Secs

1 Mile run (1.6km)

Bridge Time 60 Secs

Bridge Time

Angelo BFA 1

41

31

9.44

41

1.25

Angelo BFA 2

47

43

9.11

45

2.10

Safe to say, I was getting a bit tougher.

As for Jane, I can only guess as she wasn’t able to attend some of our most recent trainings. But she said she has been taking a jog near her home to make up for it.

Ouali has taken over our running training and we have shifted the venue to Al Barsha Park, which is just a 20-minute walk from our

52

office in Al Barsha 1.

As for the progress of our running training, Jane and I have yet to fully pace our feet into the correct running posture and movement to avoid any serious injuries during our trainings and more importantly, during the ADNIC Yas Run. Our barefoot shoes, which were generously provided by Vivobarefoot and Go Sport Ibn Battuta Mall last month, were doing their work as my pair had been helping to signal my feet to land the appropriate places to the ground. It started to get a little uncomfortable at times as I had been landing my feet heavy on the ground, but due to the fact that Jane and I were transitioning from conventional, heavily-cushioned running shoes to thinly-soled barefoot pairs, my feet had been slowly adjusting to the correct running form and things would get better if, of course, we keep doing the right thing.

And while everyone was having a good time chomping down plates of delicious

OUTDOORUAE

barbecued food at Safa Park on the last day of the Eid holidays, my training group and I had sort of done the same thing, except that our source of nourishment was dirt and grass, and seasoned with a trickle of sweat.

Allie, who was in charge of our boot camp training at that time, had brought us to that gnarly hill inside the park that absolutely challenged our stamina. We bolted uphill

and downhill and did a variety of lower-body exercise routines that literally brought us down to our knees. All of us had pushed ourselves to finish every routine no matter what and everybody was keen to try and do the most repetitions that they could within the span of 60 seconds, and what a sigh of relief it was after every routine has finished Jane and I are now heading into the last three weeks of our training for our first-ever 10km run on the 24th of November, and preparing ourselves for what lies ahead once we step behind the starting line. So wish us luck, and see you at the finish line!

To Be Continued…

Angelo Cabrera

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THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST

PEOPLE

November 2012 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

Ales Vyslouzil Occupation: Structural Engineer in GHI Formwork LLC, Dubai Nationality: Czech Republic

Why did you come to the UAE, and how long have you been living here? GHI Formwork LLC invited me to work here in the construction field. I arrived in January 2012 so am a relative newcomer.

What’s your passion and how long have you been in to it? I used to go skateboarding, and mountain biking and even competed a few times. I discovered rock climbing exactly nine years ago and stopped the other sports to focus more on this interesting, king of outdoor adrenaline sport. After a few years I found out that with some muscle training I could move to another level. After coming to Dubai I got into kitesurfing.

What do you enjoy most about Rock Climbing and Kite Surfing? It’s active and allows me to learn and improve my skills, have contact with nature, whilst having a good time with friends. I find it really relaxing.

What is your biggest achievement?

My biggest achievement was The Nose to El Capitan in California, USA which was also my first 8a+ sport route.

Where do you go to practice the sport? Climbing - back home in Europe which has the best climbing conditions in the world.

Kitesurfing – the UAE and Oman. Hopefully I’ll start travelling to more amazing kitesurfing spots soon.

What would you recommend to our readers if they wanted to start doing it?

If you start climbing and kitesurfing beware, you will get hooked, spend too much money, lose your girlfriend and spend all your time on the beach or in the gym. However, for those of us who are already into it we’ll welcome another good friend to hang out with.

Just do whatever you like, enjoy your life, go out, breathe and have a peaceful time full of love.

A Muerte, Ales

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Vanessa O’Malley Occupation: Teacher Educator Nationality: Canadian Photos By: Zdenek Strycek

Why did you come to the UAE and how long have you been living here? I came to the UAE in 2009 to work as a primary school teacher. I have been here just over three years and have since moved on to teach in a bachelor of education program.

What’s your passion and how long have you been into it? My passion is rock climbing. I have recently gotten back into it after a seven year hiatus. I climbed a lot as a teenager and into my early twenties but slowly got away from it as I became busier with work and studies.

How did you get into it? I got into climbing years ago as a high school student. I had a few friends that were regulars at the climbing gym where I lived in Canada. I joined them one afternoon and was immediately hooked! We lived six hours from the closest crag making outdoor climbing only possible for brief periods in the summer. I climbed regularly at the climbing gym in preparation for these short summer climbing trips.

What do you enjoy most about the outdoor sport? love the simplicity of climbing. It forces you to venture outdoors and explore your natural surroundings. Had I not began climbing, the beauty of the UAE mountain ranges would be completely unknown to me. I also like that rock climbing has elements of both team and individual sport. You are surrounded by a great community of climbers who are there to support you and keep you safe but you progress and develop as a climber at your own pace. You set your own goals and compete only with yourself.

What is your most recent achievement with it? I went on a climbing holiday to Italy this past summer. I had my first experience with multi-pitch trad climbing. Luckily, I was with an experienced mountaineer who lead all of the pitches. Thank goodness! We camped in Val Masino, Northern Italy. One morning five of us decided to hike up to a mountain hut, spend the night, and summit a peak the following day. We consulted the guide book and decided on two climbs. I believe the one I did was nine pitches. I was terrified! When we started out it was cold and drizzly and I was feeling quite apprehen-

sive. However, as we finished the first few pitches I began to relax and found myself enjoying the views of the vast mountain range that stretched out before us. It was only after we had abseiled back to solid ground and I had reflected on the experience that I realized just how much I had enjoyed it!

Where do you go to practice the sport?

During the week I climb at the Paris Sorbonne University in Abu Dhabi. On weekends I head out to various crags around the UAE and Oman with friends I have met through the climbing wall. I have recently taken a liking to Deep Water Soloing; a type of climbing done over water without the use of ropes or safety devices. Groups of us go to Dibba and hire a boat to take us along the Musandam coast. It is a great climbing option when the inland crags are too hot.

What would you recommend to our readers if they wanted to start doing it?

Do not be put off by the weather. The summer months are scorchers and are not for the faint of heart. However the winter months are cool and very pleasant. Always head out with an experienced climber and one who knows the local terrain. Observe this climber. You can learn a lot by watching someone more experienced than yourself. Push yourself a little bit. You will be surprised by what you can achieve. Most importantly, just enjoy the experience! Rock climbing is a great way to meet people interested in all kinds of outdoor activities.

THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST

LOCATIONS

An Escape From The City Words + Photos: Nathan R oot

Two things come with the start of November. One, it is no longer summer and it’s possible to walk from your house to your car with out needing a shower in between, and two, it’s that time of year you may actually have to make good on your mid summer heat crazed promises of making the most of the cooler weather and actually go camping. Now if you’re like me and don’t trust the well documented off-road capabilities of a Toyota Yaris, then you are already stuck at the first hurdle. Fortunately you can still watch Dubai trail off in your rear view mirror for a get away regardless of the car you drive thanks to Dreamland. With camping and small chalets available you are able to stay the night in the water park and ‘escape’ the city for a night.

Catering for non-campers, the hospitable staff provides everything from the barbecue to the barbecue meats so all you have to bring is yourself and beverages.

Myself and three friends all arrived at 3pm so we made the most of the day and went on the slides and walked around the park before its official closing time at 6:00 p.m. which was perfect because the slides were slightly limited compared to somewhere like Wild Wadi, but saying that they are more than enough to keep kids busy while the grown ups relax knowing the rides are all very well staffed by life guards literally everywhere! At 6:00 p.m. everyone in the park suddenly disappears and we move back to the cabins where the barbecues are waiting for us with a cooler of drinks and meats. The slightly questionable music played in the park throughout the day has been turned off, the sun is setting and suddenly it no longer feels like we are in an amusement park. Surrounded by greenery and quiet we have a drink and sit back and relax.

After we burned all the meats to perfection and finished our dinner the fire in front of our chalet is lit, this is more for effect than warmth but nonetheless it is a very nice touch. With food and drink consumed, and bed calling we retired to our chalets. These

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cozy wooden huts are just big enough to fit our bags and a double size blow up mattress in (the size and height of a normal double) and most importantly a very quiet and powerful AC unit.

The next morning we walked around the park and enjoyed the quiet and greenery before finding the mini zoo. The park is still closed until 10:00 a.m. so there is plenty of time to chill out and have some breakfast provided by the park.

As the people start to filter back in we had another swim and ended up at the 18+ section which had a pool bar and its own DJ. This fantastic addition is the perfect place to sit in the water and enjoy a few cocktails once you have exhausted the rides and feel like a break.

All too soon we had the Burj looming in the distance as we drove back but even though it was only a night away it still felt great to be able to camp somewhere, and even better not to have a car full of dirty dishes and sand covered tents!

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Locations

n Omaa pes esc

Words + Photos: Darryl MacDonald

Spelunking, as it is called in North America or potholing in the UK is the “recreational past time of exploring wild cave systems,” according to Wikipedia. Prior to this year, I had never been spelunking before, but I always wanted to, partly because it just sounds so cool – “spelunking!”

During my time living in Oman, I have heard various stories about the massive cave systems that exist here and some of the outlandish methods that the locals and expats alike have used to explore these deep, dark holes. I have also heard of horrific repercussions that arose from these explorers using outdated methods, improper equipment or lack of proper training. As a rule, whenever I try a new sport, I either take a lesson or I go guided. There are endless advantages of doing this; you learn good habits from the start, avoiding bad ones. You get to see various types of equipment and methods of doing things. You gain knowledge from people experienced at the sport, showing you tips, tricks and techniques they have learned over the years. And you learn about the sport as it pertains to the area.

So when my wife and I decided to go spelunking for the first time, we looked to Muscat Diving and Adventure Center for guidance.

After some consideration, it was decided that for our first trip, we would explore a cave known as Seventh Hole located on the Selma Plateau; a little more than a two-hour drive from Muscat. Before heading out on this epic adventure, we were required to complete three half-days of training on the climbing wall located at the company’s headquarters in Muscat.

During these sessions, we learned about all of the equipment we would be using and practiced every scenario that we would likely be presented with during the trip until our guides surmised that we were ready for the challenge.

We packed and headed up to the plateau the following weekend. We arrived late in the afternoon and proceeded to set up camp. The plan was to arrive early enough so the guides could set up some of the ropes and equipment necessary for the caving trip, camp overnight and get an early start the following morning to beat the heat. We camped next to the entrance of the cave, a massive crack in the

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ground which looked as though it disappeared into the bowels of the earth. Our guides warned us about walking around at night without our torches on and our wits about us. In the morning we were up with the sun, had a light breakfast and kitted ourselves up for the trip. Finally, I was going spelunking! Now, what I haven’t told you yet is that the very first part of expedition was to rappel 120m into the cave. This is not slowly being lowered down a rock face, no; this is freely hanging way, way, way above the ground from a tiny rope and lowering you down. That first moment when you let go of the rock and are hanging freely 120m up, that moment etches itself in your memory forever. My heart was pounding and after a few deep breaths and reassuring myself that the rope was strong enough to hold a car, I started down.

The view is magnificent once inside the cave; it opens up into a massive cathedral with beams from the morning sun poking through some of the cracks in the ceiling. It wasn’t until I was more than half way down that I realized one of the guides was holding the bottom of the rope. The reason I didn’t notice was because he looked smaller than an ant from that height! The entire rappel took about 25 minutes but felt like eternity.

At the bottom of the cavern, there was another massive hole that continued 160m further into the depths of the earth, which was not for us to explore that day but may be offered as a trip by the company in the future. On the far end of the cathedral, we explored a small cave that abruptly ended in a 30m drop to the floor below. We then hiked less than a kilometer to the back wall of the cave where we were to exit into a nearby wadi. To exit, we used our equipment to ascend ropes set by our guides the previous evening back up several small pitches, approximately 80m in total. This area had very different rock formations from the rest of the cave, filled with tiny pockets

from top to bottom, which were great for climbing! After exiting into the wadi, it was only a short 15-minute hike back to our camp. The total trip took less than three hours but was exhilarating from beginning to end! I would highly recommend this trip to anyone looking for a unique adventure or a great challenge.

If you should decide to undertake this weekend adventure, unless you’re a highly experienced spelunker, find a reputable local company to get you through safely. As we like to say in Canada – get out there, have fun and “keep your stick on the ice.”

THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST

November 2012 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

LOCATIONS

Get Them Off That

Game Controller Plan & Prep

Route 1 – Easy 3 To 4 HRS Jebal Al A’zab 392M (Fossil Rock)

Now that the weather is cooling down it is definitely time to venture outside Dubai and head for the hills.

The UAE has some fantastic walking tracks and scenery, with some spectacular routes taking you up to nearly 2,000m for the experienced walker.

However, if you’re a novice and fancy an introduction to hill walking with the kids, why not try out Jebal Al A’zab, more commonly known as Fossil Rock.

Before I go any further, I would like to remind you that with every outdoor sport come some dangers which, with a little thought and planning, should reduce any risk to you and others. Many would have heard that a walker was unfortunately killed on the Stairway to Heaven route early in October and that following weekend two men were stranded for over 10 hours on a mountain ledge near Fujairah. I will not go into why or what happened, but what I will stress is that prior planning and preparation are essential when going into the hills.

I speak with over 17 years of military experience when it comes to planning and preparing to go up into the hills here in the UAE. As a former British Paratrooper I have spent many a cold, wet and windy night on a mountain side or a hot, sunny and humid day on a mountain here in the UAE. In the military we used the pneumonic, the 7Ps: Prior Planning and Preparation Prevents P*** Poor Performance. Even the Scouts motto ‘Be Prepared’ is the right one.

When venturing outside into any potentially dangerous environment ask yourself ‘What If?’ This question is even more important here in the UAE as at the moment there are no dedicated Mountain Rescue services to help you out, if things should go pearshaped. With this in mind, this will help you when asking yourself ‘What If?’ What If: we get lost, we have a minor casualty, major casualty, lose communication, get stuck overnight or run out of water.

The list is endless and I could not possibly answer them all here.

It is essential that you do your homework of the area you wanting to walk in. Check some of the UAE guidebooks or blogs like the Abu Dhabi Alpine Club to check people’s accounts of the route. As mapping is non-existent to civilians here, spend time on Google Earth getting to know the area and route you’re going to do.

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Words + Photos: Jim McIntosh

Jacob and Matthew at the top

THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST

Knowing the strength and realistic physical ability of yourself and the group needs to be considered, and at any time you think someone is injured or not going to make the top, turn around and complete the route another time. Carrying equipment may be new to many, so start off light and build up the weight slowly by adding more water, food and equipment as your walks get harder and longer. Ensure everybody eats breakfast and drink enough water before you start so that you urinate clear fluid. Drink little and often throughout your walk and remember to eat.

Never ever walk alone in the mountains and as a rule of thumb, one child per adult, with a minimum of two adults.

Before you start your walk, brief everybody in the group where you are going and how long it should take, and any safety precautions you have in place or what to do in case of an accident. Make sure you have informed somebody that you have set off, what your expected return time is and what they should do if you fail to report in.

The Route GPS Datum: WGS 84 Head out of Dubai along the E102 Kalba road towards Maleiha; as you pass over underpass No.3, you will then go through the cutting at the northern end of the Jebal.

Go slow as you pass through the cutting and pull over onto the man-made raised area on the eastern side of the Jebal and park at Grid 25’10.047’’N 055’50.486’’E. Climb through the fence and head down the track and start heading south towards the Wadi/ Track Junction for 750m. Turn west and head into the Wadi/ Re-entrant that heads up to the top of the Jebal. As you enter the mouth of the Wadi keep slightly right of the Wadi bottom and pick up the faint track marked with small rock Cairns. Stay on the right side

BASIC KIT • Boots with good ankle support and well broken in • Suitable ruck sack • Waterproof liner • Camel back 3litre (minimum)

November 2012 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

View from just above the two cairns cp 4 looking back over the waterfall cp3

and follow the Cairns passing by a large triangle of red sand 900m from the Wadi/ Track junction. Continue upwards to a small waterfall; keep on the right side away from the edge. Once up and over this waterfall, follow the small Wadi until you come to two small Cairns just before the Wadi runs out at a big green bush. At the Cairns, turn south and head up the smooth rock to the top of the ridge. Once at the top, continue in a southerly direction following the Cairns, all the way to the top. Be sure to keep away from the right side of the Jebal due to the steep cliffs and drops. As you approach the top, the path narrows and some strong winds can race up from the steep-sided reentrant to your east. Once at the top, make sure you keep well back from the edges as some have eroded and may be loose. Now, you can take-in the spectacular 360-degree views and you can watch all the 4x4s getting bogged in down below; make sure you have got your camera!

To get back down, simply retrace your footsteps down the Jebal making sure on any steep downward parts of the route, you zig-zag across downwards, like a road does on a steep mountain rather than a straight

line to the bottom. Head back to your car for a nice cold drink and don’t forget to let someone know you’re SAFE!

• Hat • Sunglasses • Spare socks • Sunscreen

Leg

From

To

Mag Bearing

Distance

Height

Discription

1

25’10.047N 055’50.486

25’09.703N 055’50.624E

155 DEGREES

750m

160m

Track/ Wad Junction

2

25’09.703N 055’50.624E

25’09.410N 055’50.243

235

900m

220m

Sand Triangle

3

25’09.410N 055’50.243

25’09.320N 055’50.213E

195

200m

280m

Waterfall

4

25’09.320N 055’50.213E

25’09.274N 055’50.202E

195

100m

280m

Two Cairns

5

25’09.274N 055’50.202E

25’09.220E 055’50.247E

105

200m

380m

Top of ridge

6

25’09.220E 055’50.247E

25’08.840N 055’50.226E

180

730m

380m

Large cairn at top

7

To get down reverse the route card back to start point.

• Headtorch and spare batteries • Knife or multi tool • Whistle • First aid kit (blister kit) • Shemagh • Isotonic drink or powder • Energy bars or equivalent • Toilet roll or wipes • Phone waterproofed and unlock code included • Gps and any photocopies of maps/routes (helicopters use lat/long)

OUTDOORUAE

61

TIPS + TRICKS

, n a D the Desert Gardener

loves

Ixora

(Member of the Rubiaceae family)

If the Ixora plant could talk it would say “I love full sun, the more sun the better,” which is why it is such a good plant to grow in the U.A.E. It also loves humidity and does not require very much attention.

Ixora would also win a beauty competition as it has dark green, leathery, glossy leaves.

It is a very tidy, well-groomed looking plant and it produces large clusters of tiny flowers in bright yellow, orange or red.

Each cluster has 60 individual flowers which have such a brilliant design, that I don’t think a human artist could have ever thought of it. The flower is very small and tubular with four petals that look like a star and the Style is forked at the tip and protrudes slightly out of the corolla tube.

Ixora looks really good in a pot or planter but can also be planted on its own directly into the garden or with several plants together to form a low, colourful hedge.

You do need to keep the soil moist around Ixora but do not overwater as this can rot its roots and if planting into a garden, position it several feet away from any concrete structures as it won’t like any run-off from the concrete, which would make the soil alkaline.

Ixora can flower all year round and if you add Yates potash.

Its origins are tropical Asia where over 400 species existed and it is known by other names such as West Indian Jasmine, Jungle Geranium, Flame in the Woods. The red Ixora flowers are commonly used in Hindu worship as well as Indian traditional medicine.

This is the right time of year for planting Ixora.

Dubai Garden Centre has a selection of different Ixora , some planted up in pots.

FINAL THOUGT

Wadi Ghalilah Accident Words By: Ian Ganderton It’s always with a heavy heart that we hear of an accident in the mountains resulting in the loss of life. Our thoughts go to those left behind, to the family and friends. This was the case at the beginning of October when initial reports of a lone walker late back ended up with a body being found in the Wadi Ghalilah area of Ras Al Khaimah. As the walker was by himself, actual facts are hard to come by but available evidence from trusted, informed, reliable and expert sources strongly suggests that the man had completed a route that included the infamous Stairway to Heaven and was well on his way down the descent when the accident happened.

All of us who venture in the mountain environment accept and understand that there are risks; this is part of the complicated attraction that for many forms a significant part of their life, but this rarely diminishes the tragedy felt by those close to the victims.

The accident serves as a timely reminder, to all of us, of the harsh nature of the mountain environment found here in the Hajar Mountains. Remote, steep ground of brutally sharp, fractured rock with indistinct paths and difficult navigation can make for tough going with plenty of room for error and harsh consequences. It’s very easily underestimated and stories abound of epics by those who have.

As with every adventure, the key to managing safety is knowledge, experience and self-reliance. But this only manages the risks, it doesn’t remove them. Would you have it any other way?

Despite the tragedy, I have felt that when I’ve lost friends to mountain accidents, I personally wouldn’t.

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PITCHING TIME

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TIPS + TRICKS

The Sand Shoe Soft Sand Self Recovery Words by: Daniel Birkhofer

It was a big surprise when I told my girlfriend that I got some new shoes since she knows that I hate buying shoes, even though she loves it.

When I told her that they are green, she became even more skeptical.

I’ll spare you the further details of what happens every time I bring new outdoor gear to our house. Essentially, I see the purpose of all these gadgets, large and small no matter how many times I use them. Of course my better half is not quite so understanding and would prefer our home full of ‘nice’ things like photo frames, lamps or other knick-knacks which in my opinion are useless decoration. I’m sure I will be in trouble as soon as someone reads this article, though they may get support from the men’s world.

Now back to the real topic! The sand shoe has nothing to do with fashion and is a strange-looking but amazing recovery tool if you get stuck in soft sand. Mike Nott, the author of the Advanced Off-Road and Adventure Routes Guidebook, who only ever takes essential items on trips, also takes a

stuck. I always tell people not to underestimate driving on the beach. First of all, it’s soft sand and secondly it’s flat, meaning recovery is hard even if another car tries to pull pair of these sand shoes. It must be said that Mike is an avid off-road driver and takes on solo drives which is not recommended for anyone unless they are an expert in off-road driving and are 100% aware of the risks they are taking (As solo driving is not recommended we will test the sand shoes in a controlled environment with plenty of help around). If you read the article on page 22 I briefly covered the topic of self recovery and desert driving. I learned that I might be an expert ‘weekend driver’ but am still a newbie compared to the expert off-roaders. However, I always enjoy going to the beach (e.g. the public beach in Dubai between The Palm and Burj Al Arab) and watch drivers even worse than myself getting

Sequence 1-4 of driving out using the sand shoe. Try to avoid spinning tires and exacerbate slowly until you fill traction and the lift of the wave shape of the sand shoe

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A pair of sand shoes place in the trunk of a 4x4

you out. Actually, soft sand on flat terrain is one of the most complicated situations to recover a car from, especially if self recovery is the only option.

When driving on this type of terrain, avoid stopping your car suddenly as your tyres will

Place sand shoe under your tire. Dig deep enough, so that the front nose of the sand shoe reaches under the lowest point of out tire.

The lines indicate the prepared track and the directions, you want to drive out

THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST

push into the sand which means you’ll not be able to build up momentum anymore and get out of the little sand pit. Avoid spinning your tyres; if they start spinning and you no longer have any momentum it’s too late and you are already stuck. If you keep spinning your tyres you will only make it worse and dig your car in deeper and lose all chance of self recovery. However, this article is not about how not to get stuck, it’s about a way out without asking for help.

General rules do apply and you ought to decrease tyre pressure if you haven’t done this already. As you are on flat terrain, digging alone will not solve the problem. You will still need to dig some kind of tracks in the direction you are planning to recover your car to make the lift easier. Consider recovering your car in reverse if this is the shortest and best way out back on to harder ground. First analyse the situation and make a plan of how to get out. You will soon realise that the sand slides back into the track and the ramp you are trying to build. This is exactly where the sand shoe comes into play.

Its special surface and riffles, gives you the tracking the tyre needs to build up momentum. The special wave shape provides you with the essential ramp and lift out of the pit you dug around your tyres. The shape is really the key to success. If you think a piece of wood would do the same thing you are mistaken; your tyre might still slip on the surface of the wood which can also bend and slip through under the tyres and will then be accelerated like a projectile with the risk of

November 2012 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

seriously injuring anyone standing close by. for this review. To find out more about The sand shoe is made of very thick fiber them visit www.blingmytruck.com or call on glass which provides extreme strength and 0503634839 low weight. The shoes are also short enough To come back to my introduction to this to fit into the trunk and long enough to article, I have to admit, I do possess some recover you. The shiny green color should useless items which might sooner or later help you find the sand shoes again in the make space for new outdoor equipment, but soft sand after you’ve successfully recovered the sand shoes will definitely get their space the car. Bear in mind that as soon as you next to Donna Karan, Bebe and Prada shoes. build up momentum and are able to drive out, you will not stop to pick up the sand shoes unless you are on safe ground which Editors note: Experts will recognize might be some meters away. Mike Nott gave in the images, that the car is not really stuck us a great tip, to find the sand shoes even if which is true and the images should only they are covered with sand. He connected display how to use the sand shoe. The irony some ropes to side of the shoes whilst drivof life, if you try to get stuck, it does not ing out to increase the chance of quickly work and if you don’t want to get stuck … finding your sand shoes again. If you are on you know what then. very soft sand, it might also be helpful to put ‘waffles’ directly behind the sand shoe to ensure one or two meters with traction. This will build up more momentum and avoid sinking into Storage at home – the sand shoes in good company the sand again.

If you are doing a lot of off-road driving and going to the beach often, especially in remote areas, it is definitely worth considering spending the 700 AED on a pair of sand shoes. The sand shoe and other very useful and genuine off-road products are available from the guys at Bling My Truck who supplied the shoes

636

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800 LIBERTY kawasaki@liberty.ae

OUTDOORUAE

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DIRECTORY General Sports Equipment Megastores

Adventure HQ, Dubai Times Square Center, Sheikh Zayed Rd, Toll free: 800-ADVENTURE, www.adventurehq.ae Decathlon, Dubai, Mirdiff City Centre, +97142839392 Go Sport The Dubai Mall, Dubai, +97143253595 Go Sport, IBN Battuta Mall: 04-368 5344, Mall of the Emirates: 04-341 3251, Mirdif City Centre: 04-2843034 InterSport, Dubai, Times Square Centre & Dubai Festival City, +97142066587, www. intersport.ae Sun and Sand, Most Shopping Centres +97143504444, www.sunandsandsports.com Go Sport, IBN Battuta Mall: +97143685344, Mall of the Emirates: +97143413251, Mirdif City Centre: +97142843034 InterSport, Dubai, Times Square Centre & Dubai Festival City, +97142066587, www.intersport.ae Sport in Life, Nad al Hamar Rd., Ras al Khor, Dubai, +97142896001, www.sportsouq.ae Sun and Sand Sports, most shopping centres +97143504444, www.sunandsandsports.com

Adventure tours and desert safaris

MMI Travel, Mezzanine Floor, Dnata Travel Centre, Shk Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 4 4045888, www.mmitravel.ae Alpha Tours, +97142949888, www.alphatoursdubai.com Cyclone Tours & Travels, Abu Dhabi, Khalifa Street, +97126276275, www.cyclonetours.com Dadabhai Travel, Sama Bldg. next to Al Mulla Plaza, Dubai-Sharjah Road, Dubai, +97142209393,www.dadabhaitravel.ae Desert Rangers, +97143572200, Dubai, www.desertrangers.com Desert Road Tourism, Al Khor Plaza – 503, Dubai, +971-42959429, www.arabiantours.com Dream Days, +97144329392, www.dreamdays.ae Dream Explorer LLC, Dubai, +971433198801, www.dreamexplorerdubai.com Dubai Relax Travel, Dubai, +97144221776, www.dubairelaxtours.com Element Fitness, Dubai, +971 050 2771 317 www.element-fitness.net Explorer Tours, Umm Ramool, Dubai, +97142861991, www.explorertours.ae, Gulf for Good, Dubai, +97143680222, www.gulf4good.org Gulf Ventures, Dnata Travel Centre +97144045880, www.gulfventures.com Net Group, Dubai & Abu Dhabi, +97126794656, www.netgroupauh.com Oasis Palm Dubai, Dubai, +97142628889, www.opdubai.com Rahhalah, Dubai, +97144472166, www.rahhalah.com Relax Tours Travels, Dubai, +97144221776, www.dubairelaxtours.com Wild Guanabana, Dubai, +971 056 7954 954,

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Air

Ballooning Adventures Emirates, Dubai, +97142854949, www.ballooning.ae Jazirah Aviation Club, Ras Al Khaimah, +9716139859, www.jac-uae.net Seawings, Dubai, www.seawings.com Sky Dive Dubai, Dubai, +971501533222, www.skydivedubai.ae

Boating & Sailing

Manufacturer Al Fajer Marine, Dubai, Al Quoz, +97143235181, www.alfajermarine.com Al Shaali Marine, Ajman, +97167436443, www.alshaalimarine.com Gulf Craft, Ajman, +97167406060, www.gulfcraftinc.com Distributors & Dealers Art Marine, Dubai, +97143388955, www.artmarine.net Azure Marine, Dubai, +97143404343, www.azuremarine.net Leisure Marine Beach Street, Dubai, The Walk JBR, +97144243191 Luxury Sea Boats, Dubai, +971505589319, www.luxuryseaboats.com Macky Marine LLC, Dubai, +971505518317, www.mackymarine.com Nautilus Yachts, Sharjah, +97165576818, www.nautilusyachts.com UAE Boats 4 Sale, Dubai Marina, +97144471501, www.uaeboats4sale.com Western Marine, Marina Yacht Club, Dubai, +97143039744 The Boat House, Dubai, Al Quoz, +97143405152, www.theboathouse.ae Equipment Ali Khalifah Moh Al Fuqaei, Deira, Dubai, +97142263220 Al Masaood Marine, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road, +97143468000, www.masaoodmarine.com Blue Waters Marine, +97142232189, Dubai, www.bluewatersmarine.com Extreme Marine, Dubai, + 97143992995, www.extrememarine-me.com Rineh Emirates Trading LLC, Dubai, Al Quoz, +97143391512, www.rinehemiratesme.com Repair and maintenance Extreme Marine, Dubai, Dubai Marina, + 97143992995, www.extrememarine-me.com Rineh, Al Quoz, +97143391512, www.rinehemiratesme.com The Boat House, Dubai, Al Quoz, +97143405152, www.theboathouse.ae Cruise Operators 4 Yacht Arabia, Shop No. 5, Dubai Marina Yacht Club, 800 92248, www.4yachtarabia.ae Al Bateen Marina, Abu Dhabi, +97126665491, www.marinaalbateenresort. com Al Marsa Travel & Tourism, Dibba, Musandam, +96826836550, +97165441232 Leisure Marine Beach Street, Dubai, TheWalk JBR, +97144243191 Bateaux Dubai, Dubai Creek – opposite the British Embassy, +97143994994 Bristol Middle East, Dubai Marina, +97144309941, www.bristol-middleeast.com Delma Industrial Supply and Marine Services, Al Bateen Jetty, Abu Dhabi, +971 2 6668153, www.delmamarine.net Eden Yachting, Dubai Marina, +971504586171, www.edenyachting.com

Emirates Yachting, Dubai, +97142826683 El Mundo, Dubai, +971505517406, www.elmundodubai.com Four Star Travel and Tourism, Dubai, 04 2737779, www.fourstartravels.net Fujairah Rotana Resort & Spa - Al Aqah Beach, Al Aqah Beach, Fujairah, +97192449888, www.rotana.com Ghantoot Marina & Resort, Abu Dhabi, +971529933153, www.ghantootmarina.com Happy Days Sea Cruising LLC, Dubai, +971558961276, +971503960202, www.happydaysdubai.com JPS Yachts and Charter, Room 225, Emarat Atrium building, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 4 343 7734, www.jpsyachts. com Khasab Divers, Oman, +97156 7255889, khasab.diver2@gmail.com Khour Shem Tourism, Oman, +96826731919, www.khourshemtours.com LY Catamaran, Dubai, +971505869746, +971566506683, www.lycatamaran.com Marine Concept, Dubai, +971559603030, www.marine-charter-concept.com Nautica1992, Dubai, +971504262415, www.nautica1992.ae Noukhada Adventure Company, Villa 332/7, Al Meena Street, Abu Dhabi, +97126503600 , www.noukhada.ae RAK Marine LLC, Ras Al Khaimah City Hilton Marina, +971504912696, +97172066410 Sea Hunters Passenger Yachts & Boats Rental, Dubai Marina, +97142951011 Sheesa Beach, Dibba, Musandam, +971503336046, www.sheesabeach.com Smoke Dragon Of London Yacht, Abu Dhabi International Marine & Sports Club, +9715070 11 958/+971504546617 Summertime Marine Sports, Dubai, +97142573084, www.summertimemarine.com The Club Abu Dhabi, +97126731111 The Yellow Boats LLC, Dubai Marina Walk – opposite Spinneys, Intercontinental Hotel Marina, +8008044, www.theyellowboats.com Marinas Abu Dhabi International Marine Sports Club, Abu Dhabi, Breakwater, +97126815566, www.adimsc.com

Abu Dhabi Marina, Abu Dhabi, Tourist Club Area, +97126440300 Al Jeer Marina, RAK Border, Musandam +971 7 2682333 or +971 50 4873185 www.aljeerport.ae Al Mouj Marina, Muscat, Oman, +968 9423 9777, www.mourjanmarinas.com Dubai Creek Marina, Deira, Dubai, +971 4 380 1234, www.dubaigolf.com Dubai International Marine Sports Club, Dubai Marina, +97143995777, www.dimc.ae Dubai Marina Yacht Club, Dubai, +97143627900, www.dubaimarinayachtclub.com Dubai Maritime City Harbour Marina, Dubai, +97143455545 Dubai Offshore Sailing Club, Dubai, +97143941669, www.dosc.ae Emirates Palace Marina, Abu Dhabi, +97143388955 Festival Marina, Dubai, Festival City, +97144498400, www.igy-festivalmarina.com Festival Marina, Dubai, Festival City, +97142085100, www.mourjanmarinas.com Four Seasons Marina, Doha, Qatar, +974 4494 8899, www.mourjanmarinas.com Fujairah International Marine Club, Fujairah, +9719 222 1166, www.fimc.ae Intercontinental Abu Dhabi Marina, Al Bateen, Intercontinental Hotel, Abu Dhabi, +97126666888,www.intercontinental.com Jebel Ali Golf Resort and Spa Marina, Jebel Ali, Dubai, +971 4 814 5555/5029, www.jebelali-international.com Lusail Marina, Lusail City, Qatar, +974 5584 3282, www.mourjan-lusailmarina.com Marina Bandar Al Rowdha, Muscat, Oman, +968 24737286 (ext 215), www.marinaoman. net Pavilion Marina, Dubai, Jumeirah Beach Hotel, +97144068800 The Pearl–Qatar Marinas, Doha, Qatar, +974 4965801, www.ronauticame.com Umm Al Quwaim Marine Sports Club, Umm Al Quwaim, +9716 766 6644, www.uaqmarineclub.com Dragon Boat Groups Dubai Dawn Patrol Dragon Boating, Dubai +971508795645 (Michael) www.dubaidawnpatrol.org Dubai Diggers, Jumeirah Beach Hotel, pier next to 360, Dubai, +971501547175 (Nick Hando), www.dubai-diggers.com

To list your company for free or to advertise, please contact us: 04 4472030 contact@outdooruae.com

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UAE Dragon Boat Association, +971507634008 (Jason), www.dubaidragonboat.com

Camping & Hiking Equipment Blingmytruck.com, +971505548255, www. blingmytruck.com Jack Wolfskin Mirdiff City Centre Dubai, (04) 2840228 Al Wahda Mall Abu Dhabi (02) 4437802 Picnico, Jumeirah Beach Road, Dubai, +97143941653 Tresspass The Dubai Mall, 2nd floor above ice rink +971 4 339 8801 Tour Operators Arabia Outdoors, Dubai, +971559556209, www.arabiaoutdoors.com Absolute Adventure, Dubai, +97143459900, www.adventure.ae Libra, +971559228362, www.libra-uae.com Mountain High Middle East, Dubai, +97143480214, www.mountainhighme.com Sheesa Beach, Musandam, Dibba, +97150336046, www.sheesabeach.com Desert Road Tourism, Al Khor Plaza – 503, Dubai, +971-42959428, www.arabiatours.com

Caving

Muscat Diving & Adventure Centre, Oman, +96824543002, www.holiday-in-oman.com Mountain High Middle East, Dubai, +97143480214, www.mountainhighme.com Oman World Tourism, Oman, +96899431333, www.omanworldtourism. com

Climbing

Equipment Global Climbing Trading LLC, Dubai Investment Park 1, Dubai, +97148829361, www.globalclimbing.com Adventure HQ, Dubai Times Square Center, Sheikh Zayed Rd, Toll free: 800-ADVENTURE, www.adventurehq.ae Barracuda Fishing and Outdoor, Dubai, Street 13A 1, Al Safa 1, +97143466558, www.barracudadubai.com Jack Wolfskin Mirdiff City Centre Dubai, (04) 2840228 Al Wahda Mall Abu Dhabi (02) 4437802 Services Absolute Adventure, Dubai, +97143459900, www.adventure.ae Adventure HQ, Dubai Times Square Center, Sheikh Zayed Rd, Toll free: 800-ADVENTURE, www.adventurehq.ae Al Shaheen Adventure, Abu Dhabi, +97126429995, www.alshaheenme.com Arabia Outdoors, Dubai, +971559556209, www.arabiaoutdoors.com Dorell Sports Management, Dubai World Trade Centre, +97143065061, www. climbingdubai.com E-Sports UAE, Dubai, +97142824540, www.esportsuae.com The Club, Abu Dhabi, +97126731111, www. the-club.com Information UAE Climbing, +971506456491, www. uaeclimbing.com

Cycling

Aloft Abu Dhabi

ADNEC Exhibition Centre Abu Dhabi, P.O. Box 94943 Tel: +971 (0)2 654 5000

www.aloftabudhabi.com

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OUTDOORUAE

Equipment Cycle Sports, Shop No. 1, Al Waleed Bldg., Al Barsha 1, Dubai, +97143415415, www.cyclesportsuae.com Micah’s Bike Shop, Warehouse no.4 6th st.

Al Quoz 3, Dubai, +9714 3805228 Probike, Dubai, Al Barsha1, +97143255705, www.probike.ae Rage Shop, Dubai Mall, Mall of the Emirates, Dubai Festival City, +97143369007, www.rage-shop.com Ride Bike Shop, Dubai Mall, Festival

City, Oasis Centre, Mirdiff City Centre, +97143750231, www.ridebikeshop.com Sportz Unlimited, Sheikh Zayed Road & Jebel Ali, Dubai, + 97143388644 Tamreen Sports LLC, Khalifa Street, Abu Dhabi +97126222525, www.tamreensports. com Fun Ride Sports, Rm no. 4, Mezzanine flr, C-13 bldg. Khalifa A City, Abu Dhabi, +97125566113,www.funridesports.com Peak Performance, Mall of the Emirates, Dubai Mall, Dubai, +97143413056/+97143308023 Wolfi’s Bike Shop, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road, +97143394453, www.wbs.ae Clubs Abu Dhabi Tri Club, www.abudhabitriclub.com Cycle Safe, Dubai Autodrome www.cyclechallenge.ae Dubai Roadsters, www.dubairoadsters.com Trek Bicycle Store, 1a, Sultan Business Centre, Oud Metha, 112312, Dubai, +97143350399, www.trekbikes.com

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Diving

Equipment Al Boom Marine, Abu Dhabi & Dubai+97142894858, www.alboommarine.com Al Masaood Marine, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road, +97143468000, www.masaoodmarine.com Blue Waters Marine, +97142232189, Dubai, www.bluewatersmarine.com Gulf Marine Sports, Abu Dhabi, +97126710017, www.gulfmarinesports.com Premiers for Equipment, Abu Dhabi, Sh. Zayed 1st. Road, +97126665226, www.premiers-uae.com Al Hamur Marine and Sports Equipment, Jumeirah Beach Road, Dubai, +9714 3444468 Scuba 2000, Al Bidiya Beach, Fujairah, +97192388477 www.scuba-2000.com Scuba Dubai, Al Barsha, Al Khail Road, Dubai, +97143414940, info@scubadubai.com Diving Centers 7 Seas Diving Center, Khorfakkan, +97192387400, www.7seasdivers.com Al Boom Diving (equipment), Dubai, Al Wasl Rd, + 97143422993, www.alboomdiving.com Al Jeer Marina, RAK Border, Musandam,

www.element-fitness.net +97172682333, www.aljeerport.ae Al Mahara Dive Center, Downtown Abu Dhabi, +971501118125, www.divemahara.com Al Marsa Musandam, Dibba Harbour, Musandam, Oman, +968 26 836550, www.almarsamusandam. com Arabian Diver, Hilton Marine, Ras Al Khaimah, +97172226628, +971502428128 www.arabiandiver.com Arabian Divers and Sportfishing Charters, Al Bateen Marina Resort, Abu Dhabi, +971506146931, www.fishabudhabi.com Atlantis Dive Centre (equipment), Dubai, The Palm Jumeirah,+97144263000, www.atlantisdivecentre.com Deep Blue Sea Diving, Dubai, International City, +97144308246, www.diveindubai.com Divers Down, Fujairah, Rotana Al Aqah Hotel Resort & Spa, +97192370299, www.diversdown-uae.com Emirates Divers Centre, Abu Dhabi, near Meena Fish Market, +97126432444, www. edc-ad.ae Euro-Divers Oman, Muscat, Oman, +96895035815, www.euro-divers.com Extra Divers Ziggy Bay, Oman, Musandam,

To list your company for free or to advertise, please contact us: 04 4472030 contact@outdooruae.com

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THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST

+96826735555, www.extradivers.info Free Diving UAE, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Fujairah, www.freedivinguae.com Freestyle Divers, Dubai, Al Wasl & Dibba, Royal Beach Hotel, +97143944275, www.freestyledivers.com Fujairah Rotana Resort & Spa - Al Aqah Beach, Al Aqah Beach, Fujairah, +97192449888, www.rotana.com Global Scuba Dive Center, Civil Aviation Club, Oman, +96899317518, www.global-scuba.com Khasab Divers, Oman, www.khasabdiver.com Le Meridien Al Aqah Beach Resort, Dibba Road, Fujairah, +97192449000, www.lemeridien-alaqah.com Moonlight Dive Center, Madinat Qaboos, Oman, +968 99317700, www.moonlightdive.com Muscat Diving & Adventure Centre, Oman, +97150 3289642, www.holiday-in-oman.com Neptune Diving, +97150 4347902, www.neptunedivingcentre.com Nomad Ocean Adventures, www.discovernomad.com, +971508853238, Dibba, Oman Oman Dive Center, Muscat, Oman, +96824284240, www.omadivecenter.com Pavilion Dive Centre (equipment), Dubai, +97144068828 Scuba Oman, Oman, +96899558488, www.scubaoman.com Sharjah Wanderers Dive Club, Sharjah, +97150 784 0830, www.bsac406.com Sheesa Beach, Dibba, Musandam, +971503336046, www.sheesabeach.com Sky &Sea Adventures, Dubai, Hilton, Jumeirah Beach Road, +97143999005, www.watersportsdubai.com The Pavilion Dive Centre (equipment), Dubai, +97144068828 Clubs Atlantis Underwater Photography Club, Dubai, +97144263000 Desert Sports Diving Club, Dubai, www.desertsportsdivingclub.net Emirates Diving Association, Diving Village, Al Shindagha, Dubai, +97143939390, www.emiratesdiving.com Filipino SCUBA Divers Club (FSDC), Dubai, UAE, +971 56 6952421, www. thefilipinoscubadivers.com Sharjah Wanderers Dive Club, Sharjah, +971507840830, www.bsac406.com

Fishing & Kayaking

Equipment Al Boom Marine, Abu Dhabi & Dubai+97142894858, www.alboommarine.com Al Yousuf Motors, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Rd, +97143390621, www.aym.ae/yamaha/ Al Hamur Marine and Sports Equipment, Jumeirah Beach Road, Dubai, +9714 3444468 Arabian Divers and Sportfishing Charters, Al Bateen Marina Resort, Abu Dhabi, +971506146931, www.fishabudhabi.com Blue Waters Marine, +97142232189, Dubai, www.bluewatersmarine.com Al Masaood Marine, +97143468000, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road, www.masaoodmarine.com Barracuda Fishing and Outdoor, Dubai, Street 13A 1, Al Safa 1, +97143466558, www.barracudadubai.com Global Climbing Trading LLC, Dubai Investment Park 1, Dubai, +97148829361, www.globalclimbing.com

Leisure Marine Beach Hut, Dubai, The Walk JBR, +97144243191 www.leisuremarine-me.com Ocean Active, Dubai, Garden Centre, +971502898713, www.oceanactive.com Operators Al Boom Diving, Le Meridien Al Aqah Beach Resort, Fujeirah, +97143422993 Absolute Adventure, Dubai, +97143459900, www.adventure.ae Al Hamra Marina and Yacht Club, Al Hamra, Ras Al Khaimah, +97172434540, www.alhamramarina.com Al Mahara Dive Center, Downtown Abu Dhabi, +971501118125, www.divemahara.com Al Shaheen Adventure, Abu Dhabi, +97126429995, www.alshaheenme.com Al Wasl Charter & Fishing ( Al Wasl Passenger Yachts and Boats Rental LLC), Airport Road, Al Owais Building, Dubai, +97142394761, www.cruiseindubai.com Arabian Divers and Sportfishing Charters, Al Bateen Marina Resort, +971506146931, www.fishabudhabi.com Arabia Outdoors, Dubai, +971559556209,

November 2012 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

Suqeim, +971508866227, www.soolymansportsfishing.com Xclusive Yachts, Dubai, Dubai Marina, +97144327233, www.xclusiveyachts.com

General Sports Equipment Distributors

800 Sport, Al Quoz, Dubai +971 4 346 7751 www.800sport.ae Adventure HQ, Dubai Times Square Center, Sheikh Zayed Rd, Toll free: 800-ADVENTURE, www.adventurehq.ae Flip Flop Arabia, flipme@flipfloparabia.com, www.flipfloparabia.com Global Climbing Trading LLC, Dubai Investment Park 1, Dubai +97148829361, www.globalclimbing.com Goal Zero, +971509128353, www.goalzero.ae Jack Wolfskin Mirdiff City Centre Dubai, (04) 2840228 Al Wahda Mall Abu Dhabi (02) 4437802 Ocean Sports FZE, +971559352735, www. kitesurfsup.com Sakeen General Trading, +97147094224, www.sakeen.ae Tresspass The Dubai Mall 2nd floor above ice rink +971 4 339 8801

Horse Riding

kawasaki@liberty.ae

www.arabiaoutdoors.com Barracuda Diving Centre, Fujairah International Marine Club, +9719222558 Belevari Marine, Abu Dhabi,+97126594144 Fun Beach Water Sports, Dubai, +97153244550, www.funbeachsports.com Happy Days Sea Cruising LLC, Dubai, +971558961276, +971503960202, www.happydaysdubai.com Hiltonia Beach Club, Hilton Abu Dhabi Hotel, Abu Dhabi, +97126811900 Le Meridien Al Aqah Beach Resort, Dibba Road, Fujairah, +97192449000, www.lemeridien-alaqah.com Nautica1992, Dubai, +971504262415, www.nautica1992.ae Noukhada Adventure Company, Villa 332/7, Al Meena Street, Abu Dhabi, +97126503600, www.noukhada.ae Ocean Active, Dubai, Garden Centre, +971502898713, www.oceanactive.com Sheesa Beach, Dibba, Musandam, +971503336046, www.sheesabeach.com Summertime Marine Sports, Dubai, +97142573084, www.summertimemarine. com Soolyman Sports Fishing, Dubai, Umm

Equipment Cavalos Equine Care and Supplies, 16th Street, Al Khalidiyah, Abu Dhabi, +9172 2222433, www.cavalosuae.com Emirta Horse Requirement Centre, Dubai, Sheik Zayed Rd, +9714 3437475, www.emirtahorse.com Mirzan Equestrian Equipment, Dubai, +971 4 4472808, www.metdubaihorse.com Equestrian Centres Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club, Abu Dhabi, +97124455500, www.adec-web.com Al Ahli Riding School, Al Amman Street, Dubai-Sharjah Rd., +97142988408, www.alahliclub.info Al Forsan International Sports Resort, Abu Dhabi, +97125568555, www.alforsan.com Al Sahra Desert Resort Equestrian Centre, Dubai, +971 44274055, equestrian.centre@alsahra.com Dubai Polo Academy, Dubai, +971508879847, www.dubaipoloacademy. com Dubai Polo & Equestrian Club, Dubai, Arabian Ranches, +97143618111, www.poloclubdubai.com Desert Equestrian Club, Dubai, near Mirdif +971503099770, +971501978888 Desert Palm Riding School, Near Al Awir Road (going to Hatta-Oman), Dubai, +97143238010, www.desertpalm.peraquum. com Emirates Equestrian Centre, Dubai, +971505587656, www.emiratesequestriancentre.com Ghantoot Polo & Racing Club, Abu Dhabi, +97125629050, www.grpc.ae Golden Stables Equestrian Club, Al Khawaneej, Dubai, (Nouri): +971555528182, www.goldenstables.ae Mushrif Equestrian and Polo Club, Mushrif Park, Al Khawaneej Road, Dubai, +97142571256, www.mushrifec.com Qudraland Community, info@qudraland. com, www.qudraland.com Rahal Ranch, Al Wathba Racing Area, Abu Dhabi, +971566127914, www.rahalranch.com

To list your company for free or to advertise, please contact us: 04 4472030 contact@outdooruae.com

Dubai - Tel: 04 3390621 | Dubai Auto sport 04 3388822 Abu Dhabi - Tel: 02 5588890 | Abu Dhabi - Buteen - 02 6660591 Sharjah - Tel: 06 5388066 | Ajman -Tel: 06 7410004 Al Ain - Tel: 03 7211444 | Fujairah - Tel: 09 2221188 Ras Al Khaimah - Tel: 07 2351592 Riding for the Disabled, Dubai, lessons@ rdad.ae, www.rdad.ae, Sharjah Polo & Equestrian Club, Sharjah, Al Dhaid Road, +97165311155, www.serc.ae

Jet Ski

Dealer Al Masaood Marine, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road, +97143468000, www.masaoodmarine.com Liberty Kawasaki, Dubai, Interchange 4, Sheikh Zayed Road, 04-3419341, www.libertykawasaki.com Al Yousuf Motors, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Rd, +97143390621, www.aym.ae/yamaha/ Rentals Fun Beach Water Sports, Dubai, +971 5 3244 550, www.funbeachsports.com The Cove Rotana Resort, Ras Al Khaimah, +9717206000, www.rotana.com Xventures, Dubai, +971555404500, www.xventures.ae

Motocross & ATV’s

Dealer Al Badayer Rental (Rental), Dubai-Hatta Road, +971507842020, www.albadayerrental.com Al Yousuf Motors, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Rd, +97143390621, www.aym.ae/yamaha/ KTM, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road, exit 42, +9714323151, www.ktm.com Golden Desert Motorcycles Rental (Rental), Dubai-Hatta Road, Dubai, +971551532550, www.goldendesert-dubai.com PolarisUAE (atv’s), Ras Al Khor, Nad al Hamar Road, Al Ghandi Complex, +97142896100, www.polarisuae.com Liberty Kawasaki, Dubai, Interchange4, Sheikh Zayed Road, 04-3419341, www.libertykawasaki.com Sandstorm Motorcycles (Rental), Al Quoz, Dubai, +97143470270, www.sandstorm-motorcycles.com Seb Sports, Al Quoz Industrial Area 1 Dubai, +9714 3393399 www.sebsports.com Wild X Adventure Shop, Dubai, 97148321050, www. wildx.ae Equipment Desert Road Tourism, Al Khor Plaza – 503, Dubai, +97142959429, www.arabiantours.com 2XWheeler, Motorcity Dubai,

OUTDOORUAE

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THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST

ZSI Trading LLC Exclusive distributor for Marmot www.zsicorp.com Currently Available at Adventure HQ( Time Square Centre), Go Sports (Mall of the Emirates) and SnowPro, SKI Dubai (Mall of the Emirates)

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Tour Operator Desert Road Tourism, Al Khor Plaza – 503, Dubai, +971-42959429, www.arabiantours.com Arabian Adventures, Dubai & Abu Dhabi, +97143034888, www.arabian-adventures.com Oasis Palm Dubai, Dubai, +97142628889, www.opdubai.com Clubs Abu Dhabi Off- Road Club, www.ad4x4.com ME 4X4, www.me4x4.com

+97125568555, www.alforsan.com Dubai Kite Surf School, Dubai, Umm Suqeim Beach, +971 504965107, www.dubaikitesurfschool.com Duco Maritime, Dubai, Ras Al Khaimah and Abu Dhabi, +971508703427 www.ducomaritime.com Dukite, Kitesurf Beach, Umm Suqeim, Dubai, +971507586992, www.dukite.com Kite Fly, Dubai, +971502547440, www. kitesurf.ae Kitepro Abu Dhabi, Yas Island and Al Dabbayyah, Abu Dhabi, +971505441494, wwww.kitepro.ae Kite4fun.net, Abu Dhabi, +971508133134, www.kite4fun.net Nautica1992, Dubai, +971504262415, www.nautica1992.ae Shamalkitesurfing, Umm Suqueim Beach – Dubai, +971507689226, www. shamalkitesurfing.com Sky &Sea Adventures, Dubai, Hilton, Jumeirah Beach Road, +97143999005, www.watersportsdubai.com Surf School UAE, Umm Suqeim Beach and Building 1, Al Manara Road (East), Interchange 3, Dubai, +971556010997, www.surfschooluae.com Watercooled 04 887 6771 Jebel Ali Golf Resort and Spa, Dubai, United Arab Emirates www.watercooleddubai.com Clubs Abu Dhabi Stand Up Paddle www.abudhabisup.com, abudhabisup@ gmail.com UAE SUP www.uaesup.com

Running

Water Parks

Hamar Road, Ras Al Khor, +97142896100, www.polarisuae.com Tristar Motorcycles, +97143330659, www. tristaruae.com Workshop & Services 2xWheeler Adventures, Dubai, +97144548388 Dune Bike, Dubai, Al Khail Road, +97143272088, www.dunebike.com Duseja Motorcycles, Dubai, Al Quoz, +97143476712, www.dusejamoto.com Gecko Motorcycles, Dubai, Al Quoz, +97143413550, www.gecko-moto.com Seb Sports, Al Quoz Industrial Area 1 Dubai, +9714 3393399 www.sebsports.com Clubs Dubai Motocross Club (DMX), Jebel Ali, Dubai, +971 50 6950764 (Tom Wynn) www.dubaimotocross.com

+97144548388, www.2xwheeler.com Sandstorm Motorcycles (Rental), Al Quoz, Dubai +97143470270, www.sandstormmotorcycles.com SebSports, Dubai, Al Quoz Industrial Area 3, +97143393399, www.sebsports.com Wild X, Dubai, Um Al Ramoul Industrial Area, Motorsports +97142852200, Al Ain Raceway International Kart Circuit, shamal_40x70_R2.pdf 1 12-09-23 9:59 AlAM www. wildx.ae Ain, +97137686662, www.alainraceway.com Motorcycling Al Forsan International Sports Resort, Distributors & Dealers Abu Dhabi, Al Yousuf Motors, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Rd, +97125568555, www.alforsan.com www.aym.ae/yamaha/ Dubai Autodrome, Dubai, +97143678700 Duseja Motorcycles, Dubai, Al Quoz, www.dubaiautodrome.com +97143476712, Emirates Motorplex, Umm Al Quwain, www.dusejamoto.com +97167681717 Liberty Kawasaki, Dubai, Interchange4, Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Zayed Road, +97142822144, www.yasmarinacircuit.com www.libertykawasaki.com Polaris UAE, Al Ghandi Complex, Nad al Off-Road Dealers 4x4 Motors LLC, Shk. Zayed Rd., Dubai, +97143384866, www.4x4motors.com Liberty Automobiles, Dubai, 8005423789, www.libertyautos.com Repair and services Off Road Zone, Dubai, Al Quoz, +97143392449, www.offroad-zone.com Icon Auto Garage, Dubai, +97143382744, www.icon-auto.com Saluki Motorsport, Dubai, +971 4 347 6939 www.salukimotorsport.com Equipment Advanced Expedition Vehicles, Dubai & Abu Dhabi, +97143307152, www.aev.ae Bling My Truck, +971505548255, www. blingmytruck.com Icon Auto Garage, Dubai, +97143382744, www.icon-auto.com Wild X Adventure Shop, Dubai-Hatta Road, Dubai, +97148321050, www.wildx.ae Yellow Hat, Nad Al Hamar, and Times Square Center, Dubai, +97142898060, www.yellowhat.ae

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Clubs ABRasAC, Dubai, www.abrasac.org Abu Dhabi Tri Club, Abu Dhabi, www. abudhabitriclub.org Mirdiff Milers, Dubai, www.mirdifmilers.info Abu Dhabi Striders admin@abudhabistriders.com, www. abudhabistriders.com Dubai Creek Striders www.dubaicreekstriders.org

Stand up Paddling, Kite & Surfing, Wakeboarding

Equipment Al Boom Marine, Abu Dhabi & Dubai+97142894858 , www.alboommarine. com Al Masaood Marine, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road, +97143468000, www.masaoodmarine.com Leisure Marine Beach Street, Dubai, The Walk JBR, +97144243191 www.leisuremarine-me.com Picnico 04 3941653 Jumeirah Beach Road Opposite Sunset Mall, Dubai Pearl Water Crafts, Dubai Marina Yacht Club, +971553749398, www.pearl-watercrafts.com Surf Dubai, Dubai, Umm Suqeim, +971505043020, www.surfingdubai.com Surf Shop Arabia, Building 1, Al Manara Road (East), Interchange 3, Dubai, +97143791998, www.surfshoparabia.com UAE Kite Surfing, +971505626383, www. ad-kitesurfing.net Distributor Ocean Sports FZE, +971559352735, www.kitesurfsup.com Kitepeople Kite & Surf Store, International City, Dubai, +971504559098, www.kitepeople.ae Operator Al Forsan Resort, Abu Dhabi,

Aquaventure Atlantis, Dubai, Palm Jumeirah, +97144260000, www.atlantisthepalm.ae Dreamland Aqua Park, Umm Al Quwaim, Emirates Road, +97167681888, www.dreamlanduae.com Wild Wadi, Dubai, +97143484444, www. wildwadi.com

Other leisure activities

Abu Dhabi Golf Club, Abu Dhabi, + 97125588990, www.adgolfclub.com Dolphin Bay Atlantis Dubai, +97144260000, www.atlantisthepalm.ae Dubai Dolphinarium Dubai, Creek Park Gate No. 1, +97143369773, www.dubaidolphinarium.ae Ifly Dubai, Dubai, Mirdiff City Centre, +97142316292, www.iflyme.com Sadiyaat Beach Club, Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Island, +97125578000, www.sbgolfclub.ae Sharjah Golf and Shooting Club, Sharjah, +97143999005, www.golfandshootingshj.com SkiDubai, Dubai, Mall of The Emirates, +97144094000, www.skidxb.com Spacewalk Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, +97124463653, www.spacewalk.ae

Health, Safety & Training

Safety Lessons Marine Concept Yacht Charter & Sea School, Rania Business Centre, Dubai, +971559603030, www.marine-charter-concept.com Safety & Leisure Training Middle East, Dusseldorf Business Point, Al Barsha 1, Dubai, +97144502418, www.sltme.com Sport & Health Centres The Physio Center, Suite 405, Building 49, Dubai Healthcare City, Dubai, +97144370570, www.physiocentre.ae

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