OutdoorUAE - October 2017

A Journey to the Birth Place of

Azerbaijan

The Land of Fire and a Trip to Remember

More than just the UAE’s biggest Water Park

Ice Land Water Park

Doing the Dubai Double

Start your Off-roading

Season in Style!

Plenty of

PRODUCTS TO CHECK OUT

Price 10.00 AED 10.00 QAR 1.00 OMR

Review:

BACK IN BLACK GOPRO HERO 6

Outdoor Fitness:

HYDRATION KEEPS US GOING…

Vol. 7, No. 10 October 2017

www.OutdoorUAE.com

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

OCTOBER 2017 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

OutdoorUAE Team

Daniel Birkhofer Founder and Managing Director daniel@outdooruae.com

For Sophia Every parent will tell you that once you will have you, first child, your life will change and you will see things from a different perspective.

Nowadays it is not uncommon for people to make this step relatively late in their thirties and I am also one of them! With already a few decades of life experience, you think that this small addition to you as a couple that makes you to transition into the family category will not change your lives so much. Obviously, your routine will change. I was looking at it more like a business project somehow excluding the emotional factor and made a good plan how all would turn out and how things will be managed. Then more or less exactly one year ago my world changed and my little princess Sophia was born and all my well laid out plans went down the drain! This is not a bad thing, it is actually an amazing thing, since I could not imagine how much this little person will change my world. Thing which were important are now not anymore and my ultimate measure is what my daughter will see in me and how I can make her the great and happy person I want her to be.

We all know there are so many problems in this world and that they are not getting less, in fact quite the contrary. The easiest thing to do and certainly also the most popular one is just to ignore them and move on as if they do not exist. But what will I tell Sophia in a few years if she asks me: “Mummy didn’t you know?” and “Mummy why did you not do something about it?” Unfortunately, I am not a superhero and I will not be able to save the world all by myself but I can try to contribute a little bit and make it a better place than before I came into it.

It took me quite a while to figure out what would be the right thing to do and my conclusion is there is no right or wrong, the important thing is just to do something and so I will.

From this month onwards I and with me OutdoorUAE will support a meatless day per week. Sounds strange to you then read the article “I love meat why should I eat less meat? - page 38” ”in this month’s issue and follow what is suggested…

On behalf of my daughter and the World – Thank you!

Editor For editorial content and press releases Tel. 04 446 8473 Mobile: 055 5760322 editor@outdooruae.com

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

Sales & Marketing (advertisement enquiries) Tel: 04 446 8473

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

Mobile: 055 9398915 sales@outdooruae.com

© 2017 Outdoor UAE FZE Vol. 7, No. 10, October 2017

Published by Outdoor UAE FZE P.O. Box 215062 Dubai, U.A.E. Tel. 04 446 8473 contact@outdooruae.com www.outdooruae.com Cover photo by: Mohammed Ahmed Ahli

Get to us on Facebook!

© 2017 Outdoor UAE FZE Reg. at Creative City Fujairah P.O. Box 4422, Fujairah, U.A.E.

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

Katherine Cañedo Patangui Administration kathy@outdooruae.com

Ian Sebeldia Circulation

EXPERTS & CONTRIBUTORS

Marina Bruce The Desert Diva and Off-road Expert

David O’Hara Ultra Runner and Extreme Endurance Junkie

Kit Belen Our Fishing Pro

Bandana Jain Outdoor and Lifestyle Contributor

www.OutdoorUAE.com Facebook.com/OutdoorUAE

Nico de Corato Dubai Blogger and Athlete

Twitter.com/OutdoorUAE Instagram.com/OutdoorUAE Youtube.com/OutdoorUAE

The information contained is for general use only.

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

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

Dan Wright Staff Writer and Outdoor Guide

Nicky Holland Personal Trainer

Pedro Gomes Professional Triathlete

Denise Ostermann Outdoor Travel Contributor

WHEN YOU’RE DONE READING, PLEASE RECYCLE!

OUTDOORUAE

3

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

OCTOBER 2017 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

CONTENTS

52 A JOURNEY TO THE BIRTH PLACE OF MAJESTIC MOUNTAINS

16 DOING THE DUBAI DOUBLE

EVERY ISSUE 06 EVENTS CALENDAR 08 BEST SHOTS 41 PRODUCTS 63 DIRECTORY

EVENT & ACTIVITY REPORTS 09 DUBAI INTERNATIONAL MOTOR SHOW 2017 10 DRIFTING ON THE ROADS OF DUBAI 11 UP AND DOWN IN MILAN 4

OUTDOORUAE

32 MORE THAN JUST THE UAES BIGGEST WATER PARK

15 THE SPINNEYS DUBAI 92 CYCLE CHALLENGE MARKS THE START OF THE CYCLING SEASON 16 DOING THE DUBAI DOUBLE 18 EVEREST BASE CAMP ENCOUNTERS 20 BERLIN WALL100 MILES - BACK-TO-BACK JOURNEY 22 CONFLUENCE OF “BRILLIANT” IDEAS 24 DIRT SKIRTS MTN BIKE CLUB 26 OMAN OPENS ITS FIRST NATIONAL OUTDOOR TRAINING CENTRE

TRAVEL & ADVENTURE 28 SUMMITNG “GRAND PARADISO” IN ITALY 29 AZERBAIJAN THE LAND OF FIRE AND A TRIP TO REMEMBER

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

OCTOBER 2017 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

43 BACK IN BLACK

36 I LOVE MEAT WHY SHOULD I EAT LESS?

59 “TRI” YOUR WAY TO A HEALTHIER LIFE IN THE UAE

LIFESTYLE

TIPS & TRICKS

34 OFFROADER’S CORNER: ABDULRAHMAN KHAIWI 36 START YOUR OFF-ROADING SEASON IN STYLE! 38 I LOVE MEAT WHY SHOULD I EAT LESS? 40 HABITUALLY HEALTH: EATING ETHICALLY

54 BOOK REVIEW: GIVE OR TAKE? 56 5 TIPS AVOIDING BED BUGS IN HOTEL ROOMS WHILE TRAVELLING 57 VIA FERRATA – MORE THAN JUST A FANCY ITALIAN NAME! 58 HYDRATION KEEPS US GOING 59 “TRI “ YOUR WAY TO A HEALTHIER LIFE IN THE UAE 60 FAQ – TRIATHLON

OUR EXPERTS 47 EID DELIGHT: LIWA WITH THE DIVA TRIP REPORT - MARINA 50 FISHERMEN HAVE TRUST ISSUES - KIT

OUTDOORUAE

5

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

EVENTS CALENDAR

OCTOBER 2017 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

STAY UP-TO-DATE WITH THE LATEST EVENTS

OCTOBER

06 Ice Warrior VIII

We are looking for the next Ice Warrior Champion in UAE! Are you tough enough to stand the challenge? Get geared up and join the toughest commando assault course on snow in – 4 degrees at Ski Dubai.

When: 6th October Where: Ski Dubai, Mall of the Emirates Contact: www.premieronline.com

Roy Nasr Memorial Triathlon 2017

The Roy Nasr Memorial Triathlon is now in it’s fifth year. Roy, who cofounded TriDubai, was tragically killed by a motorist whilst riding his bike near Safa Park in the early hours of Friday 6th September 2013 before he could realise his dream of building a reputable race events management company. His legacy lives on through this race.

OCTOBER

13

Super Sports Run Race

No better way to start your morning than by joining us at the Super Sports Run Series. This fun yet competitive run series takes place on the private closed off roads of Meydan with the start and finish at The Track Golf Clubhouse. From social to serious runners, young or experienced, run or walk 3k, 5k, 10k or 10 miles (16k). Music, plenty of aid stations, loads of supporters and a real community race is what makes this Race special. A great family and Corporate Race.

When: 13th October Where: The Track Golf Clubhouse, Meydan, Nad Al Sheba 1 - Dubai Contact: www.supersportsuae.com

When: 14th October Where: Jebel Ali Golf Resort - Jebel Ali Contact: www.premieronline.com

Pink The Desert 2017 - Breast Cancer Awareness Trip

Internationally, October is known as the Pink month, the month of Breast Cancer Awareness. A month to support breast cancer sufferers, charities, and remember those who have fallen victim to this disease. UAEOFFROADERS is proud to announce the 8th Annual Pink Drive, a yearly event created to raise awareness for breast cancer that affects both ladies and men.

When: 20th October Where: Sweihan Wedding Hall Contact: www.uaeoffroaders.com

Al Wathba Monday Night Cycle Race 2 The Al Wathba Monday Night Cycle Race 2 consists of 3 races, Mixed Juniors, Ladies and Men’s APR. Juniors is 16km, Ladies and Men’s APR is 48Km . Juniors 6:30pm, Ladies 6:45pm & Mens at 7pm. Road Bikes only When: 9th October Where: Al Wathba, Abu Dhabi Contact: www.premieronline.com

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

OCTOBER 2017 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

OCTOBER

12 Sand and Rocks Tour

Rub Al Khali and Umm As Sameem

When: 12th-14th October

When: 26th-28th October Contact: marina@desertdivaevents.com or call/whatsapp +971 50 947 8563

Self-drive guided two night Oman camping, starting just over the border at Hafeet. Easy dune driving and some wadi exploring

Al Ain to Himeem Overland

Self-drive overland tour taking in the magnificent dunes of the Empty Quarter in Oman. One night hotel, one night camping.

Self-drive in your own 4x4, approx 200kms offroad over sandtracks and easy dunes, one night remote desert camping.

When: 20th-21st October

Run The Track 10k, 5k & 3k October 2017

Run The Track is a number of runs being held at Dubai Autodrome.

The events are not a series, so you can enter for one or more as you choose and are suitable for all members of the running community, from first time novice runners, to some of the best social runners in the UAE. Each event features runs over 10k, 5k and 3k, on the official Autodrome race track, finishing at the chequered flag.

When: 21th October Where: Dubai Autodrome Contact: www.premieronline.com

2XU Compression Run (X – Country)

Run under the lights on one of world’s most iconic golf courses, Abu Dhabi Golf Club, where runners will complete 6 laps set across the garden course with bit of pavement and sand to navigate through.

There is also option of 3 or 1 lap.

If running and nature is what you are looking for then this series of runs is just for you! For the first time in the UAE a series of X-Country runs will take place in and around Mushrif Park, Dubai, UAE. Run routes will take in several different surfaces and showcase the amazing surroundings and facilities of Mushrif Park. From advanced to fun runners, young or experienced, run or walk the above distances.

Music, refreshments, parents & children running together and a community feel is what makes this race special

When: 27th October Where: Abu Dhabi Contact: www.premieronline.com

When: 27th October Where: Mushrif Park, Dubai Contact: www.supersportsuae.com

Westin Kilomarathon 2017

Five Star Aquathlon - Race 1

The 5 Star Aquathlon presented by Daman’s Activelife returns to Emirates Palace. One of the most picturesque backdrops in the world, swim in the idyllic waters of the Emirates Palace Lagoon and a run through the palace grounds.

When: 27th October Where: The Emirates Palace Beach, near to the marina, Abu Dhabi Contact: www.premieronline.com

OUTDOORUAE

7

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

OCTOBER 2017 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

BEST SHOTS Here are the best shots sent in by you for our monthly photography competition! Thank you for all your entries, they were all great and it was hard selecting the best photos this month. Congratulations to the top three winners, who will each receive five free copies of the magazine and the Advance Off-road Guidebook: John Que, Graham Malkin and Alvira Khan. Well done!

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

John Que

Strange structure at Jumeirah Beach, next to BurjA lArab, Dubai

Graham Malkin

The mountain Gran Paradiso, located in the Italian Alps, has an altitude of 4061m 8

OUTDOORUAE

Alvira Khan

The Enchanting Mosque, Sharjah

EVENT REPORT

Dubai International Motor Show 2017 An interview with Riju George - Portfolio Director

What’s new for this year and what will be the highlights of this year’s Dubai International Motor Show?

As the region’s premier automotive event, Dubai International Motor Show, which is held every two years and celebrates its 14th edition this year, is a must-attend for manufacturers, distributors, industry specialists and key buyers from around the world, as well as discerning motoring enthusiasts.

This year’s event, running from 14 November to 18 November at Dubai World Trade Centre, the Dubai International Motor Show will be a haven for car enthusiasts, with an array of concept cars, supercars, global and regional launches, including the world’s fastest quad bike, and more on the show floor.

Our Future Car Tech Zone will demonstrate the confluence of the car and technology industries, and shine the spotlight on how state-of-the-art developments are changing the way people drive.

Dubai International Motor Show will have the adrenaline pumping as we strive to put visitors behind the wheel of high-speed cars in our Race Room Simulators, and thrill them with drifting experiences through our partnership with Dubai Autodrome.

Leading manufacturers Toyota, Nissan, Jaguar and Land Rover will bring outdoor experiences to this year’s show, while visitors will also get the opportunity to test drive models from some of the world’s most sought-after brands.

The show will welcome in excess of 100,000 visitors from more than 70 countries to witness more than 15 global launches, hundreds of regional reveals and 15 concept cars being presented by leading automotive

companies and brands. Visitors will include VIPs, top-ranking government officials, car enthusiasts, families and international celebrities from the motoring world.

are not simply a distributor show, we offer the full visitor experience that caters to all age groups, with a firm focus on creating a family affair.

Are there any brands exhibiting for the first time this year?

If so, which ones?

What brands are usually the most popular with the attendees?

As Dubai International Motor Show’s reputation has grown over the years so too have the requests from exhibitors to be involved as they identify the possibilities and potential associated with this prestigious event.

With each edition we welcome new brands and appearing for first time this year will be products from Rodin, Borgward, Devel 16, Shaali N360, Karlmann King, Auto Millennium/Llumar, Engler, Linford Motorsport, Icona, Prato, Rimac, Apollo Tyres (EXHIBITED IN 2015), Low & Co UK and Goodyear.

What have been the biggest achievements of the Dubai International Motor Show since it’s inception?

The Dubai International Motor Show has evolved immeasurably since its beginning in 1991. It is now the largest and most respected automotive show in the Middle East and North Africa region. It has proved its ability to bring together a major cross-section of the motor industry, from leading car manufacturers, to premium product providers, distributors, industry specialists, key buyers and passionate petrol heads and is the venue for many global and regional launches.

It’s testament to the show team that we

With the diversity on offer at Dubai International Motor Show we attract visitors from all walks of life, with a variety of automotive tastes and interests. Our show sees attendance from ultimate petrol heads, bikers, HNWIs, VIPS, families and trade visitors. As we expect 150 exhibitors at the show floor this year, this year’s event guarantees there will be something for everyone.

Why is the Dubai International Motor Show important to the luxury car industry?

Dubai offers the perfect location to host an automotive show of this magnitude. According to The Wealth Report, there will be a 50 per cent growth in UNHWIs based in Dubai in the next decade and the World Ultra Wealth Report states that billionaires in the Middle East – with a combined net worth of $354 billion – collective have a higher percentage of wealth than in any other region.

These statistics, coupled with the fact consumers in the UAE spent USD4.8 billion on cars and other vehicles in 2016, highlight the important role Dubai International Motor Show plays in the regional and global luxury car industry. Indeed, the supercar area at this year’s show will be 25 percent bigger than in 2015 as a result of visitor interest.

OUTDOORUAE

9

ACTIVITY REPORT

ting if r D on the Roads of Dubai

Here’s what Ahmad Daham had to say about the famous “Shop and Ship”

An interview with Ahmad Daham Photos by: Najib Zouein

How was your experience drifting on the roads of Dubai?

It was a tough one considering there was a lot of traffic along the way. There were several cars around me that I needed to dodge.

The heat also added to the challenge. But all in all, drifting in the streets of Dubai was an absolutely thrilling experience and one that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Where in Dubai did you drift for the video?

We drifted in a lot of places including Al Qouz, the road next to Skydive Dubai and the famous Sheikh Zayed road.

How was this drifting experience different to others?

Normally you would get to practice a day before the event to familiarize yourself with the track and prepare well in advance. There is room for errors initially and you can correct yourself before you head to the actual competition. However, in this particular instance, I had to get it right the first time due to the limited amount of time we got the permission for. That made the whole experience harder than participating in a competition.

10

OUTDOORUAE

Talk us through the permission-seeking phase.

We sought permission from the Dubai Police after informing them about our intention of shooting this video for and the areas where we would be drifting. They were kind enough to let us do it, so a big thank you to them.

How safe was the experience?

In normal circumstances, we have obstacles that we need to avoid, but in this case it was the traffic we had to steer clear of. So it was slightly different but totally safe.

What was their action of people watching you drifton the Sheikh Zayed Road?

Wherever the onlookers spotted our vehicle, they took out their phones and started making videos and pictures of us drifting.

There was a clear sense of excitement in the atmosphere and everyone seemed very enthusiastic to be witnessing such a spectacle.

What is your message to aspiring drifters around the world?

Just keep on trying and never give up because nothing in life worth having comes easy. I tried for 5 years non-stop before Red Bull appointed me as one of their official athletes. Hard work and perseverance pays off so if you maintain that never-say-die spirit, you will eventually succeed.

ACTIVITY REPORT

The Milan, Salomon, Running ‘Allianz Top Cup’ trophy, Milan’s trail race Par Excellence, took place on Sunday the17th of September, 2017 Words by: Nico de Corato Photos by: Press Office, “Salomon Running” Milano - Cristina Risciglione

The routes; 25km, 15km, and 9.9km all started from the historical, Arena Civica, passed over the top of Mont Estella Park and then return to the starting point, after a magnificent trail winding across the city of Milan, giving all the participants the possibility to explore wonderful views of the city, the Duomo, the roads in the centre of town, and the Sforzesco castle.

Of course, I went for the fantastic 25km race!

The “Arena Civica”, starting point of the competition, is a multipurpose stadium opened in 1807 as an Amphitheatre and later on was transformed into the “Arena Civica” after having been handed over to Milan Municipality. In 1895 the Arena

opened its doors to modern sports, including Italian Cycling Championships. In 1910, it was the debut place for the Italian-French football match, where the Azzurri beat there rivals by an amazing 6-2! In the first half of the nineteenth century, between 1930 and 1947, the Arena hosted Inter-domestic football matches. For a short period, from October 1941 up to June 1945, the place was the stadium of the Milan team, which is the second football team in the city.

The Arena was also the race finish point.

The central part of the trail was “La Montagnetta” or Mont Estella park, a 50 meters high artificial little mountain in the

North-West part of Milan, in QT8 urban area, which is also known as “Monte Stella” or “Montagnetta di San Siro”. It is a little hill initially built with the rubble caused by the bombing of the Anglo-American forces during World War II, and with other materials coming from the partial demolition of the last city walls which took place after 1945.

The project was designed by the architect Piero Bottoni, who dedicated it to his wife Elsa Stella, after whom the hill is named.

With the exception of the little wood, with its wild flora, the hill has greenery similar to that of the other city parks, represented by tall trees in between wide lawns and rest areas.

It is not an unusual thing to see VIP’s, whether natives in Milan or living there, training in the place. Among those VIP’s I may mention Giovanni Storti (from the comic trio Aldo, Giovanni and Giacomo) who is a committed ultra-marathoner.

The way to “Montagnetta” was a muddy and slippery trail caused by the heavy rain of the night before. This made it difficult for all the athletes to reach the Milan City Fair and City life area where we faced the toughest challenge, that of climbing the Allianz Tower (the tallest skyscraper in Italy 202 meters high, rising to 207 meters if measured from the city floor), up to the 23rd floor. This year there was also a new absolute record, thanks to Stefano Contardi who has covered the vertical drop of 100 meters (644 steps) with a time of 3.02 minutes. While the overall winner was Luigi Zullo who completed the whole path in 1h 29 minutes.

12

OUTDOORUAE

“My race” was a triumph of affections and emotions, starting from the entrance of the Arena where I met two friends I hadn’t seen for many years: Antonio Capasso, “Andò” the photographer of the event and Antonio Calò, a dear friend of mine who, when I called his name, he turned round shouting: “Noo a ghost from Dubai!” Shortly afterwards, I met two more friends: Giovanni Milazzo from GM Comunicazioni, who takes care of the Salomon press office and who had invited me to participate to this event, and Luca Tavian and Augusto Prati from Salomon.

Thriving emotions filled my race, starting from the front-line and passing by the trail to City life just outside the Allianz Tower. Both moments were immortalized with pictures taken by photographer Cristina Risciglione.

It was my first run to “Montagnetta.” Before that day, I had just heard of that name

which is famous for being the place where Alberto Cova (former middle distance runner and Olympic Champion of 100 thousand metres in Los Angeles 1984) had achieved lots of his winnings. But, hold on, of course, I am not comparing myself to this champion, and would not ever intend to!

I was overwhelmed with strange feelings and with reactions to the trail and to the evolution of the race as a whole, which was easy at the beginning where the ground was flat. However, later on I suffered from a discomfort in my left knee and then also in my back. I believe this was caused by a period full of races and hard trainings. These pains started to diminish and then fully disappeared half-way when the race became harder.

The only thing I was worried about was the” big challenge”: the 23 floors skyscraper climb, which turned out to be the part I

OCTOBER 2017 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

managed the best! Maybe this happened because of my habit of climbing stairs and of having participated in other Vertical Marathons, or due the several trainings I had in the mountainous areas and the good management of my energies. I guess all these factors helped me to easily climb the 23 floors and to outdo some competitors both uphill and downhill!

Finally, I returned to the Arena, to enjoy the well-deserved walk under the inflatable finish line. “My legs have run another 25km that nobody can ever deprive me of.”

(Quote: Max Calderan)!

Now time for a well-deserved rest, at least today, with an eye on my next challenge… ■

Keep On Running!

OUTDOORUAE

13

ACTIVITY REPORT

The Spinneys Dubai 92 Cycle Challenge Marks the Start of the Cycling Season The cycling season is now well underway as the Spinneys Dubai 92 Cycle Challenge launched with its first Build-Up Ride. Over 400 cyclists took on the 32.5km challenge at Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum City - District One Cycling and Running Track, the official venue partner for this event as they prepare for the big 92km event taking place on Friday 15th December at the Dubai Autodrome.

Coming in first place for the men was Almir Mujic with a time of 48:18, he was closely followed by Matthew Anthony, just 4 seconds behind with 48:22, and in third place was Cedric Domont with a time of 48:24.

Maria Leei Suan came first in the women’s challenge with a time of 50:39, followed by Carla Leonor in 50:41 and in third place was Shirley Leach in 55:01.

Following the challenge, the early-bird cyclists and their friends and family enjoyed the lively cycle village with a number of breakfast options provided by Spinneys and

fun and energetic activities for everyone to help kick-start the weekend.

Spokesperson for the Spinneys Dubai 92 Cycle Challenge said: “It’s great to see so many cyclists out on the popular Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum City - District One Cycling and Running Track this morning. This only emphasises the interest in the sport and we look forward to another exciting season ahead. Thanks to everyone that has helped us make this a successful event, including the Dubai Sports Council, the police, the RTA and all our sponsors.”

The second Build-Up ride is taking place on 29th September 2017 covering 50km, followed by 65km on 20th October and 85km on 24th November - all at Al Qudra.

The popular Spinneys Dubai 92 Junior Rides are also back. The timed 2.5km, 15km and 30km rides are designed for 6 to 15 year-olds held at the Dubai Autodrome on Thursday, 14 December. This is a great opportunity for younger ones to be part of the largest amateur cycling challenge and support the legacy of cycling in the UAE. To register or find out more information on any of the Spinneys Dubai 92 Cycle Challenge events please visit www.cyclechallenge.ae ■

OUTDOORUAE

15

EVENT REPORT

Doing the Dubai Double Words by: David O’Hara Photos by: Supplied

After a great summer of running in the Dubai heat and humidity, we recently had a chance to put our training to a test with the “Dubai Double”. On a Friday night in late September, Urban Ultra held its season opener – the 30km Night Rebel on the Wadi Showka trails.

Bright and early the next morning, Dubai Desert Road Runners held its season opener, a 10km road race at The Sevens. These two events take place within twelve hours of each other, but are diametrically opposed – a night 30km trail run in the mountains on rocky trails and a sunrise 10km road race on smooth asphalt.

Urban Ultra

Pascale and Louise of Urban Ultra put on the toughest running events around the Middle East, yet every time all the runners are simultaneously both suffering and smiling. The Night Rebel is on a technical trail at Wadi Showka with lots of rocks and hills, but with the added challenge of starting at 19:00 in sheer darkness. There is nothing easy about the 30km, yet the Urban Ultra crew at the checkpoints are like family to me. These are

the same folks who remember me crashing spectacularly at Hajar 100 last year, who shared my snacks of pickles and potatoes at the Big Stinker and who were mildly amused when I ran the UTX50 wearing sandals. Big thanks to all the crew and volunteers from Urban Ultra – that’s a top-notch gang!

Checkpoints

Urban Ultra stocks its checkpoints every 5km with chopped up fresh fruit – it’s like going to a picnic but with the food spread out over long distances. The crew at the checkpoints have probably seen everything possible among ultrarunners, like people who are running for twelve hours in the desert but try to economize thirty seconds by rushing through a checkpoint. Yeah, I prefer to kick back and enjoy the checkpoints, sample the cuisine (did you know Hajar 100 has the greatest vegetarian minestrone soup at the 52km checkpoint??), and chat with everybody to enjoy the social aspect of the event much to the chagrin of Louise.

30km of Fun

This year’s Night Rebel is a training event for me and Ramzi, and we are joined by Aleksei.

Last year, the three of us ran it separately and struggled for various reasons. This year we decided to run together, but easy enough to take a camel-selfie. Aleksei has been recovering from a Dubai summer flu, while Ramzi and I are one week away from our annual ultramarathon in the Himalayas.

Our plan is simple: have fun and finish. We

run together, chatting about the usual ultratopics: which shoes today, what’s your hydration plan, do you have any different flavours of gels, are those new calf compression socks, why do the triathletes dress funny yet run so fast, what are the next events on the schedule. If you run ultras, you know what we always talk about.

Finish with Dignity

Shortly after the 15km turnaround, the three of us come across Magdy, who seemed so desolate as he straggled along in the darkness. We explained to Magdy that our goals were to have fun and finish together, and we invited him to join us. After the 20km checkpoint, Magdy is struggling with his nutrition.

Ramzi and Aleksei take off together, while Magdy and I enjoy a leisurely pace back.

The beauty of trail running is encapsulated with this chance encounter of meeting a great guy like Magdy and enjoying a random chat about philosophical issues of life and avoiding the discussions on heart rate monitors and VO2max. Together we finish the 30km with dignity.

OCTOBER 2017 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

Transition from Night 30km Trail Run to Morning 10km Road Race Leaving Wadi Showka a little before midnight and driving an hour and a half home to get two hours sleep before heading out to The Sevens is only marginally better than trying to sleep in the sand somewhere. The Dubai Desert Road Runners holds what I consider to be traditional road races, with hundreds of runners, ranging from beginners to elites. My wife, Olya, and I are running the 10km with two of her work colleagues, which adds to the social aspect of road running. At the event, I noticed two guys who ran the Night Rebel with me the night before – Mahan Toosi Moghaddam and Alvaro Lopes-Cardoso – which confirms that my idea of doing this Dubai Double is almost mainstream.

while keeping your mind occupied. Running a 10km race is about pushing yourself hard and holding on for as long as you can. When I ran the Night Rebel on Friday night, I wore trekking boots, white dress shirt and hiking shorts while carrying a backpack, simply to test my traveling gear for Nepal. When I ran the 10km on Saturday morning, I wore my fav green Hulk tshirt and swimming trunks because they were close by and clean when I got dressed. My experience shows that it doesn’t make much difference what gear you wear as long as you are comfortable.

Preparation

10km Race

Road running is a completely different beast than ultra trail running. Ultra trail running is about endurance and maintaining your pace

The Dubai Desert Road Run 10km course is good for competition, as it is two out and back loops – which means you see the race leaders going past the opposite directions 2-3 times, depending on how fast you are running. Seeing everybody else runlets you know where you are in the pack and may help motivate you to keep pushing it.

My pre-race goal was to break 49 minutes, which is faster than I’ve run a 10km all year.

Even though I ran the 30km the night before, my legs were fresh and the challenge is whether or not my lungs would keep going to the finish. Sometimes it’s such a mental struggle to keep pushing yourself harder than your mind wants to, but I manage to hold on and finish in 48:39. I’m pleased.

Next Event

The Dubai Double demonstrates that if you are serious about getting out and running in Dubai, you can find an event that suits you and your fitness level. It’s a great opportunity to run with old friends and meet new people. Dubai hosts so many wonderful running events – you can faff about on some and you can try to crush others – it just depends on getting in the training and making the plans. If you do some traveling, then your horizons expand exponentially. In July, along with Mahan and Omaima, I ran the “Hottest Ultramarathon in the World” when the temperature was over 50C at Al Qudra.

Next up, in October Ramzi and I plan on running the “Highest Ultramarathon in the World” starting at Namche Bazaar, Nepal and climbing over 5400 metres above sea level. All you have to do is set your personal goals, make your plans, do the training and enjoy the event! ■

OUTDOORUAE

17

ACTIVITY REPORT

Everest Base Camp Encounters Photos by: Supplied and Siklodi Photography

When our CSR manager at the “Omnicom Media Group” sent out an email announcing that we had partnered with “Gulf for Good” to raise funds for charity and hike to Everest Base Camp, I was sold.

It seems perfectly natural, to me, that a group of 27 colleagues would hike off into the Himalayas with the sun setting behind us!

Our mission for the next six months was to raise AED 20,000 each for the “UN Refugee Agency”, particularly to donate to secondary medical costs to help Syrian refugees, and for “Mission Himalaya Eco Farm”, an organization dedicated to helping the orphaned and homeless children of Nepal.And in case you were wondering, yes we were gearing up to hike 100 kilometers in less than 10 days!

Fundraising is not easy. Convincing people to give you a portion, as small as it may be, of their hard-earned money is difficult to work. We had to get creative – everyone banded together to help each other raise

18

OUTDOORUAE

funds. We collected old clothes and toys from all our friends and hit up every flea market there was for months. There were bake sales, people started selling plants, arranging charity yoga classes, creating coffee deals and arranging brunches at their own homes.

I’m not going to deny that I struggled to raise the money. I would get donations in bursts but, in the end, my friends and family came through for me. Partly because they believed in the causes the funds were going towards, and partly because they saw how invested I was in this. Collectively, all of us raised over AED 500,000 – all to be split between the UNHCR and Mission Himalaya Eco Farm.

I don’t think I realized how excited I truly was about the trek until we were all sitting in the bus on the way to the airport. I think that’s when it really hit me, that we were going to spend 10 days together, trekking through the Himalayas, and testing our bod-

ies and the altitude. I think that’s also when I realized how lucky all of us were. It is a cliché to say it but we do lead blessed lives.

Kathmandu is chaos. It’s wonderful, and anyone who has travelled extensively in Asia will understand what I mean. On our first day there, we went to go visit Mission Himalaya Eco Farm. Meeting the children we worked so hard to raise funds for made it all worth-

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

while. They are vibrant and talented children, who deserve an education and loving environment. It was a privilege to be able to make an impact on their lives.

We were also introduced to our guides.

These guys were our pillars on this trip. They were constantly there to push us, to educate us about Nepal, tell us stories about the mountains and occasionally remind us that there’s no reason to hurry from village to village. Our head guide kept telling us to “stop and smell the flowers.” We couldn’t have asked for a better team.

On our second day in Nepal, the weather at Lukla prevented us from flying by plane so we managed to get helicopters out to Phakding. Once we were on the ground, I was immediately blown away by how beautiful the trail was. Imagine lush, green trees with snow peaked mountains in the background and waterfalls in every direction that we looked.

The air smells like freshly cut grass and earth.

It’s a smell that, I think, everyone has wonderful memories tied to. The Himalayas are stunning. It’s the kind of beauty that makes you stop, and appreciate the planet we are on.

Our first stop was Namche Bazaar. I know that I didn’t expect to find a fully operational village in the middle of the mountains, with bakeries and a bar, but there it was and it was a wonderful place to spend our first few days acclimatizing. Hiking up to the Everest View Hotel in the morning and playing Jenga and eating yak burgers in the evening, who would have thought? It was a surreal experience!

The trek to Pheriche, the next stop on the trail, was my favorite day. The trek is almost soothing. It takes you through densely packed trees, over waterfalls and gradual

inclines on hills. It was the first time I’d ever experienced a hanging bridge, which was both terrifying and thrilling. My favourite moment had to be when, halfway up one of the trails, a horse stuck its head from out of the trees and came out to have a look at us.

Throughout this trip, half the joy was experiencing the Himalayan nature. It didn’t matter where you were, if you were struggling a little with the climb or just hanging out by one of the tea houses, if you took a moment to stop and look around, it was truly breath-taking.

I was also lucky that I was surrounded by like-minded people who wanted an adventure. It made the lack of showering fun, card games in the evening exciting and most importantly, we kept each other’s spirits up.

I was able to lean on them and laugh with them through all the days of grueling (and believe me, it was grueling) trekking. From Pheriche all the way to Gorakshep, which was over 5,000 meters high. The terrain changed from green to white icy rock. The higher we went, the harder it was to catch my breath and make my legs move.

OCTOBER 2017 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

On day seven, stepping into Base Camp was like the climax after a crescendo. The one thing I vividly remember is our CEO standing at the entrance to Base Camp, giving everyone a hug as they walked in. I was physically exhausted, emotionally done, but the fact that all 27 of us made it was worth every minute of the trudging, the cussing and all the dhal I forced myself to eat. I was so proud of each and every one of us!

In retrospect, if I had to sum up my experience, I would say it boiled down to two things. The first is that who you have surrounded with makes all the difference.

I had a support system that gave me the drive to complete the fundraising and trek, and having these kinds of people in your life is invaluable. The second is that there is so much of the world to discover, and our planet has so much to offer if we make the time to explore.I would encourage everyone to take the time to experience something like this at least once in their lives. ■

ACTIVITY REPORT

Words + Photos by: Gigi Tsang, Aug 2017

Followed by last year’s great experience of running the Berlin Wall 100mile Race, I decided to participate in this race again for the reverse route. It would enable me to experience the race, the city and The Wall from a different angle and I wanted to get my back-toback medal! Also, this was going to be my 10th Ultra Marathon and my whole my family - John, my two daughters Nadia, Claudia, and another 3 wonderful friends - Nick, Lesley and Callum decided to come along for the ride as my support crew! 6 crew members for ONE RUNNER! This year we weren’t as fortunate with the weather as last year. We didn’t get the glorious sunny days, in fact the rain started right from the start of the race, and seemed to follow us for hours as we worked our way out of the city limits into the forests and along inland waterways. Within the first 50km I already needed to change my running gear, both John and Nick paced me for 1.5 hours each, and experienced the heaviest of the rain. We could barely see the view, just stuck together, dug in, heads down and very focused on the directional markers as some of them were already getting washed away by the rain. It was a shame that as a result of the bad weather we missed many of the scenic views, the beauty of Potsdam turned into a very bleak and rather chilly welcome, and not many people came out to enjoy their weekend. We even missed the nudist colony and their members coming out for their sunbathing!

I found my legs were getting heavy and realized this was going to be a hard race!

Eventually, after around 8 hours, the rain subsided and it was Cullum’s turn to pace me for 1.5 hours. It helped mentally as I kept changing the conversation with my crew members either cycling or running alongside me. I started to feel more positive and I forgot my heavy legs, we picked up the pace and got into a good rhythm. My Garmin beeped the 100km mark as I was chatting with Claudia (who was cycling beside me), when I just thinking “Ah Gigi, this might be a good day!”, then I realized I haven’t seen the rest of my crew or the checkpoint for quite a while!!! When I was doubting and asked a runner next to me, he said he just passed the last checkpoint about 3km ago... At that moment it was just like someone slapped my face! I can’t believe I had got lost and missed the checkpoint by over 3km. I had to turn around and ran back uphill about another extra 3km back to the missing check point. I can’t explain enough how painful I felt to see those runners I had originally passed now saying hi and pointing me in the right direction, backwards!

By the time I reached the check point, the check point distance was 103.3km. I stole a glance at my Garmin which read 109km! All I remember was I shouted to my crew with my grinding teeth, “How can you guys do that to me! I lost 40mins! 6 EXTRA KILOMETRES.” I know I am not coming to win the race, but I felt that I deserved a proper timing and a proper place. I don’t think my friends and my daughters had ever heard me swear so much! Everybody just quietly either ran or cycled beside me.

I refused to talk to them, refused to take food or drink from them, acted totally like a child, kept running but with anger and disappointment, full of negative energy! My crew tried again and again to convince me to eat and drink, after about another hour of running, I asked myself, how I can get so upset with them, for everything they have done and are still trying their best to support me!

The real crew is when I keep running forward when they are just staying beside me and forgive my childish behaviour! Sometimes we need to go through just enough pain for us to get compassion! Now I would say I can understand and feel for those runners

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

who have got lost in the races which before I would have no idea!

The rain continued to follow our route and the sun dropped down and we entered into a new stage of the race. In the darkness, we paid a lot of attention to track the directional arrows as many were now washed away by the rain. By the 130km checkpoint, I knew I wouldn’t be able to make up the lost 40mins. The route led me back into the rough backstreets of Berlin. It was very rough; I could smell the exhaust fumes all around us. I had Callum and Nadia for 7km then insisted that John to take over from Nadia as I couldn’t relax running through this part of the city. I picked up the pace a little and focused on a positive running attitude. Again with everybody’s efforts, I made it again! I managed to get to the finish line in 20hrs 27mins. The result exceeded my expectations - I had come 1st in my age category and fifth overall female. I hurt so much but I had also never felt so good!

This was my 10th Ultra Marathon since 2009. I can’t remember how many 10km, Half Marathon, 32km, and Full Marathon races I have participated, but one thing I

remember is no matter what the distance of the race, when it comes to 2/3 of the distance, your body tells you “it hurts!”. How I got through the pain after the 100km+ is not just by my willpower or determination, it’s because of my friends and family supporting me and making me not afraid to fail and enabling me to achieve my goal!

Sunday was the prize-giving ceremony. It was of course a special feeling as I enjoyed the glory of going onto the stage to collect my medals and certificate with my photo taken. My crew were so happy and proud of me! Again this race made me realize if someone genuinely loves you, they will accept whatever the way you are! Just like my crew accepted the way I was during my downtime! No matter how many words I keep writing in this report, there are not

OCTOBER 2017 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

enough to offer my thanks to them. Without them I would never have achieved 10 Ultra Marathons!

With my heartfelt thanks to; John, Nadia, Claudia, Callum, Nick & Lesley for sharing this special journey with me. Also heartfelt thanks to all the Dubai running buddies who accompanied me during the training, and the US, UK and HK friends with their encouragement through text messages during the race.

Of course I also truly appreciate and thank my amazing coach, Howard who since 2012 has coached me through 7 Ultramarathons and numerous other races!

Running means a lot to me, because in running I gain very precious friendships and family support. So I guess I just need to keep running! ■

OUTDOORUAE

21

ACTIVITY REPORT

Words by: David O’Hara Photos by: Supplied

Ramzi’s summer bucket list included the following seemingly incongruent events: quitting smoking, visiting his girlfriend Mary’s parents in the US, doing some training for our upcoming ultramarathon in the Himalayas and running an epic race.

Somehow all these events converged on the Pikes Peak Marathon in the US, not too far from Denver, Colorado. For those of you who are as geographically challenged as Ramzi, getting to Denver involves only 16 hours of flying from Dubai, and Pikes Peak is one of the highest mountains in the continental US at 4,300 meters.

Why the Pikes Peak Marathon?

Pikes Peak is considered one of the toughest trail runs in the US, despite ‘only’ being a marathon. The route is out and back singletrack up dirt trails along scattered rocks to scramble over 2,350 meters of elevation gain. The original idea for the race was a

challenge to see if smokers could beat nonsmokers to the peak and back. Short answer: Nope! Since Mary is from Colorado and Ramzi wanted to quit smoking, Pikes Peak Marathon seemed like the Epic Adventure of the summer – the confluence of Brilliant Ideas.

Getting to Pikes Peak

The Pikes Peak Marathon bib collection was more of a county festival than a running expo, with locals seeming to use the occasion as a reason to have a party outside.

Ramzi chats up a fellow runner, Russell, who gave him some sound advice: “When you think you are at the top of the mountain, don’t look up! It’s not the top. There are ‘false summits’, so you just keep going up until you can’t go up anymore.” Russell pointed to the summit and showed Ramzi the mountain they had to climb the next day. Pikes Peak is a daunting sight, even in the Rocky Mountains, but Ramzi noted that Russell said ‘climb’ not ‘run’. With a world class field of marathoners, the winning time is usually around 3:40 and the cutoff time is ten hours – which is analogous to the Hajar 50 Ultra at 10km longer with similar elevation gain and the winning time is 5:30 and the cutoff is twelve hours.

The 62nd Pikes Peak Marathon

At 07:00 on a beautiful sunny morning in August, 750 runners started the 62nd edition of the Pikes Peak Marathon. The town treats the event as a carnival, with the race 22

OUTDOORUAE

announcer getting the locals to provide great support to the runners so they’re psyched to suffer up and down the mountain. The first 800 meters were on asphalt road, when the road ends and the runners hit the first steep uphill. Ramzi was warned that it’s almost impossible to pass people, because the next 20km is a dirt single track with small rocks and big rocks.

The Checkpoints

At the “No Name Creek” checkpoint, the volunteers offered Gatorade, water, fruits, and even pickles! (How cool is it that they have pickles at the Checkpoints! I wonder if somebody could do me a favour and mention to Louise and Pascale of Urban Ultra that some trail events offer pickles at checkpoints?) From No Name Creek to Barr Camp, the track continues very steeply uphill. This is not runnable. The terrain changes above the tree line around 17km at the A-Frame checkpoint, and Ramzi is surprised that it’s so rocky. (Ramzi: dude, you are running a marathon in the Rocky Mountains!

You probably should’ve expected to see some rocks …)

Hitting the Peak at Pikes Peak

Ramzi is power-trekking up the last 4km before the turnaround at the summit on a rocky single-track, when hordes of faster runners start flying down the trail! Downhill runners have the right of way, so Ramzi needs to climb on the rocks on the side of the trail to yield to every downhill runner. With the alti-

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

tude gain it is very cold and windy – at least by our UAE standards – but, not shockingly, Ramzi was too lazy to grab his long sleeve jacket and gloves from his backpack. After reaching the summit in five hours, Ramzi enjoyed chips and the awesome pickles, before running back down.

Flying Down

The first 4km going down were runnable but slow due to rocks and other runners going up, then as soon as Ramzi hit the tree line at lower altitude, things warmed up again, only stopping for nutrition at the checkpoints.

Ramzi particularly enjoyed that all the volunteers at the checkpoints were so enthusiastic and supportive of him, even calling him by his name throughout the race – I don’t think that Ramzi realized that his name was printed on his bib in big bold letters over his race number.

Running is Easy Until It Gets Really Hard

Since the first five hours up the mountain were mostly power-trekking, Ramzi runs smoothly down and even manages to pass a few people over the last 5km. Everything is great … until he hits the asphalt road with only 800 meters to the Finish and his legs give out. It’s all mental, and the crowds were cheering him on through the town when he

OCTOBER 2017 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

sees Mary waving and yelling “One more turn!” Ramzi crosses the Finish in nine hours – which is well under the cutoff – where they are serving all-you-can-eat pizza. Life is good!

Confluence of “Brilliant” Ideas and Achieving Goals

1. Ramzi finished the epic Pikes Peak Marathon with dignity 2. Ramzi met Mary’s parents in the US 3. Ramzi got some solid altitude training for our Nepal adventure in October 4. Ramzi quit smoking ■

ACTIVITY REPORT

The Dirt Skirts Mtn Bike Club Words by: Angelika Whitaker Photos by: Tonya Colson, Sam Taylor, and company Lavadesign

Dirt Skirts MTB is the UAE’s first, International, Ladies MTB Club, established in 2013 for women who live in the UAE and love to ride their mountain bikes in the unique landscape of this country.

Mountain biking is one of the most dangerous sports around. Conquering steep rocky climbs and gnarly descents, winding up and down loose gravel tracks and constantly facing unpredictable changes in terrain, oh and did we mention you are doing all this on just two wheels?

Mountain biking is rewarding in so many ways and we truly believe that more women need to know this sport exists and is incredibly popular amongst the female population in so many countries.

Riding in a group brings a fantastic social dynamic to cycling and helps build fitness and skills whilst having a lot of fun.

During our rides, we try to ensure that we do have fun and keep the group together.

Usually, we briefly discuss the route and agree on a finish time before we set off, otherwise, we don’t sweat the details too much as we believe there should be a little bit more spontaneity than just planning everything.

The pace we ride attends to determine itself depending on who comes out and how many of us ride. A smaller group is always quicker, while larger rides tend to be more relaxed.

If you are a slower rider, and fed up of

looking at everyone’s behinds disappearing into the distance, we always advise to kick up your training with extra rides during the week to build your fitness level up.

On our rides, we pay a lot of attention to the importance of staying together, both for safety and group politics. It’s all about the team, stronger riders drop back every so often to offer slower riders a bit of camaraderie on hard climbs or technical parts of the trail. If you are not keen to do so then solo riding is the way to go, which may have its own advantages, but when you choose to ride in a group, this is the time to leave your ego behind!

With regards to the members of our group; Dirt Skirts Mtb are very fluid, as most of our riders are expats, some women leave after working in the UAE for a few years to travel on to new destinations, at the same time new members arrive in the UAE and then join the group. This happens all year round. But the Dirt Skirts bond stays strong no matter where our members are!

This summer our group organized a very exciting MTB holiday to have a long awaited reunion with some of our members who no longer live in the UAE. In July 2017 our group travelled to Morzine in the French Alps, one of Europe’s most interest-

ing biking regions. The Free-ride, Enduro, and Downhill opportunities in this place are endless, it has more than enough variety to keep even the fussiest bike rider happy!

Our Dirt Skirt members travelled here from various parts of the world to have a week of riding together in breathtaking scenery, face physical and mental challenges of terrain, and simply to pump some adrenaline!

Our time in Morzine started off with heavy rain and cold temperatures but this failed to dampen our spirits! We were all in it together, women of all ages and backgrounds, with the sole purpose of improving our riding skills and more importantly sharing our time, connecting with each other and having fun!

After the first two days of rain, the sun came out and conditions for riding changed to absolutely superb! This was the best time ever!

This week created a lot of interest from the girls that could not make it to the Alps this summer, so much so that from now on our girl’s adventure is officially going to become an annual Dirt Skirts event!

Some Q & A’s

We often get asked:

“I just bought a mountain bike and I’m

OCTOBER 2017 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

Morzine, French Alps

really excited to get out on the trails, but I’m brand new to the sport. Do I need more experience to join the group?”– We say the best way to get experience is to ride. We encourage absolute beginners to start off at Hatta Trail Centre, where you can find groomed, smooth and flowing, beginner friendly, green, single-track routes and a skills practice area.

Our group is all about camaraderie and support, we push each other to go faster, ride further, and try new techniques. We cheer each other on whether it’s at the finish line or taking on that rocky descent for the first time. What matters to us on our rides is your attitude – are you ready to try something new and have some fun?

If the answer is YES then come and join us,

get on your bike and discover what a thrill mountain biking can be. What you will find with Dirt Skirts is encouragement and support. You’ll find a network of women to ride with. You’ll find fun, fitness and friendship.

Zero intimidation. Zero pressure. We hope to see more women riding bikes on their own terms without being intimidated.

How to reach us?

You can join our group on Facebook – “Dirt Skirts Mtb” to get all the updates on location, time and type of rides.

Distances we ride?

Our beginner group rides could be anywhere from 10 – 15km. Faster rides may run from 25-35km. Rides maybe shorter in

distance but longer in duration if the group stops to work on specific skills or challenging areas.

Where we ride:

“Hatta Mtb Trail Centre” offers fast flowing smooth single tracks that make you smile as you ride down. The trail center currently offers green - (beginner friendly), blue (for intermediate riders) red (for advanced riders) and black trails (for very advanced riders).

The Wadi Showka network of trails is mostly wild animal tracks that have been improved by volunteers and is also our playground.

The Meydan NAS urban forest 4x4 tracks are great for beginners and closer to the city. ■

OUTDOORUAE

25

ACTIVITY REPORT

Oman opens its first national outdoor training centre Words by: Mark Evans MBE Photos by: Phil Weymouth

Since 2009, Oman has been home to the first, and only fully licensed Outward Bound school in the Middle East region. Established in the UK in 1941 to use challenging outdoor journeys to develop resilience and shape the character of young people, over the past 76 years Outward Bound has grown into the world’s most respected, leading human development organisation. Today, nearly 250,000 people take part in a life changing Outward Bound course each year, in one of 32 countries.

With its 10,000ft high mountains, and large desert wilderness, Oman is the perfect home for Outward Bound, and after nine years of rapid growth, Outward Bound Oman has delivered courses for nearly

10,000 people, employs 26 full-time professional staff, and has recently opened the first of three purpose-built national training centres in the Sharqiya desert, the first of their kind in the Middle East.

Located some 2km from the nearest power supply, and 12km from the nearest

blacktop road, the desert training centre took 13 months to construct, and the remote location presented a series of challenges.

The iconic building, designed by innovative Muscat-based architects 23 Degrees North, demonstrates Outward Bound’s commitment to minimising environmental impact;

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

it is Oman’s first building totally powered by renewable energy, and all water is treated and re-used on site. The dominant factor to be considered at the design stage was the position of the sun. As a result, south facing walls are especially thick, and windows both narrow and small. Bathrooms and taps are designed with water conservation in mind, and key buildings oriented to provide maximum shade in the late morning, when most groups will arrive at the centre.

Amongst other things, the centre has been equipped with an equipment store for backpacks and tents,an AV room, two

indoor learning rooms, four outdoor learning pods, a dining room, kitchen, medical room, fire-pit, prayer room, and amphitheatre. It has also been designed with multiple users in mind, to act not only as a centre for Outward Bound youth and corporate training groups, but also to act as a residential base for academic environmental research groups from schools, colleges and universities around the world.

With a new three-lane highway shortly due for completion, the centre is located less than two hours’ drive south of Muscat, in what is possibly the most intensively studied arid environment on earth. The Sharqiya desert has been at the heart of the scientific research community since a three-year expedition in the mid-1980’s, undertaken by the Royal Geographical Society in London.

The expedition documented the diversity of the terrain, and the fauna, noting nearly 16,000 species of invertebrates, as well as 200 species of other wildlife. They also documented 150 species of native flora. This surprising bio-diversity was felt to be due to the desert’s proximity to the sea; as temper-

OCTOBER 2017 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

atures drop rapidly after sunset each day, a dew and sometimes a thick fog can appear at dawn that can equate to up to 0.5mm of rainfall each day, so bringing precious, life-giving moisture to species of plants and animals that are uniquely adapted to their environment.

Whilst the desert centre is now up and running, formally opened by His Highness Sayyid Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, Minister of Culture and Heritage, and HRH Prince Andrew on October 1st, construction of a second training centre in Muscat has already begun. Due to open in late 2018, this centre will act as an urban training facility, and the administrative base for Outward Bound in Oman. Also in 2018, the detailed design of the third national training centre, located at 8,000ft on Jebel Akdhar will begin, ultimately giving Oman three international standard outdoor training centres to serve the nation, the region and beyond.

More information about the Outward Bound Oman national centres can be found at www.outwardboundoman.com/centres ■

OUTDOORUAE

27

TRAVEL & ADVENTURE

Words + Photos by: Graham Malkin

As part of the ambitious “Outdoor Education program” at Repton School, we are always looking for new and unique challenges to stretch our pupils. With this in mind, I went to recce and risk assess “Gran Paradiso” last month.

The mountain, located in the Italian Alps, has an altitude of 4061m and provides a perfect introduction to alpine mountaineering.

On the morning of the climb, I arrived 0330 at the small campground of Pont to meet IFMGA guide “Allessandro”. After a couple of swigs of hot coffee we set off at a brisk pace along the valley. It wasn’t long before we started to ascend through the forest and hike out of the valley leaving behind the cold damp air of the early morning.

After an hour and forty-five minutes we arrived at the “Refugio Vittorio Emanuele”, a mountain hut located at 2730m. The first

climbers of the day had just departed from the hut and we could see the faint glimmer of head torches disappearing over the ridgeline. After a couple more hours of hiking we arrived at the glacier and donned our

crampons harnesses and roped up.

Moving at a pace over a solid layer of snow and ice we arrived at the summit in time to enjoy spectacular views of surrounding peaks including the Matterhorn and Mont Blanc. After a short break, we began our descent and arrived back at the camp site in the late afternoon. It was a good thirteen hour slog but well worth the effort and provided a good opportunity to effectively gauge the risk/benefit analysis for hiking/ climbing with pupils.

In June 2018, we will be returning with 14 pupils from Repton. The group will spend a week learning mountaineering skills on the peaks surrounding Mont Blanc before heading across the border and attempting Gran Paradiso. The hike will take place over two days, led by a team of IFMGA mountain guides and will include a night in the mountain hut to acclimatize. ■

TRAVEL & ADVENTURE

Azerbaijan The Land of Fire & a Trip to Remember Words + Photos by: Denise Ostermann

With another long weekend coming up and looking for places to go, Azerbaijan popped up on my screen! It’s one of the places which has been on my bucket list for a while. Easy reachable by daily flights with Azal the local carrier, it gave the best opportunity to make the most out of the three days available.

When telling some friends about my plans I found myself with six of them on the plane to Baku.

Simplified visa regulations since the beginning of this year are making the country very attractive as a short trip destination.

The visa process was quite an expensive hassle earlier but most nationalities can now travel to the south Caucasian country with an e-Visa costing you just $20. For Emiratis it is available on arrival. Travelling with a group coming from all kinds of backgrounds it was a very important point for us to have a simple arrival process.

Our adventure started early in the morning at the Heydar Aliyev airport in Baku.

After being picked up by our chauffeur we were taken to Baku city to have a coffee and meet our local tour guide there. Having a small drive through the city we got a slight idea of what to expect on our last day. But first, we found ourselves on the road to Gabala, a small quaint village in the greater Caucasus about 200km northwest of Baku and close to the Russian border.

The drive took us through the plains and rolling hills of the country. After a short

stop for some delicious brunch on the way at a tranquil restaurant and we carried on.

The sleepless night, travelling and the food knocked us out for the rest of the way. Upon waking up we had reached Gabala and our hotel. From its former times serving as a Caravansary the building was transformed into a beautiful boutique hotel with a nice inner courtyard. With a tight program and already some delay there was no time to relax.

The sleep we got in the car should have been sufficient. So we quickly changed and some of the group went into the mountains for a casual hike through dry river beds it had not rained for the whole summer. Hiking along the Russian border can have its trails.

There are some military checkpoints and it is always recommendable to have your passport with you in order to pass and get to the hidden gems like the waterfalls. Nevertheless, the hike was a great exercise and got rewarded with a nice BBQ with the locals.

OUTDOORUAE

29

The other part of our group went horse riding. Azerbaijan is well known for their horses. The Karabakh horses are well tempered mountain-steppe racing horses. And we could actually experience how fast they can run! On the backs of the horses, we were riding through fields and streams to a forestry set up by the president Ilham Aliyev himself. After a small break with tea and peaches freshly picked from the trees we had to head back. What a great ride through amazing scenery! It was a much diversified day and we learned that the next day will not be any different.

Waking up the next day all the excitement was about rafting. Until now we only saw dry river beds and could hardly imagine where we could possibly do that. After a short drive from Gabala, we actually did find a river. So we took the boats from Savalan and paddled approximately 15km down the river. It was quite a challenge as the water level was pretty low. We got stuck many

30

OUTDOORUAE

times on the sandbanks and the captain had a very hard job to make sure we can continue. For rafting, it will be definitely better to visit Azerbaijan in October. Nevertheless, we had lots of fun... until one of the boats got dragged by the current and flipped. After what happened we were glad that there was not more water! Thankfully we got away with just a shock! The rafting ended with a great lunch and afterwards, a long drive back in the direction of Baku. A short but worthwhile tea stop with a view on the way made the drive a bit more bearable. But there was one more stop on the route we just could not miss. The famous mud volcanos! This phenomenon took place not too long ago in 2001 when eruption spit out a huge flame that could be seen from 15km away. Those kind of mud volcanos form in places where pockets of underground gas find a weak spot to force their way to the surface. As the volcanos are not caused by magma they can be very cold. With more than 400 mud volcanos almost half of the world’s occurrences are in the coastal areas of Azerbaijan.

To reach there you either need a 4x4 or you

can go with one of the local Lada taxis. The drivers are incredibly good at maneuvering their soviet ‘sweethearts’ (Slavic translation of Lada) through the desert to the hidden area.

It was definitely worth the detour! Returning late and exhausted to Baku did not stop us from visiting another amazing restaurant with live music for dinner. No matter how tired we were, the food was just too good! The country for sure is not the best place for vegetarians, but the Azerbaijani kitchen offers a big variety of tasty meat dishes!

Finally, at the hotel, we just dropped into our beds and slept. Thankfully it was a late start into the next day, which every one of us welcomed. We reached the last day of our three days trip. But it felt like we’ve been in the country already for a week. At least we experienced that much already! So we were all happy about the upcoming relaxing city tour through the heart of Baku. The city presents a mix of various styles of architecture.

With buildings from the 12th century like the Maiden Tower you can also find Victorian, Soviet, Western and Islamic influences present all over the city. The city’s old town has

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

been declared as a UNESCO world heritage site in 2000 and provides perfect settings for scenic photographs. With the modern buildings like the flame towers in the back, the Baku Crystal Hall and the Heydar Aliyev Centre you can find a big contrast between old and the new. Baku is the capital of Azerbaijan and on the coastline of the Caspian Sea. The country was holding a majority of the world’s oil reserves which was the foundation for Baku’s existence and prosperity. Passing by Little Venice and the Carpet Museum we took the rack railway, for a short ride up to the flame towers presenting us a beautiful overview of the city. At the end of the railway we reached the Dagüstü Park with the cemetery of the martyr’s fighting

for the country’s independence. Next stop Heydar Aliyev Centre. The architecture of this building is fascinating and presents a completely different perspective from every angle. Last but not least we even made it to the burning mountain Yanar Dag which is a natural gas fire blazing continuously up to 3m flames on a hillside outside the capital.

The country definitely deserves to be called the “Land of Fire!” After another long and eventful day, we headed back to the airport to catch our late night flight.

This country is definitely worth visiting.

Also for those who are looking to cool down for a bit from the summer heat as the climate is very pleasant. What a trip and stories to take home! ■

OCTOBER 2017 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

More than just the UAE’s biggest Water Park Beach camping made easy for the whole family at Ice Land Water Park in Ras Al Khaimah Words + Photos by: Daniel Birkhofer

If you are a UAE resident then you have probably passed it many times, these strange ice capped mountains in Ras Al Khaimah! But did it ever occur to you to explore this strange place called Iceland in the middle of the desert?

The UAE has many water parks for obvious reasons, with hot and sunny weather all year round, what could be better than plunging into cold water and having outdoor fun all day long with the whole family and friends. Iceland waterpark is located in the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah just a few kilometres off the E311 which makes it only an hours’ drive from Dubai. Iceland Waterpark is not just another waterpark, it is the biggest in the UAE by size and is loaded with great slides and attractions. Since Iceland is one of the older parks it might look a bit dated from the outside but with recently changed and new management, major overhauls are on the way and the inside of the park gives a very different impression to the

outside –inside the park is well maintained and clean! Because of this cleanliness, the park has good reviews on www.TripAdvisor. com with the main complaint being that the park is not crowded throughout the week which is actually a great thing! Other parks are overcrowded so that you will queue most of the time to get on the rides. Iceland Waterpark is huge and has more than 30 exciting slides, a huge wave pool, and a vast kid’s water play area, so you can be sure you will spend most of your time having fun in the cold water rather than queuing in the heat. There are also private cabanas available if you are looking for some extra shaded luxury. With one of the best private beaches in the area, food outlets and retail shops the water park offers all you are looking for, for a fun day out.

Due to its huge size and lower visitor numbers during the week, Iceland waterpark is also an ideal place for team building events and group activities. Ice Land has the only Olympic sized pool in all the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah as well as a full sized water Cannon showered, wet football pitch in the middle.

If all this would isn’t enough reason for a visit, Iceland Waterpark opened last year its camp site right on the private beach. If you are an outdoors person you will know that, it is close to impossible to find any campsite on a beach (where it is legal to camp) in the whole of the UAE. The campsite is set up in Arabic tradition with local style tents, majilis tents for special occasions and a fire pit in the centre. This is camping made easy since you don’t need any of your own camping gear, tents are set up already, sleeping bags provided, showers and toilets are available

a few steps away and you will get treated with a great BBQ dinner buffet and breakfast. The camp can accommodate up to 86 people and it can also be rented for events.

Since campsite are rare in the UAE especially on the beach, you should book your stay soon and the best thing is the pricing! The cost for one tent starts as low as 550 AED (2 adults) which includes one-day entry to the whole park (regular price, adult 175 AED x 2 = 350 AED) dinner BBQ, and breakfast - so the camping costs you almost no extra to the normal entrance which makes it a deal not to be missed. And the cherry on top is the sound of the waves while you fall asleep in your tent!

[Pricing Weekdays: small tent, 2 pax 550 AED; big tent, 4 pax (2 adults, 2 kids), 700 AED, extra person 200 AED. Weekends: small tent, 2 pax, 650 AED; big tent, 4 pax (2 adults, 2 kids), 900 AED; extra person 200 AED]. ■

THE

OFF-ROADERS corner

There is no such vehicle as ”one size fits all” Name: Abdulrahman Khaiwi Nationality: Lebanese Occupation: Head of IT Vehicle: Jeep Wrangler 4doors Rubicon 2015 Tell us the background story of the car.

I have been off-roading in the UAE since 2011 in different 4x4s with various capabilities and performance portfolios. I have also been off-roading back home in Lebanon and in the States on different terrains and a variety of landscapes. Cutting a long story short, it’s around 70% the driver and 30% the car. There is no such vehicle as “one size fits all” but personal preference, driving style, terrain etc. Based on this a vehicle would be selected as the best match to the driver. Yet, Jeep Wrangler has always been outstanding in terms of performance, looks and as an open platform for modification or personalisation.

What modifications have been made, performance and cosmetic wise?

The modifications on my Jeep are way too

many to list but the major mods are as follows: Performance: 1. Sprintex Supercharger 2. Dry Air intake system 3. Snorkel 4. Heat Reduction Hood 5. Heavy Duty Bumper with Stinger 6. Beadlock wheels and 37” offroad tires 7. Side protection rock sliders 8. Rear metal bumper with oversized tire carrier 9. Catback Exhaust system 10. 4” lift kit stage three with King shocks etc 11. Heavy duty drive shafts, track bars and flipped steer arm 12. Heavy Duty differential covers 13. Built-in double air compressor for tire air pressure 14. Custom cut front grill for added engine cooling 15. Flat cut fender flares

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

The main special feature is that it is…..

Driven by me ;) !!!

The beauty of a Jeep is that each one can be personalised in its own distinct way by the owner. My Jeep has its own personal touches and combination of mods of my choice.

What were your other options before you bought this car?

I liked the Nissan Patrol and I also like the capabilities of the Toyota Fortuner.

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

It’s my daily driver and my weekend fun ride on sand and Wadi/Rocky Mountains in the UAE.

Are you planning any future modifications?

Owning a Jeep makes you continuously look for the latest available mods and urges you to prioritise spending on the jeep to beautify it more and more.

What 4x4 do you dream of owning?

I already own my dream Jeep! ■

Want your 4X4 to be the next feature? Just send us an email at editor@outdooruae.com with the subject “Off-Roaders Corner” and you and your car might just be the next one on this page!

34

OUTDOORUAE

$100 Cash REWARD Share your routes with OutdoorUAE and receive a reward of USD100 if we will publish your route.

es Rout ED T WAN

Your routes will be available online for everyone to download for free on outdooruae.com/route.

You will be credited as the author of the routes. All we need from you is the GPS (gpx) route file, a few photos and a short description. We are looking for hiking, off-road, MTB, trail running, MX and any other outdoor related routes. Routes should be from the UAE and border regions. Help us to get more people outdoor, active, healthy and happy be able to enjoy the beauty of this region.

You can upload your route at outdooruae.com/add-route and we will get back to you within a few days if your route will be published and how to collect your reward.

For more details email us at routes@outdooruae.com

Tired of the typical weekends? We have a solution for you. The Off-roading Season starts with the: “Ultimate Jeep Club.”

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

The 17th November 2017 is the day that will change your view of weekends in the UAE. With over 1000 registered members and being the largest jeep club in the Middle East, the Ultimate Jeep Club is doing it again and launching the Off-Road season with a spectacular event!

The newly renamed “Ultimate Jeep Club” formerly known as JK Fun Club, made the title change to allow a more diverse members database. It organizes bi-weekly desert/ mountains trips throughout the off-roading season and each year in November this is taken to another level. In past seasons the Club has been able to congregate over 103 jeeps to enjoy the experience with a stun-

ning BBQ dinner, cool prizes, and camping in the remarkable enclave of Meleiha Archaeological centre which is located in the Emirate of Sharjah.

The Club has set high objectives this year and plans to receive triple the number of participants from previous years. This will not be difficult as the club has planned brilliantly for the event. More sponsors will be covering the event including top USA jeep modifications brands which will send their teams all the way to the UAE to set up their tents and showcase their products. There will be off-road convoys to enjoy the thrilling experience of dune bashing for 3 categories of driving levels, to suit all jeepers joining: 1.

OCTOBER 2017 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

Intermediate Convoy, 2. Beginners Convoy, 3. Family Convoy.

In addition, top off-road Jeep modification suppliers and installers in the UAE will have their tents/booths set up in a full day event which will start at 9:00am and take its participants through an incredible adventure till 9:00pm.

Jeepers joining the event, will have full access, with the entry ticket to enjoy the facilities of the Archaeology Centre, a catered BBQ dinner and a chance to participate in a draw with awesome modification parts from the sponsors as the prizes.

Let’s be honest…. It’s going to be amazing! ■

OUTDOORUAE

37

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

OCTOBER 2017 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

Some good reasons, why eating less meat can save the world Words by: Daniel Birkhofer

To begin, I love meat in all kinds of forms and think it gives great flavour to any dish. I also think that it is part of our normal diet to eat meat and I also believe that meat is a good source of; protein, iron and B12. I wish myself and also learned how to butcher and have no ethical issues with that. So why would I be an ambassador of promoting eating less meat?

This article could be a call to everyone to eat no meat, but for myself and the majority of people, I think the moderate approach will be more successful. Moderation is actually one key to the whole situation. If you think back one or two generations to the middle of the century meat was still considered a luxury which most people could simply not afford to put on the table every day. This has changed drastically in the times of industrialization, meat got cheaper and cheaper and the producing companies bigger and bigger.

With the gain in their influence. They started promoting more and more a meat-based diet to successfully grow the demand. And this spiral started to turn faster and faster and is spinning now out of control. There are so many issues linked to the industrial production of meat that we will look to some of these factors over the next month.

Most people don’t even know the un-

38

OUTDOORUAE

derlying problems, it is much more than the ethical debate whether or not we should kill an animal for consumption and we will not enter into this discussion for now. The things we are looking at will be mainly environmental issues, for example; meat production takes up a lot of our resources which are scarce - land, water, energy, food. Meat production is also a major contributor to greenhouse gases.

On the other hand, there are also some health issues related to eating meat. We will look at those which can be categorized into two fields; Firstly is that meat production is also linked to the overuse of antibiotics, hormones and other chemical contamination in meat. The second is that scientific studies have proved that too much meat is not healthy. People get obese, high cholesterol leads to heart diseases and many other coronary problems.

With the world population growing, we see a rise in starving people in poor

countries which will get more dramatic in the coming decades if we don’t change. It is a simple fact that our plant will not be able to sustain such a high consumption of meat for the world population but a plant-based diet would. So even if you love eating meat it is time for a change. Being realistic most people would not be supportive of drastic change even if it would be the best thing to do. Therefore we are supporting a moderate approach and will support the initiative of “Meatless Monday” to introduce alternatives and to educate people about the benefits of eating meat in moderate amounts and from sustainable farming.

What is OutdoorUAE’s role? We are trying to help educate people by promoting Educational Institutes, Companies, and Restaurants who join the cause.

So the first question you should be asking yourself if you want to join us is; What am I eating next Monday that doesn’t have any meat in it? ■

HOWDOES DOESMEATLESS MEATLESSMONDAY MONDAYHELP? HELP? HOW

2.5 #MeatlessDayUAE #MeatlessDayUAE #MeatlessDayUAE

#MeatlessMonday #MeatlessMonday #MeatlessMonday

Words + Photos by: Richard Thomas

Eating Ethically Cycling through the mountains, with the Sun starting to rise, you begin to feel that sense of freedom.

What an incredible time of day, the perfect escape from the hustle and bustle of city life, to be right in the middle of nature. No distractions, just the pure beauty of the landscape. It’s at these moments that you begin to feel at one with nature, the ultimate giver of life!

Mother Nature, in all her beauty can be incredible. To provide delicious ingredients with an array of nutrients from her soil, not only for humans but for all her creations. People take it for granted that you can walk into any supermarket and there is an array of products from all around the world, which are always in picture perfect condition. But are we mindful that these products have been treated? Where did they come from? What has been done to them? How far have they travelled to get to us?

It is so easy. Walk into a store, pick up what you need, pay and leave. But by giving a small consideration to the ingredients, you, as a single consumer, can help change the way people purchase. Ask the questions:

At The Cycle Bistro, we know where our products are from and how they were produced. Our products are Organic where possible and we try to live by the ideology of “farm to table”. Being in Dubai, it is difficult to source local ingredients, but by finding the right suppliers and distributors, we have found what we believe to be some of the best ingredients on the market.

So come and try our delicious, healthy and ecofriendly menu! ■

• Is it from sustainable farming?

• Is it organic?

• Is the product in season?

• Is it Grass-Fed?

RECIPE

Sweet Potato, Kale and Shrimp Skillet For 4 People Total time: 25min Prep time: 5min Cook time: 15min Ingredients: • 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil • ½ cup onion, diced • A pinch of crushed red pepper, to taste • 2 garlic cloves, minced • 2 cups sweet potatoes, diced • 2 cups fresh shrimp • 3 cups trimmed and coarsely chopped kale leaves • Salt and ground black pepper Directions: 1. In a cast iron skillet, add the extra virgin olive oil over medium heat.

2. Add onions and crushed red pepper.

40

OUTDOORUAE

3. Cook until onions are soft and golden.

4. Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.

5. Add sweet potato and cook until soft.

In case you need, add a few table spoons of water or 1/4 cup to help steam the sweet potato.

6. Add shrimp and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until they turn pink.

7. Turn the heat to low and add kale, stirring until wilted.

8. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

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

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

OCTOBER 2017 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

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

Yamaha Factory Watches 595 AED | Was: 795 AED

Available only at Al Yousuf Motors Across UAE This summer show your allegiance to the MotoGP Team with these sporty chronos. High quality sporty chrono wrist watch by TW Steel® featuring the Yamaha Factory Racing logo.

• Seiko VD54 movement • 10 ATM water resistant • 45mm diameter case • Reinforced mineral crystal • Steel caseback with Yamaha logo • 24-hour indicator • Stopwatch function • Silicon strap • Available in various colours • By TW Steel® - leader in oversized watches and official the sponsor of the Yamaha Factory Racing logo

Jobe Aero SUP Inflatable Package (SUP in Style) 2,995 AED | Was 4,295 AED

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

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

• Length: 9’4 • Width: 30 • Thickness: 4 Board volume: 165L • Recommended Rider Weight: up to 80 kg • Board Weight: 7.2 Kg * Package includes: Inflatable board, paddle, air pump, fins, leash, repair kit & bag

Kingii - Floatation Aid (Made in USA)

Rinse kit (Pressurized Portable Shower)

Available only at Al Yousuf Motors Across UAE

Available only at Al Yousuf Motors Across UAE

Specification: Kingii is the new wristband for all those who love water! If you need help to stay afloat, pull the lever and an inflation bag will pull you to the surface.

Key Features: • Fills in 30 seconds with 2 gallons of water from a hose bib or sink • Sprays for up to 5 minutes • No pumping, no batteries • Lightweight & easy to carry • Removable lid to stand on

395 AED | Was: 495 AED

Includes: Two CO2 cylinders free

499 AED

OUTDOORUAE

41

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

OCTOBER 2017 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

PRODUCTS Products available at Columbia stores: Dubai - The Dubai Mall, Mall of the Emirates, Mirdif City Center & Ibn Battuta Mall Abu Dhabi - Al Wahda Mall and Dalma Mall

Northern Comfort™ Men’s Hoody

Horizon Line™ Men’s Pant

279 AED

239 AED

Features: • Water repellent • Bonded seams • Hand pockets

Features: • Omni-SHIELD™ advanced repellency • Omni-SHADE™ UPF 50 sun protection • 4-way comfort stretch • Elastic at waist • Drawcord adjustable waist • Articulated knees • Cargo pocket • Drawcord adjustable hem

Fabrics: • Shell: 100% polyester taffeta • Shell: 77% cotton / 23% polyester fleece • Insulation: 75% Duck Down, 25% Duck Feather

Fabrics: • Stretch Max Softshell 90% polyester / 10% elastane

Women’s Trail Blaze Vest 249 AED

Features: Omni-SHIELD™ advanced repellency Comfort stretch Zippered chest pocket Zippered hand pockets Fabrics: 100% Polyester

Women’s Peakfreak™ Xcrsn Ii Xcel Low Outdry™ 399 AED

Modern lightweight construction methods make the Peakfreak Xcrsn II Xcel versatile and indestructible.

Upper Textile upper with welded textile overlays provide support and protection OutDRY® waterproof, breathable construction Midsole Lightweight TECHLITE™ midsole for long lasting comfort, superior cushioning and high energy return Outsole Omni-GRIP™ non-marking traction rubber

42

OUTDOORUAE

We all know about HERO5 Black and HERO5 Session. People loved the redesign and the new added functionalities. GoPro has come with its all new HERO6 Black which fills in the gaps which HERO5 lacked to do.

The HERO 6 Black follows the same design as last year which means that all your HERO5 accessories and of course batteries will work with it. HERO6 Black transforms your adventures into incredible QuikStories right on your phone with its all new GP1 Chip, next level video stabilization and twice the performance, looking good has never been so easy. Add voice control and durable waterproof design. HERO6 Black is the ultimate GoPro for sharing life as you like it.

GoPro has rolled out their new QuikStories Feature to the existing HERO5 cameras and with HERO6 its pre-enabled. The camera sends the footage to your phone

where the app transforms it into a stunning video – automatically, your phone just has to be connected to the camera to make use of this feature. QuikStories work really well with HERO6 Black since it has the faster offloading speeds (3 times faster) with 5GHz Wi-Fi. The performance on the camera has also been bumped up record 4K @ 60fps and 1080p @ 240fps which is twice what HERO5 Black shoots right now. With all new GP1 chip optimized for GoPro capture, HERO6 Black delivers vastly improved image quality and smooth, stabilized footage. HDR is finally here on the HERO6 Black and the improvement in image quality is amazing.

GoPro cameras always struggle in low light conditions but with optimized GP1 that will be changed. The new GP1 with its algorithms will help GoPro with faces, audio,

accelerometer, GPS and pull all this data together to put them in the edits to create an amazing story to tell.

Touch zoom is one of the few new added feature in the HERO6 Black. The GPS on HERO6 Black can be used to get all the telemetry information which can layover your videos using QUIK Desktop app.

All in all HERO6 is a performance upgrade to the existing HERO5 Black which already wasn’t that bad. It’s much like what Apple has done with their existing iPhone 7/7 Plus and turned them into 8/8 Plus. ■ Product available at Grand Stores, Virgin Megastore, Sharaf DG and Emax GoPro HERO 6 Black for only 1,899 AED

OUTDOORUAE

43

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

OCTOBER 2017 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

PRODUCTS Karma Grip

GoPro HERO6 Black

1,299 AED

1,899 AED

Available at Grand Stores, Virgin Megastore, Sharaf DG and Emax

Available at Grand Stores, Virgin Megastore, Sharaf DG and Emax

Capture stabilised footage so smooth your ordinary shots will look extraordinary. Enjoy professional, cinema-quality video whether you’re hiking, cycling or chasing your kids through the park. Karma Grip captures the amazing handheld and bodyworn perspectives that only a GoPro can – now with pro-quality stabilisation.

HERO6 black transforms your adventures into incredible QuikStories right on your phone. With its all new GP-1 chip, next level video stabilization and twice the performance, looking good has never been so easy. Add voice control and a durable, waterproof design and HERO6 black is the ultimate go pro for sharing life as you live it.

Waeco Coolfreeze CF-50 Freezer Cool Box (50 L)

Weber Smokey Joe Premium Spring Green BBQ

Available at all Al-Futtaim Ace stores across the UAE

Available at All Al-Futtaim Ace stores across the UAE

The Coolfreeze CF-50 Freezer is a fridge with a 50-liter capacity. It provides ample vertical space for 2-liter bottles, making it ideal for travelling, picnics, camping and more. The fridge’s convenient features include a detachable lid (lid mount at the front), interior light, digital display, electronic thermostat and battery monitor. The pack includes an insulated cover and power supply (AC adapter).

Weber Smokey Joe Premium Spring Green set is a no fuss portable charcoal grill BBQ. This light weight BBQ features a lid lock and lid holder for easy and convenient transportation. Besides the stylish spring green color this versatile set is perfect for BBQ enthusiast and first timers who enjoy getting out and about to parks, festivals, beaches and family picnics. This spring green BBQ boasts a diameter of 37cm and a cooking area of 1075cm2. The triple plated cooking grate provides enough space to cook for a family of four. The Weber Smokey Joe Premium is constructed from a porcelain enameled rust resistant bowl and lid and features an aluminum lid vent, making this premium BBQ weather resistant.

3,999 AED

Key Features & Benefits: • Comes with removable wire basket & detachable carrying handles • Cool box & freezer can cool up to -18°C • Made from insulating material for reduced power consumption • Comes with Danfoss BD35F compressor

44

OUTDOORUAE

249 AED

Key Features & Benefits: • No fuss portable charcoal grill BBQ • Light weight BBQ • Features a lid lock and lid holder • Weather resistant

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

OCTOBER 2017 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

PRODUCTS Garmin Fenix 5 Sapphire

Rollerblade Spitfire Combo

Available at GO Sport stores in UAE, Qatar and Oman

Available at GO Sport stores in UAE, Qatar and Oman

Get more from your workout with less on your wrist

Push-button adjustability, comfort and great control to ensure the right performing components are fully utilized and enjoyed.

Wristguards, knee pads and elbow pads included.

2,799 AED/QAR | 304.20 OMR

• Premium smaller-sized (42 mm) multisport GPS watch with Elevate™wrist heart rate technology1 • Steel grip design with stainless steel EXO-Antenna bezel and forged steel back to maintain the best integrity in demanding environments • Preloaded activity profiles for all of your sports and adventures • Put key stats at your fingertips with the performance widget that shows the effects and progress of your workouts • Connected features² include smart notifications, automatic uploads to Garmin Connect™ online sport community and personalisation through free watch faces and apps from our Connect IQ™ store • Outdoor sensors, including GPS and GLONASS satellite positioning, barometric altimeter, 3-axis compass with gyroscope

Silverback Stride Sport

1,799 AED/QAR | 195.50 OMR Available at GO Sport stores in UAE, Qatar and Oman The Stride mountain bike range has been tailored specifically for the needs of the recreational mountain biker. The frame is made from hydroformed lightweight alloy tubing and uses sport-specific geometry to inspire confidence. The frame is also rack-, fender-, disc brake- and bottle cage ready for multi use adaptability.

629 AED/QAR | 68.40 OMR

All our kids skates feature a 4 sizes expandable shell. You must refer to the information written on the box to know the size range. To enlarge the skate, press the button and slide the toe box forward.

AOR Universal Spare Tire Jerry Can Mount 256 AED

Available at www.RAMYautomotive.com or any RAMY Automotive branch American Off Road Universal Spare Tire Jerry Can Mount is perfect for carrying extra fuel on your trips.

Key Features & Benefits: • Fits to any tire size • Can be used with 10L or 20L Jerry Cans • Multiple units can be used in different area of 1 tire at the same time • Requires a ratchet tie down to secure it

OUTDOORUAE

45

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

OCTOBER 2017 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

PRODUCTS Polar A370

Fitness tracker with continuous heart rate

799 AED

Available across many retails outlets in the region Polar A370 is a waterproof fitness tracker that monitors heart rate from the wrist 24/7, tracks sleep with the advanced Sleep Plus sleep analysis and helps you train smarter with Polar’s trusted training features. The changeable wristbands are available in several colors and make sure Polar A370 matches any style.

Features: • Continuous heart rate • Sleep Plus • 24/7 activity tracking • GPS from mobile • Sport profiles • Running Program • HR sensor mode • Vibrating smart notifications • Changeable wristbands

290 AED

Available across many retails outlets in the region The Airstrike DGT floorpump is the ultimate precision tool for every empty tire. This one should be part of the basic equipment in every cyclists’ garage.

It’s a technical masterpiece hidden in clean, but effective looks. The big display is easy to read and shows the amount of bar or psi to a maximum of 11 bar with a backlight for those dark places.

Features: • Extra long floor pump. Inflates to 11 bar / 160 psi • Extremely accurate digital pressure gauge displays bar and psi • TwistHeadpumphead with air-release • Schrader and Dunlop valves • Ergonomic “boomerang” type handle.

• Steel barrel and steel foot for extra stability • 120 cm high pressure rubber hose

GST-S310-1A

GA-710GB-1A

Available at all G-Factory stores across the UAE

Available at all G-Factory stores across the UAE

From G-SHOCK, the watch brand that is constantly a setting new standards for timekeeping toughness, comes a selection of new designs for the expanding G-STEEL lineup. Based on the advanced, function-packed GST-S310, these two models come with urethane bands. The stainless steel bezel GST-S310 comes in a choice of two models, each with either black or white for the face and band. These new models add new band color selections to mid-size G-STEEL lineup.

From G-SHOCK, the watch brand that is constantly setting new standards for timekeeping toughness, come new models with garish coloring.

1,295 AED

• Tough Solar • Hand shift feature • Super Illuminator (double) illuminates the face and digital display

46

BBB Airstrike DGT

OUTDOORUAE

595 AED

The base model is the GA-700, which uses original resin molding technology that makes it possible to form analog hands, dial, and hour markers of resin that shines like metal.

This lineup create the image of the accessories or fashion items worn by b-boys.

The black and gold model has an overall shiny finish for a tough and energetic look.

• Super Illuminator • Stopwatch with Target Time alarm • Hand shift feature • Metal (stainless steel) used for large front button

OUR EXPERTS

Eid Delight :

Liwa with the Diva Trip Report Words by: Marina Bruce and Neil Bruce Photos by: Heather Gorman, Alasdair Gorman, Linda Marshall and Jay

To some, Liwa is nothing but magnificent sand dunes. However, Liwa offers so much more, as my group found out when they joined me for three nights and four days at the Liwa Hotel during Eid Al Ahda.

Our first trip out on the Thursday afternoon was a sightseeing trip and our first stop was to take in a farm where there were so many different animals we nicknamed it the “Liwa Zoo”. Next we visited an old fort followed up by a visit to a fish farm (yes really!), then a stroll around a date plantation Short pause at the fish farm

Ghaf tree and plantation

A lesson in Liwa and the water table

Solar Powered Oasis

with an even older tower and finally resting at a lovely viewpoint which was the perfect launch-pad for sand sledging! Our peaceful spot was “buzzed” by a local who came by in his Land cruiser Pickup and showed off some advanced off-roading maneuvers as the sun moved ever lower in the sky but that’s what you get when you visit the most popular off-road site in the UAE and its all part of the larger experience.

The plan for day two was to have two separate offroad drives; a visit out to one of my favourite landmarks, the abandoned water tanker, in the morning and to visit another area in the afternoon. However, we had a delayed start due to thick fog. Once we did get going we encountered some ultra-soft sand which added a few “situations”further slowing our progress. It’s always best not to

have firm plans when driving in Liwa as the desert can sometimes be cruel so we went with plan B, which saw us drive 119kms on sand, albeit much of it quite easy.

We had some rookies with us and having given them a safety briefing at the hotel the night before, we stopped when required to show them the techniques to pilot their cars safely through the sand.

Our first waypoint was a modern-day “wishing well”, in reality an aquifer cover.

Each of us dropped a coin in, made a wish and moved on. I think most of the wishes were for the sand to be not quite so soft!

By lunchtime, we had reached the “fake palaces” which are a series of concrete water tanks complete with painted windows, now abandoned, and there I asked each driver individually if they wanted to return to the hotel or to press on to reach our original destination. Everyone agreed to carry on to the abandoned tanker so we did; stopping on the “Tropic of Cancer” line for a photo call, pausing a little while at a desert oasis to enjoy some time out of our cars in a slightly cooler environment, before driving off and reaching the Tanker just after mid-day.

Sabkha and slipface A visit to Al Qutuf fort

OUTDOORUAE

47

Camel smooth

Of course, a photo call was necessary with most of the group climbing onto the crew cab. By now, however, the mercury had reached 49C and for most it was far too hot to sit down on it! The route between the fake palaces and the tanker is generally quite smooth, albeit with larger drops and climbs than the first section of the drive. Everyone was now taking the drive in their stride and drove beautifully, and having taken almost five hours to reach the tanker it only took us 2.5 hours to return to the road. Needless to say, the second trip of the day was abandoned in favour of a couple of hours relaxing in the pool, a choice that everyone appreciated!

Day three saw us heading westwards via the AradaRoad, followed by 30kms on a sand-covered patch, somewhat tricky 48

OUTDOORUAE

Let the sand sledging begin

in places, to reach a solar-powered oasis. There must be something about this particular area which surrounds the patch as you always see wildlife here, sometimes a dhaub (huge lizard), sometimes a desert hare, buton this occasion, two curious gazelle who watched us from a distance.

The oasis is a stop-off on most of my trips in the area, the date plantation being

tucked up against a huge slipface at the site of a natural oasis. In the old days, a simple well would have been located here but nowadays more water is extracted from the ground using pumps, the electricity being supplied via solar powered panels.

There are over 100 palms here which bear fruit and testimony to the successful use of free energy cared for by the ever-present

The TOC at 45C!

The old abandoned tanker

Sledging time

Mr. Mohamed. Having offered him our Eid gifts and taken some time out to drink tea and eat dates, we bade our farewells and returned to the hotel for some more pool time.

Our last trip of the weekend was an offroad drive into the amazing dunes of the Liwa Crescent area; there are many different dune landscapes in this area and I had

saved the best until last. This is the start of the Rub Al Khali, the largest sand dune desert in the world, which covers a quarter of a million square kilometres, mainly in Saudi Arabia but also spilling over into Oman and the UAE. Much of the route is long Sabkah, dried up salt flats, with short and very tricky dune crossings to reach the next one. There is easy access to the first and

second Sabkha’s and for this reason there are camel farms here; our group paused for a good few minutes while a line of hungry camels made their way over to their feed trough for breakfast. Some of our party had left the day before so we were now left with three cars and we made light work of the rises and dips on our route. The mercury was rising quickly, so after 15kms we headed back to the road, taking a small detour to tackle a slipface a few times as well as providing another opportunity for our youngest guest to enjoy some more sand sledging!

If you would like to join one of Marina’s trips you can find three listed in the calendar of events near the front. If you would like to explore the forts and towers of Liwa, you can find Marina’s suggested onroad routes and waypoints in the OutdoorUAE August 2017 edition. ■ Marina Bruce is The Desert Diva.

You can read about her travels on www.thedesertdiva.com, connect with her on Instagram(thedesertdivame), twitter (@15shadesofsand) or Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/DesertDivaUAE/)

OUTDOORUAE

49

OUR EXPERTS

Fishermen have Trust Issues Words + Photos by: Kit Belen

Here’s some really bad news to some guys and gals out there – if you’re currently dating an angler, you need to know one thing, one very big thing - We…have trust issues!

From sharing spots, lures, bait, rods, reels, where to buy, the best prices, and online shops – we don’t trust anyone with something to us which is precious information that gives us a “slight edge”. Those are in quotes because in reality, that’s just a figment of our imagination!

Everyone has access to so much information on the Internet yet, not a lot of people know how to look for the right information, adding fuel to the trust issues we already have.

One of the biggest things anglers often have trust issues with is the line. I have my favourites, others have their own, from brands to certain types up to the most miniscule reasons yet a lot of people don’t really go through the motion of looking for the right line that works for them – 90% of the people that fish these days only follow what they see on YouTube and if you really ask them in detail what qualities they like about the line they’re using; I guarantee you two things will happen: they will talk like the salesman that sold them the line (and most of them don’t really know what they’re talking about) and before you know it, the guy who asked the question will be the one

While my boatmates were popping lines due to abrasion from tuna fins, I was landing mine even if I had a nick on line line at the 40 metre mark

who doesn’t know anything! A very small percentage will talk about how the line performs and what they like about it with their experience, what they don’t like about it… but that’s rare. Again, we have trust issues!

Breaking the line

So why is there a lot of buzz around fishing line? It’s just a piece of string right?

For some people the answer to that, is like asking them, “how long is a piece of string?” I don’t need to tell you the fishing line is what connects you to the fish, we all know that, what a lot of people don’t realize is that fishing lines now have been getting more and more complicated as fishing styles evolve and new fishing methods are getting introduced or the new “secret” style of fishing – the fads catch traction opening up a new dimension to the already confusing world of fishing.

So here I would like to help people understand exactly what you’re getting with some popular lines used today. Since most of the confusion is with braid also since it’s practically more expensive, people hesitate in their purchase of braid than with mono, I’m also not going to talk about fused line because it’s not really braided line.

The Birds and the Braids

I’ll mention brands I’m familiar with but that doesn’t mean you have to stick with the brands mentioned simply use this as a guide the next time you walk into the shop and choose your line according to your budget and preference. The differences in construction, the technology in braiding, number of carriers as well as the coatings each brand gives each of their braids affects the pricing greatly, so don’t think of this as a side by side comparison, but rather something that you can use as a guideline.

The number of strands that make up the braid is called a Most of my reels are spooled with this for good reason, even my jigging reels are spooled with it - any fishing that has to do with abrasion has a reels pooled with 832

“carrier”. The lesser the number of carriers, the thicker the strands, this also means the lesser the carrier strands the rougher the line would be, without its coating. The coating the company decides to put in stiffens the braid and makes the slick surface. If you compare two lines, one with 4 carriers and one with 8, at a given diameter (say 0.1mm) the 4 carrier braid will have 4 bigger strands braided together while the 8 carrier braid will have 8 smaller strands to make up the same diameter. The 4-carrier braid will be stiffer than the 8-carrier braid. You can see the same principle at work with cables and ropes – the more strands the cable or rope has, the softer it will be.

There are two predominant styles for braid – US style, and Japanese style. US style braids are built exactly how they build their cars, over-engineered, which automatically means big and bulky, so when you see lines from the US, they will, more often than not, over test by a huge margin. This means if your line says 30lb (15kg roughly), it would probably break at around 50lb or more (25kg and up), in the past, tests on Spiderwire 20lb (roughly 10kg) braid shocked a lot of people when most samples broke at 50lbs (roughly 25kg) or better. While it was a line that was labelled “20lb” (10kg) the truth of the matter is that it was actually quite thick as well, so comparing it to other brands labelled with the same breaking strain wasn’t particularly fair to start with.

While MOST Japanese style braids are made in actual diameters and are constructed to break closer to their rating than their US counterparts. They are also, more often than not, softer than their US versions.

Here’s an example: The Sufix Matrix pro has the same number of carriers as the original Power Pro – the construction of both lines is pretty close, they both have 4 carriers and pitch per inch (number of braiding it goes though) is also quite similar. Both are US style braids.

There are also some variations within one brand itself, for example, Power Pro was bought out by Shimano sometime ago and they released a line specifically for the Japanese market because the usual Power Pro just won’t fit the needs of the more technical Japanese market – they

MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE For fishing deep water with very light jigs at 2.5g to 3.5g my reels are spooled with Sufix Nano Braid their thinnest line - the strands are thinner than the grands of your fingers

recognized that thinner line was needed for the Japanese market and created Power Pro Z as a result. If you compare this line to its US counterpart, you will see a huge difference between a line that tests 12lb (6kg roughly) in Japan, and 12lb (6kg roughly) in the US. With the Japanese line being thinner and will break closer to 12lb (6kg roughly) than the US version.

Different markets require different diameters even with the same “type” of line. This is why you see a lot of variations even in the same brand and why brands create a different type to cater to specific markets.

The Japanese lines are largely popular for more technical anglers because of the type of fishing the Japanese do and the methods being adapted to different parts of the world.

The Sufix Performance braid and Berkley Whiplash departed from the usual 4-carrier strand and made it 6 carriers. This made the line a little bit softer and made the resulting braid stronger. These manufacturers are the only ones left creating 6 carrier braids until today. These braids are popular in countries that were heavily influenced by US style fishing and in areas where the fish are big and need some “convincing” to get them out of the sticks and stones!

In more recent years, braids having 8 carriers or more have been getting a lot of

Here’s a closer look at how the Sufix 832 is structured

OCTOBER 2017 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

down. Pro8 does not have a popularity, big brands have metered version –Pro8 has pink their versions as well as some and green. I like the pink – it’s boutique brands, choosing very useful when casting and I which one to use is always a could clearly see where my line guessing game for most. The is. Although the Pro8 has thineasiest solution I have found is ner diameters, I haven’t really to find friends that use the lines tested them out long enough to you want to try. Ask them their see if they fit my needs. All my feedback and see if you can use casting reels including ones I’ve the combo for a day or two and prepared for big tuna and GT see if it suits your style. For a lot are all spooled with Pro8. of people (such as myself that I use Sufix Nano Braid for have a lot of reels) it’s a matter of ultralight applications in deep budget – so it’s really not easy to water (will write about this soon) just go and buy a ton of line only I have been finding very good to find out later on that what you success with this line. It’s probbought doesn’t really fit your ably the thinnest line that Sufix style of fishing. I wouldn’t has and is quite strong just base your decision on Pretty much the same construction, because of the way it’s comments found in forums quite a big difference in pricing - and made – It’s braided more what a lot of people don’t know and videos. Braid isn’t cheap densely than other braids and remember it’s your con(higher pitch count per nection to the fish! inch), roughly twice the number on normal

Braids on My Reels

Of all the 8 carrier braids, there is one that has been quite popular since its introduction 7 years ago, and for a line to stay that relevant, it has to have a quality that isn’t found in others -this is the case for the Sufix 832. Departing from the usual 8 carriers of full spectra or dyneema, Sufix 832 has one strand of Gore Fiber. If you aren’t familiar with Gore technology, you might be surprised to know they are one of NASA’s biggest suppliers. Gore can also be found in a lot of products around us today, in the clothing business, they are the people behind GORE-TEX, which we can find in top end outdoor clothing and shoes.

The marriage between 7 carriers of dyneema and one Gore fiber resulted in a line that is undoubtedly one of the biggest things to hit fishing in recent years and is still the only braid to do exactly what it’s supposed to do. Sufix 832 is a unique product that has remained relevant and practically one of the lines that sells the most in the world. It has some characteristics that make it stand on its own – 832 starts out stiff and becomes very soft the more you use it, it’s thin and powerful and very abrasion resistant because the gore fiber takes all the abuse leaving the dyneema fibres unscathed, so it basically retains all its strength longer. Even when getting abuse from nicks and scratches that would have otherwise cut your line. The advantage list goes on and on about Sufix 832 and quite honestly, I think you need to use it to be able to see how different it is with other lines.

Since their introduction of super thin lines (.06mm and .08mm) in 2013, I have been using them more and more on light and ultra light applications. Neon lime, Hi Vis Yellow and Ghost are my personal favourites and the metered/multi-coloured Sufix 832 are all I use for jigging.

The Sufix Performance Pro 8 is constructed the same way Japanese lines are made, basically similar construction to YGK, Varivas, Momoi and Sunline. It has 8 carriers making it very strong, thin and soft. Most of my casting reels are spooled with Pro8 because I get extra pulling power with it especially when casting from a boat in deep water where I need to stop fish from diving

braids – this makes it softer and stronger than other braids. When fishing thin lines in areas with structure, I use Sufix 832 just because of the extra protection that the gore fibres give me.

Braids of the same feather - all of these are constructed the same way with very little diffence, the biggest difference would be in the coatings each company applies to their braid

Choose your Braid

Choosing the braid that goes on your reels is often a big struggle when you start to get a bit technical with your fishing, you find some limitations with what you’re using and with information on this, although readily available online, more often than not, people don’t really know where to start.

Hopefully, I was able to shed some light and give good examples you could use to have a starting point to find which ones fit your needs. Remember that like your rods and reels, your choice of braid is a matter of preference and no matter what your favourite tackle shop salesman says, there is not one out there that is perfect for everything - truth of the matter is, your tackle salesman might not have experience with most of the lines out there, other than what he sells. ■

Till next tide change,

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

A journey to the birth place of majestic mountains An interview with the UAE's toughest Outdoor Photographer Words by: Daniel Birkhofer Photos by: Mohammed Ahmed Ahli

We met Mohammed earlier this year in his home town Dubai and we talked with him about his passion for the Great Outdoors and his love of capturing it on film with his camera.

He told us that he had just completed the trip of a lifetime to Hawaii to visit the birth place of his favourite photo subject, “Mountains.”

Mohammed as the UAE's toughest Outdoor Photographer was supported on this trip by Columbia sportswear with their latest apparel and footwear. Who could be a better person to test outdoor gear than Ahmed Ahli, on the hunt for the perfect picture in extreme places and harsh conditions? Columbia prides

itself with the slogan "Tested Tough" and this slogan is the perfect headline for this trip!

Volcanos in Hawaii

Mohammed planned his 27-day journey with two main destinations in the America’s which could not be more different. The first destination was the scorching hot Volcano's in Hawaii, one of the few places on earth where you can actually see how islands and mountains are born and the second destination was to the freezing cold icy mountains in Canada.

When we spoke to Mohammed, we could still see the fire of the volcano's burning in

his eyes when he told us how amazing this experience was for him. To get the perfect shot, Mohammed did take a lot of risks and entered with a guide (whose identity he kept secret) into a restricted area on "Big Island" to get close to the action and see how Mother Earth is spitting out molten lava.

It was a tough 8.5 hours hike on rocks which were fragile like glass, he remembers: “I just slipped a bit and touched the

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

OCTOBER 2017 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

UV protection are great since there isn’t any shade and you are walking the whole day in the sun, but I would recommend you to wear long sleeves to protect your skin better, as mentioned I got burns from the heat on my underarms when I took photos which I could have prevented by wearing a long sleeved version of the same Columbia shirt.”

Mountains in Canada

ground and directly had small splinters of rock in my hand which were no different to broken glass, so you have to be very careful when you walk. The hot fumes and gasses I was expecting but I did not expect how strong they were, even so strong that you can get dizzy. You would think that as an Emirati I would be used to heat, but the heat on a volcano is nothing to compare to the heat in the UAE. Even from far distance of a few hundred meters you can feel how the wind blows extremely hot heat waves towards you like the fiery breath of the mountain which is being born. Everywhere you walk there is danger and in this area many people have already lost their lives, it is like a minefield you don't know what you are stepping on and lava can suddenly come out of the ground at any place. I was lucky, when one rock just opened up with dark red lava just on the spot I stepped seconds ago! Close to the lava it is so hot that you burn your skin instantly. I had burns on both of my arms after this trip.

Gear and Heat

The heat is not only challenging to humans, also my camera equipment was suffering. My phone did not work anymore since it overheated, the batteries don't function properly, some of my photo filters just melted and the camera of my friend got so hot that it exploded and was totally destroyed. Luckily my camera survived and I got the shots I was hoping for.”

If you think Mohammed was wearing any special protective gear you are mistaken, he was wearing his normal Columbia gear. Asking how the gear held up: “The shoes were amazing since I did not get hot feet or any burns on the feet even though the soles melted a bit (which is no surprise) but I am happy that at least my feet were protected. Also the shirts with high

Only seeing the birthplace of mountains and how they are created from the magma of the earth was not enough for Mohammed on this trip, he also wanted to see real mountains rising up from sea level to touch the sky. It was on his bucket list to visit Canada's oldest national parks;Banff National Park and Jasper National Park which are a great contrast to Hawaii. After getting literally burned, he now had to face almost two digit minus degrees in his tent at night and this is summer in the Canadian Mountains!

Mohammed said that: “The National parks have some of the nicest mountains and most beautiful lakes I have ever seen. The air is so fresh and there is so much green in contrast to the Rocky Mountains and the blue sky with thousands of beautiful scenes to shoot. I struggled many times even with the widest wide-angle lens I have, to capture this amazing landscape. But what would sort of an adventure would it be without some close encounters? One day when we setup our tent, I was looking up and saw a big black bear just a few meters away from us passing.

Even if they look cuddly and friendly like a teddy bear, don't be mistaken, they can get very dangerous. But since the bear seemed not interested in us and passed almost ignoring us, we decided to still pitch our tent in this spot and luckily we slept well without any unannounced visits!

Gear for the Cold

The nights got very cold, colder than we were expecting and I was so happy that I took my Columbia winter jacket with me and didn’t leave it behind. Especially if you live in the Middle East it is always advisable to prepare a bit more for cold conditions, since we are not so used to these temperature and freezing is as uncomfortable as getting burned, so the right gear is essential for a pleasant experience even in the harshest conditions. The Columbia gear is just perfect for the Canadian climate and you can rely on your shoes to keep your feet warm and dry and know that you can walk in them for days, with comfort and without getting blisters. The wrong gear can really spoil even the best trip you would have had otherwise, and I am so happy that I did not have to think about this since I was geared up perfectly and could simply enjoy the trip and focus on what I love the most– capturing on film the most beautiful landscapes you can imagine!”

You can follow Mohammed and see more of his amazing photographs from this trip on Instagram: "mohdaahli”and you can find gear for your next adventure in Columbia Sportswear stores across the UAE. ■

Products available at Columbia stores: Dubai - The Dubai Mall, Mall of the Emirates, Mirdif City Center & Ibn Battuta Mall Abu Dhabi - Al Wahda Mall and Dalma Mall Instagram: @columbia_me | Facebook: Columbia Middle East

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

OCTOBER 2017 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

TIPS & TRICKS

BOOK REVIEW: GIVE OR TAKE?

“Primary Give” uses primary and secondary DVs. Secondary is worn on a necklace under the chin. When required, donor gives primary to OOA diver and switches to secondary.

Don’t let the unassuming title fool you; like the surface of a placid lake it only hints at the depths below. As you start turning the pages it becomes obvious why this book must be so understated. “Give or Take?” focuses upon scuba diving’s most controversial, divisive and enduring argument: Which is the best protocol for emergency air-sharing?

54

OUTDOORUAE

The author had to navigate along a tricky path, neither inflaming the debate nor sugarcoating the truth. He also had to simplify underlying technicalities so less experienced divers can also understand the dilemma.

A fairly daunting agenda and yet Saad D Bhatty seems to have thrived on the challenge. The book is quite an enjoyable read, offering a ringside seat as air-sharing protocols slug it out against the harsh backdrop of out-of-air realities.

OOA emergencies are fortunately uncommon, but one of the first things new divers learn is how to share air with a buddy. This is where it becomes complicated. Not only are there different ways to share, but opinions (on which approach is best and why) remain divided.

On the one hand, we have “Primary Give” where the donor gives his/her primary regulator to the OOA diver. On the other hand we have “Secondary Take” where the OOA diver takes the donor’s secondary.

This choice is generally misunderstood and sometimes misrepresented, further complicating the debate.

“Give or Take?” examines things from all angles. It explores the intricacies of out-ofair emergencies, air-sharing protocols and the dilemma which confronts thinking divers from novices who have just taken up the sport, to experienced divers who have been enjoying it for years. Along the way Saad offers several original insights which will help to enrich scuba diving knowledge and diver opinion at a universal level. His “12 Dimensions” for example, is a uniquely simple yet highly useful comparison of both protocols across a range of critical aspects.

Written as an engaging discussion spread over five chapters, the book is replete with photographs, illustrations and the author’s own sidebar commentary which make the journey enjoyable and even entertaining.

“Give or Take?” doesn’t claim to have all the answers, but it will definitely give you lots to think about. And who knows, it may just save your life one day. ■

“Secondary Take” uses a designated AS which is coloured yellow and located within the golden triangle. When required, OOA diver takes AS by removing it from donor’s stowage.

There is a lot more to air-sharing than meets the eye. Here are 12 different ways to look at it.

TIPS & TRICKS

5 Tips for Avoiding Bed Bugs in Hotel Rooms while Travelling Words by: Raymond Web

Good night, sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite. If you’ve ever been bitten by bed bugs and suffered red itchy welts afterward, this old saying will strike a chord!

In the past couple of decades, there’s been a rise in bed bug infestations across the world. Global travellers are at a particularly high risk, since these pests can easily get into luggage or clothing and be carried back home. They usually aren’t noticed till much later, but a little advance planning can help you prevent and deal with bed bugs more effectively.

Here are 5 ways to protect yourself from bed bugs while traveling: 1. Do Your Homework First – Check out hotel reviews online to see if other travellers have faced a bed bug problem in the past.

In countries such as the U.S. and U.K, you can look up online bed bug registries that provides a public database of hotels as well as localities with reported bed bug activity.

This will help you narrow down your options before you plan to travel, but don’t rely on reviews alone. A bed bug infestation may not be obvious right away, and hotels may have taken care of past infestations after they were reported.

2. Inspect the Room Thoroughly – Before you unpack your luggage and start settling in, check the room for signs of bed bugs or eggs. Place your luggage on the dresser or in the bathroom instead of the

56

OUTDOORUAE

bed or luggage stand, and use a flashlight to inspect the bed, headboard, mattress seams, curtains and upholstered furniture. Remember, bed bugs can be hard to spot. Look for small dark spots or tiny bloodstains on the mattress and bed linen, caused by bed bugs being crushed while feeding as well as their droppings.

Unpack your clothing, wash everything in very hot water and run it through your dryer for 30 minutes at the hottest setting. Use sealed plastic trash bags to hold anything that may have come in contact with bed bugs, and call a professional pest control company if you suspect exposure. Bedbugs spread quickly, so don’t take a chance!

3. Stay Alert for Symptoms – Bedbugs hide in cracks, crevices and seams, so you may not be aware of an infestation till you get bitten. If you suddenly find tiny reddish bites or welts on your body, compare them to pictures of bed bug bites online. These will usually be itchy, but rarely cause serious reactions. Contact hotel management to report the problem, and ask for a different room. Avoid taking an adjoining room or one directly above or below, since bed bugs travel through pipes, wiring and ducts quite easily.

5. Understand the Enemy – Bed bugs can be extremely tricky to deal with, since they’re almost invisible and very hard to kill. Knowing more about them gives you an edge, especially when you let go of misconceptions.

4. Take Precautions at Home – When you return home from your travels, make sure that you’re eliminating the risk of a bedbug infestation through your luggage or clothes.

E.G: Fancy hotels are just as likely to have bed bugs as seedy motels, Bed bugs are tolerant to most pesticides, but high heat kills them, Hard-shell suitcases offer more protection than softer luggage.

Whether you’re out exploring international locales or heading to a local holiday spot for the weekend, the last thing you want to deal with are bed bug bites. Follow these tips to ensure that you aren’t letting bed bugs travel with you! ■

Access for almost everyone to the thrilling mountain faces of the UAE Words + Photos by: Daniel Birkhofer

Fancy Italian names are in the UAE mostly associated with food dishes! But Via Ferrata has nothing to do with Italian food and is much more exciting. The direct translation would be "iron road" this Italian word is used internationally except for German speaking countries where it's called Klettersteig (climbing path). If you put the two translations together it gives a pretty good picture of what is hiding behind these names!

Via Ferrata, Jebel Jais. (Photo by: www.jebeljais.ae)

anchors in the rock. The cables are not for you to hold on to, you clip your safety line to them in case you slip or fall. You might also find ladders, metal step rings or bridges A Via Ferrata is an exposed or technical and other fun structures depending on your section on a mountain path or cliff face which chosen Via Ferrata. is equipped with helping aids, to make the The great thing in Europe is that Via Ferrata passage more secure. The history of the Via routes are free of charge and usually well Ferrata dates back to the 19th century but maintained. The modern equipment needed they became more popular during the First is quite simple and inexpensive. Your basic and Second World War’s Via Ferrata gear usually consists when the French, Italian and of three elements a climbing German militaries built many harness, a helmet and a special supply and access routes in lanyard with two carabiners the steep and tough regions connected to your harness. The of the Alps, Tyrol and Dolotwo carabiners are needed to mites. After the war tourism reduce the risk of falling unseand mountain sports picked cured while unclipping. There up on the concept to make are two carabiners which will remote places accessible be changed in a sequence so and to provide inexperienced Via Ferrata - lanyard of type that at all times you are clipped people a thrilling taste of rock Scorpio by Petzl with in at least with one carabiner. climbing and mountaineering. progressive-tear shock absorber. An important aspect of modern Mainly the helping aids are equipment is the way the lansteel cables which are permanently fixed to yard is built so that it will absorb the kinetic force of a fall. Don't be mistaken, you still Daniel - an easy klettersteig at his home in Germany can fall a few meters and a steel rope is not flexible and will buffer the fall so an energy absorber lanyard is very important to avoid injuries. Depending on the route further equipment might be advisable, in the UAE where it is so hot you should carry a small back pack with water and a first aid kit and you can protect your hands from the hot metal by wearing leather gloves.

Currently you can

find a commercial Via Ferrata at Jebel Jais in Ras Al Khaima. The tours are guided and all equipment is provided. The route also includes a very untypical feature for Via Ferrata which is 3 different zip lines (more info: www. jebeljais.ae ). You can find other some commercial routes in Oman.

The Hajar Mountains are a great location for Via Ferrata with dramatic cliffs, steep drops and amazing views. It would be great to see further development of new routes which are not commercial to make this beautiful and hidden part of the UAE accessible for more people. â– Via Ferrata, Crossing Black Forest, Germany

OUTDOORUAE

57

Hydration Keeps us Going…

Words by: Nicky Holland (Personal Trainer)

It’s almost time to get outdoors and exercise as the weather becomes cooler and more bearable.

But we must remember, that we are still in the desert and staying hydrated is really important.

Water, known as H2O by its chemical formula, is the best source of hydration. Our human body is made up of 60% water. We lose water through perspiration when we sweat or when we urinate. We can increase the amount of water we have from drinking and from the foods we eat.

When we are thirsty, we are already dehydrated. This is how the body tells us, by sending a signal to the brain to get us to drink. A 1% loss of body mass due to fluid loss is known as dehydration.

Here are some key facts in relation to dehydration: • Thirst - is the sign we are already dehydrated and we have a dry mouth • Skin - becomes dry and shows more wrinkles • Physical - around 2% decrease in hydration levels can affect performance by 20% • Mental - can affect cognitive performance, visual vigilance and is related to tension and loss of memory • Weight Loss - drinking water instead if sugary drinks will promote fat loss and weight loss • Studies say - you need to drink around 2 Litres of water a day and that is without exercising.

Exercise causes the body core temperature to increase which causes us to sweat.

When we sweat due to the rise in heat and temperature, we lose not only water but vitamins and minerals also so you should increase your water intake if you are exercising.

If you drink caffeine-rich drinks, then these will also dehydrate you. You will find that you go to the toilet a lot. What you are essentially doing here, is urinating the water out of your body and replacing it with caffeine. Then the following day, your body is severely dehydrated. You then feel hungry

and crave all the bad foods that are high in carbohydrates and fats. This is a Personal Trainers worst nightmare and a viscous circle. Hydrating yourself with water before you go to bed will reduce these symptoms.

So how can you be healthier? Well, you can drink more. But what if you don’t like water? Then you can use lemon or lime to make infused water. This adds a bit of flavour without the sugar content of a sugary drink and without the calories. Below are some calorie intake estimates for you: • Can of Coke = 260 kcal • Orange juice = 120 kcal • Latte = 200 kcal • Hot chocolate = 230 kcal • Green tea = 140 kcal • Water = 0 kcal Obviously, the serving size of each drink will determine the total amount of calories but it’s worth choosing the less calorie high options if you really want to lose weight. Try it, stay hydrated and feel more alert! ■

Nicky Holland Personal Trainer Website www.nicky-fitness.com Instagram @nicky__fitness 58

OUTDOORUAE

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

OCTOBER 2017 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

“Tri” your way to a healthier life in the UAE Fitness First’s launches a brand new club to Try “Tri Training”, TRICLUB™ Fitness First, the region’s leading fitness club, announced the launch of “TRICLUB™ by Fitness First”bringing together entry level members and non-members who want to improve on one or all three major fitness disciplines; Swimming, Cycling and Running.

TRICLUB™ by Fitness First officially launched this product in September 2017 in the UAE. Fitness First recently conducted a survey focusing on triathlons to its members. Of the members surveyed, 1000+ got back within the first 24 hours claiming that they would train as part of a tri club if one was available to them through Fitness First. Taking on board these comments Fitness First made the decision to start its own tri community, open to members and non-members, that would focus particularly on entry-level participants looking to take part in their first event whether this be a triathlon, a run, a cycle or a swim.

Triathlons have become increasingly popular in the Middle East, making the UAE it's main hub. As a result of the reinforcement of the Dubai Government and Dubai Sports Council as well as Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed’s Initiative for Community Sports, awareness has spread and exercise has become an increasing staple of the Middle East’s lifestyle.

TRICLUB™ by Fitness First prides itself on the quality of its coaching, ensuring every TRICLUB™ member receives guidance from experts in their field, as well as Ironman

certified coaches who can offer 1:1 specialized training programs to members. This is to ensure that any TRICLUB™ member’s development is maximized and that they are prepared to tackle a number of events that are to be hosted in the region throughout the next 5 months including Fitness Firsts very own signature event, Tri FIRST™ – an entry level triathlon designed with community spirit in mind. TRICLUB™ by Fitness First will bring together three signature products: • “Masters Swim”, a swimming program aimed at swimmers who are looking to take their swimming to the next level.

• “Wattbike”, these innovative bike classes will improve pedal stroke efficiency, riding posture and show members how to get the most out of a cycling workout, whilst experiencing a brand new way of working out.

• “Run Club”, to help members train for the forthcoming running events, Fitness First has launched a running club that will be led by expert trainers and encourages athletes to run in a group, aiding motivation, with expert advice and coaching.

Fitness First will also be launching a number of new products to support their TRICLUB™ community such as Run & Cycling Sessions at Dubai Autodrome, Tri-Core Sessions, Brick Training Sessions, Specialist Run Sessions and a Monthly Tri-Community Session. Fitness First believe that children are the future of sport and already host a wide range of kid’s classes at their clubs, the Fitness First TRICLUB™ is no exception and therefore they are looking to roll out Family Masters Swim sessions and a Kids Run Club, to support families in getting their kids active and involved in community sports events.

“We have been watching the triathlon community flourish over the last few years here in Dubai and saw an opportunity to offer an entry level option to our members and non-members alike where all the training they require to exceed their limits is available under one umbrella. At Fitness First we provide our TRICLUB™ members

with a plethora of training options, expertly trained and passionate coaches and a calendar of Fitness First Sponsored events which the TRICLUB™ members can train for.

Ultimately TRICLUB™ by Fitness First will be here for you every step of the way, from training plans, to signing up for your first event to crossing the finish line and earning your first of many medals.” said George Flooks, COO of Fitness First Middle East.

Upon joining the Fitness First TRICLUB™, members will receive a welcome goodie bag, a bi-weekly newsletter packed with training tips, articles, and TRICLUB™ news; access to a closed online Facebook community where members share experiences and advice, exclusive access to partner discounts and access to one-to-one training sessions with Fitness First trainers.

TRICLUB™ training classes will take place in a variety of Fitness First clubs in the UAE, including Mudon, Town Centre, Golden Mile, Mirdiff, Al Fardan Sharjah and Abu Dhabi Marina Mall.

TRICLUB™ will also play a fundamental role in upcoming Fitness First Sponsored events and have written expert training plans to prepare members and non-members for their first race. As part of Fitness First’s ongoing campaign to get the community active they have announced a Fitness First Events Calendar where members can see which events Fitness First have partnered with over the next year, which will allow members to plan and train for events that with guidance from any member of staff at Fitness First. Featured as a part of the calendar is Fitness First’s signature event TriFIRST™ an entry-level triathlon, perfect for anyone new to the triathlon community, and as a member of TRICLUB™ you’ll be able to train with like-minded individuals towards one common goal.

Registration for TRICLUB™ is complementary for all Fitness First members, and non-members need to register online and complete payment in club to enjoy a mix of free and paid sessions of swimming, biking, and running. For more details, please visit: http://uae.fitnessfirstme.com/triclub ■

TIPS & TRICKS

FAQ – Triathlon Words + Photos by: Pedro Gomes

Do I need to have a background in any sport?

NO, although a background on any endurance sport will help. It seems to me, there are two main reasons why people embrace triathlon: the FIRST, it's being a combination of three sports and this makes triathlon fun and challenging!

What ends up happening with a lot of competitive athletes is they get saturated with the single sport practice and triathlon offers variation, every day, besides sounding challenging. If you don’t feel like running, you swim. If you are bored of doing laps and stare at the black line at the bottom, you go out and explore new roads on your bike.

The SECOND reason is weight loss. At the end of the day, triathlon is a full body sport and to be good at it, you do end up spending a lot of time exercising. So often people start the sport with the goal of losing weight but become so obsessed with it that they begin to inspire others to do the same.

Should I diet to do Triathlon?

You should maintain a healthy diet for your wellbeing and there are some healthy habits you can quickly learn and embrace on a daily basis to improve recovery and 60

OUTDOORUAE

optimize performance in training. It is a myth that triathletes only eat healthy food – they do indulge every once in a while, as we all should to keep us sane. Important though is hydration since your hydration will quickly become a limiter if you are not careful and replenish for your extra losses in training.

Should I swim, bike and run, every day for a triathlon?

Unless you are a professional athlete or have a VERY flexible work schedule, I’d say it’s even difficult to consider such a scenario.

The more is not exactly the better, especially if you are new to this sport (or any sport) and it will take a few years to get to a point where it’s worthwhile doing the three sports more than once or twice a week. You should definitely, try to have on your schedule; a day where you swim, bike and run, just to get your body familiarized with it, but it’s not a requirement. As a professional triathlete, I do often get the three sports done in a day but it’s not the ideal situation if you are trying to juggle triathlon with a full-time job and family.

Should I practice transitions before my race?

Definitely yes. You want to get your body used to transitioning sports and even from bike to run we switch the group muscles we are using. The first times you try to transition sports, you should do it at a slow to moderate pace as it will always be a shock to your system. Practice makes perfection, the more you practice it, the more your body is

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

OCTOBER 2017 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

familiarized with the feelings and motions and come race day it will almost feel normal.

What can I do to recover faster?

The quick answer is to hydrate and have a recovery drink of carbs and protein immediately after the workout. This is the fastest way to catalyze recovery. Beyond that, there are number of techniques you may use to improve recovery: compression, cryotherapy, massage, and sleep would top my list.

Should I incorporate gym work into my training plan?

It’s my strong opinion, you should incorporate gym work into your daily routine at least once a week. It helps strengthen your body and avoid injury. The core, one of the most important areas of your body is what most triathletes focus on when they hit the gym because it’s also the area we, as triathletes, exercise the least. We need it to support every single movement we do in all three sports but unless you work on it on dryland, doing triathlon doesn’t exactly strengthen it enough for your needs. Beyond core, your routine may include group muscles that apply to triathlon or address any imbalance and side weakness you may have. Because we are all imbalanced and it often leads to injury.

How can I prepare for the open water swim in the pool?

Swimming in open water is slightly different from the pool environment. You will get more chop from the swell and you should swim in a straight line between buoys to not loose time. The chop in Open Water swimming is better “cut” with a fast arm turnover, so if you have a very long stroke, where you glide a lot, you may consider some fast turnover exercises or swimming with a band (that promotes a faster turnover so you don’t sink!). Secondly, sighting of buoys is a key aspect of open water swims and you should incorporate a few drills to improve it in your workouts. For instance, you may swim 100s or 50s repeats, lifting your head above the water like a polo player and trying to sight something outside the pool like a headlamp or a chair. Ideally you incorporate this movement into your open water stroke so you swim as straight as possible and as effectively as possible.

How can I deal with injuries?

The beauty of this sport is even when you are injured, there is something else you can focus on and do to improve in one of the other sports. The most common injuries in triathletes are running related injuries – plantar fasciitis, Achilles, stress fractures. To avoid those, a lot of triathletes opt by not running as much as a normal runner would for a marathon (if you are preparing for an Ironman) and instead build endurance through long bike rides followed by runs.

Avoiding injuries is a struggle all athletes, from all sports, have to deal with and giving priority to recovery and building a solid foundation before intensity workouts may save you from a lot of frustrating soft tissue damage and promote consistency. ■

OUTDOORUAE

61

THE TRACK

#OutdoorWo

Social media

men

icons to follow

GEAR FOR THE GIRLS

Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon

AWAFI MTB FESTIVAL

All you need to know about DIBS 2016

Mothers, Legends, Here’s to

The Combat Zone of WAR 11

Close encounter with pirates!

Run a Marathon now!

Marathon tips and tricks

Lure them out!

The magic of fishing lures

New Year, New You!

Tried and Tested

Extreme sailing Series underway

Polar A360

The Ultimate Holiday Detox Diet

Plenty of

www.OutdoorUAE.com

Exclusive: EXTREME SAILING SERIES’ SARAH AYTON, OBE

Champion tactics

at ADDC

Plenty of

PRODUCTS

TO CHECK OUT

Dark Skies Challenge 2016

DMX in photos

MX Starter Tips

Plenty of

PRODUCTS

Plenty of

PRODUCTS

the Girls!

March 2016

...and Run 100k in the Desert!

Keep Calm...

Icons, Enthusiasts

Plus free Special

LADIES ON

Women’s Issue!

www.outdooruae.com

PRODUCTS

TO CHECK OUT

TO CHECK OUT

TO CHECK OUT

Price 10.00 AED 10.00 QAR 1.00 OMR

One for the Road:

4X4 CROSS LIWA CHALLENGE

CATCHING HIRAME IN THE UAE

Vol. 6, No. 1 January 2016

Price 10.00 AED 10.00 QAR 1.00 OMR

CAVE DIVING IN THE MIDDLE EAST

www.OutdoorUAE.com

OLLIE UP AT XDUBAI’S KITE BEACH SKATEPARK!

Vol. 6, No. 2 February 2016

Price 10.00 AED 10.00 QAR 1.00 OMR

BLOOMIN’ LOVELY!

A closer look:

Vol. 6, No. 3 March 2016

UAE MANGROVES

First ever Bloomberg Square Mile Relay

TAKING FLIGHT WITH BREITLING’S NIGEL LAMB

Price 10.00 AED 10.00 QAR 1.00 OMR

www.OutdoorUAE.com

www.OutdoorUAE.com

Artificial Dive Sites:

A GUIDE

Vol. 6, No. 4 April 2016

www.OutdoorUAE.com

Arabs with Altitude

Dive centre roundup

Meet the people who thrive on challenges for your biggest dose of inspiration yet

EDA Digital Online 2016

Making history on the seven summits

Yoga and raw cuisine in Ubud

Diving in the Damaniyats

Do The Maldives live up to their hype?

Action Against Poaching

Protecting Elephants and Rhinos in Mali

The Red Sea

The wonderful end to Will’s journey

Cycling in Iceland

Circumnavigating the stunning Land of Fire

Saving UAE Dolphins

Trekking in Bhutan

Thailand

Adventure above and below sea level

Surfing in Wadi Adventure

15 Things to Save the Waters!

Learn to Kitesurf Splashdown

Plenty of

UAE’s coolest waterparks Price 10.00 AED 10.00 QAR 1.00 OMR

Check Inside SCUBAPRO MANTIS 2 DIVING COMPUTER from SCUBA MARINE

Plenty of

Plenty of

PRODUCTS

Now distributed across the UAE!

PRODUCTS

TO CHECK OUT

TO CHECK OUT

PRODUCTS TO CHECK OUT

THE CLIMACTIC FINISH TO DMX 15/16

First GCC National Spartan Race Winner Rashid Butti:

Vol. 6, No. 5 May 2016

ON THE HOT SEAT www.OutdoorUAE.com

Price 10.00 AED 10.00 QAR 1.00 OMR

It Starts Here:

‘DEAD2’ COMES TO LIFE!

Outdoor Education:

LEARNING THROUGH ADVENTURE

Vol. 6, No. 6 June 2016

Price 10.00 AED 10.00 QAR 1.00 OMR

www.OutdoorUAE.com

A trip like no other:

WOMEN’S ONLY MOTO HIMALAYAN EXPEDITION

Sharks in the UAE?:

DISCOVER THE TRUTH

Vol. 6, No. 7 July 2016

Price 10.00 AED 10.00 QAR 1.00 OMR

www.OutdoorUAE.com

Tried & Tested:

CYCLEOPS VIRTUAL PRO TRAINER

Event Report:

CLIMBING MONT BLANC FOR CHARITY

Vol. 6, No. 8 August 2016 www.OutdoorUAE.com

Advertise Now! We believe that our readers are special and selective, therefore, it is important that we place the magazine where our readers will be, rather than waiting for them to find us. Aside from the copies for sale, we also provide complimentary copies to many locations of interest, directly to our target groups.

Advertising with us gives you the unique opportunity to get access to the outdoor community. We are focused on providing the best service to our readers, our advertisers and our supporters. Contact us and benefit from discount rates for the beginning of the outdoor season 2017/18. Mobile: 055 939 8915 | sales@outdooruae.com

Subscribe and Read for Free!

Always on the go? Spending a lot of time outdoors?

No problem, you can bring and read a copy of OutdoorUAE anywhere with the digital version of OutdoorUAE magazine which we send free of charge to your email account. Sign up now at www.outdooruae.com/subscribe

Free eVersion to your email

Facebook.com/OutdoorUAE

Twitter.com/OutdoorUAE

Instagram.com/OutdoorUAE

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

OCTOBER 2017 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

UAE DIRECTORY General Sports Equipment Megastores

Adventure HQ, Dubai Times Square Center, Sheikh Zayed Rd, toll free: 800-ADVENTURE, +971 43466824; The Beach on JBR, Dubai: +971 44304419; Dalma Mall, Abu Dhabi: +971 24456995, www.adventurehq.ae Decathlon, Dubai, Mirdif City Centre, +971 42839392, www.decathlon.com Go Sport, The Dubai Mall: +971 43253595; Abu Dhabi Mall: +971 26454595; Bawabat Al Sharq Mall, Abu Dhabi: +971 25868240; Yas Mall: +971 25650812; MOE: +971 4395 8951, www.go-sport.com Peiniger BMT Est., CBD, Khalifa Street, Yateem Optician Bldg., Abu Dhabi, UAE, +971 26262332, www.peiniger.org Sun and Sand Sports, most shopping centres, +971 43599905; Online store: +971 43149001; Retail store: +971 43504400, http://en-ae.sssports.com

Adventure tours and desert safaris

Alpha Tours, P.O. Box 25718, 27th Floor, Burlington Tower, Business Bay, Dubai, +971 47019111, www.alphatoursdubai.com Dadabhai Travel, SR 1&2, GF, Gulf Towers, Oud Metha Rd. Dubai, +971 43885566, www.dadabhaitravel.ae Desert Rangers, P.O. Box 33501, Dubai UAE, +971 44569944 or 507035111 www.desertrangers.com Desert Road Tourism, Office 503, 5th Flr., Al Khor Plaza, Dubai, +971 42959429, www.desertroadtours.com Dreamdays, First Floor Rm. 107 Ibn Battuta Gate (Offices) Sheikh Zayed Rd., Dubai +971 44329392 or 44329393, www.dreamdays.ae Dream Explorer LLC, JLT, Dubai, P.O. Box 214576, +971 44563390 www.dreamexplorerdubai.com Dubai Relax Travel, P.O. Box 37459, National Towers: Churchill Tower Suite #614, Business Bay, Dubai, +971 528996307, www.dubairelaxtours.com Explorer Tours, Umm Ramool, Dubai, +971 42861991, www.explorertours.ae Gulf for Good, P.O. Box 506006, 1/F, Building 4, Dubai International Humanitarian City, Dubai, +971 43680222, www.gulf4good.org Gulf Ventures, Dnata Travel Centre, +971 44045880, www.gulfventures.com MMI Travel LLC, Mezzanine Floor, Dnata Travel Centre, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 4 4045999, www.theemiratesgroup.com Net Group, Dubai and Abu Dhabi, +971 26794656, www.netgroupauh.com Oasis Palm Dubai, P.O. Box 181258 Dubai, Office 404, Royal Plaza Building Al Rigga Street, +971 42628889 or 42686826, www.opdubai.com Rahhalah, Shata Tower – 27th Floor, Office No. 2711, Media City, Dubai, +971 44472166, www.rahhalah.com Clubs Abu Dhabi Fishing, Camping, Kayaking, & Adventure Club, +971 5 04920860, mohammed.almahrouky@gmail.com

Air

Balloon Adventures Emirates, Office 123 Oasis Centre, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43884044, www.ballooning.ae Dubai Paragliders, +971 552120155 or 552250193, www.microaviation.org Jazirah Aviation Club, Ras Al Khaimah, +971 72446416 or 555531318, www.jac-uae.net Seawings, Dubai,+971 48070708, www.seawings.ae Skydive Dubai, The Palm: Al Seyahi St, Dubai Marina, +971 43778888, www.skydivedubai.ae

Boating & Sailing

Manufacturer Al Fajer Marine, Dubai, Al Quoz, +971 43235181, www.alfajermarine.com Al Jeer Marina, RAK border Musandam, +971 72682333 or 504873185, www.aljeerport.ae Al Shaali Marine, Ajman, +971 67436443, www.alshaalimarine.com Al Yousuf Industrial, LLC, +971 4 3474111, www.aym.ae,

DUBAI The Dubai Mall

04-4341280

Mall of the Emirates 04-3478277 Mirdif City Centre

04-2843143

Dubai Outlet Mall

04-4264967

Ibn Battuta

04-3669777

ABU DHABI Al Wahda Mall

02-4437397

Dalma Mall

02-5507372

/ColumbiaME /ColumbiaSportswear_ME yamboats@alyousuf.com Elite Pearl Charter, P.O. Box 214173, Saeed Tower 1, office #3102, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43889666, www.elitepearlcharter.com Gulf Craft, P.O. Box 666, Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Street, Ajman, +971 67406060, www.gulfcraftinc.com Distributors and Dealers Art Marine LLC, Al Quoz Industrial Area, Sheikh Zayed Road, 3rd Interchange +971 43388955, www.artmarine.ae or www.artmarinechandlery.com Azure Marine Dubai, +971 4 3706886, www.azuremarine.net Luxury Sea Boats, Showroom #8, The Curve Building, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 4 3284629, www.luxuryseaboats.com Macky Marine LLC, Box 37594, Ground Floor, Marina Yatch Club, Office # 5, Dubai Marina, Jebel Ali, Dubai, +971 505518317, www.mackymarine.com Nautilus Yachts, Sharjah, +971 553419494 or 503419494, www.nautilusyachts.com The Boat House, P.O. Box 71628, Al Quoz, Dubai, +971 43405152, www.theboathouse.ae UAEBoats4Sale, Dubai Marina, +971 42932465, 567001801, www.uaeboats4sale.com Western Marine, P.O. Box 52938, Sheikh Zayed Road, Knotika Marine Mall, Dubai, +971 44327870 Equipment Ali Khalifah Moh Al Fuqaei, Ground Floor, Tara Hotel Building, Abdul Nasser Square Street, Dubai, +971 42263220 Al Masaood Marine, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43468000, www.masaoodmarine.com Blue Waters Marine, Shop 11, The Curve Bldg., Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43808616 or 553899995, www.bluewatersmarine.com Extreme Marine, Dubai Marina Branch, +971 43992995, www.extrememarine-me.com Japan Marine / D1 Marine, WS # 110, Dubai Maritime City, +971 4 4426395 or 55 1666035, www.japanmarine.co Rineh Emirates Trading LLC, Al Quoz, Dubai, www.rinehemiratesme.com, +971 43391512 Repairs and Maintenance Extreme Marine, Jebel Ali Branch, Jebel Ali, Industrial Area, P.O. Box 97705, Dubai, +971 48830777, www.extrememarine-me.com Rineh Emirates, Sheikha Sana Warehouse 1, Al Quoz, +971 43391512, SNS Marine, Dubai Creek & Yacht Club, Dubai, +971 501405058, www.snsmarine.ae The Boat House, P.O. Box 71628, Al Quoz, Dubai, +971 43405152, www.theboathouse.ae Cruise Operators Al Bateen Marina, Abu Dhabi, +971 26665491

Al Marsa Travel & Tourism, P.O. Box 32261, Sharjah, UAE, +971 65441232; Dibba, Musandam, Oman, +968 26836550 Bateaux Dubai, Dubai Creek opposite the British Embassy, +971 48145553 Bristol Middle East, Marina Heights Tower, Dubai Marina – Marina Walk,Dubai, +971 4368 2480, www.bristol-middleeast.com Captain Tony’s, Yas Marina, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, +971 26507175, www.captaintonys.ae Delma Industrial Supply and Marine Services, Al Bateen Jetty, Abu Dhabi, +971 26668153, www.delmamarine.net Eden Yachting, Dubai Marina, +971 43282930, 50 3716377, www.edenyachting.com Emirates Yatching, P.O. Box 8380, Dubai, +971 42826683 El Mundo, Dubai, +971 505517406, www.elmundodubai.com Four Star Travels and Tourism, Dubai, +971 561012599, www.4startravels.com 4 Yatch Chartering LLC, Toll Free: 800 YACHT (92248), Office #4, Dubai Marina Yatch Club, Dubai, www.4yachtchartering.ae Fujairah Rotana Resort & Spa, Al Aqah Beach, Fujairah, +971 92449888, www.rotana.com Ghantoot Marina & Resort, Abu Dhabi, +971 529933153, www.ghantootmarina.com Happy Days Sea Cruising LLC, Dubai, +971 48706668, www.happydaysdubai.com LY Catamaran, Bur Dubai, +971 566506683, www.lycatamaran.com Marine Concept, P.O. Box 282586, Office 611, Al Barsha Business Centre, Dubai, +971 43958022, 559603030 www.marine-charter-concept.com Nautica1992, Habtoor Grand Beach Resort & Spa, Autograph Collection, Dubai Marina, +971 504262415, www.nautica1992.ae Noukhada Adventure Company - P.O. Box 73373, C/O Ali & Sons Real Estate LLC, Plot No. 29, Abu Dhabi – Al Ain Rd, Um Al Nar, Abu Dhabi, UAE - +971 25581889 www.noukhada.ae RAK Marine LLC, Ras Al Khaimah City Hilton Marina, +971 72066410, 504912696, 507682345 Sea Hunters Passenger Yachts & Boats Rental, Dubai Marina, +971 42951011 Smoke Dragon of London Yacht, Abu Dhabi International Marine & Sports Club, +971 507011958 or 504546617 Summertime Marine Sports, Dubai, +971 42573084 The Club, Abu Dhabi, +971 26731111, www.the-club.com The Yellow Boats LLC, Dubai Marina Walk – opposite Spinneys, Intercontinental Hotel Marina, 800892, www.theyellowboats.com Marinas Abu Dhabi International Marine Sports Club, Abu Dhabi, Breakwater, +971 26815566, www.adimsc.com Abu Dhabi Marina, Abu Dhabi, Tourist Club Area, +971 26440300 Al Jeer Marina, RAK Border, Musandam +971 72682333 or 504873185, www.aljeerport.ae Al Wasl Charter & Fishing, Airport Road, Al Qwais Bldg., Off. 207, Dubai, UAE, +971 42394760 or 42959477, www.cruiseindubai.com Dubai Creek Marina, Deira, Dubai, +971 43801234, www.dubaigolf.com Dubai International Marine Sports Club, Dubai Marina, +971 43995777, www.dimc.ae Dubai Marina Yacht Club, Dubai, +971 43627900, www.dubaimarinayachtclub.com Dubai Maritime City Harbour Marina, Dubai, +971 43455545 Dubai Offshore Sailing Club, Dubai, +971 43941669, www.dosc.ae Emirates Palace Marina, Abu Dhabi, +971 26907725 Fujairah International Marine Club, Fujairah, +971 92221166, www.fimc.ae Intercontinental Abu Dhabi Marina, Al Bateen, Intercontinental Hotel, Abu Dhabi, +971 26666888, www.intercontinental.com Jebel Ali Golf Resort and Spa Marina, Jebel Ali, Dubai, +971 48145555 www.jebelali-international.com Pavilion Marina, Dubai, Jumeirah Beach Hotel, +971 44068800 Umm Al Quwaim Marine Sports Club, Umm Al Quwaim, +971 67666644, www.uaqmarineclub.com

Dragon Boat Groups Dubai Dawn Patrol Dragon Boating, Dubai, +971 508795645, www.facebook.com/DubaiDawnPatrol Dubai Diggers, Jumeirah Beach Hotel, pier next to 360, Dubai, +971 501547175, www.dubai-diggers.com UAE Dragon Boat Association, +971 507634008, www.dubaidragonboat.com

Camping & Hiking

Equipment Blingmytruck.com, +971 505548255, www.blingmytruck.com Gulf Camping, Dubai, UAE, +971 551222252 or 502550666, www.gulfcamping.com Jack Wolfskin, Al Wahda Mall, Abu Dhabi, +971 24437802 Tresspass, 2nd floor above ice rink, The Dubai Mall, +971 43398801 Urban Peak, PO Box 9587, Office 502E, Ibn Battuta Gate Offices, Dubai, +971 44548805, www.urbanpeak.com Tour Operators Arabia Outdoors, Dubai, +971 559556209, www.arabiaoutdoors.com Absolute Adventure, Dubai, +971 43926463, www.adventure.ae Desert Road Tourism, Al Khor Plaza – 503, Dubai, +971 42959428, www.arabiatours.com Libra Travel & Tourism LLC, +971 43397700, www.facebook.com/ LibraTravelDubai Mountain High Middle East, Dubai, +971 506595536, www.mountainhighme.com Sheesa Beach, Musandam, Dibba, +971 50336046, www.sheesabeach.com

Caving

Mountain High Middle East, Dubai, +971 43480214, www.mountainhighme.com

Climbing

Equipment Adventure HQ, Sheikh Zayed Rd., Dubai Times Square Center, toll free: 800-ADVENTURE, www.adventurehq.ae Barracuda Fishing and Outdoor, Street 13A 1, Al Safa 1, Dubai, +971 43466558, www.barracudadubai.com Global Climbing Trading LLC, Dubai Investment Park 1, Dubai, +971 48829361, www.globalclimbing.com Jack Wolfskin, Al Wahda Mall, Abu Dhabi +971 24437802, www.jack-wolfskin.com Services Absolute Adventure, Dubai, +971 43926463, www.adventure.ae Adventure HQ, Dubai Times Square Center, Sheikh Zayed Rd, toll free: 800-ADVENTURE, www.adventurehq.ae

OUTDOORUAE

63

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

Diving

Al Shaheen Adventure, Abu Dhabi, +971 28137444, www.alshaheenme.com Arabia Outdoors, Dubai, +971 559556209, www.arabiaoutdoors.com Dorell Sports Management, Dubai World Trade Centre, +971 43065061, www.climbingdubai.com E-Sports UAE, Dubai, +971 43697817, www.esportsuae.com The Club, Abu Dhabi, +971 26731111, www.the-club.com Information UAE Climbing, +971 506456491, www.uaeclimbing.com

Mountain Biking & Cycling

Equipment/Dealers Bikers JLT, Unit H6, Cluster H, Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai, UAE, +971 526221888 Cycle Sports, Shop No. 1, Al Waleed Bldg., Al Barsha 1, Dubai, +971 43415415, Fun Ride Sports, 301, 3rd floor, Mushrif Mall, Abu Dhabi, Rm. 4, Mezzanine floor, C-13 Bldg., Khalifa City A, Abu Dhabi, +971 24455838, www.funridesports.com Micah’s Bike Shop, Warehouse No.4 6th St. Al Quoz 3, Dubai, +971 43805228 Probike, Dubai, Al Barsha 1, +971 43255705, www.probike.ae Rage Shop, Al Ghurair Centre: +971 4294 8634; MOE: +971 43413388; Al Wahda Mall, Abu Dhabi: +971 24437617, Dubai Mall: +971 44341549, www.rage-shop.com Revolution Cycles, Shop G05, Apex Atrium, Motor City, Dubai, +971 43697441, www.rcdxb.com Ride Bike Shop, Sheikh Zayed Road: +971 43395602; Mirdif City Centre: +971 42840038; Al Seef Village Mall, Abu Dhabi: +971 26337172, www.ridebikeshop.com Sportz Unlimited, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, + 971 43388644 or 43391333 Tamreen Sports LLC, Khalifa Street, Abu Dhabi, +971 26222525, www.tamreensports.com The Cycle Hub, Motor City, Dubai, +971 505528872 or 44256555, www.thecyclehub.com Trek Bicycle Store, Seih Al Salam, Al Qudra Road, Dubai, +971 48327377; Shop #5, Reemas Building Al Quoz 1, Exit 46/47, Sheikh Zayed Road Dubai, +971 43211132, www.trekbikes.ae Trikke UPT, P.O. Box 53527, Dubai, + 971 43434499; P.O. Box 33869, Abu Dhabi, +971 26333377, www.trikkeme.net Wolfi’s Bike Shop, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43394453, www.wbs.ae Operator Absolute Adventure, Dubai, +971 43926463, www.adventure.ae, info@adventure.ae Clubs Abu Dhabi Tri Club, www.abudhabitriclub.com Cycle Safe Dubai, Dubai Autodrome www.cyclechallenge.ae Dubai Roadsters, +971 43394453, www.dubairoadsters.com

64

OUTDOORUAE

Equipment Al Boom Marine, Abu Dhabi and Dubai, +971 42894858, www.alboommarine.com Al Hamur Marine and Sports Equipment, Jumeirah Beach Road, Dubai, +971 43444468 Al Masaood Marine, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43468000, www.masaoodmarine.com Al Yousuf Motors, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43390621, www.aym.ae/yamaha Blue Waters Marine, +971 43808616, Dubai, www.bluewatersmarine.com Gulf Marine Sports, Abu Dhabi, +971 26710017, www.gulfmarinesports.com Premiers for Equipment, Sheikh Zayed 1st.

Road, Abu Dhabi, +971 26665226, www.premiers-uae.com Dive Shop.ae, Building #123, Street 26, Area 369, Al Quoz Industrial Area 4, Dubai, +971 43414940, www.diveshop.ae Scuba 2000, Al Bidiya Beach, Fujairah, +971 92388477, www.scuba-2000.com Diving Centres Al Boom Diving (equipment), Dubai, Al Wasl Rd, +971 43422993, www.alboomdiving.com Al Jeer Marina, RAK Border, Musandam, +971 72682333, www.aljeerport.ae Al Mahara Dive Center, near Muroor St. across from main bus terminal, +971 26437377, info@divemahara.com, www.divemahara.com Arabian Diver, Hilton Marine, Ras Al Khaimah, +971 72226628 or 502428128 www.arabiandiver.com Arabian Divers and Sportfishing Charters, Al Bateen Marina Resort, Abu Dhabi, +971 506146931, www.fishabudhabi.com Coastal Technical Divers, glenn@coastaltechnicaldivers.com, www.coastaltechnicaldivers.com Deep Blue Sea Diving, International City, Dubai, +971 44308246, www.diveindubai.com Desert Islands, Sir Bani Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, UAE, +971 28015454, www.divemahara.com Divers Down, +971 559888687, Dubai; Fujairah, Rotana Al Aqah Hotel Resort & Spa, +971 92370299, www.diversdownuae.com Emirates Divers Centre, Abu Dhabi, near Meena Fish Market, +97126432444, www.edc-ad.ae Freediving UAE, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Fujairah, +971 506130486 contactus@freedivinguae.com, www.freedivinguae.com Freestyle Divers, Al Corniche Street, Dibba, Fujairah, +971 504514259, www.freestyledivers.me Fujairah Rotana Resort & Spa - Al Aqah Beach, Al Aqah Beach, Fujairah, +971 92449888, www.rotana.com Le Meridien Al Aqah Beach Resort, Dibba Road, Fujairah, +971 92449000, www.lemeridien-alaqah.com Neptune Diving, +971 504347902, www.neptunedivingcentre.com Pavilion Dive Centre (equipment), Dubai, +971 44068828 Scuba 2000, Al Bidiya Beach, Fujairah, +971 92388477, www.scuba-2000.com Scuba UAE.com, +971 502053922, www.scubauae.com 7 Seas Diving Center, Khorfakkan, +971 92387400, www.7seasdivers.com Sharjah Wanderers Dive Club, Sharjah, +971 506683430, www.bsac406.com Sheesa Beach, Dibba, Musandam, +971 503336046, www.sheesabeach.com Sky & Sea Adventures, Dubai, Hilton, Jumeirah Beach Road, +971 43999005, www.watersportsdubai.com Clubs Atlantis Underwater Photography Club, Dubai, +971 44263000 Desert Sports Diving Club, Dubai, www.desertsportsdivingclub.net Emirates Diving Association, Diving Village, Al Shindagha, Dubai, +971 43939390, www.emiratesdiving.com Filipino SCUBA Divers Club (FSDC), Dubai, UAE, +971 566952421, www.facebook.com/FSDCuae Freediving UAE, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Fujairah, contactus@freedivinguae.com, www.freedivinguae.com Sharjah Wanderers Dive Club, Sharjah, +971 507840830, www.bsac406.com

OCTOBER 2017 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

Fishing & Kayaking

Equipment Al Boom Marine, Abu Dhabi & Dubai, +971 42894858, www.alboommarine.com Al Hamur Marine and Sports Equipment, Jumeirah Beach Road, Dubai, +971 43444468 Al Masaood Marine, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43468000, www.masaoodmarine.com Al Yousuf Motors, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Rd, +971 43390000, www.aym.ae/yamaha Arabian Divers and Sportfishing Charters, Al Bateen Marina Resort, Abu Dhabi, +971 506146931, www.fishabudhabi.com Barracuda Fishing and Outdoor, Dubai, Street 13A 1, Al Safa 1, +971 43466558, www.barracudadubai.com Blue Waters Marine, Shop 11, The Curve Bldg., Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43808616 or 553899995, www.bluewatersmarine.com Challenging Adventure, Wadi Al Bih Ras Al Khaimah, +971 561060798 or 44538386, contactus@challengingadventure.com Global Climbing Trading LLC, Dubai Investment Park 1, Dubai, +971 48829361, www.globalclimbing.com Ocean Active, Dubai, Garden Centre, +971 502898713, www.oceanactive.com Operators Absolute Adventure, Dubai, +971 43926463, www.adventure.ae Al Boom Diving, Le Meridien Al Aqah Beach Resort, Fujairah, +971 43422993 Al Hamra Marina and Yacht Club, Al Hamra, Ras Al Khaimah, +971 72432274, www.alhamramarina.com Al Mahara Dive Center, Downtown Abu Dhabi, +971 501118125, www.divemahara.com Al Wasl Charter & Fishing, Airport Road, Al Qwais Bldg., Off. 207, Dubai, UAE, +971 42394760 or 42959477, www.cruiseindubai.com Al Shaheen Adventure, Abu Dhabi, +971 26429995, www.alshaheenme.com Al Wasl Charter & Fishing (Al Wasl Passenger Yachts and Boats Rental LLC), Airport Road, Al Owais Building, Dubai, +971 42394761, www.cruiseindubai.com Arabian Divers and Sportfishing Charters, Al Bateen Marina Resort, +971 506146931, www.fishabudhabi.com Arabia Outdoors, Dubai, +971 559556209, www.arabiaoutdoors.com Barracuda Diving Centre, Fujairah International Marine Club, +971 503366224 Belevari Marine, Abu Dhabi, +971 26594144 Captain Tony’s, Yas Marina, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, +971 26507175, www.captaintonys.ae Fun Beach Water Sports, Dubai, +971 507050433 or 506947764, www.seaworlddsf.com Happy Days Sea Cruising LLC, Dubai, +971 48706668, 503960202, www.happydaysdubai.com Hiltonia Beach Club, Hilton Abu Dhabi Hotel, Abu Dhabi, +971 26811900 Le Meridien Al Aqah Beach Resort, Dibba Road, Fujairah, +971 92449000, www.lemeridien-alaqah.com Nautica 1992, Dubai, +971 504262415, www.nautica1992.ae Noukhada Adventure Company, Villa 332/7, Al Meena Street, Abu Dhabi, +971 25581889, www.noukhada.ae Ocean Active, +971 504592259, www.oceanactive.com Sheesa Beach, Dibba, Musandam, +971 503336046, www.sheesabeach.com Soolyman Sport Fishing, Umm Suquiem, Fishing Port No. 2, Jumeirah Beach, +971 508866227, 508866228 or 503402379, www.soolymansportfishing.com Summertime Marine Sports, Dubai, +971 42573084, www.summertimemarine.com Xclusive Yachts, Dubai, Dubai Marina, +971 44327233, www.xclusiveyachts.com Clubs Abu Dhabi Camping, Fishing & Kayaking Club, mohamed.almahrouky@gmail.com Dubai Surfski & Kayak Club, Kitesurfers’ Beach, Umm Suqeim 1, Dubai, +971 554986280, www.dskc.hu

General Sports Equipment Distributors

Adventure HQ, Dubai Times Square Center, Sheikh Zayed Rd, Toll free: 800-ADVENTURE, www.adventurehq.ae

Al Yousuf Motors, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43390621, www.aym.ae/yamaha 800 Sport, Al Quoz, Dubai +971 43467751, www.800sport.ae Flip Flop Arabia, +971 556881793, 501084010, www.flipfloparabia.com Global Climbing Trading LLC, Dubai Investment Park 1, Dubai +971 48829361, www.globalclimbing.com Highbury Trading FZE LLC, P.O. Box 16111, RAK Free Trade Zone Authority, Ras Al Khaima, +971 526799506, www.highburytrade.com Jack Wolfskin, Al Wahda Mall, Abu Dhabi, +971 24437802 Ocean Sports FZE, +971 559352735, www.kitesurfsup.com Picnico General Trading, near Sharaf DG Metro Station, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43951113 Portable Shade UAE, Jebel Ali, Dubai, UAE, +971 508897125, www.portable-shade.net Sport in Life Distribution, Nad Al Hammar Rd., Ras Al Khor, Dubai, UAE, +971 42896001 or 42896002, info@sportinlife.ae, www.sportinlife.ae Tresspass, The Dubai Mall 2nd floor above ice rink, +971 43398801

Horse Riding

Equipment Al Asifa Horse Equestrian Equipment & Requisites Trading P.O. Box 77282, AL Khawanij 1st , Dubai, +971 554733110, www.asifa.ae Black Horse LLC, Baniyas West, Near Empost Abu Dhabhi, +971 25866205, www.blackhorseuae.com Bonjour Equestrian Supplies, Nad Al Hammar Rd., Ras Al Kho, Dubai, UAE, +971 42896001, +971 42896002, info@bonjourequestrian.com, www.bonjourequestrian.com Cavalos Equine Care and Supplies, 16th Street, Al Khalidiyah, Abu Dhabi, +917 22222433, www.cavalosuae.com Emirta Horse Requirement Centre, Sheik Zayed Rd., Dubai, +971 43437475, www.emirtahorse.com Equestrian Clubs/Centres Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club, Al Mushrif, Abu Dhabi, +971 24455500, www.adec-web.com Al Ahli Riding School, Al Amman Street, Dubai-Sharjah Rd., +971 42988408, www.alahliclub.info Al Forsan International Sports Resort, Abu Dhabi, +971 25568555, www.alforsan.com Al Jiyad Stables, Behind Dubai International Endurance City, Dubai, +971 505995866, info@aljiyad.com, www.aljiyad.com Al Sahra Desert Resort Equestrian Centre, Dubai, +971 44274055, equestrian.centre@alsahra.com Desert Equestrian Club, Mirdif, Dubai, +971 503099770 or 501978888 Desert Palm Riding School, Near Al Awir Road (going to Hatta-Oman), Dubai, +971 43238010, www.dubaipoloclub.com Dubai Polo Academy, Dubai, +971 508879847, www.dubaipoloacademy.com Dubai Polo & Equestrian Club, Dubai, Arabian Ranches, +971 43618111, www.poloclubdubai.com Emirates Equestrian Centre, Dubai, +971 505587656, www.emiratesequestriancentre.com Ghantoot Polo & Racing Club, Exit 399, Abu Dhabi/ Dubai Highway, Abu Dhabi, +971 25629050, www.grpc.ae Golden Stables Equestrian Club, Al Khawaneej, Dubai, (Nouri) +971 555528182 Hoofbeatz, located just inside the Dubai Polo & Equestrian Club, Dubai, +971 569424551, www.hoofbeatz.com Mushrif Equestrian and Polo Club, Mushrif Park, Al Khawaneej Road, Dubai, +971 42571256, www.mushrifec.com Rahal Ranch, Al Wathba Racing Area, Abu Dhabi, +971 565066741, www.rahalranch.com Riding for the Disabled, Dubai, lessons@rdad.ae, www.rdad.ae, Sharjah Equestrian & Racing Club, Sharjah, Al Dhaid Road, +971 65311188, www.serc.ae

MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE Racecourses Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club, Al Mushrif, Abu Dhabi, +971 24455500, www.adec-web.com Ghantoot Racing & Polo Club, Exit 399, Abu Dhabi/ Dubai Highway, Abu Dhabi, +971 25629050, www.grpc.ae Jebel Ali Racecourse, off the main Abu Dhabi - Dubai Highway (Sheikh Zayed road) beside the Emirates Golf Club, Dubai, +971 43474914 Meydan Grandstand and Racecourse, Al Meydan Road, Nad Al Sheba, Dubai, +971 43270000, www.meydan.ae Sharjah Racecourse, Al Dhaid Road, Sharjah, +971 65311155, www.serc.ae

Featuring…

Oman Edventure Camp

France Ski & Edventure

and much more.

Jet Ski Dealers

Al Masaood Marine, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road, +971 43468000, www.masaoodmarine.com Al Yousuf Motors, Sheikh Zayed Rd., Dubai, +971 43390621, www.aym.ae/yamaha Japan Marine General Trading, Al Garhoud Road, Liberty Building, Dubai, +971 44426395, uday@japanmarine.jp, www.japanmarine.co Liberty Kawasaki, Interchange 4, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, Direct: +971 45019442, 45019412 or 43419341, www.libertykawasaki.com

Motocross & ATV’s

Dealers Al Badayer Rental (Rental), Dubai-Hatta Road, +971 68861161 or 507842020, www.albadayerrental.com Al Shaali Moto, Ras Al Khor, +971 43200009, www.alshaalimoto.com Al Yousuf Motors, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Rd, +971 43390621, www.aym.ae/yamaha Golden Desert Motorcycles, P.O. Box 47912, E-44 Hatta road, Al Badayer Madam, Sharjah, +971 529484616 or 505 033 800 Just Gas It, Hatta Rd., Al Aweer, Dubai, UAE, +971 559031664, www.JustGasIt.net KTM, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road, exit 42, +971 43468999, www.ktm.com Liberty Kawasaki, Interchange 4, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, Direct: +971 45019442, 45019412 or 43419341, www.libertykawasaki.com Motoventure, Hobbies Club, Al Awir, Hatta Road, Dubai, +971 555437392, www.motoventure.net mxDubai, Al Ain Road Dubai, +971 55 2090832, www.mxdubai.com Polaris UAE (atv’s), Ras Al Khor, Nad al Hamar Road, Al Ghandi Complex, Dubai, +971 42896100, M4, Sector 13, 10th Street, Mussafah Industrial, Abu Dhabi, +971 26441478, www.polarisuae.com Sebsports, Al Quoz Industrial Area 1 Dubai, +971 43393399, www.sebsports.com Equipment Sandstorm Motorcycles (Rental), Al Quoz, Dubai, +971 43395608, Sebsports, Dubai, Al Quoz Industrial Area 3, +971 43393399, www.sebsports.com 2XWheeler, Motorcity Dubai, +971 44548388, www.2xwheeler.com

Motorcycling

Distributors and Dealers Al Yousuf Motors, Sheikh Zayed Rd., Dubai, +971 43390621, www.aym.ae/yamaha Ducati, Al Salam Street, Abu Dhabi, +971 24918593, www.ducati.ae Duseja General Trading Co. LLC, Warehouse No: B3, Alquoz Ind Area #3, Umm Suqeim Road next to Max Garage Diagonally opposite Lulu Hypermarket Al Barsha, +971 43476712, www.dusejamoto.com Harley-Davidson, Mussafah 4, Street 10, Abu Dhabi, +971 25540667, hd.auh@harley-davidson.ae, www.harley-davidson-abu-dhabi.com Liberty Kawasaki, Interchange4, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, Direct: +971 45019442,

www.globaledventuretravel.com Educational ventures to destinations worldwide.

45019412 or 43419341, www.libertykawasaki.com Polaris UAE, Al Ghandi Complex, Nad al Hamar Road, Ras Al Khor, +971 42896100, www.polarisuae.com Tristar Motorcycles, Al Awir Road, Nr Oman Transport, +971 43330659, www.tristaruae.com Workshops and Services Al Forsan International Sports Resort, Abu Dhabi, +971 25568555, www.alforsan.com Dubai Autodrome, Dubai, +971 43678700,www.dubaiautodrome.com Emirates Motorplex, Umm Al Quwain, +971 67681166 2xWheeler Adventures, Dubai, +971 44548388, www.alainraceway.com Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi, 800 YAS (927) or +971 26599800, www.yasmarinacircuit.com

Off-Road

Dealers Bling My Truck, +971 503634839 or 505548255, info@blingmytruck.com, www.blingmytruck.com 4x4 Motors LLC, Shk. Zayed Rd, Dubai, +971 43384866, www.4x4motors.com Liberty Automobiles, Dubai, 800 5423789, www.libertyautos.com Repairs and Services AAA Service Centre, Al Quoz, Dubai, UAE, +971 4 2858989, www.aaadubai.com Icon Auto Garage, Dubai, +971 43382744, www.icon-auto.com Mebar Auto, Al Quoz, Industrial Area 2, Dubai, UAE, +971 43469600, www.mebarauto.com Off Road Zone, Dubai, Al Quoz, +971 43392449, www.offroad-zone.com Saluki Motorsport, Dubai, +971 43476939 www.salukimotorsport.com Equipment Advanced Expedition Vehicles, Dubai & Abu Dhabi, +971 43307152, www.aev.ae Al Yousuf Motors, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43390621, www.aym.ae/yamaha Bling My Truck, +971 503634839 or 505548255, www.blingmytruck.com Heartland UAE, Al Mafraq Industrial, Abu Dhabi, +971 569796524 or 506472447, www.heartlanduae.com Icon Auto Garage, Dubai, +971 43382744, www.icon-auto.com Mebar Auto, Al Quoz, Industrial Area 2, Dubai, UAE, +971 4 3469600,

OCTOBER 2017 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

www.mebarauto.com Wild X Adventure Shop, Dubai-Hatta Road, Dubai, +971 48321050, Yellow Hat, Nad Al Hamar, and Times Square Center, Dubai, +971 42898060, www.yellowhat.ae Tour Operators Arabian Adventures, Dubai & Abu Dhabi, +971 43034888, www.arabian-adventures.com Desert Road Tourism, Al Khor Plaza – 503, Dubai, +971 42959429, www.desertroadtours.com Oasis Palm Dubai, Dubai, +971 4 2628832 or 4 2686826, www.opdubai.com Clubs Abu Dhabi Off- Road Club, www.ad4x4.com ALMOST 4x4 Off-Road Club, +971 507665522, www.almost4x4.com Dubai Offroaders, www.dubaioffroaders. com JEEP Wrangler JK Fun Club, suffian.omar@yahoo.com, www.jk-funclub.com ME 4X4, www.me4x4.com

Running

Clubs ABRasAC, Dubai, www.abrasac.org Abu Dhabi Tri Club, Abu Dhabi, www.abudhabitriclub.org Abu Dhabi Striders, admin@abudhabistriders.com, www.abudhabistriders.com Al Ain Road Runners, Abu Dhabi, +971 504188978, alainroadrunners@yahoo.co.uk Mirdif Milers, Dubai, www.mirdifmilers.info Dubai Creek Striders www.dubaicreekstriders.org Desert Road Runners www.desertroadrunners.club

Stand up Paddling, Kite & Surfing, Wakeboarding

Equipment Al Boom Marine, Abu Dhabi & Dubai, +971 42894858, www.alboommarine.com Al Masaood Marine, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43468000, www.masaoodmarine.com Kitesurf Dubai, Kitesurf Beach, Umm Suqueim and Jumeirah 3 +971 505586190, www.kitesurfdubai.ae Picnico, Al Fairdooni Building, Sheikh Zayed Road, Near Sharaf DG Metro Station and Mall of Emirates, +971 43951113 Surf Dubai, Umm Suqeim, Dubai, +971 505043020, www.surfingdubai.com Surf Shop Arabia, Building 1, Al Manara Road (East), Interchange 3, Dubai, +971 564716180, www.surfshoparabia.com Surf School Arabia, +971 556010997, www.surfschoolarabia.com UAE Kite Surfing, +971 505626383, www.ad-kitesurfing.net Distributors Kitepeople Kite & Surf Store, International City, Dubai, +971 504559098, www.kitepeople.ae Ocean Sports FZE, +971 559352735, www.kitesurfsup.com Operators Al Forsan International Sports Resort, Abu Dhabi, +971 25568555, www.alforsan.com Dubai Kite Surf School, Umm Suqeim Beach, Dubai, +971 504965107, www.dubaikitesurfschool.com Duco Maritime, Dubai, Ras Al Khaimah and Abu Dhabi, +971 508703427, www.ducomaritime.com Dukite, Kitesurf Beach, Umm Suqeim, Dubai,+971 507586992, www.dukite.com Kite Fly, Dubai, +971 502547440, www.kitesurf.ae Kitepro Abu Dhabi, Yas Island and Al Dabbayyah, Abu Dhabi, +971 505441494, www.kitepro.ae Nautica1992, Dubai, +971 504262415, www.nautica1992.ae Shamal Kite Surfing, Umm Suqueim Dubai, +971 507689226, www.shamalkitesurfing.com Sky & Sea Adventures, Dubai, Hilton, Jumeirah Beach Road, +971 43999005, www.watersportsdubai.com Surf School UAE, Umm Suqeim Beach and Building 1, Al Manara Road (East), Interchange 3, Dubai, +971 43791998, www.surfschooluae.com Watercooled, Jebel Ali Golf Resort and Spa, Dubai, +971 48876771,

www.watercooleddubai.com Water Cooled, Watercooled Sports Services LLC, Hilton Beach Club, Abu Dhabi, +971 26395997, www.watercooleduae.com Clubs Abu Dhabi Stand Up Paddle, www.abudhabisup.com UAE SUP and Surf Association, +971 26665588, www.ridersuae.com

Water Parks

Aquaventure Atlantis, Dubai, Palm Jumeirah, +971 44260000, www. atlantisthepalm.com Dreamland Aqua Park, Umm Al Quwain, Emirates Road, +971 67681888, www.dreamlanduae.com Wadi Adventure, Jebel Hafeet, Al Ain, +971 37818422, www.wadiadventure.ae Wild Wadi Water Park, Dubai, +971 43484444, www.wildwadi.com

Other leisure activities

Abu Dhabi Golf Club, P.O. Box 51234, Sas Al Nakhl, Abu Dhabi, +971 28853555, www.adgolfclub.com Al Tamimi Stables, Sharjah, +971 67431122 or 44370505, www.tamimistables.com Blokart Sailing, Nad Al Sheba, Dubai, +971 556101841, www.blokartme.com Children’s City, Creek Park Gate No.1, Dubai, +971 43340808, www.childrencity.ae Dolphin Bay Atlantis, Dubai, +971 44262000, www.atlantisthepalm.com Dubai Dolphinarium Dubai, Creek Park Gate No. 1, +971 43369773, www.dubaidolphinarium.ae iFly Dubai, Dubai, Mirdif City Centre, +971 42316292, www.iflyme.com Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Island, +971 25578000, www. sbgolfclub.ae Sharjah Golf and Shooting Club, Sharjah, +971 65487777, www.golfandshootingshj.com SkiDubai, Dubai, Mall of the Emirates, +971 44094000, www.skidxb.com Spacewalk Indoor Skydiving, Abu Dhabi, +971 26577601, adcountryclub.com/ spacewalk/about-spacewalk/

Health, Safety & Training

Safety Lessons Marine Concept Yacht Charter & Sea School, Rania Business Centre, Dubai, +971 559603030, www.marine-charter-concept.com Sport and Health Centres Bespoke Wellness, Dubai, +971 553724670, www.bespoke-wellness.com

OUTDOORUAE

65

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

OCTOBER 2017 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

Original Fitness Co., C6 Tower Al Bateen Bainunah St, Abu Dhabi, +971 2406 9404; P.O. Box 126469, Office 508 The Fairmont

Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43116571 www.originalfitnessco.com Orthosports Medical Centre, 5B Street,

Jumeira Beach road, Dubai, 800 ORTHO (67846), www.orthosp.com The Physio Center, Suite 405, Building 49,

Dubai Healthcare City, Dubai, +971 44370570, www.physiocentre.ae

OMAN DIRECTORY

Al Sawadi Beach Resort, P.O. Box 747, Barka - Al Sawadi, Oman, +968 26795545, www.alsawadibeach.info Diving UAE & Oman, www.dive-uae-oman.com Euro Divers CAYC Oman, Marina Bandar Al Rhowda, P.O. Box 940, Muscat, Oman, +968 97899094, www.euro-divers.com Extra Divers Musandam, PO Box 498, PC 811 Khasab, Musandam, Oman, +968 99877957, www.musandam-diving.com Global Scuba LLC, +968 24692346, www.global-scuba.com Khasab Musandam Travel & Tours, P.O. Box 786, PC No. 811, Khasab, Musandam, Sultanate of Oman, +968 91713449, info@tourkhasab.com Al Mouj Marina, Muscat, Oman, +968 24534554, www.almoujmarina.com Moon Light Dive Center, P.O. Box 65, Madinat Qaboos, Muscat Oman, +968 99317700, www.moonlightdive.com Nomad Ocean Adventures, +968 26836069, Dibba, Oman; Fujairah, +971 508918207, www.discovernomad.com Diving Centres Euro-divers Marina Bandar Al Rowdha, P.O. Box 940, Postal Code 100 Muscat, Sultanate of Oman, +968 98194444, www.euro-divers.com Extra Divers Zighy Bay, Oman, Musandam, +968 26735555, www.extradivers.info

Moonlight Dive Center, Near Grand Hyatt Muscat, Shati Al Qurum, Oman, +968 99317700, www.moonlightdive.com Oman Dive Center, Muscat, Oman, +968 24284240, www.omandivecenter.com Oman Dive Center Resort, P.O. Box 199, Medinat Sultan Qaboos, Oman, +968 24824240, www.omandivecenter.info Omanta Scuba Diving Academy, Al Kharjiya Street, Al Shati Area, Muscat, Oman, +968 99777045, www.omantascuba.com Oxygen Diving and Adventures, P.O. Box 1363 PC130 Alazaiba, Muscat, Oman, +968 92537494 or 9723 2661, www.o2diveoman.com Scuba Oman, Oman, +968 99558488, www.scubaoman.com Seaoman, P.O. Box 2394, RUWI PC 112, Oman, +968 24181400, www.seaoman.com

Camping & Hiking

Stand Up Paddeling, Kite & Surfing, Wakeboarding

Boating & Sailing

Equipment, Operators Kiteboarding Oman, Sawadi Beach, P.O. Box: 133, PC 118, Muscat, Oman, +968 96323524, www.kiteboarding-oman.com Oman’s Kite Center, +968 94006007, www.kitesurfing-lessons.com

Manufacturer Saphire Marine, PO Box: 11, Post Code 118, Muscat, Oman, +968 24568887, 24566566, 24561619 or 24568881, www.sapphire-marine.com Marinas Marina Bandar Al Rowdha, Muscat, Oman, +968 24737286 (ext 215), www.marinaoman.net

Clubs

Horse Riding

Fishing & Kayaking

Adventure tours and desert safaris

Bike and Hike Oman, P.O. Box 833, Ruwi, Postal Code 112, Oman, +968 24400873, www.bikeandhikeoman.com Dolphin Qasab Tours, P.O. Box 123, P.C. 811, Khasab City, Musandam, Oman, +968 26730813, www.dolphinkhasabtours.com Go Dive Oman, Marina Bander Al Rowdha Dive Center, +968 9548 3813 or 98194444, www.godiveoman.com Khour Shem Tourism, Oman, +968 91713449, www.khourshemtours.com Nomad Tours, PO Box 583, Postal Code 100, Muscat, Oman, +968 95495240, www.nomadtours.com Oman Trekking Guides, PO Box 917, NIZWA, Oman, +968 95741441, http://omantrekkingguides.tumblr.com Cruise Operators Sheesa Beach, Dibba, Musandam, +968 26836551, www.sheesabeach.com

Diving

Equipment Al Marsa Musandam, PO Box 44, Dibba, Sultanate of Oman, +968 26836550; UAE: +971 502124100, www.almarsamusandam.com

QATAR DIRECTORY Adventure tours and desert safaris

Al Mulla Travels, P.O. Box 4147, Doha, Qatar, +974 44413488, almullatrvls@qatar.net.qa Alpha Tours, P.O. Box 13530, Doha, Qatar, +974 4344499, info@alphatoursqatar.com Al QAYED Travel & Tours, PO Box: 158, Doha, Qatar, +974 44072244, www.alqayedtravel.com Arabian Adventures, PO Box 4476, Doha, Qatar, +974 44361461, www.arabianadventureqatar.net Black Pearls Tourism Services, P.O. Box: 45677, Doha, Qatar, +974 44357333 E2E Qatar Travel and Tours, PO Box 23563, Doha, Qatar, +974 44516688 or 444515995, www.e2eqatar.com Falcon Travels, PO Box 22031, Doha, Qatar, +974 44354777, www.falcontravelqatar.com Gulf Adventures Tourism LLC, P.O. Box 18180, 29 Aspire Zone Street, Aspire Zone Al Ryyan City, State of Qatar Switchboard: +974 44221888, www.gulf-adventures.com Net Tours Qatar, P.O. Box 23080, Doha, Qatar, +974 4310902, www.nettours.com.qa Regency Travel & Tours, +974 44344444, www.regencyholidays.com Qatar Adventure, P.O. Box 13915, Doha, Qatar, +974 55694561, www.qataradventure.com Qatar Inbound Tours, P.O. Box 21153, +974 77451196, www.inboundtoursqatar.com Qatar International Tours, P.O. Box 55733 Doha, Qatar, +974 44551141, www.qittour.com Qatar Ventures, Barwa Village Bulding #12 Shop #33, Doha, Qatar, +974 55776679, www.qatar-ventures.com

Cycling, Running & Triathlon Qatar Chain Reaction, www.qatarchainreaction.weebly.com Qatar Sandstromers, +974 77775207 or 77776634, www.facebook.com/ QatarSandstormers Velostar Doha, https://www.facebook.com/ groups/587539064642288/ Doha Bay Running Club, www.dohabayrunningclub.com TriClub Doha, www.triclubdoha.com

General Sports Equipment Megastores

Galaxy Sport, City Centre Mall, 3rd Floor, Qatar: +974 44822194; Villagio Mall, Qatar: +974 44569143; Ezdan Mall, Qatar: +974 44922827, The Pearl(Parcel 9) +974 40027513, Souq Jabor +974 44430322.

Office: +974 44417935, www.galaxysportqatar.com GO Sport Qatar, City Centre Mall, 3rd Floor, +974 44631644; Villaggio Mall, +974 44157463, www.facebook.com/gosport.qatar Sun & Sand Sports Qatar, City Centre Mall, +974 44837007; Dar Al Salam Mall, +974 44510179; Mustafawi Exhibition, +974 44935183, en-ae.sssports.com

Boating & Sailing

Equipment Regatta Sailing Academy, Katara Beach +974 55503484 www.regattasailingacademy.com Distributors and Dealers Speed Marine, Speed Marine, Museum Road, P.O. Box 9145 Doha, Qatar, +974 44410109, www.speedmarinegroup.com Marinas Four Seasons Marina, Doha, Qatar, +974 44948899, www.mourjanmarinas.com Lusail Marina, Lusail City, Qatar, +974 55843282, www.mourjan-lusailmarina.com The Pearl–Qatar Marinas, Doha, Qatar, +974 44953894, www.ronauticame.com

Add your free listing to the 66

OUTDOORUAE

Equestrian Clubs/Centres Al Shaqab, P.O. Box 90055, Doha, Qatar, +974 44546320, www.alshaqab.com Qatar Racing & Equestrian Club, Racing and Equestrian Club, P.O. Box 7559, Doha, Qatar, +974 44197704, www.qrec.gov.qa

Diving

Equipment/Centres Al Fardan Marine Services, Najma Street (near Al Fardan Exchange), Doha, Qatar, +974 44435626 Doha Sub Aqua Club, Doha Sub-Aqua Club, PO Box: 5048, Doha, Qatar, +974 50483794, www.dohasubaquaclub.com Extreme Adventure, P.O. Box 33002, Shop 3, 4 Ahmed Bin Ali Street (Bin Omran), Doha, Qatar, +974 44877884, www.extreme.qa GoSport, City Centre Mall, 3rd Floor, Qatar: +974 44631644; Villagio Mall, Qatar: +974 44517574, www.facebook.com/gosport.qatar Pearl Divers, P.O. Box 2489, Doha, Qatar, +974 44449553, www.pearl-divers.org Poseidon Dive Center, P.O. Box: 11538, Ras Abu Abboud Street, Al Emadi Suites, Showroom #2, Doha, Qatar +974 66084040, www.pdcqatar.com Qatar Scuba Center, 187 Al Mansoura Street, Al Mansoura Area, Doha, Qatar, +974 66662277, www.qatarscubacenter.com Q-Dive Marine Centre, Souq Al Najada cnr of Grand Hamad and Ali bin Abdulla Street; +974 55319507 or 4375065, www.qdive.net World Marine Centre, PO Box 6944, Doha, Qatar, +974 44360989, www.worldmarinecenter.webs.com Qatar Divers, Marriott Hotel Marina Near Old Airport, Ras Abu Aboud Area, Doha, Qatar, +974 55246651, 40405156, www.qatardivers.com Qatar Marine, Go Sport City Center West Bay, P.O. Box 16657, Doha, +974 55319507, www.qatarmarine.net Qatar Scuba Centre, 187 Al Mansoura Street, Al Mansoura Area, Doha, Qatar, +974 66662277 or 44422234, www.qatarscubacenter.com

Tour Operators Safari Desert Camp, P.O. Box 117, Postal Code 421, Bediyah, Ghabbi, Oman, +968 99310108, www.safaridesert.com

Caving

Muscat Diving & Adventure Centre, Oman, +968 24543002, www.holiday-in-oman.com Oman World Tourism, Oman, +968 24565288, www.omanworldtourism.com

Fishing & Kayaking

Equipment Az’Zaha Tours, +968 99425461, www.azzahatours.com Water World Marine Oman, P.O. Box 76, Muscat, 113, Sultanate of Oman, +968 24737438, www.waterworldoman.com

Equipment Al Kashat, Fishing and Hunting Equipment, Souq Waqif, next to the Falcon Souq, +974 70057489 Al Mamzoore Marine Equipment, P.O. Box 6449, Old Salata, Doha, Qatar, +974 44444238, almamzoore@qatar.net.qa Extreme Adventure, Shop 3,4 Ahmed Bin Ali Steet, Doha, +974 44877884, www.extreme.qa Fish World, P.O. Box 1975, Doha, Qatar, +974 44340754 State of Qatar (QatarSub), Souq Waqif, next to the Falcon Souq, +974 4431234, www.stateofqatar.com Operators Paddle Qatar, +974 55490895, www.paddleqatar.com

Stand Up Paddeling, Kite & Surfing, Wakeboarding

Equipment, Operators Fly-N-Ride, Ras abu Aboud, Doha, +974 33117089, Flo Kite School, Westbay, Doha, +974 33155628, www.flokiteschool.com Kitesurfing Qatar, +97430179108, www.kitesurfingqatar.com QSUP, Qanat Quartier, Costa Malaz, The Pearl-Qc, Doha, Qatar, +974 66602830, www.qsup.me

Cycling (Road & Off Road)

Bike Servicing, Equipment Carbon Wheels Bike Shop, Al Maha Center 10, Salwa Road, Doha, +974 44419048, www.facebook.com/CarbonWheelsQTR Flash Bike Shop, Mesaeed New Souq, Shop C.06, +974 6600 9116, www.flashbikeshop.com Skate Shack, Salwa Road, South Doha, +974 44692532, www.skate-shack.com Galaxy Sport, City Centre Mall, 3rd Floor, +974 44822194; Villaggio Mall, +974 4456 9143; Ezdan Mall, +974 4492 2827, www.galaxysportqatar.com Sportswell, Salwa Road, South Doha, +974 44151687

ONLINE DIRECTORY

On-Road...

OFF-ROAD...

AUTONOMOUS...

All roads lead to the Dubai International Motor Show 2017.

Find the best drive of your life this November.

Subscribe to our latest news at dubaimotorshow.com Organised by

Official Airline Partner

Official Courier Handler

Official Publisher

14 -18 NOV 2017 DUBAI WORLD TRADE CENTRE

#dubaimotorshow

TESTED TOUGH WHERE EVERYTHING IS OFF THE BEATEN PATH. Shop the new Evolution of Trail FW17 collection now in our stores: Dubai - The Dubai Mall, Mall Of The Emirates, Mirdif City Centre & Ibn Battuta Mall Abu Dhabi - Al Wahda Mall & Dalma Mall

#TESTEDTOUGH #COLUMBIAME /COLUMBIAME @COLUMBIASPORTSWEAR_ME