OutdoorUAE - November 2017

in the Desert

Off-Road 101 - #1 Getting Started How to Get “Off the Road Safely”

Columbia Adventure Academy

The World is my Playground

High Altitude Ultra Adventure in the Himalayas

Why Should I Eat Less Meat?

I’m Doing a Long Distance Triathlon Should I Train Alone or with a Group?

Plenty of

PRODUCTS TO CHECK OUT

Price 10.00 AED 10.00 QAR 1.00 OMR

Review:

HERO6 AFTER A MONTH

Kalba Kickr:

PINK DOTS AND BOULDERS

Vol. 7, No. 11 November 2017

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

NOVEMBER 2017 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

OutdoorUAE Team

Daniel Birkhofer Founder and Managing Director daniel@outdooruae.com

Getting Stuck November is our off-roading month, not only because temperature make trips to the desert and mountains pleasant again but also the event season is starting with the bi-annual Dubai Motor Show and many smaller expeditions into the deserts organized by the off-road clubs.

Driving off-road is sometimes like life itself: You head out without knowing the way, just with a destination in sight. There is not one track to lead you there, there are many and it is a matter of choice which one you are going to take. No matter how many times you will attempt a route, it will always be different and never the same. The environment changes, the people you are going with change and its only a matter of time until you yourself will change. It is not always about making a right or a wrong choice, it is a matter of choosing and dealing with the consequences. If you want to move you need to make a decision. There is no turning back and once you are stuck, you are stuck! It will not help much in the moment to look back how you ended up here, this reflection should come later once you are out and safe. You need to assess the situation and are left again to make judgments and choices.

Sometimes you can afford to choose lightly but other times you know you are in deep problems and you are the one who drove you into this situation! If you are lucky you are able to get yourself out alone but other times you will depend on help. Pride shouldn’t get in your way, getting stuck is part of the game and valuable lessons can be learned. We all make mistakes or sometimes it is just bad luck, what we should not do is repeat the same mistakes over and over again.

Dan Wright Staff Writer and Outdoor Guide

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

Katherine Cañedo Patangui Administration kathy@outdooruae.com

Ian Sebeldia Circulation

EXPERTS & CONTRIBUTORS

So get stuck, get out and learn from being off-road and stay safe!

Daniel Birkhofer

Marina Bruce The Desert Diva and Off-road Expert

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. 11, November 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: Luca Lombardi

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

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.

David O’Hara Ultra Runner and Extreme Endurance Junkie

Nicky Holland Personal Trainer

Pedro Gomes Professional Triathlete

Denise Ostermann Outdoor Travel Contributor

WHEN YOU’RE DONE READING, PLEASE RECYCLE!

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

NOVEMBER 2017 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

CONTENTS

22 COLUMBIA: THE WORLD IS MY PLAYGROUND

20 KALBA KICKR: PINK DOTS AND BOULDERS

EVERY ISSUE

32 JEBEL JAIS VIA FERRATA

14 A STRANGE MEETING IN THE DESERT 16 GET READY TO DREAM IN COLOR AT 06 EVENTS CALENDAR THIS YEAR’S THE COLOR RUN 08 BEST SHOTS 18 2017 FUJAIRAH RUN OP-ED – CHARLES SULTAN 49 PRODUCTS 20 KALBA KICKR: PINK DOTS AND BOULDERS 63 DIRECTORY 24 HIGH ALTITUDE ULTRA ADVENTURE IN THE HIMALAYAS 28 7 EMIRATES RUN 29 CYCLISTS ARE TRAINING HARD FOR THE 09 CHEVROLET CONFIRMS BEST-EVER LINEUP AT 2017 DIMS SPINNEYS DUBAI 92 CYCLE CHALLENGE 10 REACH THE UNREACHABLE WITH THE NEW 2018 30 DUBAI FITNESS CHALLENGE TAKES OVER KIT BEACH TOYOTA LAND CRUISER PRADO 32 JEBEL JAIS VIA FERRATA 13 TOYOTA PROMISES AN ADRENALINE-TRIGGERING 4X4 ADVENTURE AT DIMS

EVENT & ACTIVITY REPORTS

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52 HERO6 AFTER A MONTH

40 ROMANIA - HOMELAND OF DRACULA

56 OFF-ROAD 101 - #1 GETTING STARTED

TRAVEL & ADVENTURE

REVIEW

34 THE TOUGHER, THE BETTER! 36 A CHALLENGE, WHAT CONSTITUTES A CHALLENGE? 40 ROMANIA – HOMELAND OF DRACULA

22 COLUMBIA: THE WORLD IS MY PLAYGROUND 52 HERO6 AFTER A MONTH

LIFESTYLE 42 OFFROADER’S CORNER: AHMED ALHARBI 44 TEACHING PEOPLE TO DRIVE OFFROAD IN THE UAE 46 WHY SHOULD I EAT LESS MEAT? 48 HABITUALLY HEALTH: REFRESHING RIDES

OUR EXPERTS 54 LEGEND - KIT 56 OFF-ROAD 101 - #1 GETTING STARTED

TIPS & TRICKS 58 I’M DOING A LONG DISTANCE TRIATHLON 59 THE BULLETPROOF GUIDE TO NUTRITION IN IRONMAN 60 LIFESTYLE CHANGES

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

EVENTS CALENDAR

NOVEMBER 2017 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

STAY UP-TO-DATE WITH THE LATEST EVENTS

OCTOBER

06 NOVEMBER

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Dubai International Motor Show

Now in its 14th year, The Dubai International Motor Show is the largest international automotive event across the Middle East and North Africa. Over the years, the DIMS has brought together global manufacturers, distributors, industry specialists, key-buyers and an army of passionate motoring enthusiasts to enjoy exclusive car launches, interactive demonstrations and exciting features.

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

NOVEMBER

NOVEMBER

Super Sports Run Race 2

The Great Dubai Pulse

When: 10th November Where: Meydan, The Track Contact: events@supersportsuae.com

When: 10th November Where: Dubai Sports City Sports Park Contact: info@thecyclehub.com or 04 425 6555

Dubai Creek SUP Race

Striders Half Marathon and 10K 2017

When: 11th November Where: Dubai Contact: www.premieronline.com

When: 17th November Where: Abu Dhabi Contact: www.premieronline.com

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Join us for the only 10 Miler Run Race in the UAE taking place on 10 November at Meydan, the Track, 7am start. Distances include 3, 5, 10 & 16km (10 Miler) and are for social to advanced runners.

Held on the flat waters of Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club the event is the first SUP race of the season and a part of the Dubai PreOwned Boat Show so expect lots of activities for the family along with some fantastic food stalls cooking up a storm!

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The event caters for everybody, from the elite to the beginners who want to enjoy a beautiful day out in the sun, that is why we are offering three different course options: the 5KM, 10KM and 20KM (Adult only).

The Striders Half Marathon and 10K features a fast mostly flat picturesque IAAF measured course starting at Yas Waterworld, taking in the Yas Plaza, Yas Marina, Ferrari World and Yas Mall and the greater environs of Yas Island.

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When: 11th November Time: 7:45am to 1:00pm Where: Ski Dubai, Mall of the Emirates, Dubai Contact: www.columbiaacademy.ae When: 25th November Time: 3:00pm to 10:00pm Contact: www.columbiaacademy.ae

NOVEMBER

NOVEMBER

SeaYou Watersport Challenge

2XU Triathlon Hatta

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The SeaYou Watersport Challenge, in collaboration with ADNIC insurance is back this year for its 9th edition at Jebel Ali. Like last year’s event, the 9th edition will see an early morning from 8:30am to 5pm catch and release fishing kayak contest followed by a series of Stand up paddle (SUP) and windsurf race’s.

When: 24th November Where: Jebel Ali Contact: info@seayou.ae

The Color Run presented by Daman’s Activelife More than 14,000 Color Runners took part in last year’s event at Dubai Autodrome, with Color Runners of all ages, all running, walking and skating their way through the Happiest 5k on the Planet™.

When: 11th November Where: Dubai Autodrome Contact: www.thecolorrun.ae

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Swim in Hatta Dam, BIKE over Generator Hill, and RUN the Steepest incline through breathtaking wadis all ON road. Not for the faint-hearted, this will be one of the toughest triathlons and will test you to your limits, while enjoying the spectacular scenery.

When: 24th November Where: Hatta, Dubai, UAE Contact: events@supersportsuae.com

SST Super Sprint Triathlon

This is a collection of short, technical and intense races over varied formats mixing the standard swim / bike / run legs giving a new perspective to racing triathlons.

When: 18th November Where: Rashid School for Boy’s Contact: events@supersportsuae.com

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

NOVEMBER 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: Zubair Safdar, Manikandan Uchimahali and Jayson Wee. Well done!

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

Zubair Safdar

Oman Khasab - Winding down Khor Najd

Manikandan Uchimahali

24 hour challenge in the Dubai Autodrome

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Jayson Wee

Strange Structure at Jumeirah Beach, next to Burj Al Arab, Dubai

Chevrolet Confirms Best-Ever Lineup at 2017 DIMS Poised to wow visitors at the 2017 Dubai International Motor Show, Chevrolet Middle East will be introducing its best-ever line-up at the region’s leading automotive event. Highlighting the spirit of innovation and passion for performance which have been at the heart of every Chevrolet vehicle for more than 100 years, the brand’s showcase will also define its strategic vision for future mobility.

Molly Peck, Chief Marketing Officer, Chevrolet Middle East, commented: “We are very excited to showcase Chevrolet’s design, performance and technology credentials at the region’s leading automotive event.

Bringing Chevrolet’s best-ever line-up to Dubai International Motor Show visitors this year, the show provides us with the perfect platform to connect with some of the world’s most passionate car enthusiasts here in the Middle East. With a few surprises up our sleeve, we look forward to surpassing their expectations.”

Bringing the very best of its portfolio to life on the stand, Chevrolet will be putting models with varying combinations of capability, technology and performance on display to cater to the wide variety of visitors attracted to the show.

Going into 2018, the Chevrolet line-up is bigger and better than ever before. Bringing together a range of cars, the brand’s

best-ever line-up combines cutting-edge automotive engineering, innovative technologies, advanced safety features, sleek design and unrivalled practicality.

Highlighting Chevrolet’s freshest line-up, visitors to the stand will be able to take a first look at crossovers and SUVs such as the allnew Chevrolet Equinox and all-new Chevrolet Traverse which have already garnered huge attention across the Middle East since their recent market debuts. Chevrolet will also

showcase the Tahoe RST to visitors, the most powerful production Tahoe to date.

Legacies Built To Last

Celebrating 100 years of building trucks, Chevrolet will also be looking back at its heritage of innovation at the motor show. A huge milestone for the brand, visitors to the stand will get a front row seat to a legacy built on strength and dependability with the Centennial Edition Chevrolet Silverado. ■

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REACH THE UNREACHABLE WITH THE

Words by: Gaydzag Terterian Photos by: Jung Francisco

Continuing the legacy of the powerful four-wheel drive performance and unrivalled off-road capabilities, the new 2018 Land Cruiser Prado has been officially launched by Al-Futtaim Motors. The new Prado comes with a more robust exterior, sophisticated and intuitive interior design in addition to improved driving abilities and user-friendliness, both on-and off-road, cementing its reputation as one of the world’s toughest and most reliable SUVs. Sophisticated and Intuitive Interior

In the redesigned, four-gauge driver’s instrument binnacle, the precision ‘Optitron’ metres feature a metallic base panel and spin-polished dials with raised scale markings. They flank a 4.2’’ TFT colour Multi-Information Display* which provides drivers with a comprehensive vehicle and infotainment data. Controlled via steering wheel mounted switchgear, the display features on-screen content including driving, vehicle, navigation, audio, driver assistance and warning message information.

A high-definition 9-inch full-colour multimedia screen enables centralized control of navigation and audiovisual systems which complements the rearview monitor to guide the driver while backing up the car. In addition to AM/FM radio and a DVD player, the JBL system* optimally positions 14 speakers through the cabin, creating a quality sound space. The amplifier is compatible with Clari-Fi™, a compressed audio restoration technology that helps play the music as close to its original audio quality by recreating the high-range and low-range sounds, as well as sounds of the natural vocal and stereo feelings that are usually suppressed when saving files in the MP3 format.

The system also features Bluetooth support and has USB and mini-jack inputs offering external audio input, enabling the driver and 10

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passengers to easily connect playback devices to enjoy their favourite music. Rear seat passengers can also enjoy video from DVDs, Blu-ray discs and other sources on the large, retractable 9-inch LCD monitor.

Storage points are provided all around the cabin. Front seat storage includes a capacious glovebox, overhead sunglasses holder (with built-in conversation mirror), two cup holders, and large front door pockets with built-in bottle holders. There is also a large storage box, available with cooling function, under the centre console armrest and is big enough to hold four half-liter bottles and fitted with an upper-level tray. Second-row passengers are served by seatback pockets, centre armrest twin cupholders and door pockets with bottle holders. Cupholders are provided for third-row occupants, too.

Twelve-volt power outlets are provided in the front and second rows, with a 220V AC power outlet in the loadspace.

But that’s not all when we talk about storage, as the powered third-row seats have underfloor storage function giving the Prado extra

load capacity. A toolbox is stowed in a purposedesigned compartment in the tailgate.

Powerful Engine and Superior Driving Dynamics

The new Prado is available in two engine options including a 4-cylinder 2.7-liter in-line 16-valve DOHC format with VVT-i producing 164 hp and up to 25.1kg-mand a V6 engine 4.0-litre 24-valve DOHC with dual VVT-I producing 271hp and up to 38.9kg-m.

Both petrol engines are mated with a 6-speed ‘Super-Intelligent Electronically’controlled automatic transmission with multi-mode sequential shift mode that allows the driver to select gears manually, making it ideal for added control in challenging weather conditions.

In addition to a solid engine profile, the new Prado comes with a series of advanced dynamic and handling features that highlight its reputation as one of the most technicallyadvanced four-wheel drive vehicles, including the newly-developed full-time four-wheel drive with TORSEN® limited slip differential (LSD), which allocates optimal driver power distribution to the left and right wheels in response to various driving scenarios, includ-

ing straight-line driving and cornering. The system helps achieve outstanding straightline stability and cornering performance. An additional central differential lock is also available, thereby increasing stability especially in extreme off-road conditions and terrains.

The new Prado comes with Drive Mode Select*, allowing the driver to tailor powertrain and suspension responses by selecting drive modes suitable for the situation, or to match their preferred driving style, thus heightening driving pleasure. Modes include NORMAL, which realizes an excellent balance between driving performance and fuel economy that suits a wide variety of driving scenes; ECO mode adjusts powertrain responses and air conditioning to prioritise fuel-efficient driving; while in the SPORT mode, the Variable Flow Control (VFC) and powertrain components, such as the engine and transmission, are controlled. This provides enhanced accelerator response and a more dynamic and powerful feel of acceleration.

The Crawl Control System*helps maintain a low uniform vehicle speed by automatically controlling the engine output and hydraulic brake pressure to reduce driver burden during off-road driving. This system works on rough off-road terrains and slippery surfaces by moderating the accelerator and brake operations, leaving the driver with complete focus on steering the vehicle. The smooth control minimizes wheel spin and wheel lockup, ensuring vehicle stability even on slippery surfaces. The Crawl Control System has five adjustable speed levels that can be selected to match the terrain.

Multi-Terrain Select (MTS)* automatically modifies vehicle acceleration, braking, and traction control to suit off-road conditions, providing the driver with optimum traction and vehicle control on five terrain modes: ‘Rock,’ ‘Rock & Dirt,’ ‘Mogul,’ ‘Loose Rock,’ and ‘Mud & Sand.’ There is also an Auto mode to optimise car-control according to the preset vehicle speed set on the ‘Crawl Control.’ The selected mode is displayed on the multimedia screen, along with an additional prompt for the driver to engage the appropriate H4 or L4 four-wheel drive transfer range.

Other features include a Multi-Terrain Monitor*is used in conjunction with MTS to help the driver confirm their surroundings when driving off-road. The driver can select a view from the front, side, and rear cameras to conveniently check the vehicle’s blind spots and immediate surroundings. The MTS includes Underfloor View and Panoramic View to help the driver visually confirm the area under, in the front, and on the sides of the vehicle.

Adding to the versatility of the Prado is the Hill-start Assist Control (HAC) system which prevents vehicle roll-back when stopping and then starting again on a steep incline or slippery surface. In addition, the Downhill Assist Control (DAC)feature improves directional control during descent on steep or slippery surfaces.

Prado’s front independent double wishbone and rear four-link rigid suspension offer greater ride comfort and better steering feel.

Further enhancing the ride experience, the

electrically-controlled Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System (KDSS)*, that is available on Limited, optimises the effect of the front and rear anti-roll bars for better on- and off-road performance. When driving on the road, the system works to suppress body roll, improve steering response and absorb the effects of driving over poor road surfaces. During off-road conditions, all tires are kept firmly in contact with the ground even when crossing over rocks and other rough surfaces so that drivers can enjoy a stable ride with excellent traction for superior rough-terrain driveability and control.

The new Prado’s Tire Pressure Warning System detects low tire pressure and displays a warning on the Multi-Information Display in real time. Hence, insufficient tire pressure can be determined at a glance, and pressure refill or tire replacement can be performed with accurate and timely information‎.

In order to make it more appealing and suitable for all those who desire joining the Prado family, the 2018 model is now available in 4 grades/ 8 derivatives to choose from.

• 3-door 2.7 L GXR starting at AED 129,900 • 5-door 2.7L engine, coming in EXR for AED 129,900, GXR for AED 144,900 and VXR for AED 159,900 • 5-door 4.0L engine available in EXR for 159,900, GXR for AED 179,900, VXR for AED 194,900 and now an even more exclusive grade the Limited priced at AED 204,900 which comes fitted with leather beige interior

*Available only on the “Limited” model ■

Toyota promises an adrenaline-triggering 4x4 Adventure at DIMS • An exhilarating outdoor off-road experience for adventure and fun seekers • Obstacle courses demonstrating the capabilities of the Toyota Xtreme line-up, 2018 Prado and Hilux • Xtreme range now features Land Cruiser, FJ Cruiser and Fortuner • Take part in the experience and get a chance to win a trip to Japan

Al-Futtaim Motors, leader in sustainable mobility since 2008 and exclusive distributor of Toyota in the UAE, challenges the Dubai International Motor Show visitors to “Dare to Ride” its SUV line-up at the unique Toyota 4X4 Adventure, located just outside the main entrance of the Dubai World Trade Center.

Promising unprecedented thrill, off-road enthusiasts and fun seekers will be treated to an adventurous experience that will put the Toyota Xtreme line-up consisting of Land Cruiser, FJ Cruiser and Fortuner, as well as the 2018 Prado and the new Hilux to test under extreme but fun conditions.

Made up of six different obstacles, the Toyota 4X4 Adventure can take the visitors on an eight-minute adrenaline-charged ride, that highlights the unmatched off-road capabilities of the SUV line-up in use.

Starting with “The Deck”, the off-road

beasts will safely navigate simulated undulating roads, before reaching the “Axle Twister” which simulates variable terrain environments, allowing the cars to flex its 4-wheel drive muscles. “The Climb” offers passengers a breathtaking ride over steep inclines and declines. Next is the “Stability” and “Balance” tests, where the 4x4 vehicles traverse a 34-degree steep angled surface and demonstrate controlled manoeuvrability, before reaching the “Wadi”, where the cars cross a water obstacle by exhibiting its suspension and stability in wet conditions.

Show goers will also get the chance to experience the crawl control feature on the newly launched 2018 Prado among other SUVs. This feature that comes as standard on most 4X4s works on rough off-road terrains and slippery surfaces by moderating the accelerator and brake operations, leaving the driver with complete focus on steering the vehicle. The Crawl Control System has five adjustable speed levels that can be selected to match the terrain.

In addition to the cars in action, Toyota SUV loyalists will be able to enjoy an expansive range of Toyota SUVs on display including Hilux Super Xtreme, Hilux TRD, LC200 Super Xtreme and Land Cruiser Pick up LC70.

The Toyota 4x4 Adventure will be held throughout the duration of Dubai International Motor Show from November 14, 2017 to November 18, 2017 at the Dubai World Trade Center. ■

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ACTIVITY REPORT

A Strange Meeting in the Desert Passion for photography and the desert and a fantastic story told in front of a fire!

Words by: Nico de Corato Photos by: Luca Lombardi

I use to go running in the desert. Both for training and competitions This time, I decided to go to Al Qudra to test some gear I received. After parking my car at the Last Exit, I started running crossing through desert along the cycling path.

Almost 30 minutes after the sunset, I could see not too far from me a 4x4 on the top of a dune. A man was alone up there near to the car, lighting a fire. Intrigued, I kept on going in that direction, till I reached him and incredibly he was Italian too! Two Italians, and a strange meeting in the desert of Dubai. He offered me some water, we started talking and he told me he never drove a 4x4 before moving to the UAE so I grabbed hold of the opportunity and proposed that interview him... and here we are!

Nico de Corato (NdC): Luca, who are you and why you are here alone in the middle of the desert?

Luca Lombardi (LL): Born in Rome, I moved to Sanremo [Liguria, Italy] where I lived for 20 years and where all my friends still live.

I’m a professional photographer and I’m here in the UAE because I love the desert.

NdC: How did you discover the desert?

LL: I saw the desert for the first time on Oct. 6th 2013, while landing in Dubai, a city I fell in love with immediately and I decided to move here after a year only. At the beginning it was not easy at all; very few customers, a little money in my pocket, and I could not even imagine buying a car. At first the only way I had to see the desert was from a window while going to Oman for my Visa Run or during a Desert Safari (a tourist attraction I didn’t like at all) purchased on Groupon. But after I saw the desert first time, a new passion was born inside me.

NdC: Then what happened?

LL: After many sacrifices, I changed my financial situation and in January 2016 I could go into a car-dealership to buy my favourite 4x4!

NdC: How did you learn to drive on the sand? Did you attend a course or something?

LL: I spent lots of time watching tutorials about dune bashing on YouTube. Almost 2 months after purchasing my car, I decided to go into the desert with a friend of mine

(Michele) who was here for a quick vacation.

We headed towards Al Awir and there, for the first time, I could experience the desert as a driver. It was something terrific like entering in a new world! A surreal feeling, a mix of floating and slipping into a totally strange but comfortable and pleasantly soft environment. Obviously for the first few months my desert trips were limited to excursions on the tracks leading to the farms, I did not dare to face dunes higher than a meter!

After 9 months, on September 22nd there

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was a turning point. I joined an offroaders club and I conceived a new project, named Luca Goes Offroad and started with a new Instagram account to post my weekly offroad adventures. I wanted to do something different and far from normal, with a series of funny videos. The idea behind each video was simple: Driving my friends, as passengers, out of their comfort zones and challenging them with an extreme dune bashing experience and video recording their feelings during the trip.

NdC: So you created a successful format?

LL: Exactly! My most famous video is called “Photo shooting while dune bashing!”, back stage of a photo shooting with Ginevra, a dear friend of mine and a beautiful model, who accepted the idea of a professional photo shoot during a desert trip. This shoot was supported by a professional studio; Niccolò was the light engineer who gave me a big hand in arranging the perfect light setup in my car.

During another funny video Sami, an Italian pastry chef, tried to prepare a cake while dune bashing... you can imagine the final result. But we can say I enjoyed every single video I have worked on till now.

NdC: Any other photo/video projects related to your excursions?

LL: In the latest videos I use my drone for pictures and videos in order to give a different perspective and also to create more picturesque images and to expand the concept of “Luca / Desert”.

NdC: Which is your favourite desert place in the UAE? LL: I’ve several locations I love driving to: Sweihan, for example; a town in the region of Al Ain, but on the border of three cities: Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Al Ain. It is noted for its surrounding farms, thanks to which you can see an abundance of camels and Emiratis training with their falcons. It’s characterized by big dunes and soft sands, as a matter of fact it is known as “Little Liwa”, being the practising ground of Liwa enthusiasts. You can find there also Naqrah, a sand dune located deep in the Sweihan desert, which needs to be tried at least once by dune bashing buffs.

Also the trip from Al Wagan to Um Al Oush, with its starfish dunes is a must. There you can face all types of situations: small technical dunes, extremely soft sand, sharp crests, side crests, high speed flat areas... and the highlight of this drive: huge, perfectly shaped, round bowls where you can perform 360 degrees driving on the walls of the bowls themselves.

I’ve been in Liwa, but I didn’t face the deep desert yet. I need to improve my car and get more confident with it. I also love

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some places in Oman: The Sink Hole in Bimmah and Wadi Shab for example.

NdC: Any suggestion / tips for people willing to experience offroad driving and or photography?

LL: Do not hesitate. Defy your limits. Break the rules. Try it! Of course never forget to be safe. Never go alone into the desert. I’m sure when you are there, you will find the right inspiration to take some fantastic pictures as well. No matter if you are a professional photographer or you are just taking pictures using your smartphone. The desert will drive you...

NdC: Luca thanks a lot for your time. I hope to join you during one of the next trip.

Keep on Going into the Desert (in safety)! ■

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EVENT REPORT

The Color Run Dream World Tour heads to the UAE in November Words by: Nermine Kashef

The largest running series in the world, The Color Run presented by Daman’s Active Life returns to the UAE this November. Get ready to don your most colourful outfit and grab your BFF’s for a day of colour, unicorns and dreams, and take part in the Happiest 5k on the Planet.

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The Color Run presented by Daman’s Active Life will take place on Saturday 11th November at the Dubai Autodrome tickets are on sale at www.colorrun.ae and Reebok stores in Dubai Mall, Dubai Marina Mall and Mirdif City Centre.

Color Runners will have even more fun this year as we get ready to Dream in Color as part of The Color Run Dream World Tour. New and exclusive to this year will be the Foam Zone, where foam clouds make everything better, whilst of course, Color Runners will still be covered from head to toe in an array of colour in the Color Zones along the 5k route. Along the course, participants can show their aspirations on the Dream Wall, snap selfies with giant unicorns, and enjoy the ultimate color party with family and friends at the Finish Festival...including the famous color throws!

Each Color Runner will receive a fun participant kit, which includes; a limited‐edition Dream World Tour race shirt, embroi-

dered headband, a fun temporary tattoo, welcome card, rainbow pencil and some awesome goodies from sponsors. Deluxe Runners will receive the kit plus a Gold bib for VIP Parking, a wristband, tutu, party socks and sunglasses for the ultimate Color Runner look on the day. Whether you bring your squad of bezzies or your crew of kids and family, it’s a 5k course that will have everyone feeling like they’re on cloud nine.

Greg Sproule, Managing Director of IMG Middle East said: “This year, we are going to take Color Runners to a world where anything is possible and inspire our participants to make their dreams a reality in this magical 5k course as The Color Run Dream World Tour comes to Dubai.”

Dr. Michael Bitzer, Chief Executive Officer at Daman, presenting partner of the event said: “The Color Run presented by Daman’s Active Life is the perfect event to encourage the community to come together, have fun and exercise. Aligned with our ongoing

Active Life initiatives that seeks to empower the UAE community to lead a healthy and active lifestyle, this fun 5k is accessible to all.”

“We are very pleased to once again support this most anticipated event. We’re sure with the latest additions to the run, people of all ages will have plenty more reason to get active this year.”He added.

Since its inception in 2012, The Color Run has become a global phenomenon, continuing to innovate the 5k paint race genre each year. The Color Run has been experienced by over six million people worldwide in 35+ countries and has donated a staggering $5 million dollars to charity to date.

Gates will open at 7am on Saturday 11th November, with the first Color Runners setting off at 8:30am. To register, head to www.thecolorrun.ae or Reebok stores in Dubai Mall, Dubai Marina Mall and Mirdif City Centre. ■

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ACTIVITY REPORT

2017 Fujairah Run, Op-Ed - Charles Sultan Words by: Fredrik Jonsson

When most people think about corporate offices or workplaces, fitness is not necessarily the first thing that comes to mind. Many of my colleagues spend our days sitting at our desks looking at computer screens, and a few even eat their lunch at their desks.

However, encouraging fitness in the workplace is tremendously beneficial for both companies and employees. The endorphins released during exercise mean staff have more self-confidence and energy, they have

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more of a positive attitude when at work, and they are less stressed too. It is for this reason that employers play such a crucial role in helping to facilitate positive health changes.

Fit employees are also much less likely to get sick – with the weather in the UAE going from high forties to the ice-cold air-conditioned offices, those who don’t look after themselves and exercise regularly are far more likely to fall ill. Encouraging exercise amongst staff could not only lead to a fall in the number of people calling in sick, it could also have an effect on long-term absenteeism too.

Camaraderie is harder to measure, but it is also a significant advantage of a workplace fitness program. A greater sense of workplace fraternity is a natural extension of participating in an employee fitness program. Employees who exercise together, get to know each other better and those enhanced relationships translate into all kinds of benefits.

Workers get to interact with one other in a setting apart from the tension of work and have conversations that they may not have had otherwise in their usual environment.

These relationships help build a company culture of cooperation that can result in increased loyalty and overall gratitude that employees feel toward their boss. That atmosphere of teamwork translates into the community and reflects well on the whole organization.

I love to run because I enjoy the relentless comforting monotony of the track session, bashing out endless training reps of 400 or 800 or 1200/1600 meters. I love the brokenup toughness of a hill session – run up, jog down. I love a long and steady run up to 38km in the early hours of the morning at the weekend.

Running teaches me about discipline, persistence, determination and grit. Running arms you with the life skills for success.

Overcoming the naysayers, believing in yourself when others do not, defying the odds and sticking to your plan, Goal setting… one step at a time!

There are many different ways for employers to encourage their staff to keep fit, regardless of company size. Even in small companies, there are very simple, low-maintenance ways to promote workplace fitness.

You could set up a company sports team, or

encourage staff to commit to taking part in one of the UAE’s many fitness challenges.

The NBF Fujairah Run is an excellent way to get your employees to get fit, get active and have fun. Whether you’re a beginner or a professional runner, the course has a 3km, 5km or 10km route. The coast of Fujairah sits on the Gulf of Oman, the beach landscape is very different to Dubai. It’s a beautiful place not only to run but also to visit. The beaches in Fujairah are quieter than the beaches in Dubai. The Fujairah Fort is the oldest fort in the UAE. There are a couple of beautiful wadis located in Fujairah, amongst the Hajar Mountains. This year’s NBF Fujairah Run will not only be a fun experience for the runners but also for the family and friends in town supporting. Fujairah has something for everyone.

Adopting a healthier lifestyle is ultimately an individual decision. However, it is important that we recognise employer excellence for those who showcase commitment to achieving a healthier future for the citizens of the UAE. ■ NBF Fujairah Run 2017 When: 1st December Where: Fujairah Contact: www.premieronline.com

REEBOK WADI BIH RUN 2018 2-3 FEBRUARY DIBBA, OMAN

REGISTRATION NOW OPEN

TEAM RACE CATEGORY: 72KM | 50KM SOLO RACE CATEGORY: 72KM | 50KM | 30KM

RUNNERS CAN REGISTER ONLINE AT WWW.WADIBIH.COM REGISTRATION WILL CLOSE ON THE 18TH JANUARY 2018 OR WHEN THE MAXIMUM NUMBER OF ENTRANTS HAS BEEN REACHED. ENTRANTS ARE REQUIRED TO REGISTER THEIR PASSPORT AND VISA ONLINE IN ADVANCE FOR THE OMAN BOARDING CROSSING. ORGANIZED BY

POWERED BY

IN COOPERATION WITH OUR PARTNERS

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2018

Follow us for the latest updates   @WadiBihRun @ReebokMENA

EVENT REPORT

Kalba Kickr: Pink Dots and Boulders Words + Photos by: David O’Hara

Have you ever imagined that as a middle-of-the-pack ultrarunner that you would be ahead of some of the top local athletes forty minutes into a race? Forty minutes into the Kalba Kickr, somehow I was ahead of ultrarunners like Lee Harris, Simon Dury and Elliot Lewis.

Expect the Unexpected

To ensure that nobody has a sense of complacency, Urban Ultra introduced this season the Kalba Kickr, a 45km ultra trail event with a seven-hour cut off through the Hajar Mountains around Kalba. Runners

often get lulled into a false sense of security that anything is possible: just work harder and take electrolytes. However, Louise and Pascal mark the route with precision and care, to ensure that no boulder is bypassed, that no section is too level, and that when faced with the choice between a rock and a hard place – we climb over the rock and then through the hard place. What all UAE trail runners should know about Urban Ultra: expect the unexpected.

Foreboding Sense of Impending Happiness

Olga and I head out to Kalba the night before to enjoy camping out under the stars and avoid the very early morning drive. The temperature before sunrise is warm, which means things are gonna get toasty in a few hours. When morning comes, we get a

sense of foreboding when we see that we are surrounded by very rocky mountains with no trees or trails. The route for the 45km is two ‘lollipops’ which should be 22.5km each. However, even the best plans often go awry.

Follow the Pink Dots

The run starts out up a steep rocky farm road, then crosses a rocky field with a rocky trail in between. At the briefing, UU told us that they installed a rope to help guide safely up some rocks around 3km. But the beauty of running mountain trails is the freedom of nature and the simplicity of the surroundings. The rocks were so mesmerizing that all the runners stopped following the pink dots that mark the route and ran up a long rocky road, missing a turn. Consequently, every runner in front of me was off

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the course running up a dead-end hill and I obediently followed, until somebody whistled for the pack to turn around and find the turn we missed.

Those Damn Pink Dots

There are about 100 runners and I’m in the middle of the pack. So after the missed turn when we get turned around, the fast fifty are now behind me, which adds a little zip into my step. We climb up the rope to a ledge and go up another rocky trail. Much to my surprise, there was a bottleneck of about 15 runners scrambling along a ledge waiting to climb rocks. At any point during this climb, my mind avoided two important questions: Would Urban Ultra mark a route this dangerous? Where are the pink dots? You may be thinking that nobody is stupid enough to miss pink dots and to run off the trail twice in a matter of minutes, but I would conclude that you’ve never run with me.

Appliance-sized Boulders

After scrambling up a rocky couloir with a microwave-sized boulder smashing into two toaster-sized boulders just meters above me, I get to the top of the ridge. From here, three things are clear: I see pink dots (just to clarify, the entire trail was clearly marked with pink dots, but the primal herd mentality takes over sometimes); the pink dots are on a rocky trail; and the leaders are behind me still. So after the leaders missed the first turn and went about 2km farther than necessary, I managed to go off the trail but not as far, so I ended up ahead of Lee, Simon and Elliot at forty minutes into the Kalba Kickr, much to their chagrin and my pleasure.

Downhill

Things went downhill from there. When I reached Checkpoint 3 at 16km, the leaders were a paltry 30 minutes ahead of me. It was getting a bit warm with temperatures over 40C and no shade. While cramping was a factor for many runners, the rocky trail was much more of a hindrance than the heat.

By my estimate, only 20% of the trail was somewhat runnable, and the rest was too rocky to run. Consequently, finishing within the seven-hour cutoff was beyond me on this day.

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how do you react in the face of adversity?

While I did not make the cutoff and am listed as DNF (“did not finish”), I consider the Kalba Kickr as a complete success. One of the six finishers, Elliot, said afterwards that at Manuel Schmidt’s checkpoint, he was “Done!” Somehow, Elliot dug deep and found the energy to come around and finish.

True ultra-endurance at its finest. How cool is that? ■

Nobody Promised an Easy Day

Of the 23 runners who started the 45km, only 6 made the cutoff for the second loop.

But with the high temperatures and extreme rocky trail conditions, the second loop was shortened for safety. Let me clarify: this run was so tough that just over 25% were allowed to try a second loop, and they were instructed to only run 12km. It’s not supposed to be easy. No excuses. So it was hot, the trail was rocky, and the mountains were steep. It was a true test of one’s character:

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We meet Josefina Fontana traveling the world to find amazing places and outdoor fun Words by: Daniel Birkhofer

The UAE is a place where you find people from all trades and backgrounds but certainly it is also the place in the world where you can find the highest percentage of cabin crew compared to the total populations with so many airports and airlines in close proximity. If you are young and an adventurer there is no better job than working as cabin crew which will give you access to almost any place around the world.

We met with Josefina in Ski Dubai preparing for the first Columbia Adventure Academy this winter season. The Columbia Adventure Academy is all about getting people outdoors and active so it’s a perfect fit for OutdoorUAE to support this great initiative of Columbia Sportswear removing entry barriers to give easy and fun access

to outdoor activities the region has to offer.

Josefina perfectly represents the identity of this initiative - you don’t need to be a professional athlete to be actively adventurous and try out new and exciting activities.

Tell us a bit about you and how you came to Dubai?

I am from Argentina and came to the UAE two and half years ago to work as cabin crew for an airline and to discover the world and the exciting metropolis of Dubai.

You are an active person, are you also an athlete?

No not really I just love the outdoors and to be active. I have done sports since I was a child, played hockey back home and did a lot of running. But in the past couple of years I have tried many different things all around the world and found my love for the underwater world through scuba diving and the mountains through snow sports.

What are your favourite outdoor activities?

Here in Dubai its mainly water sports like diving and wake boarding and if it gets too hot I love to go to Ski Dubai. If I am travelling I love winter sports, I started with skiing and then I learned snow-boarding since its closer to wakeboarding and a lot of fun. I feel I have a special connection with snow and mountains as I love the pristine white which makes the landscape look like it’s been drawn with a soft brush and the cold winter air is so clean that you have amazing views from up top on the mountains.

What is your favourite outdoor place here in the UAE?

It’s difficult to choose one, but I really enjoy Kite Beach and Ski Dubai. Or going to the desert with my friends to spend the day... but there is so much to do and explore that I cannot decide on a single place!

What is your favourite place in the world?

My home in Argentina, because its where I have my roots and it’s so green with untouched nature. But I love the ocean, and the mountains, so my perfect combination is places where I have both.

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What is the most memorable experience you had in snow?

I went to Finland’s to ski, and being there so high up in the mountains surrounded by snow as far as you can see. Sometimes the slope and the sky seemed to merged together which was magical. Racing down the long and steep slopes, feeling the cold wind in your face is just an incredible and indescribable feeling. You need to experience it for yourself since you cannot put it in words.

Do you have any specific preferences for clothing when you go on an adventure?

I have to trust the brand and to be comfortable because most of this sports activities require professional equipment. Especially if you go in snow it’s important to stay warm but don’t sweat inside your clothes. I always buy my gear from Columbia before I travel since the price value is great and I like their design. So it’s the perfect fit for me functional and fashionable, yet very affordable.

What are your next adventures you have lined up?

Of course the Columbia Adventure Academy where I will hopefully meet more like minded people who want to experience the outdoors and I hope to be able to give them a taste of adventure and share with them my love an passion for winter sports.

I’m also looking forward to do more a hiking, it’s one of my dreams to go to Kilimanjaro. Or to dive in Iceland and see the tectonic plates underwater with 100mts visibility. For Dubai I’m am planning my sky dive experience!!!

What would you recommend to our readers where they can start if they want to get active?

The easiest way is to sign up to the Columbia Adventure Academy and join one of their free events or just ask some friends to take you with them since you will have the best experiences if you share them with the right people. ■

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TRAVEL & ADVENTURE

High Altitude Ultra Adventure in the Himalayas

Surviving 165km in 1 Week with Eric’s Knife and Duct Tape Words + Photos by: David O’Hara

Our Big Adventure

This year’s big ultra event for Ramzi and me is the Royal Penguin Ultramarathon, a 64km ultramarathon starting in Namche (3400m – Namche Bazaar

meaning at 3400 metres above sea level) in the Himalayas in Nepal, following a trail up the Cho Oyu valley to Gokyo with a turnaround at Renjo Pass (5300m) and back to Namche. In addition to the obvious need for fitness, we faced two challenges: simply getting to Namche and altitude acclimatization.

We devised a plan to address both issues, by running and ‘power-trekking’ that week over 165km and taking a helicopter up to high altitude to summit a 5550m peak.

Saturday: Lukla (2800m) – Namche (3400m). 20km in 5 hours

We arrived in Kathmandu midnight on Friday and less than five hours later, we left for the domestic airport to catch a flight to Lukla. Lukla prides itself as being the ‘most dangerous airport in the world’, where the problem is the weather constantly shutting down the cliff side airstrip that leaves zero room for pilot error. Our flight flew with only a two hour delay, but our buddy Hamad got stuck in Kathmandu for two days before taking a helicopter. When we got to Lukla, we met our guide, Birman from Trekking Team Group. Our tour operator knows us and selected Birman, because of his fitness and positive attitude. The trek from Lukla to Namche is usually two days, but we ran it in five hours as a warm-up exercise. It takes time to get accustomed to running on the rocks, but we ran with only a quick stop for popcorn at Phakding – so we go from sea level in Dubai to Namche at 3400m in less than 24 hours.

Before sunrise

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Gorek Shep and Nuptse

Sunday: Namche (3400m) – Khumjung & Khunde (3800m) loop.

10km in 4 hours

We spend a day acclimatizing by trekking to Khumjung and Khunde villages above Namche, which are easy treks up to 3800m. The following morning after waiting for three hours in Namche for the incoming helicopter, our pilot pulls us aside and screams at us, “This is a Freaking Bad Idea.” He was ranting because we weren’t acclimated. I exaggerated and said that we had been over 4000m for a week. After he cussed us out, he gave us the telephone number of a medevac.

Kala Patthar Summit

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Lobuche

Monday: Gorek Shep (5180m) – Kala Patthar (5550m) & EBC (5300m). 10km in 5 hours

We jumped off the helicopter and trekked straight up Kala Patthar Summit, which is famous as the location where most iconic Everest photos are taken. It’s a great rocky peak with huge cliffs on three sides. After enjoying the views, we run the rocks down to Gorek Shep. Running at 5500m is a fun concept, but the altitude is clouding our judgment. After a bowl of dubious soup at the lodge, we head up to Everest Base Camp (“EBC”) following the route of the first 5km of the Everest Marathon. Ramzi is starting to lag behind and to noticeably stumble.

When we are on the glacier just above EBC, it starts snowing and we head back to Gorek Shep for the night.

Tuesday: Gorek Shep (5180m) – Namche (3400m). 37km in 10 hours

Spending the night at Gorek Shep is a blur.

Ramzi has some altitude issues which are somewhat relieved with Diamoxx and the dinner makes me colourfully nauseous, so we are well prepared for the 37km run down to complete the Everest Marathon route.

We struggled somewhat for the first couple hours over boulders until we got below 5000m at Lobuche. Lobuche is a beautiful simple village of ten buildings with no utilities, but a majestic view of the snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas. We are running wherever possible when Birman asks about doing the ultra in two days with us. He loved our Brilliant Idea and decided he would also participate despite not really knowing what an ultramarathon is. After ten hours of running and trekking on rocks, we are back in civilized Namche.

Yak and Ramzi

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Nuptse at sunrise

Thursday: Namche (3400m) – Renjo Pass (5400m). 68km in 18 hours With a much-needed rest day, we have our traditional pre-race strategy meeting when some guys chat us up. It turns out they’re ultra runners on holiday and are so amused by our antics, that they promise to show up for the 03:00 start of the ultramarathon.

The camaraderie of the trails is amazing, because these three guys meet us at 01:30 to cheer before the start.

Royal Penguin Ultra Marathon

The ultra is tough. Imagine running, walking, trekking and climbing rocks for hours and hours, but since you’re at altitude, there’s not much oxygen. There are rivers, cliffs, and more rocks. The vertical ascent is over Porter carrying 85kg Steel Beam

3000m of elevation. You run the first three hours before sunrise in darkness and the last four hours after sunset. The views during the day are spectacular with snow covered mountains in all directions. Birman takes off ahead of us, so we soon find ourselves hanging with Eric, an experienced Dutch ultrarunner. When Ramzi’s knee gives out, Eric pulls out of his pack a knife and some duct tape – which is creepy and scares the crap out of Ramzi –to quickly tape up Ramzi’s knee as good as new. Near Machermo Eric using his knife and duct tape

(4500m), we come across a Nepali porter – who couldn’t have weighed more than 50 kg – carrying a 4-metre steel beam that weighs 85 kg. We decided that carrying a steel beam that weighs almost twice your body weight should be in next CrossFit or Tough Mudder competition held at 4500 metres above sea level. Together we enjoyed doing 600m of vertical ascent in darkness after 15 hours, which is truly a bonding experience of pleasure and pain as we finished in just under 18 hours.

Saturday: Namche (3400m) – Lukla (2800m). 20km in 4 hours

Here’s what happened on the last day – it’s gonna be hard to explain. We ran fairly hard from Namche to Lukla - 20km, carrying our running packs with spare jackets.

I ran in sandals, shorts, polo shirt and calf compression. We got there so quickly we could catch a flight to Kathmandu instead of staying in Lukla (think: armpit, Nepalistyle). The problem was the porter had our bags with passports, money, everything. I ran back to get our bags while Ramzi negotiated with the airline. I was about 1km away, when Ramzi calls me and says to run as fast as I can back to the airport. I sprint - despite the high mileage in the morning and make it to the terminal in five minutes.

We run through the airport and straight onto the tarmac without security or documents and the plane’s engines are already started, so we hop up the three steps and in. Except for a tarp in the middle of the plane, it’s empty with all the seats folded away except two for us. At this point, I was only wearing a down jacket without a shirt - I had taken it off earlier because it was dripping wet - camouflage shorts, calf compression and sandals. My feet were as filthy as you could imagine after running five hours through rural Nepal. We arrived in Kathmandu with nothing but the dirty clothes on our back until the bags with our money and passports arrived the next morning!

Ramzi enjoying Kala Patthar

Ramzi and Altitude Issues

That flight exemplifies the flexibility and patience you endure to enjoy a fun Nepal adventure, and the adventure itself becomes the main event. In a week, we ran / powertrekked over 100 miles at elevation in sun and in snow. We flew from Kathmandu to Lukla, and we took a helicopter from Namche to Gorek Shep. We climbed to the Kala Patthar summit. We ran the last 37km of the Everest Marathon, and we completed the Royal Penguin ultramarathon. Nepal is an amazing place – with snow-covered mountains, superfit porters, crazy yaks, too many rocks and the kindest hospitality in harsh conditions. ■

With da Boys

EDITOR’S SAFETY NOTE: The basic rule of thumb for Acclimatization is to: Take things easy for the first few days as you ascend, drink more fluid than you would normally (at least an additional 1 litre per 1000 metres’ height gain) and to make plenty of stops to take a few deep breaths (while you enjoy the view) to replenish those oxygen levels (which decrease the higher you go). We recommend that if you are going to train at altitude or compete in a high level race and if you are coming from sea level then you take a few extra days to acclimatize slowly and properly. The Author of this Article is a very experienced athlete and knows how far he can push himself and Ramzi but for the average novice to Altitude racing, we recommend a slower approach to acclimatization! Dan

7 Emirates Run My name is Toni Metcalfe I am a mum of three children and I also have a passion for running. Not just any running but Ultra running. An Ultra run is defined by any distance over a marathon (42.2kms) but is usually much longer and on mountainous terrain. My last race was 100 miles long and across the south of England countryside.

My passion for running began 3 years ago after having my 3rd child I had fallen into the trap of over eating and not exercising and my weight ballooned to the point i found simple things like taking my kids to the pool tiring.

I knew something had to change so I strapped on some running shoes on and got out the door. My first target was simple... to do 1 loop of my compound (1.3km) without stopping. It took me about 3 weeks of trying to achieve this goal and I just kept lengthening my distance goal and watching what I was eating and my weight started to decrease and distance started to increase. I then did something I never thought I would do.. enter a marathon... the Dubai marathon. Training then became a big part of my

life and I loved it! I joined a running club.. the Abu Dhabi Striders and loved it even more. Marathon day came and I ended up running with a friends. We crossed the finish line together in 3 hours 48 minutes which proved to me that “you know what? I’m not too bad at this running malarky!”

About a month later I entered my first trail race in Ras Al Khaimah. It was tough, really tough. The mountain really took it out of me, the rocky terrain tore my shoes up and I was hot and exhausted but crossed the finish line dead last but I felt elated and incredibly happy. This is when I knew mountain and ultra running was my calling.

I have trained hard and consistently and have ran many races across Europe and the Middle East coming in the top females and often on the podium. Which has lead me to this amazing adventure...

On the 46th National Day Celebration, I will be completing an ultra marathon that touches and crosses each of the 7 emirates of the UAE. I want to give back to the community by helping children back on their feet. This adventure will promote HELP by raising funds for children who are unable to walk through the Al Jalila foundation HEALTH by showcasing the run as part of a healthy lifestyle FUN by enjoying time together as a team and discovering the UAE on foot.

I will also be helping out Reebok MENA by product testing their new running shoe the Floatride 475km in one week will be one heck of a testing!

I will start on 18th of November 2017 in Abu Dhabi and cross Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah to end in Hatta at JA Hatta Fort Hotel on the 24th of November with a Social Run as Finish Celebration and celebration of the 46th National Day of the UAE. On the last evening, the 24.11.2017, all the runners will celebrate the finish of the 7ER/AJF Event with an final event in Hatta at JA Hatta Fort Hotel. This final celebration of the 7ER/AJF Event will be also a get together for the celebration of the 46th UAE National Day. This will give us the opportunity to show our appreciation for the unity of the UAE and its residents - and raise further funds. ■ Check out the website for the run www.7emiratesrun.com/en/the-run. html You can also follow me on Instagram - www.instagram.com/emiratesultrarunner

EVENT REPORT

Cyclists are Training Hard for the

Spinneys Dubai 92 Cycle Challenge The countdown to the Spinneys Dubai 92 Cycle Challenge continued with a spin. With just a few weeks to go until the main event, over 550 cyclists from across the UAE met at the Al Qudra Cycle Track at the third Spinneys Build-Up ride ahead of the main 92km event on 15th December.

Coming in first place on 20th October for the men was Rashed Mohamed Ghulam and Cedric Domont who both crossed the finish line with a time of 01:34:22 and Mansoor Ali Thani came in third in 01:34:22.

Nichola McDonald took first place in the women’s challenge with a time of 01:40:59, Kim Percy came in second with a time of 01:41:49 and in third place was Julie Luyt coming in at 01:41:57.

Spinneys, the locally-owned supermarket chain was once again a great hit in the busy Cycle Village with their delicious omellets and freshly baked croissants for everyone to

enjoy after a long ride on the track. Alongside Spinneys, a number of other sponsors ensured that all cyclists, friends and family had a fantastic morning, including UPANDRUNNING with their much-needed sports massages.

The fourth and final Build-Up ride is taking place on 24th November covering 85km taking place at Al Qudra Cycling Track. â– To register or for more information, please visit www.cyclechallenge.ae

EVENT REPORT

• Free mobile fitness gyms, in association with Decathlon, set up in 75 different locations including communities, parks and malls • Expert trainers on hand throughout the month-long Challenge to help participants get the most out of their fitness regimes

Thousands gathered at Kite Beach Dubai this weekend to participate in the Dubai Fitness Challenge second weekend carnival.

Friends and families enjoyed over 1.5km of beach dedicated sand and sea activities such as paddle boarding, kite surfing, kayaking, beach cricket, Ultimate Frisbee and Beach Bootcamp. Moreover, the carnival played host to celebrity training sessions, team and individual sports, stage acts and over 40 exciting sports and activities including the much-awaited Dubai City Swim.

Award-winning fitness instructor, entrepreneur and online personality Cassey Ho flew in from Los Angeles especially for Dubai residents and led the festivities with her unique POP Pilates© class, and participants also joined renowned trainer Parveez Saligh for the ‘Animal Flow’ class.

The second Weekend Fitness Carnival brought Dubai one step closer to becoming one of the most active cities in the world, and encouraged participants to make a positive step towards a healthy lifestyle. It will be followed by an adrenaline-packed carnival next weekend at Skydive Dubai featuring the city’s first ever Superhero Walkathon, a variety of extreme and adventure sports and a range of Determination Sports including wheelchair assault course, boccia, sitting volleyball and wheelchair rugby. ■ For more information visit www.dubaifitnesschallenge.com

JEBEL JAIS VIA FERRATA

Active adventurers can take to the mountains to experience the “Iron Path” when it reopens in November

Ras Al Khaimah is anticipating its busiest outdoor activity season to date as the Jebel Jais Via Ferrata (Iron Path) challenge readies for its second year ahead of reopening on 1 November, 2017.

Since launching in November last year, the Jebel Jais Via Ferrata has already gained top Trip Advisor ranking among the emirate’s attractions, welcoming thousands of active adventurers in its first six months of operations.

The Jebel Jais Via Ferrata, which sees enthusiasts climb and trek almost 400 feet above sea level on Jebel Jais, the country’s highest peak soaring 1,934 metres, has earned media and fan plaudits for being one of the most thrilling experiences in the UAE. Earlier this year it made it to the shortlist for the much sought-after ‘Innovation of the Year’ award by the highly acclaimed Adventure Travel Awards.

The only commercial product of its kind in the UAE was devised by the Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) as part of its strategy of developing the emirate’s adventure sports offerings and targeting one million visitors by the end of 2018.

“The speed at which Jebel Jais Via Ferrata has made its mark on top review sites, such as TripAdvisor, is as breath-taking as the mountain views that adventurers get when they take on the challenge,” commented Haitham Mattar, CEO, RAKTDA. “We extended the product’s launch period by a month earlier this year due to heavy demand. With the second season beginning in November, and expected to run through to April next year, we anticipate heavy pick up for the product as word spreads locally, regional and internationally of the quality of the experience.”

A ’bucket list’ adventure, Ras Al Khaimah’s 470 metre-long Jebel Jais Via Ferrata spans the rocky facades of Jebel Jais which stands atop the rugged Al Hajar Mountain range, where the average climate is 10°C below mean Gulf temperatures.

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Toro Verde, the world’s leading zip line operator, has been appointed to operate the return of the Jebel Jais Via Ferrata and anticipates additional interest during its second season: “The inaugural year welcomed some 1,500 intrepid adventurers who took up the challenge, with an average of 300 per month,” Jorge Jorge, CEO of Toro Verde Ras Al Khaimah, said. “We have already witnessed significant interest in its return, and with the booking site launching

this week, we expect to welcome a greater number of adventure travellers to Jebel Jais through to 2018.”

The Jebel Jais Via Ferrata caters to a wide range of ages and fitness levels. Tourist groups are able to choose from the three routes in twice-daily supervised tours starting at 9:00am and 1:00pm.

The Jebel Jais Via Ferrata is the first in a series of mountain, activity and adventure products RAKTDA is developing specifically for nature and adventure seekers. “We are nearing the launch of the world’s longest zip line, which will be another showpiece product to leverage Ras Al Khaimah’s spectacular mountain terrain and attract thrill seekers from around the world,” added Mattar.

Just 45 minutes from Ras Al Khaimah’s growing stock of beachfront resorts, the Jebel Jais Via Ferrata is part of Ras Al Khaimah’s Vision 2019 Destination Tourism strategy, which includes innovative hospitality concepts that take advantage of the destination’s diverse natural assets, including golden sand coastline, stunning mountain ranges, hot springs and an expansive, terracotta desert. All are aimed at attracting one

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million visitors to the emirate by 2018.

“No less an authority than Lonely Planet has now described Ras Al Khaimah as ‘THE place in Arabia to get an adrenalin rush’ and that gives us credibility and confidence going forward as we build a world-class adventure tourism product leveraging the natural assets and beauty of this emirate,” added Mattar.

Individual and group tickets to experience the Jebel Jais Via Ferrata, priced at AED400 each, can be booked through www.jebeljais. ae. Complimentary bus transfers for ticketholders are available to Jebel Jais from Tulip Inn Ras Al Khaimah via shuttle buses each leaving the venue at 8:00am and 12:00pm. ■

TRAVEL & ADVENTURE

Words + Photos by: Hanady Alhashmi

I have always been into sports since I was a child, but surprisingly my passion and interest for the outdoors only started about 3 years ago, I started off by buying my first 4x4 car and joined some groups that went off to Oman for some village trekking and mountain drives. What started off with one to two-hour hikes to see how Omanis lived, turned out to change my life, I started to want to extend the number of hours I could hike, how fast and whether I could reach the highest peaks in the region.

In one of my earlier trainings before I could really reach any high peak, I hurt my knee, went to the doctor, had it x-rayed,

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and discovered I had a meniscus tear. I was told to do physiotherapy at the hospital and to stop every other training I was doing. This put me down in the beginning, because I was so excited to get started, I wanted to get out there and start reaching new heights, and I felt defeated before I had even taken off, but I knew I had to stay positive!

What took some time to realize was that my training either wasn’t that efficient; I hadn’t strengthened my leg muscles enough, or perhaps I simply did something wrong, either way I had a knee injury. Now, instead of giving up on hiking, I made sure to stick to the physiotherapy and strengthen my muscles with an aim to get back to the mountains. I could have given up and thought “Maybe hiking isn’t for me”, but it taught me that it’s okay to have

drawbacks and to take them face on and learn from them to improve, grow and become stronger than before. You can make a choice on how you respond to these types of situations.

I try to remember this story at times when I am training or climbing a hard route, that I am only getting stronger, faster and better (of course, as long as I am doing it right and safe!).

You could find yourself in a tough situation or have an unpleasant experience and you can either talk yourself down and give up on something for good because it was hard or take it as a challenge; learn, read, ask for help, and try again, anything is better than nothing at all.

But if you haven’t done the best you could do, you will keep asking yourself “What If?”, and you might miss out on the views and gratification from climbing the highest mountains in the world. ■

TRAVEL & ADVENTURE

A Challenge, What Constitutes a Challenge?

Words + Photos by: Mark Buley

The standard definition is; “A call to prove or justify something” but what do we need to prove? To who?

Why the need to justify? Because we are human, we live to conquer challenges, to rise above, to evolve through rich experiences, whether comfortable or not…

With this in mind and at the now adult (it took long enough!) age of 42 years old, my brain kicked into caveman mode last August and decided it was time to conquer, to test myself and push the boundaries.

As a casual runner (last race 8 years ago) I decided this might be a nice avenue to explore, maybe a marathon, or more? A run somewhere interesting? Within a matter of minutes, the game was on and my entry confirmed to the Marathon des Sables 2018, a 260km, self-sufficient race across the Sahara in searing desert heat, bring it on!

For those who know the Marathon des Sables (MDS) www.marathondessables.com it is not a race that one approaches lightly, as much as the running itself, the challenge is for an amateur runner to completely change their mind-set and apply professional thinking and insane levels of detail to all elements of the challenge (Running, Body Mechanics, Nutrition, Survival etc), and then to test all plans, refine them and in the process lay the foundations of MDS success.

So, it’s October, the first such test is here, and boy is it a challenge (this may have crept up on me!), the VO two Atlantic Coast Challengewww.votwo.co.uk. A testing 3 marathons in 3 days around the UK’s Cornish coastal path, a steep, rocky cliff top path surrounded by shipwrecks and ruined tin mines, a constant reminder of those who have been beaten by this terrain through the ages and left to ruin!

Arriving at the race HQ at 6pm the evening before, its quickly obvious how professionally organised this event is, the team at VO two apply their military precision to every element of the event, from the HQ setup, the quality and organisation of the checkpoints, the mandatory kit and safety factors, nothing is left to chance. I check into my shared caravan and meet Nick and Patrick, 2 great guys, Nick a keen triathlete and Patrick an experienced marathoner. We are all excited, ready and can’t wait for the challenge to begin.

Day 1 – Padstow to Perranporth, 42.5km: a restless night’s sleep and the alarm chirps at 6am signaling the start of the next phase and that its time to get on with it. The race HQ this morning is a mix of nerves and excitement, 200 runners excitedly preparing the day/s ahead, discussing strategies, experiences and aspirations. It’s worth noting that there is a field of 200 runners and

it appears that at least half of the field have either completed the MDS or are about to, great preparation and a chance to network ahead of the MDS (and to meet up with some of the Bad Boy running alumni).

The mandatory kit checks are first, essentially warm/wet weather gear and some basic emergency and first aid items suited to the course – we are also issued with an electronic dibber to be dibbed at every checkpoint along the way (every 15km or so). Following this is the daily briefing from Ben Mason at VO two, the event is self navigation so some very clear navigation instructions are given (more on those later) whilst I ignore them, fiddle with my watch and eat my breakfast, consisting of just 2 organic flapjack bars, my planned MDS breakfast now being tested.

As day 1 starts and finishes away from camp its onto the minibuses (there are 8, completing 2 trips each!) for the hour transfer to the start, made easier by great humour from Dave, a VO two crew member from Redruth who’s jokes by far exceed those of Ben in his earlier briefing.

Upon reaching the start lineit’s time for the last minute checks, a few words of encouragement between Patrick and I and then ready for the off, I dig through the start as about the 60th runner, starting in a downhill grassy trail and setting a strong pace in glorious British October sunshine (?!?!?).

The terrain soon undulates with grassy trail turning into rocky trails and short steep downhill and uphill sections as we cling to the cliff trail, passing by beautiful cliff tops (big drops!), hidden coves, and long surf beaches. We encounter a number of sections of long steep steps up and down cliffs, irregularly set and as high as knee height these steps serve to fatigue the muscles and especially the knee and ankle joints, irrespective of this pain confidence is high and I skip up them with the dexterity of an elderly overweight mountain goat. At this stage I find myself running strongly and keeping a brisk pace (despite the terrain) and chasing down James Yeardley (another MDS veteran, nice guy but he left his mate Mike behind, obviously a do-badder!) and in 4th place! Now, I have never been in 4th place before so the excitement is obviously uncontainable and I keep pushing hard, keeping James and the others just in front of me at all times. We reach CP1 at Mawganporth and as I am running today on my MDS diet I simply have water and electrolyte and push on, keeping behind the lead group so I can avoid any navigation errors, I maintain this strategy into CP2 at 21km…

After CP2 we run through Newquay and along Watergate beach, still in 4th position and pushing hard. I know I am probably not running my planned race but my competitive edge won’t allow me not to push, mediocre is nothing! I follow the gang out of Newquay and up onto Towan head, a long steady climb up from the town and out around the head is a 3-4km section on grassy trails, feeling proud we head back inland to find the footbridge over the Pentire estuary and onwards. As we approach the path to the footbridge it becomes clear that something is wrong as we join a large pack of runners heading the same way! We have just added a whole extra section to our race and are now in 50th-60th position, cheers James, great training but not what I had planned!

Lesson learnt, we head across the footbridge over the estuary across the beach and up a steep section to where we think we will find the path, however it isn’t there!

Another wrong turn and we find ourselves scrambling through a bramble bush, crawling under barbed wire and sprinting across a field full of inquisitive bulls.

The events of day 1 begin to subside as I complete the gravel trails down to Perranporth beach, a delightful windy, soft sand 4km final straight. Finishing day 1 in 62nd position in 5hrs 17min.

Immediately after the finish the adrenaline subsides, I find myself shaking uncontrollably, a completely empty tank, my blood sugars low and I spend the next few hours in a state of minor Hypoglaecemia, recovering through small regular doses of natural foods (jerky, Nuts etc), Recovery shake and a further electrolyte dose. Needless to say I stepped off the MDS diet for dinner and enjoyed a square foot of Lasagne (the food

provided at camp by VO two was awesome, not to mention the Cornish sunset!)

Day 1 Lessons:

• Run your own race, never get caught up by the occasion or your position/time • Run the race you have fuelled for, don’t fuel for a run walk and then run a trail sprint (huge lesson, this is dangerous and in the Sahara could be the tipping point!)

• Don’t follow a Bad Boy Runner who is navigating!

Day 2 – Perranporth to Hayle (race HQ), 43km: Despite the fatigue another restless night (rain lashing down all night) delivers me into the race HQ at 6am, completing the mandatory checks and this time enjoying a rather large protein rich calorific breakfast whilst listening to Ben’s jokes and now paying keen attention to navigational instructions and sitting as far away as I can from the other Bad Boy runners.

The weather this morning is monsoon like with winds gusting up to 60kph, we head out into the minibuses and off to yesterdays finish at Perranporth, however they actually drop us 500m before yesterdays finish at the bottom of a very steep hill so we dib off and start with a hands on knees walk up the hill and around the corner onto the 1st of the cliff ledges…

Now I like the seaside, I like a view from time to time, a breeze may even be nice.

This was horrendous, brutal, defining the word challenge! The cliff ledge was strewn with rocks and ankle deep mud, the wind and rain threatening to wash us down onto the rocks at any moment. Today was going to be fun! We passed a walker, wearing a plastic rain cape and resembling a windmill in a hurricane, her only words to her friend being “I don’t like it Marjorie” – Only one way to solve this, let’s get on with it and get it done…!

The course today is again rocky paths, steps and grass trails, not too difficult in itself but the weather is the real challenge today. I spend the first 20km asking myself shall I put on a base layer? No I’ll get wet?

Maybe I should? Maybe I shouldn’t? Here I begin to train for mindful running, learning how to control the twists and turns of the brain whilst running multiple hours (MDS will involve a 92km stage).

Despite the weather, my mindful running works and the km’s pass by easily, I break the distance into CP to CP stretches, this time enjoying 2 Jaffa cakes and a water at each station which makes a massive difference. Passing huge cliffs, an old airfield and a military base we reach Godrevy point, the last checkpoint of the day which spits me out onto a 5km section of sand dunes, my home terrain (thanks UAE!) on which I am comfortable. Picking up the pace before the final section through the town of Hayle and back into the race HQ finish line and an immediate hot cup of tea and a big warm towel. Finishing day 2 in 82nd position in 5hrs 42min.

Day 2 Lessons:

• Mindful running and Neuro-control is to be a key element of training to get me through MDS, with a long stage cut off of 34hrs this is overlooked to the peril of many.

• Don’t underestimate the conditions and the right equipment, test that equipment, for this I hadn’t tested my wet gear (in Dubai!) so it was less than ideal, but okay for just the 1 stage.

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Day 3 – Lelant to Lands’ End, 45km: Fatigue is now truly a factor, a good night’s sleep helps but doesn’t allow for the physical recovery that my body needs, we now all understand the “challenge” mentioned in the title. Despite good recovery practises and good nutrition, the start point at the chapel in Lelant (we start there to avoid a highway between the HQ and there) resembles a zombie scene from Tomb raider, unfortunately with no guest appearance from Lara Croft!

The weather is overcast but thankfully dry and the “get it done” mentality kicks in, we dib through and we’re off, across the sandy golf course and along the path through Carbis Bay into the beautiful fishing town of St Ives (the scene of my childhood vacations), running through cobbled streets with a mix of well wishers, sea gulls and old sea captains to cheer us on.

Now, they had said in the briefing today would be fun, it’s just a run by the sea they said, there may be a few rocks they said.

Rounding Clodgy point at 5km it became apparent that Ben’s warped sense of humour was once again in action. Our terrain was now large boulders varying from knee to waist height, thankfully there were some gaps, however these were filled with kneedeep mud and puddles. I practise some hard terrain, be it Shawka, Kalba, Fossil rock, Qudraetc but this was a new level for me, this basically continued for 70% of today’s course, an absolutely brutal cruel twist for an already exhausted body. Terrain is such an important factor and should not be underestimated, always train and practise some sections that are beyond what you will complete in a race, give yourself a more diverse toolkit that you actually need when you get to race day (ie the MDS!).

CP1 finally appears at 15km, transitioning through onto the next section with Jaffa cakes as fuel. The next section features an array of steps, I use this word loosely, they are rather graduations at waist height, so steep you use arms as much as legs and 38

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with trickles of rain water cascading down.

We pushed through these and I was then ready for my audition as Gollum in the next Lord of the Rings movie!

At around 20km I caught up with another MDS veteran and Bad Boy Runner, Mike Jackson. Mike finished 399 in last year’s MDS out of 1200 so I am pleased to run at his pace, chatting as we go about the finer points of MDS preparation. We scramble over more boulders, climb more steps, pass through an amazing cliff top (very steep) CP and run through huge disused tin mines straight out of a Harry Potter scene. We keep a good strong pace as we go, pushing each other, fuelled by Jaffa cakes and by the fantastic sight of Mike entering the Cornish coastal face first mud diving championships during a lapse in concentration!

We pushed hard and I was able to stick with Mike until just before the end when I got an Achilles twinge that I needed to deal, stopped for a few moments and let him push on. Issue sorted and I kicked off again, setting a strong pace towards the finish at Sennen Cove. Entering the town, I picked up my pace, covered in mud with a permanent grimace I pushed through the town in a scene reminiscent of Forest Gump completing his run, only to realise that at the other end of Sennen cove there’s a steep 1km climb followed by a 2km run in to the finish!

Pushing on to keep a reasonable gap between Mike and I, I pushed to the finish now

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running like a fresh runner on his first run of the week, elated, emotional, exhausted and empty I cruise down the last 250m downhill and across the finish line to receive my medal and a hot Cornish pasty. I finished day 3 in 64th position in 7hrs and 40min, overall in 3 days I placed 57th out of 200 with a total running time of 18hrs and 41min.

Day 3 Lessons:

• Terrain, focus on your terrain toolkit, do the gym work that is required to strengthen the applicable joints (ankles and knees).

Build diverse foundations and skills • Run with and absorb the experience of others when preparing for MDS, whilst we are all different hearing peoples experiences and assessing them vs. your scenarios is a huge help and a real confidence boost (thanks Mike) Overall, this was the toughest challenge I have completed to date, it was a challenge and I did conquer it! Bring on the next challenge and let’s step it up a gear, the human body is an awesome tool and everyone can rise to challenges they didn’t think possible, just get out there and smash it!

My biggest learning of all so far as I prepare for MDS? To conquer such a massive challenge is a huge feat and takes months and months of preparation, it demands sacrifice, commitment and dedication – even more by those around you, I couldn’t have completed this or be on this amazing journey to the finish line in the Moroccan Sahara without the support of my beautiful wife Jeanette and my bouncing baby Joshua! It’s a team event;” You guys make it all possible, I owe you, Salamat Po…” ■

PHOTO OF THE MONTH

Bourdering Photographer: Ales Vyslouzil Camera: FUJIFILM XT1 Lens: 35mm:135 F: 2.8 S: 1/250s

TRAVEL & ADVENTURE

Romania - Homeland of Dracula Words + Photos by: Denise Ostermann

Having my roots in Romania this country used to be our yearly family vacation destination during my childhood. Since I moved to the UAE more than 13 years ago it was off the Radar for a while.

Partly because the flight connection was not very convenient but on the other hand I also wanted to discover new places.

About two years ago I started traveling there again after a very long break and I realized I had forgotten how wonderful this country actually is! With more airlines flying there now directly it makes it easy and affordable to reach there in five hours’ time.

Fly Dubai is offering daily flights to Bucharest and Wizz Air has regular direct flights from DWC airport. Visa free entry is offered to EU, UAE & US nationals but also for multiple entry Schengen-visa holders. To be on the safe

side you should always consult the Embassy website to confirm the details.

Romania is located in Eastern Europe and borders the Black Sea to the east, Bulgaria and Serbia to the south, Hungary to the west and Ukraine and Moldova to the north. The second longest river in Europe called the Danube which has its spring in Germany (my actual home country) runs through ten countries before emptying into the Black Sea at Romania’s Danube Delta.

You can easily rent a car from the airport.

Driving in Romania might seem a bit crazy at first but you will get used to it quite quickly.

Just be aware of the numerous police controls. If you only plan to stay in Bucharest public transportation seems to be a great idea due to its very well established system and cheap price. Whereas it might be more convenient to have a car in order to reach the hidden treasures of the country.

Whether you are a cultural & historical enthusiast or you prefer the fun and action, Romania has to offer a vast variety of attractions.

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

Previously a communist country it is today part of the European Union. And ever since it joined the EU in 2007 the country has developed significantly. In its capital Bucharest you will find amazing architecture, plenty of parks and lakes and a lot of life! People know how to enjoy their life here. You can find lots of restaurants everywhere, shopping malls with international brands on the rise and nightlife like nowhere else.

Bucharest can fill up your whole trip with all the museums, churches and events. If you are there for a weekend trip you should definitely visit the Palace of Parliament. It is known to be the world’s biggest parliament building which was built during the ruling of the former dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. Guided tours are offered displaying only a fraction of the 3 main buildings and over 1000 rooms.

Just make sure you carry an ID or passport with you.

Head down to the old town and experience a little bit of French flair with all the street cafés, beautiful buildings and architecture as you would find in Paris. You will even discover a replica of the Arch de Triumph.

During the communist times and with a tragic earthquake in 1977 a lot of those buildings were wiped out but there are still jaw

dropping places here and there.

You definitely cannot miss out on paying a visit to the Museum of the Romanian Peasant. Here you will find a collection of traditional houses of different regions throughout Romania. Not only will you get a glimpse of how people still live around the country but you will be also thrown back into a different decade. Situated in the Herăstrău Park directly next to the lake you can spend hours roaming around.

But not only the city life is worth a visit if you love the adventure and action there is plenty to do! The Black Sea is a two-hour drive away. Constanta is very famous for the locals to spend their weekends during the summer there. And if you like Kitesurfing or other water sports - this is the right address.

With plenty of lakes around Bucharest itself there are also options for wake boarding or waterskiing close by.

If you are more of a mountain& nature person you should definitely head over to Brasov. Travelling only 170km to the north of the capital you will discover a completely different world. Romania is great for road trips with its picturesque and diversified landscapes. If you want to get some fresh air during the hot summer months this is definitely the right place. On the way you have to make a cultural stop at the Castelul Peleș in Sinaia.

Once home of King Carol I of Romania it now offers everyone the experience of being thrown into a time of royalty. Surrounded by the Southern Carpathians paragliding is very popular in this area. If you don’t need the adrenaline kick plenty of trekking routs can be found in the mountain forests. Or if you are looking for some more cultural and historic experiences head over to the Bran Castle also known as Dracula’s Castle home to Vlad the Impaler which was associated with the Irish novelist Bram Stoker’s Dracula

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character. But the Transylvanian Mountains are not only an insider tip during the summer months. In the wintertime they turn into a fairytale set up. You can go on dreamy horse rides through the forests or if you need a bit more action you will find numerous well established skiing areas. If you find yourself on that road trip through Romania, you cannot miss out driving on the famous dreadfully twisting and winding 90km stretch of mountain road Transfagărășăn through the Carpathians. Driving through more tunnels and viaducts than on any other road in Romania you will reach the Lacul Bȃlea glacier lake at more than 2000 meters’ altitude. This trip will reward you with a breathtaking view over the valleys and mountains. And if you dare to make this drive in the wintertime you will be able to stay in one of the few ice hotels in Europe.

Those are only a few spots to discover out of the countless places this country provides.

So if you think one trip will be enough to see and experience Romania you will be proven to be wrong!

If you still have a few hours left upon your return to Bucharest and before your flight you have to plan those to spend and enjoy at the biggest thermal bath in Europe. Plenty of Saunas and different mineral baths offer some relaxing and recovering time after an amazing road trip through the country. ■

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THE

OFF-ROADERS corner

Offroading with my Arctic Truck Tell us the background story of the car…

I fell in love with the car when I was searching for a fully functional off road and adventures car with 4X4 function and no limits to stop it, after seeing Top Gears “Arctic Truck” episode that day it stayed in my head and I went for it!

What modifications have been made, performance and cosmetic wise?

Name: Ahmed Alharbi Nationality: UAE Occupation: Manager Vehicle: Toyota Hilux Artic edition

Upgrade engine supercharge, lift kit, body kit, canopy, off road light, water tank, air compressors, etc.

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

What were your other options before you bought this car?

Nissan Navara, Mitsubishi and Ford Ranger.

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

I have travelled off road, empty quarter, mountains, wadis, and road trips.

Are you planning any future modifications?

Yes - upgrade to the new versions with the new engine.

What 4x4 do you dream of owning?

The X class Mercedes Benz with the “35” offroad kit. ■

Yes, the car is built for all conditions.

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!

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$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

LIFESTYLE

Teaching People to Drive Offroad in the UAE One of the oldest and largest Clubs in the country, UAE Offroaders was established in 2009 by six Emirati guys and one New Zealander to teach people how to drive in the desert.

The six Emirati guys were already offroading. One day they found John Crofts, who was with his family, stuck in the desert. They helped him out and became friends. Then, they thought, “since we share the same hobby, why not establish a club, where anyone who has the same passion or would like to learn offroading could join us”, said Amro Al Tamimi, one of the seven founders.

“People here often drive up and down the same big dune, ending up having accidents. We wanted to show the techniques of proper offroading, using proper safety

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precautions, in an environment that respects one another and respects the desert.”

Right from the start, the club was a hit with residents from all over the country.

All that’s required to become a member is ownership of a 4x4 vehicle. No fees, no

experience needed. In fact, many of today’s marshals were once newbies with the club.

“We now have members from all over the world, from Pakistan to USA to Germany to Romania and we are all one family, all brought together by the beauty of the

UAE desert, which is a piece of art that can only be deeply admired from deep within,” added Al Tamimi.

By now, UAE Offroaders has attracted nearly 3000 members.

“Offroading is addictive. The hard core drivers never stop, not during Ramadan, when we have suhour night trips, not even when it is 50 degrees outside, but for many the season for offroading starts now, when the weather is nicer, when they return from summer holidays and we can also enjoy an

open fire, barbeques and camping during our trips,” said Lee Al Romaithi, another of the seven founders.

From junior to extreme levels, the offroading trips are always run in convoys, following safety rules and under the supervision of

experienced marshals. That said, the trips are always about having fun and re-charging the spirit for the week and all the members share a great comradeship and common goal to learn more about Off-Road driving safely in the UAE. ■

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LIFESTYLE

#2 livestock destroys the rain forest and more Words by: Daniel Birkhofer

If we picture a happy cow it is a cow grassing on lawns as far as far as you can see. We perceive that a cow out in the nature is a good thing rather than squeezed in small cages. On one had this perception is true but the real problem lays in the scale of the operation. I am not talking about a small herd of cows on a grassy slope in the Apls, I am talking about the massive industrial production of supersized cattle ranches in the Amazon for example.

70% of formerly forested land in the Amazon, and 91% since 1970, is used for livestock ranches. From the almost 770.00sqkm ( which is 20% of the rainforest till 2005 form its state of 1970) which fell for deforestation 690.300sq.km are use for livestock which is more than the size of Oman (309.000sq. km)... twice. And this is only the loss of rainforest in the Amazon.

There is a general rule of thumb that approximately 1.5-2 acres of land are need to feed a grassing cow. This translates into more than 80 million cows on the 690.300sq.km in the Amazons which poses other problems like pollution. Worldwide livestock of cattle is almost one billion animals.

There is many other place which are equally affected e.g. using land to grow crops for animals is vastly inefficient. It takes almost 20 times less land to feed someone

on a plant-based (vegan) diet than it does to feed a meat-eater since the crops are consumed directly instead of being used to feed animals. In the United States alone, 225.000sq.km of land are used to grow feed for animals, while only 16.200sq.km are producing plants for humans to eat. (source www.peta.org) The Amazon got quite a bit of attention but currently the increasing demand for meat in Asia especially China will put further pressure on resources. The average consumption of meat grew in China from 13kg in 1982 to 63kg a year in 2016 and is expected to grow an additional 30kg until 2030.

BEEF

CHICKEN PORK

USA

36.8

50.1

27.6

114.5

Australia

38.7

50.5

23

112.2

Argentina

59.7

38.6

8.1

106.4

Canada

30.7

36.5

28.3

95.5

Brasil

40.7

38.5

13.3

92.5

European Union

15.5

23.6

41.3

80.4

Russia

17.9

25.3

24.1

67.3

South Africa

18.6

37.8

6.9

63.3

Mexiko

17

31

14.9

62.9

South Korea

12.7

16.9

32.7

62.3

China

5

14

38.8

57.8

Japan

9.8

19.1

20

48.9

Indonesia

7.8

7.3

2.9

18

Indien

1.5

2.4

0.2

4.1

Meat consumption in KG 2012 for selected countries (source Statista 2017)

Satellite image of deforested land in the Amazon in 2007. The red circles indicate fire clearing of rainforest

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The USA has the highest meat consumption worldwide with around 120kg/year and India has one of the lowest with about 4kg/ year. The meat consumption in the UAE was at 74kg in 2009 and the average meat consumption worldwide is approximately 43kg/ year. There is a correlation between the affordability of meat and the consumption so with developing countries increasing their standard of living and a constantly growing population it is obvious that it will not be possible to feed the worlds population with meat.

Luckily in the Amazon we can see a downwards trend in deforestation which slowed down the process loosing vital rainforest but it did not stop it and it will not stop as long as the demand for meat will grow. So don’t blame the farmers who burns down rain forest to make a living, blame yourself the consumer who is fueling this spiral of destruction. You don’t need to give up eating meat but it would be a good choice to reduce meat consumption rather than following an upwards trend. ■

HOW DOES DOES MEATLESS MEATLESS MONDAY MONDAY HELP? HELP? HOW

4.5 #MeatlessDayUAE #MeatlessDayUAE

#MeatlessMonday #MeatlessMonday

Refreshing Rides Words + Photos by: Robert Jahn

You know that scene in the movies? Its high noon, the sun is blasting down in full force, you can’t even feel the sweat rolling down your forehead anymore. It’s hot.

Well the UAE can be like that. Given all the beautiful unique scenes that one can see in the vast areas of the country, from the desert to the mountains. Being properly prepared is the most important thing when it comes to exploring the great outdoors.

Be it on a boat trip, a mountain hike, or a desert tour.

Being fully hydrated and fueled for your adventure is essential. Options are wide when it comes to so-called “outdoor” food.

Of course, you have your typical synthetic gels, energy bars that look like bricks, and neon coloured sports drinks. But those things are all unnecessary, and actually not that good for you.

One thing to keep in mind is that hydration is vital, more important than eating.

You can go a few weeks in an emergency without food, but fluids - no way. After 48 hours you’re in trouble. In a hot climate like

the UAE you will lose a large amount of sweat when doing outdoor activities. One part of those precious fluids that you lose are electrolytes, and those are important for our cells to function properly.

To replace the valuable electrolytes lost, you can use every day salt. Here is an amazingly tasty, refreshing, and simple way to replace the electrolytes - The Cycle Bistro Watermelon Paleoade. ■

RECIPE

Watermelon Paleoade What you need

• 300gm of watermelon flesh • Juice of ½ green lime • ¼ teaspoon salt • 2 dates (remove the seeds) • 100ml drinking water.

How to make it

Blend all of the ingredients together and you will have a beautifully natural, refreshing paleoade. Enjoy this tasty drink without the added colouring, sugar, and other nasty’s. Only natural sugars from the melon and dates are included, and electrolytes are replaced from the salt.

Top Tip:

Freeze the watermelon before blending to give it a slushy-like feel. But keep in mind this only works if you drink it immediately!

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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

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

For Men

Barlow Pass 550 Turbodown™ Jacket 999 AED

Available at Columbia stores across the region Features: • Omni-HEAT™ thermal reflective • Omni-TECH™ waterproof/breathable critically seam sealed • 550 TurboDown™ insulation • Removable, foldable synthetic fur • Attached, adjustable hood • Drawcord adjustable waist • Zippered chest pockets • Dual entry hand pockets with zip closure • Adjustable cuffs • Rib cuff • Drop tail Fabrics: • Shell: Omni-Tech™ Broken Twill 100% polyester • Lining: Omni-Heat™ Reflective lining 100% polyester • Insulation: 450 fill power down, RDS Certified • 100g Omni-Heat™ thermal insulation

For Women

Fairbanks Omni-Heat™ 449 AED

Available at Columbia stores across the region A versatile winter boot alternative that offers superior comfort with all the warmth and resistance from the elements you need.

Upper • Omni-HEAT™ reflective lining • 200g insulation • Rated -25F/-32C • Cordura textile • Omni-TECH™ waterproof breathable seam-sealed membrane bootie construction Midsole TECHLITE™ lightweight midsole for long lasting comfort, superior cushioning, and high energy return Outsole Omni-GRIP™ non-marking traction Rubber

Powder Lite Mid Jacket in Phoenix Blue

Heavenly™ Shorty Organza Li Omni-Heat™

479 AED

399 AED

Available at Columbia stores across the region

Available at Columbia stores across the region

Features: • Omni-HEAT™ reflective lining • Water resistant fabric • Comfort stretch • Attached, adjustable hood • Underarm venting • Adjustable, snap back powder skirt • Ski pass pocket • Zippered hand pockets • Adjustable sleeve cuffs • Comfort cuffs • Drawcord adjustable hem • Drop tail

The perfect combination of function and style. This sleek insulated boot commands attention everywhere it goes.

Fabrics: • Shell: Storm-Lite DP II 100% polyester • Lining: Omni-Heat™ Reflective lining 100% polyester • Insulation: 100% Polyester

Upper • Waterproof woven synthetic textile • Textile webbing • Metal rivets and aglets • Organza collar and tongue • Faux-fur collar and tongue lining • Omni-TECH™ waterproof breathable seam-sealed membrane bootie construction • 200g insulation • Rated -25F/-32C • Omni-HEAT™ reflective lining Midsole Removable contoured PU footbed Outsole Omni-GRIP™ non-marking traction rubber

OUTDOORUAE

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

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PRODUCTS 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

Alpinestars Tech 10 Red Aqua Anthracite White 2,500 AED

Available only at Al Yousuf Motors Across UAE Specification: • Exclusive dual compound sole is seamlessly integrated to the multi-density foot base structure with built-in support. The sole offers superior durability, grip and feel while riding.

• The central sole insert is easily replaceable and Alpinestars offers a full sole replacement and boot repair service.

• New buckle closure system includes high-impact aluminium bridge closures, with memory and a quick release/locking system with self-aligning design for easy, precise closure and improved riding performance and security. All buckles are easily replaceable • Soft microfiber gaiter helps seal out excessive water and dirt entry.

• Poly-fabric lining with 3D open cell foam incorporates anti-slip suede on heel area to keep foot located inside the boot.

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Rinse kit (Pressurized Portable Shower) 499 AED

Available only at Al Yousuf Motors Across UAE 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

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PRODUCTS BBB Sniper BLS-110

2XU Reflect Compression Tights

Available at Adventure HQ, Go Sport, Yas Cycles

Available at Adventure HQ, Go Sport, INTERSPORT Kuwait

A high end compact light with a strong beam for installation on the handlebar. The internal battery makes this light compact and easy to install on both road bike and mountainbike. The high and bright beam makes the Sniper ideal for use in very dark conditions. Remote control included for easy switching between different modes while keeping both hands at the handlebar.

Running, biking or whatever your activity, the 2XU Reflect Compression Tights provide compression benefits including reduced muscle soreness and faster recovery with high reflectivity to keep you visible from all angles and safe in low light conditions.

830 AED

Features: • 1200 Lumen 2x XML-U2 CREE LED • USB rechargeable • Water resistant • Aluminium casing • 4 Modes: Super beam, high beam, standard beam, and low beam • Samsung lithium ion internal battery pack • Centermount handlebar bracket included • Remote switch included • Power Converter USB Charger included • Weight: 210 grams • Size light: 115 x 43 x 30mm • Color: black/gold

445 AED

Compression Benefits: • 360 degree reflective detail • Compression support to adductor, glute, quad, hamstring and calf for reduced muscle damage • Graduated compression for faster recovery between workouts • Drawstring waistband for secure fit • Flatlock seams to reduce chaf

MKE2 Elements

The Wire-free WF-1000X

Available at The Sennheiser Shop-In-Shop at the Jumbo Store in Mall of the Emirates and retailers across the UAE

Available at Sony Centre, The Dubai Mall and at all leading retail stores in the UAE

Add that missing element – Looking for amazing audio to accompany your beautiful video? The MKE 2 elements Action Mic for GoPro® HERO4 cameras, will make all the difference.

It is ready when you are. No matter what you’re into: mountain biking, winter sports or surfing that big wave, the MKE 2 elements Action Mic will provide you with that extra dimension.

Enabling you to share your experiences, not only with beautiful video but amazing audio too.

The innovative and minimal design lets you place the stylish WF-1000X buds comfortably in your ears, tune in to your music, and tune out of the real world. Having no wires whatsoever frees you to go about your business in a simple and seamless manner.

With a 6mm driver, the sound from these headphones is dynamic despite their miniscule size. As soon as you take them out of the case these headphones automatically power on and connect to the last device they were paired with – pop them in your ears and you are ready to go. Charge the WF-1000X in the sleekly designed charging case for up to 9 hours[1] of usage. With the WF-1000X you get true wearing comfort, functional beauty and sound that stays connected wherever you are.

800 AED

899 AED

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It’s been roughly a month since the HERO6 launched and so far the people have been amazed with the image and video quality that this little thing is able to produce.

However some people are still hesitant and tend to differ because HERO5 and HERO6 practically look the same but that is not entirely true.

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We have been using the HERO6 ever since its launch and so far we love it. The HDR option brings that punch and crispiness in your photos. In our testing we shot a lot of handheld footage and most of it was greatly stabilized compared to HERO5. The rolling shutter effect has been reduced in HERO6 is able to do all this by utilizing the data from its accelerometer and GPS which work together with GP1 chip to give the videos more realistic look.

Voice Control is personally one of the gimmicks which has been there since HERO5. It is a gimmick as it is a 50/50 chance that your camera might hear you or not and above all anyone can just say “GoPro Stop Recording” and its going to stop recording that precious moment. This time around with HERO6 you have another voice command which wakes up the camera however it drains the batter rather fast as it constantly waiting to hear that “GoPro Turn On” command.

The User Interface and Touch Screen is the same but it feels a little snappier to use. More on the technical side is that now GoPro uses HEVC (H.265) in some of the video recording formats which is 30% more efficient in retaining the quality while keeping the file size smaller or equal to older H.264 format.

Overall the upgrade might not sound so

great on paper but once you get used to results from HERO6 it is impossible to go back. The abilities to shoot 4K-60 or Super Slow motion at 1080p-240fps is one of the things which will bring out the creativity in you. Although this is not for everybody but if you’re coming from a HERO4 or HERO5 you’ll definitely notice the difference in Image quality. ■

Product available at Grand Stores, Virgin Megastore, Sharaf DG and Emax GoPro HERO 6 Black for only 1,899 AED

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PRODUCTS Floating Hand Grip (The Handler 2.0)

El Grande

145 AED

235 AED

Available at Go Sports, Grand Stores, Virgin Megastore, Sharaf DG, Emax & Beyond the Beach

Available at Go Sports, Grand Stores, Virgin Megastore, Sharaf DG, Emax & Beyond the Beach

Get a solid grip on your GoPro and keep it afloat better than ever before with The Handler.

This floating hand grip gives you stability and control to get your shot, and the quick release base lets you switch between mounts with ease.

Drop it in the water and the bright orange end of the handle pops to the surface, making it easy to spot.

El Grande is an aluminum extension pole that takes your GoPro to new heights—literally.

Its extra extension (up to 38in/97cm) allows you to capture new perspectives and gets you closer to the action. Plus, it’s collapsible down to 15in (38cm) and is compact enough for any on-the-go adventure.

What’s included • Floating Hand Grip • Wrist Strap

What’s Included • Extension Pole • Swivel Base with Thumb Screw • Wrist Lanyard

AOR Stainless Steel Spare Tire Adjustable BBQ Stand

AOR Universal Spare Tire Jerry Can Mount

Available at www.RAMYautomotive.com or any RAMY Automotive branch

Available at www.RAMYautomotive.com or any RAMY Automotive branch

American Off Road Stainless Steel Spare Tire Adjustable BBQ Stand for relaxed and tasty picnic time in nature.

American Off Road Universal Spare Tire Jerry Can Mount is perfect for carrying extra fuel on your trips.

Key Features & Benefits: • Stainless Steel • Fits on tires from 31-37” • Grill Diameter 60cm - Height 22cm • Requires a Ratchet Tie Down to secure it (Sold Seperately) • Weight 5.1kg • Warning: • Grill could be hot after use • Clean properly before placing on spare tire

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

595 AED

256 AED

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OUR EXPERTS

Peter giving me instructions on lure positioning

Legend Words + Photos by: Kit Belen

There are only a few people on earth that can claim the title as a “legend” in saltwater fishing, or Sport Fishing in general. Those that landed the first big fish, which were previously unheard of, Pioneers such as Zane Gray, Ernest Hemingway, Michael Lerner are angling greats because they were some of the pioneers that pushed the boundaries of sport fishing earlier on. They turned to Thomas Gifford to skipper them, if you don’t know Capt. Gifford, you might be familiar with his contributions – The Outriggers, the star drag reel and Kite fishing, tools and methods used till this day.

Peter with Abbas Hassani and staff

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Finally meeting one of my mentors - dream come true!

Legends are people who changed the way others fish, Lefty Kreh, Flip Pallot, Stu Apt, Tred Barta, Marlin Parker, Bill Billson, Bart Miller and Jose Wejebe to name a few, are names that kids in the 90s from all over the world, watch on TV and read in magazines.

They gave us inspiration and they made us want to be like them, we all have our favourites and be it any type of fishing you do, you have heard some of these names at one time or another.

In recent history, one man single-handedly changed the way people fished for Marlin, he revolutionized the game by making knowledge of catching these monsters of

the deep and giving it to the private boat owner. Before him, to catch marlin, you had to go to the charters or be really wealthy enough to be able to hire the crews of the charters to work on your boat. When Peter Pakula came around, that all changed.

Peter is Unique in so many ways, his methods, which were considered radical at that time, are now heavily adapted the world over. Peter Pakula is a marlin lure designer and manufacturer; his shapes are originals and were often copied (they are still the most copied lure in the market today). He broke apart from the usual norm of slant heads, which were common at the time and created a line of lures that were easy to use for anglers the world over. Many did not accept his use of Ultra Violet additives to make the skirts glow in both lowlight and bright light conditions making them more visible to fish. Fast forward 30 or so years and you see each and every single manufacturer using UV and glow in the dark colours. A true innovator to the bone, Peter is not one to rest on his past successes, often changing colours to his lineup, even very established ones!

My first contact with one of Peter’s lures were sometime in the 1990s when two of

Autographed Pakula lures, the historical Lumo Sprocket

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

Showing me how it's done

my dad’s fishing buddies started using his lures, naturally, they gave me some to use and they have proven to be quite effective, a few years later I started corresponding with Peter and to my surprise, he answered.

Since then, I have shamelessly asked him for answers to questions no one else could answer, in 2002, he sent me a copy of his Behind the Lines CD. I watched that CD set and still refer to his website to constantly gain knowledge and apply them to ANY of my fishing. His system makes sense to me and more importantly it and me works.

After a friend secured the dealership to sell his lures in the UAE Peter was invited to come over and give a seminar and I jumped at the chance to finally meet one of my fishing heroes and one that I could certainly say mentored me over the years. Listening and participating in his lectures (as a prop!) is a huge highlight in my fishing career and continuing my education on board a boat with

him has changed a lot of my perceptions to how big game fish such as marlin behave.

The lectures were great and putting them into practice and seeing everything discussed happen in front of me was a dream come true.

Early on the first day of the Fujairah Offshore Fishing Competition, a few minutes after setting everything up, we had a double hookup on two 600+ LB (300kg) Blue Marlin.

They started jumping and crossed lines, one immediately broke and the other spooled the 50lb (24kg) reel in a matter of seconds.

Although we didn’t catch those fish, for me it was already a success – it was the first time we went out marlin fishing and we hooked a double header. We learned how to use Peter’s system and we have agreed to dedicate one Friday each month to go after these monsters. Seeing how everything works as a single unit and getting tips from Peter himself from setting the lures and teasers correctly to rigging taglines and seeing each lure in each position catch fish was quite eye opening. I learned a lot and I am looking forward to learning more in the years to come.

I can’t thank Peter enough for visiting us in Dubai and for the knowledge he has imparted. I’m sure the guys that joined the lecture feel the same way.

It’s easy for anyone to call someone else a legend - Even easier for someone to want to be one. What is hard is for the whole world to acknowledge it; Peter Pakula has done that without wanting to be one.

NOVEMBER 2017 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

Peter Relaxing on board the Yasmin while waiting for a bite

To my teacher, mentor and friend - We shall meet again, and I will never stop bugging you with questions. ■

Till next tide change,

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

OUR EXPERTS

How to Get "Off the Road Safely” Words by: Daniel Birkhofer

It has been some time since we have covered this subject and with the outdoor season starting now, it is a good time to go through the basics of off-roading so you can head out this season and enjoy the desert and mountains off the beaten tracks in the UAE and region.

It has been some time since we have covered this subject and with the outdoor season starting now, it is a good time to go through the basics of off-roading so you can head out and enjoy the desert and mountains off the beaten tracks in the UAE and region.

1. Research

The best way to learn any outdoor activity or get started is to be taught by someone

who knows it. Since off-roading is very popular in the region it should be easy to find some friend who will take you off-road.

If this is not the case, you can also join one of the many clubs. Joining a club is anyhow a good idea and all the good clubs offer free newbie drives which is the best way to learn. They have a fixed agenda to cover the most important steps, you go out with experts and you meet other like-minded people. You can find some clubs on OutdoorUAE.com/directory or you can search for them on social media. Since we want to avoid missing mentioning any club, we will not give names at all. Just check this and the last issue and you will read about two of the biggest clubs in the region.

2. With whom to go?

This question is partially answered already but it is important to stress it that you should never attempt to go off-road alone as a beginner. Going alone is a great adventure but it requires a lot of experience and prepara-

tion - so certainly nothing for a beginner.

Ideally go with a minimum of 3 cars and there should be at least one experienced driver in the group.

3. Which car?

You need a proper 4x4 to hit the dunes.

Most SUV even with 4x4 drive will not be ready for the dunes. Most of the time they lack ground clearance and/or enough horse power. You will find many different opinions for 4x4s. Which is the best off-road car is hard to answer, just check pictures on forums and social media and you will see the popular models. If you cannot see a car model in any of the photos, then most likely for a reason. If you want to get a bit more serious about off-roading all terrain tires are recommended since they can improve the performance a lot without having to make any modifications on the car. If you get bitten by the off-road bug, your car will certainly undergo some modification which is a topic of its own.

4. Car conditions

Going off-road means you might put your car to the limit. All parts are challenged if you are going off-road so it is very important that your car is in good condition and serviced regularly. Before every trip make a quick visual inspection: • Are all tires in good condition?

• Do you have a spare wheel which is in good condition?

• Are all fluids topped up?

• Are there no leaks of oil, grease or other fluids?

• Make sure your petrol tank is full before you go off-road (fuel consumption is much higher if you aren’t driving on a normal road surface)

5. Know your car

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I have seen this many times - people get in the dunes and have no idea how their car works. Make yourself familiar with all the option in your car; how to change driving modes, switch off driving aids, and know where you have the recovery points on your car.

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

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6. The route

Make sure you know where you are going. It is important for proper preparation to know in which terrain you are driving - dirt tracks, dunes, rocks. How long is the route? What is the grade of the route and are you prepared for that?

7. What do I need to take

You should never go off-road unprepared or rely on other people. Make sure you always have the essentials with you when you leave the road: • Take enough drinks with you (3-5l/ day per person). In case of a break down you might be stranded for hours, so have enough water with you for at least one day for all passengers • Dress properly - take sun protection with you when you have to leave the car (hat, glasses), wear closed shoes (sand can get very hot and you burn your feet wearing slippers). You also might reach in remote areas with more traditional lifestyle, be respectful and cover your legs and shoulders • Take recovery gear - you should have a shovel (get a sand shovel and not these tiny survival spades), gloves, a recovery strap with shackles (don't use metal ropes - they can be dangerous if they break; buy a good quality strap - cheap one might break at the first recovery), make sure you have a lift jack in your car and know how to use it, bring a jacking board or strong piece of wood (otherwise the jack will sink in the sand and you cannot lift the car). At least one car in the group should have jump start cables.

• Navigation - take a GPS with you since it is the best and safest way of navigation.

• Communication - take your fully charged phone with you.

• First aid - make sure you have a first aid kit in your car and check the contents. You will be remote, so first aid is important. It's

Essentials Checklist:  Make sure your car is in good condition  Water / soft drinks  Sun protection  Shovel & gloves  Recovery strap with shackles (2x)  Car jack & jacking board  Jump start cables  GPS  Fully charge mobile phone  First aid kit  Fire extinguisher and tools

good to have some electrolytes in there and pain killers.

• Quick fix - take a roll of duct tape and cable straps with you, it's cheap and does not take much space but is very versatile and can be used for countless small fixes.

• Fire extinguisher

8. Useful extras

• Ideal would be to have one satellite phone in the group • Walkie-talkies are also great to communicate while on the drive between the cars • Extra water for washing hands, face or to top up coolant, • A petrol canister 20L, as well as 1L of engine oil and power steering fluid • Deflators and a compressor is quite useful but not a must • A flexible flag pole with a flag is good if you go regularly, since your car will be more visible even if hidden behind a dune.

• Take also a tool box with you - this makes only sense if you know how to use the tools and have knowledge to fix a broken down car.

• Get some off-road guide books or GPS routes to follow which is easier than selfexploration. If you download routes only it is advisable to print a google earth map, so you know where the closest roads and settlements are in case you need to abort you trip and look for a quick escape route.

This list could go on forever but once you

get more experienced you will have your own list of things you consider useful and essential to carry with you.

But the most important part, take some friends with you. Good company is not only a safety measure, it makes a trip fun and enjoyable.

In the next issues we will give quick instructions on how to GO off road now that you know HOW to prepare. ■

The book you can buy online or call: www.outdooruae.com/guidebook +971 4 446 8473 | +971 55 939 8915

TIPS & TRICKS

I’m Doing a Long Distance Triathlon

Should I train alone or with a group?

Words + Photos by: Pedro Gomes

The sport of triathlon is an individual sport and it’s quite normal to see triathletes training by themselves, either due to the specifics of triathlon training itself or just because they like to do their own thing and mentally prepare for a solo battle on race day. But should you really work out by yourself?

While there are definitely benefits to training with a group, there’s also benefits, mostly mental, to training by yourself every once in a while and, at the end of the day, it’s a personal decision.

The three disciplines alone - Swimming, Time Trial Cycling and Running - are generally mistaken as a “group” activity. They are basically individual sports but there are Masters swimming programs across the country, every bike shop has their own group cycling rides and it’s not hard to find a group to run with in any big city. However, triathlon or the Ironman to be specific, is a very long day and has a huge mental aspect to it, more than any century ride you do or marathon you run. It’s a constant battle against yourself and usually the strongest athlete, mentally, is the one that breaks the tape first.

The big advantage of training by yourself is the independence to go at your own pace

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and not trying to match anyone else’s speed. Also, you work out when you can, not when the session is scheduled, allowing for more time actually training. Besides the flexibility it offers to jiggle with the rest of your life happenings, it’s also an opportunity to mentally prepare yourself for the struggles you will have on race day. While in training, sometimes it will hurt and you will have to accept that grind without anyone there to push you up the road. It also stops you from over-doing your training sessions – it’s quite frequent that you go faster than you should because of ego. You are a machine and often our ego and pride is put into jeopardy on group sessions. While this is “healthy” as it will stimulate you to break barriers, it’s also dangerous as you may be digging yourself into a hole of overstress and overtraining.

Training alone will also build the confidence you need to be able to endure the length of a long distance triathlon.

To every good thing about training by yourself, there’s also a good thing about training with a group. In over 90% of the cases, the fact that you are with someone will make you go faster and it’s very often to see cases where athletes rise intensity levels to a point they wouldn’t be able to reach alone. So, at the end of the day, you will only work those high intensities if someone pushes you to break that (also mental) limiter you have imposed. It’s also very common to see some sessions getting done just because you scheduled it with someone or a group – when motivation is low or you have to face a hard session by yourself, the couch usually is way more tempting hence with the group you almost feel forced to go, no matter what. When you constantly train

with a group it gets harder to understand where you are in terms of fitness as excitement of training with friends often masks some key markers of training and you don’t know how strong you really are alone.

There’s also a definitely added safety to training with other people in the event of a health issue (or mechanical if on the bike), especially on long training sessions that often put your body to a true test.

At the end of the day, again, it’s a personal decision. However, there are benefits to both scenarios and I often recommend people to use the group sessions for the harder days and go out alone on your recovery/easy ones. If there’s a point to be made then it’s that group sessions often bring intensity up and consistency to your training, while solo sessions bring you mental strength and peace when you are supposed to easy off. ■

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

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TIPS & TRICKS

Words + Photos by: Pedro Gomes

This should serve as a guide to what your nutrition plan for a triathlon should look like or what should you take into consideration, since there’s really no “one-fits-all” nutrition plan we can all use. Because of differences in gender, distances, environment and metabolic efficiency, it is almost impossible to pinpoint a calorie range or hydration needs for athletes to consume during competition without formal assessment, experimentation and data collection during training of oneself.

There are however a few things we should always take into consideration, that never change much, and I will bullet point those for you now:

Fluid needs

If there is one thing 90% of the athletes often discard it is how important hydration is in both training and racing. It seems easy to understand that your body needs calories to keep functioning but we all forget that for our body to produce energy and use those calories, it always needs water to complete the process. We have all read those reports of performance drop when we get just slightly dehydrated, now imagine all the water you lose during effort plus all the calories we eat and all the extra water we will need to compensate for both the loses and the new chunks of energy we are ingesting. As a rule of thumb, aim for one full bottle of fluids per 45-60min (24oz – 1 Litre).

Sweat rate

As important as it is to make up for our fluid loses, it’s equally as important to keep the electrolyte balance in our body. Electrolytes are fundamental for our bodily functions to run at optimal levels. Usually lack of proper balance causes our body to cramp and (eventually) fail.

Imagine these little minerals as the oil of our engine, it helps things run fluidly and effectively. The most common mineral we lose in sweat is sodium and as we need to replenish fluids, we also need to replenish the sodium (and other minerals) loses. The best way to fix the problem is to know how much

sodium you are losing per hour – something a sweat test will tell you – so you can compensate with either salt tablets or through energy drink. I highly recommend you do a sweat test at least once in a lifetime. Your sweat rate doesn’t change much throughout the years, although our body tries to adapt to long periods of exposure to certain conditions and it’s highly affected by the weather and humidity. Knowing what is your standard, helps adjust to new conditions. The hotter, more humid weathers will accelerate the sweat rate hence races in Hawaii being so draining. A good starting point would be to aim for 600mg per hour of effort, although in hot races you may sweat out up to 900-1000mg of sodium. So you see, if you only drink plain water during your efforts, that’s how much deficit you will be on per hour. A rule of thumb is: use energy drink in your water bottles with electrolytes. Whatever the content of electrolytes is, is always better than plain water.

Calories

Ingesting calories during long efforts is what people do the best amongst the basics of nutrition. It’s easy to understand your body needs it to keep going for hours. What you probably don’t know – or often forget - is you can train your body to actually be more efficient on how to process those calories during the effort and eventually tolerate more calories, and fluids, per hour. As everything in life, practice makes perfection and the more you train your gut to handle the same regime

of calories (and fluids) you will use on race day, the better and more efficient your body is handling it when it comes to race day.

People often complain that if they eat during an effort they will feel sick but if you don’t practice it, you will always be sick when you do it. Even if you have to puke a few times in training, that’s fine, your body eventually will get it together. The rule of thumb as for number of calories per hour varies with your body weight but if you are an average sized human, I’d say at least 200-250kcal per hour is a good starting number.

Timing

When all is said and planned, timing is the last thing you will probably need to figure out.

From my own experience as an athlete, and dealing with other athletes, your body will handle much more calories during the bike portion of the race than on the run. Because the run is such a high impact, it applies higher levels of stress and heat to the entire system and it will make it harder for you to digest and use any solids you ingest during that final leg. Keep it simple and mostly “fluidy” on the run, with gels and energy drinks. Save the solids for early on the bike and don’t be afraid to overdo a little the fluids at the first few stages of the bike either. It’s very unlikely that you will actually overdo it and beyond the half way point onwards you will always be in deficit anyway.

I hope this helps you figure out and design a fueling plan for your next race. As much as we are machines, we will never be able to run efficiently and smoothly without proper “gas” and that takes proper planning and preparation! ■

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Lifestyle Changes…

Words by: Nicky Holland (Personal Trainer)

What have you done lately that will benefit you in years to come?

What can you do that will make you fitter, healthier and happier? For example, have you made any fitness commitments which you are now following? Are you better with your nutrition? Are you exercising more regularly?

In order to see the benefits, results take time. Whether it is losing weight, building muscle, improving fitness etc…there is no quick fix, you simply have to put in the time and effort.

You need to make a lifestyle change.

That sounds quite scary. As humans, we do not like change. We are often afraid to change because we fear that we are stepping into the unknown, out of our comfort zone. We like a routine, something we are comfortable with, something that is easy as we get used to it.

However, what we are currently doing, may not be beneficial to us in years to come and instead it is becoming detrimental, not only to our health but our physical appearance too.

So how do you make a lifestyle change?

1) Know what you want 2) Think about what you need to do to get there 3) Be disciplined and focused

There has been a big push recently for the Dubai Fitness Challenge. This initiative has been set up with the aim to make Dubai a more active City. Run by His Highness, Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mo-hammed Bin Rashed Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, it involves exercising for 30 minutes, every day for 30 days.

Developing new habits usually takes a minimum of 21 days. This means that you need to make little changes to your current lifestyle so that your new routine takes over the old routine.

If your goal is health related, that's where I can help you. To be fitter, have more energy, be more productive in work, be more confident, lose weight, tone up, gain more muscle, move more freely. These are all very achievable goals and targets which myself and other fitness professionals in the industry can help you with. All of this is possible, if you are committed and have the mindset to change and embrace new ideas.

Some simple but effective changes you can make, are listed below: • Go to bed earlier, get up earlier • Pack a gym bag and put in the car • Eat breakfast • Cook and meal prep your food • Have your 5 a day (Fruit and Vegetable portions) • Keep a food diary of what you eat daily • Drink more water • Exercise more frequently • Buy new gym clothes • Train with a partner or a PT Instructor • Have a minimum of 6 hours sleep (preferably 8 hours) Following some of these changes will change your body from its normal routine.

Then after 21 days, you will adapt to the new lifestyle. Exercising shouldn't be a chore, it should be fun. There are many forms of exercise and different ways in which you can be active. Take advantage of the cooler weather and go outdoors, head out

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on the water, take a trip into the desert or even climb a mountain. Make it fun so that you will enjoy it. Doing new things is also a great way to meet new people who are looking to change their lives for the better.

Don’t wait any longer, the sooner you start the sooner you will get results…NOW is time to make the change! ■ Nicky Holland Personal Trainer Website www.nicky-fitness.com Instagram @nicky__fitness

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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

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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

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/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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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, 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,

NOVEMBER 2017 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

www.aev.ae Al Yousuf Motors, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43390621, www.aym.ae/yamaha ARB Emirates 4x4 Accessories, Dubai International City, +971 4 4327190 & Musaffah, Abu Dhabi, +971 2 5553600 www.arbemirates.com 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, 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

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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

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