OutdoorUAE_May2012

The Watersports Issue

Price: 10 Dhs

THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST Atte Miettinen is

HALF WAY THERE! Atte takes us closer to the highest peak

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win

p17

the Mighty

ABU DHABI ADVENTURE

CHALLENGE Canoeing the

Congo

Meet Philip Harwood, bravest of the brave

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YEMEN

by accident

+ WE TEST + The Drainmaker

Mike discovers the ‘real’ Yemeni border

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Issue 17, May 2012

Bags and Luggage | Hip Packs | Packables | Sleepgear Accessories | Cookware | Washgear | Security Available at: Adventure HQ in Times Square Center, Go Sport in Dubai Mall, IBN Batutta Mall and Mall of the Emirates

Distributor

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Global Climbing

info@globalclimbing.com

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EDITORIAL

On the cover: Christelle Schaal In Print: Managing Editor Daniel Birkhofer Editors Kim Perks Marilena Cilta Angelo Cabrera Graphics & Design James Russell Administration Jane Mesina Sales & Marketing (advertisement enquiries) Tara Atkinson Tel: 04-447 2030 Mobile: 055 9398915 tara@outdooruae.com Published by: Outdoor UAE FZE P.O. Box 215062 Dubai, U.A.E. Tel. 04-447 2030 contact@outdooruae.com www.outdooruae.com Distributor: Tawzea, Abu Dhabi Media Company P.O. Box 40401, Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. Printed at: Galadari Printing & Publishing LLC P.O. Box 11243 Dubai, U.A.E.

“Face your deficiencies and acknowledge them. But do not let them master you.” – One of the famous and inspirational quotes from Ms. Helen Keller, the first deaf and blind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree.

In sports, all of us are welcome. Whoever we are and whatever we do, we are not hampered to get into sports. I remember as a kid, one of the things my parents told me is that I should get involved in the world of sports. They opened it to me that in sports, it is not only for athletes but for people who want to enhance their physique, and for fans who wish to turn pro. I wanted to prepare my teenage years for adulthood so I have done sports in the past can you believe it? I have been in track and field and I told to myself that this is the sport that fits me as far as my long legs are concerned (laughs). Some of my friends kept on questioning me how I got into running because of my height. I answered them with my simplest and honest response, “In sports, there are no issues with height and weight. Not even with age” Do you know of someone who plays basketball in a wheelchair? People might think that they’re crazy. But for me, this person is an example of real determination. People who see themselves as normal beings. By playing, we can proudly shout and say, “Hey, look at me, I am not ashamed of myself because I can play basketball with my wheelchair. Others can play it with their feet but I can shoot the ball just like them.”

For whatever problem we have, for whatever it is that makes us think that we lack something to not go on with what we wanted to do, have a positive mind. We know ourselves more than anybody else. Let neither our incapability nor our “lack of something” deprive ourselves of what we are capable of doing.

Stay safe and treat each and every day as if it is our last. Make the most of it.

Jane. www.outdooruae.com

BETWEEN THE LINES Daniel Birkhofer

Founder and Editor in Chief daniel@outdooruae.com

Kim Perks

Reg. at Creative City Fujairah P.O. Box 4422, Fujairah, U.A.E.

Tara Atkinson

Copywriter and Editor

Sales and Marketing tara@outdooruae.com

Marilena Cilta

Angelo Cabrera

Jane Mesina

Writer angelo@outdooruae.com

Administration jane@outdooruae.com

Pete Aldwinckle

Gordon T Smith

Climber and all-round adventure seeker

Desert Diver and wannabe Marine Biologist

John Basson

Tori Leckie

Management Assistant marry@outdooruae.com

EXPERTS + CONTRIBUTORS Kit Belen

Our fishing pro

All contents are under copyrights and may not be reproduced in any kind without written permission. © 2012 Outdoor UAE FZE

Graphics and Photography james@outdooruae.com

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© 2012 Outdoor UAE FZE Issue 17, May 2012 The information contained is for general use only. While we have made every attempt to ensure that the information contained in this magazine has been obtained from reliable sources, however the publisher is not responsible for any errors. All information in this magazine is provided “as is”, with no guarantee of completeness, accuracy, timeliness or of the results obtained from the use of this information. In no event will the publisher, its related affiliates or anyone else be responsible for any decision made or action taken in reliance on the information in this magazine.

James Russell

Mike Nott

The 4x4 expert

Moto/ATV and all round adventure seeker

Writer, runner, blogger, adventurer and adidas athlete

Ian Ganderton

when you’re done reading, please recycle!

Toby Foord-Kelcey Climbing Expert

Patrice Wergifosse Traveller and adventurer

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

our list of contributors is always growing so please get in touch if you want to be one of them!

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CONTENTS

MAY 48 PATRICE’S JOURNEY COMES TO AN END

EVERY ISSUE 05 BEST SHOTS 06 EVENTS CALENDAR 32 PRODUCTS 44 PEOPLE 55 DIRECTORY

28 CANOEING THE CONGO

12 DUBAI TO FUJAIRAH

24 YEMEN BY ACCIDENT

TIPS & TRICKS 18 WHY MACRO?

EVENT REVIEWS

10 X-FIGHTERS

09 AL GHARBIA FESTIVAL 10 RED BULL X-FIGHTERS 14 ABU DHABI DESERT CHALLENGE

TRAVEL & ADVENTURE

ON THE COVER

12 DUBAI TO FUJAIRAH 24 YEMEN BY ACCIDENT 26 FROM SAND TO SNOW 28 CANOEING THE CONGO 36 HALFWAY THERE! 48 SLOW LANE TO NOWHERE

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OUR EXPERTS 31 ADVENTURE CHICK HITS PARIS! 38 THE DHOW TRIP - JOHN 40 THE FISHING KIT

SPOTS & LOCATIONS 51 WADI ADVENTURE 52 SHOOTER’S RESTAURANT

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44 MEET YOURI AND CHRISTELLE 42 IAN TESTS THE DRAINMAKER

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BEST SHOTS Each winning photographer will receive a free buff headgear, and 5 free copies of the magazine. Well done!

Robin Queen Sand Demon

Toby Eldredge Skate

Seb Porter Horse

To see the rest of the fantastic entries simply visit www.outdooruae.com of find us on Facebook! (Outdoor UAE publisher page)

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EVENTS CALENDAR

Stay up-to-date with the latest events If you do decide to come down to any of the events listed below, look out for OutdoorUAE and you might be lucky enough to meet the team! If you would like your event listed here, get in touch with us at: contact@outdooruae.com. Entries listed in green are media partnered events.

Desert Adventure Challenge May 10 – Nazwa off Dubai/Hatta Road

Ever tried to hike or run in the middle of the desert – under the full glow of the moon?

Here’s your chance to experience in making an evening dash for the rolling dunes as UAE Adventure Racing heads for the sands of the Nazwa/Hatta area to setup a race and see who’s got the keenest senses to make it through the finish line under the night skies of Dubai. Visit www.premieremarathons.com and click on the Desert Adventure Challenge 2012 icon for more details.

Dubai Kartdrome Endurance Championship May 11 to 12 – Dubai Autodrome, Motorcity

Witness go-kart drivers zoom on the track for 12 hours as to see who has got the mighty grit to outlast the pack towards the finish line. The event has been said to require stamina, concentration, speed, consistency and most importantly – team work. Visit www.dubaiautodrome.com for more information.

Ignite Aquathlon Series 1 of 3

May 11 – The Shack, Kite Surfers Beach, Umm Suqeim, Dubai

Make a run and hit the water this summer in the run and swim event that will be taking place at the The Shack in Umm Suqeim beach. Kids’ events will be made aplenty, along with goodie bags, too. Entry costs 50 AED for juniors and AED 150 for general entries.

To register, visit www.premieremarathons.com

Probike Dubai’s 40km Team Time Trial May 18 – Dubai International Academic City

Test your endurance behind the handlebar with a buddy on the roads of the Academic City and clock-in your best time against other cycling teams. Categories include Male, Female and Mixed. To register, visit www.premieremarathons.com for more details.

Automechanika Middle East

May 22 to 24 – Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre

The annual auto event is dubbed as the international meeting place for the automotive aftermarket industry in the Middle East region and Africa. Featuring automotive parts, components, accessories, diagnostics and garage equipment as well as tyres, batteries, refueling and car washing equipment and machinery, it is the place to go for those who are looking for the latest treats in the auto upgrades and maintenance gears. To learn more about the exhibit, visit their website at www.automechanikame.com

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Luckily the blood,

INSTEAD OF CHANGING WATERLOGGED SHOES AFTER A DAY ON THE WATER, WE CHANGED EVERYTHING. Meet Drainmaker. Born on the trail but adapted for water, it combines a fully drainable midsole with a rock-gripping, siped outsole and a quick-drying upper. There’s nothing quite like it—another result of trying stuff. Learn more at COLUMBIA.COM/DRAINMAKER

Dubai: Ibn Battuta Mall of the Emirates Mirdif City Centre The Dubai Mall Abu Dhabi: Al Wahda Mall © 2012 Columbia Sportswear Company. All rights reserved.

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THE IMPORTANCE OF PROTECTING YOUR CHILDREN’S EYES Living

in the UAE, we get used to being in the sun almost every single day. Ensuring that we protect our eyes from the harsh effects of UVA radiation with adequate eyewear is common sense – so why do so many parents neglect to properly protect their children’s eyes?

Why are children's eyes more sensitive?

Children's eyes do not have natural protection. The lens in a child's eye has almost no protective pigments, unlike an adult's. A child's crystalline lens is totally transparent with a very large pupil.

Children's eyes therefore absorb much more harmful solar radiation than adults.

How should you protect your child's eyes properly?

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Outlaw "gadget" sunglasses. They do not filter UV rays and stimulate dilation of the pupil. The child thinks it is protected and opens its eyes wide to the sun. The eye therefore absorbs far too much harmful radiation. Conclusion: "gadget" sunglasses are a real danger for children.

What are the dangers of solar radiation for children's eyes?

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Like skin, eyes have a limited tolerance of sun. Any unprotected exposure to solar radiation uses up the eye's sun tolerance and can cause irreversible lesions of the ocular tissues. The most fragile tissues are the crystalline lens and the retina.

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Permanent protection. No rest for your eyes! Constant protection is necessary. Solar radiation reflects from all surfaces and in all weathers: in hot, sunny weather but also when it's cloudy, at the sea or in the mountains and even in town…

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UVA are the most harmful rays for the eyes. UVA radiation increases the risk of cataract (early ageing of the lens) and macular degeneration (loss of central vision from the retina). Lesions caused by UVA are late developing.

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Choose frames properly designed for children's morphology. The frames must cover enough to surround the child's eye and block out as much solar radiation as possible.

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The dangers of infrared radiation for the eyes. In the short term, infrared radiation causes burning and stinging. In the long term it causes slow degeneration of the ocular tissues, thereby accelerating the risk of cataract.

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Warning: children with light coloured eyes are even more sensitive. They particularly need good protection.

OUTDOORUAE

Kids’ eyes are also entitled to a top brand.

Since 1888, Julbo, an expert in sun protection for high-risk environments, has been providing appropriate optical solutions for different types of sports.

Julbo has developed a range of eyewear specially designed for children of all ages, from newborn to teenagers: appropriate morphology and maximum optical protection.

You can find Julbo babies and kids eyewear in a range of stores in the UAE including Adventure HQ, Leisure Marine Beach Hut, Angel’s boutiques, Hamleys and the Dubai Garden Centre. www.flipfloparabia.com/julbo

try something new!

PAVILION DIVE CENTRE: Change your lifestyle, become a PADI Instructor this summer.

We have an Instructor course starting on the 8th June with Instructor Exams on 7 to 8 July. Training can be completed over weekends or over 8 full days.

The

PADI Divemaster rating is where your adventure as a dive professional begins. For those of you that decide scuba diving can be more than a recreational endeavor and are interested in exploring the professional potential it may hold, acquiring the PADI Divemaster rating is an essential step in the process of becoming a PADI Instructor.

If you are thinking of taking your Divemaster training further we invite you onto our Instructor Development Course.

The Pavilion Dive Centre is the only PADI 5 Star Career Development Centre in the United Arab Emirates. Choosing the

right Course Director and the right Career Development Centre for your instructor training is the most important decision you will make prior to entering the dive industry as a professional educator.

Becoming a diving professional is much more than a change of career, you are embarking on an exciting adventure, one that will change your life forever. Your Career Development will be conducted in one of the most luxurious resorts in the world making for a professional setting but above all, a very comfortable and conducive atmosphere with a touch of Arabian adventure. To ensure that you can concentrate fully on your IDC, The Pavilion Dive Centre and our PADI Course Directors provide dedicated Instructor Training in English, German, French, Russian, Arabic and Chinese. Other languages may be available at times. It is important that you receive the right preparation to make this lifestyle change a success. The Pavilion Dive Centre and our PADI Course

Directors are committed to providing a very high standard of quality, service and professionalism guaranteeing success in your new venture. It’s time to start your diving career, so come on in and let us educate you. Get access to pools and beaches at Jumeirah Beach Hotel on your training days and soak up the atmosphere in the resort.

Instructor Development Candidates at The Pavilion Dive Centre will receive a complimentary Master Scuba Diver Trainer Course worth AED 2,500 following their IDC. T&C’s apply.

10 Days of Wipe-Out Watery Action:

Al Gharbia Water Sport Festival 2012 Rashid Al Muhairi grabbed the silver and took home of the bronze.

The summer months have now IssaInAltheMuhairi female freestyle category, France’s

arrived, and Abu Dhabi’s Al Gharbia has an ideal way of savoring the fun and adventure out of the capital’s rising tourist destination by hosting the Al Gharbia Watersport Festival.

Taking place in the clear blue waters of the humble fishing town of Mirfa, it was indeed a water sport athlete’s haven.

The ten-day grand celebration of water sport action was expected to be flocked by 90,000 visitors from both the local and international community, a fine statement of its popularity amongst the people.

Competitions in kite surfing, stand-up paddling, wakeboarding, and surf-ski kayaking were prominently featured in the event, along with other outdoor sports such as beach football and volleyball.

Rashid Al Falasi showed off his kite boarding skills and took the gold in the local kite surfing freestyle category, while

kite surfing belle Christelle Schaal powered her way up the top spot, whereas Dutch contender Manon Stansbrandt tailed in second while the Austrian Astrid Patrache clinched the third.

The kite surfing race’s female category saw Manon storming into first position followed by Astrid Patrache of Austria and Germany’s Sabine Stime went for the final position. In the male kite surfing race, Egypt’s Mustafa Al Husseini blew past the finish line in the lead followed by Italy’s Fabio Tommy and Sylevan Vuosot in second and third respectively.

In the men’s surf-ski kayaking competition, Australia’s Hayden Smith made his way through to the top spot, Spain’s Albert Corominas woundup in second, with the last spot secured by John Stadley from South Africa.

In the female race, South African contender Thea Van der Westhuizen stole the top podium while New Zealand’s

Miranda Richardson settled for second, and the last spot clinched by USA’s Jennifer Scully.

There was also a cook-off held in the event that captivated onlookers with whiffs of mouth-watering goodness prepared by the contenders. As their cooking fires settled, Jihan Ibrahim got the whim of the judges’ taste buds that earned her the gold, while Halima Mohammed Ahmad nabbed the silver and Halima Bahsir settled for the bronze.

And as the ten-day festival of water sport action had drawn to a close, the crowds watched the evening sky as it was being lit up with a spectacular fireworks display for the closing ceremony, adding more color to the atmosphere of Al Gharbia’s serene beauty.

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+EVENT REVIEW +

Red Bull

Awesome to the Extreme!

High adrenaline-packed performances from the extreme sport’s boldest daredevil riders as they jump their beastly dirt-bikes and bring out the sickest, intense stunts making jaws drop and hearts stop at every flight off the dirt ramp.

Awesome

[ô-səm] – an adjective, denotes ‘inspiring or expressive of awe.’ * A couple of nights ago, a more recent definition had risen up and encapsulated the very essence of the word above what was the Red Bull X-Fighters FMX Tournament that took place at the Walk of the Jumeirah Beach Residences in Dubai last April 13th .

The high-flying freestyle motocross mayhem that ensued at the JBR’s sandy beach was ultimately packed with a crowd of 20,000 strong and perhaps even more, who were greatly anticipating the high adrenaline performances of the likes of Andre Villa, Josh Sheehan and last year’s champion, the metal matador Danny Torres.

Picture these daredevil riders revving their machines for a 100 miles-per-hour scoot on the humungous X-shaped dirt course, shooting a hundred feet up in the air to execute a death-defying stunt airborne for a full second or two, and make a good landing without anything broken – tough as it was, these guys made it look like a piece of cake.

The sky-dances of death were intensely phenomenal beyond doubt. Firing things up in the opening tiff, Japan’s Eigo Sato got things going with a Kiss of Death maneuver and a back-flip one-handed landing that gave him an early edge in the competition for pulling off the best move.

Norway’s Andre Villa unleashed a bag full of tricks and a vibrant show, highlighting a No-Hander Back-Flip landing in the second stage of the tournament. Despite the great showing, Villa had fell short of entering as he ran out of time, combined with effortless aerial displays of Australia’s Rob Adelberg who secured his place in the finals tiff. But even if he missed the chance for a shot at the top spot, Villa was in tears when he made his ride down the track in the qualifier round as he saw himself riding

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Words: Ange lo Cabrera

again after suffering a leg injury that had forced him to leave last year’s X-Fighters season early.

Spain’s Torres didn’t make it through after running out of time to complete his sixth stunt in the second stage and finished eighth in the final tally, whereas New Zealand’s Levi Sherwood kept pushing on with a strong showing that earned him the slot to duel with Adelberg for the finals match.

Soon, it was all down to the line for Sherwood and Adelberg in a two-minute showdown of the finals round, with the two of them on the edge of their wits to perform the sickest aerial stunts they can come up with and land solo at the top podium.

Adelberg got off with a good start, performing with power and grit highlighted by a flashy No Hander move among his stunts during his run.

But Sherwood raised his game further by executing his tricks effortlessly with grace, and capitalized by a Dead Body-Shaolin Back Flip variation which instantly stole the show, the best move title from Sato, and stamped the victory with his name on the opening round of the FMX world tour.

Trailing behind Sherwood was Adelberg at second, with Chile’s Javier Villegas taking the third spot, which was his first podium finish in the tournament.

Sherwood, the 20-year-old Kiwi who being hailed as one of the FMX world’s ‘wunderkind,’ admitted that he was not expecting that he would conclude the first round of the tournament on top of the standings, even a podium-finish.

Sherwood admitted that “he didn’t have much confidence coming into it”, after the competition, as Red Bull’s Sports Director Tes Sewell noted that he saw Sherwood throw his bike to the ground in frustration which could have been a possible sign of

throwing in the towel during the end of one of his runs in the eliminations.

But despite his doubt, Sherwood said that he gave all his best and suddenly found both him and his chief mechanic panicking at the announcement that he will be going toe-to-toe with Adelberg in the final stage. The Kiwi rider mustered his fear into a useful weapon and rode down the course like a wild child on dirtbike, doing all his stunts with a flare that had eventually won him the gold and the crowd at the end of the opening round.

“The coolest thing tonight, other than the [performances] of the unbelievable freestyle motocross, is I was at work, sitting on the tower, with my headset on, and I was watching a couple of guys boogieboarding the waves right outside of the course! How amazing is it that you can build this freestyle course and put on this show, and it’s right on the beach!” Sewell exclaimed, quite amazed of the sunny and surreal atmosphere of the JBR’s waterfront overlooking the X-shaped course of the FMX spectacle in Dubai.

“I can’t even imagine doing this 5 years ago [and] that this would be achievable, because we’re doing these events inside arenas, and I would say then that it is completely impossible, but that’s the best thing about X-Fighters, is we keep proving the impossible, possible and we just keep doing it, and we do it again, that’s what keeps us surviving year after year,” Sewell ended.

And perhaps, it is more than the great sandy beaches of the JBR that will make the competition live beyond further and keep proving the impossible things. It

Photo: Wayne Grey

Photo: Wayne Grey

Photo: Xavier Ansart

would have to be those fervent fires burning within the iron hearts of each rider prepared to lay it all out on the track, go full-speed without fear as they reach for their glory’s zenith, sky high.

Now that, is Awesome.

Footnote- *as defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary

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+TRAVEL + ADVENTURE +

Dubai to Fujairah: An Adventurous Couple’s Weekend Getaway Words: Nina Glinski

When

I think of the concept of a “romantic weekend getaway,” wreck diving and off-roading on the back of my boyfriend’s motorcycle wouldn’t normally spring to mind. Yet somehow, as I snapped pictures of Charles attempting to haul his 200 kg bike out of a ditch between Wadi Sana and Wadi Sidr, all I could think about was how much I love this man, and how happy I was that our return to the urban chaos Dubai was offset by a little bit of calamity in the middle of nowhere.

After a particularly grueling week, Charles spontaneously took a Thursday off and we decided to make use of his motorcycle – a bright orange and black Austrian-made KTM Adventure 990 that was gathering dust in the garage– by making a quick escape to the clear waters of UAE’s East Coast, just north of Fujairah.

I had been on a bike only once before, when we had taken the coastal route in Oman to Khasab, but this was my maiden off-roading escapade. What could possibly go wrong?

Prepping for a trip like ours is the hard part, and we waited until the morning of

A couple with a penchant for adventure

Ground level at Wadi Sidr, slicing through the mountains instead of over them

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Offroading Wadi Sana

our departure to throw it together. When packing for a three-day bike/dive/beach resort trip, the discriminating packer wins.

A massive effort goes into packing only two side cases and a dry bag; it would be much easier to throw the “kitchen sink” into the rear of your car. Needless to say, we forgot a few things, but we managed to find space for some eggs, which made the trip unscathed save for one.

As is our usual misfortune, we surveyed a sandstorm enveloping Dubai as we made our final prep. There was a hint of doubt on Charles’ face, and knowing that he would never deliberately push me to do something reckless I said, “Can you imagine how much we’ll regret not taking the bike if this is just passing through?”

The bike was blasted from side to side all the way to Al Ghail. Communicating over a Bluetooth headset and intercom that Charles had lovingly installed into our helmets, we assured each other that all was well. The river of sand that we were driving through seeped into my socks and pelted any exposed flesh. “In retrospect, that was really dumb,” Charles expressed to me later. It wasn’t the first time he’d uttered the words. “But you didn’t seem scared, so I didn’t feel like we needed to stop.” As a passenger, I only assumed that my boyfriend had my safety on the top of his mind. “He would never put me at risk,” I told myself, rejecting my instincts of self-preservation.

The paved road came to a head at a mosque in sleepy Al Ghail. We took a right turn where we should have taken a left, and began a labyrinthine foray into the mountains. The road was unmarked and difficult to navigate, with offshoots that appeared to us as significant arteries. We hadn’t studied the off road guide thoroughly before departure, and relied on our ability to improvise. In the end, our best method

Descending to a wreck dive from Sandy Beach Resort Dive Center

Diving buddies

was to defer to wooden telephone poles, which generally ran along the thru-road.

Worst case, we’d simply hit a dead end and turn back. We were not in a rush, but we felt the journey’s physical toll on our joints. There may have been moments when one or both of us wanted to abandon the trip and make for the main road, but no one spoke up.

The angular bike clung to the rocks and loose gravel. At some points, the gravel had collected into thick piles, challenging wheels and driver to stay the course.

Eventually we made it out of the wadi, exchanged high fives and booked it for the coast. The trip, including lost time, took about three hours.

We arrived in dramatic windswept fashion at Sandy Beach Resort, which sits off the Dibba-Khorfakkan road, about 30 minutes north of Fujairah, and checked into a one-bedroom bungalow. Every joint of my body protested any movement, but we dashed to the ocean, which we had to ourselves because it was Thursday, and the droves of Russian weekenders wouldn’t arrive for another day.

We awoke to a beautiful Friday morning and made our way to Sandy Beach’s dive center. I had recently banged out my PADI

Sandy Beach Resort, a welcome resting place between offroading and diving on the East Coast, 30 minutes north of Fujairah

Climbing the path toward Wadi Sidr is treacherous, take it slow

The view overlooking Wadi Sana

certification in three days at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel in Dubai, and this was my first official recreational dive. The visibility was spectacular at nearly 20 meters, and our dive master, Ravi, was an all-star. We descended along a chain down to a wreck, where Ravi led us to see countless schools of baitfish, lionfish, eels and more.

As we sun-soaked on the beach after our dive, we contemplated diving again the following day and opted against it.

“We’ll save something for next time.” We would most certainly be back. I leaned over to Charles and said, “Well then, should we discuss how we’re getting back to Dubai?” He wouldn’t have suggested it, but I had that look in my eye. Of course we were going to off road back, the only question was what route.

On the way back we took a route from Wadi Sana to Wadi Sidr and then back through to Al Ghail, hitting some parts of the road we had passed at Wadi Al Fara.

As the bike climbed the path, the rocky range materialized behind us. The steep road wound up to the plateau and we took one turn too wide, finding ourselves off-off road, forcing the bike to a half. The bike began to roll backwards with gravity until Charles took a defensive lean to the

ground, sending me on a preemptive and perhaps overly dramatic roadside dive. After a few rounds of “Baby, are you OK?” Charles began to heave the bike while I enjoyed the Down at a wreck, not bad for a first recreational dive scenery. Of all the places to breakdown, he had fallen upon quite the scenic overlook.

The rest of the trip went without a hitch, as we descended to Wadi Al Sidr and eventually hit familiar territory from our ride on the way out. This time Charles knew the route and we were through within minutes rather than hours, which garnered some nods of acknowledgement from locals who’d witnessed our romp through the wadi from the comfort of their 4x4’s as we’d passed them.

Dubai’s skyline jutted out of the sand on our approach back to the city. I squeezed Charles a little tighter, impressed with the totality of our weekend getaway. “What should we do for dinner?” I asked, as we bobbed through traffic, back into a world Happy to have reached a mountainous plateau of normalcy.

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+EVENT REVIEW +

ABU DHABI

DESERT

CHALLENGE Abu Dhabi has been

keeping up with the race for fame in all fronts, continuously upgrading its status as a grand tourist destination for travel and adventure. For one, the capital’s great desert dunes in the Western Al Gharbia Region, most notably in the Liwa Desert, has been recently graced by the tracks of petrol-hungry machines flown in from six continents of the globe to compete in the world-renowned cross-country race that was the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge and that ran from March 30 to April 6.

The thundering engines of the crosscountry racers have come to fill life in the stillness of the desert that extends into the Empty Quarter, and along with it, the unrelenting zeal of each individual to clinch the gold after conquering the expansive and desolate lands of the challenge ahead of the pack, or even just the modest goal of finishing the whole race. Several veteran cross-country racers have claimed that the desert race course can humble down even the most experienced driver with its spells of hostile red hot dunes coupled with extreme heat under the April sun. Indeed, the name of the event rightfully describes

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Words: Angelo Cabrera

Photos: Wayne Grey

the entirety of the whole race.

In spite of the seemingly insurmountable test of human endurance that lay upon the lands of the Liwa Desert, more than a hundred riders from various categories had heeded the call to claim glory at Al Gharbia. The riders and drivers had come a long way, most notably were those competitors that had come from the South American countries such as Brazil and Venezuela, as they marked a high number of entrants this year before the onset of the race. This goes to prove just how important the desert challenge is for the cross-country conquerors.

The nation’s best drivers had also made their presence known in the desert racing spectacle. Among those who rode for the country’s pride and glory were: Emarati cross-country rider Mohammed Balooshi, who had staked his shot in the bikes category of the race, Obaid Al Kitbe who put his aim in the quad bikes category, whereas ace veteran driver Khalifa Sutlan Al Mutaiwei had entered for a comeback performance in the cars category coming in from an eight-year hiatus. The famed Emirati driver was the hailed 2004 FIA World Cup champion and had raced under the German X-Raid team.

And so, the hungry-hearted racers gunned through the barren lands of Al Gharbia with the wave of the starting flag, pushing on with all their grit and aiming to dominate the indomitable landscape with feral might.

The start saw the Super Special Stage opening round set between the Marina Mall and the Abu Dhabi International Marine Sports Club. The specially designed two-kilometre off-road course was meant to establish the starting order for the first stage of the rally. The SSS was opened for spectators to get up close and witness some of the toughest machinery and racers on the planet battle it out in the challenge.

As the dust cleared after the rave of the mighty vehicles in the SSS, Russia’s Boris Gadasin got the key head-start for the first leg in the cars category upon crossing the checkered flag in 1h 51m 5s, with UAE’s Al Mutaiwei following through in second just missing the lead by a mere four-second gap between him and Gadasin, as France’s Jean-Louis Schlesser settled in for third.

In the bikes category, UAE representative Sebastian Husseini clinched the lead in 1h 51m 8s, followed by

Starting third on the run was not much of a big deal for France’s Schlesser as he dashed straight for the first-place win to conclude his entire quest in the cars category in 21h 39m 16s.

After the amazing race to conquer mystic dunes lands of the capital’s Western Al Gharbia Region, it is fitting to say that these men have earned the respect of the natural forces and the higher power that lord over it. The desert may have been a tough challenge, but the hearts of these men have shown to be tougher. teammate Nicholas Black clocking 1h 52m 2s on the timer, as French rider Andrea Mayer went for the third berth in 1h 54m 9s.

Whereas in the nationals category, Dutch driver Jurgen Goorbergh grabbed the first spot in 2h 4m 1s while fellow countryman Kees Koolen went for the second position in 2h 9m 4s and Saudi Arabia’s Yasir Saeidan clinched the third in 2h 17m 3s.

After determining the ranks of the entrants’ starting runs from the SSS the line up for the first leg of the race took place on on April 1st, and with their fiercest game faces on and sheer concentration focused on obstacles ahead, the riders took flight.

Six days of racing through the dunes and under the grueling heat of the sun had dealt its toll on some of the racers’ machines in the challenge, with a mixed mayhem of vehicles getting stuck in sand pits, overturned, engine troubles, and other sorts of headaches that one gets when racing through hostile desert lands.

Indeed, when nature commands respect, man must do nothing else but follow with his head bowed.

It was then all or nothing for the contenders in the rally as the 287-kilometre stretch of the fifth and last leg had dawned upon them. Full power and keeping the course true for the welcoming arch of the finish line, Spanish cross-country conquistador Marc Coma showed no sign of stopping with his KTM Machine and finished the rally after 20h 33m 35s of riding through the Al Gharbia’s desert in the bikes category.

Coma’s latest accomplishment is his fourth successive win and sixth in total, making him the rider with the most wins in the history of the desert rally.

In the quad bikes category, the Emirati people had welcomed the triumphant run of Umm Al Quwain-based Al Kitbe as he concluded the whole challenge in 22h 37m 04s.

OUTDOORUAE

15

Watery Goodness!

It brings a tear to our eyes at Outdoor UAE that summer is

nearly upon us, and that over June and July it will be too hot to go camping or explore the ‘ warmer regions’ of the UAE. But not to fret, we have a few things in mind that may help wipe the sweat off your sticky foreheads and keep you cool during these next few months.

Firstly Get yourself to Watercooled up at Jebel Ali Golf Resort and Spa. We recommend heading up there when you have a free weekend during this month, why you ask?

First of all, it’s a really cool hangout.

A recently kitted out beach centre with wooden decking and canvas awning it, instantly chills you out, not to mention the comfy sofas as well as really nice staff, you can’t go wrong pre and post activity!

Secondly you know you’re in safe hands as well, the venue has an awarded RYA approval and with tons of state-of-theart-equipment; wakeboards, boats, skis, paddle boards, sailing, towables, zap cats, kayaking, kite surfing just to name a few. It really is a high-tech and high-spec approach to water sports and you can head up there for either for a bit of fun, or if you’re really into it get yourself a few lessons from an instructor.

Watercooled: 04 887 6771

Anoura our Boat Driver for

the day!

secondly Make friends with someone who owns a boat.

If you fancy yourself a bit of a pro on the water now after a few sessions at watercooled but can’t afford a boat, try convincing one of your mates to get one (99% effective).

Failing that... make friends with someone who already has one. You can trade off your mad water sports skills by providing the towable, skis and wakeboard, they supply the engine and it’s a win-win situation!

U Slalom 2 Person Towable Price: 1345 AED *All products listed available at Go

They screamed like girls the whole

1

Sports The Dubai Mall*

win this!

way!

Both Jay and Karim getting throw

16

OUTDOORUAE

n off round corners

Jay from Watercooled pulling some

mad shapes on a wakeboard

e face on riding

oled has his gam

Karim from Waterco

a mono ski

3

2

Pinnacle combo Sk is contour (1 Pair) Price: 995 AE D *All products listed available at Go Sports The Dubai Mall*

Hyperlight Premier Board Price: 1495 AED

Hyperlight Remix Bla ck and White boot bindings Price : 945 AED

thirdly

Go Sport Cale Dos Uni Chair Orange Price: 80 AED

If boats aren’t for you get yourself down to sports mega store Go Sport The Dubai Mall and grab a skim board, snorkel set, and sun chair; these three things are essential when chilling out on the beach and keeping yourself entertained whilst your mates are having fun on the boat without you. The Dubai coast line is littered with free and public beaches; the best place to snorkel if you wanted to is Jebel Ali Joumana Beach where Watercooled is located. We were up there a few weekends ago and spotted a school of over 50 sting rays; it was incredible and worth checking out. If you are into your skim boarding try black palace beach at low tide, here it’s perfect for a flat woody skim board. Also look on facebook to join the SkimBoarders of the UAE group for more info.

‘Wet Skim’ 37 inch Skim Board Price: 175 AED

Go Sport Maldives Snorkel Set Price: 180 AED

*All products listed available at Go Sports The Dubai Mall*

Go Sport Dubai Mall: 04 3253595

Competition!

Watery Goodness!

The U Slalom 2 is a 2 person controllable towable that you can maneuver, slalom, jump, veer, and do a combination of moves through the boat wake or crest in a straight-line boat pattern. A new bottom "VEER" tow system, combined with strategically located extra large Tiger Tooth Fins enable the rider to control the U Slalom 2 in various shoe-lace type moves. Skill is acquired via multiple riding attempts.

We are giving this away on facebook in May! Firstly like us on our facebook page and then post your best beach or boat picture with a tag line ‘Watery Goodness’ and your email address. Each photo will be entered into a raffle and our winner will be announced on facebook with the release of our next issue in June!

us &

WIN OUTDOORUAE

17

+TIPS & TRICKS + Underwater Photography Why Macro?

Words: Gordon T Smith

Most

divers when they start out are looking for the BIG stuff, a bit like tourists going to a game park in Africa, looking for the big 5, only here underwater we are talking about, whale sharks, dolphins, manta rays or even rare creatures such as the sunfish (Mola mola) or even dugongs / manatees.

Gordon

Desert Diver and wannabe Marine Biologist

I will admit that I was no exception to this, but during my diving career something happened to change this viewpoint.

Back in the early 90s I was doing my Rescue Diver course, and at one stage I was playing the lost diver / victim waiting for somebody to rescue me at 10M. Seconds seem like minutes and minutes like hours when you have nothing to do, but something caught my eye in the sand.

I soon realized that although I was laying on sand (after a quick check that there were no scorpionfish around), I was surrounded by a multitude of life going about its daily business.

That weekend I immediately went out and bought extension tubes for my 35mm lens on my Nikonos V camera, my interest in macro photography had begun.

Hypselodoris carnae, barely 1cm in length, perfect subject for super macro

Mexichromis multituberculata photographed on Inchcape 2, Khorfakkan using 105mm lens with wet diopter. Note that the depth of field is very limited even at f32

Around 1995 I realized that I had taken the Nikonos V as far as I could and my then peers of the underwater photography variety persuaded me to bite the bullet and go for an SLR + housing, a major expense I may add, but in retrospect, worth every penny, even although I have never stopped spending and adding additional bits and pieces since 1995.

As my SLRs were Pentax, I soon faced a new problem with no housing to fit my camera model, so my new challenge was what system to change to.

A bit of a dilemma, but as my peers were all using Nikon systems, that was the road I took, and my first system was a Nikon F801 with a 60mm f2.8 micro lens in an Aqautica housing. I added a second hand Nikon F3 and Tussey housing a year later as well as a 105mm micro lens, yes I was totally addicted at that stage.

Of course the challenges of underwater photography pre-digital were higher than using digital cameras.

1.

2.

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Limitation to 36 shots per dive, 38 or 39 shots if you loaded the film tight enough.

No preview post shot, you literally had to practice a lot in order to know what exposure to use, TTL was not an option either with most non-Nikon strobes.

For sure nowadays, digital photography is easier, as long as you check that all of your batteries are charged.

Now I am using primarily a Nikon D300 / D300s in Sea and Sea housing as well as a Nikon D70 in a Sea and Sea housing. My Macro lens collection has doubled also to include the Nikkor 85mm micro lens and a Tokina 35mm micro lens.

Each lens has it’s own place and I use them depending on the subject I intend to photograph. All of these lenses will give true 1:1 reproduction if you can get close enough to the subject.

Of course we are never satisfied, there are always lots of smaller critters that we want to photograph.

To venture further into Super Macro, there are several options.

1.

2.

3.

Diopter fixed to the front of the actual lens Convertor (x1.4 to x2) fitted between the camera body and the lens.

External wet diopter fitted to the outside of the port.

A diopter fixed to the front of a lens severely restricts its use, and this is only recommended when using the system to photograph a specific subject.

Use of a convertor is a better option, but the port size has to be able to accommodate the length of the convertor and the lens, so a port extension may also be required if going down this route, therefore increased cost. There is also a trade-

off in the maximum aperture for focusing purposes.

External wet diopters are probably the best route, as they can flip up and the lens can then be used as per its normal focal length. This is my current choice and have been recently using this type of system in conjunction with my 105mm lens.

One thing that I have found really useful, especially within UAE waters is a good focus light mounted on top of the housing, helps enormously in seeing the subject through the lens.

On my recent trip to Puerto Galera in the Philippines I was lucky enough to have two good friends Carole and Leon with me as well as an excellent guide, Rusty, from Atlantis Dive Center, Puerto Galera. The lack of other divers made photography a real pleasure as only Carole and I were the only photographers in this group.

Pygmy Seahorse, Hippocampus bargibanti on Muricella sp. seafan

Gordon T. Smith My Sea and Sea housing set up with double Sea and Sea YS110a strobes, focus light, Ultra-Light arms, and Macro Mate wet diopter Nikon D300 with 105mm Nikkor Micro lens, alongside 60mm and 85mm Nikkor Micro lenses. Note manual focus rings attached as I do not use autofocus underwater

Commonly mistaken as a nudibranch, polyclad flatworms such as this Pseudobiceros bifurcus are just as colourful. This example taken using a 60mm micro lens.

Wild Guanabana

Ah, the family vacation...

Ideally

speaking, it’s an opportunity for family bonding, time away from the office and lots of laughs. In reality, arranging a trip where the father, the mother and kids get exactly what they want out of it, can be an incredibly stressful ordeal, not to mention more elusive than you would like.

It starts with making the decision on where to go, and who’s in charge of making that decision? Ultimately, it’s your 5 year old who calls the shots and his curious infatuation with cartoons will most probably lead you to Disney World or some other well-trodden, sardine packed amusement park; not exactly riveting for the whole family! The kids may love you for it, but their not so lasting appreciation will be won after lengthy hours in endless queues. Serenity has gone out of the window at this point of course. And naturally in the end you will end up with a suspiciously similar set of photos to that of your cousin Sara’s last family holiday.

Surely there must be a way around this, after all the earth is vast and aren’t we always going on about there being so much to do and so little time? What if you could plan a fun-filled getaway without the stress of planning? Something to engage the kids but also leave you inspired?

Something active but not make you feel like you need another holiday at the end of it? Well we know a company that does exactly that ever so well! Dubai-based adventure-travel company Wild Guanabana designs completely bespoke trips to wild and wonderful destinations. They don’t do trips to places they have not been to themselves so you’re sure you’re getting the local insight and they specialize in what they call Family Playcations which means no matter what age your kids are, they will have the ultimate life-changing journey for the whole family. You’ll definitely come back with a different perspective on the tradition family vacation.

And their Costa Rica journey is the perfect example of that. You can travel for as short as a week to experience what is one of the most bio-diverse and kid friendly countries on the planet. Here are just some highlights of what you can do there:

Fly above the rain forest

For those of you who don’t like to miss a sight, why not feel the wind in your face and gain a birds-eye view by zip-lining above and through the tree canopy? You’ll

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cross canyons and set sights on impressive waterfalls, all the while accompanied by the backdrop of the majestic Volcano Arenal.

Up Close and Natural

You will also get a chance to be one on one with nature as you hike to the foot of the Rio Fortuna waterfall and take a refreshing dip in the natural pools surrounding it, followed by the thermal waters of the volcano. The contrast is exquisite. If you’re lucky, you may also get the opportunity to witness nature’s fireworks in the evening as the volcano spews its red-hot lava.

“Are we there yet?”

You won’t be hearing that from anyone as you journey through the spectacular canals to Tortuguero - one of the largest protected areas of tropical rainforest in Central America. The voyage is an adventure on its own- not to mention the abundance of species living in harmony under nature’s roof. Some charming characters you’ll meet include otters, howler & white-faced monkeys, iguanas, three toed sloths and birds galore!

The Crown Jewel

Corcovado is the world’s most biologically intense place according to National Geographic, and arguably one of the most beautiful places on earth!

With much of this highly forested area conserved,

your family’s senses will be captivated by the melodious sounds of the rainforest, sweet smells of the flora, unique touch of the trees, succulent taste of the fresh fruit and maybe even the rare sight of elusive creatures such as jaguars or tapirs.

After experiencing the land’s striking biodiversity, a sea adventure will have you spotting whales and dancing dolphins as they playfully frolic in the water.

Wild Guanabana’s Costa Rica family adventure with all the trimmings is $2,300 for a 9-day trip, and it will have the entire family in fascination throughout. There are also shorter, longer and more budget options to choose from; everything is customizable and entirely up to you. One thing is constant though; you certainly won’t need a break after your vacation, just an album big enough to place your pictures- and Sara will be jealous!

Get in touch now to start planning your own!

GetMeOnAPlane@wildguanabana.com

Mirdif City Centre | The Dubai Mall | Also available at select Sun and Sand Sports stores across the GCC.

OUTDOORUAE

21

NTS...MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST PRESE THE FIRST OUTDOOR

Another teaser route from our ultimate off-road guide!

Route 14 Hatta is an enclave of Dubai Emirate that lies about 95km South East of Dubai, nestled in the Hajar mountains. The mountains used to be a formidable barrier to the East Coast Emirate of Fujairah but in recent years, several major roads have been driven through the mountains. Many old tracks cross from West to East though the mountains and there are a myriad of picturesque villages in the most inaccessible places.

This route runs counter to the West – East flow of the main roads and many of the old tracks because it goes directly North through the mountains to the town of Masafi (famous for its mineral water). Though this route aims to be entirely off-road there are parts that involve driving on tarmac. These stretches of tarmac are likely to increase as more and more tracks become roads.

The route involves, at the start, technical rock and mountain driving and you are strongly advised to ensure you do this in vehicles that have a locking centre differential and preferably a rear one too. Needless to say, road tyres are not advisable and a minimum of an AT tyre is recommended. Within a short distance of the start you will have to commit to descending a very steep and loose, rocky track and the prospect of being able to retreat back up this track are minimal.

Thus, once committed you have to carry on following the route.

Inevitably you are likely to give your car a couple of bumps and scratches, or worse if you’re careless. You are strongly advised to go with the knowledge that you will have to scout ahead on foot, be prepared to move boulders and dig gravel, and be able to guide vehicles through the most tricky parts.

Note: You will need to carry your Emirates ID and/or Passport to pass through the security

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18 ADVANCED ROUTES FOR THE UAE AND OMAN DETAILED MAPS AND DESCRIPTIONS INCLUDING WAYPOINT TABLES

Hatta Masafi Grade 2 General Description

ADVANCED OFF-ROADING GUIDE BOOK

FREE CD WITH .GPS FILES FOR USE ON YOUR COMPUTER OR GPS DEVICE

Get your copy online at www.outdooruae.com check point on the Dubai – Hatta road. At the time of writing, there were no formal immigration procedures on the road, merely an ID check by the UAE authorities.

Accommodation Options

This is intended as a day trip but you may wish to visit the Hatta Fort Hotel for a drink or meal before you set off. The route does lend itself to camping and there are some potentially excellent campsites en-route. From the finish point there are no viable accommodation options unless you’re heading towards Dibba or back into Dubai etc…

as is snakes passed a series of quarries and eventually ends up at the Sharjah – Khalba road (E102).

5. The fifth escape point is at HM38. Do not

take the sharp left turn, instead stay on the track as it crosses the wadi bottom and climbs into the village. Pass through the village and join the Dibba to Fujairah road (E89). Go left to Dibba or right to Masafi.

Detailed Description

...To read more make sure you purchase the full book!

Escape Routes

There are plenty of escape routes along the way. Once the initial difficulties are over, however, the route is relatively benign and the need to escape is unlikely. The suggested escape routes are as follows:

1. The first escape point is at HM10, when

you reach the tarmac road. Turn left and then left at the next road junction and you will eventually reach the Dubai to Hatta road (E44).

2.

The second escape point is at HM19 when you reach the Sharjah – Khalba road (E102). Turn right to Khalba or make a U turn and return towards Dubai.

3. The third escape point is when you reach the road shortly after HM26. Turn left onto the road and follow it to HM27. You can then join the Sharjah – Fujairah road.

4.

The fourth escape point is at HM33.

Turn left onto the quarry road and follow it

Looking North from HM3

Detailed Map

Here is a sample map of Route 14. See the whole thing in the book!

0km HM24

HM23

S 116

5km

HM22

HM21

HM19

HM18

10km HM20

HM18

HM17 HM16

Munay

HM15 HM14

HM13

HM12 HM11

HM10

HM9

HM8 HM7 HM6

HM5

HM4

E

44 HM3 HM2 HM1

HM Start Point

HM Petrol Alt.

ŠSpace Imaging Middle East

OUTDOORUAE Hatta

23

+TRAVEL + ADVENTURE +

Yemen

by accident.

Words: Mike Nott

Sometimes,

Mike

is an avid adventurer. He is also the expert behind the ME4x4 supplements that we have shared with you over the year. We will also be bringing you his ‘opus’, if you will, in the form of a book entitled ‘Advanced Off-Road Adventure Routes for the UAE and Oman’. Available now at www.outdooruae. com and Adventure HQ, Times Square Mall, Dubai.

>> 24

the best laid plans are subject to monumental hiccoughs. This is a tale of how a meticulously planned 1,400km, week long, off-road trip through the Omani Empty Quarter and Dhofar Mountains was thwar­­­ted by the reasonable reliance on official mapping and GPS map databases; both of which turned out to be rather less accurate than expected.

This trip was made up of 4 vehicles: Colin Campbell and David Townshend in Colin’s Land Rover Defender 110, David Horn in his highly modified Land Rover Discovery, Graham Kimber and his 18 year old son, Josh, in Graham’s Land Rover Discovery and me and my 15 year old son, Robert, in our Mercedes G500. The trip’s route went off-road from just south of Al Ain to the Gulf of Oman coast near the Yemen border. It takes at least 5 days to complete and basically follows the Oman border with, sequentially the UAE, Saudi and then Yemen. For a large portion of the route it’s actually a reasonably close re-tracing of Thesiger’s route from Salalah to Al Ain and is a fantastic vehicle expedition.

All went pretty smoothly until we reached the Oman town of Mazyouna, adjacent to the Yemen border. We had traversed some fantastic areas: the flat gravel plains in the north, immense and stunning dunes, stood at the Saudi/Oman border at the base of the Empty Quarter and then reached the start

OUTDOORUAE

Oman Empty Quarter Camp

of the rocky escarpments leading to the Dhofar mountains. We refuelled in Mazyouna, drove out of town to set up camp and the next morning, headed south to parallel the Yemen border.

Now unbeknownst to Yemen Border - Credit: GoogleEarth us, the Omani official tourist map and even the We were escorted back under Garmin Mapsource™ armed guard and were then mapping on our GPSs was not as surrounded by more men, all in accurate as they really should have Yemeni traditional dress, all bearing been. We turned west towards the arms and, with us fearing the worst. border and had, or so it seemed Our thoughts went immediately to from our maps and GPSs, about those of being captured by Yemeni 10km to play with. We picked up tribesmen and being ransomed off, some sand tracks and followed (I wondered how much Jeni, my them. After a couple of kilometres, wife, would have to cough up for off to our right we saw a chap Robert and I, and whether she even waving at us, in what appeared would). But, there was something to be a very vigorous and friendly not quite right. We were very close manner, so we waved back. Then to the Omani border and surely we heard volleys of gunfire aimed at there wouldn’t be so many of us and I turned to Robert and said them, and so close. After an initial we’re being shot at. Colin in the interrogation, it turned out that they lead and with me just behind, put were in fact Yemen border guard. As our feet down to try and get out of it was Friday, they were allowed to range of the (thankfully inaccurate) dress in mufti and, it transpired, we firing but Graham and David were a had strayed about 5km into Yemen little way back and out from behind along a well known smuggling route. a rocky outcrop two old pick-up Of course, we tried to convince trucks chased them down. Colin them to let us go and that we’d and I saw this happen, so reluctantly drive back the way we came but came round and waited for the they were having none of it. inevitable intercept. Another pick-up What then followed, despite the reached us with a gaggle of armed inconvenience and having our trip men on-board and gestured to us cut short, was a tale of the most to follow them back to the ‘rockygracious hospitality. The captain of outcrop’.

Dawn at Oman Border Post

Approaching Yemen Border Post

this particular outpost got into uniform, jumped into David’s Discovery with his AK47 and we then followed a route through the stunning rocky scenery, via all the other Yemeni border posts to the nearest town on the border road leading from Mazyouna in the Oman. Though, not in any way used as a delaying tactic, Graham’s Discovery sprung an oil leak, and I don’t mean a run-of-the-mill Land Rover oil leak. An oil pipe had disconnected and all of his engine oil was pumped, rather dismayingly, into the sand. So, a quick tow was arranged and we carried on until we reached a tarmac road. I was carrying 5 litres of suitable oil and once he’d reattached the oil pipe, he refilled his engine and we all drove on.

On arrival at the town and having been handed formally over to the local police, interrogated once again, and finally having been able to convince them that Robert’s radio controlled car wasn’t in fact a spy car with remote cameras, we were treated royally. Declining their suggestion that we stayed in a local hotel in the town, we pressed on them that we really wanted to head back to Oman. Now, considering it was a Friday and all the ministries were closed, they did go to extraordinary lengths to release us as soon as they could and in the proper manner. We were fed and watered by the head of the customs department, as his personal guests, and were accommodated with fresh bedding on the top floor of the new customs house.

Later that afternoon a senior military officer came up from the nearest city to check our stories. And here we saved further time explaining ourselves by showing him our GPSs. On David’s large screen GPS we showed him the route we had followed and the mapping database indicated that we were well within the borders of the Oman, and it was all a big mistake; silly us! He took a printout of this data and sent it to some ministry in the capital Sanaa. At 3am on the Saturday morning, we were woken, told we were free to go and were then escorted in a police convoy to the Omani border

Graham on Tow

Looking Into Yemen

checkpoint. Here we were formally handed over to the Omani border guard, who laughed like drains when they heard our story; though they were very keen to get their hands on the locations of the Yemeni border posts.

I returned a year later, on my own, to complete the part of the trip that had been denied us. With updated and now accurate GPS software I was able to drive from Rakhyut on the Omani coast and parallel the Oman/Yemen border all the way to Mazyouna without mishap. If you fancy doing, probably, the longest and most sublime off-road route in the Oman, it’s Route 16 in the guidebook!

Yemen Border Post

Photo Credits: Colin Campbell

ROUTE 16 p.174 Take on this route yourself and tell us about it! We can feature your story and even let you compare notes with Mike himself! Feel free to send in photos and writing to contact@outdooruae.com

Yemeni Hospitality

OUTDOORUAE

25

+TRAVEL + ADVENTURE +

From Sand to Snow the quest for a Giant Bluefin Tuna Words: Nick Bowles

The World

is truly becoming a smaller place through air travel, internet, mobile communications etc. If you had told me 10 years ago that as a job I could travel the World fishing to target exotic fish species, I would have laughed at you. One, it was too expensive and two, knowing how and where to fish was always a problem. If you lacked the local knowledge you wouldn’t really have much of a chance.

Now with forums, emails, reports, specialty fishing shops etc., fishing has become, in my opinion, the biggest global sport with people travelling to every corner of the globe targeting their desired

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species. The correct equipment and having the correct guides and hosts can enable you to have a successful trip. You don’t have to be a professional as in most sports; you just have to have the desire, drive and passion to make the trip! Most of the trips I go on are more about the experience and the people you meet rather than the actual physical act of catching the fish; but if you do catch a trophy fish it makes the trip that much sweeter!

I have made two trips to Cape Cod in the USA to fish for Giant Bluefin Tuna on spinning equipment, but both trips ended prematurely due to weather and a bad accident. So, when an opportunity arose late in 2011 for organizing yet another trip to Hatteras North Carolina and there was a spot for me, I instantly said yes I was in! I had a vendetta to pay the Bluefin after having three strikes, hooking two fish and landing none in the Cape!

3-0 to the Bluefin! This was an opportunity not to miss! Another chance at a Giant Bluefin Tuna on popping gear!!

As the trip grew closer I was gathering all the

information I could on what to expect in terms of conditions, equipment etc., and started to get very excited as this was going to be a trip like none other! There was a group of 11 guys from all over the World booked on two boats for the trip.

Finally the day arrived to fly to JFK. I arrived at the Dubai International Airport with high hopes and thoughts running through my head at 100 miles an hour; did I have enough gear, did I have enough clothes and mostly could I finally land a Giant Bluefin!? I boarded the awesome Emirates A380 plane (I thought big plane, big fish!!) and 14 hours later I landed at JFK. Flying into JFK I was looking out of the window, the sky was clear, sun shining, water blue and I thought this doesn’t look too bad! I picked up my bags and walked through the sliding doors into the open air,

Ouch!!! This was not the desert of Dubai!

It was freezing with snow but the sun was shining, crazy!! After trying to unlock bag locks with quickly numbing fingers I managed to get extra jackets and layers on!! Finally my body started to warm up and I knew I was in for one very different experience!

The weather was not looking good for Hatteras with high winds and big seas. We decided to delay the trip by a couple of days to avoid sitting in Hatteras not able to fish. Finally after two days the report from Hatteras was good and a window was opening in the weather. We all met up at Saltywater Tackle in Brooklyn and did the 10 hour drive to Hatteras, North Carolina.

We got there in the dark, Hatteras is a small sleepy holiday town and being out of season was very quite! However it made no difference to us; we were not there for a holiday, we were there to catch Giant Bluefin Tuna!

We set up all our tackle late into the night and after a good meal got to sleep.

The alarm went off early and everyone was up and ready to go!! We were staying about 100 yards away from the boats so after an easy walk we were aboard our purpose built 60 foot Sportsfishers, amazing hardcore boats. We met up with the Captain, Dan Rooks, and First Mate Mike. After a quick chat we got underway.

The fish had been spotted the day before 60 miles out into the Atlantic. This was not calm sea; this was sea straight out of “The Deadliest Catch”! After a few hours the weather started to clear and we reached the fishing area. As we arrived we were greeted by an amazing sight of 300-400 pound tuna bursting through the surface!!

Incredible!

A fleet of lures took to the air and the tuna were hooked up almost immediately!

Being such huge fish on light spinning equipment we broke a few off however a couple stayed hooked and the battle of wills started. These fish are so huge that you have to either wear them down slowly or they wear you down slowly! After an epic fight we got two Giant Bluefins into the boat. Amazing animals! After a couple of pictures we got them tagged and released!

We started looking for the tuna again and after a short while found them feeding. I cast my stick bait into the middle of the boils and a massive shadow came up and engulfed my lure, I thought I had hooked onto a minibus!! The power was terrifying! I slowly started to gain line back and finally after a backbreaking fight got a massive 320 pound Bluefin Tuna into the boat!! A feat I have long being trying to achieve and something not many people can say they have done!!

We caught a total of 8 Giant Bluefin Tuna over the two days. An epic trip and awe inspiring fish. Next February in 2013 we will be taking guided trips back to

Hatteras USA to target the mighty Giant Bluefin!

For more information you can come in and visit us at our shop in the Dubai Garden Centre, Sheikh Zayed Road or come and see any of our top end fishing products. www.oceanactive.com

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+TRAVEL + ADVENTURE +

Canoeing the

Congo

First source to sea descent of the Congo River

by Philip Harwood

It was a far cry from Ras

Al Khaimah and the Emirates.

Rather than being tail-gated and flashed in the fast lane, I was being chased in the middle of the Congo by eight angry tribesmen in two dugout canoes – and they were gaining on me.

Phil

has worked all over the world as an expedition leader, outdoor instructor, development trainer and Royal Marine Commando.

His book and award winning documentary film of the trip ‘Mazungu’ (filmed himself) is only available from his website: www. canoeingthecongo.com

“Mazungu … Mazunguuu,” came the screams from behind.

“Give us money.” They were all standing up and paddling like men possessed. The nearest guy had a huge machete attached to his waist. The word “Mazungu” white man, was being screamed and repeated along both banks. I felt like a wolf that had inadvertently strolled into a farming community and was being hunted down. Too close for comfort, it was the venom in the next cry of “Mazungu” that made me decide. I grabbed my machete.

Thanks to winning a travelling fellowship and grant from the brilliant Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, I was on my way to making the first source to sea descent of the Congo River through the war-torn Democratic Republic of the Congo. From the true source in north-eastern Zambia, the Congo River is just short of 3000 miles long and the eighth longest river in the world, with a flow rate second only to the Amazon. It flows through savannah, swamp and

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dense tropical rainforest, crossing the equator twice before finally draining into the Atlantic Ocean.

The Congo has suffered horribly throughout its history, and due to generations of foreign exploitation, political instability, corruption and civil war, not to mention the crocodiles, hippos, waterfalls and huge rapids, the river seems to have been given a wide berth. But if you’re looking for a true adventure travel destination, then look no further … the Congo has it all!

Henry Morton Stanley was the first to explore the middle and lower Congo River in 1877.

He started from Zanzibar on the East coast, and the entire journey took him a neat 999 days. Of the original 356 men on his expedition, only 114 made it to the end. The last remaining European besides Stanley drowned on the final set of rapids, prompting Stanley to write, “I am weary, oh so weary, of this constant tale of woes and death.”

I found the proud people of the Congo to be an absolute inspiration; I believe we could all learn a great deal from their courage and resilience in the face of adversity. It has to be said however, that I also encountered my fair share of hostility too, and I don’t think I’ve ever come as close

“I only had to get my machete out twice to prevent myself from being robbed.”

baby crocodiles amongst other things.

At night in the absence of firm ground, my technique would be to paddle as hard as I could and ram myself into the thickest area of reeds I could find. I’d then try to somehow drag and push my way further through, until I was securely wedged in with little risk of capsize. I figured that since I was surrounded by tightly packed reeds, I’d have to be pretty damn unlucky to get a surprise visit from anything big enough to fit my head in its mouth. On more than one occasion I was awoken in the middle of the night by crashing, splashing sounds, but after a while I got used to it.

my mind brought up similarities with the everglades, there was a frenetic thrashing noise to my right. Two twelve-foot crocodiles came crashing through the undergrowth and launched themselves off a four feet high bank.

They were so close I remember noticing the membrane close on the nearest one’s eyes. They belly flopped onto the water with a tremendous splash and disappeared directly under my canoe, causing me to wobble in more ways than one.

to a nervous breakdown as I did during the five months it took me to reach the Atlantic. Collapsing unconscious from malaria didn’t help.

With local help I found a tiny spring at the base of a Banyan tree in the highlands of Zambia. This was the source of the most powerful river in Africa. With my 15ft Canadian canoe strapped to the back of a land cruiser, I eventually found a decent spot wide enough to start. At long last I was off. The upper Chambeshi was a beautiful little stream: crystal clear waters, an abundance of birdlife and lovely little rapids to keep me on my toes. The main risks were either being torn to shreds by the razor sharp thorns that seemed to come from all directions, or getting the canoe pinned against a rock or on one of the many fallen trees crossing the river. A few day’s later however crocodiles became another consideration.

The environment had now changed, and the way became narrow and dark, with gnarled, twisted overhanging trees blotting out the sunlight. As I registered this change in mood and

Bangweulu swamp covers an area approximately the size of the Musandam Penninsula, and in 1991 was designated as a wetland of international importance.

One of its biggest attractions is the lofty shoebill stork, which feeds on

My bodyguards

The gates of Hell

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Crashing, splashing sounds are one thing - something ’orrible ripping your leg off is quite another.

Weeks later after negotiating the waterfalls and numerous rapids of the Luapula River, I was confronted by a wall of jungle and the river disappeared into it in a myriad of channels. In I went, and it felt like a different world. I could hear a permanent rumbling of rapids somewhere off in the distance, and tried to keep to the left hand side so as not to get sucked into a potential waterfall.

I also didn’t want to lose my bearings in the middle. Every now and then the rapids would increase and I’d try to backtrack and find the easiest route. I ducked under one vine only to disturb a crocodile slithering off a rock. Another time a huge snake swam right up to my canoe, reared up out of the water and I had to fend it off with my paddle. The canopy at this point was all enveloping with hardly any visible sky, only the occasional laser beam of light piercing the foliage above. These labyrinths were to become a regular occurrence.

By far the most remote section of the Congo, was the Luvua river, which formed the outlet of lake Mweru.

Peppered with waterfalls and rapids, the entrance was guarded by abandoned T-62 tanks, littering the hillside by Pweto. This was last town for three hundred miles. The day before I set off, I was approached by a leathery-faced South African bush pilot, who in his thick Afrikaans accent, told me: “Do you know there’s still armed Mai Mai rebels in there man? I’m telling you if they catch you, they’ll kill you, and it wont be a quick death.” He then continued. “No joke, I’m telling you,

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a year ago two Belgian missionaries were captured, tortured, and had their testicles cut off and eaten. Their heads were then cut off and put on spikes outside their village.”

I have to admit to briefly entertaining the idea of giving up, but quickly dismissed it and headed off before I changed my mind. The Luvua landscape was unique. Golden coloured grass covered the surrounding hills, and occasional abandoned huts built from volcanic like rock clung precariously to the steep sided banks. Large trees that seemed to be covered by giant sheets of white silk blowing in the wind – in reality were gargantuan house sized spiders webs. On one occasion while trying to sneak around a nasty rapid, I inadvertently brushed against one and was instantly covered in a million spiders. Crawling in my mouth, my ears, up my nose, it was horrible. If I hadn’t been such a rugged adventurer, I’d have screamed like a little girl; or at least, if a fisherman hadn’t been sitting on a rock watching me.

Further down-stream, despite the odd thunderous chasm from hell requiring a portage, soaring ochre coloured cliffs rose thousands of feet up from both sides, with stunted twisted trees clinging precariously to their sides, everything as dry as a bone. Only by the rivers edge was there greenery.

Make sure you pick up next month’s issue of OutdoorUAE for more from Phil and his Congo adventure.

Visit www. canoeingthecongo. com for more information on his book and DVD.

e r u t n Chick Adve

+OUR EXPERTS +

hits gay Paris!

So admittedly Paris is not

Tori

writer, runner, blogger & adidas athlete PS. My email address is tori@fitchicksandfastwomen. com for thoughts, ideas, and suggestions… or just to say hello!

quite the UAE but this month, I’m writing about my recent race in France because it really is only a short (ish) plane ride away, was a fabulous race featuring distance options for all and because I’m never short of emails from readers asking about choosing races … what to run and what to shun!

So last month I ran the EcoTrail. I entered the 80km (actually 83km) distance which had a not too shabby 1,500m / 4,900ft total ascent and took us on a veritable cross-country adventure before the final 10km or so when we ran along the Seine before finishing up the Eiffel Tower … yes, up the Eiffel Tower … that’s a lot of stairs to climb after an 80km run (!)

This was the 5th edition of the EcoTrail de Paris … the jewel in the crown of the French ultra scene and a race that attracts some pretty awesome runners.

Without doubt, it must be world’s most breathtaking backdrop in which to stage a race. The terrain was around 80% off-road taking us through enchanting woods, endless trails and dense forests, a few quintessential French villages, the palatial grounds around Versailles and then past floating bars and canal boats on the final stretch.

I felt utterly delighted to even arrive at the start line, 80km from the city centre, having had a journey involving walking, the metro, a train and a bus … all without getting lost. With my track record, this was quite an achievement! Thousands of runners were already milling around alongside some sort of safari park … I remember plenty of camels, which seemed odd seeing as I had left the desert and was now in a European suburb!

Despite a few stomach issues to contend with, the aid stations were great.

Hot soup, bread, cheese, saucisson and dark choco-

late … no surprise that the French didn’t disappoint here. The volunteers were lovely and supportive although their English wasn’t great. Thankfully, I managed to rustle up the lingo I needed, thanks to my years studying, au pairing and on the piste in France!

The weather didn’t disappoint either … in fact, it was one of the hottest days in France in a long time so whilst many were overheating and bonking, for those living in the desert, it was like a cool winters day. Lush blue skies, shining sun and not a cloud in sight made the route even more gorgeous and certainly made for a welcome change from sand and skyscrapers.

I ran through the gardens at Versailles at dusk and the beauty that surrounded me combined with the beginning of fatigue overwhelmed me. The last time I was at Versailles was around five years ago for a star-studded party with my dad … a stunning night that remains forever etched, but needless to say, I was looking a tad more glam that evening than I did this time round!

At around 70-ish km we reached the Musee de Ceramique, another truly palatial building exuding effortless elegance.

From there on in, we could see the flickering lights of the Eiffel Tower in the distance. By this stage, my legs were jelly … my calves cramping and my quads killing but somehow, seeing the beckoning tower ahead gave me the boost I needed to crack on.

Finally, at 9pm, I reached the Eiffel Tower. Running underneath it made me feel like a rock star thanks to the cheers from crowds and the French commentators going wild. Climbing what seemed like an eternity of steps was a brutal end but by that point I could taste the champagne so nothing could have quashed my spirit! I met the girls and within 15 minutes, I was happily settled in a nearby bistro, lamenting about the day’s adventures, drink in one hand, much needed fuel in the other.

The morning after was needless to say a slow start but once we got moving, we still managed to shop till we dropped then party the night away. And I guess that’s another thing that made the EcoTrail such a special race … although I love going off the beaten track to the back of beyond, there’s definitely no

opportunity there to get on the Choos and glam up for an evening of Sauvignon Blanc and suave Frenchmen! Few cities I imagine could even cater for such a race i.e. one with such terrain but that finishes in the heart of a metropolis.

The EcoTrail de Paris is really a magical race that can’t fail to leave footprints forever so I think it deserves space on any runners Bucket List. Besides, being placed in the heart of the style capital du monde it’s also the ideal opportunity for fellow Adventure Chicks to spend a long weekend with a girlfriend shopping, gossiping and partying … and of course, running!

Finally, if the thought of the full 80km fills you with fear, you can pick 18km, 30km and 50km … something for tout le monde!

I left Paris basking in the sunlight, spring in step, shopping bags in hand and headed for Scotland, my next stop.

There I spent time with my family and yes … ran another race! All in all, a great little adventure and I now have just three weeks back in the sandpit before my next one … Action Asia’s 100km in Lijiang China … think high altitude, big mountains, awesome scenery and lots of laughs with some great friends.

On my return, I’ll be hitting the adventure scene in Abu Dhabi for next months column … all will be revealed in due course!

Love, Tori x Need to know:

When: March How far?!: 18km, 30km, 50km or 80km What else: Visit www.traildeparis.com and get planning for 2013!

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

YAMAHA RIDESHORT MEN’S 295AED Available at: All Al Yousuf Outlets Fishing. Skiing. Boarding, whatever the way you want to spend your day on the water, make sure you do it in style with Genuine Yamaha shorts constructed with 2mm neoprene inner liner and Baja body material. It consists of sublimated pinstripes with Satin twill accent panel.

The Blue accent panels rip stop makes you look cool with Tie front tabs with zipper fly. You can place your gadgets in 5” hidden zipper pocket with mesh pouch and key loop.

LANDYACHTZ “BOOM STICK” 995AED Available at: Quicksilver in Dubai Mall, BEACH ST on JBR Walk, Adventure HQ and Surf Dubai.

One of the latest creations from Canadian long board specialists Landyachtz. The aptly named ‘Boom Stick’ is just that. This new ride is a whole bunch of boards smashed into one frighteningly cool long board. It’s long enough to be comfortable at downhill speeds, yet with its bamboo construction is light enough to olly. Plus with its retro kick tail; can handle a kick flip or two. Set up with the new Mini Zombie slide wheels this board is an all-round beast. Check it out now in selected stores.

TESTED! - P42

COLUMBIA DRAINMAKER SHOES 325AED Available at: all Columbia Stores; in Dubai: Ibn Battuta, Mall of the Emirates Mirdiff City Centre, The Dubai Mall.

In Abu Dhabi: Al Wahda Mall Meet Drainmaker. Born on the trail but adapted for water, it combines a fully drainable midsole with a rockgripping, siped outsole and a quick-drying upper. We combined lightweight cushioning, breathable mesh, performance – tire style traction and a drainable midsole to create the ultimate hybrid water shoe. There’s nothing quite like it—another result of trying stuff. Learn more at COLUMBIA.COM/DRAINMAKER

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Endura FS260 Pro Jersey II 295AED Available at:Adventure HQ in Times Square Center, Micah’s Bike Shop in Al Quoz area behind Oasis Centre Road Performance,Rapid wicking knit offers fast drying performance, Supportive athletic fit, Triple rear mesh pocket system, Small security pocket with concealed zipper, Reflective trims on sleeve, Silicon hem grippers

THE CAVE – THE INFLATABLE TENT 2,620AED Available at: Go Sport The Dubai mall THE INFLATABLE DIAMOND GRIP (IDG) is a self-supporting airframe formed out of 5 modular double layer air beams. The MULTI CHAMBER SAFETY SYSTEM connects all air beams for an easy, one-point inflation process. After inflation, it separates the air chambers to assure stability even in case of damaged parts. These parts can then easily be replaced or repaired. 5 valves guarantee an easy deflation process. THE OUTER TENT is made out of durable yet light ripstop material (5000mm).

Ventilation openings provide a perfect airfl ow from bottom to top – your cave will never become a flowstone cave, even in the worst conditions.

SLINGSHOT RALLY KITE 8m 4900AED 9m 5100AED 10m 5300 AED 12m 5600AED 14m 6000AED Available at: Picnico on Beach Road The Kite is a Slingshot Rally model 2012 available in sizes 8m,9m,10m,12m,14. The kite is designed for the crossover between free ride and freestyle. So in brief the Kite is an all rounder and for everyone to choose their style of riding with it.

Prices start at 4900AED for a complete package of kite, bar, lines, pump, bag and safety leash.

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+TRAVEL + ADVENTURE +

Wadi Ghalilah Adventure is a very

subjective word. The experience of those who undertake them varies … it can be a daring climb to an unclimbed Himalayan peak, to a brisk walk in unfamiliar terrain.

But no matter what adventure you undertake there is one common requisite for it to be authentic ... the spirit of discovery and the fun! I remember my first thoughts of Wadi Galilah; in my mind I’d seen it as something like Jebel Hafeet where paved roads traverse the entire mountain with its hotel and restaurants along the way. Being a self-proclaimed climber and mountaineer for almost all my adult life I’ve always wanted to climb something here in the UAE or at least find somewhere to go camping free from the busy and mostly manmade wonders of the city. However, the idea of driving to a peak and camping next to hundreds of people with their BBQ’s and Shishas was enough to dampen my climbing spirit.

Consequently, the name Wadi Galila faded to oblivion. It wasn’t until almost a year later when I got a Facebook message from my friend Dan Mazur when I heard about Wadi Galilah again. Dan, a veteran of many Everest expeditions and countless other expeditions around the world, including a daring rescue on Everest which resulted in a climber being evacuated by helicopter, told me that they were in the region and going to climb “the stairway to heaven” that was in Wadi Galila. I then thought to myself... if it was good enough for Dan (a demi god of climbing) to climb I’m sure it is good enough for me. So I quickly checked Google images of it to see what it

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Words: Philip Lacson

looks like, which to my regret I hadn’t done almost a year ago. The images in my head of paved roads along the side and through the top of the mountain, with hotels and restaurants along the way still loomed in the back of my mind. However, it couldn’t be further from the truth! As soon as I clicked on images of Wadi Galila and the “stairway to heaven” on my laptop I saw sheer rock faces and big walls of stone rugged cliffs that would rival those big wall climbs of Yosemite. Like a teenager who’s viewing a forbidden website my heart was pounding! I couldn’t believe that after 5 years in the UAE camping on parks next to what seems like a million people, I was finally looking at a potential true wilderness. Imagine the feeling of being a rock or heavy metal fan and having to head bang on Justin Beiber because he’s the only gig around then suddenly spotting a poster that Metallica or Audio Slave or the Red Hot Chilli Peppers are on tour nearby! EXACTLY! So the day after I hastily pack whatever outdoor gear I had lying around, kidnapped any buddy that was on their day off and set off for Ras Al Khaima. Not knowing the exact location, all the normal preparation about the terrain and the weather that I would usually do was out the window. I just got out and went for it, like a child with a free day pass at Disneyland. It was almost 7pm when I pulled through the last petrol station, turned at the cement factory

and saw the sign Wadi Galilah. From the fading light I could distinguish outlines of mountains and cliff faces as I drove into the interior. By the time I reached the dried up dam it was already dark as it was a particularly moonless and chilly January evening. This was as far as the paved road would take us and I quickly realised that I didn’t have a clue on my bearing and was disoriented as soon as I got out the car. My first thought was to make camp for myself and a couple of friends who knew nothing about camping let alone orienteering and climbing, so we trekked for what seems hours until I found a nice clearing free of rocks and boulders. I hurriedly pitched our tents, set up our cook set and made dinner, then just took in the experience. I was reveling in the fact that there was no one around us for miles! A real wilderness at last! As night deepened the weather dropped to 16 degrees and my buddies were wearing T- shirts and jeans and were freezing their bottoms off. So in my guilt (after all I literally kidnapped them from their days off) I gave them all my jackets and sleeping bags. So while they were soundly but not quietly sleeping; their snores would sound like Yas Marina circuit on F1 day, I was cold and unable to sleep.

It was almost dawn when I finally began to dose off, when I heard the unmistakable sound of a real engine (not their F1 snores) and it was becoming louder as if in full throttle. From the inside of my tent I could make out two headlights becoming brighter and brighter! The vehicle was only a few feet away from my tent by the

time I’d grabbed my flashlight, unzipped my tent and flashed the vehicle. I was shocked to see a small Susuki Vitara just outside my tent. I walked up to the driver not knowing what to say or ask of him, only to find out that he doesn’t speak English at all. After what seemed like 20 minutes of hand gesturing and broken Tarzan language I realised that we had camped in the middle of a dirt road! The road was apparently for the local people and used by them to ferry food for their goats in the morning. The man told me that the stairway was on the other side of the Wadi and that we heading towards a dead end, so we broke camp, made breakfast and waited for sunlight. The air was still chilly and the sky was pale blue with a gentle tint of pink at the point where the sun was about to rise. As I drank my coffee and walked around to inspect where we were, I stood there motionless just taking it all in. I could see goats lining up for their foray for food up the mountain and from a distance I saw desert foxes scrambling for their dens after a nocturnal hunt for food.

All this natural beauty and grandeur of the place was just too much. The pale ray of sun was beginning to glow in the distance casting its first beam of light in the cold rock face. I could see smooth cliffs that I’m sure were water runoffs during the rainy season and I could picture giant waterfalls and the deafening sound they must have made. I just stood there coffee in hand already planning my next visit to my new found paradise. It was well past 10 am when I finished surveying my surroundings.

When we decided to pack and leave for Dubai; my adventure in finding my spot of wilderness might have ended but in my mind the real adventure had just begun.

I have spent most of my free time going in to Wadi Galilah and to the surrounding mountains and have since discovered many more climbing and camping sites. I took the following pictures on my previous visit to Wadi Galilah with like-minded people; we set out to make new climbing routes and planned many more for the future. As I look at these pictures and reminisce about the time when I missed climbing as I thought there was nowhere in the UAE and boy, was I wrong! I smile and think to myself, the UAE has tons of eyecatching panoramas and makes my fee itch to line up new adventures soon.

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+TRAVEL + ADVENTURE +

Half-way there!

Atte gets closer to his ultimate goal I began my two-month

Words: Atte Miettinen

expedition to climb Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world, in late March and I’m now roughly at the half way point of the expedition.

I’m climbing Mount Everest as part of the Everest Hybrid Team from US-based International Mountain Guides (IMG), one of the most experienced and best known guiding companies not only in the Himalayas but in the world.

My team consists of eight climbers, the seven others are: • •

Atte

is a climber originally from Finland and is currently taking on the Seven Summits. Refer to our past issues to learn more about him and his acheivements on the other peaks of the world.

Go to www.sevensummits. ae and his Facebook page www.facebook.com/ Attesevensummits for more info!

• • • • •

Karl, a wealth manager from Santa Monica, California Bandar, a real-estate executive from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Brad, a lawyer from Richmond, Virginia Duane, a high-tech executive from Portland, Oregon Lisa, a lawyer from Houston, Texas Vanessa, a banker from Boston, Massachusetts John, a parks director from Columbus, Ohio

As I’m 36 years old, I fall well below our team’s average age of 47.

Having met many of the other teams on the mountain, I’m expecting that the average age is a bit lower in general, but that it also reflects people’s ability to take a few months off to pursue a goal of their lifetime.

Our lead guide is 34-year old Mike, with whom I climbed Vinson Massif, the highest mountain in Antarctica, last November. Mike is supported by 35-year old Andy, so we basically have two guides for the group of eight climbers in addition to every climber having a personal climbing Sherpa.

Our expedition started on 28th March with a flight from Kathmandu to Lukla, a small town at 2840m altitude. The Lukla airport is famous for being named after Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, who were the first to summit Mount Everest in 1953.

Unfortunately, more recently the airport has been named as the most dangerous airport in the world by the History Channel.

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The airport has only one runway, which is only 460 metres long and 20 metres wide with a gradient of 12 degrees from north to south. In light of this small size, the runway can only accommodate small short-takeoff-and-landing (STOL) airplanes and helicopters.

Further, topography makes goaround impossible: at the north-end of the runway rises a mountain wall and at the south-end of the runway is end of an angled drop of over 600 metres. This means there’s no room for error when landing or taking off.

Fortunately our pilot navigated the tricky landing without problems and we finally started our trek towards Everest Base Camp on the afternoon of 28th March.

Our route took us via several small towns including Namche Bazaar, the main trading centre in the Khumbu Valley. We travelled light, carrying only our day packs with water, snacks and rain gear while most of our equipment was carried by Sherpas and yaks.

One day one of my teammates got a bit too close to one of the yak’s carrying a heavy load, which swung its horns, cutting the backpack strap of my friend and almost spearing him with a horn.

The yaks look deceivingly docile!

The Sherpas are amazing. They are local people whose bodies have been accustomed to living and working in high altitude environments over generations.

Today, the Sherpas are the backbone of every expedition.

Each team employs a large army of Sherpas to support the expedition with various tasks from hauling equipment into various camps, cooking, setting fixed-lines to support climbers and guiding climbers to the summit.

After five days of trekking, we finally caught our first view of Mount Everest. It felt great to finally see the reason why we were here. A week or so later, we reached Everest Base Camp, or EBC as we call it, which is

our home for most of the remaining 5 to 6 weeks of our expedition.

EBC is like a little village, catering for both trekkers as well as climbers heading to Everest as well as the nearby mountains of Lhotse and Nuptse. My expedition was the first to arrive here but since then people have been streaming in and now EBC is home to around 800 people!

My team has great facilities. Each member of the team has a small tent all to themselves and we share a mess tent, in which our Sherpas keep us well fed. The food has been pretty normal: porridge, eggs and toast for breakfast; potatoes, beans, yak meat and tuna for lunch and dinner. Funnily, it seems the Sherpas call all fish tuna.

At EBC, we can take showers, wash clothes and also have internet access.

However, the satellite based internet access costs US$100 per 10Mb, which means no surfing the web, but just sending the blogs out and relying on family and friends sending text messages for major news events around the world.

The weather has been pretty good to us. The nights can be very cold and often bring a bit of snow, but the mornings especially are warm when the sun hits the camp. Afternoons tend to be pretty cloudy, which means that particularly by late afternoon many are wearing down pants and jackets. I keep resisting, telling myself that I’m from Finland and used to this...well, it doesn’t always work and some evenings I’ve also had to rely on down pants ;-).

Our acclimatisation process i.e. getting our bodies used to the lower oxygen levels high up on the mountains is also going well. EBC is located at 5,365 metres, which means 6.5 times the height of Burj Khalifa and there’s only about 50% of the oxygen compared to sea-level, which we’re reminded of every time we try to do something strenuous like taking a shower!

The low level of oxygen is not only a nuisance but also a constant danger to everyone. Just days ago, a young Sherpa developed High Altitude Cerebral Edema (HACE) and High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE), our two most significant medical threats on the mountain, and died

in his sleep.

At the summit of Mount Everest, the amount of oxygen in the air falls to about 30-35% compared to sea-level, which is not sufficient to support human life. In fact, if you magically flew a helicopter to the summit and dropped off a person there, they would die within 30 minutes.

Some climbers still push their limits and try to summit the mountain without use of supplemental oxygen, but most fail because the effort is simply too much for one’s body to cope with. Although my entire team will use supplemental oxygen on the summit bid, i.e. we’ll breathe a mix of the ambient air as well as pressurised oxygen from bottles similar to SCUBA diving, we still have a long way to go before our bodies are ready for the challenge posed by the high altitude environment.

In light of this, we’ve been doing acclimatisation rotations on the mountains.

These rotations involve us moving up to high camps, spending a couple of nights there to shock our bodies with the low oxygen levels and then returning back down to EBC to let our bodies recover.

Each acclimatisation rotation requires us to pass through the notorious Khumbu Icefall, a collection of crevasses between two mountain faces complemented by regular avalanches including snow, ice and rocks - often bigger than cars.

The path through the icefall requires crossing over dozens of deep crevasses, using ladders tied together.

However, due to the instability of the icefall, the path through it changes almost daily as the glacier moves making the ladders unstable. Fortunately, a group of Sherpas, called Icefall Doctors, look after the route daily to ensure it remains as safe as possible for the climbers heading up the mountain.

However, I can assure you that “as safe as possible” is far from “safe”.

We have a total of four high camps on the mountain. We

recently returned from a rotation during which we slept several nights at Camp 1 at 6,150 metres as well as Camp 2 at 6,500 metres. During the nights especially at the camps, most people, including our Sherpas, started developing signs of Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS), which, if not treated, can easily develop into lifethreatening HACE or HAPE. During the rotation, a Sherpa from another expedition fell into a crevasse and lost his life, providing yet another reminder of the constant dangers surrounding us.

We’re currently enjoying a few days of rest at EBC before we start our last acclimatisation rotation on the mountain.

We’ll spend several nights in both Camp 2 as well as Camp 3 at 7,400 metres, before returning back to EBC to wait for a suitable weather window to open for us to start our summit bid.

The summit bid i.e. the round-trip from EBC via our four high camps to the summit of Mount Everest, at 8,850 metres, and back to EBC will take 5 to 6 days for even the strongest climbers, so weather plays a crucial part in our plans. During a normal climbing season, the weather window during which Everest can be climbed is about two weeks, so we need a little bit of luck to get our timing right on the mountain.

Right now if we stay healthy, the weather stays good and there are no negative surprises during our last acclimatisation rotation, we should start our summit push around 7th May. However, based on history, we’ll have many surprises ahead of us!

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+OUR EXPERTS +

The Dhow Trip Words: John Basson

It has been just over two years since our last dhow weekend and everybody was keen to repeat the experience. After all what better way to end the season; relaxing on a dhow for two days?

Selecting an operator was an easy choice. The previous trip had been unforgettable, so why change a winning recipe? “Famous last words” is all I can say after what was most certainly “unforgettable”, or to quote Paul’s words on the dhow at 2am in the morning, “This is one of those weekends we will talk about for a long time to come”.

Let’s start at the beginning and the communication, or lack thereof between me and the operator: After my initial e-mail to them, asking availability, things were already dodgy.

Every time I asked for something they would positively reply on something completely different. Example: Me: “Hi there xxxxxxx. We would like to book a dhow for an overnight trip in Musandam on the weekend of 13th - 14th April” Reply, two days later: “Yes you are welcome, our day trips leave at 10am and finish at 5pm. Both days are available.”

Me: “No sir, we would like to stay on the dhow for both days and sleep on it. We will come back the next day.”

Reply, two days later: “Ok, we have evening option from 6pm to 10pm with BBQ on the beach.”

Aaaaaghhhhh!!!!!, and with 18 e-mails to and from, I thought things were eventually clear!!

Louwtjie was the first one there and had already boarded what was to be our dhow,

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by the time I arrived with the convoy of mostly South Africans. The dhow that I had been promised and insisted on, including pictures to ensure no communication gap, and the bath tub Louwtjie had boarded was not the same thing!!

I have never been known for my tact and the assertiveness used while telephonically communicating to the “Manager” again emphasised this. Well, it worked and we got the bigger dhow..... ’ Something I also noticed was the amount of dhows compared to two years ago. Almost double!!! Well this should not be a problem as the Musandam is very big and if we followed the same route as before then most dhows wouldn’t reach the second bay where we planned to stop overnight. The weather prediction was windy for Friday up to about 5pm.

Then things were forecast to calm down to a pleasant 5-7km/h for the rest of the weekend. (Ha-Ha) Stopping in the first bay was great and within minutes everybody was swimming and jumping from the dhow.

This was going to be a great weekend!!

Then in short intervals more and more dhows arrived in the bay.

Not a problem, but as the wind increased during the afternoon several dhows dragged their anchors and were swinging from side to side. Two dhows drifted very close and at times would swing to within only a few metres of our dhow. This prevented us from swimming and for safety’s sake we all boarded the dhow.

Then, in what can only be described as “chaos” the dhows started taking their passengers for “rides” in the speed boats they tug along.

During the first hour of watching the chaos it was amusing, but eventually things just became too much. One skipper managed to hit our dhow anchor rope THREE times, once rapidly stopping his boat and almost tossing his passengers overboard!!!

Somehow it seemed that we were the only people concerned with this as the other dhows passengers loved it!!

Our skipper had been gone for almost three hours, to collect all the food for the various dhows, and we had asked the other dhow’s skippers to please move away from our dhow on several occasions.

Eventually mutiny amongst the passengers caused us to take control of the situation and we skippered the dhow to a remote section of the bay.

With safer conditions we were all back in the water and enjoyed watching the chaos from a safe distance. Apart from some minor incidents, and lunch only arriving at 15h30 we were all happy and, as predicted, the wind calmed down to a breeze, almost exactly at 5pm. This was great and we were sure to enjoy a calm and relaxing evening.

Well by about 21h00 most people were upset as our dinner had not arrived and no one had communication with the skipper that had left to get supper. He arrived at about 21h45 and by this time most children had gone to bed!! This was not the end of the world and these things can happen. However the main course was BBQ that they wanted to go and prepare it on the beach!!! (This never happened) I was about to doze off, around midnight when a gale force wind struck us. It was incredible and the whole dhow was shaking!! It blew stuff overboard and awakened almost everybody that was sleeping. In fear of the anchor dragging

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and the dhow blowing onto the rocks several of us appointed ourselves to anchor duty, making sure that the anchor was not dragging. At one stage the crew was so concerned that they decided to start the engine and keep it running to ensure they could immediately react if the anchor came adrift. This squall lasted about an hour and also caused some of the wiring on the dhow to short circuit!!Luckily for us, Mari (my wife who could also not sleep) heard and smelt this short circuit that was busy sparking and burning the wires. Her yelling “FireFire” at the top of her voice got the desired attention and the crew, once they realised what was happening, ripped the plug from the generator. (Interesting that there was not a single fire extinguisher on a wooden dhow).

By now it was about 2am and several of us were still awake from all the excitement. Then at about 3 am the storm returned. Luckily the gusts only lasted around 15 minutes. This time however, the storm was coming from the sea and not the land and caused some fair sized swell to enter the bay and “rocked the boat” as they say.

The last time-check on my watch was 04h40 and I think I must have fallen asleep shortly after that, only to be awakened by a downpour and strong wind at 05h30!!!!! Most people took cover from the rain by covering themselves with mattresses, as the upper deck had no protection from the rain, and downstairs did not have enough space for all. An overwhelming consensus to immediately return to Dibba was evident amongst us all. The crew still wanted to prepare breakfast, but the men were already raising the anchor on command of our wives!! Luckily we’d never left the first bay as the return voyage was head on into the wind, swells and occasional rain showers!!

So much for our relaxing weekend!! However, to quote Paul again: “This is one of those weekends we will talk about for a long time to come.............”

Remember that life should be an adventure!! If your life lacks adventure, book a Dhow weekend!

John Basson.

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+OUR EXPERTS +

The Fishing Kit: Learning the Ropes Words: Kit Belen

Sport

Kit

Our fishing pro who shares his experiences and expertise with OutdoorUAE through his regular column, ‘The Fishing Kit’.

fishing in the Philippines was almost nonexistent except for some pockets of anglers peppered around the country. You could just imagine how challenging it was to piece the fishing puzzle together. Almost everything I learned was through the good old fashion way of trial and error.

It has a few advantages though; you learn everything on your own and quite often, the rewards of finding what works and what doesn’t is something that you never forget.

Often it becomes a habit. The desire to make a better mouse trap stays with you for the rest of your life.

Yet boy it was tough. I not only made a fool of myself when fishing with guys that knew what they were doing, but it also caused them a bit of trouble. However, they were kind

A home made big game handline used for tuna fishing in The Philippines

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It’s never too early to start them fishing

and patient and took me under their wing and taught me a few more tricks to help me improve.

That also became a habit for me.

Teaching what I can to people and sharing what little I have learned over the years.

How it all started

Like most kids who started fishing in the Philippines, it was with very meagre tackle. The targets were tilapia, Climbing Perch, catfish and Snakeheads. The fanciest gear I owned then was a bamboo pole which I’d hung up to dry, the previous year. This was a huge upgrade from the strip bamboo pole I was using, which I’d salvaged from our home fence. Fishing was my main activity in the summertime and I fished from sunrise to sunset.

It didn’t really matter if I caught anything or not, if it was the hole close to the house or the one that’s a few kilometres away. It was fun and I loved it.

I would often go alone or with an older cousin. Of course, I didn’t catch much. But as an urchin, the days when I did catch something was quite an event. I would show my catch to anyone, even people I was only remotely familiar with.

These little trips eventually gave way to fishing saltwater with hand lines. I even tried going on our local tuna fishing boats, which had hand lines with homemade spools that held thick fishing lines. They caught big fish with their equipment which made me understand that you don’t really need fancy gear to enjoy this sport, or more importantly, to catch fish, and be efficient at it.

I never thought this earlier journey was just the start of what I was to become. Every summer, I look

Handlines are still used by a lot of people today.

back and see the child I was then, memories which remain till this day.

A reminder

Last week, I was on board a boat with two 10 year old boys and I could see how excited they were to go out. It was almost comical when they asked “Are we there yet?” and our skipper, smiling, calmly said, “We’re almost there, about 10 minutes more”, only to be asked the same question 3 minutes later.

It reminded me of how it used to be; the times when I fished the creeks and canals of our village. These kids don’t know how lucky they are to experience something like this at an early age.

The day progressed with Faisal hooking his first jigged fish, it was something he was looking forward to and although he wasn’t able to land it, the kid was over the moon.

We bottom fished for the rest of the day while he continued to jig himself to exhaustion. What a little trooper!

While both Kelvin and I gave up on jigging and started to bottom fish, Faisal was still at it.

I was barraged by his eager questions about everything from the rods and reels to the knots and jigs down to the jigging motion I use to catch all sorts of fish. Why was I using this type of rod? Why that type of rod? Why can’t I have just one rod? I answered as best I could with a huge smile on my face, knowing that this boy would grow up to be his father’s best fishing buddy.

Simple lures that work - a must have for any boat and tackle box

The day started with some trolling and we caught some nice fish just outside of our launch point, when we started catching, both kids started asking to bottom fish, so after chasing some birds around with no success, we headed to our first bottom fishing spot.

There, everyone caught fish. Fishing was uncomplicated and we all enjoyed our time in the water, rod and reel, leaders, weights, hooks and bait, chucked down to the water and into the fish’s mouth. Fishing isn’t complicated, people are.

This type of fishing reminds me so much of how I started; only it’s a little more high tech than it was then. The outrigger canoe we used is a far cry from my friend’s fishing machine.

That was then, this is now

A short trolling session and then it was a run to the bottom fishing grounds

These days, we have a lot more toys to our disposal, all sorts of lines from braids to the latest fluorocarbon leaders that disappear in water; I have lures that I could not even count, friends that share adventures with me. Kayaks that have sails that go faster and farther than regular paddled ones. I feel like the kid I was before. It’s summer again and I feel the same as I did 20 or more years ago.

Till next tide change,

Kit.

A lovely mixed bag of fish - ready to join us for dinner

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Getting the right

Kicks

Ian Ganderton tests out the latest water shoe from Columbia.

On test

this month we have a new water shoe called the Powerdrain from Columbia. This is an evolution of their successful Drainmaker shoe. Styled as a running shoe / trainer and designed as a ‘do it all’ shoe for use in, on, off and around water, we decided to take it to the grand opening of Wadi Adventure to see if it was possible for a water shoe to be able to do it all.

Would it look normal enough to be worn casually without looking daft, would it protect feet in a rocky environment, would it drain quick enough to prevent that soggy sloshing feeling when of the water and how long would it take to dry?

So many questions, did we get answers?

Tara had sent me a picture on my phone before I got my mitts on them and that first impression was positive. The styling is that of a low profile minimalist running shoe.

The test pair is a white to grey material with grey TPU banding to prevent material stretching and increase the hold on the foot along with black logo and heel cup reinforcing and distinctive yellow sole and elastic lacing. They look sweet, hitting that subtle balance between boring and ‘lairy’.

I’ll happily wear them with shorts or a pair of jeans out and about.

Before we get to the testing here’s what the blurb says: “This powered-up version of our original Drainmaker offers great fit and support. When your day takes you in and out of the water, you want a shoe that can tackle surf and turf equally well.

The amphibious Powerdrain does just that with a fully drainable design that features a quick-pull bungee cord on the upper for great fit and side welds for great foot lockdown. Our new 3-layer system allows water and air to move easily through the shoe for quick-dry, barefoot comfort, while the OmniGrip® wet grip rubber outsole delivers outstanding traction on slick surfaces.”

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FEATURES: • Combination mesh, TPU and EVA upper with a TPU toe cap • Techlite® midsole with drainage ports in heel and forefoot • Fully drainable footbed • Omni-Grip wet grip rubber with traction lugs • Weight: Size 9, 1/2 pair= 8.7 oz / 246.6 g SO, TO THE TEST First of all we had a problem in that we’d been sent the wrong size. I’m normally a 44 and the test pair is a USA 9 / UK 8.5 / EUR 42.5. Now this is not as big a problem as it could have been as it’s well noted on the web reviews I found while doing some research that you look at getting a half to full size smaller than you would normally.

These are too small for me to wear for an extended period; I think a 43 or 43.5 would be good.

Out of the box, once I’d stopped looking at the styling of them I noticed that they felt light. Putting them on is a bit of a fight because the neoprene tongue is sewn in but apart from being a touch small they were immediately comfy and felt secure on my foot.

Shouldering my kayak and wandering over to the black run to find some rocks and water to scramble around on the shoes felt very normal and comfy. Soles are plenty thick enough to cusion against hard brick paths or gravel

Check out the PRODUCTS page in the magazine for availability

under foot while being supportive enough to not feel unsupportive while carrying the extra weight of the kayak and kit.

Because these are a trainer style shoe they are not ideal for use in a small white water playboat where room for the feet can be minimal. These are better than some though because of the minimal design and the fact that the sole does not roll up the front of the toe. Shoes that do this can cause problems by being a bit sticky when trying to exit in tight kayaks. This wouldn’t be an issue in other kayak types e.g. sea boats or sit on tops where there is plenty of foot room.

Scrambling around on the rocks in and around the water was pretty damn impressive. Getting them wet did not change the performance. They remained comfy and supportive. I could feel enough through the sole to be happy scrambling around while having my feet well protected. The TPU toe cap will very effectively prevent stubbed toes too.

The feeling of support in a shoe starts from the bottom up. The sole rubber on these felt very grippy both in and out of the water on and off the rocks. This is partly to do with the siping (tiny cuts in the sole rubber) and partly to do with the compound.

Only time will tell if the rubber

will wear quickly. The tread pattern looks conventional and will be a bit slippy in muddy conditions.

The next piece in the support puzzle is how well the sole is attached to the bottom of your foot and these do it comfortably and well. When scrambling around the sole doesn’t rotate around your foot staying where you put it. The elastic lacing allows for firm but even lacing that wont change or come undone when the materials are wet.

Another thing I was impressed with on these shoes is just how quickly they drain, water just doesn’t stay in them at all. This is made all the more impressive by how subtly the draining system is done. As I’m typing up this test report I’ve been taking them apart to see how they’ve achieved such an effective system.

Firstly there are no materials in the shoe that will soak up water. The minimalist design means no spongy padding.

Next is the removable footbed that is a very well designed perforated grid system.

It says a lot that I’ve had to take them apart to see how it was working. I’ve been able to feel other draining systems as I’ve

been wearing them in the past. Not this one though.

Lastly is the very neat drainage channels that allow water to flow very easily through the footbed and out through the sides of the sole. There are 9 drainage holes in the sole and during the test we could clearly see the water freely flowing out of them.

So to sum up it will be obvious that I like these shoes a lot. They are very lightweight which may mean they don’t last forever and you do need to check you get sizing right.

BUT If the idea of a good all round shoe that performs just as well when wet as dry, is nice and grippy on both wet and dry surfaces, looks subtly neat and drys pretty damn quickly to boot then these are the best I’ve seen. I’d recommend these to anyone with a boat, anyone who spends time in and around the water’s edge and particularly to anyone participating in activities like rafting where foot protection is important both in the craft and out on rough watersides where toenails have a tendency to get torn off in the rocks or the soles of feet get cut. Get the right size and these will do most things well wet or dry.

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Youri Zoon The comeback kid: Chasing the Wind with Kitesurfer Youri Zoon

+PEOPLE + Kitesurfing has been Youri Zoon’s life, and he’s making the most of it.

At first sight, Zoon would give one the impression of an ordinary surfing bloke who was born to ride the great waves. The kite surfer from the Netherlands gave off a warm and welcoming smile when we met him and invited us for a chat under the shade in the sun-baked setting of the kite surfer’s beach in Umm Suqeim, Dubai.

His cool personality lightened the heat of the afternoon sun, and his achievements hidden behind the black tint of his sun glasses. But don’t get swooned away with what you see – the man is a renowned freestyle rider in the kite surfing world, and has got several gold medals hung around his neck to prove his worth.

“I really like to show what I can do and I just actually have fun, not because I’m honestly the best, but I’d like to show that it’s the best at what I can do,” the proud pro-kite surfer spoke openly to us and as spirited as the waves, we felt a hint of his powerful and relentless kite surfing style as he continued.

“People love you when you give them a good show, and that keeps pushing and pushing me to do what I do,” He added.

Zoon also tries on other extreme sports which include motocross and wakeboarding. But he felt his calling for the kite board when he had his first training lesson with the sport at 13. After being so stoked with his experience on the first try, the young Zoon inevitably got hooked and decided to concentrate on honing his skills with the board and eventually set off into the Professional Kite Board Riders Association (PKRA) scene. The then rookie had notched a third spot in his debut performance in 2006, and kite surfing critics instantly saw that he was destined for greatness.

“Kitesurfing is pretty much my whole life, I worked on it and everything, I’m just so stoked with sport and I just love to go on and reach my goal,” said the now 22-year-old kitesurfing champ on the sands of the Umm Suqeim Beach, with his crew checking the wind and the shoreline for some action. “The freedom I got with what I can do with the wind and in the water, if you want to ride there you can just go wherever you want, and with all that freedom I could just express myself and my skills, everything,” he explained,

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Words: Angelo Cabrera

specifying what he loves most about kitesurfing.

But like any other extreme action sport, the Dutch pro-kite surfer had his own shares of mishaps that threatened his career. Zoon suffered a bad knee injury that tore his ACL in the ’07-’08 season that put him under a year’s worth of absence in the kite surfing scene, even facing the harsh possibility that he would not be able to jump onto his kite board again.

But this did not quell his spirit to harness back onto his kite and feet to the board, as Zoon made a huge statement when he shocked everyone with a spectacular showing to snatch the Professional Kite surf Riders Association Championship Title in 2009, as he was just coming off from his recovery.

“I always wanted to comeback - there’s always been one thing on my mind and it’s I want to come back and I want to do it,” He said, making a point of his determination to re-enter the competition and win it big.

“And what happened then was I made my comeback and won first place, three years ago,” He ended.

And in 2011, the man put on another show to tick almost all of the championship titles in the PKRA tournament checklist, wowing both fans and critics alike “I think I just had a good year! Things were going really well; I was in good shape just put on a good show,” Zoon exclaimed, wrapping up his thoughts behind his successful tour last year.

And for those who are interested in take on the sport, the kitesurfing champion has said that tender age is not necessarily a prerequisite to gear up take to the wind and waves.

“It’s definitely a growing sport, I’m meeting a lot of people who is as young as six years old and 60 to 70 years old trying to learn the sport, and it’s going to make you realize that you should give it a try,” He explained.

Zoon’s latest exploits in the kite surfing world can be followed in www.prokitetour.com, his personal website at www. yourizoon.com, or his official facebook page.

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Christelle Schaal + + PEOPLE

Name: Christelle Schaal Activity: Kitesurfing Nationality: French How long have you been in the U.A.E. and why did you come here? I arrived in UAE 3 years ago in summer 2009. I choose to come and work here because Dubai was for a long time a very attractive city to me. Not to mention all the things I love in this country, the idea to have sun all year and the ocean right here every day was priceless for me.

What’s your passion? My passion is Kite surfing. I’ve started to take lessons 1 year ago, in May 2011. And since then, I got totally addicted! Every windy day I am trying to go to the beach, pump my kite and go ride the ocean. It really became my number 1 passion. I can at the same time, jump in the air, perform some tricks, which we categorize as “freestyle”, but as well I love to go just for a ride and enjoy the freedom to go anywhere I want in the immensity of the ocean... From the moment I had my first meters sliding on the water, kite surfing became part of me, everyday in my thoughts. And I always want to challenge myself, to go higher and bigger in my progression, so I am training as much as I can, and maybe one day I will reach an international level. My goal for 2012 was to arrive 1st to Al Gharbia Freestyle Competition in UAE, and I made it! This was the best reward to my efforts ever. And now my next

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Photo: Shoaib Ahmed Jan

Photo: Fabio Tomi

Photo: Fabio Tomi

wish for 2013 is to participate to the PKRA, World Championship Tour for Kite-surfers.

The way might be long and hard but I will give my best to succeed! Wish me luck!

What’s your favorite spot/route? There are many places where I like to go. In Dubai, I like to go to Nessnass Beach and Kite beach, in Jumeirah. I also go very often to Yas Island, where you have very nice flat and shallow water. A paradise for beginners as well as Pro kite surfers. During long weekends, I like to go to Oman as well where you can find lagoons and wave spots. Otherwise, during holidays, I went to Langebaan, South Africa and conditions were amazing and all pro riders are training there. As well, I loved the flat and crystal water of Mauritius Island. But, here in UAE, my favorite spot, that I call my “home spot” because I’ve learned and progressed the most there, is in Al Dabiyah. 30 min drive south from Abu Dhabi. This is a hidden wild beach where the water is flat and shallow over kilometers and the best

Photo: Fabio Tomi

part is that you have no one there, just me and my friends and some sea turtles.

What do you recommend our readers?

I would recommend to all the people that like water sports to give a try to kite surfing!

It is a mix of windsurfing, paragliding, surfing and wakeboarding, all together. It is accessible at any age, to everyone who wants to spend time in the ocean and have a lot of fun. I can’t stop saying how addictive it is, because this sport really gives you a mixed feeling, either you are looking for adrenaline, or freedom, or competition, kite surfing is made for you!

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any day On the water is a gOOd day . . . we make it better

money shot ARCADe

momentum

hAze

Dedicated Freestyle Focused Wakestyle Performance Freeride All-around Freeride

Ocean spOrts fze +971 (0) 55 935 2735 enquiries@kitesurfsup.com • kitesurfsup.com > Facebook.com/Naishkiteboarding

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Photos: T.Kraft Leboe, S.Whitesell

®

+TRAVEL + ADVENTURE +

Slow Lane to Nowhere Patrice reflects upon completing his epic adventure What was the reason for your great cross-country road? Where did this journey take you?

The journey itself was the reason. The first time I saw my car on Dubizzle six years ago, I told myself that if I got it, one day I would drive it to Belgium. Then you know how time flies in Dubai and how work governs our lives. So the project got pushed to the back of my mind, until last year when I lost my job. This gave me the opportunity to finally put the project in motion.

Once I’d driven the car to Belgium, then what? I’m not planning on living there anytime soon, off-road driving isn’t possible and the price of petrol in Europe is very expensive. So, the simple choice was to drive the car back to Dubai. The political situation in the Middle-East and Northern Africa gave me a limited choice of how to travel in and out of Dubai.

The result has been an amazing journey of 25,500 km through 23 countries: UAE, Iran, Naxhivan (Azerbaijan), Iraq (Kurdistan), Turkey, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Croatia, Bosnia, Slovenia, Italy, Austria, Lichtenstein, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Switzerland, Italy, San Marino and Greece.

The UAE part was only going from home to Sharjah port and back, but it counts, right? Besides, I drove even less in Bosnia.

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What were your preparations for the trip?

Most people would plan such a trip few years in advance and have plenty of time to get everything done on schedule. My own deadline for departure was a.s.a.p., so I had very limited time to plan, yet there were certain things which had to be done before taking to the road. You can just pack and go but then you open the door to problems that can quickly become unmanageable and transform a nice trip in an absolute nightmare. I had to research all the administrative and logistical aspects which was time consuming and caused many delays which all added up. These delays meant that I was only ready to go at the beginning of August, the warmest month in the regions I went to.

The only functional change I made to the car was to install wipers which I thought would be useful in Europe. On the way up, I only had one day of rain out of 60, but on the way down, the continuous snowfalls justified the investment.

The off-road driving was to be in one of the harshest environments on Earth, so required was good preparation. You just need a bit more food and a water reserve.

Once everything was ready the challenge was to pack it in a convenient way in the car. The other changes and equipment needed was related to camping and comfort. For a weekend trip in the desert, you can eat on the bonnet of your car and sleep in a hammock. But for four months, I needed a bit more so I invested in a roof tent, awning, lights, table, gas stove, and 220-volt power. It compensates for the fact that the car has neither AC nor heating.

What was the most challenging part of your trip and how did you overcome it?

The most challenging part had been the organisation and loading of the car, with the constraints of weight and space available. The wrong setup would bother you during the entire trip. Taking the time to think about the ideal setup had been part of the delay before leaving, but I am glad I took the time to get it right.

The other challenges I faced were those unexpected issues which had to be tackled one at a time as and when they happened.

You have to be ready for them but not think about them all the time. Being woken up by Kalashnikov muzzles looking up at you is a bit surprising, but then you realize that these soldiers were only doing their job so use your negotiation skills to get out of that situation. I had been in temperatures ranging from 54.3°C in the South of Iran to -28.3°C in the Southeast of Turkey, but with the correct equipment, it is bearable.

Was there a point in your trip that you almost gave up? What made you continue?

I don’t remember my morale getting so low that I wanted to give up. Of course, winching the car for more than three hours

Element fitness

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to get out of a muddy slope under a heavy cold rain is not my definition of fun, but it’s part of the game. If I didn’t want to risk such things, I’d just stick to the highway, but then I wouldn’t have seen half of the beautiful places I have seen. If you look at the pictures on my blog, you will not see a lot of tar roads. To be honest, when I reached Turkey on the way back, I was fed up with three weeks of clouds, snow and rain, so I decided to drive east and not to stop until I reached sunshine. Reaching Kurdistan has been a blessing; white landscape, blue sky and crisp cold, just what I needed.

When I reached Belgium, the engine of the car was near the end of its life. So if I wanted to get back to Dubai, I had to rebuild the whole engine. But a challenge that you can overcome with money is not really a challenge, is it?

What did your friends and families say when you told them about your ambitious trip?

Well, there were some mixed feelings going from reticence to full support, through to pure indifference. Most of the people supported my choice but were less confident in a 1989 soft top Land Rover pick up. People who know me well knew that once I’ve decided something, it is difficult to make me change my mind.

On the way, I also encountered all kind of reactions. Some people were just happy to get a ride to the next village and didn’t ask any questions, some looked at me as if I would steal their chickens or worse, and in Iraq, some swore they were watching my show every month on television and asked for an autograph, but all in all the people were really supportive. A lot of them however, just wondered what on earth I was doing in their village.

PERSONAL What was the best part of doing your cross-country trip?

Absolute freedom is the thing. We live in a world of constraints, deadlines and objectives but when I sit behind the wheel of my car and the wheels leave the tar road, I have a feeling of pure freedom. For the first time in my life, I had no plan and no objectives, I just calculated how many months I could afford without working (and I can ensure you that I stretched it pretty far) before leaving. I just knew that I had to head in a general North-West direction, but that’s it. No booking, no defined itinerary, just navigating with low-detail maps, my sight and my sixth sense. When you don’t know where you’re going, you can’t get lost – as simple as that. Again, the journey is the reason in itself. You see a nice track leading up to the top of a mountain? Just take it, why do you need to know where it is going?

Share with us one of the best memories you had on doing the trip

Most of my best memories are related to water. When I found a nice secluded place in a landscape where I could cool off in a body of water, I would stop for the day, whatever the time.

One time, towards the end of my trip on my way to Iran’s Bandar Abbas I spotted a track leading to the mountains. I left the road and followed it, reaching a nice plateau with blooming flowers and lots of figs and pomegranate trees. There was a nice concrete tank 10x5x2m full of spring

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water which was used to water those trees.

This became my own infinity pool for the day in an amazing landscape, far away from five-star-hotels full of tourists. The only company was the occasional herder on his donkey passing by with his goats.

For 5 minutes, we would share few words and sunflower seeds – priceless.

Did the trip change you in any way?

Not really, or if yes, I haven’t noticed it yet.

I haven’t had much time to think yet as I started a new job five days after getting back. However, this was not meant to be a journey in search for myself. It was an extended holiday doing something I like – driving in the middle of nowhere.

Of course, it is always good to be reminded where you stand compared to the majority of people on Earth. I had more possessions in my car than the people who fed me and offered me a roof to sleep on had in their house, and that definitely makes you think.

Also, after discovering the hospitality of the Iranian people, I will definitely review my own definition of hospitality. They are two leagues ahead of the best hospitality one has ever experienced in Oman. You have to experience it to believe it. I had, like everybody, the vision of Iran formed by the media. Throw that in the bin and go visit this amazing country while there is still time!

How did you feel after accomplishing such an adventure?

How did I feel? I feel like working hard and retiring early to continue travelling until I am bored, but I can probably keep dreaming. However, a lot of people thought that this was the ‘trip of a lifetime’.

I definitely hope that it is the first of a long series as there are so many places on Earth that I still have to discover.

Parting words for those who dream of doing cross-country road trips like yours?

Life is too short, stop dreaming; pack your car and go! How many times a year do you hear that close relatives and friends died of cancer or in accidents?

They probably had plenty of projects they wished they had realised before going.

Stop reading travel books and blogs, prepare your own journey, make the necessary sacrifices, and go.

The excuse I hear the most is: “But you know, with a family that is different, far more difficult, etc., etc.” This is not a valid excuse; I can show you tens of websites and blogs of families traveling the world. Of course, you are not obliged to go hardcore like I did. I am pretty sure your family would appreciate some AC in summer and heating in winter. But

between organised tours and the way I did it, there is a formula suitable for everybody.

Oh and yes, just a quick word about travel guides. They are of course useful to see that you don’t miss something mandatory in a country, like Persepolis in Iran. Please take these guides as a good basis, but dare to explore and go beyond that. The most beautiful things I saw during my trip were not featured in any guides.

As for shorter trips, if you think you have seen most of Oman, give Iran a try. I know the ferry trip is expensive (around 1,500 USD back and forth) and was my worst administrative nightmare ever, but the country was worth it. Lut desert, a 5-600 km crown flight from Dubai is the most beautiful desert I have ever seen. Just have a look at the pictures on my blog: http:// www.slowlanetonowhere.blogspot.com Thanks for reading my stories and reports all these months in this great magazine. Bye for now!

Patrice (& Marcel of course)

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50

OUTDOORUAE

+SPOTS & LOCATIONS +

Wadi Adventure opens in the UAE just in time for Summer!

On the

30th of April 2012, Wadi Adventure officially opened its doors to the press and public.

Since its beginning, this long awaited opening has now turned the once pining Outdoor UAE enthusiast into a drooling mess of excitement as the venue is now up in full swing and open to the masses.

Apart from the three world-class white water rafting and kayaking runs, adding up to a combined length of 1,133 metres, the adventure park features a surf pool that generates three-metre high waves every 90 seconds. Located at a convenient distance from Dubai and Abu Dhabi, Wadi Adventure enriches Jebel Hafeet’s offering for thrill seekers through its activities such as a challenging rope course, tough climbing wall and a zip line.

Featuring in one of our locations this month means only one thing for our readers; weekend road trips to Al Ain over the summer to beat the heat! Get ready to surf, kayak, raft and explore the adrenaline fuelled adventures at the base of one of the most well known mountains in the UAE.

OUTDOORUAE

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+SPOTS & LOCATIONS +

Shooters Restaurant & Jebel Ali International Shooting Club A short

drive out of Dubai towards Abu Dhabi sits Jebel Ali International Shooting Club. Fortress styled architecture; this small and hidden away oasis is the hub of some of the best clay and pistol shooting in UAE. Coupled with the newly refurbished Shooters steak and tex-mex styled restaurant this venue made it into our locations this month as it was enough to fire up our appetites and satisfy our gun haulin’ cravings!

Not only can you have a guns and steak night of your own, if you are curious enough- you should check out the surrounding grounds. Here you can find ‘Centre of Excellence Sports Complex’; one of the only accredited English FA grounds outside of the UK and regularly hosts training for some of the EPL football teams. If you’re into guns, steak, sports and looking to get out of Dubai for a couple of nights every month then this is the place for you.

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OUTDOORUAE

Its more savings and excitement for groups @ Dreamland Aqua Park Action

builds up as April and May are slated to be two of the most exciting months for groups and families arriving at Dreamland Aqua Park. It’s the time for great savings for groups consisting of five members each as they get two complimentary passes when they buy three entry passes.

To avail the ‘Five 4 Three’ offer, visitors need to register their names in the Dreamland Aqua Park website and then download the free vouchers that need to be presented at the park entrance at the time of buying the entry passes.

Located at Umm Al Quwain, Dreamland Aqua Park is set on an amazing 250,000 sq m of land. The park is accessible from Emirates Road through Exit No 103 while driving towards Ras Al Khaimah.

A well designed landscaped green oasis, Dreamland has natural features interlaced with over 30 thrilling rides, crazy slides and a lot of other wet rides and dry attractions.

It is big enough to entertain 7,000 visitors per day and is the ideal place for safe leisure pursuits.

Visitors can watch out for the 1,250,000 liters of water at the gigantic wave pool which is the largest in the region. They can also slide down a 40 meter long tunnel, or take a 2-meter nose dive! There’s the ‘not to be missed’ wild rafting river with 2 gigantic body slides; Hippos Island, Twisting Dragons or Kamikaze.

Dreamland also features an aquatic obstacle course. Inflatable aquatic amusement structures have been set up for any action-packed competition. Kids can

bounce, slide, crawl and splash down while racing down the finish line. The park has dry attractions like amphitheatre, tennis, volleyball & basketball court in addition to the kids favourite mini pet land!

Dreamland also boasts one of the U.A.E.'s largest pool bar offering a variety of beverages. Saj Zaman & Shisha Majlis let visitors, relax and enjoy a sunset while savouring hand toasted Lebanese Pizza (Manakeesh), Crepes and other delicacies, along with different flavours of Shisha.

For visitors who fancy an overnight stay, there is the Waterside Camping, a unique experience in the UAE. Visitors can choose from comfortable air conditioned wooden cabanas or tents and go for a Full 2 Days blast at the water park package includes complete Camping Gear with BBQ Dinner, Breakfast, Lunch and most importantly a fantastic night ambiance around your own bone fire ( Fire camp)!

Dreamland’s Five 4 Three is all set to be one of the biggest celebrations for small groups and families who will be in for two months of absolute fun and frolic. Visitors must log on to Dreamland’s website to take part in the Five 4 Three celebration.

To know more about Dreamland, call 06768- 1 888 or visit the website www. dreamlanduae.com

OUTDOORUAE

53

Where to buy?

The OutdoorUAE distribution list: PRIME LOCATIONS

also available in more than 700 locations across the UAE

ABU DHABI Choithrams ts okina, etc.

Selected Supermarke anmal, Borders, Kon res: Books Plus, Jash In all good book Sto a Mall Sports Direct - Khaladi Marina Al Bateen

RJAH FUJEIRAH, RAK & SHA Choithrams ts Selected Supermarke

In all good book Stores: Books Plus, Jashanmal, Borders, Konokina, etc.

Sharjah Paintball & Shooting Club Sharjah

UMM AL QUAIN Choithrams Selected Supermarkets In all good book Stores: Books Plus, Jashanmal, Borders, Konokina, etc.

Umm Al Quwain Marine Sports Club Complimentary Atlantis Dive Centre Pavilion Dive Centre Al Boom Diving Surf Dubai Dubai Polo & Equestrian Club Wafi, The Pyramids Dubai Dolphinarium Dubai Autodrome Dubai British School Sharjah Paintball & Shooting Centre Events where OutdoorUAE is participating

tips & tricks

ur DUBAI Spinneys and Carrefo Selected Choithrams, ders, Konokina, etc.

Plus, Jashanmal, Bor ks Boo res: Sto k In all good boo ts Selected Supermarke d p - Sheikh Zayed Roa tre Barracuda Fishing Sho d, Times Square Cen Roa ed Zay ikh She Adventure HQ d Roa ed Zay KTM - Sheikh ikh Zayed Road Wolfi’s Bike Shop - She - Sheikh Zayed Road Dubai Garden Centre Zayed Road, Ocean Active - Sheikh Mall Go Sport - Ibn Battuta ikh Zayed Road Masaood Marine - She ed Road 800 Sports - Sheikh Zay Circle 8 - Dubai Mall ll K2 Shop - Dubai Ma Emirates Go Sport - Mall of the Centre Go Sport - Mirdiff City Mall Sports Direct - Outlet Walk Hut - Jumeirah Beach Leisure Marine Beach d Roa ch Bea h eira Picnico - Jum Sebsports - Al Quoz Zayed Rd Cannondale - Sheik Barsha Surf Shop Dubai - Al

Hotels (Complimentary) Sofitel Hotel (in hotel rooms) Al Maha Resort (in hotel rooms) Abu Dhabi Aloft Hotel The Palace - Old town (Spa) Petrol Stations Enoc + Eppco Dubai and Abu Dhabi Airports

Directory General Sports Equipment Megastores

Adventure HQ, Dubai Times Square Center, Sheikh Zayed Rd, Toll free: 800-ADVENTURE, www.adventurehq.ae Decathlon, Dubai, Mirdiff City Centre, +97142839392 Go Sport The Dubai Mall, Dubai, +97143253595 Go Sport, IBN Battuta Mall: 04-368 5344, Mall of the Emirates: 04-341 3251, Mirdif City Centre: 04-2843034 InterSport, Dubai, Times Square Centre & Dubai Festival City, +97142066587, www.intersport.ae Sun and Sand, Most Shopping Centres

Adventure tours and desert safaris

MMI Travel, Mezzanine Floor, Dnata Travel Centre, Shk Zayed Road, Dubai, +97144045859, www.mmitravel.ae Alpha Tours, +97142949888, www.alphatoursdubai.com Cyclone Tours & Travels, Abu Dhabi, Khalifa Street, +97126276275, www.cyclonetours.com Desert Rangers, +97143572233, Dubai, www.desertrangers.com Dream Days, +97144329392, www.dreamdays.ae

Dream Explorer LLC, Dubai, +971433198801, www.dreamexplorerdubai.com, Element Fitness, Dubai, +971 050 2771 317 www.element-fitness.net Explorer Tours, Dubai, +9714286199, www.explorertours.ae, Net Group, Dubai & Abu Dhabi, +97126794656, www.netgroupauh.com Oasis Palm Dubai, Dubai, +97142628889, www.opdubai.com Rahhalah, Dubai, +97144472166, www.rahhalah.com Relax Tours Travels, Dubai, +97144221776, www.dubairelaxtours.com Wild Guanabana, Dubai, +971 056 7954 954, www.wildguanabana.com

Air

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

www.skydivedubai.ae

Boating & Sailing

Manufacturer Al Fajer Marine, Dubai, Al Quoz, +97143235181, www.alfajermarine.com Al Shaali Marine, Ajman, +97167436443, www.alshaalimarine.com Gulf Craft, Ajman, +97167406060, www.gulfcraftinc.com Distributors & Dealers Art Marine, Dubai, +97143388955, www.artmarine.net Azure Marine, Dubai, +97143404343, www.azuremarine.net Leisure Marine Beach Hut, Dubai, The Walk JBR, +97144243191 Luxury Sea Boats, Dubai, +971505589319, www.luxuryseaboats.com Macky Marine LLC, Dubai, +971505518317, www.mackymarine.com The Boat House, Dubai, Al Quoz, +97143405152, www.theboathouse.ae Equipment Al Masaood Marine, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road, +97143468000, www.masaoodmarine.com Blue Waters Marine, +97142232189, Dubai, www.bluewatersmarine.com

Extreme Marine, Dubai, + 97143992995, www.extrememarine-me.com Rineh, Dubai, Al Quoz, +97143391512, www.rinehemiratesme.com Repair and maintenance Extreme Marine, Dubai, Dubai Marina, + 97143992995, www.extrememarine-me.com Rineh, Al Quoz, +97143391512, www. rinehemiratesme.com The Boat House, Dubai, Al Quoz, +97143405152, www.theboathouse.ae Cruise Operators Al Bateen Marina, Abu Dhabi, +97126665491, Www. marinaalbateenresort.com Al Marsa Travel & Tourism, Dibba, Musandam, +96826836550, +97165441232 Art Marine, Dubai, +97143388955, www.artmarine.net Bateaux Dubai, Dubai Creek – opposite the British Embassy, +97143994994 Bristol Middle East, Dubai Marina,+97144309941, www.bristol-middleeast.com El Mundo, Dubai, +971505517406, www.elmundodubai.com Happy Days Sea Cruising LLC, Dubai, +971558961276, +971503960202, www.happydaysdubai.com

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Club Area, +97126440300 Al Jeer Marina, RAK Border, Musandam +971 7 2682333 or +971 50 4873185 www.aljeerport.ae Dubai International Marine Sports Club, Dubai Marina, +97143995777, www.dimc.ae Dubai Marina Yacht Club, Dubai, +97143627900, www.dubaimarinayachtclub.com Dubai Maritime City Harbour Marina, Dubai, +97143455545 Dubai Offshore Sailing Club, Dubai, +97143941669, www.dosc.ae Emirates Palace Marina, Abu Dhabi, +97143388955 Festival Marina, Dubai, Festival City, +97144498400, www.igy-festivalmarina.com Pavilion Marina, Dubai, Jumeirah Beach Hotel, +97144068800 Umm Al Quwaim Marine Sports Club, Umm Al Quwaim, +9716 766 6644, www.uaqmarineclub.com

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directory

Camping & Hiking LY Catamaran, Dubai, +971505869746, +971566506683 www. lycatamaran.com Marine Concept, Dubai, +971559603030, www.marine-charter-concept.com Noukhada Adventure Company, Villa 332/7, Al Meena Street, Abu Dhabi, +97126503600 , www.noukhada.ae RAK Marine LLC, Ras Al Khaimah City Hilton Marina, +971504912696, +97172066410 Sea Hunters Passenger Yachts & Boats Rental, Dubai Marina, +97142951011 Sheesa Beach, Dibba, Musandam, +971503336046, www.sheesabeach.com Smoke Dragon Of London Yacht, Abu Dhabi International Marine & Sports Club, +9715070 11 958/+971504546617 Summertime Marine, Dubai, +97142573084, www.summertimemarine.com The Club Abu Dhabi, +97126731111 The Yellow Boats LLC, Dubai Marina Walk – opposite Spinneys, Intercontinental Hotel Marina, 8008044 Marinas Abu Dhabi International Marine Sports Club, Abu Dhabi, Breakwater, +97126815566, www.adimsc.com Abu Dhabi Marina, Abu Dhabi, Tourist

Aloft Abu Dhabi

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

www.aloftabudhabi.com

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OUTDOORUAE

Equipment Blingmytruck.com, +971505548255, www.blingmytruck.com Jack Wolfskin

Discover the world’s ancient paradise

DHOW CRUISES-DIVE CENTRE-CAMP

Explore

MUSANDAM www.sheesabeach.com Call (+968) 2 683 6551 or (+971) 50 3336 046 info@sheesabeach.com www.sheesabeach.com

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

Caving

Muscat Diving & Adventure Centre, Oman, +971503289642, www.holiday-in-oman.com

AL YOUSUF MOTORS E-Bike out door ad.ai

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Climbing

Equipment Global Climbing, +97172353910, www.globalclimbing.com Adventure HQ, Dubai Times Square Center, Sheikh Zayed Rd, Toll free: 800-ADVENTURE www.adventurehq.ae Barracuda Fishing and Outdoor, Dubai, Street 13A 1, Al Safa 1, +97143466558, www.barracudadubai. com Jack Wolfskin Mirdiff City Centre Dubai, (04) 2840228 Al Wahda Mall Abu Dhabi (02) 4437802 Services Absolute Adventure, Dubai, +97143459900, www.adventure.ae Adventure HQ, Dubai Times Square Center, Sheikh Zayed Rd, Toll free: 800-ADVENTURE www.adventurehq.ae Al Shaheen Adventure, Abu Dhabi, +97126429995, www.alshaheenme.com Arabia Outdoors, Dubai, +971559556209, www.arabiaoutdoors.com Dorell Sports Management, Dubai World Trade Centre, +97143065061, www.climbingdubai.com E-Sports Dubai, Dubai, www.e-sportsdubai.com The Club, Abu Dhabi, +97126731111, www.the-club.com

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www.element-fitness.net

Cycling

Equipment Cycle Sports, Dubai, Al Barsha1, +97143415415, www.cyclesportuae.com Probike, Dubai, Al Barsha1, +97143255705, www.probike.ae Rage Shop, Dubai Mall, +97144343806, www.rage-shop.com Ride Bike Shop, Dubai Mall, Festival City, Oasis Centre, Mirdiff City Centre, +97143750231, www.ridebikeshop.com Tamreen Sports, Abu Dhabi, +97126222525, www.tamreensports. com VELO & Oxygen, Mushrif Mall, Abu Dhabi+97125566113, www.funridesports.com Wolfi’s Bike Shop, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road, +97143394453, www.wbs.ae Clubs Abu Dhabi Tri Club, www.abudhabitriclub.com Dubai Roadsters, www.dubairoadsters.com

Diving

Equipment Al Boom Marine, Abu Dhabi & Dubai+97142894858 , www. alboommarine.com

1

1

PADI Career Development Centre Jumeirah Beach Hotel P.O. Box 11416, Dubai, UAE Email: divecentre@jumeirah.com Tel: +971 4 406 8828 Web: www.thepaviliondivecentre.com

Fishing & Kayaking

Equipment Al Boom Marine, Abu Dhabi & Dubai+97142894858 , www.alboommarine.com Al Yousuf Motors, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Rd, +97143390621, www.aym.ae/yamaha/ Blue Waters Marine, +97142232189, Dubai, www.bluewatersmarine.com Al Masaood Marine, +97143468000, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road, www.masaoodmarine.com Barracuda Fishing and Outdoor, Dubai, Street 13A 1, Al Safa 1, +97143466558, www.barracudadubai.com Global Climbing, Ras Al Khaimah, +97172353910, www.globalclimbing.com Leisure Marine Beach Hut, Dubai, The Walk JBR, +97144243191 www.leisuremarine-me.com Leading Edge-S, +97172447732, www.leadingedge-s.com Nautica1992, Dubai, +971504262415, www.nautica1992.ae Ocean Active, Dubai, Garden Centre, +971502898713, www.oceanactive.com Operators Al Boom Diving, Le Meridien Al Aqah Beach Resort, Fujeirah, +97143422993 Absolute Adventure, Dubai, +97143459900, www.adventure.ae Al Hamra Marina, Al Hamra, +97172434540 Al Mahara Dive Center, Abu Dhabi, Mussafah, +971501118125, +97150720283 www.divemahara.com Al Shaheen Adventure, Abu Dhabi, +97126429995, www.alshaheenme.com Arabian Divers and Sportfishing Charters, Al Bateen Marina Resort, +971506146931, www.fishabudhabi.com Arabia Outdoors, Dubai, +971559556209, www.arabiaoutdoors.com

Barracuda Diving Centre, Fujairah International Marine Club, +9719222558 Belevari Marine, Abu Dhabi,+97126594144 Fun Beach Water Sports, Dubai, +97153244550, www.funbeachsports.com Happy Days Sea Cruising LLC, Dubai, +971558961276, +971503960202, www.happydaysdubai.com Noukhada Adventure Company, Villa 332/7, Al Meena Street, Abu Dhabi, +97126503600, www.noukhada.ae Ocean Active, Dubai, Garden Centre, +971502898713, www.oceanactive.com Sheesa Beach, Dibba, Musandam, +971503336046, www.sheesabeach.com Soolyman Sports Fishing, Dubai, Umm Suqeim, +971508866227, www.soolymansportsfishing.com Xclusive Yachts, Dubai, Dubai Marina, +97144327233, www.xclusiveyachts.com

General Sports Equipment Distributors

800 Sport, Al Quoz, Dubai +971 4 346 7751 www.800sport.ae Adventure HQ, Dubai Times Square Center, Sheikh Zayed Rd, Toll free: 800-ADVENTURE, www.adventurehq.ae Flip Flop Arabia, flipme@flipfloparabia. com, www.flipfloparabia.com Global Climbing, +97172353910, www.globalclimbing.com Goal Zero, +971509128353, www.goalzero.ae Jack Wolfskin Mirdiff City Centre Dubai, (04) 2840228 Al Wahda Mall Abu Dhabi (02) 4437802 Ocean Sports FZE, +971559352735, www.kitesurfsup.com Sakeen General Trading, +97147094224, www.sakeen.ae Tresspass The Dubai Mall 2nd floor above ice rink +971 4 339 8801

Horse Riding

Equipment Emirta, Dubai, Sheik Zayed Rd, +9714 3437475, www.emirtahorse.com Tamreen Sports, Abu Dhabi, +97126222525,

Dubai - Tel: 04 3390621 | Dubai Auto sport 04 3388822 Abu Dhabi - Tel: 02 5588890 | Abu Dhabi - Buteen - 02 6660591 Sharjah - Tel: 06 5388066 | Ajman -Tel: 06 7410004 Al Ain - Tel: 03 7211444 | Fujairah - Tel: 09 2221188 Ras Al Khaimah - Tel: 07 2351592

www.tamreensports.com Equestrian Centres Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club, Abu Dhabi, +97124455500, www.adec-web.com Al Forsan Resort, Abu Dhabi, +97125568555, www.alforsan.com Dubai Polo & Equestrian Club, Dubai, Arabian Ranches, +97143618111, www.poloclubdubai.com Desert Equestrian Club, Dubai, near Mirdif +971503099770, +971501978888 Desert Ranch (Al Sahra Desert Resort), Dubai, +971 4 8327171, www.desert-ranch.com Emirates Equestrian Centre, Dubai, +971505587656, www.emiratesequestriancentre.com Ghantood Polo & Racing Club, Abu Dhabi, +97125629050, www.grpc.ae Sharjah Polo & Equestrian Club, Sharjah, Al Dhaid Road, +97165311155, www.forsanuae.org.ae The Desert Ranch, Dubai, +97144274055 www.desert-ranch.com

Jet Ski

Dealer Al Masaood Marine, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road, +97143468000, www.masaoodmarine.com Al Yousuf Motors, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Rd, +97143390621, www.aym.

Dubai Polo & Equestrian Club Opposite Arabian Ranches P.O.Box 7477, Dubai, UAE Tel: +971 4 361 8111 Fax: +971 4 361 7111 Email: info@poloclubdubai.com www.poloclubdubai.com

OUTDOORUAE

57

directory

Blue Waters Marine, +97142232189, Dubai, www.bluewatersmarine.com Gulf Marine Sports, Abu Dhabi, +97126710017, www.gulfmarinesports.com Premiers for Equipment, Abu Dhabi, Sh. Zayed 1st. Road, +97126665226, www.premiers-uae.com Diving Centers 7 Seas Diving Center, Khorfakkan, +97192387400, www.7seasdivers.com Al Boom Diving (equipment), Dubai, Al Wasl Rd, + 97143422993, www.alboomdiving.com Al Jeer Marina, RAK Border, Musandam +971 7 2682333 or +971 50 4873185 www.aljeerport.ae Al Mahara Dive Center, Downtown Abu Dhabi, +971501118125, www.divemahara.com Arabian Diver, Hilton Marine, Ras Al Khaimah, +97172226628, +971502428128 www.arabiandiver.com Arabian Divers, Al Bateen Marina Resort, +971506146931 Atlantis Dive Centre (equipment), Dubai, The Palm Jumeirah,+97144263000, www.atlantisdivecentre.com Deep Blue Sea Diving, Dubai, International City, +97144308246, www.diveindubai.com Divers Down, Fujairah, Rotana Al Aqah Hotel Resort & Spa, +971092370299,

www.diversdown-uae.com Emirates Divers Centre, Abu Dhabi, near Meena Fish Market, +97126432444, www.edc-ad.ae Extra Divers Ziggy Bay, Oman, Musandam, +96826735555, www.extradivers.info Freediving UAE,Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Fujeirah, www.freedivinguae.com Freestyle Divers, Dubai, Al Wasl & Dibba, Royal Beach Hotel, +97143944275, www.freestyledivers.com Khasab Divers, Oman, www.khasabdiver.com Muscat Diving & Adventure Centre, Oman, +97150 3289642, www.holiday-in-oman.com Neptune Diving, +97150 4347902, www.neptunedivingcentre.com Nomad Ocean Adventures, www. discovernomad.com, +971508853238, Dibba, Oman Scuba Oman, Oman, +96899558488, www.scubaoman.com Sharjah Wanderers Dive Club, Sharjah, +97150 784 0830, www.bsac406.com Sheesa Beach, Dibba, Musandam, +971503336046, www.sheesabeach.com Sky &Sea Adventures, Dubai, Hilton, Jumeirah Beach Road, +97143999005, www.watersportsdubai.com The Pavilion Dive Centre (equipment), Dubai, +97144068828 Clubs Atlantis Underwater Photography Club, Dubai, +97144263000 Desert Sports Diving Club, Dubai, www.desertsportsdivingclub.net

Desert Road Tourism, Al Khor Plaza – 503, Dubai, +97142959428, www.arabiatours.com 2XWheeler, Motorcity Dubai, +97144548388, www.2xwheeler.com Sandstorm, Al Quoz, Dubai +9714 3470270 www.sandstorm.ae SebSports, Dubai, Al Quoz Industrial Area 3, +97143393399, www.sebsports.com Wild X, Dubai, Um Al Ramoul Industrial Area, +97142852200, www. wildx.ae

Motorcycling

directory

kawasaki@liberty.ae

ae/yamaha/ Rentals Al Mahara Dive Center, Abu Dhabi, Mussafah, +97150720283 , www.divemahara.com Fun Beach Water Sports, Dubai, +971 5 3244 550, www.funbeachsports.com The Cove Rotana Resort, Ras Al Khaimah, +9717206000, www.rotana.com Xventures, Dubai, +971555404500, www.x-ventures.ae

Moto-cross & ATV’s

Dealer Al Yousuf Motors, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Rd, +97143390621, www.aym. ae/yamaha/ KTM, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road, exit 42, +9714323151, www.ktm.com PolarisUAE (atv’s), Ras Al Khor, Nad al Hamar Road, Al Ghandi Complex, +97142896100, www.polarisuae.com Liberty Kawasaki, Dubai, Interchange4, Sheikh Zayed Road, 04-3419341, www.libertykawasaki.com Sandstorm, Al Quoz, Dubai +9714 3470270 www.sandstorm.ae Seb Sports, Al Quoz Industrial Area 1 Dubai, +9714 3393399 www.sebsports.com Wild X, Dubai, Um Al Ramoul Industrial Area, +97142852200, www. wildx.ae Equipment

58

OUTDOORUAE

Distributors & Dealers Al Yousuf Motors, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Rd, www.aym.ae/yamaha/ Duseja Motorcycles, Dubai, Al Quoz, +97143476712, www.apriliauae.com Liberty Kawasaki, Dubai, Interchange4, Sheikh Zayed Road, +97142822144, www.libertykawasaki.com PolarisUAE, Al Ghandi Complex, Nad al Hamar Road, Ras Al Khor, +97142896100, www.polarisuae.com Tristar Motorcycles, +97143330659, www.tristaruae.com Workshop & Services 2xWheeler, +97144548388, www.2xwheeler.com Dune Bike, Dubai, Al Khail Road Alweer, +97143272088, www.dunebuggyuae.com Duseja Motorcycles, Dubai, Al Quoz, +97143476712, www.apriliauae.com Gecko Motors, Dubai, Al Quoz, +97143413550, www.gecko-motors.com

Motorsports

Al Forsan Resort, Abu Dhabi, +97125568555, www.alforsan.com Dubai Autodrome, Dubai, www.dubaiautodrome.com Emirates Motorplex, Umm Al Quwain, +97167681717 Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi, www.yasmarinacircuit.com

Off-Road

Manufacturer Blingmytruck.com, +971505548255, www.blingmytruck.com LRC Off Road Engineering, Dubai, +971553198526, www.lrcoffroad.com Repair and services Off Road Zone, Dubai, Al Quoz, +97143392449, www.offroad-zone.com Equipment AEV, Dubai & Abu Dhabi, +97143307152, www.aev.ae Car Max Off Roading Accessories Ras-Al Khor, Al Awir, Dubai, UAE +971 4 3204214 055 8485868 www.4x4dubai.com Icon Auto, Dubai, +97143382744, www.icon-auto.com Saluki Motorsport, Dubai Tel: +971 4 347 6939 www.salukimotorsport.com Wild X Adventure Shop, Dubai, Um AL Ramoul, +971509029800, www.wildx.ae Yellow Hat, Dubai, Times Square Centre & Festival City, +97143418592, www.yellowhat.ae Tour Operator Desert Road Tourism, Al Khor Plaza – 503, Dubai, +971-42959428, www.arabiatours.com Arabian Adventures, Dubai & Abu Dhabi, +97143034888, www.arabian-adventures.com Oasis Palm Dubai, Dubai, +97142628889, www.opdubai.com Clubs

Abu Dhabi Off- Road Club, www.ad4x4.com Filipino Off- Road Club, www.forac.ae ME 4X4, www.me4x4.com

Running

Clubs ABRasAC, Dubai, www.abrasac.org Abu Dhabi Tri Club, Abu Dhabi, www. abudhabitriclub.org Mirdiff Milers, Dubai, www.mirdifmilers.com

Stand up Paddling, Kite & Surfing, Wakeboarding

Equipment Al Boom Marine, Abu Dhabi & Dubai+97142894858 , www. alboommarine.com Leisure Marine Beach Hut, Dubai, The Walk JBR, +97144243191 www.leisuremarine-me.com Picnico 04 3941653 Jumeirah Beach Road Opposite Sunset Mall, Dubai Pearl Water Crafts, Dubai Marina Yacht Club, +971553749398, www.pearl-watercrafts.com Surf Dubai, Dubai, Umm Suqeim, +971505043020, www.surfingdubai.com Surf Shop Dubai, Dubai, Al Raha Bldg, Al Barsha 1, +97143990989, www. surfshopdubai.com UAE Kite Surfing, +971505626383, www.ad-kitesurfing.net Distributor Ocean Sports FZE, +971559352735, www.kitesurfsup.com Kitepeople Trading Llc PHONE: +971504559098 Web: www.kitepeople.ae Operator Al Forsan Resort, Abu Dhabi, +97125568555, www.alforsan.com Dubai Kite Surf School, Dubai, Umm Suqeim Beach, +971 504965107, www.dubaikitesurfschool.com Kite Fly, Dubai, +971502547440, www. kitesurf.ae Kite4fun, Abu Dhabi, +971508133134, www.kite4fun.net Nautica1992, Dubai, +971504262415, www.nautica1992.ae Shamalkitesurfing, Umm Suqueim Beach – Dubai, +971507689226, www. shamalkitesurfing.com Sky &Sea Adventures, Dubai, Hilton, Jumeirah Beach Road, +97143999005, www.watersportsdubai.com Surf Adventures UAE, Dubai, Al Barsha1, +97143990989, www.surfadventuresuae.com Surf School Dubai, Umm Suqeim & Al

Barsha, Dubai, +97143990989, www. surfschooluae.com Watercooled 04 887 6771 Jebel Ali Golf Resort and Spa, Dubai, United Arab Emirates www.watercooleddubai.com Clubs Abu Dhabi Stand Up Paddle www.uaesup.com

Water Parks

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

Other leisure activities

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

Health, Safety & Training

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

To advertise please e-mail: contact@outdooruae.com or call: 04 4502419

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