#73 October 2016

UAE climbers and trekkers recall their experiences

Cycling in the mountains Taking on the Alps

Essential gear

Expert advice on what you need to keep safe when climbing or trekking

Trekking in Bhutan Svalbard

In search of polar bears in the Arctic Circle

Plenty of

PRODUCTS TO CHECK OUT

Price 10.00 AED 10.00 QAR 1.00 OMR

Tried & Tested:

LOCALLY MADE SANDBOARDS

Touring New Zealand:

INVESTIGATING AOTEAROA

Vol. 6, No. 10 October 2016

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NOW AVAILABLE IN THE UAE! AVAILABLE IN THE UAE! For information on stockists visit NOW www.ramrodoutdoor.com or email [email protected] For information on stockists visit www.ramrodoutdoor.com or email [email protected]

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OutdoorUAE Team

Daniel Birkhofer Founder and General Manager [email protected]

Life...elevated There’s something about mountains that appeals to many of us. Perhaps it’s the fresh air, the sight of snow on the peaks, or just the sheer size and majesty of them; that they are more powerful than us, and unpredictable in nature. Having recently spent time in North America and Canada, I’ve been thrilled to see these ancient statues as they punctuate the landscape along my journey. Climbing Kilimanjaro in 2014 made me feel a new appreciation for the earth; as if I finally understood the place I call home a little better, just for being on ‘the roof of Africa’. But climbing mountains is not for me, and these days I’m much more of a casual hiker than somebody who feels the need to ascend the nearest peak. In this issue, we speak to those who love to investigate mountains close up, either on foot or by bike (!). If this whets your appetite, remember that the UAE and Oman host their own mountains, and now that the weather is cooling down, it’s the perfect time Rachael Bruford Editor [email protected] to get out and explore!

Nela Macovei Business Development Manager [email protected]

Margo Ciruelos Sales and Marketing [email protected]

Ireneo ‘Jung’ Francisco Designer and Photographer [email protected]

Ian Sebeldia Circulation

EXPERTS & CONTRIBUTORS

Dan Wright Freelance wilderness guide in the UAE

Editor For editorial content and press releases Tel: 04-447 2030 Mobile: 055 5760322 [email protected] Sales & Marketing (advertisement enquiries) Tel: 04-447 2030 Mobile: 055 8647125 [email protected] Mobile: 055 9398915 [email protected] Published by Outdoor UAE FZE In cooperation with A2Z EVENTS P.O. Box 215062 Dubai, U.A.E.

Tel. 04-447 2030 [email protected] www.outdooruae.com Distributor Al Nisr Distribution LLC P.O. Box 6519, Dubai, UAE 800 4585/04-4067170 Printed at GN Printing P.O. Box 6519, Dubai, UAE © 2016 Outdoor UAE FZE Vol. 6, No. 10, October 2016 Facebook.com/OutdoorUAE Twitter.com/OutdoorUAE Youtube.com/OutdoorUAE

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

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Helle Bachofen Von Echt Elite Women Cyclist

Marina Bruce The Desert Diva and off-road expert

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Instagram.com/OutdoorUAE Cover photo by: Rachael Bruford

Jake Lyle Diving and Watersport Expert

WHEN YOU’RE DONE READING, PLEASE RECYCLE!

Bandana Jain Outdoor and Lifestyle contributor

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CONTENTS

10 SVALBARD

24 LAKE DISTRICT

36 PACKING ESSENTIALS FOR CLIMBING AND TREKKING

EVERY ISSUE

TRAVEL & ADVENTURE

06 EVENTS CALENDAR 08 BEST SHOTS 41 PRODUCTS 63 DIRECTORY

24 LAKE DISTRICT 26 BHUTAN - DRUK PATH TREK 31 NEW ZEALAND 34 DEAD 2

EVENT & ACTIVITY REPORTS 10 SVALBARD 14 CARROC DE FOC 18 FATBIKING

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20 EMIRATES DESERT CHAMPIONSHIP 22 RED BULL CLIFF DIVING

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50 DIVING ZANZIBAR

54 CYCLING IN THE MOUNTAINS

56 OUTDOOR EDUCATION IN NEPAL

LIFESTYLE

OUR EXPERTS

36 PACKING ESSENTIALS - CLIMBING AND TREKKING 38 HABITUALLY HEALTHY

50 DIVING ZANZIBAR - JAKE 54 CYCLING - HELLE 56 OUTDOOR EDUCATION - HAYDON 58 DIVING THE ZENOBIA - GEOFF

TRIED & TESTED

PEOPLE

42 TREAD PROS 46 B-TWIN ROCKRIDER 720s 48 ABOVE SANDBOARDS

60 NINA LONDEI - DRAGON BOATING 62 JOHN MICHAEL ON - TRIATHLETE

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EVENTS CALENDAR



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STAY UP-TO-DATE WITH THE LATEST EVENTS

OCTOBER 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

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O C T

Ladies Desert Safari with The Guide Oman

Learn to drive in the desert and camp under the stars in this ladies only expedition. When: 14th-15th October Where: The Oman Desert Contact: [email protected] | Facebook/The GuideOman OCTOBER

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ADIHEX

This prestigious international hunting and equestrian exhibition returns to Abu Dhabi for another year, under the patronage of HH Sheikh Hamdanbin Zayed al Nahyan.

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When: 4th-8th October Where: ADNEC, Abu Dhabi Contact: www.adihex.com

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Pink is Punk

The Pink is Punk campaign is back for its sixth year, bigger and better than ever and ready to raise funds in aid of Breast Cancer awareness, supported by the Al Jalila Foundation. Swim and run your way to glory for this great cause.

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DMX Races Rounds One and Two

Get the motocross season off to a roaring start in October – access is free for spectators!

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08

Dubai City Swim

The country’s biggest series of open water swimming events, involving swimmers of all abilities. Distances range from 250m to 2500m. When: 8th October Where: Sheraton Jumeirah Beach Resort Contact: www.hopasports.com

Ignite surface SUP yoga

Swap your mat for a paddleboard and a sweaty studio for a glassy ocean floor in this full body workout. When: Launches 15th October Where: Ignite Surface, Riva Beach Club, The Palm Jumeirah Contact: www.ignitesurface.com or call 04 456 2482

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Labour Run 2016

Choose from either a 10km or 3km race in this great initiative to help support the UAE’s labourers. When: 21st October Where: Sonapur, Muhaisanah 2 Contact: www.hopasports.com

When: 7th and 28th October Where: Dubai Motocross Club, next to Jebel Ali Golf Resort Contact: Facebook: Dubai Motocross Round 1 and 2 OCTOBER

The Roy Nasr Memorial Triathlon is now in its fourth year. Roy, who co-founded TriDubai, was tragically killed by a motorist whilst riding his bike near Safa Park in the early hours of Friday 6th September 2013 before he could realise his dream of building a reputable race events management company. When: 15th October Where: Jebel Ali Golf Resort Contact: www.premieronline.com

When: 7th October Where: Anantara The Palm, Dubai Contact: www.premieronline.com OCTOBER

Roy Nasr Memorial Triathlon

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Oceanic Triathlon Series 1/3

Choose from the short or super sprint course, which both take in a natural bay, rolling hills, and the Khor Fakkan corniche. When: 21st October Where: Khor Fakkan, Sharjah Contact: www.hopasports.com

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O C T

Desert Warrior Challenge

A 100% homegrown concept, this year’s Desert Warrior Challenge kicks off Dubai’s ‘adventure race’ season. Now featuring the region’s first 20 kilometre race, the ‘Extreme Warrior’. This year also sees the inclusion of a junior category for children aged six to 10. When: 21st October Where: Dubai Police Academy, Al Rawia Training Fields Contact: www.desertwarriorchallenge.com OCTOBER

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Pink Ladies Games

This international event makes its Dubai debut. A feel-good programme of unusual and active challenges specially designed for women by women. When: 21st October Where: Fairmont The Palm, Dubai Contact: www.pinkladiesgames.com

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28

Harlem Globetrotters

Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series 2016

When: 28th October Where: Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium Contact: Call +971 4 282 4122

When: 28th October from 8pm Where: Pier 7, Dubai Marina Contact: www.redbullcliffdiving.com/en_INT/event/dubai-2016

If you’re into basketball, then this is not to be missed! There’s also the chance to meet the Globtrotters afterwards.

NEO Run

The first ever UV paint fun run has a special Halloween edition…if you’re brave enough! Come and get your glo on!

Featuring the cream of the crop in cliff diving, Dubai Marina will provide the spectacular setting for the final showdown for the very first time in 8 years of the series. Come along and watch!

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When: 28th October Where: Zayed Sports City, Abu Dhabi Contact: http://neorun.com/halloween/

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O C T

ABRaS Mina 10km and 3km Race 1

A popular 10K & 3K Race hosted by the ABRaS Running Club for the past 8 years. Consistently selling out in advance of published closure dates. A fun, fast, community spirited race for all ages. When: 28th October Where: Mina Seyahi Contact: www.premieronline.com

International World Rafting Championship 2016

Come and watch 80 Teams from 25 different Countries complete for that all important 2016 World Rafting Title! Entry is free of charge and click here for more information When: 1st – 5th November Where: Wadi Adventure Al Ain Contact: - http://www.wadiadventure.ae/wrc2016/

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Dubai Outdoor & Adventure Show

Come and join the UAE’s only adventure show, featuring activities from SUPing to off road driving. There’s something for everyone! When: 10th - 12th November Where: Dubai International Marine Club Contact: www.dubaiadventureshow.com

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

Ashraf Hamdan

Musandam Mountains

Sally Cooper

Running in RAK

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Jane Harrison

Yosemite National Park

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ACTIVITY REPORT

Dubai to Muscat Silver Anniversary Offshore Race Launch Words + Photos by: Provided

An event to inaugurate the 2016 Dubai to Muscat offshore race was held at Dubai Offshore Sailing Club (DOSC) in September. DOSC is the largest sailing club in Dubai, and is a focal point for all levels of sailing including junior cadets, Emirati and private school programs and Sailability assisted sailing as well as having a full calendar of IRC handicap rule rated racing. The race is scheduled for four days and 20 hours, departing from DOSC in Dubai on 10th November and ending at 6:00 p.m. on 14th November at Al Mouj Marina in Muscat. Upwards of 30 boats have expressed interest and begun the registration process for this silver anniversary edition of the race. The Dubai to Muscat Race is organised by the United Arab Emirates Sailing and Rowing Federation (UAE SARF), in association with Oman’s Ministry of Sports Affairs, and recognised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC). The course is over 300 nautical miles up the coast of the UAE, around the straits of Hormuz and south east across the Persian Gulf to Muscat. It is the longest and most prestigious non-stop competitive offshore race in the Gulf region.

After record breaking races in 2013 and 2014, the 2016 race is expected to feature the largest number of entries in the history of the event with over 30 monohulls and catamarans racing in IRC and club classes, including two Volvo 60s, frequently described as the “Formula 1” boat of yachting. In 2013, Adrian Lee broke a 13-year record for the course, crossing the finish line at Muscat in a time of two days, 53 minutes and 40 seconds. In 2014, two boats broke the 2013 record. Doug Hassell at the helm of Diablo set a course record of one day, 19 hours, 52 minutes and 41 seconds, followed by Phil Ellerby just two hours behind. A series of events have been planned to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the race, including a Race Village at Umm Suqeim 1 Fishing Harbour and the Sohar education program, a new initiative designed to introduce racing to a new generation. For the duration of the race, the Race Village will be open to the public and will feature live feeds from competitors, market stalls, children’s entertainment, sailing taster sessions, and food and beverage trucks. From September, students from five GEMS Education schools enrolled in the education program will learn aspects of sailing including navigation, meteorology, boat construction, fishing and marine management, and sailing event management. At the event last month, representatives

from the schools, children and teachers met with skippers and sponsors who will be educating the children. The children visited various boats that will be partaking in the Dubai to Muscat Yacht Race, as well as the Pindar Sailing Volvo 60, the formula one equivalent of sailing. David Worrall, Technical Co-ordinator of the Sailing and Rowing Federation of the UAE said afterwards “We are so grateful for all of the support from the schools, from the sponsors, and from Pindar Sailing who brought the Volvo 60 up from Abu Dhabi for the event”, we are also very grateful to Dubai Offshore Sailing Club for their incredible support of the event.”

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ACTIVITY REPORT

Words + Photos: Angela Manthorpe

When I tell people I went to Svalbard on holiday I’m generally met with bemusement, but if I say I went to the Arctic, people can place it, but imagine me hauling a sled over icy wastelands. Svalbard is an archipelago of islands administered by Norway; the largest island is Spitsbergen with Nordaustlandet, Edgeøya and Barentsøya being the other major islands. As the main settlement, Longyearbyen, is 78ºN and only 1300 km from the North Pole, it’s an ideal gateway to the high Arctic and although 60 per cent of Svalbard’s land mass is covered by glaciers, with 27 per cent barren rock and 13 per cent vegetation, there’s a wide variety of activities on offer and a lot of wildlife to see. One of the main reasons to come to Svalbard is to see polar bears. They are everywhere – in the airport, the supermarket, in the guesthouses and museum. It’s said that polar bears outnumber the human population of the islands – 3000 bears, 2500 humans. Arrivals in town are handed a map – the pink zone shows the ‘safe area’ close to the centre in which you can expect to walk unmolested, but venture to the edge of town and you will encounter the warning signs that indicate that from here, you should be carrying a gun for protection, or at least walking with a guide equipped with flares, a weapon and maybe Beware polar bears across Svalbard

My first polar bear...asleep

a friendly husky. Only in April a young male polar bear turned up on the beach close to the town centre and after the failure of attempts to scare it away, it was tranquillised and flown by helicopter to a remote spot. This is a win win situation; since 1973 polar bears have been fully protected and can only be shot if there’s a clear need for self defence, so for the safety of both sides, stubborn animals are moved on. Longyearbyen has a somewhat industrial look to it due to its coal mining legacy. My guesthouse in Nybyen, about 20 minutes up the valley from the town centre, was located in one of the old miners’ barracks. Now that mining is on the wane, tourism has become a mainstay of the local economy and activities can be booked before arrival through the excellent Visit Svalbard website. Day one was a lazy introduction, but just by wandering around town I ticked off some of Svalbard’s unusual wildlife: firstly on the way back

to the hostel I encountered two Svalbard reindeer grazing by the roadside. This subspecies is endemic to Svalbard and has evolved to have shorter legs and a rounder, more stocky body shape in order to retain heat. Later that evening I spotted an Arctic fox – still with half its winter coat - trotting past my window. Svalbard was very quickly

Supermarket polar bear

Midnight sun over Longyearbyen

living up to its reputation as a great wildlife destination. Day two started with a change of plans. The trek that I’d booked fell through and it was drizzling, which is unusual as this is an Arctic desert where the islands only get about 200mm of rain a year. However, I was just choosing a bike when serendipitously, a fellow guest emerged from the hostel with gun in hand and proceeded to ready his own bike. After a quick chat we decided to set off together to tackle a walk to the East of town. The road takes you along Adventdalen, a 30km long valley, and just on this edge of town are several husky sheds full of yelping dogs. Whilst a ride on

Foxfonna glacier

a husky sled is a very popular wintertime activity, the sleds are also adapted with wheels for summer rides along the tracks around town. Interestingly, the area around the husky enclosures is a protected nesting area for Eider ducks and Barnacle geese. The birds have apparently learned that having the dogs nearby provides an element of protection from the resident Arctic foxes. Heading further along the road takes you in the direction of the Foxfonna glacier and Mine No.7, from which Longyearbyen gets the coal to run its power station. Our walk took us up a steep hill, past the observatory and up onto a rocky plateau before crossing the firm snow on top of the glacier for Lenin watches over Pyramiden

spectacular views across the water. This is rugged country, very uneven underfoot and the rain turned to snow, so be prepared for changeable conditions. Returning along the one track road we took a brief stop to avoid the flying mud from a passing convoy and were rewarded with a sighting of several red throated divers (loons) on one of the fresh water lakes. As 60 per cent of Svalbard is covered by glaciers, they feature highly on tourist itineraries. In the winter you can explore ice caves under the glaciers and in summer you can scramble around looking for fossils. One of the main fossilling sites is in the terminal moraine at the Longyearbreen glacier front just above the guesthouses in Nybyen, and a late evening trip up here yielded an array of well preserved leaves. Several hikes start from Nybyen such as the quick jaunt up to Sarkofagen for a view over the town, and my reorganised trip to Trollsteinen (845m). The walk started with a sharp ascent and very quickly we were onto the glacier, stepping carefully over the many streams that cut through the ice. Although the upper slopes were pretty barren, a few plants, such as the Svalbard poppy, eke out an existence here and the rocks are plastered with colourful lichen.

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Svalbards glaciers

Arctic fox in mid moult

Kittiwakes nesting at Pyramiden

As we were up and down Trollsteinen in only 4 hours there was time for me to bike over to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault which is set into the mountainside above 12

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the airport. Also known as the Doomsday Vault, this is a repository for the world’s most valuable seed varieties. There are no visits inside the facility but a model in

Svalbard museum shows that the vault comprises 3 chambers set deep in the permafrost. As a door set in a mountain looks suspiciously like something from a James Bond movie, it has become an improbable tourist attraction and was certainly worth a visit for its atmospheric location. Due to its Northerly location the Svalbard archipelago basks in 24-hour daylight in summertime. I found this inspiring and on my third day, my previous walking companion and I set off at 5pm to start the ascent of Nordenskiöld peak (1050m). We set off in bright sunshine, reached the summit in freezing white out conditions at 8pm and then spent the next 5-6 hours exploring the tundra and rocky landscape on the plateau above town. During our wanderings we

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encountered several reindeer, rather unconcerned by our presence and a few ptarmigan whose presence was betrayed by their white pyjamas. After a couple of days of low cloud and drizzle we were bathed in the brilliant midnight sun and I got back to the hostel at 2am wondering how anyone gets any sleep at this time! Still, I hadn’t spotted a polar bear yet, so it was back to the Visit Svalbard site to survey my options. Kayaking is pretty popular, anything from half day to multi day trips around the fjords. For those who like the challenge, you can canoe straight across Adventfjorden, beach the canoe and nip up to the summit of Hiorthfjellet for a view of Longyearbyen from the other side. But the word around the breakfast table was that polar bears were being seen a bit further afield and a bigger boat was needed to get me to a Russian mining town. There are actually two Russian mining towns to choose from. Barentsburg is a thriving community of around 350, with mining still underway and even a couple of hotels. Pyramiden, on the other hand is a ghost town, population 12....it sounded more atmospheric. It was also where the bears had been spotted. It takes a few hours of motoring steadily to reach Pyramiden. We spotted minke whale and seals on the way and once there we were greeted by our Russian guide for a walking tour. This is the epitomy of isolation – there’s only one point in town



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The Global Seed Vault

where residents can get an unreliable phone signal, supplies arrive infrequently by helicopter and letter writing is still in vogue. A statue of Lenin – the most northerly in the world - presides over the main square and we were given time to explore the old cultural centre and the now empty swimming pool. But today the most noise comes from the kittiwakes nesting on the apartment blocks and you are left feeling rather melancholy for this once thriving community, now deserted. Leaving Pyramiden we headed to the nearby Norden-

skiöld glacier and as we edged closer to the rocks a ripple of excitement went round the boat because those little creamy blobs, that at first didn’t look like anything, slowly transformed themselves into not one, not two, but three polar bears. Yes it was a bit distant, and the bears lethargic, but this was my first sighting of the King of the Arctic, the ice bear, the magnificent marine mammal that sits at the top of the Arctic food chain. And, as I readied myself to join my expedition ship, I had a feeling that things were going to get better.....

ACTIVITY REPORT

HOW I OVERCAME THE CHARIOTS Part One OF FIRE: CARROS DE FOC Words + Photos by: Anne Elizabeth Cecillon

Just past the border of Spain, in the natural park of Aigüestortesi Estany de Sant Maurici National Park, lies a natural wonder than many have attempted but few have conquered... My brother Olivier, ever the nature enthusiast, ran it in the summer with his great friend Daniel, putting this incredible trek on my radar. For those who are not aware, this challenging 8000 meters up and down path was first devised 15 years ago by Miguel Sánchez i Murcia, the keeper of the Ventosa refuge, as a test for super athletes: the initial

idea was that the route had to be covered in a single 24-hour period. Astoundingly enough, people manage to do just that. This is called the Sky Runner category and the record is 10 hours 35 minutes. For me, making it through in five and half days was enough of a challenge. Looking at the map and timings it seemed easy but once I started I quickly realised that the timings given were probably derived from an Izard (the natural mountain goat native only to the Pyrenées).

Day One

The trek started from Arties, a typical mountain village that doubles as a ski station in the winter. From there an easy dirt trail took me to the lower parking area a good three hours from the first refuge where I was to pick up my map, baseball cap, and passport to stamp all the refuges to complete the famous Carros de Foc. The weather was absolutely perfect at a balmy 21 degrees in sunshine, and my only concern besides

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hydration was to pace myself and protect my skin from sunburns. The path was well worn and easy to follow and a few tour groups from Spain were happily chatting away while climbing steadily on increasingly challenging terrain. A winding path of dirt and stones was bordered by pine trees and blackberry bushes and I felt great climbing steadily while looking for markings (non existent!) or updates of how far I had yet climbed before reaching La Restanca. Once on the last turn, after a particularly sharp hairpin, I was graced by the sight of a stone water dam on which the refuge was built, and I happily crossed over to get my passport. Unfortunately, there were no maps or baseball caps as the refuge was out of them. The refuge was located along beautiful turquoise waters that were clear as glass, and I could easily see the bottom of the natural pool from my view point on the dam. From Restanca, I was planning on reaching EstanyLlong but was told that it would be another 7 to 8 hours before completing that segment. It was already nearing 15:00 and since the refuge has a strict policy of dinner at 19:00 I elected to change my itinerary



and go to Ventosa. That was supposed to be an easy 2 to 3 hours but instead I made it just in time for dinner. The climb following Restanca was quite steep and a good warm up for the next day, for what would turn out to be the hardest climb of them all... On the way to Ventosa I was graced by more beautiful emerald lakes and the rush and hiss of competing waterfalls. At one moment, the only sound was the percussion of a raven’s wings beating against the air as it flew past. A few courageous hikers were taking a dip in the lake, but it was way too cold for me! The weather was changing and getting darker and I hurried to the refuge. The trail was not well marked and I had to ask a Spanish coupleto confirm my itinerary. Carros de Foc is wilderness, and wilderness areas have a kind of common culture, but this one is in a part of Spain that has a very particular, and decidedly mixed, cultural and linguistic heritage. It’s in Catalonia, where many speak Catalan, a language similar to Provençal; but it’s also part of a smaller enclave, the Val d’Aran, where some people can still speak yet another language, Aran. Thank God the people I met spoke Spanish,

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as do I, and they gave me good information on where to go and how long it would take to reach the refuge. They were running the trail with only water and energy bars and were training to complete it in less than 2 days. I later on shared a table with them at the refuge for dinner and learnt that they were prison guards in Spain working only 3 days followed by 5 days off and that their passion was trekking. The Ventosa refuge was never a better sight in my life than when it appeared before my eyes. Although nothing special by any stretch of the imagination, it called of warmth, safety and rest for me and I was really glad when I finally reached it. I entered by a small door into a‘mud room’ filled with backpacks, boots and walking sticks, as the refuge policy is very strict and no one is allowed to enter the main room with any camping equipment. Once passed the vestibule and lightened of all my trekking gear, I was given a small plastic bin in which to put all my valuables for the night and with this I was invited to a small shower (ice cold water only) before dinner. There was just one shower for over 50 people and then a bunk on the upper floor in a huge dormitory that I shared that night with 49 other people as the refuge was full. I was really glad that they still had space as although I chose the end of the season to climb, the refuges were still quite full and the reservation system does not allow for changes, so once you make a reservation you lose your deposit if you cannot stick to it and have to make a brand new reservation. Dinner that night was hearty, with noodle soup, potatoes and sausage and some sort of chocolate cream dessert. Then I climbed on my top bunk as assigned and amid snoring, headlights and people moving around, slept soundly thanks to my earplugs and eye mask.

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Day Two

The next morning after a breakfast of bread and crackers with jam, honey and cereal I started up again for the famous Col de Contrainx, a moonlike world made of big grey granite stone boulders, the sheer rock towers of the Spanish Pyrenees. Jumping like a Izard with 12kg on my back from boulder to boulder felt very uncomfortable at first but with practice became a rhythm that I carried on for hours and hours until I reached the peak. The start of the trek was on the shadowy side of the mountain and kept the temperature cool enough to provide natural air conditioning. The effort produced was really intense and upon reaching the top I took a small break to appreciate my surroundings. I embraced the magnificence around me coated in a blanket of surreal silence. Sheer

peaks with vertiginous drops, cows sparsely occupying the lower part of valleys, flowers gracing the sides of my path, birds circling high above... I just wanted to sit at the top and enjoy the feeling of accomplishment I felt. Unfortunately, time was precious and I had to press on to the next refuge of Estany Llong. At 1985 meters, the lower altitude felt like heaven after going downhill for hours and hours. From the Col de Contraix at 2749 meters to the refuge is a nearly 800 meters – a really steep drop that is quite hard on the knees. EstanyLlong, naturally situated along a river, has one hot shower limited to 5 minutes for 2 euros, but it felt like heaven after the ice cold shower of the day before! Dinner was lively and soon the banter flew between Spanish, French, Dutch and German hikers. Once again, sausage was the main meal with pasta and a piece of fruit for dinner. After a meal loaded with carbohydrates, it was time for a well deserved rest again accompanied by my neighbour’s snoring and night bathroom breaks. There I met a lovely French lady, a professional mountain

guide who became my go to source for the latest information on routes and weather for the rest of the trek. She also saved my feet by providing “double peau” double skin to protect my absolutely destroyed blistered feet...

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Day Three

The next morning saw me on the road again, this time to climb to the refuge of Colomina, which was by far my favorite place with an amazing view of the valley and a balcony overlooking a steep precipice. The untimed hot shower made it feel like heaven and the early arrival to the refuge allowed me to finally enjoy the scenery and ambiance of the place. I met with a very funny Spaniard, wearing his flip flops Japanese style with his socks pinched in between his toes, and I have to confess, I did adapt the style for the rest of the trek as nights were quite chilly up there. In the middle of the night, after yet another hearty meal shared on long pine tables with benches organised dormitory style, I could not sleep and decided to go out on the balcony to gaze at the stars and enjoy the fresh clean mountain air. Following a quick storm we had right after dinner, I was graced with amazing stars and peaceful silence. I also got rewarded by the sight of Izards, reddishbrown animals akin to antelopes, as surefooted as mountain goats. Their black facial markings were clearly visible in the full moonlight. I soon got cold though and retreated in the safety of my sleeping bag inside. To be continued…

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ACTIVITY REPORT

FAT BIKING IN DUBAI Words + Photos by: Pasquale Caggianiello

There is no limit to where you can go with a fat bike, the only limit is your imagination… it’s a fun activity for any level of cyclist. There are many ways to get into fat biking; obviously, you can buy your own fat bike and just start exploring, or places like The Cycle Hub will rent you a bike for the day so that you cangive it a try first. These bikes may be slower but they really are enormous fun. As Dubai and most places in the UAE are mainly sand, this is an ideal place to experiment and explore on a fat bike. A popular place to ride around are the sand dunes in the middle of the Al Qudra Cycle track. People ride around there exploring the nature reserve lakes andother lakes within the sand dunes. Other great places include Liwa, Fossil Rock, Sweihan and popular mountain bike trails such as Hatta. A friend rode a distance of 180km solo over three days, crossing the Wahiba Sands by fat bike, so there really is no limit to what you can achieve. Some people have even raced 6 hour endurance events at Hatta, and they can also be used for different riding styles, which shows you how versatile they are. Riding fat bikes can take a little time to get used to compared with riding a conventional mountain bike.The handling of a fat bike on sand is obviously different to on gravel and the soft areas of sand and the contours of dunes makes the bike move around underneath you a lot. This is all part of the fun! You will get soft areas of sand where you will feel that you’re coming to a stop, but if you keep pedalling the majority of the time you’ll get through it. Other things to get used to is riding with the Sand and more sand

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Going down makes getting to the top worth it

correct tyre pressure to suit you when on sand, as pressures vary depending on the rider’s weight - roughly 4-6psi is normally used.If the tyre pressure is too hard your tyres will sink into the sand and you’ll get stuck as the ‘footprint’ will be too small. The lower pressure allows the footprint to be wider, allowing the bike to float over the sand. Sometimes getting this wrong puts people off riding in the dunes, as they think it’s too much hard work and not fun at all. It takes a few goes at experimenting in the sand dunes to get the pressures correct by trial and error and finding out what the bike is capable of.Going tubeless, which means removing the inner tube, is something else to consider.This saves weight and also the hassle of changing tubes in the desert heat. Getting to the top of the dune will be easy for some as they pick out the correct line to get there. Don’t just aim for the highest Fat bike social ride

Soft sand can catch you out but just roll through it

point of the dune, you need to make the dune as flat as possible. So riding around the lower points of the dune to eventually hit the ridge will get you to the top of the dune. Once you’re up there the really fun part is riding down the dune, as all that hard work for a few seconds of fun is reallyworth it. When riding down the dune keep your bike as straight as possible and don’t press

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Riding around the lakes at Al Qudra nature reserve

Some important points to remember when riding in the desert:

Having fun over the dunes

the front brake. There have been some occasions on big dunes where riders have hit 50kmh going down and then roughly 2 G’s of force when they hit the transition to flat at the bottom.

Morning fat bike social ride and a run for the dogs

Trail side bike maintainance

• Don’t ride alone, always ride in a group and stay close. Mainly in case of a mechanical issue or a fall. • Have the contact numbers of the people you’re riding with just in case you do get split up. • Wear a helmet… yes the sand is soft but sand stone isn’t. • Take plenty of water, especially during the summer. You’ll be surprised how much you will go through in an hour. • Make sure your mobile phone is fully charged before you go out. Not only might you need it to contact someone, but most smart phones will have access to maps inthe case you feel you are lost. • Ride with a GPS unit so that you can track back on the route you’ve ridden. You can follow your tracks back but there may be other fat bike tracks that aren’t yours and your tracks may have been covered up. • Keep track of the land marks that you can see to help you navigate if your GPS battery runs out. • Plan a route beforehand so you know roughly how long it will take and where you are likely to go. • Take some spares and tubes. Tyres can get punctures in the desert when near vegetation so having a spare tube and tyre levers is a must, and obviously a pump or some Co2 canisters (not to be used with tubeless tires as it freezes the sealant). Tools such as a chain breaker and hex keys are a good thing to have. • Listen out for other desert users such as 4x4’s. Ride away from any tracks and look and listen out when you hit the top of the dune ridge. • The Dubai Police app is a useful one to have on your phone. If you’re lost in the desert you can press the SOS button in the app and you can then be located and picked up. If you want to ride with other people who enjoy fat biking and gain some or more experience riding in the dunes,then follow the Facebook group called Fat Bikes Dubai - DXB. They do weekly social rides and also plan some longer rides come winter that require a good level of fitness. Also, there are conversations and information sharing on most of the points made in this article. One ride that has recently happened is a night ride in the desert under a full moon. The group’s page has a lot of information and a lot of the members are keen road cyclists as well, which shows that the interest for these bikes is not limited to mountain bikers.

Words by: Stuart Murray Photos by: Tim Ansell

Friday 14th October 2016 marks the start of the fourth season of the Emirates Desert Championship, the UAE’s national baja rally championship for Motorcycles, Quads, Cars and Buggies. Since its foundation in late 2013, the championship has firmly established itself as one of the largest motorsport championships in the gulf region, regularly attracting entries of more than one hundred vehicles across all classes at each event. The championship takes place at desert locations across the UAE on Friday mornings, with racing beginning at 8:30am and lasting for approximately two hours. Each of the vehicles races around a marked course of between 25 and 20km through the dunes, and the winners are those who complete the greatest number of laps in the shortest period of time. The championship is organised by the Automobile & Touring Club of the UAE (ATCUAE), who are also the organisers and promoters of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, which is held each year as a round of both the FIA and FIM Cross Country Rally World Championships. It is this experience in running a top level, world famous event over a period of more than twenty five years that enables them to organise a successful championship. “What we try to do is essentially scale down the Desert Challenge to a smaller, one day event. This allows us to be more accessible for our competitors, without compromising on our safety infrastructure, such as GPS tracking and medical cover”, says ATCUAE President Mohammed Ben Sulayem, who founded the Desert Challenge back in 1991. “We appreciate that the vast majority of

Khalifa Al Remeithi (109) wheelies his way into a lead off the start line

2016 Auto champion Khalid Al Jafla in his T3 Polaris

Sam Smith (UK) on a Yamaha with a broken foot peg

those taking part are amateurs having fun, so we have created a format that allows them to come out early and do the race, but then be done by midday and have the rest of their Friday to spend with their friends and family. That has been the key to such great entry numbers year after year.” Since its inception the championship has not only proved popular with local competitors, but has also been able to attract big name international competitors to the UAE, including Simon Pavey (from TV’s “Race to

Dakar”), CS Santosh (India’s most famous motorcyclist and the first of his nationality to compete in or finish the Dakar Rally), and Qatari quad rider Mohammed Abu Issa (a multiple Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge winner). However, a major coup in the history of the championship was the participation of five time Dakar Rally winner Marc Coma at the final round of the 2014-15 season. Riders of this caliber are attracted by the fabulous terrain of the UAE, and the training opportunities it allows them ahead of high

One of the Polaris UAE team passing a rolled CanAm of Chris Jackson

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Tariq Abu Issa from Qatar in his Yamaha Buggy

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Mohammed Al Balooshi with the hole shot

Sune Schaffler on her way to a round win and joint first in the Ladies Cup

Sh. Ahmed Al Qassimi on his Honda CRF 450

level events. The fact that Coma only came seventh when he raced also suggests that the standard of competition isn’t bad either! Last season, the motorcycle race was dominated by South African Ross Runnalls, who took four wins from five races to beat narrowly beat Emirati hero Mohammed Al Balooshi into second place. In the quad class, Yamaha mounted Mansoor Al Suwaidi became the third different Emirati to be crowned champion in as many seasons. Riders racing from the start

South African Ross Runnalls on his way Sam Sunderland on his KTM to the 2016 MOTO Championship

Meanwhile, Khalid Al Jafla was crowned overall Car winner in his FIA T3-Spec Polaris Razor, while Ahmed Al Fahim regained his Buggy category title that he first won in 2013-14 to be the championship’s first repeat champion in its three year history. The Vendetta Racing KTM-UAE team won the MOTO Team competition, with the Polaris UAE team being crowned best CAR/ BUGGY team. The 2016-17 Emirates Desert

Championship season will take place over five rounds between October and February: • 14th October 2016 • 11th November 2016 • 9th December 2016 • 3rd February 2017 • 17th February 2017 For further details about the championship please contact [email protected] or check the website at www.emiratesdesertchampionship.ae. (From left), Owen Glynn, David McBride and Shannon O’Connor fighting it out in the Masters Class for riders over 40 years old

Mohammed Abu Issa on his Yamaha at the start

Polaris Racing Team UAE, winners of the 2016 AUTO Team Title

EVENT PREVIEW

Words by: Rachael Bruford Photos by: Romina Amato and Dean Treml

Dubai residents are in for a treat on 28th October, as the famous Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series stages its first competition in the UAE, with the iconic Dubai Marina as its backdrop. Taking place at Pier 7, international competitors from countries such as Britain, Mexico, Columbia, USA and Russia will wow the crowds with their skills, judgement and bravery. Moreover, the Dubai event will be the final competition in the series, meaning that the champions will be decided here in the UAE!

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What is Cliff Diving?

Reaching speeds of up to 85km per hour and experiencing up to 5G’s of physical force in a three second dive, cliff diving is certainly not for the faint hearted! Whilst Olympic diving generally takes place from a 10 metre platform, the Red Bull Cliff Diving series sees women diving from 19.5 -21.5 metre platforms and men attempting dives from 26.5 – 28 metres. Jumping from these great heights means that the impact can be up to nine times greater than diving from a 10 metre platform. Platforms are stable and are a minimum of 1.5 metres in length,

with a width of 75cm. The water has to be at least five metres deep, and even then there are rescue scuba divers and paramedics on standby, just in case of any incidents.

What are the risks?

Without a doubt, the highest risk of injury occurs during the landing phase, when parts of the body are already exposed to absolute deceleration (slowing down) and others, above the surface, are still at full speed. Immediately after hitting the water, the athlete has to actively dive away to avoid compression or contortion of other parts of his or her body

due to the hardness of the water; landing incorrectly from such heights can be compared to running at full speed into a concrete wall! Diving from heights over 28 metres does not really deliver any time benefits due to the increased acceleration and accompanying disproportionate risk of injury. The competition takes place over two days, and features four rounds for men: Day one Round one: 14 divers perform one intermediate dive with a maximum difficulty of 4.6. Points count towards the final results. A draw will be made to determine the diving order for the first round. Day two Round two: 14 divers complete one required dive with a maximum difficulty of 3.8, starting in reverse order based on the results of the previous day. Round three: Starting in reverse order based on the previous round’s cumulative score, divers will complete one optional dive. Round four: After three dives, the top eight will advance to the final round, taking into account their total score from rounds 1, 2 and 3. The eight remaining divers will take part in a second optional dive starting in reverse order based on the previous round’s cumulative score. The winner will be the athlete with the highest total number of points from all four competition dives. The women’s competition generally follows the same format, featuring three rounds over the two days. Round one is again the required dive with a maximum difficulty of 2.6, with round two and the final round both being optional dives.

Rules, scoring and World Series ranking

If you’re heading to the event, it might be helpful to know just how it is scored, and how this links to the World Series. Following the traditional high diving

format featured in other Red Bull events around the world, the competition’s rules are a mix of those from the Red Bull Cliff Diving Sportive Committee, FINA and HDA. The day before the competition, entrants must hand in their planned dives, which consist of one required dive of a maximum degree of difficulty of 3.8, one intermediate dive with a maximum degree of difficulty of 4.6 and two optional dives with a degree of difficulty calculated from the DD table. Divers are then scored by five high-diving judges. For female competitors, the rules are the same, however there is one required dive of a maximum difficulty of 2.6 and two optional dives from the DD table. The competition features ten permanent divers from the men’s event and six permanent divers from the women’s event. To make things extra exciting, and in line with each tour stop in the series, there’ll be an additional four male and two female wildcard entries. Although these wildcard divers may only compete in one or two individual events, their results count alongside the

permanent divers. All divers must perform at least one dive to be included in the final result. The winner of each individual tour stop (other locations include Denmark, the US, Portugal, France, Wales, Italy, Japan and Bosnia and Herzegovina) is the diver with the highest points total from all four competition dives (three for women). The ranked athletes from each tour stop are also awarded points which are then tallied to produce the World Series ranking. In each event the points awarded are as follows: World Series ranking points for men: Ranked 1st: 200 points Ranked 2nd: 160 points Ranked 3rd: 130 points Ranked 4th: 110 points Ranked 5th: 90 points Ranked 6th: 70 points Ranked 7th: 60 points Ranked 8th: 50 points Ranked 9th: 40 points Ranked 10th: 30 points Ranked 11th: 20 points Ranked 12th: 10 points Ranked 13th: 9 points Ranked 14th: 8 points World Series ranking points for women: Ranked 1st: 200 points Ranked 2nd: 160 points Ranked 3rd: 130 points Ranked 4th: 110 points Ranked 5th: 90 points Ranked 6th: 70 points Ranked 7th: 60 points Ranked 8th: 50 points The eventual winner of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series 2016 will be the athlete with the highest overall points after nine competitions, or seven competitions for the female divers. The Red Bull World Series Cliff Diving Event takes place at Pier 7, Dubai Marina, on 28th October from 8pm. For more details, visit www.redbullcliffdiving.com/en_US/ event/dubai-2016

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TRAVEL & ADVENTURE

Words + Photos by: Jen Hardie

Over the Eid break, my adventure-loving kids and I managed to escape to the English Lake District for a week-long rock climbing and hiking holiday. The Lake District is a brilliant place for an active family holiday because it has everything – mountains, lakes, crags, and great outdoor shops where you can stock up on reasonably priced gear. Like any weather in the UK, Lake District weather can be unpredictable. It can rain, and sometimes you can get a lot of it. Luckily over the Eid break we had sunshine for most of the week, with only a spot of rain. The North Lake District is my favourite part of the Lakes because it’s a bit further away, the mountains are wilder, and there’s fewer hikers on the fells. If going as a family, there’s the not to miss mountain, Catbells, which was made famous by Beatrix Potter’s Mrs Tiggywinkle, who lived on the mountain. It’s a nice easy walk, a little over 5kms, with a bit of scrambling near the top, which can be done by even the smallest of children,although when younger, I did have to coax my kids up with a few Haribo’s left by the “dragon who lived on the mountain”. If Catbells turns out to be too easy, or if you’re looking for more mountains, you can continue the walk, and make your way across to Maiden Moor, High Spy, Dale Head, Hindscarth and Robinson, taking in beautiful views of Newlands Valley on one side and the beautiful lake of Derwent water on the other. This full walk is a little over 18km, with over 1,100 metres of ascent, so expect it to be a long day. However, it’s certainly one of the best walks in the North Lakes. If you like mountains with a bit of easy rock climbing, one of the best in the North Lakes is Haystacks. It’s an 8km walk that starts near the head of Buttermere Lake,

taking a zig zag path up to the top. Before reaching the summit, there’s some good scrambling portions and a tarn which is perfect for a cool dip on a hot day, or a nice place to eat your sandwiches by and take in the view. One of the nicest things about any Lake District walk, is when you come down off the mountains, there’s always a pub nearby that you can go for a big meal. My favourite pub is the Swinside Inn near Catbells, in Newlands Valley. They have plenty of picnic tables outside for when the weather is nice, or a roaring fire to warm up next to

whenever it’s too wet or cold outside. If you want a break from climbing up mountains, or are in need of a lazy day, there are several lakes to walk around and explore. Derwentwater, in the town of Keswick, also has small boats that pick up passengers and drop them off at various locations around the lake, which can be fun for exploring; Buttermere has a 7km path that circumnavigates the lake,a perfect distance when it’s a rainy day; and Crummock Water, which sits on the other side of Buttermere village, is great for taking in the magnificent view and skipping stones.

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For those that enjoy rock climbing, there’s also several places where you can climb in the North Lake District. One of the most popular spots, and my firm favourite, is Shepherd’s Crag and Brown Slabsin Borrowdale Valley. It’s easy to access the crag, and the rocks are usually quick drying, which is ideal if it rained overnight. The crag also has plenty of routes for all levels. There are spots that you can set up a top rope if you’re climbing with kids, but there’s also more challenging routes that are two to three pitches, and vary in difficulty, so there’s always something for everyone. Little Chamonix (graded VD or 5.4 US equivalent); Donkey’s Ears (graded HS or 5.6 US equivalent); and Jackdaw Ridge (graded D or 5.3 US equivalent) are all easy ones to do with kids. None of the routes are bolted, so you need to bring your own protection. If you need new gear, Needle Sports, located in the town of Keswick, is the go-to gear shop for climbers. You can also pick up local climbing route guides and maps of the Lake District mountains here too. When planning your visit to the Lake District, self-catering cottages are the ideal place to stay because you can often



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walk straight from your door onto the fells. Newlands Valley, Borrowdale Valley and Buttermere are perfect locations, often having cottages in remote and peaceful locations. If that’s beyond your budget, there are really nice youth hostels in Borrowdale and Buttermere, plenty of pubs have rooms, or many of the local farms offer B&B accommodation. My top tip is to come prepared for any kind of weather when visiting the Lake District. Bring your waterproofs because it will rain no matter what time of year you visit. Come with an open mind and a spirit for adventure, the mountains in the Lake District are magical.

Useful resources Getting to the Lake District Fly to Manchester or Glasgow and hire a car for the 2-2.5-hour drive lakedistrict.gov.uk – Lake District National Park walklakes.co.uk – useful summary of all of the different walks in the Lake District northlakes.co.uk – things to do in the North Lakes Jen is an avid boxer, scuba diver, runner, rock climber and hiker who can often be found exploring the very best of the UAE and the world with her two kids Matt and Eva.

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TRAVEL & ADVENTURE

The Druk Path Diaries:

Exploring Bhutan Words + Photos by: Fahd Abu Aisha

There’s another encounter with Yaks and a trip to a monastery in store for Fahd Abu Aisha, in part three of the Druk Path Diaries. Day 5, November 3rd: The Life of a Monk

The fire had kept my body warm throughout the night. However, I happened to fall asleep on my left shoulder, thus leading to a tremendous amount of discomfort the following day. I lay mummified in the sleeping bag, willing the sun’s rays to hit my tent before I had to emerge -but they never did. Not a good omen. The sun hid between the skirts of a gaggle of clouds while fog clamoured over the looming mountains and swept down upon us. We hurriedly ate our breakfast and set off on our way to the other side of the lake and up the trail over one of the mountains. The weather was cold but my body started to warm up as my thighs tautened with every stride, trudging upwards on the slope. 26

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Eventually after traversing over a series of hills we encountered our biggest obstacle, greater than Mr. Alpha-male Aggressive Yak we had previously played Super Mario with.

This time there was a whole colony of them standing before us and unlike last time our only option was to surge forth. Any attempt to maneuver around them would have

resulted in a very long fall down the mountain. There were no yak herders in sight and Tashi was again hesitant. I urged that we didn’t really have a choice, our only option being to wait for the chef and the horseman to arrive, and who knew how long it would take them. There were baby yaks amongst the adult yaks. As we walked past two babies, one of them let out a little shriek. It caught its mother’s attention. Like the boy who cried wolf, the ‘threatened’ baby rushed between its mother’s legs and nodded accusingly toward us, with what I thought was a smug smirk on its face. The mother stared at us reproachfully, but Tashi and I were having none of it as we pushed through the

creatures, continuing our trail. We carried on over a ridge and then descended into another valley, which also had a massive, (albeit smaller than the previous night’s)

lake. It was there we met the yak herders and Tashi had a few choice words for them about leaving them unattended.

We walked a little further along the Dried Lake (legend has it the lake was enormous, but throughout time had evaporated into a much smaller size) and it was here where we finally met tourists that were not Frank and Nancy. They were American as well and were doing the trek in the opposite direction, from Thimpu to Paro. We said our hellos and exchanged small talk before continuing on our way. After traversing up and down through different valleys for

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almost four hours, our chef and horseman were still nowhere in sight. It was slightly worrying as the horses were expected to have caught up by now in time for lunch. Tashi instructed that we climb to the peak of the hill we were walking up on, so we could see if the horses were coming in the distance. It took about 20 minutes before we heard the bells of the leader horse coming over the valley with our dear chef in tow

from the opposite side of where we were perched. By then we had begun to freeze. The sun had never come out of its shell of clouds, smothered by a grey blanket that seemed to also be draped on us. We had reached the highest point on this trek at 4000m and it wasn’t the best of places to sit for lunch, but we did it anyway. The chef explained they had left the camp a little later than usual and the steepness of the slopes slowed them down, hence their tardiness. By the time we were done eating I had almost frozen so we got up and started walking again. Over the course of an hour we trekked against the beautiful mountains of the Himalayas, most of their surfaces virgin to the fingerprints of climbers. This is because the government has decreed their peaks to be sacred; they are believed to be the dwellings of the deities. We reached our final campsite of the day, another lake SimkotraTsho. The wind was blowing hard, turning the air particles into frozen needles that burned my skin. I imagine that this was how it felt to attain body piercings. It was only 1pm and I told Tashi it would be impossible to sit around in this freezing environment for the next 8 hours before it was time to sleep. He agreed and informed the chef of a change of plan; we would head directly to Phajoding Monastery, which would take another 3 hours of walking. The cold had injected me with enough jittery adrenaline to make it. It was evident we were approaching our destination as we passed by tourists

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and Bhutanese locals on the trek. It was a special religious day that Tashi was not entirely aware of; the day Buddha descended again. It was also Tashi’s birthday, a fact he was reminded of after bumping into a few locals he knew, who were good enough friends to remind him. A lot of them were hiking up to Dong Tsho Lake, the magical lake, where it is said a mermaid resides within its waters. We were almost at our destination, reaching the small watchtower at the peak of the final ridge, where the city of Thimpu lay on the other side. It



was a view I could enjoy only briefly as the incessant fog caught up with us again and jealously obstructed our view of the capital. We continued down the final slope to the monasteries. The trail was now crowded with the locals paying their respects to the various monasteries scattered along the side of the mountain. It was a welcome interruption, as we had been in isolation for three days. We visited Thushedaa Monastery, where the monk shared its history. Built in the 13th century, most of it had been restored

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throughout the years. We drank some holy water, thanked the monk and headed to our camp. The tents were set up a stone’s throw away from another temple (of which I do not recall its name). Inside our main tent, a local group of Bhutanese women were seated inside having lunch. The chef had made me some snacks and tea and we took some pictures together with the monasteries in the background. The women emerged and requested if they could take a picture with me. Tashi joked that the women wanted to go back to town and make their husbands jealous with me draped on their arms. I laughed and happily obliged, finally feeling a semblance of home. The chef, who knew the monk of the monastery we had camped outside told me to go and sit inside the monk’s home with the heater on where it would be warmer. The monk came to sit with us once he had finished his duties and explained some of the daily rituals that were required of him. This included emptying seven cups of water that were placed on his altar by himself, which he refilled every morning. The seven cups represent the first seven steps Buddha took when he was first born and it is a ritual that honors him. He sat with us for the rest of the evening sharing his love for his beliefs and his ambitions to be a role model for the younger generation and to spread positivism throughout the country. It was a very enlightening experience and we shared a cup of warm tea before I retreated back into my tent for one last night out in the open.

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TRAVEL & ADVENTURE

One car, two islands, three thousand kilometres:

DISCOVERING NEW ZEALAND

Words by: Romain Loubeyre and Angelica Motpan Photos by: Romain Loubeyre Sound) to North (Auckland). The first two nights were sorted out before the trip, then We had been longing totravel we would improvise along the way. June to New Zealand for 15 years, and is a winter month in New Zealand,which is finally made the decision to embark off-season, so we did not have any trouble finding accommodation at short notice. We on the trip of a lifetime in June did not need to book activities in advance 2016. either. It suited our travel styleperfectly. It is certainly not the easiest trip: a 17hour flight to Auckland (new Emirates direct Day 1: Queenstown flights from Dubai), or the cheapest (budget Queenstown, in the Otago region, is suris around AED 8,000/pax), and for us rounded from all sides by mountains. To included a 3-hour stopover, beforeanother make things even better, it is built on the 2.5 hours travelling to Queenstown airport side of a magnificent lake. All the ingrediand finally starting the first few kilometres ents for a perfect lifestyle gathered in one with our rental car (4WD recommended in place. Something we read recently made us winter). But no matter the effort required, think of thisregion: “There is a subtle peace there is one consensus among all visitors to that only the mountains can offer. Their presthe country: it is all worth it. ence is magnetic. A quick gaze can quickly Our plan was simple: 14 days on the road turn to hours. For some, their sights become to cross New Zealand from South (Milford transfixed and the will to be in their

presence becomes almost as strong as the need to breathe.” (Chris Burkard)

Day 2: Glenorchy

Testing of our car on mountain roads before the big drive to Milford Sound was tough, yet rewarding. The sinuous roads of the South Islands are challenging, but also offer the best mountain driving we have ever experienced. Mother nature threw everything she had at us on that day; heavy rain, thick fog, strong winds, hail, all of that while driving on the left side for the first time on roads that are barely large enough for two cars. Let’s just say that we were happy to arrive at our destination and felt like we were ready for the long road ahead of us. Glenorchyis at the northern end of the lake Wakatipu, a very isolated part of the Otago region in winter. With the dramatic weather, the surrounding mountains, lakes and forests constituted a very cinematic sight and offered some easyoff-road driving experience.

Queenstown

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Black Sand Beach near Waikato

Road to Milford

Day 3: Onward to Milford Sound

The road from Queenstown to Milford Sound is a 4-hour drive, but allow some time for frequent stops, for the scenery on the way is as varied as it is awe-inspiring. The Devil’s Staircase road holds to its name (especially if you lose one of your lenses in the middle of the drive) and will put your driving skills to the test. It is important to check the weather at your destination, because the drive down to the Sound is one of the most challenging in New Zealand, and frost could be an issue in winter. We did not encounter frost, but were attacked by wild parrots (the inoffensive but curious Kea birds) and survived one of the biggest rainstorms of our lives, which is not unusual in one of the wettest places on earth.

Day 4: Milford to Arrowtown

After a complete change of weather, we enjoyed a must-do 2-hour boat ride within the Sound under a bright blue sky. The Milford Sound

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Glacial Lake next to Mount Cook

landscape and wildlife of the Sound are very unique, giving us the feeling that we were visiting Isla Nublar, looking out for Pterodactyls along the way (we did not see any). Once Milford Sound was crossed from our bucket list, it was time to start the long way up north. 300km later, our next stop was Arrowtown. The city is a former gold-mining community. Walking around felt like being in the Far West in 1890; we were expecting gun-fights around the next corner (there were none). It is also the start of mountain trails to some isolated ghost towns dating from the golden age of mining. These are best done in Autumn, with fresh air and golden leaves shining under the morning sun: pretty epic.

Day 5: Arrowtown to Mount Cook

We took the Cardrona mountain road to Wanaka, stopping along the way to appreciate the bird-eye view of the valleys. The golden-grass filled landscape makes this a worthwhile detour.

Seal Pups under Ohau Waterfall

OUTDOORUAE

Glacial Lake with a view of Mount Cook

Wanaka is a nice little town located on the south side of Lake Wanaka. We had little time so went straight to “that Tree” (loc: -44.698348, 169.117626), a mandatory stop for all photographers. Seeing Mount Aspiring just around the corner, it was tempting to visit it, but we had to move on to our next destination: Mount Cook!

Day 6: Visiting the Southern Alps

Now that place screams adventure: high mountains, deep glacier lakes, trails going in every direction, a billion-star night sky (the whole region being a night-sky reservation). We could (should?) have spent a few weeks just there exploring the surroundings. Next time probably… We stayed in a hotel located right at the entrance of the Hooker Valley Track, which we did the next morning: a 4-hour tramp to the glacier lake and back, with unravelling views of Mount Cook itself along the way. If you can bring a tent, camping on the side of the lake is highly recommended.

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



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Hobbiton

Pukaki Lake

Days 7 to 9: The long way north

Highlights of the way to Christ church then Picton included: the glacial blue Lake Pukaki, Lake Tekapo (well known for the classic shots of the Church of the Good Shepherd) and the little-less known Mount Sunday (aka movie set of Edoras), being attacked by a seal on the side of the road, visiting a waterfall with seal pups playing under it, vineyards all over the place and a welldeserved burger in what seemed to be the only open restaurant in the city (apart from the local Irish pub obviously, these guys are never closed). Beware: if you decide to cross to the north island via ferry, consider that you will have to give your rental car back in Picton and get a new car in Wellington. We had done close to 2,000km by now, so it was with some sadness that we said goodbye to our travel companion. The ferry ride itself was great. Do spend time on the upper deck to check for dolphins, which often swim near the boats leaving the harbour as if to wish farewell to the explorers of the wild South Island. Windy Welly, as Wellington is known, has a special atmosphere, reminding me of San Francisco or Reykjavik. Spend the evening strolling Cuba Street if you have some time, the night market is a place worth visiting.

Day 10: To the volcanoes

Enough time spent in a city, it was time to go back to the wild countryside. After a visit of the Kaitoke Regional Park (great hikes, hanging bridges, millennia old rain forest, kayaking spots and Rivendell movie set), we took the fast road to the Tongariro National

Park. The snowless peaks (winter came late this year in New Zealand) weren’t disappointing. Make sure to check for volcanic alerts before your visit; Tongariro is home of active volcanoes such as Mount Ruapehu (last eruption in 2007). The Tongariro Alpine Crossing tramping track is a 19.4km, 7-hour walk which is worth keeping you busy for a day.

Days 11 to 13: Hobbits, Geysers and Glowworms

Lake Taupo is a great base for a few adventures: sailing to impressive Maori rock carvings, rafting on nearby rapids, skydiving, bungee jumping…it has it all. We visited the Craters of the Moon geothermal park and witnessed the release of the Aratiatia rapids (fixed schedule available online) before continuing our journey toward Matamata, where we would immerse our 12-year old selves in a recreation of Tolkien’s shire. Expensive but worth our time, we went for the first tour of the day to Hobbiton, the very set where the Shire’s scenes in the movies were filmed. Rotorua Te Puia geothermal site was our next stop to see some geysers and geothermal mud pools. The ensuing 2-hour night drive to Waitomo was fun but challenging (a Mad-Max-soundtrack-onrepeat-to-stay-awake kind of drive). A north-island must-do, the WaitomoGlowworm Caves are quite a unique site. We did the short 2-hour visit, which was a bit too touristy for our taste. Next time a Mount Ngauruhoe

Entrance to the Glowworm Cave

full-day caving experience will be on the list. Something which is usually not on the tourist-guides: you can go at night, by yourself, to the entrance of some of the caves to enjoy the sight of glowworms in their natural habitat. The 30-minute hike through the rainforest with headlights on and swiss-army knives at hand (just in case) was indeed an experience to behold, maybe more impressive than the glowworm caves themselves.

Day 14: Fare Thee Well

We had reached the end of our journey; our last drive on the west coast, the last rain before going back to the hot, cloudless summer in Dubai. 3000 km on the counter, countless memories, even more RAW files (still not completely processed obviously). New Zealand, thank you for the wonderful adventures and we will see you again sometime soon. Mount Cook nightsky reservation

TRAVEL & ADVENTURE

Words + Photos by: Chris and Amanda Fraser

Our first six weeks on the road were absolutely incredible. Botswana had presented us with some of the most amazing wildlife experiences and we still had Moremi and Chobe National Park to look forward to. As we entered Third Bridge in Moremi, Chris noticed a few elephants. We went to the office to sign in and got a better glimpse of these massive creatures. We watched closely as one woman got a little bit too close and the elephant gave her a friendly reminder to stay out of his personal space! Two other vehicles had taken note and started to snap away as the ellies sauntered inches from our vehicle. This disturbed the herd, sending them into a stampede towards the camp. We drove through the gate to site number seven and there to welcome us were none other than the 11 spooked ellies. We remained hostage as the elephants slowly made their way through, stopping along the way to grab a quick bite or two. The animals of Moremi were not finished welcoming us. As we were preparing our braai, Chris heard a sound in the bush behind us and calmly said, “Check that hyena behind us.” Speaking so nonchalantly, it hadn’t quite registered. Sure enough, there he was—one healthy looking spotted hyena. Surely he’d smelt the lamb chops and wors; unfortunately for him dinner was not yet served. After a scrumptious meal, a little graveyard of bones were left on the outskirts of 34

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our camp just in case our friend wanted to have another visit. And who could resist some leftovers? We sat around the fire and watched as the hyena came back to our site. We all sat still listening to this massive scavenger sniffing around for his portion. Although my heart was beating out of my chest, I felt quite calm considering this hyena was a mere 10 meters away. Everyone else was very relaxed which eased the nerves a bit! Jem continued to shine the spotlight on him as we all sat entertained. He got uncomfortably close after finishing his bones. We sat frozen. My mind started to race…were we now doused in the aromatic

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

smells of dinner? Did he crave some tender American meat? Noticing the hyena’s close proximity, Jem stood up behind us and his imposing figure sent the hyena in the other direction. The hyena had finished his tour of campsite seven and moved towards the other unknowing dinner hosts. Within seconds we heard a blood-curdling scream followed by some panicked “Oh my Gods!” Simultaneously, two car doors slammed shut. We looked around stunned. Had someone been attacked? A nervous tension filled the air until we heard an almost inaudible apology. Someone had received the fright of her life. Our last stop in Botswana was in Chobe National Park (Ihaha). We were welcomed by a pride of lion 16 strong. We were informed that they had last killed two nights prior and would definitely be on the hunt soon. We woke up before the sun to visit the pride. All the lions were eyeing down a herd of 1000 buffalo crossing the river. Had there been any stragglers during the river crossing, breakfast would have been served. We left



the pride knowing that 16 rumbling tummies would definitely be calling in the afternoon. Our afternoon drive led us back to the same area a few kilometres outside of camp. Sure enough, there was the pride scattered out in the middle of a pan basking in the sun. Every few minutes the head matriarch would scan the area. A herd of zebra caught her eye and all of the pride took on the crouch position. Unknowingly, the zebra moseyed on down from the bush into an open battlefield. A younger lioness led the pack, choosing a small hill to hide behind. Two of the other members went to her left in hopes to head off the zebra once the hunt was on. Unfortunately, the young lioness jumped the gun. The other lions were not in place as she darted out in the direction of the zebra. The entire pan filled with dust; the zebra were now on foot, but only the one lion was in the race. The young lioness was always a few meters too far. She exerted her last bits of energy in a leap towards the zebra but came up short. Hunt over, dinner was not yet served. The next morning we knew that the time

OCTOBER 2016 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

had come; the pride of 16 would definitely need to eat. We hoped they hadn’t killed during the night. We arrived to the scene: two lionesses lying flat out appearing double in size. We’d missed the kill. We went down to have a closer look: 3 cubs and two females were still chowing; the pride had taken down an elephant. What an experience; thank you Botswana.

Outdoor season is coming back and we can’t wait to take advantage of it! Whether you are heading out to Rak Vegas or Oman’s Sharaf for climbing adventures, make sure you pack well. Here is a guide that will help you packing just the right kit you need.

Words by: Vanda Turcerova Photos by: Nyi Nyi Aung

Climbing Kit:

A 35L gearbagis the right size for you essential kit. All your equipment will fit neatly inside. Gearbags differ from a regular backpack in fabric, cut and simplicity, as they are designed for this purpose. Fabric is waterproof and sturdy – designed to survive rocky floors and the rough climbing handling. Climbing equipment is not delicate; you carry carabineers, slings and ropes. A good gearbag will protect your essentials well. Of course you also need rope, around 60m in length, and preferably in its own bag. Rope protection is needed if you want your rope to last beyond two seasons. 36

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Slings are essential for outdoor climbing. They are simply tied or a sewn loop of webbing. Pack 30-60cm lengths of at least two pieces. You will use these as anchors, to extend an anchor to reduce rope drag, in anchor equalisation, or to climb a rope. Carabineers are your connectors; we recommend two screwgate and two twist lock options. Both differ slightly in application but all carabineers are designed to connect and protect. You will also want to pack at least ten quick draws. Also called extenders, their function is to optimise rope management once on the wall; one carabineer clips into the wall’s bolt or anchor and the other carabineer provides loop for your rope and therefore guides it smoothly to continue the pitch.

A Harness keeps you safe and alive, whilst a Belay device (Buddy, Cinch, Shuttle) assists you in belaying and taking off the weight of your climbing partner. You will also want a lightweight helmet for protection. Chalk is essential to keep your hands dry and performing; keep it in suitably sized chalk bag around your waist. Grip savers will help you warm up your fingers and finger tape will support your ligaments and help you keep climbing. NEVER FORGET – a hydration system, sun protection, food solution, comfortable clothing. As always, carry a small bag with you and take your trash away when you leave. The kit above is available at all major sports and outdoor stores throughout the UAE.

The UAE and beyond offers amazing trekking trips all year around. Make the most out of your adventure by carrying just the right stuff.

Words by: Vanda Turcerova Photos by: Nyi Nyi Aung Starting with a backpack, the recommended size for a day trek is 35 liters. While you are carrying a relatively small amount of items that are individually lightweight, the combined weight may surprise you. Your backpack needs to be accessible from various points, the back contact surface requires breathability and straps must be sturdy and comfortable. Airzone Trek + packs are great choice. Trekking poles are always useful in providing balance and support. Good trekking shoes are absolute must; yours should be worn in and comfortable enough to carry you beyond your planned route. Even if you are trekking a route you are familiar with, always keep navigation tools on you: a good compass, map with protective

case and guidebook may just save your life. You will want to make sure you know how to read these before so get practicing ahead your trip. Never leave without an emergency Thermal Blanket, whistle and first aid kit. You may need sudden shelter or protection. A good headlamp with spare batteries also goes a long way – the sun sets quickly so don’t get caught in a potentially dangerous situation without it. Even if you don’t plan on camping, you should have a fire starter, matches or lighter on you. Keep these in waterproof container and make sure you do not forget multi-tool knife. Very recommended are binoculars – there are many times that you might just wish you had these on you no matter how short your trek may be; observing nature is highly satisfying. Pack a quick-drying towel too; it is handy, doesn’t take much space and

gets you clean quickly. Other personal hygiene and protection items you will want to carry are paper tissues, insect repellent and for the germophobe in you, hand sanitiser(contains alcohol so you can clean minor cuts and scratches with it too). We also recommend spare clothing, at least top layer, for any sudden change is weather or simply to keep as optional change for the return journey. As always, stay hydrated, protect your exposed areas and your head against sun and wind and carry enough food and water to last you well beyond your trip duration. Do not leave your trash anywhere in nature. Happy trekking! The kit above is available at all major sports and outdoor stores throughout UAE.

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Habitually healthy Gluten Free Delights! Words by: Muneira Al Adwani

When I was first diagnosed as a coeliac it felt a little like a life sentence. Suddenly I found myself spending half my time reading ingredient lists at supermarkets and trying to explain to people that I wasn’t just following a new celebrity diet trend but actually had an autoimmune disease, which in itself sounds fairly aggressive.

I still hate having to ask for gluten free menus or going to a friend’s house for dinner and having to remind them in advance that I can’t eat a whole bunch of foods. Luckily, in this day and age, largely thanks to celebrities and athletes, gluten free options are plentiful, in both restaurants and supermarkets. Dubai is jam-packed with choices when it comes to eating out, and The Cycle Bistro is a personal favourite. When it comes to other restaurants, if you can’t find a gluten free menu online, just

remember to call ahead and make sure that they know you’re coming; more often than not they’ll be able to cater to you. Cooking at home has also become easier, as there are so many gluten free alternatives available to us, which means I don’t have to watch while everyone munches on my favourite brownies, or struggle to find something aside from fruit or eggs to eat for breakfast. Recently I stumbled across a recipe for flourless apple cinnamon muffins, which are perfect for breakfast on the go and can be made in bulk to last a while, although they’re so delicious that you may find yourself munching on them fresh out the oven. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Flourless Apple Cinnamon Muffins For the muffins: • 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce • 6 Tbsp. honey • 1/4 cup creamy almond butter • 1/2 cup oats • 2 Tbsp. ground flax • 1 egg • 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract • 2 tsp. cinnamon • 1/2 tsp. baking soda • 1/4 tsp. salt For the streusel topping: • 2 Tbsp. quick oats • 1 tsp. brown sugar • 1 tsp. coconut oil • 1/4 tsp. cinnamon Directions 1. Preheat oven to 375F and prepare a

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muffin pan by spraying 9 cavities with cooking spray. Set aside. 2. Prepare the streusel topping by combining all ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside. 3. Add all muffin ingredients to a high-speed blender in the order listed and blend on high until oats are broken down and batter is smooth and creamy. 4. Pour batter into prepared muffin pan, filling each cavity until it is about ¾ full. Sprinkle with a small spoonful of streusel topping. 5. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the tops of your muffins are set and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Allow muffins to cool in pan for around 10 minutes before removing. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.

The Cycle Bistro GPS location: Latitude: N 25° 02.792 Longitude: E 055° 14.384 Phone: 04 425 3000

Braai World Putting the Braai in your BBQ! Established in 2014 to bring the best of African outdoor cooking to the UAE, Braai World imports an impressive range of Southern African products to evoke the true spirit of Africa when entertaining your friends at home. Starting with long burning aromatic Namibian hardwood logs cut from environmentally sustainable bushveld sources deep in the Namib desert and ending with colourful enameled cast iron cookware, Braai World has everything you need to showcase your skills as a master chef. Using our South African made heavy duty stainless steel utensils and accessories to cook your meat will showcase your skills as a chef to perfection, whilst preparing, cooking and serving your food on our Himalayan salt plates from Nepal only adds further to the culinary experience as your friends enjoy a relaxing sundowner whilst you prepare their meal. After enjoying the feast you have prepared, the glowing embers invite you and your guests to sit around the fire reminiscing about times gone by and

looking forward to the good times still to come. Memories and aromas of far off places or dreams of places yet to be discovered fill your thoughts as you make your way to sleep after a truly memorable Braai World evening. Whether you select Sekelbos, Kameeldoring or Mopani wood for your fire, all our hardwoods are long-lasting and hotter burning, giving off beautiful big flames which not only cook your food with flavour and make for a great braai, but also create that wonderful atmosphere that feels like you’re under an open African sky. Sekelbos burns hot with big high red/orange vibrant flames. It is a clean burning wood with a very distinctive smell when burning and is fantastic for naturally adding flavour to your meat while it cooks. Kameeldoring has a red and orange flame which burns tamer than its wild counterpart Sekelbos. Once you’ve got this fire kindled and burning, expect to spend the rest of your evening being ‘transported’ to the bushveld, as the wonderful wild smell of this wood drifts across the air. Kameeldoring is wonderful for those evenings where you

want to socialise and catch up with friends and family. Mopani is such an extremely hard wood that even termites avoid eating these trees. Mopani is the longest burning wood that we sell, and is a very popular wood for fireplaces. It has a small blue/purple flame and the coals retain their heat long after the fire is dead. At Braai World we are passionate about importing the highest quality products for you to enjoy and purchasing these could not be easier thanks to our online shop at www.braaiworld.ae which offers direct sales with home delivery right to your doorstep. Our fast growing relationships with our retail partners have also expanded our client base tremendously and our products are now available at a large number of quality retailers throughout the region. Whichever you choose, it’s as easy as 1, 2, 3 and you could be sitting in front of your very own African fire burning away into the night. Available at www.braaiworld.ae and in the following regions across the UAE: Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Dubai, Al Qudra and Madinat Zayed (Western Region). For more information regarding retail outlets, please visit our website.

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Dubai International Boat Show 28 Feb - 4 Mar 2017

Dubai International Marine Club, Mina Seyahi

SELL THE WATERSPORT LIFESTYLE TO 28,000 ENTHUSIASTS 5 days to target over 28,000 regional affluent visitors in a region that embraces marine activities as a lifestyle and has average household incomes above $100k

Join us: For exhibiting & sponsorship opportunities call us on +971 4 308 6275/6204 or email [email protected]

With 66% of our visitors actively taking part in water sports more than twice a month, make sure you position your product at the heart of the region’s watersport culture with an exciting range of live demonstrations, hands on displays and exhilarating visitor activities.

ORGANISED BY

VENUE

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boatshowdubai.com

OFFICIAL MAGAZINE

PARTNER

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OFFICIAL COURIER HANDLER

OFFICIAL PUBLISHER

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



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

Firewood and Accessories

Bonk Breaker Energy Bars and chews

Available at www.braaiworld.ae and in the following regions across the UAE: Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Dubai, Al Qudra and Madinat Zayed (Western Region). For more information regarding retail outlets, please visit our website.

Available at: Adventure HQ, Trek Bikes stores, Wolfi’s Bike Shop, Beyond Fitness, Yas Cycles, The Cycle House and through Sport In Life

• Dry dense hardwood with 6% moisture • Gives an African bushveld aroma • Minimal smoke, bark and mess • Burns hotter and longer • Beautiful big orange, red and blue flames to create the perfect outdoor atmosphere • Cooks food and flavours food to perfection • More popular than local hardwoods (which have become illegal to harvest for firewood in UAE) • More popular than imported white woods from Europe • Price stability with more and more clients buying from Braai World

• High quality ingredients • Natural and minimally processed • Gluten, dairy and soy free • Available in delicious flavours such as salted caramel and peanut butter and jelly • Energy chews are also available

Based in Santa Monica, USA, these freshly baked real food energy and protein bars are the perfect source of fuel for both elite level athletes and busy people who are always on the go. Bars are gluten, dairy and soy free, and are the official nutrition partner of USA cycling and USA swimming.

Instant Tent Coleman

Campingaz B.B.Q

Available at Hypermarket Showroom (Meena Zayed Warehouse Area Warehouse No. 260, behind Abu Dhabi Cooperative Society Meena Mall)

Available at Hypermarket Showroom (Meena Zayed Warehouse Area Warehouse No. 260, behind Abu Dhabi Cooperative Society Meena Mall)

• 150D/150D Polyester/taped seams • Spacious interior has room for 1 queen airbed; 8 x 7 ft. footprint, 4 ft. 10 in. center height • Pre-assembled poles for fast and easy setup in about a minute • WeatherTec system’s patented welded floors and inverted seams help keep water out • Illumiline reflective guy lines for greater visibility at night • Built-in vented rainfly for extra weather protection

• Double enameled cast iron grill + griddle • Side burner • Electronic Ignition • 2 drawers for collecting fat • Rubber wheels • 4 cast iron burners • Power: 21 kW + 2,3 kW • No lava rocks required • Equipped with a double enamelled cast iron grill and griddle • Hose and regulator are sold separately

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T R&I E D

TESTED ODUC THIS PR

OV T IS APPR

TDOO ED BY OU

RUAE

TRED PRO TOTAL RECOVERY AND EXTRACTION DEVICE Words by: Marina Bruce Photos by: Tiaan Nieuwoldt

TRED Pro ® is a new Total Recovery and Extraction Device, designed to make self-recovery possible in various offroad terrains. Whether it be mud or sand, these traction boards will allow drivers to extract their own vehicles from stuck situations in a safe manner. I tried these out in the Liwa area in the first week of September when the weather was hot, and in no time at all I managed to get myself stuck – deliberately, I hasten to add! The most difficult stucks to self-recover from are those on the flat, where gravity cannot lend a hand, so we chose a soft, flat area to test the TRED Pros. It is always a good thing to check the product before you head to the desert, whether it be a winch, a pair of gloves or even a solo-extraction device, so I unpacked these at home; I even read the instructions. I could instantly feel that they were made of a high quality, strong material and quite different to competitors’ products. Evolve have been selling TRED recovery tracks for around four years now and with feedback and some useful insight from their customers as to how they actually use their traction boards, they have developed the next generation, TRED-Pro. ® Manufactured from EXOTRED ™, a composite which has good flexibility and superior durability and

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strength, TRED Pros offer a lifetime warranty. The accompanying instructions give sound advice to make your recoveries as easy and effective as possible. Firstly, once you know you are stuck, stop trying to accelerate out of it. Power rarely wins when you are stuck in sand and putting the pedal to the metal will only make the eventual recovery more difficult to achieve. Decide whether you are going to go forwards or backwards once you get moving, and clear the sand away from either the front or the back of the tyres. You can do this without even reaching for your spade, as TRED Pros come with an integral shovel, designed to clear sand quickly. The smooth grips on each side of the tracks were comfortable to hold for both small and large hands and although unwieldy at first, I soon got the hang of it. Having never dug out a car with a rectangular green board before I was surprised just how much sand it could shift in a very short time; testament to the TRED Pro’s ergonomic design. Of course the job was done even quicker when my husband joined in! Once the sand was adequately cleared, the contoured ramp slipped easily into position under the rear tyres and then it was only a matter of selecting 4LOW and gently pressing the accelerator to reverse out. The developers at TRED Pro ® have analysed the tread pattern of the most popular allterrain tyres and optimised the grip position

on the traction boards accordingly; I felt these really took a hold of my Pirelli Scorpion ATRs. Cheap recovery tracks often melt due to a build-up of heat caused by the friction of spinning tyres, rendering them smooth and useless for future recoveries, but TRED Pros have black gripping “teeth” which have been engineered to have a high melt-point; this means that if you do spin your wheels accidentally then your boards will remain serviceable. Having tried these out in Liwa in the summer I find myself wondering how many tricky self-recoveries over the last seven years could have been made so much easier with a set. Whether carried on a roof rack or in the car, they take up little space and only add a few kilograms to the payload, so they are well worth carrying either as your primary recovery device or as added “insurance” if you have a winch. TRED Pro have been developed and manufactured in Australia by Evolve, and are available in the UAE from AAA and Mebar in Dubai for 1,100 AED for a set of two. Over the years I have seen many cheap traction boards break or melt during recoveries and so I have resisted using these; from now on however, I will definitely carry a set of TRED Pros whenever my journey takes me off the tarmac!

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PRODUCTS The Ledlenser SEO7R

The Ledlenser X21R.2

Available at GO Sport, Adventure HQ, Tasleeh Entertainment, Souq.com, Virgin Megastore and Speedex

Available at GO Sport, Adventure HQ, Tasleeh Entertainment, Souq.com, Virgin Megastore and Speedex

The SEO™ 7R, powerful and lightweight, features Smart Light Technology™ for switching quickly between high and low power and a signal mode and LED LENSER’s patented Advanced Focus System™ for either a wide beam for reading a map, or a powerful spot for long distance visibility. The patented OPTISENSE™ technology, allows the torch to adjust its brightness automatically, saving battery life and providing the user with just the right amount of light, hands free. The SEO™ 7R also has a red light mode for preserving night vision. Comes with carabiner clip for carrying on the go, and features a swivelling head to direct light exactly where it’s needed.

Stand aside…this rechargeable flashlight will light a construction site, backyard or campground at 3200 powerful lumens. We’ve upgraded and updated this light with a 200% improved run time (up to 40 hours!), a rechargeable Safety Ytrion Cell battery, and a Fast Action Switch for quickly moving between light functions. The seven reflector lenses were newly recalculated in conjunction with all-new LED chips for a more homogeneous lit area and better light distribution. The X21R.2 puts most car headlamps to shame.

365 AED

• 220 Lumens • 20 Hour Runtime • 130M Beam Distance • Rechargeable

2,425 AED

• 3200 Lumens • 40 Hour Runtime • 700M Beam Distance • Rechargeable

The Ledlenser XEO19R

The Ledlenser P7.2

Available at GO Sport, Adventure HQ, Tasleeh Entertainment, Souq.com, Virgin Megastore and Speedex

Available at GO Sport, Adventure HQ, Tasleeh Entertainment, Souq.com, Virgin Megastore and Speedex

The XEO19R utilises ground-breaking technology to achieve impressive performance for any activity. Our independent focusing lenses, easily operated by our dynamic control pad, allow you to stay in control after dark. In addition to lighting your way, power your lifestyle and the rest of your electronic devices with our rechargeable power bank battery. With a LED LENSER XEO19R, night becomes your new frontier. After all, why should you stop just because the sun called it quits? Available in Black, White and Green

This light is one of the most popular LED flashlights on the market today. The P7.2 flashlight has simple to remember high/low/off settings, and features the Advanced Focus System™ to quickly cast a far-off spot, or close up spill light for reading. Extremely durable anodized aluminum casing surrounds the four AAA batteries needed to power this impressively bright light, enhanced by a new CREE® LED chip. The all-new P7.2 is the perfect combination of size, power, reliability and easy-to-use operation – great for camping, hunting, hiking, walking the dog, work and more

1,315 AED

• 2000 Lumens • 20 Hour Runtime • 300M Beam Distance • Rechargeable

245 AED

• 320 Lumens • 50 Hour Runtime • 260M Beam Distance • 4 X AAA Batteries

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



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PRODUCTS SIC X-12.6 Air Glide

SIC Recon 11.11 Tough Wood

Exclusively available at GO Sport stores in UAE and Qatar

Exclusively available at GO Sport stores in UAE and Qatar

This touring / fitness / race board is perfect for family fun, fitness and for competing in the 12’6” inflatable race class. The X-12.6 Air-Glide is the stiffest board in its class at 20 PSI. While this board is a great recreational fun, it is also the fastest race board in its class. The board is kitted with all the standard accessories offered in the SIC Air-Glide series, Paddle, Fin, Carry Bag & high pressure pump.

The Recon 11.11 is at home in the surf or on the lake. Its length and generous volume make it a board for the whole family. If you want an all-round touring cruising board, try your hand at downwind paddling or playing in the surf, then give the Recon 11.11 a try. This board can do it all.

SIC Coil Leash - 8ft x 7mm

SIC Adjustable Glide Paddle

110 AED/QAR

835 AED/QAR

Exclusively available at GO Sport stores in UAE and Qatar

Exclusively available at GO Sport stores in UAE and Qatar

• Molded leash ends • Double swivels, Triple wrap rail saver • Quick release 1 1/2” ankle wrap cuff • Key pocket in cuff

Adjustable from 67 to 87 inches. Blade: 90 sq

4,725 AED/QAR

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4,725 AED/QAR

The adjustable glide is the perfect entry-level paddle for everyone from a small child to a tall adult. It has a strong but light fiberglass shaft for a good look and feel and a fibreglass blade and handle for maximum durability and low cost.

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Words by: Paul Cheetham

As a serious road rider I don’t get to do a huge amount of mountain biking so when I do it doesn’t tend to be on ‘superbikes’ that cost tens of thousands of dirhams. My off road tastes tend to be more realistically priced, which is why the B-Twin Rockrider 720s from Decathlon ticks so many boxes for me. Decathlon are known worldwide for providing a no-nonsense, good value solution to everyone’s sporting requirements, and the 720s is a great example of this ethos. B-Twin, Decathlon’s in house bike brand, have managed to deliver a very capable, well spec’d, full suspension mountain bike at a very accessible price point which certainly won’t put too big a dent in anyone’s bank balance. Coming in at AED 5,975, the 720s compares very favourably to a number of ‘higher profile’ brands’ offerings, and paired with accessories from Decathlon’s wide range of in-house brands I was up and running with

change from AED 7,000 still in my pocket! I was using mid-range accessories and clothing but there are helmets, riding glasses, apparel and hydration solutions available at various price points. They will keep you safe and comfortable out on the trails, letting you get on with enjoying the riding. The helmet I was using was a mere AED 210, and although it was heavier than the helmet I wear when out on my road bike it was cool and comfortable and perfect for off road riding. The only thing I would add with regards to the clothing is that if you were planning on spending more time in the saddle on longer rides it would certainly be worth investing in a pair of higher specification bib shorts as worn by us ‘roadies’! For the terrain and riding we have here in the UAE the Rockrider 720s really is a fantastic solution. The bike is clearly well designed and the specification brings together a number of components that work well together. Simply put, it gets on with the job in hand without any fuss, whilst allowing the rider to enjoy the experience. Everything works well together and as the bike weighs in at just over thirteen and a half kilos it’s pretty nimble too with a well designed frame and predictable handling. Wheel size has been an ongoing area of debate in the mountain bike world and the 720s opts for the 27.5 (or 650b) wheel size which seems to provide the best solution for the majority of riders. I find they give the nimbleness of a 26 yet still carry most of the speed of a 29’er (Mountain bike geekery and terminology, I know, I know!) and being shod with Hutchinson front and rear specific tyres the bike has great grip and traction on everything except lose sand. The 720s has front suspension forks with a very useable 120mm of travel provided by RockShox paired with an in house air shock on the rear, again with 120mm of travel. Both are widely adjustable and the RockShox fork can be locked out to give better efficiency when going uphill. The transmission is provided by a mixture of Sram components

with a very wide range of gear ratios for going up and down the steepest of inclines. The hydraulic disc braking system is provided by Avid, and whilst not my favourite set up, it provided consistent braking with good modulation and feedback. All of this means that you are on board a very well equipped and set up off road bike that should never be found wanting when dealing with all but the most technical of terrain and trails. It will comfortably meet the needs of all but the most demanding off road enthusiasts, handling predictably and forgiving the odd less than perfect line through a corner. So basically, for getting out there and enjoying yourself for a few hours, you point it where you want to go and pedal, job done. All products are available at Decathlon stores: IBN Battuta Mall and Mirdif City Centre.

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



OCTOBER 2016 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

PRODUCTS Alpinestars Tech 10 Boots

Airoh Aviator 2.2

Available only at Al Yousuf Motors across UAE

Available only at Al Yousuf Motors across UAE

Specifications: • Top of the range, flagship model • Constructed from full-grain leather with advanced lightweight microfiber and an impact/abrasion resistant TPU shell • CE Certified • Frontal protection features a dual closure system with an internal microfiber flap • Shin incorporates a unique TPU blade system engineered to prevent frontal hyperextension and offer greater flex control • Soft microfiber gaiter helps seal out excessive water and dirt entry • TPU protection and shock absorbing padding on the heel and ankles and an ultra-thin and flexible forefoot area for increased sensitivity and control

Specifications: • 100% Italian manufactured helmet with ECE R22-05 homologation • Lightest off-road helmet in the world @ 950 grams • 100% Carbon-Kevlar construction • New rear spoiler and peak provides unparalleled protection • AEFR System (Airoh Emergency Fast Remove) • Equipped with a dust filter • Tested for MX and off-road as well as watersports • 21% bigger field of vision and 16% higher ventilation compared to other competing brands • Comes with a free Go-Pro kit, helmet peak extension kit, extra screws and tool kit

Quechua Arpenaz 2+ Tent - 2 people, Blue

Quechua Forclaz 50L Hiking Rucksack - Grey

Available at Decathlon Mirdif City Centre and IBN Battuta Mall

Available at Decathlon Mirdif City Centre and IBN Battuta Mall

Easy assembly / dismantling: Free standing structure. Simple installation with poles. Capacity: tent for 2 people, sleeping width: 60 cm/person. 2 storage areas. Heat reduction: Fly sheet filters UV rays with a SPF of 30. Rear ventilation. 2 doors with mosquito nets. Durability: Resists wind up to 50km/h (Force 6): validated in wind tunnels on rotating plate. Waterproof: Tested under shower at 200 mm water/hour (tropical rainstorm) and in the field. Weight: 3 kg

Capacity: Volume 52 litres / Weight 1.7 kg / Use Dimensions: H 62 x W 32 x D 24 Carrying comfort: Compression straps. Chest strap. Load adjuster straps. Hand-rest. Multiple compartments: Pockets: 3 ext., 1 int., 1 belt. Pole-loop. bottom access and compartments.

2,500 AED

240 AED

2,295 AED

230 AED

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Words by: Daniel Birkhofer Photos by: Jung Francisco

Recently I had the opportunity to go and try out sandboarding with Simon Mark Hunt, the impressively bearded guy behind a cool new locally based brand called ABOVE sandboards, who lovingly handcraft sandboards right here in Dubai. Simon says about his newly formed sandboard brand, “I have loved sandboarding since I was a kid in Australia, and now I really enjoy making them too. Each board is a little piece of wood crafting art. Taking a board from being just a design idea in my head to then actually making it and riding it is a really enjoyable process.” Now, I have been sandboarding before, well at least I thought I had! But this trip was a total eye opener to how fast and fun sandboarding can actually be when you use the right gear. Simon explained that a lot of the sandboarding that is happening at desert camps in Dubai are using snowboards (not proper sandboards) and that snowboards are really slow and sluggish on sand. When we were out in the dunes, Simon explained the difference to me between the two boards, pointing out that the main difference between snow and sand boards is the size and the base material. Sandboards are much smaller than snowboards to reduce the friction caused by too much surface area. While an average snowboard is around 160cm in length, a sandboard is only 115 – 139cm long. He went on to explain the difference in the base materials and also explained how sandboard wax plays a huge part in making sandboarding so fast. “The base of a sandboard is very hard and smooth, unlike a

snowboard that has a textured finish. When you apply wax to this hard smooth base, this is what makes you really fly.” Explaining the science behind it, Simon told me that the wax works in two ways, firstly filling up any microscopic scratches or holes in the board base, then secondly (and more importantly) acting as a static electricity blocker. The thin layer of wax enables the board to break free from the ‘stickiness’ feeling you get from a static build up, and with the wax it enables you to accelerate at similar speed to a snowboard. He let me try the boards without wax first, and it’s faster than the snowboards I’d ridden on sand before at desert camps, but nothing too explosive. But, then he waxed the board for me and let me go… WOW! I really couldn’t believe I was on sand, the speed was crazy fast! And naturally I ended up on my sandy backside quite a few times! Simon says that once you get used to the speed you can start carving

and jumping in a similar way to snowboarding. You do need to keep waxing the board before every big run, but this was ok as it gave me a little rest after climbing back up the dune. It felt great, like I had to work for my ride! Waxing your board is a bit like the karate kid, you rub the wax on, then rub the excess wax off by rubbing the board a few times back and forth on the sand. Then it’s ready to fly down the dune at a high speed! Sandboarding like this is really fun, way better than I have ever experienced it before. I would say it’s a really nice way to spend some time with friends while camping on a weekend, or even heading out specifically for a sandboard session. There are so many massive dunes around Dubai, and anywhere you go out of Dubai you hit the desert and big dunes that are amazing for sandboarding. ABOVE Sandboards are available at GO Sport stores across the UAE, Boards range from 795 – 1,200 QAR/AED

(1050cc)

OUR EXPERTS

ZANZIBAR: AFRICA’S SECRET GETAWAY

Words + Photos by: Jake Lyle

Picture an island in the Indian Ocean, surrounded by the white sandy beaches of the Maldivian atolls and filled to the brim with the rich culture and tradition of the African continent – that’s the island of Zanzibar. Zanzibar is an island off the coast East Africa, specifically, Tanzania. Once one of the largest hubs of 18th and 19th century trading routes, Zanzibar is of immense historical importance, with a history that mixes in with Oman, Portugal and Britain. All it takes is a quick 6-hour flight from Dubai and you’ll arrive in 1880. Traditional is the best word to describe this secret getaway, as the beaches are untouched, the canoes are hand calved and the jungles still filled with animated and energetic monkeys. The beaches surrounding the island getaway are some of the best in the world. They begin with a line of tall palm trees, bent slightly toward the ocean as if reaching to examine the crystal clear water they stare at everyday. Below the dancing green ferns, the wide stretch of soft white sand starts to take shape and the picture perfect beach begins to form. Moving down the sand, toward the ocean, looking left and right, the true expanse of this faultless coastline is revealed. The sand extends kilometres in both directions, with the very same bended palm trees towering above it all the way. The only man made features interrupting the flawless 50

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stretch of smooth sand are hand-carved outriggers left for the day by local fisherman or the occasional old-style jetty extending out into the water allowing people to reach boats in the deeper channels during low tide. Walking further down the beach, you eventually reach the clear water quietly hugging on the sand with continuous sets of small waves to follow. As you look out toward the horizon, you’ll gaze upon a mosaic of different shades of blue, darker where it’s deeper and turquoise where the

sand is right below. Its scenery and beaches like these that provide us with our images of paradise that serve as the inspiration for everything from novels to films. With many great diving locations, the experience begins only once you’ve entered the water, however, on the island of Zanzibar; the adventure begins at the very start of the journey. For us, it started on the edge of cliff, with a staircase carved into it, fenced with wooden rails. The view from the top of the

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

cliff overlooked the entire stretch of the beach, from the very beginning of the line of sand, across the exposed rock and coral that make their appearances at low tide, all the way to the deeper channels where the boats can pass through. We followed the carved-out steps down toward the beach. The path was surrounded by small rock pools, some filled with fish, trapped for a few hours, until the tide comes back in to help them back out to sea. As September is in the winter time frame, the tidal differenc-



es are significant. You can sit on the beach, hundreds of meters from the water line, reading a book – and then a few hours later you can look up and the water will be tickling the bottom of your feet again. The tidal changes give you very different perspectives on the beaches, and let you see very different things at different times. When the water is low, you can walk out over the sand and observe the various forms of marine life in whatever water is left, and then a few hours later, the path on which you walked

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out, will be a few inches below your feet as your tread water in the new ocean that just moved in. Moving further down the path we came nearer to the end, where the walkway begins to descend below the surface of the water, and as we followed, so did our footsteps. With the tide at its lowest, the dive boat needed to keep its distance from the shallow areas, which meant we had to walk out to it – so we lifted our gear above our heads and headed for the boat. Although there are very few dangers in the shallow waters of Zanzibar, we had to be careful to avoid stepping on the sea urchins that scatter themselves across the reef, and sometimes the sand. Following the very theme of the island, the dive boat was traditional indeed. The 40ft African vessel was crafted on the island, with wood, rope and a bright orange tarp on top for shade. Although basic, the boat did the job. The ride out was certainly memorable. The winter doesn’t just bring with it significant tidal changes, but also some pretty windy days, and consequently some pretty wavy oceans. The channel near to the shore was calm and flat, as the reef that resided further out, broke the incoming waves and lessened their energy. However that very reef where those high-energy waves were breaking, was our only way out into the open ocean. So the very capable captain and his crew scouted for the perfect point of exit, and so it was found. The boat turned portside and the 150 horsepower engine was put to use. As we held on to the boat, as well as our gear, the captain engaged the throttle and we sped out into the waves.

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The sturdy boat kept its composure as we headed out into our first wave – the wave acted as a ramp and soon the bow was airborne. For those few seconds the front of the boat is in the air and descending, you hold into everything just a little bit tighter as you brace for the impact of hitting the surface once again. The boat hits the water, seawater sprays over the bow and we wait for the next wave. A few more like this and we’re through the breaking waves and out into the open ocean. But just because the waves aren’t breaking, that doesn’t mean the boat isn’t going to be rocking and splashing. The waves in the open ocean are just as big and toss the boat around just as much. As the boat fights through these waves so we can reach our destination, there’s a group of aquatic animals that are rather enjoying the excitement of the waves. 52

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On the starboard side of the boat, between us and the land, a small pod of dolphins swam amongst the waves. First the dolphins simply breached the water only slightly, exposing only their back and dorsal fin. But soon, perhaps as their confidence grew, or because they realised they had an audience, the dolphins began to lift their entire bodies out of the water, jumping over the waves as if they were hurdles. The show was incredible. But as we moved further toward our destination, we moved further away form the spontaneous animal performance. After a quick 10-minute ride, we reached the dive site. As we gear up, it’s made clear that the Tanzanian courtesy and politeness extends to the ocean as well, with the crew quick to help as we struggle to equip ourselves with gear as the boat rocks us around. After a quick briefing and safety

check, we head overboard and hit the water. As soon as we descend below the surface, all the waves, all the rocking and all the splashing instantly disappear – it’s suddenly calm as can be. That’s the magic of diving. Being further out from the shore, the water was deep and there were few other boats around – which meant there was no anchor line to allow for a controlled descent, meaning there was no rope for us to hold as we made our way to the bottom. This meant a free descent was in order. It’s a very strange, sometimes frightening feeling, descending into pure blue water, when you can’t see the bottom yet, and the surface is getting further and further away. It’s not uncommon for people to experience vertigo in situations like these – when you can’t figure out which way is left or right, or even up or down. The solution to such a problem is

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

simply to watch your bubbles as you breath out, which will clearly indicate which way, is up. As the descent continues, the colours on the reef below soon become visible, providing both a feeling of excitement, and relief. Getting closer and closer, the colours on the reef get brighter and brighter. The reef was large, covering a huge expanse of the ocean floor, and therefore providing residence to thousands of fish. Scattered across the reef was everything from eels to octopi, above – huge schools of fish surrounded our group, and disappeared just as suddenly as they arrived. The current in the water began to slowly pick up, carrying us with it. This wasn’t, however, a problem, as the gentle current carried us over the reef, saving us the effort of kicking! As we hovered, we were carried further across the reef, observing everything as we passed – it was a truly relaxing dive. But as always, all good things must come to an end, and so we begun our ascent and made our way back to the boat. The journey back into the shore was just as exciting as the way out. Instead of speeding into the waves, on the way back in, we had to glide with the waves, alongside them as they broke. As we moved through the breaking waves, the boat began to tilt forward, and the stern (back of the boat) began to rise. Upon looking back, we could see a wall of water that had raised the back of the boat and in fact reached a greater height than our boat did, so water began to flow into the boat. Just as the stern rose, the bow dipped. The very front of the boat began to



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nose dive below the fast moving water and thin walls of seawater began to rise along the front of the boat, spraying outward. But then the boat levelled out – the stern back down and the bow out of the water – and as we matched the speed of the wave, the engine became obsolete and we began to ride the wave into shore. It was incredible. Tall palm trees, dolphins, and surfing with a 40ft dive boat – what else can you ask for

in a vacation? There are very few islands around the world that will offer experiences as unique and exciting as these. There are very few islands that offer you both a rich culture and an extensive history. And there are even fewer islands that will offer you white sandy beaches, met with lines of tall palm trees that hundreds of monkeys call home. Zanzibar: it’s Africa’s secret getaway, and it’s waiting for you.

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OUR EXPERTS

Marcus Smith – Mental Strength on Two Wheels Words by: Helle Bachofen von Echt Photos by: Marcus Smith

Being a cyclist myself, I know what it takes to climb mountains; and already being hugely inspired by Marcus, as an athlete and entrepreneur, I was intrigued to learn more about his motivations and reasons for taking on the massive challenge of climbing 16,000m on a bike in just five days. Marcus, you are very passionate about helping people to improve their lives – what exactly do you do? "I build brands to make people's lives better". I am involved in three businesses that

are all very different but have the same vision in making people's lives better. Through my performance brand InnerFight we try and make people's lives better through physical and mental training; through Smith St Paleo we make people's lives better through good food that enables their bodies to perform optimally and through my marketing agency I focus on helping brands create experiences and environments that make their consumers’ lives better.

What is your background in sport and other physical challenges?

At school all I cared about was sport. I played every single sport I could. As a kid I loved athletics and used to compete in as many events as possible. My main sport was rugby where I went on to play professionally, culminating in playing in the 2009 Rugby World Cup Sevens. Aside from this I have

always believed in challenging myself physically. I have run multiple ultra-marathons as well as the more famous Marathon Des Sables. I look at events, and if they scare me, I normally say yes.

You have only been cycling for 18 months – how did you get into cycling?

I used to race my mountain bike downhill. However, as a kid, inspired by my father completing cycling challenges, I knew that one day I would ride a road bike. That day came at Nad Al Sheba after finishing a running session, when Wolfi (of Wolfi’s Bike Shop) introduced himself. We had both heard a lot about each other but had never met. The way Wolfi approaches cycling and life immediately appealed to me and we decided I should get a bike.

16,000m+ of climbing in the Alps in just 5 days – tell us more!

Last year I joined a few friends on their annual bike trip to the Dolomites in Italy; that was my first cycling challenge. Although I had trained quite a bit it was a baptism of fire. Riding a bike up some of the Giro routes was just unreal; the physical and mental challenge was like nothing I had done before.

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I returned totally pumped and we started planning for 2016. I made a pledge which was to be far better in 2016 than 2015; the prospect of more suffering excited me. In July 2016 we completed the Mont Ventoux Challenge, climbing the mountain three times in the same day; 137km with 4,400m of climbing. We then went on to the Alps and after three "warm up" days of 3,000m+ of climbing per day, we completed La Marmotte, one of the more well-known Sportifs taking in over 5,000m of climbing across 170km, including Col Du Telegraphe, Col Du Galibier and Alp D'Huez; all iconic climbs I remember watching in the Tour De France as a kid.

What were your motivations for taking on such a huge challenge?

After my debut in Italy I wanted something equally as challenging, but I wanted to be better; I wanted to be faster and generate more power. Some people do these things for charities which I think is awesome, but for me most of the time the drive is more personal; it's for myself, it's to learn, it's to suffer so that I can get better as a human and through my experiences help others. I am passionate about coaching people, and for me to do that correctly and ask people to suffer, I have to have been through the same pain or more. I want to go out there and feel it so that when I am coaching someone I know how they are feeling.

How did you prepare for this challenge?

I used functional strength and conditioning year round to stay "fit" and "ready". Of course, for cycling I had to get very cycling specific and we are super lucky at InnerFight to have Neil Flanagan as our head of



endurance coaching. Neil is a great athlete and his understanding of how to write people's training for endurance events blows my mind and he has written my programs for the last three years. I spent a lot of time on the indoor trainer but of course what is important is time riding the bike up mountains and suffering. I spent weekends at Jebel Jais; and at Jebel Hafeet I sometimes made ten ascents in a weekend. Marcus, in general you are super strong and fit – was the challenge hard for you? I go through hell just as much as anyone else. It annoys me when people tell me "you are fit, it's easy." That is not the case. I am 189cm tall and 93kg, that is not "easy" to get through 5,000m of climbing in 7 hours - it's painful and I suffer. My legs hurt, I feel tired, my lungs burn. They are the challenges. At the end of the day we are humans and we feel similar emotions. The difference is how you deal with them.

So how did you deal with the hurting?

It's all mental. Our bodies are totally amazing; it's the mind that breaks first every single time. Mental strength to me is three things:1) Setting your goals properly,2) understanding why you are doing it, and3) focusing on the process. Too often, people fail on all three of these and then wonder why they only achieve average in life.

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CrossFit really is I think. People see it on YouTube and make a decision that it is not good for other sports, and to be honest what they may see on YouTube probably isn't good. However if you want to ride a bike with more power, then having stronger legs can only aid that. Do I think taking a workout from the CrossFit games and doing it every day will make you a better cyclist? Not for one second, it may do more harm than good. But strength and conditioning is a wide field and cycling can benefit from it, thatI am sure of.

You clearly thrive on pushing yourself out of your comfort zone – why?

You learn so much about your body and life; things that cannot be taught in a classroom or from books. You have to get out there and challenge yourself. Right now that may be just running 5km and that is ok. Everyone's Everest is different but people need to realise that there are way too many limits imposed by society or ourselves that are just untrue.

At InnerFight, how do you help others to become better at challenging themselves?

Our process is the same no matter if you are a professional athlete or professional desk jockey. We want to make sure your body works well first - simple movement is so important and often overlooked. We check people's movement and what's working and what's not working and then we link it to their sport and put together programs that are going to make them better in their sport and by default better in life.

What will your next challenge bring? I have no real bucket list but if it looks uncomfortable I will go. For our next cycling challenge we are looking at doing something similar again, and yet again I will aim to perform higher, push more watts and be able to suffer more.

With a background in CrossFit – how do you think CrossFit and cycling can benefit or hinder one another?

There is a massive misconception of what

You can learn more about Marcus and his businesses at www.mjdsmith.com, www.innerfight.com and www.smithstpaleo.com

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OUR EXPERTS

Educat ion Words + Photos by: Haydon Kerr

As a kid in New Zealand, I grew up with stories of how Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay had been the first to successfully reach the summit of Mount Everest, and return to tell the tale. With Nepal just a few hours away from Dubai, it was only a matter of time before I could fulfil a childhood dream to visit this place I’d read so much about as a student. My first trip was in the summer of 2007 after completing my first year as an international teacher. I couldn’t have predicted back then, that this would have been the first of more than a dozen return trips to this magical place full of amazing mountains and beautiful people.I went with a teacher colleague who suggested going to Nepal so we could take some footage, and create a short video to promoteone of the charities in Kathmandu. However, no itinerary would 56

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have been complete without venturing out among the Himalayas too! The first week was spent in Kathmandu meeting up with a local friend who showed us around many of the amazing Temple sites, as well asa few orphanages and community projects. It was a week that seeded a deep appreciation for the welcoming nature of the Nepalese people and a desire to experience more.

I was determined to see Everest and explore up as far as possible witha guided trek, but was recommended to try the Annapurna mountains instead. So with a guide organised and gear packed, I was stuffed into a small bus where I travelled the 200kms in around eight hours to beautiful Pokhara. The first thing that struck me about this lakeside community and gateway to the Annapurna ranges, was the impressive

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

figure of the sacred Machapuchare or ‘Fish Tail’ Mountain in the distance. My guide was a small guy named Khadka or ‘KB’ to his friends, who was local to the area and interested in how much I was attempting to carry in my pack. He had turned up on the first day of the expected 10-day trek with nothing more than a tiny school bag while I had around 15kgs strapped to my back.After climbing nothing but steps for the first couple of days, I managed to whittle down the pack weight by donating spare T-shirts and towels to whoever would take them. As we made our way up into the Annapurnas, the scenery was nothing short of spectacular and something that my words could ever do justice. Staying in charming tea-houses and spending time with humble Nepalese people in villages along the way was great fun, and passing young students completing school work with million dollar views was surreal. The next few days took KB and I through lush forested steps which soon gave way to the more rugged alpine terrain. Sections of ice often covered our path on sloped ground which I managed to gingerly traverse with my hiking boots, while KB trot-



ted over them with ease in his old pair of trainers. As we neared the Annapurna Base Camp site I was dwarfed in the shadow ofits peak at more than 8,000m above sea level, and many of the other peaks well over the 7,000m mark. There was a great sense of satisfaction to reach Base Camp and spend time in awe of the sheer size of the surrounding mountains. Sleeping at night took a little extra effort due to the thinner air, and I found myself waking often to the moonlit mountain views outside my window. KB and I had made our way to this point a little more than 4,000m above sea level in just a few days, so resting up for a night or two was a welcome chance to recharge. We were also super lucky with the weather,which had allowed for remarkable sunrises and sunsets to revealnature’s full spectrum of vivid colours. A climbing team set to go a lot further up into the Annapurnas than I was prepared for, left Base Camp at the same time I began my descent.I couldn’t stop thinking about the incredible views they would score as they scaled further up to the higher camps and potentially up to the summits. The trek back down past the villagers with their big smiles and simple way of life left

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me wanting more of this charmed little country. With a few more days in Kathmandu, I was able to make some great contacts at various institutions who were in need of some assistance. It was at this point that the first school trip was hatched in order to gather donations and expose our international students to what Nepal has to offer. In the following academic year, the first group of students from Deira International School were on the way to Nepal, with bags and boxes full of clothes, toys and learning materials for underprivileged children. It was to be the first of several trips to Nepal with which all have had significant impact on our students. We now go to Nepal with groups of students every 2 years with the next one taking place in November of this year. Gaining an appreciation for the plight of countless children in orphanages, and getting a lot out of physically handing over materials to put so many smiles on faces, is priceless. Getting our students out into the mountains and experiencing the awe of the Himalayas has also been truly rewarding, and hopefully fostering a long term connection with the wonderful place that is Nepal.

OUR EXPERTS

THE 406 2016 ‘BIG EID TRIP’ ZENOBIA, CYPRUS Words + Photos by: Geoff Patch Underwater photography: Alexandros Papandreou

What does a third century Queen of the Palmryrene Empire in Syria and a world famous shipwreck have in common? They both go by the name ‘Zenobia’. While I do like a bit of history, the prospect of diving on what is widely recognised as one of the top ten dive sites in the world enthralled me. So several hundreds of years after Queen Zenobia led a famous revolt against the Roman Empire it was with great anticipation that I set off for Cyprus with fellow members of the Sharjah Wanderers Dive Club (BSAC406) for our 2016 ‘big Eid’ trip. While the UAE has many excellent dive sites and year round diving, we try to take advantage of the Eid al Adha holiday each year to arrange a trip to somewhere that combines diving and an opportunity to learn more about the region. Past years have seen successful trips to Oman, Egypt and a club favourite, Beirut. With our ex-Chairman Mike Dalton now in semi-retirement in Cyprus, it was decided that our 2016 ‘big Eid’ trip would be to dive the MS Zenobia. The Zenobia was a ‘ro-ro’ ferry built in Sweden and launched in 1979. On its maiden voyage,carrying 104 Volvo lorries and the captain’s car, it experienced ballasting problems resulting in a severe list to port that could not be recovered and the ship sank on 7th June 1980 barely 1500m offshore from Larnacaport,taking her estimated £200 million worth of cargo to the seabed.

With an early departure time and afour-hour flight from Dubaiwe arrived in sunny Cyprus by mid-morning and were checked into our accommodation for the weekend by early afternoon.Well, most of us;unfortunately two of our party were ‘bounced’ due to an over-booked flight and did not arrive until the next day! Home for the weekend would be the Sun Hall Beach Apartments, ideally positioned on the promenade overlooking Phinikoudes Beach and barely five minutes walk from the Larnaca Marina. Alexandros Papandreou (Alex), Director at Nemo Dive Center, would be our lead guide and arrangements had been made with him to complete the registration formalities

on the afternoon of our arrival to enable a prompt start to the diving the next day. Alex has been diving on the Zenobia since it sank and has extensive knowledge of the wreck. His enthusiasm was infectious and it was with great anticipation that we savoured our first dive. Our dive boat was to be the ‘Pirate’ out of Limassol under the control of Captain Christakis. With the wreck barely 1500m from shore we prepared our dive equipment in the Marina before heading out to the dive site. During the briefing, Alex, joined by Tony Regan (Dive Master),provided an overview of the wreck and explained that the first dive would be to familiarise the divers with the layout. Zenobia Wreck GPS Position: 34, 53.5 N, 33, 39.1 E (1.500 meters from the shore) in 42m. Tying up to one of several permanent buoys,we could see the outline of the wreck some 18m below the ‘Pirate’. However, it was on entering the water that the amazing visibility truly became apparent. Descending along the mid-ship buoy line, the 25-30m visibility revealed the full scale of the vessel. On this first dive we swam under the starboard funnel towards the cargo ramps and round to see the starboard propeller before returning to the mid-ship buoy line for a slow controlled ascent. On subsequent dives we explored more areas of this fascinating wreck including the bow, bridge, accommodation area and

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



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How to get there?

Both Emirates (from Dubai) and Etihad (from Abu Dhabi) have direct flights to Larnaca.

Where to stay?

There are several accommodation options. The Sun Hall Apartments overlook Phinikoudes Beach and are conveniently located for the Marina and food outlets. Sun Hall Beach Hotel Apts., 4 Evriviades Street, 6023 Larnaca, Cyprus Telephone: +357.24.400888 E-mail: [email protected]

Who to contact for diving? upper cargo deck, all of which revealed their secrets and a glimpse into the past of this fascinating wreck. The swim through the upper cargo deck on day two was particularly exciting, effectively diving through a huge man-made cave where more trucks and debris could be seen. While many areas have easy access with plenty of natural light, entering wrecks should only be undertaken after specialised training due to the inherent risks associated with diving in an overhead environment. Despite having been beneath the waves for almost 40 years the wreck is in excellent condition. Numerous trucks are scattered like toys on the seabed and around the decks. Unlike wrecks in the Gulf, where the shallow warm waters encourage life, the Zenobia has very little marine growth such as soft corals and barnacles. However, several species of fish were seen including

two-banded sea bream, snappers, groupers and lion fish. After each day’s diving we were treated to a barbeque meal by Captain Christakis and his crew as we made the short journey back to Larnaca harbour. The diving was our main reason for visiting Larnaca but the town offered many interesting places to explore on our ‘down-time’ including a Byzantine medieval castle, Hala Sultan Tekke mosque and the church of St. Lazarus with its beautiful architecture and adornments. Our long weekend in Cyprus was soon over but the Zenobia, the country and the people left a lasting impression which means we will return! The BSAC 406 members on the trip were Ian, Cathy, Mike, Wendy, Davidson and Geoff. More information about BSAC 406 can be found on our website, www.bsac406.com

• Nemo Dive Centre (recreational diving) Alexandros Papandreou (Director), IDC Staff Qualified Address: 8, Thermidos Street, Larnaca - Cyprus Telephone: +357 24666333 Mobile: 99461815 E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.nemo-divecenter.com/ • Dive-In (technical diving) Chris Demetriou (Manager) Address: Lordos Seagate Block A, Tasos Mitsopoulos Avenue, 6028 Larnaca – Cyprus Telephone: +357 2462 7469 Mobile: 9956 0366 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.dive-in.com.cy

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PEOPLE

Nina Londei

Age: 34 Nationality: British Profession: Business Professional, Dragon Boat Coach Words by: Bandana Jain Photos by: Supplied

How long have you been into dragon boating and how did you get introduced to it?

I have been dragon boating for six years. It all started when I was asked to participate in a corporate team race at Shangri La Dragon Boat Festival back in 2011; the adrenaline of the races and camaraderie of my teammates got me hooked! I was then approached by a premier team and didn’t hesitate to join and raced with them for the rest of the season. This was the start of my dragon boating career and it led me to create and coach my own team.

What keeps you passionate about it?

I love being a part of the dragon boat community. It’s a sport that brings people from

all walks of life together.Dragon boating appeals to my competitive nature. There is nothing more satisfying than racing with my team and watching all our hard work and training pay off. I also love coaching and introducing new people to the sport.

How is dragon boating different from other forms of boating?

A modern dragon boat is 10-12 meters long and consists of 10 rows of seats for 20 paddlers sitting side by side with a drummer in the front and steersman at the back. Despite its unique set up, what truly sets dragon boating apart from other forms of boating is its rich history and tradition. Dragon boating originated in China over 2000 years ago, and the colourful dragon heads at the front of the boat and rhythmic pounding of the drummer can still be seen and heard today.

Does one need any special kind of training to do dragon boating?

Dragon boating is a very technical sport with specific forward trunk rotation and leg drive movements which do not feel natural at first. It can take up to six months for a new paddler to truly understand the body mechanics behind the technique, however with that being said, anyone can learn to paddle and most get hooked within the first few sessions.

Are you a part of particular dragon boating team?

I am the head coach of the Desert Dragons Abu Dhabi, a team that I have been a part of since its formation in 2012. It is a competitive premier team, made up of a highly diverse group of paddlers. We have over 40 members, with 20 different nationalities and an age range of 23 to 65.

Where do you do dragon boating here in the UAE?

Eastern Mangroves Marina in Abu Dhabi is where the Desert Dragons AD call home. We are surrounded by beautiful, natural

mangroves and visitors to the area will see us there up to four times a week.In Dubai, the training is usually held at Barasti Beach and Le Meridien Mina Seyahi Beach Resort.

How frequently do you race?

Our race season in the UAE is from October until April, with a race every month at different locations during this period. Teams in our league also choose to race abroad in locations such as Australia, Hong Kong, Italy, Korea, Philippines, and many more, which means that training extends all year around.

What are the benefits of dragon boating?

Health and fitness is the main benefit of dragon boating. Paddling improves your cardio vascular health as well as your strength and muscle endurance. Our training regime also includes training on land which consists of partner-based exercises specifically designed to promote teamwork and camaraderie – essential for the boat!Another benefit is being part of a lively social group. Dragon boaters train hard but also enjoy spending time with each other outside of the boat.

Very few people know about this sport. Do you have any advice for readers?

If you are looking for an exhilarating sport that will improve your health and social life, dragon boating is for you. My advice would be to find a team near you and get involved! Some of the most dedicated paddlers on my team are those that have never been part of a team before. Joining a dragon boat team can be one of the most rewarding and memorable experiences of your life.

Any memorable moments?

One of my most memorable dragon boating experiences was paddling in the first ever all female race in Doha, Qatar last December. It was an empowering feeling paddling in an all-women’s crew compared to a mixed crew. No doubt, it was an exciting race and we were second place, but the real joywas to be a part of this event and to make dragon boat history.

PEOPLE

John Michael On Age: 36 Nationality: Filipino Profession: Purchaser at a government school in Abu Dhabi Words by: Bandana Jain Photos by: Jx Nonog

Triathlon is one of the most rewarding things one can ever do in life, not just physically, but mentally, spiritually and socially as well. John Michael On can vouch for its many benefits. When did you get into triathlons and what made you so passionate about them?

I started triathlonsin 2011 as a relay team member.I have enjoyed this journey of training so far and have met generous people along the way, which has made the journey even more interesting. The fact that I have been able to train with agroup of like-minded people who have helped each other and seen real progress makes it more exciting to be a part of. Triathlons are also a great way to get involved socially through volunteering, spreading awareness and contributing towards social causes.

How long have you been competing and which triathlons have you participated in?

I started with my first sprint triathlon in Ghantoot, Abu Dhabi in 2011. My first 70.3miles Half Ironman race was in my hometown in Cebu, Philippines in 2012 and just recently in 2016. Thereafter, I participated in Pico de Loro Tri invitational 2013 in Batangas in the Philippines, which happened to be my first age group podium

win. I did my 1st 140.6 Ironman at Zurich in Switzerland in 2014, followed by Bahrain in 2014 and Calgary in 2015. I was a part of SuBIT age group select 2016, first drafting Olympic distance race. I have also taken part in local races like Jones Lang La salle series, Mamzar series, TriYas, and ITU-Abu Dhabi.

Tell us about your training…

Training depends on the upcoming races and the main ‘A’ race. I usually train early in the morning before everyone wakes up at home. I try to train consistently and follow the training program set mutually by me and my coach Andy Dubois.I swim at the pool and when weather allows, at Bateen or Saadiyat Beach. As far as biking is concerned, I used to ride with the Raha Cycling led by Kevin Duell, then I moved indoors using my bike trainer to do more specific training and long rides to Al Wathba every Friday. Running generally takes place around Khalifa City Bridge and Yas Island. I run with Abu Dhabi Striders led by Kevin Rosbotham

and Steve Watson. So, overall I train for 10-12 hours a week.

Why are triathlons such a great way to stay fit?

The advantage in triathlon is that it involves three sports so you never get bored,though the challenge factor remains and you always have a different training block focusing on a specific discipline.

What, according to you, is a great way to begin with triathlons, and do you have any tips for staying and excelling? Don’t be shy to ask for help;there are lots of generous people willing to share their knowledge and contribute to your learning curve. So, just go ahead and start! Consistently follow your plan, practice it and most importantly, involve your family in the equation- happy wife is equal to happy tri-life! And lots of foam rolling – it helps in muscle recovery.

What has been your best record ever?

In the 70.3 challenge in Bahrain I finished in 5 hours 3 minutes, while it took me 41 minutes to do 10km in Abu Dhabi. I did my half marathon in Abu Dhabi in 1hour and 36 minutes and Dubai Marathon in 3hours and 45minutes.

How have triathlons helped you become a better person?

Triathlons have helped me to lead a healthier lifestyle, which every triathlete will agree with. They have helped me in managing my time and priorities and more so, helped me in using my time wisely and developing my skills, at the same time. 62

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



OCTOBER 2016 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

UAE DIRECTORY General Sports Equipment Megastores

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

Adventure tours and desert safaris

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

Air

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

Boating & Sailing

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

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

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

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

Camping & Hiking

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

Caving

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

Climbing

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

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

Mountain Biking & Cycling

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

OUTDOORUAE

OCTOBER 2016 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM Dibba Road, Fujairah, +971 92449000, www.lemeridien-alaqah.com Nautica 1992, Dubai, +971 504262415, www.nautica1992.ae Noukhada Adventure Company, Villa 332/7, Al Meena Street, Abu Dhabi, +971 25581889, www.noukhada.ae Ocean Active, +971 504592259, www.oceanactive.com Sheesa Beach, Dibba, Musandam, +971 503336046, www.sheesabeach.com Soolyman Sport Fishing, Umm Suquiem, Fishing Port No. 2, Jumeirah Beach, +971 508866227, 508866228 or 503402379, www.soolymansportfishing.com Summertime Marine Sports, Dubai, +971 42573084, www.summertimemarine.com Xclusive Yachts, Dubai, Dubai Marina, +971 44327233, www.xclusiveyachts.com Clubs Abu Dhabi Camping, Fishing & Kayaking Club, [email protected] Dubai Surfski & Kayak Club, Kitesurfers’ Beach, Umm Suqeim 1, Dubai, +971 554986280, www.dskc.hu

Diving

Equipment Al Boom Marine, Abu Dhabi and Dubai, +971 42894858, www.alboommarine.com Al Hamur Marine and Sports Equipment, Jumeirah Beach Road, Dubai, +971 43444468 Al Masaood Marine, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43468000, www.masaoodmarine.com Al Yousuf Motors, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43390621, www.aym.ae/yamaha Blue Waters Marine, +971 43808616, Dubai, www.bluewatersmarine.com Gulf Marine Sports, Abu Dhabi, +971 26710017, www.gulfmarinesports.com Premiers for Equipment, Sheikh Zayed 1st. Road, Abu Dhabi, +971 26665226, www.premiers-uae.com Dive Shop.ae, Building #123, Street 26, Area 369, Al Quoz Industrial Area 4, Dubai, +971 43414940, www.diveshop.ae Scuba 2000, Al Bidiya Beach, Fujairah, +971 92388477, www.scuba-2000.com Diving Centres Al Boom Diving (equipment), Dubai, Al Wasl Rd, +971 43422993, www.alboomdiving.com Al Jeer Marina, RAK Border, Musandam, +971 72682333, www.aljeerport.ae Al Mahara Dive Center, near Muroor St. across from main bus terminal, +971 26437377, [email protected], www.divemahara.com Arabian Diver, Hilton Marine, Ras Al Khaimah, +971 72226628 or 502428128 www.arabiandiver.com Arabian Divers and Sportfishing Charters, Al Bateen Marina Resort, Abu Dhabi, +971 506146931, www.fishabudhabi.com Coastal Technical Divers, [email protected], www.coastaltechnicaldivers.com Deep Blue Sea Diving, International City, Dubai, +971 44308246, www.diveindubai.com Desert Islands, Sir Bani Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, UAE, +971 28015454, www.divemahara.com Divers Down, +971 559888687, Dubai; Fujairah, Rotana Al Aqah Hotel Resort & Spa, +971 92370299, www.diversdownuae.com Emirates Divers Centre, Abu Dhabi, near Meena Fish Market, +97126432444, www.edc-ad.ae Freediving UAE, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Fujairah, +971 506130486 [email protected], www.freedivinguae.com Freestyle Divers, Al Corniche Street, Dibba, Fujairah, +971 504514259, www.freestyledivers.me Fujairah Rotana Resort & Spa - Al Aqah Beach, Al Aqah Beach, Fujairah, +971 92449888, www.rotana.com Le Meridien Al Aqah Beach Resort, Dibba Road, Fujairah, +971 92449000, www.lemeridien-alaqah.com Neptune Diving, +971 504347902, www.neptunedivingcentre.com Pavilion Dive Centre (equipment), Dubai, +971 44068828 Scuba 2000, Al Bidiya Beach, Fujairah, +971 92388477, www.scuba-2000.com Scuba UAE.com, +971 502053922, www.scubauae.com 7 Seas Diving Center, Khorfakkan, +971 92387400, www.7seasdivers.com Sharjah Wanderers Dive Club, Sharjah, +971 506683430, www.bsac406.com Sheesa Beach, Dibba, Musandam, +971 503336046, www.sheesabeach.com Sky & Sea Adventures, Dubai, Hilton, Jumeirah Beach Road, +971 43999005, www.watersportsdubai.com Clubs Atlantis Underwater Photography Club, Dubai, +971 44263000 Desert Sports Diving Club, Dubai, www.desertsportsdivingclub.net Emirates Diving Association, Diving Village, Al Shindagha, Dubai, +971 43939390, www.emiratesdiving.com Filipino SCUBA Divers Club (FSDC), Dubai, UAE, +971 566952421, www.facebook.com/FSDCuae Freediving UAE, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Fujairah, [email protected], www.freedivinguae.com Sharjah Wanderers Dive Club, Sharjah, +971 507840830, www.bsac406.com

Fishing & Kayaking 64



General Sports Equipment Distributors

Equipment Al Boom Marine, Abu Dhabi & Dubai, +971 42894858, www.alboommarine.com Al Hamur Marine and Sports Equipment, Jumeirah Beach Road, Dubai, +971 43444468 Al Masaood Marine, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43468000, www.masaoodmarine.com Al Yousuf Motors, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Rd, +971 43390000, www.aym.ae/yamaha Arabian Divers and Sportfishing Charters, Al Bateen Marina Resort, Abu Dhabi, +971 506146931, www.fishabudhabi.com Barracuda Fishing and Outdoor, Dubai, Street 13A 1, Al Safa 1, +971 43466558, www.barracudadubai.com Blue Waters Marine, Shop 11, The Curve Bldg., Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43808616 or 553899995, www.bluewatersmarine.com Challenging Adventure, Wadi Al Bih Ras Al Khaimah, +971 561060798 or 44538386, [email protected] Global Climbing Trading LLC, Dubai Investment Park 1, Dubai, +971 48829361, www.globalclimbing.com Ocean Active, Dubai, Garden Centre, +971 502898713, www.oceanactive.com Operators Absolute Adventure, Dubai, +971 43926463, www.adventure.ae Al Boom Diving, Le Meridien Al Aqah Beach Resort, Fujairah, +971 43422993 Al Hamra Marina and Yacht Club, Al Hamra, Ras Al Khaimah, +971 72432274, www.alhamramarina.com Al Mahara Dive Center, Downtown Abu Dhabi, +971 501118125, www.divemahara.com Al Wasl Charter & Fishing, Airport Road, Al Qwais Bldg., Off. 207, Dubai, UAE, +971 42394760 or 42959477, www.cruiseindubai.com Al Shaheen Adventure, Abu Dhabi, +971 26429995, www.alshaheenme.com Al Wasl Charter & Fishing (Al Wasl Passenger Yachts and Boats Rental LLC), Airport Road, Al Owais Building, Dubai, +971 42394761, www.cruiseindubai.com Arabian Divers and Sportfishing Charters, Al Bateen Marina Resort, +971 506146931, www.fishabudhabi.com Arabia Outdoors, Dubai, +971 559556209, www.arabiaoutdoors.com Barracuda Diving Centre, Fujairah International Marine Club, +971 503366224 Belevari Marine, Abu Dhabi, +971 26594144 Captain Tony’s, Yas Marina, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, +971 26507175, www.captaintonys.ae Fun Beach Water Sports, Dubai, +971 507050433 or 506947764, www.seaworlddsf.com Happy Days Sea Cruising LLC, Dubai, +971 48706668, 503960202, www.happydaysdubai.com Hiltonia Beach Club, Hilton Abu Dhabi Hotel, Abu Dhabi, +971 26811900 Le Meridien Al Aqah Beach Resort,

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

Horse Riding

Equipment Al Asifa Horse Equestrian Equipment & Requisites Trading P.O. Box 77282, AL Khawanij 1st , Dubai, +971 554733110, www.asifa.ae Black Horse LLC, Baniyas West, Near Empost Abu Dhabhi, +971 25866205, www.blackhorseuae.com Bonjour Equestrian Supplies, Nad Al Hammar Rd., Ras Al Kho, Dubai, UAE, +971 42896001, +971 42896002, [email protected], www.bonjourequestrian.com Cavalos Equine Care and Supplies, 16th Street, Al Khalidiyah, Abu Dhabi, +917 22222433, www.cavalosuae.com Emirta Horse Requirement Centre, Sheik Zayed Rd., Dubai, +971 43437475, www.emirtahorse.com Equestrian Clubs/Centres Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club, Al Mushrif, Abu Dhabi, +971 24455500, www.adec-web.com Al Ahli Riding School, Al Amman Street, Dubai-Sharjah Rd., +971 42988408, www.alahliclub.info Al Forsan International Sports Resort, Abu Dhabi, +971 25568555, www.alforsan.com Al Jiyad Stables, Behind Dubai International Endurance City, Dubai, +971 505995866, [email protected], www.aljiyad.com Al Sahra Desert Resort Equestrian Centre, Dubai, +971 44274055, [email protected] Desert Equestrian Club, Mirdif, Dubai, +971 503099770 or 501978888 Desert Palm Riding School, Near Al Awir Road (going to Hatta-Oman), Dubai, +971 43238010, www.dubaipoloclub.com Dubai Polo Academy, Dubai, +971 508879847, www.dubaipoloacademy.com

MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE Dubai Polo & Equestrian Club, Dubai, Arabian Ranches, +971 43618111, www.poloclubdubai.com Emirates Equestrian Centre, Dubai, +971 505587656, www.emiratesequestriancentre.com Ghantoot Polo & Racing Club, Exit 399, Abu Dhabi/ Dubai Highway, Abu Dhabi, +971 25629050, www.grpc.ae Golden Stables Equestrian Club, Al Khawaneej, Dubai, (Nouri) +971 555528182 Hoofbeatz, located just inside the Dubai Polo & Equestrian Club, Dubai, +971 569424551, www.hoofbeatz.com Mushrif Equestrian and Polo Club, Mushrif Park, Al Khawaneej Road, Dubai, +971 42571256, www.mushrifec.com Rahal Ranch, Al Wathba Racing Area, Abu Dhabi, +971 565066741, www.rahalranch.com Riding for the Disabled, Dubai, [email protected], www.rdad.ae, Sharjah Equestrian & Racing Club, Sharjah, Al Dhaid Road, +971 65311188, www.serc.ae Racecourses Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club, Al Mushrif, Abu Dhabi, +971 24455500, www.adec-web.com Ghantoot Racing & Polo Club, Exit 399, Abu Dhabi/ Dubai Highway, Abu Dhabi, +971 25629050, www.grpc.ae Jebel Ali Racecourse, off the main Abu Dhabi - Dubai Highway (Sheikh Zayed road) beside the Emirates Golf Club, Dubai, +971 43474914 Meydan Grandstand and Racecourse, Al Meydan Road, Nad Al Sheba, Dubai, +971 43270000, www.meydan.ae Sharjah Racecourse, Al Dhaid Road, Sharjah, +971 65311155, www.serc.ae

Jet Ski Dealers

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

Motocross & ATV’s

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

Motorcycling

Distributors and Dealers Al Yousuf Motors, Sheikh Zayed Rd., Dubai, +971 43390621,

Book Your Test Drive

Call : 055-2385880

| |

www.aym.ae/yamaha Ducati, Al Salam Street, Abu Dhabi, +971 24918593, www.ducati.ae Duseja General Trading Co. LLC, Warehouse No: B3, Alquoz Ind Area #3, Umm Suqeim Road next to Max Garage Diagonally opposite Lulu Hypermarket Al Barsha, +971 43476712, www.dusejamoto.com Harley-Davidson, Mussafah 4, Street 10, Abu Dhabi, +971 25540667, [email protected], www.harley-davidson-abu-dhabi.com Liberty Kawasaki, Interchange4, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, Direct: +971 45019442, 45019412 or 43419341, www.libertykawasaki.com Polaris UAE, Al Ghandi Complex, Nad al Hamar Road, Ras Al Khor, +971 42896100, www.polarisuae.com Tristar Motorcycles, Al Awir Road, Nr Oman Transport, +971 43330659, www.tristaruae.com Workshops and Services Al Forsan International Sports Resort, Abu Dhabi, +971 25568555, www.alforsan.com Dubai Autodrome, Dubai, +971 43678700,www.dubaiautodrome.com Emirates Motorplex, Umm Al Quwain, +971 67681166 2xWheeler Adventures, Dubai, +971 44548388, www.alainraceway.com Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi, 800 YAS (927) or +971 26599800, www.yasmarinacircuit.com

Off-Road

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



OCTOBER 2016 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

www.heartlanduae.com Icon Auto Garage, Dubai, +971 43382744, www.icon-auto.com Mebar Auto, Al Quoz, Industrial Area 2, Dubai, UAE, +971 4 3469600, www.mebarauto.com Wild X Adventure Shop, Dubai-Hatta Road, Dubai, +971 48321050, Yellow Hat, Nad Al Hamar, and Times Square Center, Dubai, +971 42898060, www.yellowhat.ae Tour Operators Arabian Adventures, Dubai & Abu Dhabi, +971 43034888, www.arabian-adventures.com Desert Road Tourism, Al Khor Plaza – 503, Dubai, +971 42959429, www.desertroadtours.com Oasis Palm Dubai, Dubai, +971 4 2628832 or 4 2686826, www.opdubai.com Clubs Abu Dhabi Off- Road Club, www.ad4x4.com ALMOST 4x4 Off-Road Club, +971 507665522, www.almost4x4.com Dubai Offroaders, www.dubaioffroaders.com JEEP Wrangler JK Fun Club, [email protected], www.jk-funclub.com ME 4X4, www.me4x4.com

Running

Clubs ABRasAC, Dubai, www.abrasac.org Abu Dhabi Tri Club, Abu Dhabi, www.abudhabitriclub.org Abu Dhabi Striders, [email protected], www.abudhabistriders.com Al Ain Road Runners, Abu Dhabi, +971 504188978, [email protected] Mirdif Milers, Dubai, www.mirdifmilers.info Dubai Creek Striders www.dubaicreekstriders.org Desert Road Runners www.desertroadrunners.club

Stand up Paddling, Kite & Surfing, Wakeboarding

Equipment Al Boom Marine, Abu Dhabi & Dubai, +971 42894858, www.alboommarine.com Al Masaood Marine, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43468000, www.masaoodmarine.com Kitesurf Dubai, Kitesurf Beach, Umm Suqueim and Jumeirah 3 +971 505586190, www.kitesurfdubai.ae Picnico, Al Fairdooni Building, Sheikh Zayed Road, Near Sharaf DG Metro Station and Mall of Emirates, +971 43951113 Surf Dubai, Umm Suqeim, Dubai, +971 505043020, www.surfingdubai.com Surf Shop Arabia, Building 1, Al Manara Road (East), Interchange 3, Dubai, +971 564716180, www.surfshoparabia.com Surf School Arabia, +971 556010997, www.surfschoolarabia.com UAE Kite Surfing, +971 505626383, www.ad-kitesurfing.net Distributors Kitepeople Kite & Surf Store, International City, Dubai, +971 504559098, www.kitepeople.ae Ocean Sports FZE, +971 559352735, www.kitesurfsup.com Operators Al Forsan International Sports Resort, Abu Dhabi, +971 25568555, www.alforsan.com Dubai Kite Surf School, Umm Suqeim Beach, Dubai, +971 504965107, www.dubaikitesurfschool.com Duco Maritime, Dubai, Ras Al Khaimah and Abu Dhabi, +971 508703427, www.ducomaritime.com Dukite, Kitesurf Beach, Umm Suqeim, Dubai,+971 507586992, www.dukite.com Kite Fly, Dubai, +971 502547440, www.kitesurf.ae

Kitepro Abu Dhabi, Yas Island and Al Dabbayyah, Abu Dhabi, +971 505441494, www.kitepro.ae Nautica1992, Dubai, +971 504262415, www.nautica1992.ae Shamal Kite Surfing, Umm Suqueim Dubai, +971 507689226, www.shamalkitesurfing.com Sky & Sea Adventures, Dubai, Hilton, Jumeirah Beach Road, +971 43999005, www.watersportsdubai.com Surf School UAE, Umm Suqeim Beach and Building 1, Al Manara Road (East), Interchange 3, Dubai, +971 43791998, www.surfschooluae.com Watercooled, Jebel Ali Golf Resort and Spa, Dubai, +971 48876771, www.watercooleddubai.com Water Cooled, Watercooled Sports Services LLC, Hilton Beach Club, Abu Dhabi, +971 26395997, www.watercooleduae.com Clubs Abu Dhabi Stand Up Paddle, www.abudhabisup.com UAE SUP and Surf Association, +971 26665588, www.ridersuae.com

Water Parks

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

Other leisure activities

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

Health, Safety & Training

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

OUTDOORUAE

65

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



OCTOBER 2016 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

Original Fitness Co., C6 Tower Al Bateen Bainunah St, Abu Dhabi, +971 2406 9404;

P.O. Box 126469, Office 508 The Fairmont Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43116571 www.originalfitnessco.com

Orthosports Medical Centre, 5B Street, Jumeira Beach road, Dubai, 800 ORTHO (67846), www.orthosp.com

The Physio Center, Suite 405, Building 49, Dubai Healthcare City, Dubai, +971 44370570, www.physiocentre.ae

OMAN DIRECTORY

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

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

P.O. Box 117, Postal Code 421, Bediyah, Ghabbi, Oman, +968 99310108, www.safaridesert.com

Stand Up Paddeling, Kite & Surfing, Wakeboarding

Boating & Sailing

Clubs

Horse Riding

Adventure tours and desert safaris

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

Diving

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

QATAR DIRECTORY Adventure tours and desert safaris

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

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

General Sports Equipment Megastores

Galaxy Sport, City Centre Mall, 3rd Floor, Qatar: +974 44822194; Villagio Mall, Qatar: +974 44569143; Ezdan Mall, Qatar: +974 44922827, The Pearl(Parcel 9) +974 40027513, Souq Jabor +974 44430322. Office: +974 44417935, www.galaxysportqatar.com GO Sport Qatar, City Centre Mall, 3rd Floor, +974 44631644; Villaggio Mall, +974 44157463, www.facebook.com/gosport.qatar Sun & Sand Sports Qatar, City Centre Mall, +974 44837007; Dar Al Salam Mall, +974 44510179; Mustafawi Exhibition, +974 44935183, en-ae.sssports.com

Boating & Sailing

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

Add your free listing to the 66

OUTDOORUAE

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

Camping & Hiking

Caving

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

Fishing & Kayaking

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

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

Tour Operators Safari Desert Camp,

Fishing & Kayaking

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

Diving

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

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

Stand Up Paddeling, Kite & Surfing, Wakeboarding

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

Cycling (Road & Off Road)

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

ONLINE DIRECTORY