#58 July 2015

QATAR’S JUICE MOVEMENT

OUTDOOR PSYCH

PRODUCTSTO CHECK OUT

Plenty of

THINGS TO DO THIS SUMMER

www.OutdoorUAE.com

Vol. 5, No. 7July 2015

Price10.00 AED

10.00 QAR

1.00 OMR

HONEY BADGER IN CAPE TOWNSURREAL BEAUTY

CAVING IN OMANFORCE-A 4X4The Power of the Force Welcome to the

Underground

CONNECTING WITH THE OUTDOORS

MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE JULY 2015 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

3OUTDOORUAE

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 bereproduced in any form without prior written permission.

© 2015 Outdoor UAE FZEReg. at Creative City FujairahP.O. Box 4422, Fujairah, U.A.E.

WHEN YOU’RE DONE READING,

PLEASE RECYCLE!

EditorFor editorial content and press releasesTel: 04-447 2030Mobile: 055 [email protected]

Sales & Marketing (advertisement enquiries)Tel: 04-447 2030Mobile: 055 [email protected]

Published byOutdoor UAE FZEIn cooperation with A2Z EVENTSP.O. Box 215062Dubai, U.A.E.Tel. 04-447 [email protected]

Cover photo by: James and Mira Raley The Honey Badger Diaries

OutdoorUAE Team

Kit Belen Our fishing pro

Ivana Chiles Health coach and outdoor enthusiast

Dan Wright Freelance wilderness guide in the UAE

Cindy Stadelmann Equestrian expert

Trace Rogers SuperTri triathlon coach

Marina Bruce The Desert Diva and off-road expert

John Basson Moto/ATV and all round adventure seeker

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© 2015 Outdoor UAE FZEVol. 5, No. 7, July 2015

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Every issue we have regular contributors who provide information and articles connected with how to enhance your life and time in the outdoors. This month in addition we take a look at adventure parks in the UAE, why the great outdoors inspires us so much, we start a series on the fundamentals of rock climbing and take a look at the aid efforts in Nepal two months after the devastating earthquake. The subject of lifestyle and nutrition is very closely connected to the outdoors, adventure and physi-cal activity and this month it is worth taking a look at some of the ideas of our experts. The statistics regarding health are worrying for the UAE.

In the UAE about 77.5% of males and 75.7% of females eat less than five fruit and vegetable servings per day. Physical inactivity preva-lence almost reached 37.9% among males and 56.7% among females. About 38.4% of youth (13 –15 years of age) males and 42.6% of females spent three or more hours per day sitting. The result of this combination is a high preva-lence of obesity, overweight and related diseases. This problem was recognized by

Its July already and the heat and the holy month of Ramadan are upon us. Many residents of the UAE have escaped the climate here and sought out adventure elsewhere. Others are taking advantage of the shorter working hours and the many oppor-tunities to enter the competitions and get involved with the organized activities that are still ongoing. The authorities are doing a great job, offering a wide variety of competitions and events if you can brave the heat and stay up late enough.

the UAE government and in March this year, the Zayed University held the first research forum on public health and nutrition to address these issues.

By 2020, Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are expected to account for 7 out of every 10 deaths in the developing regions. Research has already shown that NCDs have their roots in unhealthy lifestyles or adverse physical and social environments which means that they are preventable. Risk factors like unhealthy nutrition over a prolonged period, smoking, physical inactivity, exces-sive use of alcohol, and psychological stress are among the major lifestyle issues that we as a society need to address head on.

A study as far back as 2005 showed that approximately 80% of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes, and 40% of cancer could be avoided through healthy diet, regular physical activity and avoidance of tobacco use. This in combination with high levels of overweight and obesity still exist in UAE particularly among women. In the Middle East over 45% of women in the 15-49 age group are overweight or obese.

There is no better time to think about a change for you, your family, people you know or colleagues at work.A change in your lifestyle with more exercise and healthier eating does not mean a diet. Read the articles in OutdoorUAE this month and learn from the experts about balance, variety, and moderation.It means making changes you can live with and enjoy for the rest of your life.

Try to eat a healthy, balanced variety of foods and if you match that with regular fun physical activity, you are more likely to get to a healthy weight and have a more rewarding lifestyle.

So before next month, think about some small changes you can make. Pick ones you can keep doing over the next six months. To break old habits and reform new ones take at least four weeks so keep trying. Don’t try to change everything at once and set an easy goal that you can reach. Then pick another goal. Finally commit to making or continuing to lead a healthy outdoor lifestyle and encouraging others to do so.


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CONTENTS

31 PARK LISTINGS 2015

35 HABITUALLY HEALTHY

36 HEALTH POWERHOUSE

38 OUTDOOR PSYCH

EVERY ISSUE

LIFESTYLE

TRAVEL + ADVENTURE

8 FORCE-A 4X4

12 COMRADES MARATHON

06 BEST SHOTS

07 EVENTS CALENDAR

08 OFF-ROADER’S CORNER

40 PRODUCTS

66 DIRECTORY

EVENT REVIEWS & REPORTS10 CHASING THE OMANI DARKNESS

12 COMRADES MARATHON

14 TALES FROM THE STABLES

16 A DREAM GOAL

18 ADVENTURES FROM THE SKY

20 REBUILDING NEPAL’S ECONOMY

22 THE HONEY BADGER DIARIES

26 A WHALE SHARK PARADISE

28 CROATIA – A DRY FLY FISHERMAN’S PARADISE

14 TALES FROM THE STABLES


5OUTDOORUAE

CONTENTS

OUR EXPERTS

TRIED + TESTED PEOPLE

LOCATIONS

TIPS + TRICKS60 TRAVEL FITNESS

62 MTB EXERCISES – CORE

64 ROCK CLIMBING: THE ESSENTIALS

20 REBUILDING NEPAL

38 OUTDOOR PSYCH

52 TOP WATER TUNA

43 MILLET HYBRID CLIMBING SHOE

48 FAST HEALTH FOOD – EULOGY

49 NICO’S FASTING TIPS – NICO

50 A HALF PORTION OF STARFISH – MARINA

51 WHAT YOU DO WELL – TRACE

52 TOP WATER TUNA – KIT

54 SUMMER AND WHEN THINGS GO WRONG – JOHN

56 RUBEN LENTEN

57 JADE WILKINSON

58 HIKING – ARABIAN HIGHS


6 OUTDOORUAE

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: Zakir Hussain, Grant Edgington and Carl Hardie. Well done!

To submit your entries, simply email us at [email protected] with the subject “Best Shots.”

Carl HardieFamily whitewater rafting at Wadi Adventure just prior to capsizing!

Grant EdgingtonHamad on the 3D curve wall looking strong

Zakir HussainDance of the Beast

mailto:[email protected]


7OUTDOORUAE

EVENTS CALENDAR STAY UP-TO-DATE WITH THE LATEST EVENTS

JULY 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

SWS SPRINT RACES ROUND 3Watch local drivers compete against each other in this three hour endurance race

When: July 10, 10:00 p.m.Where: Oman Automobile AssociationContact: www.omanauto.org

10TRAINDUBAIBike, walk and run during Ramadan with Daman Activelife every Wednesday of the month at the Dubai Autodrome.

When: July 8 and every week on Wednesday, 6:00 p.m.Where: Dubai AutodromeContact: www.dubaiautodrome.com

8

THE DUBAI OFF-ROAD AND ADVENTURE SHOW 2015 The only show in the UAE for off-roaders by off-roaders is back for another season.

When: October 29-31Where: Dubai Sport CityContact: www.dubaiadventureshow.com or email us at [email protected]

JULY

JULY

ARABIAN SWIM ACADEMY KIDS’ CAMPAn accelerated programme in swimming for kids as young as two-and-a-half-years old.

When: July 6 – August 15Where: Al Muna Primary School, The British International School, The WESTIN Golf Resort and Spa, Abu DhabiContact: www.arabianswimacademy.com

JULY6ZOO SKATEPARK HOLIDAY SESSIONS

Learn to Ollie, flip and more in this series of skateboarding sessions.

When: July 5 - 9, 1:00 p.m.Where: The Zoo SkateparkContact: 04 3386126

JULY5

DUDIVE SUMMER CAMPBeat the summer heat with this indoor summer camp by DuDive. Available to all ages.

When: July 7 – August 27, 9:45 a.m.Where: Hamdan Sports ComplexContact: 055 4016629

JULY7LEGS AND LUNGS TRI CAMP

Run and cycle on Jebel Jais; a great way to prepare for the next season.

When: July 6, 2:00 p.m.Where: The Cove Rotana, Ras Al KhaimahContact: www.premieronline.com

JULY6

29OCT

SAVE THE DATE


8 OUTDOORUAE

OFF-ROADERSTHE

corner

Starting out as a motorcycle club in the Philippines back in 1997, the group soon be-came involved in the UAE off-roading scene. In this process, they have not found the atmosphere and environment that they want for a group so its core members eventually found Force-A which has remained true to its history and traditions.

What sets them apart from the others is that joining the group does not necessarily entail owning a 4x4; the team puts a great deal of time towards being a person that is enjoyable to be with. In the words of the

Strong in This One:

Force-A 4x4Photos By: Ernie Manzano of the Filipino Independent Lens Masters Society

Words By: Keith Pereña

Force-A 4x4 is an all Filipino off-roading group that has been around since 2013. They believe that humans are social by nature and it is with this adage that they build the tenets of the group upon. With a common passion for off-roading, this group is a small, but tightly knitted family of UAE expats that value quality over quantity when it comes to members.

group, “We go for daily drives during the weekends and the weekends is all about relaxing, so we value people that make this weekend worthwhile.” They also have free tours every weekend for those who would like to join in and even tips to novice drivers on how to drive their 4x4s like a seasoned professional. Not ground by the norms of off-roading, the groups loves to explore and drive around the desert. They share these experiences with other people who would like to know how it feels to be climbing and bashing some dunes.

Built as a civic group, Force-A keeps their doors open for their fellowmen who would like to experience being out in the desert. Their activities intend to break away from the mindless consumerism that is present in the city and instead they exhibit a healthier way to enjoy a weekend. With trips all year round, they are unrelenting in their pursuit to reach out to the larger community and

offer what they can do to other people. Other than that, the group has active

connections with the larger UAE off-roading community, partaking in desert cleanup and rallies and contributing their part to the UAE government.

I was privileged to be invited to one of their weekend camps and I have to say that the group treats safety with the utmost im-portance. They helped out in routing other drivers to driveable sand and making sure that everyone is always accounted for.

Upon reaching campsite, what really enticed me is their efficiency in setting up camp and enjoying every minute of it. As stories and laughter fill the desert air, the group definitely delivers on the feeling of being back home as all the elements of their native culture is present. There is the familiar sound of sizzling barbecue, the feeling of strumming a guitar, and the happy disposi-tion that the Filipinos are known for. This was a complete home away from home experience right in the middle of the desert.

There is truth in what they say about their group - they are no ordinary organization of off-roaders. And in that camping experi-ence I could attest to it. As I look aimlessly into the desert thinking about the entire experience, I must admit that this is one group that values its roots. Despite hav-ing only a handful of members, they are all extremely friendly towards each other and that I believe is the essence of setting up a group – to create a familial bond whilst having a common interest. Join in on one of their free desert camps and you may find out for yourself what it feels to come home in a heartbeat.

2nd Edition Advanced Off-Road Adventure RoutesOUT NOW!OUT NOW!

The Second Edition of Mike Nott's Off-road Adventure Routes UAE & Oman is a further expansion of the initial book and

provides a bird's eye view of off-roading in both the UAE and Oman. The second edition comes with expert technical advice

chapters for both novices and veterans as well as �ve additional routes and updates on eight original tracks for a total of 21

routes!

This thorough examination of UAE and Omani off-roading comes at a competitive price of only 99 AED, other than that, it also comes with a CD that contains GPX route �les which can

then be uploaded on your personal GPS. Both convenient and informative - This is the ultimate guide for

going offroad not only in the UAE and Oman but also across the Middle East.

You can order the book online now for

99.00 AED + free shipping ( within UAE only ) www.outdooruae.com/guidebook

Guid

e B

oo

k


9OUTDOORUAE

2nd Edition Advanced Off-Road Adventure RoutesOUT NOW!OUT NOW!

The Second Edition of Mike Nott's Off-road Adventure Routes UAE & Oman is a further expansion of the initial book and

provides a bird's eye view of off-roading in both the UAE and Oman. The second edition comes with expert technical advice

chapters for both novices and veterans as well as �ve additional routes and updates on eight original tracks for a total of 21

routes!

This thorough examination of UAE and Omani off-roading comes at a competitive price of only 99 AED, other than that, it also comes with a CD that contains GPX route �les which can

then be uploaded on your personal GPS. Both convenient and informative - This is the ultimate guide for

going offroad not only in the UAE and Oman but also across the Middle East.

You can order the book online now for

99.00 AED + free shipping ( within UAE only ) www.outdooruae.com/guidebook

Guid

e B

oo

k

ACTIVITY REPORT

Words + Photos By: Pavel Bafeel

Picture this: It’s New Year’s Eve 2014 and I’m sitting on White Beach (a beautiful beach close to Fins) with my local Omani friends. It’s a very long night and we’re camping local style, sitting around the fire and preparing some deli-cious local dishes.

We are looking over the cliff out on the sea and right behind us are the Selma Plateau Mountains. I don’t remember who exactly started to talk about the mountains and what they mean for the local people but according to the stories of the locals, it is the

have three training sessions spanning two hours each. This covers descent with pass-ing a re- belay, change-overs from ascenders to descenders, ascending with the use of jumar and croll (a technique called frogging) and again passing a series of re-belays. After taking the training in Muscat, we drove to pass Fins the next morning and from there drove through Qurran next to an airstrip which took about 45 minutes of off-road driving. When we got to the spot, Justin set up all the ropes and revised everything we learned the previous day. The least pleasant moment of all was getting over the edge and completely trusting the ropes. After a few seconds of free-hanging and getting used to the situation, I started abseiling. To get down the 120m took me a few minutes and I discovered there is much more to ex-plore at the bottom. Another way drops into

place where spirits live. One of the places with a particular interesting story is the cave complex called Majlis al Jinn (meeting place of the spirits).

I spent weeks after that researching this cave but unfortunately found out that exploring it is only allowed under special circumstances with an approval from the Omani government. With my research, I found out that there is a company in Muscat which organises a variety of adventures, among one of them is also the exploring of a cave complex called the 7th Hole Cave. I got in contact with Justin and we planned to climb down with a small group of people the following month. I’ve never been into climbing or caving in my life, I’m more of an extreme sports enthusiast but after I learnt what is planned out for us I was pretty keen to be a part of it.

First Trip: Descent into 7th Hole Main ChamberThere are two adventures within the 7th Hole complex. The first one requires a 120m free-hanging abseil. This is done on a re-belay eight metres from the top. Once the huge descent is made, there is much to explore at the bottom. One way drops into pitch black for a further 160m into the lower main canyon room. Before this trip, you

Wadi entrance into the 7th Hole

Our group right after free abseiling an incredible 120 metres

11OUTDOORUAE

pitch black for a further 160m into the lower main canyon room. This, we have planned to explore over four weeks. The whole group got down one by one and we took some photos. We then exited out of the wadi at the opposite end of the cave. There are no tight squeezes (if anyone is claustrophobic) and it is all lit from holes in the roof over a hundred metres above you. Overall, to get in and out took us about six hours and we all drove home.

Trip Two: The 7th Hole to Kahf Tahri CrossingAfter a month, we came back to explore some more of the 7th Hole. For this one we dropped in via the way we exited from the original trip, the wadi. We abseil a 30m pitch, followed by a 40m pitch, entering the 7th Hole upper chamber. At the shelf above the lower section, we then abseiled 60m into a dark cauldron, then a further 100m past five re-belays into the canyon room, 280m below the surface.

For 3.6km, we descend and ascend caul-drons and crossed high exposed traverses, until we finally enter the Selma Highway. We passed a beautiful crystal chamber and exited out of the Kahf Tahri - a huge arched

cave at the bottom of a 300m cliff. Thank-fully this time, our trip was dry. Previous trips have meant 300m swims in hard and frigid conditions. This cave system is very prone to flash flooding.

The second trip started out at 6:00 a.m. and we got out after 13 long hours. In front of us was still a two and a half hour journey to the campsite. I got to my Omani friend’s place late in the evening beaten up but with a great feeling.

I’d like to thank my dearest Omani friends Mohammed Al Ghailani and Mohammed Hashim for sharing a piece of their history and heritage with me and I’m looking for-ward to what they have planned in the near future.

I strongly advice not to go exploring the 7th Hole Cave complex (or any other caves in Oman) on your own. If you would like to go, trust the best and contact Justin Hall ([email protected])(+968) 96114950 or visit his website at www.holiday-in-oman.com

Pavel

120 metre abseil in 7th Hole

The crystal chamber

On the way to Selma Highway

Finally the end is near - exit from the Selma highway

Me and my Omani friend just before leaving for the caving adventure

12 OUTDOORUAE

Words by: Samantha Cadwallader

ACTIVITY REPORT

The Comrades Marathon is steeped in history with many old traditions still going strong today. Ran over the rolling, lush, green hills between the port city of Durban and the Kwa-Zulu Natal capital of Pietermar-itzburg, South Africa, the direction alternates each year giving rise to the so called up and down runs.

The first Comrades Marathon took place on the 24th of May 1921, starting outside the capital’s City Hall with 34 runners. This year, entries totalled over 22,000, with the oldest runner aged 82. Since its inception, the race has continued every year, except during 1941-1945, making 2015 the 90th run. To say it is something special is an understatement. For many runners, it is a

Comrades MarathonDurban to Pietermaritzburg 87.7 km up run

“Comrades was one of the best experiences of my life, and one of the toughest days of my life, but I’ll be back next year.” Neal Roche

“Fantastic event with massive on-course support all-day and it’s a real challenge to run it well.” David Morrison

What started out as a soldier’s dream to rekindle the camaraderie shared on the battlefield is now the world’s oldest and largest ultramarathon (approximately 90km/56.1 miles).

life-changing experience.Having completed the down run in 2010,

I thought it was about time I tackled the notorious up run. Most Comrades runners will tell you that you can never finish with just one race under your belt. So, it was with a certain trepidation that I somewhat reluctantly signed up, knowing the immense challenge and the amount of training ahead: early mornings, Hatta hill sessions and one long run after another in the searing Dubai heat. In hindsight, I am so glad I did. What an awesome adventure. Unforgettable.

The up run has The Big Five Hills, namely Cowies Hill, Fields Hill, Bothas Hill, Inchanga and the steep Polly Shortts (about 1.7km and a mere 7km from the finish). Who could be so cruel right? However, even in between those five, there are many more trials and tribula-tions to be endured. Respite usually comes in the form of a down or a walk (there were plenty). I say usually because that is depend-ent on how well the ol’ knees hold up. I even ended up having to walk the downs, which was Eina! (Ouch) as we say in South Africa.

The camaraderie and support is simply phenomenal though, making the Comrades sufferfest a rather enjoyable experience and

totally unique. The entire route, taking you through towns and valleys, is lined with locals that are braaing, dancing, shouting words of encouragement and offering interesting vari-eties of nutrition and fluids as well as medical supplies, from plasters to Vaseline.

The aid stations are regular and well-stocked and the volunteers were absolute angels; cheering you up when you want to cry, bringing out their “magic spray” when your knees are screaming “no more” and al-ways quick to share a laugh or two. “Water, Coke, Energade?” One said, “Nee dankie, waar’s die bier?” Replied the runner — my thoughts exactly. It is this fantastic humour and infectious South African spirit that keeps you going and the fact that you know your friends back home are monitoring your every move online.

If you are South African, Comrades is a must and if you are a runner, Comrades is a must. Preferably a runner with the heart for it because it is a day of ups and downs that will test every conceivable limit in your mind and body, yet leaving you humbled and un-deniably the happiest you will ever feel after conquering the course. As they say, “Hard is what makes it great. Be part of it!”

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THE WORLD’S MOST ADVANCED COMPRESSION TECHNOLOGY

Available at Go Sport, Adventure HQ and Modell’s 2XUMiddleeast

ACTIVITY REPORT

stablestalesFROM THE

Words By: Cindy Stadelmann and Cosmo

I’m Cosmo and a few years ago I was struggling with my back and shoulders due to a saddle that was not suitable for me. When I was out, it was just bearable due to the saddle cloth that was put between the saddle and my back, lifting it a few millime-tres off my sore spots. But during a check up, the clever saddle maker wanted to as-sess how my shoulders were moving under that saddle. I experienced such excruciat-ing pain that the only thing I could do was buck my way through the riding arena in the hopes the saddle would fly off. Don’t ask me how my owner managed to stay on until I finally stopped. It was obvious that something was wrong with that saddle! The saddle maker examined the saddle and my back and detected the problem - it was too tight and it pinched the nerves on my back. Additionally, it was restricting my shoulder blades from moving freely back and forth with every step. It wasn’t harming me at that point, but it would have eventually ended up leading to other health problems further down the line. The saddle fitter selected a saddle from his van that would relieve

I believe you will all agree with me that ill-fitting attire takes the fun out of whatever you are doing and can infringe on your ability to move around. If your apparel is too loose, it slides around and can even rub. If it is too tight, it limits your freedom of movement or pinches. The wrong kit can restrain you from maximising your potential. This doesn’t only apply to humans but also horses.

the strain, put it on and let Cindy get back on - she had a slight worried face when she climbed back on me, expecting another round of rodeo riding. But all was good; pure heaven, I could move!

The SaddleIt is so important to have a well-fitting tack for your horse and there is a lot to talk about. Tack is what we call our gear and equipment for horses. Saddles, stir-rups, bridles, halters, reins, bits, harnesses, martingales, and breastplates are all forms of horse tack. Because of the vastness of the subject, the next two stories are all about this. The saddle is one of the most crucial items and should not be bought off the shelf without knowledge of how your horse’s back is shaped. Horses can have high shoulders, a broad rib cage, short back; you name it. In recent years, more and more efforts are being put into having saddles that properly fit the horse and not to cover up potential symptoms by wedging thick saddle pads between saddle and horse. Certainly, you do have to weigh the options of buying a new saddle against buying a pad that goes under the saddle and cushions the back. The latter can potentially cause sliding and rocking. It is important to note that the horse’s body changes with age and fitness level as it does in humans.

Different Styles of SaddlesThe rider has to maximize the well being of his/her horse and every horse owner loves to buy new items for their beloved crea-tures. There are many other items a horse needs - are you and your horse interested in a specific discipline like Dressage, Jumping

(Eventing), Endurance or do you prefer an all-rounder, a general purpose saddle? Or even a Western saddle? Horse tack shops mostly have a separate section for Western Riding because of the different range of equipment needed for this style.

Saddles are all shaped differently to sup-port both horse and rider in specific disci-plines. A dressage saddle lets the riders legs drop relatively straight down, whereas the flaps of a jumping saddle are more curved forward, giving the rider’s knees some space to bend and allowing the rider to push him-self out of the saddle when jumping over a fence. A general purpose saddle is a hybrid between dressage and jumping saddle, and quite common in other countries. Most rid-ers in the UAE either specialize in one sport and build their equipment selection around that or have two saddles to vary their riding.

Having the right tack is important when you are going full speed

Tack for endurance riding is much lighter All my tack on and ready to go

How beautiful do I look ready to jump

Dressage saddle

15OUTDOORUAE 15OUTDOORUAE


Fitting a SaddleSaddles get attached around the horse’s belly by using a girth or a strap. Since the flaps of a dressage saddle reach much fur-ther down, a dressage girth is a lot shorter. So if you have two saddles for the differ-ent disciplines, you will need two different girths. The horse industry has been doing a good job in developing saddles that give horses back support and freedom of mo-tion. This has been extended by developing “ergonomic” girths. These girths are shaped in a wavy form. They are cut back in the area of the legs and elbows which gives the horse more space to move their legs back and forth without hitting the girth with every stride. Girths and saddles come in differ-ent materials. You can buy leather or plastic equipment. The benefit of leather is that it is less costly and very easy to maintain.

Caring for Your TackLeather equipment needs cleaning and conditioning with a leather-friendly soap and conditioner. I do think that leather tack lasts longer and is mostly softer. One of the best practices that my saddle fitter shared with me is to rinse your leather equipment off with water after every (sweaty) ride. I was initially confused by this recommendation but he replied, “Water is better than (salty) sweat. The salt will eat the leather”. I live by this now and my tack always looks great.

Another way to limit the sweat getting in contact with the saddle is using a saddle

leathers that allow me to keep my legs still during riding. It is probably one of the most common flaws commented upon by riding instructors. I am delighted with my great new tack addition.

BreastplatesThe final item that can be attached to a saddle is a breastplate and martingale. They are clipped to the front of the saddle and between the horse’s front legs to the girth. The purpose of a breastplate is to inhibit the saddle from moving too far backwards. It is important to ensure that the breastplate is fitted correctly to avoid rubbing. If it is too loose the horse could get caught in it while jumping a fence. I don’t want to create fear for the sport, but a rider getting caught in a stirrup or the horse getting caught in a breastplate and not being able to land on all fours are definitely two of the worst ac-cidents that can happen while riding – and they can easily be avoided. It is best to check with a knowledgeable riding instructor on how to fit a breastplate.

MartingalesThe two extension straps of a martingale go from the breastplate and are connected to the reins via little rings through which the reins are fed. The purpose of this is to avoid a horse raising its head too high during rid-ing and limiting the rider’s control over the horse. Martingales are not used in Dressage. Many times riders make the martingale too short in the hope to keep his or her horse’s head low but there is an optimal length that should be applied. Again, ask an experi-enced riding instructor for fitting it properly. If the martingale is too short the contact from the horse’s mouth via the reins to the rider’s hands is distorted and negatively impacts the communication between horse and rider. Stay tuned next month for more about reins and other tack.

cloth or numnah. These come in different thickness, shapes and colours. The colour is based on your own preference, but thick-ness and shape have a purpose. Thicker pads tend to cushion the back more, giving relief; but if the pad is too thick, it can limit the space for the horse’s shoulders and restrict movement. A thicker pad doesn’t mean better. Numnahs are shaped differ-ently according to the contour of the saddle. Dressage saddle cloths are longer and squarer compared to Jumping numnahs, which are more rounded due to the rounder saddle flaps. The fabric can be different and due to the hot weather conditions here I would always recommend moisture wicking and breathable fabric.

StirrupsFurther attachments to the saddle are the stirrups and their straps. Here, I have to say my latest purchase in this category has developed into being one of my favourite tacks. Safety is a big concern for me and my horse. I never want to let one of the biggest nightmares of all riders come true: “Fall off your horse and get stuck with one foot in your stirrup”. It does happen and causes horrific injuries. To protect myself from this, I did extensive research and found that the stirrups developed by the company Freejump offers great advancements in the area of safety and design for both, adults and kids. The stirrup is made of hard rubber on the side closer to the horse and slightly more elastic rubber on the other with a small gap at the top. These footrests give excel-lent grip to avoid slipping. But in case of a fall and my heel getting stuck, the elastic side of the stirrup with its opening would give way to my weight and let my foot drop out of the stirrup — peace of mind. Along with the stirrups, I got new matching stirrup

I love getting dressed up

Keeping your tack clean is important

Jumping saddle and safety stirrups

Martingale and breastplate

The tack room


16 OUTDOORUAE

Words by: Gigi Young

However, the down side was that I had only eight weeks to recover and prepare for the World Championships in Italy - not the best timing or preparation for what could be the biggest race of my life! Despite this, my coach Howard Nippert, scheduled me to train in recovery mode for the eight weeks leading up to the World Champs. I found training this time to be more of a mental challenge as I prepared to get to another start line with a confident state of mind. Those eight weeks were my toughest mental and physical preparation yet!

The World Championships invites coun-tries to submit their national qualified run-ners who have been chosen to run for their country. The HK National Team comprised of five runners who I met in Turin four days before the race. It was good to meet the rest of the team, sharing our joy, excitement and nervousness.

The race was being held in the stadium in Turin where two Winter Olympic Games had been previously hosted. The 2km loop that was to be our route started with the 400m stadium running track and then out into a park before returning to the stadium.

The race started at Saturday morning at 10:00 a.m. The temperature was good — around 14°C, however as the midday sun rose, it soon became hotter than we expected. All the crews hastily scrambled for ice packs to keep the runners cool. Nick and John trotted out of the stadium in search of ice. We were in luck as they returned to the stadium with a full icebox. It was

apparent that the runners were strug-gling to cope with the Italian mid-day heat.

The event rules are very strict. Run-ners could only accept drinks, support and nutrition

A Dream GoalFor me, it’s a dream for a run-

ner to represent one’s own country and participate in such an event. So I was very honoured to receive an invite from the Hong Kong National Ultra Running Team to run in the 24-Hour World Championships in Turin, Italy on the 11th of April.

ACTIVITY REPORT

from their designated tent and official crews. Crews are not allowed to hand out anything to the runners along the course, and had to stand within their tent and move not more than one metre away to pass things to their runners. By the time I reached 90km, I experienced my first vomiting, stomach aches and light-headedness. I knew I had to get around the 2k loop and back to my crew where I knew I was going to stop. Fortunate-ly Howard, who is my coach, is also the USA National Team Leader, and on seeing me collapse he offered to allow me to go to the USA tent and have his medics treat me. Af-ter 45mins, I was able to regain momentum, feeling weak but determined to try again.

However, not more than 36km later I lost all sense of direction and balance. This time it took all my will and determination to get back to the tent. I did not want to collapse so I dragged myself back to the tent and where I eventually passed out “as a broken woman” as Nick described. It was a tough experience. I couldn’t even walk let alone run. I had used up my last bit of energy to get to my crew and remember my last words vividly: “I don’t want to DNF (did not finish), please get me up!”

For three hours I blacked out. I guess my body was telling me enough was enough. I remember nothing.

With four hours left on the clock, the US team doctor pushed me hard “If you don’t

get up you will get a DNF”. After hearing this, my legs and my whole body felt like steel - stiff, but hurt. I didn’t want to shame my nation and embarrass myself. I knew I had to try and complete this race with all the determination I could find. I wandered out of the medic tent, wrapped in blankets and got through the first 2k loop before warming up and beginning to loosen up. My mental strength overrode my physical state and I just ran on. My legs got into a rhythm and I tucked in another 40km! That 40km was pure mind over matter - I wanted to fin-ish with confidence and pride.

As I wound my way along the stadium track to start the last 2km loop, the HK Team Leader presented me with the HK flag to run my last lap. I was going to do it! I was so emotional, full of pride and elated to have overcome even dark periods in this race. Words will never fully describe how joy-ful I was. Finally I completed 165.6km and placed 74th in a total 123 female runners.

To have experienced my body shutting down was of course a horrific feeling, but life has taught me to always approach these challenges with the water bottle half full. I was so lucky to have received such profes-sional and kind help from the USA team medics and my crew. This race was a very unique experience.

I would never have been able to achieve or even completed this race without the

care and help from John, Nick, Lesley, Howard and his medic team. Massive credit to my coach Howard Nippert, my family and all my running buddies in Dubai!

Did the distance and the experience scare me? NO!

Will I do it again? Absolutely! No doubt.


TRAVEL + ADVENTURE

Only 40 minutes away from the airport is where I find the perfect getaway from the busy city life. This amazing place is called Annecy and it is a paradise for cyclists, mountain lovers and photographers regard-less of season. Its charm revolves around a number of simple things: the old town and its medieval atmosphere; the almost pris-tine, sparkling waters of the lake and above all, its beautiful setting in the middle of the Savoie Alps.

As you wander the streets, the Old Town will reveal its colourful buildings emerging from the side of the river that runs through the town. The whole area is packed with small and quaint coffee shops and outdoor terraces. J’adore the way how the French language floats across the air and mixes with the smell of freshly brewed coffee and baked croissants — it’s irresistible.

Pont des Amours is the best place to get a panoramic view of the lake, and you can almost breathe in the deep turquoise

Monica Antal is origi-nally from Romania and has been living in Abu Dhabi for 5 years. She currently works as aircrew for Etihad Airways. The UAE is a world hub for the avia-tion industry. These are her adventures from around the world as nights and days merge into one and she seeks out adven-ture in the UAE and far flung places.

Words By: Monica Antal

Adventuresfrom the sky

My Adventure ParadiseIn my job I often travel repeat-

edly to the same destinations many times. Some places are tiresome and I would avoid them. However, there is one place I would love to return to every single time. If I could work on this route I would be a happy flier.To reach it, I fly to Ge-neva in Switzerland, and from there cross the border to France.

as you stand staring out across the inviting waters. On the sides of the bridge, if the weather is good, little kayaks in vibrant col-ours can be rented, and you can enjoy the experience of mixing with the white swans while rowing along in perfect stillness.

Lake Annecy was voted as one of the cleanest lakes in Europe. It was formed by alpine glaciers that melted 18,000 years ago. Today, the mountain rivers still feed it and keep it crisp and chill even on a blistering summer day. I wish I was there now — away from this drenching humidity we have in the UAE. You can linger on the lakeside and there are a couple of popular sun-bathing and swimming areas, in which the sandy feel beneath your feet is replaced by the soft tingling sensation of lush green grass over your toes. If you prefer a more active approach, there are bicycles for rent, and a tour of the entire lake is around 30km long. For rollerbladers this is also heaven as there is a perfect path that goes along on one side of the lake.

These are just a few reasons why I always jump at the chance to work at a flight to this area. The Savoie Alps offers multiple oppor-tunities for sports. You can independently do some very good trekking and mountain biking in the region. However, if you are not

very experienced or you want to try some-thing new, there are plenty of agencies that can also take you on a Via Ferrata, or a rock climbing route, peaking most likely with a spectacular view of the lake. If you prefer to fly like an eagle and have a bird’s eye view there are tandem paragliding activities that will let you soar into the skies.

The old streets of Annecy

The glittering lake

Biking around the lake

Abseiling and Via Ferrata

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Kawasaki Jet Ski Outdoor UAE Mag FP.ai 1 12/24/14 11:43 AM


TRAVEL + ADVENTURE

Words By: Dan Wright

Many historical structures in the valley were demolished by the first big quake and subse-quent tremors caused these structures to con-tinue to collapse for weeks afterwards. Kath-mandu valley had an initial assessment of 20% structural loss but in the weeks that followed this estimate grew as government engineering teams made further inspections of buildings and found more to be condemned. Estimates now stand as high as 60% and the valley cur-rently has 250,000 people displaced from their homes in temporary camps scattered around the valley’s few flat spaces. The numbers in the countryside outside Kathmandu valley are much higher with many villages suffering 100% loss of structures. In Langtang, the epi-center of the first earthquake the main village there is covered in 40 feet of mud and 450 villagers were killed. Almost all schools and lo-cal clinics in the Districts of Langtang, Gorkha, Sindhupalchowk and others have been destroyed. The death toll stands at more than 10,000 people killed by the earthquakes and this is likely to rise dramatically as epidemics of diseases will spread during monsoon.

The aid drive continues and hasn’t stopped since the first earthquake. Teams from all over the world headed to Nepal to battle early monsoon rains and stifling heat at altitude to oversee community teams of volunteers rebuild their shattered lives. One such team is The World Is My Country Foundation which is based out of Texas in the United States. The

Rebuilding Nepal’s Economy Through TourismNepal was just starting out on a

great mountain and tourist season when disaster struck. On the 25th of April 2015 Nepal was shaken by a 7.8 Richter scale earthquake. It was immediately obvious that the main quake and the ensuing trem-ors were going to be disastrous to a country that was so unprepared.

Scenes of damage and destruction in Nepal

Rebuilding transitional homes

founder and CEO, Bryan Myers (formerly lived in the UAE) stated in the foundation’s crowd funding appeal that:

“Two of my good friends from Nepal have been an integral part of the foundation and have been impacted greatly by this earth-quake. They have helped to change peoples’ lives all over the Middle East by joining me on many adventures providing humanitarian aid as well as being key supporters and coordina-tors on my solo trips. Now, it is time to return that favour to their homeland and the wonder-ful people of Nepal.”

So as a member of The World is My Country Foundation’s network of volunteers I asked the owner of the OutdoorUAE magazine, Daniel Birkhofer if he would let me take a month-off writing and head out to Nepal to join the foundation’s team on the ground. Since I speak Nepali and lived there for 14 years and know the country so well, I was asked to be the In-Country Fixer/Logistician.

The foundation is entirely run on a voluntary basis and all our staff paid their own expenses and came out in their own holiday leave to work in Nepal. The mission of the Foundation is to “Spread benevolence around the world without heed to race, religion, ethnicity, sex,

colour or creed.” We are entirely neutral and all proceeds donated to the foundation in the USA are used as Direct Effect Aid. This means that no part of it goes on staff expenses or admin costs.

In Nepal the foundation also has a lot of volunteers and close ties to local Charities and that enable us to work efficiently with local communities. The Bibeksheel Nepali Party is a group of social entrepreneurs that quickly sprang into action by running a medi-cal supplies warehouse and a team of local nurses and doctors. By joining up with them we not only received more than 15,000 USD of much needed medical supplies for free! But we also were given two doctors who we supported with logistics so they could access


About the Author: Dan Wright is a freelance Wilderness Guide in the UAE and Asia, prior to that he worked for an Emirati Citizenship program. He has a degree in Environmental Science. Dan has been on several International wild-life and exploration expeditions with UK Radio stations and writes for a range of publications in Asia and the Middle East. His wife is the former Nepal Na-tional Mountain Bike Champion, Nirjala Tamrakar (See OutdoorUAE, issue44, page 8). They live in Fujairah with their son Percy and spend all their spare time exploring the UAE!

Dan Wright and Dave Mawditt flew back out to Nepal on the 23rd of June to carry 200kgs of equipment for the Nepalese engineering team so they could begin building 63 transitional homes in the re-mote village of Gurdum. The team is now well on its way to completing this vital project in time to shelter these families from the monsoon and the following win-ter. You can follow their progress by visit-ing their Facebook page at facebook.com/theworldismycountryfoundation

TWIMCF CEO Bryan telling the villagers we will help them rebuild

Tash and Lilu at workSleep whenever and wherever you can

Dr Poonam from Bibeksheel Nepali

remote villages in the epicentre of the second earthquake which actually occurred when we were in Sindhupalchowk and at 7.4 on the Richter scale it’s an experience I for one have no desire to repeat!

Later, we welcomed two medical volunteers from the UAE to our team in Nepal. Triona Coppinger from Al Ain came as an alternative medical practitioner and Natasha Mawditt from Abu Dhabi came as a First Aider. They were supported by a local Nepalese inter-preter, Lilu KC who joined us for three weeks in the field and dedicated herself to helping us understand the needs of the locals.

We also enlisted the help of a Nepalese engineer, Babin Ghimire and several village liaisons who made our time in the two remote locations we visited so much easier by acting as our go-betweens with the village councils.

Back in the UAE we were heavily supported by OutdoorUAE magazine who provided us with a paramedic pack and of course a month-off writing for me (my apologies to the readers for not writing my column in June’s issue, I was a bit busy!). We also received the loan of two satellite phones from two members of the Land Rover Owners Club UAE.

May was a month of delivering more than three tons of food aid to 250 people, treat-ing 300+ people in our medical camps and starting to build 63 transitional homes for a remote village. Now we are aiming to send more volunteers out to Nepal to not only carry aid supplies for us and to volunteer in our pro-grams but also to start bringing much needed money back into the Nepalese economy. Out

of seven main trekking areas in Nepal, only three were damaged and the rest not only have undamaged trails and teahouses but are also in safe locations away from potential avalanches and landslides.

Companies that are organizing new holiday packages for September onwards to encour-age tourists to return to Nepal are right when they state that “Most of Nepal is still safe for visitors”. The affected areas are mostly far from the trekking routes and the majority of hotels in Kathmandu also survived.

Nepal’s economy is crying out for tourism money. The majority of Nepal is untouched by the earthquakes and areas like Chitwan National Park and Pokhara are perfectly safe for tourists. Tribhuvan International Airport which is built on bedrock suffered almost no damage and is open for all flights. The main roads around the country were all opened very quickly and are now as full as normal with tourist buses and honking cars!

Nepal is going to take many years to get back on her feet and to rebuild the damaged areas and infrastructure and a vital part of this rebuilding process will come through tourism. This is a country that needs to feel a sense of normalcy again, and with its empty cafes and lack of foreigners who normally fill this beautiful region, it is feeling a bit forlorn and desolate. Volunteerism is already popular in Nepal and a large part of future tours and ex-peditions will hopefully be geared up towards raising funds for specific projects or helping out with skilled volunteers.

The UAE is ideally placed as a staging point for tourists travelling to Southeast Asia and with so many airlines to choose from includ-ing budget flights. It is much cheaper to travel to Nepal than people imagine. Hotels are cheap and the food is both excellent and very reasonable. Most countries can get the visa at the airport on arrival in Kathmandu and it is only 45 USD for a month or 15 USD for a long weekend. The best short trip is around seven days which allows you to see the valley and travel outside it too and your flight will come in less than 1500 AED return and the additional costs can be easily covered on a

budget of 1000 AED. Once there you can indulge almost every adventure sport or relaxation or cultural interest imaginable and since the UAE has so many migrant workers from Nepal you will have ample opportunity to practice some Nepali language before you leave!

So if you have been following the disaster in Nepal and you want to know how you can really help these people, then get down to a travel agent and check out their latest tour package to Nepal. All the money you spend in Nepal will help to boost their economy and a time like this when they have suffered so much in the last few months not only your tourist money but also your smile and showing you care is what will really help these wonderful people to get back on their feet and rebuild Nepal.

Dave Mawditt volunteering

22 OUTDOORUAE

TRAVEL + ADVENTURE

Destination: Cape Town to Knysna

Words + Photos By: James and Mira Raley

The Honey BadgerDiariesEpisode 15:

The Garden Route

Unfortunately for overlanders it is also expensive, with limited options for camping close to the city. Luckily for us we have been introduced to a very welcoming family by friends of ours, and they allowed

Just as we remembered it, Cape Town is one of the most beau-tiful cities in the world. Spread over a large area encompassing several National Parks, it manages to com-bine the wilderness of Cape Point with the beauty of Table Mountain, whilst also providing all of the development and comfort that you would expect to find in a European or American city.

us to stay with them for the week that we were there. Having visited most of Cape Town’s highlights on previous visits, we spent the first few days relaxing at home with Frans, Zaria and their family, whilst catching up on photo editing and blogs. As a thank you for letting us share their home, Mira cooked up a Middle Eastern feast including Fatit Beitinjan, which is a delicious combination of aubergines, mincemeat, fried pita bread, garlic and yoghurt.

After a few days we linked up with Koen-raad, a Belgian friend who we originally met in Namibia’s Caprivi Strip. We decided to climb Table Mountain with him. There are several options for getting to the top.

Easiest is the cable car if you do not have much time, and the busiest and quickest ascent on foot is probably the Platteklip route to the upper cable car station. We de-cided upon the more scenic route through Skeleton Gorge to Maclear’s Beacon along the Smuts Track.

There are a few stories about unfortunate climbers who have been robbed on the Plat-teklip route, or even died after falling or get-ting lost. Apparently more people die climb-ing Table Mountain than Mount Everest each year. However, considering that only 4,142 people have ever climbed Everest, com-pared to the 4.2 million visitors every year to Table Mountain, this figure is not particularly surprising - whilst not to be underestimated, Table Mountain is more of a tough walk than a rugged mountain challenge.

Nevertheless, we all worked up a good sweat on the mountain and Koenraad looked like he was on the verge of fainting



on a couple of occasions. It took about four hours to get to the top and then meander down to the upper cable car station for a couple of celebratory drinks. Feeling a bit peckish after the climb we took the cable car back down in time for dinner and found a great restaurant with an impressive variety of game. We tucked into platters of oryx, crocodile, ostrich and warthog.

Our next task was to try and fix the Honey Badger, again. James was keen to solve the problem of the leaking front differential once and for all, and also get a thorough service on the car before we get back to

Dubai. Unfortunately we visited Halfway Toyota who managed half a service, no work on the diff and an enormous bill before sending us on our way. Thankfully we had another attempt at a Toyota dealership in Paarl, just outside Cape Town, where they seem to have done a good job under war-ranty. It will be interesting to see if the diff remains fixed for more than three months, however.

Whilst work was being done on the Land Cruiser we were provided with a hire car, so we spent some time exploring and enjoying significantly better fuel economy than our normal 4km per litre. The Lodge at Boulders Beach was our first stop. This is a great little spot where the penguins; for which Boulders Beach is famous, waddle about right at the doorstep. When we first arrived we were distracted by what seemed to be an upset donkey. It turned out to be a type of pen-guin which is called a black-footed penguin.

We also visited Khayelitsha, which is a large township near Cape Town. James wanted to see a house which he had built with a group of Qatari bankers on a Corpo-rate Social Responsibility and Leadership Development Project with his work four years ago. It was great to see the house and familiar faces, but devastating to hear that Vicky, one of the key contributors to the project, had passed away in her home a year ago. If you would like to help her fam-ily, please follow the link at the end of this story to make a donation which we will pass straight on to them.

Heading further south we arrived at

Cape Point just in time for sunset. Stand-ing by the lighthouse at the point really does feel like you are at the end of Africa, although technically the southernmost point is several hundred kilometres south east of there. There are a few good walks around the National Park at Cape Point where you can enjoy the beaches and walk amongst the numerous rock hyraxes. The drive back to Cape Town along Chapman’s Peak is definitely worth a visit. The road has been cut into the near vertical cliff providing great views over Hout Bay and the Atlantic Ocean.

On our final day in Cape Town we were supposed to go skydiving over Table Moun-tain. After a few phone calls we realised that you cannot actually do it over Cape Town itself so, having already done it in the United Kingdom, Cyprus and over the Palm in Dubai, we decided to paraglide from Signal Hill instead. Weather conditions were not great, so it was a fairly short trip, but it was still a great sensation floating out towards the sea over Cape Town.Standing by the

lighthouse at the point really does feel like you are at the end of Africa

A key part of Mira and James’ trip is fundraising and volunteer work. If you are interested in helping them to achieve their target and make a difference to African communities and wildlife, please spread the word or donate using the following links:

To Donate: www.gofundme.com/ thehoneybadgerdiaries

If you would like to follow their journey through Africa and see more photos, recordings and videos:

Website: www.thehoneybadgerdiaries.comFacebook page: www.facebook.com/pages/Honey-Badger-DiariesInstagram: @thehoneybadgerdiaries

Stellenbosch was our next obligatory stop. Home of South Africa’s wine lands, most of the vineyards offer wine tasting and there are plenty of tours, walks and other activities to keep non-drinkers or designated drivers happy. We stayed at the Africa Overlanders campsite nearby. The campsite itself is not great, but the English and Spanish couple who own it have a wealth of information about the local area and offer lots of advice about shipping and maintaining cars, as well as providing secure long-term storage if you need it.

Koenraad joined us again after selling his Boda-boda (a little taxi motorbike which he had driven down from Uganda). We visited some more vineyards in Franschhoek with him before heading to the Gansbaai to see the legendary Great White Sharks.

Having been surrounded by shopping centres and tourists for a couple of weeks we were beginning to lose the sense of adventure that had filled the preceding 12 months. The shark cage diving was no different at first, and we were in a group of about 40 people on the boat. Once we had dropped anchor, however, the enormous sharks started to gather and the adrenaline started pumping. We were lucky with calm seas and good visibility underwater, and we saw about 10 different sharks of up to seven metres in length when we were in the cage. James had three dives in the cage of about 45 minutes in total. Mira also had a shark at-tack the cage right in front of her. Whilst we were snorkelling rather than proper diving, we could have stayed there all day watching these awesome creatures.

South Africa’s famous Garden Route took us on to Oudtshoorn (pronounced Oat-soon), which is the ostrich capital of the world. The Swartberg Pass nearby was a brilliant drive, and probably the best part of the Garden Route.

The Cango Caves were also fun, and you can chose between the adventurous or moderate tours. Mira opted for the moderate route and was given a private tour of the larger caves, whilst Koenraad and James went slightly deeper on the adventur-ous tour. On the latter there are some tight squeezes, but it was very tourist-friendly and worth the visit.

An ostrich farm was our final visit in Oudt-shoorn. It was fascinating to learn about the ostrich feather boom whilst also interacting with the animals and even trying an ostrich steak, which is one of the healthiest meats in the world, for lunch.

We finally headed to Knysna, which is supposed to be one of South Africa’s best beach resort towns. We did enjoy the beautiful beaches of the peninsula nearby, but the town itself was nothing particularly special.

After a few days on the road together we said goodbye to Koenraad who was heading to Mozambique and Congo for the next few months. Our plan was to continue through the Transkei to Umkomaas for more shark diving (without a cage this time) and then on through Lesotho, Kruger and Swaziland before finishing the Africa leg of our trip in Durban.

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It was bewildering, watching a 20t creature, just gliding along so effortlessly, as if completely weightless, and with so little movement; the entire experience was just incomprehensible.

TRAVEL + ADVENTURE

Words By: Jake Lyle

The Philippines is a diverse archipelago, made up of over seven thousand islands that only cover 300,000km2. In the centre of this archipelago is an island called Cebu, with a population just a little over the 800,000 mark. This island has gained a reputation, not as a party hub or a honeymoon retreat, but rather as the preferred destination of huge schools of whale sharks every year. Generally, the best time to see them is between Novem-ber and May, during which time this small island is able to say what no other place in the world can – A 100% chance of sight-ing a whale shark.

My trip was booked for April, one of the months that is also said to have the highest possibility of a sighting – just to consolidate my chances. I had caught the whale shark bug a year ago whilst diving in Oman, where just as we were finishing up a dive and getting ready to surface, a magnificent gentle giant glided towards us and circled our group. This however was only a very brief encounter with one of these phenomenal creatures, and I knew I couldn’t stop there.

And so I was set to begin that month. However, the venture was threatened as a category five typhoon lingered off the coast of Manila, the Philippines’ capital, causing winds up to 260km with waves reaching 6m in height and the evacuation of 24,000 people. Luckily the storm be-gun to weaken, drifting away from Manila and the surrounding islands and the trip was back on track.

My father and I arrived in Cebu on the 4th of April and we now had four days in our hands to find a whale shark. On our first dive, we weren’t sure what to expect. Would we see one? Two? Would there be any? All these questions would soon be answered. The dive was a beach entry, so we walked into the clear and calm sea with heavy tanks on our backs and cam-eras in hand, eager with anticipation.

We swam out toward the open ocean,

A Whale Shark Paradise

When most people see a fin protruding out from the ocean’s surface and slice through the water towards them, their instinc-tive response is to climb back into the boat or swim back to shore in the hopes of evading this so called predator. That’s not the case for everyone.

constantly turning our heads in every direction, vigorously scanning our sur-roundings for a sighting. Our guide then looked up and pointed behind us, we turned in the same direction immediately to become face to face with a 30ft whale shark! The giant came close, as if inspect-ing us, trying to determine the reason for our presence in his habitat. This would be the first of many. As our inaugural sighting gently drifted away, two more took its place. We watched in awe, occasionally breaking our stare to take a picture. How-ever if you focused for too long on the whale shark in front of you, you will miss the three others that swim along behind you! Soon, there were 10 to 12 whale sharks in sight, ranging from 15ft to 30ft in length. Some swam along the surface as we watched from below; others were gliding through the water at mid depth. It was bewildering, watching a 20t creature, just gliding along so effortlessly, as if completely weightless, and with so little movement; the entire experience was just incomprehensible.

Luckily for non-divers, this experience is not limited to only those who are qualified to scuba dive. There are also opportuni-ties to snorkel at the surface with the sharks. The majority of the whale sharks reside on the surface of the water, occa-sionally submersing below. This makes the experience at the top all the more heart pounding. Unlike the dive, the snorkel ex-perience doesn’t require a long swim from the shore. Instead, along with the help of guides, you are transported in a small ca-noe to the location of the whale sharks. As soon as you jump overboard, the action begins. There is no waiting, or searching

or even anticipating – as soon as you enter the water, you are immersed in a surreal experience, immediately privi-leged with the presence of more than 10 whale sharks. But just like the sharks, you need to keep moving. At one point, two of the sharks had aligned symmetrically, so I paused to take in the beauty of what was in front of me.

As I glanced behind me, about a metre and a half away, was another whale shark with its mouth wide open as it gulped a mouthful of water with containing plankton – it’s source of nourishment, I instantly moved out of its way, trying not to obstruct its path, and make sure it was feeding on plankton and not me. This just shows how careful you must be, as these are wild animals and caution needs to be taken in order to protect both the animals, and yourself.

This trip is one that I will never forget, and it will remain as one of the most ex-hilarating and jaw-dropping experiences I have ever embarked on. The experi-ence should be at the top of everybody’s bucket list and I urge you to take advan-tage of such a rare opportunity, while these animals are still abundant. Climate change, together with human activities such as overfishing and littering, are rapidly depleting the populations of all sorts of marine species – making op-portunities like these all the more scarce. So pursue opportunities like these, share your experiences and help spread aware-ness of the magnificence that lies under the ocean, and maybe we can preserve these animals and their ecosystems a little longer, as their conservation is of paramount importance.

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TRAVEL + ADVENTURE

Photos By: Rasmus Ovesen and Klaus Boberg PedersenWords: Rasmus Ovesen

THE GACKA RIVER meanders calmly through the Otocac valley’s summery and lush-green cultural landscape, and even at first glance, we spotted a couple of well-nourished rainbow trout in the surreally clear water. This evening, while Klaus and I were rigging up our light fly rods with eager

Croatia is much more than sandy beaches and Slivovitz. The beautiful Balkan gem is home to an array of rivers which will make any dry fly fisherman’s knees go soft. And since travelling to- and staying in Croatia is still extremely cheap, lots of great dry fly fishing can be had on a very reasonable budget.

hands, a sense of rural post-romanticism intermingles effortlessly with Nature’s inher-ent bitter sweetness, and the immaculately combed Gacka meadows are ripe with Balkan essence. The famous chalk stream gushes up from the underground only a few kilometres upstream, but already here – below the old Gacka Hotel, which was destroyed during the war – the water flow is massive.

The river has carved itself deep into the terrain, and even though its crystal clear water masses poses a treacherous and distorting quality, it is fairly easy to tell that, here and there, the water depth exceeds four metres. It is deep, slow flowing, and ex-tremely rich in subaqueous fauna – and the fish here grow almost five times faster than in other comparable rivers. It is no wonder that we are excited when we did the first

couple of intuitive casts. Two days of fishing awaits us here, and we both sense that a lot of great experiences lie ahead.

THE EXPOSED MEADOWS down-stream the old Gacka Hotel provides the framework for the fishing, and we quickly come to realize that the river’s sedate rhythm and lazy water masses demands innovative thinking in terms of fishing techniques and strategy. The hatches are minimal, and the fish are huddled along the bottom making long, thin leaders and weighted flies a ne-cessity. The fish are sly and clever too, and since the water is both clear and slow-flow-ing, they have ample time to inspect (and reject) the flies. Consequently, they have to be not only ultra-realistic and minute; they have to be dead-drifted with great care and precision. To put it differently, the fishing isn’t easy – but we rose to the challenge, and it turns out that it doesn’t take too long before the first strikingly good-looking and well-nourished rainbow trout thrash about at the end of our lines.

THE FISHING with the heavy nymphs, the strike indicators, and the extra weight on the long leaders is exciting and challenging, but at noon, when the first sparse hatches ap-pear, our mindsets subtly transform and we

Balkan on a Budget :


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are now tentatively casting small imitational dry flies. We are told that it is quite common for the hatches to be extremely confined to the period between 12 and two o’clock, and since we are both dry fly fishermen incarnate, we are intensely focused on the increasing surface activity for the next cou-ple of hours.

The rainbow trout are rising, but they definitely aren’t easy to fool. The hatches are complex and rich and the fish display a rather frustrating preferential moodiness. One minute they’ll be eating tiny spent spinners. The next, they’ll munch on surface film emergers, and we constantly have to be sharp, observant and experimenting to succeed. Our patience and tenacity pays off, however. During the couple of hours that the hatches last, we manage to lure a small handful of beautifully coloured and hard-fighting rainbow trout – and our dry fly-hearts swell up in response and beat stronger than ever.

THE FISHING ON THE SECOND DAY takes place just below the Gacka source and the charming old water mill, which is situated here. The whole area bubbles and trickles with water, and lots of minute brooks rush in and accompany the Gacka River in a wilful and lush wanderlust downstream. Klaus starts out fishing in the pool just below the water mill where the water flow is still rather minimal. He hooks up with a good fish in his first cast, and in no time whatso-ever, he has landed a handful of frantically fighting rainbow trout, that hit his dry fly

The fish are sly and clever too, and since the water is both clear and slow-flowing, they have ample time to inspect (and reject) the flies.

without hesitation. It seems the fish are a bit headier today, and our spirits are high as we slowly move downstream in search of new scaly playmates.

IN NO TIME WHATSOEVER, the river assumes its rightful expression, and even though we have only journeyed a couple

of hundred meters downstream from the source, the river is both deep and wide. We each find a suitable tempo and rhythm, and we both experienced some fine fly fishing for brown- and rainbow trout, which to a growing extent involves small, weighted nymphs and long, slim leaders. Undoubt-edly, Klaus catches the day’s most impres-sive fish – a mercilessly beautiful brown trout a little shy of 50cm. It is revealed by it fiery golden flanks in the main current some 200 metres below the water mill. And with great care and precision, Klaus manages a long cast which drops the tiny nymph in a place where it is carried right past the fish. The gullible brown trout picks up the fly, Klaus lifts the fly rod, and in that same instant a hectic battle begins. The brown trout desperately attempts to find shelter in the lush weed beds, but every single time, Klaus turns and steers the fish out into the open. In the end, he guides a drop-dead gor-geous, golden and red-dotted creature into the net, and I shoot a series of

concluding pictures with the old water mill as a meaningful backdrop. The release of the trout poignantly marks our departure from the river.

FROM THE OTOCAC and Gacka val-leys, we journey onwards to the immensely charming medieval city of Ogulin and the cosy Frankopan Hotel where we will be staying for the night. On the way, we visited the unique Plitvice Lakes National Park, which is comprised by a seeming infinity of majestic waterfalls, eerily clear lakes, rugged mountain plateaus and curious microcosms.

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In the Ogulin area, diverse rivers such as the Dobra, Vitunjcica and Kupa are found. The Dobra harbour’s fine populations of brown trout, rainbow trout and last but not the least, Danube salmon; and with its rocky bottom; giddily flowing water and great width it is a river in the true meaning of the word. The Dobra-tributary, Vitunjcica, is a beautifully meandering but small river, and it is known for its sublime fishing after rainbow trout, which grow to dramatic sizes. Kupa on the other hand is a real mountain river, and it is renowned for its marvellous grayling fishing.

BOTH DOBRA AND VITUNJCICA suffer from snowmelt further up in the moun-tains and not least massive downpours – but this doesn’t prevent us from experiencing some fine and captivating dry fly fishing. Es-pecially Vitunjcica, which cuts through dense forest in the upper reaches, offers some hectic dry fly fishing in the midday hours. We fish here most of our third day, and we experience one hot tempered rainbow trout after the other rising confidently to our sedge and mayfly imitations, breach the surface and disappear towards the bottom with them anchored in their jaws. Our dry fly techniques are steadily adjusted and re-fined, and even though we didn’t catch any big fish, we see them here and there - and we also make contact. When the day finally draws to an end, and we conclude the fish-ing, we are completely full of heart-warming impressions and our dry fly-hearts beat with renewed purpose and will. We have caught more rainbow trout, than any of us can count, and knowing that tomorrow will take us to the surreally beautiful Kupa River, we lay ourselves to sleep with impatient minds.

THE FOURTH DAY ARRIVES, and we immediately head northwest towards the Kupa River – a journey which requires a fairly arduous drive through rugged but beautiful

mountain terrain. The river marks the border to neighbouring Slovenia, and it is the final stop on our fantastic journey through Croatia. It is every dry fly fisherman’s dream, and the many powerful and beautifully marked grayling scattered about in the river’s riveting water masses offer intense challenges. Like the Gacka, the Kupa River simply gushes from the chalky Croatian un-derground born by accumulating subsurface water reserves. It originates in the gorgeous and rugged Risnjak National Park, and it is cool, clear and more or less temperature-stable throughout the year. We are here with Zlatimir Kostelic, the captain of the Croatian fly fishing team; a guy, who - despite having seen more trout- and grayling waters than most - spends the majority of his fishing sea-son on the Kupa River. Oh, and he doesn’t even live close by.

KLAUS fishes with our immensely ac-climatised host on some of the upper river stretches, and I later come to realise, that he has been out fished in the most demoralis-ing way – Czech Nymph style! Being both observant and adaptable, he has acquired lots of exciting nymph technical experience too, but when we met later on, we both agreed that it was time to find a river stretch where we can do some strike-indicator fish-ing – or better yet, some dry fly fishing. We have both caught a handful of good, well-nourished and immensely beautiful grayling — fish that have delivered hectic fights in the eerily clear water masses, but we are hungry for more.

A DECENT WALK downstream through rugged deciduous woods leads us to a stretch of the river that tears and rips at our overwhelmed fishing hearts. This stretch seems absolutely pristine, and one freshly riveting run supersedes the other orches-trated by towering mountains, that mirror their lush-green slopes self-complacently in the river’s twinkling water. We quietly work our way downstream, hook several fine gray-ling, and finally – in the most intense heat of noon – we spot some rising fish, that cut wilfully through the water masses to ensure some insect nourishment on the surface. For the next couple of hours, we catch some extraordinarily handsome grayling between 35 and 45cm on carefully presented #18-22 dry flies. It is challenging and intense, and we completely lose ourselves to a subtle rhythm unique to this mountainous region – a rhythm that clears our minds of any

burdening sense of time. It is nothing short of breathtakingly beautiful, and we both agree that this is some of the best dry fly fishing imaginable – even if the hatches and thus the dry fly fishing only last for a couple of hours. In fact it would have been border-line vulgar if the eminent dry fly fishing had lasted all day.

THE EVENING FISHING is incredible. Not so much because we catch lots of fish – which we actually do. But mostly because the river and the surrounding mountains, with the dimming lights, adorn a wondrous and captivating glow, that makes the emer-ald blue and lush green of the river and the mountains blush with renewed vigour and life – as if the coming darkness was going to last forever. We catch a small supplemen-tary handful of grayling, and find the fish rising to microscopic midges on one of the rare slow-flowing and deep stretches of the river. Only the most minute dry flies in our fly boxes, such as hopeless #28-32 gnats, will do the trick – and only with the great-est of difficulty. In return, even the biggest graylings in the river are now on their fins, and we therefore cannot help but fully and eagerly accept the challenge, and all the many defeats and few but overwhelming successes that are to follow.

Suddenly complete darkness descends, and the sublime fishing ebbs out – just like a beautiful melody that quietly fades away. The river is still there – slumbering away in the dead of night, but even though it whispers temptingly to us from afar as we head down-stream towards the car, we have irrevocably placed our final dry fly casts on the river’s fleeting surface film. We have been solemnly quiet most of the day – like a couple of de-vout believers in Church, but now the silence has been broken by joyful conversation. And in particular the talk revolves around when we’ll be able to go back to Croatia, and not least the heartbreaker Kupa.

...we both agree that this is some of the best dry fly fishing imaginable...

ActivitiesSummer

An Arabian themed waterpark, offering breathtaking views of the Burj Al Arab, the Jumeirah Beach Hotel and the Madinat Jumeirah; Wild Wadi Waterpark has been at the top of the list of tourists and resi-dents alike.

Discover your inner child over and over again when going on the master blaster - an exhilarating water roller-coaster ride as you go up and down inter-connecting slides. The Tantrum Alley and Burj Surj pushes thrill seekers to the limit. What’s more, the Wipeout and Riptide Flowriders give you a whole new perspective on board sports as you ride a thin sheet of shooting water.

Those brave enough to conquer the new Jumeirah Sceirah, which now has two tandem slides, will make their way up a

Nothing beats having fun under the sun in one of Dubai’s favourite family destination.

towering height of 32 metres where they will stand on a trap door, unable to see what the slides hold below. They will then be released by the trap door, rapidly de-scending down the 120 metre slide through a tunnel at an astonishing speed of over 80kmh .

Younger guests can play endlessly with

slides, games, water cannons and a whole lot more in Juha’s Dhow and Lagoon. Breaker’s Bay Wave Pool and Juha’s Journey Lazy River are also perfect for fun quality time for the whole family.

For more information call +971 4 3484444 or log on to www.wildwadi.com.

Some ideas what to do in the summer heat.

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Xtreme Wake’s goal is to grow participation and interest in water sports across the region, and therefore grow our community and attract enthusiasts, thrill seekers and professional riders worldwide.

If you’re bored with shopping malls and safari trips, join our outdoorsy family of dedicated coaches and passionate water sports amateurs. All you need is a bathing suit and a ride to Dubai Marina or Ghan-toot and leave the rest to us!

Tel: 056 3423012 [email protected]

The adventure park features three whitewater channels for rafting and kayaking, which adds up to a combined length of 1,113 meters; 127 meter-long surf pool, where over three metre high breaking barrel waves will be generated every 90 seconds and an aerial adventure course which includes an 18-obstacle, two-leveled challenging air park, a 200 metre long zip line, vertical climbing wall and a 14-metre high giant swing.

Wadi Adventure also provides a variety of options to engage corporate events; specializing in bringing out the best in a team, enhancing the event with great guest service, making it a memorable event. The Summit Events Centre pro-vides a versatile event space for corporate meetings and outings, team building activities, birthday parties and weddings.

Ideal for professional surfers, amateurs

Wadi Adventure is the Middle East’s first man made whitewater rafting, kayaking, surfing and wakeboarding facility, located at the base of the picturesque Jebel Hafeet in Al Ain.

and families, the services in the facility and the project offering conforms to stringent safety standards for ensuring visitor welfare. All guests are briefed on safety instructions prior to entering the facility and monitored by professional guides during their visit. Wa-tersport enthusiasts are also taught to surf

in a controlled environment with certified instructors, while the waves are adjusted to fit individual skill and experience.

For further information, please call 03 7818422 or visit www.wadiadventure.ae

Rafting

Airpark Kayaking

WakeBoarding Surfing

The Dubai Autodrome is the UAE’s first fully integrated, multi-purpose, motorsport and entertainment facility.

Located at the heart of the Motor City, it includes an FIA-sanctioned 5.39km circuit, a race school, indoor and outdoor karting tracks, a VIP hospitality area and various other entertainment facilities.

Appease your need for speed with the fantastic range of motorsport experiences from 1st Drive for teenagers up to Audi R8s for the experienced driver, or head over to Kartdrome, which offers the easiest way to experience the thrills of racing on either our indoor or outdoor tracks.

Tel: 04 3678700 www.dubaiautodrome.com

For both pros and beginners, Sea Riders is the UAE’s venue for extreme watersports. Presenting the fusion of our love for the sea and passion for watersports, we specialize in wakeboarding and wakesurfing. With a state of the art fleet of boats and a team of enthusiastic instructors, you can take to the water in confidence! So let go of the reins, do your best to hold on, and surf along with the wake. We have to warn you though – you will be addicted!

Tel: 055 5103739www.searidersuae.com

ActivitiesSummerSome ideas what to do in the summer heat.

33OUTDOORUAE

Get active and adventurous this summer

Your summer destination for fun and active experiences like the skate park, pump track, trampoline park, boulder wall, and cable climb course, the Adventure Zone is a fun adventure park to develop a healthy lifestyle.

Dubai – Galleria Mall Adventure Zone Tel: +971 4 3435110Dubai – Times Square Center Adventure Zone Tel: +971 56 8097924

Abu Dhabi – Dalma Mall Adventure Zone Tel: +971 2 4458903Email: [email protected]

Fly through the air and BOUNCE off the wall! BOUNCE is the largest trampoline park in Dubai where the wall becomes the floor, a slam dunk is within your grasp and the rules of gravity no longer apply. It takes the rush of getting airborne and adds a bunch of new dimensions – from aerial manoeuvres to slam dunking, wall running and dodge ball warfare. It’s all about jumping high and landing soft. Get BOUNCING!

Tel: 04 3211400 [email protected] www.bounce.ae facebook.com/bouncemideast instagram.com/bouncemideast

“Rock Republic is the region’s only indoor bouldering centre; owned and run by committed and active climbers. Fully air-conditioned with 250m2 of climbing surface and over 100 boulder problems that are changed regularly.

Rock Republic also has fortnightly introduction classes for beginners that are interested in finding out more about bouldering and its multitude of health and fitness benefits.

Tel: +971 4 8829361facebook.com/rock.republic.dubai

A complete family fun destination

Located at Umm Al Quwain, Dreamland Aqua Park is one of the largest water parks in the region set on an amazing 250,000sqm of land. Featur-ing over 30 thrilling rides, crazy slides and a lot of other wet rides and dry attractions, it can entertain 7,000 visitors per day and is the ideal place for safe leisure pursuits.

Visitors can watch out for the 1,250,000 litres of water at the gigantic wave pool which is the largest in the region. They can also slide down a 40-metre long tunnel, or take a two metre nose dive! There’s the not to be missed wild rafting river with two gigantic body slides; Hippos Island, Twisting Dragons or Kamikaze. When it comes to dining, Dreamland Aqua Park offers a wide array of choices. For visitors who fancy an overnight stay,

there is the Waterside Camping, a unique service in the UAE.

Apart from individual families, Dreamland also caters to the needs of bigger groups, with affordable tailor-made packages. Overall, Dreamland is the perfect place

for a spectacular weekend getaway for families and friends.

To know more about Dreamland, call 06-768-1888 or visit the website www.dreamlanduae.com


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Yas Waterworld Abu Dhabi, the UAE’s first mega waterpark, is home to 45 exhilarat-ing rides, slides and attractions that will thrill the whole family – five of which can be found nowhere else in the world. With rides and experiences on offer to thrill both the young and the young at heart, the waterpark plays host to Best New Wa-ter Ride of the Year 2013, Dawwama – the world’s fastest tornado waterslide, as well as the globe’s first interactive water and laser rollercoaster, Bandit Bomber. Each of Yas Waterworld’s award-winning attrac-tions is based around the park’s unique Emirati theme, which pays tribute to the UAE’s heritage of pearl diving.

Tel: 02 414 2000www.yaswaterworld.com

Njoi offers a diverse variety of leisure ac-tivities, as well as birthday party facilities. Glow-in-the-Dark Mini Golf will lure little ones and parents alike while Children’s Adventure Play Zone offers several unique and themed designs. Trampolines and an indoor skate ramp for children of all skill levels are other attractions where they can spend hours of fun.

The thrilling new Njoi brings something for everyone in the family to enjoy.

Tel: 04 4488488www.njoi.ae

The Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo is an integral part of The Dubai Mall’s diverse entertainment portfolio. The Dubai Aquarium is one of the largest indoor aquariums of its kind in the world at 51m long, 20m wide and 11m deep. With the capacity to hold 10 million litres of water, the Dubai Aquarium illuminates the mar-vels of the ocean floor and showcases one of the most diverse collections of aquatic life worldwide. The Dubai Aquarium has thousands of aquatic animals, representing several hundred species including sharks and stingrays.

Tel: 04 448 5200www.thedubaiaquarium.com

Ghantoot Water Sports, commonly known as JET SKI DUBAI has grown into one of the best leading Jet Ski rental services base in Abu Dhabi. Ghantoot Water Sports is a place where guests can enjoy water sport activities and spend their leisure time with family, friends and love ones. Our services include short-term water sport rental ac-tivities for one hour or half hour usage depending on customer needs. All staff are well-trained and highly committed to be the best at what they do.

Tel: +971 5 2983959 www.jetskidubai.com

Iceland Water Park of Ras Al Khaimah is themed as Penguin Home Land. The park is spread across an area of 103,000 square metres with several traditional attractions. Some of the water attractions in the water park are Penguin Falls, Rocky Polar Moun-tains that consist of different water slides, Penguin Bay, Aqua Soccer, Rain Dance Pool, Arctic Wave Pool, Eddy Pond, Kids’ Cove, and Tundra Baths.

Tel: 800 WOWRAK (969725)www.icelandwaterpark.com

This one-of-a-kind experience in the region gives you access to our challeng-ing Rallycross-style track. You will be given the chance to prove your skills and push your limits to the extreme. Starting off with the 20hp Rage then advancing to our 800 Polaris before driving the off-road monster Rage powered by 160 horsepower, you will enjoy the thrill of your life.

Tel: 02 5568555www.alforsan.com


35OUTDOORUAE

The Cycle BistroGPS location:Latitude: N 25° 02.792Longitude: E 055° 14.384Phone: 04 425 6555

Habitually healthy

Ingredients Quantity Notes

Coconut Water As Needed I prefer unsweetened with no preservatives or pulp

Fresh Fruit As Needed I love peaches, strawberries, blueberries and of course watermelon

Popsicle Molds 6-12 Check your local Spinneys or even Bloomingdales at Dubai Mall

Words + Recipe By: Chef Christopher Zerbe

Coconut Water & Fresh Fruit Popsicles

Having come back to Dubai now in the heat of the summer, I am quickly reminded of some of my favourite sum-mertime foods like; panzanella insalata from my Italian nonna and of course the Greek in me loves my souvlaki! Having grown up in the United States, I of course love that fresh, ice-cold watermelon and my absolute favourite — Popsicles!

While I was back home, I had the chance to spend some quality time with one of my close friends and his fam-ily. Of course we spent hours cooking together and hashing up the good old days when we both first started cooking in the business professionally and all the fun we had! During our conversations about food, he kept gravitating on the same question - ”Why?”. I laughed of course because I knew exactly what he was asking of me! He wanted to know why I chose to go down the culinary path I chose to create truly healthy and of course, Paleo food! After a long discus-sion I could see his inner wheels turning in his head. He asked if I could come up with a Paleo version of any kind of meal. Of course I said “well… kinda, sorta!” Some things can never be simply replaced or omitted in recipes of the clas-sical nature. I tend to take a very flexible approach to my food. I look at dishes and recipes that I really enjoy and break them down into their different main compo-nents and then try to mimic them in the

Method:1. First I like to make sure to wash my Pop-sicle moulds and dry them, then place them in the freezer to chill.2. Next, make sure to use chilled coconut water (It helps to prepare the night before too!)3. Lastly, wash and peel your fruit and remove any seeds or stones, them chop or slice roughly.4. Optional: For a “Layered Popsicle”, puree your fruits in a blender!5. Place your chopped fruits in your Popsicle moulds leaving about a 2cm gap at the top.6. Pour your chilled coconut water into the moulds leaving a half centimetre gap at the top.7. Place the tops on your moulds and chuck into the freezer taking care that they are sitting flat!8. Allow to freeze for 5-8 hours depending on how good your freezer is of course!9. When ready to eat, pop each one out of the tray and run the base where the handle is under some warm water for a few seconds to release the cap! Voila! You just made a wonderfully healthy summer time treat for yourself! I mean, your kids!

Hey everybody! I’ve just come back from my travels over the last two months and had some amaz-ing meals in quite a few different countries and cities all over the world! From 12 different cities in the United States, to Italy and even to Thailand I managed to feast like a caveman and I lost 3.5 kilos! I know it’s crazy right!?

best sense possible while still maintaining the integrity and the original nature of the dish. Take for example my Vegetable “Spaghetti”. Notice that I keep the spa-ghetti portion of the name in quotations, denoting that it is not really spaghetti but more spaghetti-like! As well the Cauli-flower “Rice” in my curry dishes - this is meant to be LIKE rice, not actual rice!

Now getting back to the original point of summer and all the great things that can be made; while I was there visiting, a great friend and an even greater chef got me on the idea to make popsicles! So after a bit, I went to the local store and bought a set of stainless steel popsicle moulds! Silicone works great too and of course you can also use plastic, but I tend to avoid it personally! Check out the very simple and easy Coconut Water and Fresh Fruit Popsicle recipe below and give it a try! I am sure that your kids will love it and I think that you too will enjoy an icy treat every now and again. Don’t be fooled into thinking they aren’t Paleo because they have fruit. These are made with whole fresh fruits and the only pro-cessing will be with your knife!

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Words By: Ivana Chiles

LIFESTYLE

Health Powerhouse

I will try to explain a few facts you should consider when choosing your coffee, so you can educate yourself.

Is Coffee Actually Good for You?My opinion is that it depends on whether it agrees with you or not. Some people experience no side effects while others cannot get it out of their system, resulting in an uncomfortable feeling. As mammals, we are able to determine what is good for us through our digestive system. Unfortu-nately we have become disconnected from our bodies and some of us simply can-not identify what makes us ill because we are unable to listen to our bodies. If used wisely, coffee can in fact be a health and fitness enhancing tool. For years we have been warned about the negative effects of coffee, but many recent studies state other-wise: coffee might be beneficial for us.

A Magic Drink Called Coffee

Summer is here in Dubai, there is no doubt about it. Perhaps you may find yourself spending more time indoors, catching up with your friends over the magic drink called coffee. But what is it we love about coffee? Why do we get addicted to our morning cup? How much coffee is too much and could it possibly increase your performance during an exercise or race?

Coffee can be viewed as a nutritionally valuable whole food. The coffee plant and its seeds (coffee beans) contain a natural blend of polyphenol antioxidants (including chlorogenic acids), bioflavonoids, vitamins and minerals that all work together to offer some impressive health-promoting ben-efits, and even help neutralize the harsher effects of the caffeine that coffee naturally contains. Caffeine consumed in isolation however can be toxic, e.g. Red Bull.

Many people drink coffee not to become healthier but to give them a caffeine-fuelled boost. Researchers think that brewed cof-fee has the same amount of antioxidants as three oranges.

Coffee helps you stay focused. It may prevent cancer, lower blood pressure, has anti-inflammatory and anti-ageing prop-erties and lowers the risk of Parkinson’s Disease and multiple sclerosis.

Which Coffee is the Best?Surprisingly, espresso has a low glycemic index due to the presence of oils. That means that it enters your system slower unlike brewed coffee, for example. On the other hand, espresso raises the level of LDL (bad cholesterol); while a French press will probably give you one of the most deli-cious coffees, it has been shown recently that the popular Japanese slow drip coffee results in a delicate, lighter bodied and low acidity beverage. Cold press coffee mean-while is achieved by mixing your freshly ground beans with cold water in a French press and leaving it to infuse for at least 20 hours. This is meant to be the most benefi-cial coffee when all nutrients and enzymes remain intact. Regular brewed coffee does not have much of an effect on cholesterol.

I really hope that by now I have con-vinced you that coffee has therapeutic benefits, but you need to educate yourself

how to reap all its benefits. Fill your coffee cup up with creamer, sugar, syrup, artificial flavourings and whipped cream and you have spoilt it all! Some studies say that milk in coffee takes away all its benefits, and recommend drinking black coffee only. But how about adding some coconut oil and ghee (clarified butter), pinch of cinnamon or even a tiny bit of raw chocolate?

Bulletproof CoffeeDave Asprey, founder of the famous Bul-letproof Coffee and diet believes that excellent quality coffee combined with MCT oil (medium chain triglycerides, that are derived from coconut oil) and some grass fed butter can increase your energy, mental focus, lose weight and make you feel amazingly energized. On his website upgradedself.com, you can also find some-thing called Brain Octane Oil which makes fighting Alzheimer’s possible by helping your body produce ketones - an alterna-tive energy source for your brain. When the MCTs present in coconut oil are metabo-

37OUTDOORUAE


Ivana Chiles has been living in the UAE for almost 15 years. Her passions are nutrition, healthy cooking and gardening. Ivana is a certified health coach, member of American Association of Drugless Practitioners and also a keen outdoor enthusiast.

You can find some more tips and links on my website www.ivanahph.com or follow me on my Health Powerhouse Facebook page for some more gardening tips, delicious recipes and natural cosmetics.

lised by the body, ketones are created!Furthermore, refined oil composed of

caprylic acid can also be used by the brain as fuel. It is especially beneficial in your morning coffee and Dave suggests drink-ing his Bulletproof Coffee as a breakfast substitute.

Bad NewsPlease note, that not all news about coffee is good news. There is nothing in cof-fee that gives you energy. It is in fact a drug, that affects your adrenal glands and nervous system and can keep you going, even if you want to sleep. Too much coffee can lead to severe exhaustion. Coffee is a diuretic and you would be surprised to hear, that you don’t need coffee to get up in the morning. Remember, it is a potent substance that can have an adverse effect on adrenal glands and eventually exhaust them.

Coffee and ExerciseWhile caffeine can help you burn calories more effectively, there are no substitutes or shortcuts for hard work. As I mentioned before, if used wisely coffee can be used effectively as a part of your overall health and fitness routine. It can enhance your performance by slowing down the release of glycogen from your muscles so you can exercise for longer.

One recent study confirmed that trained athletes, who took coffee pre-exercise, burned about 15% more calories for three hours post exercise. If you are not a regular coffee drinker, this number can go up to 30 % as a result of a capillary flow boost! Improved blood circulation equates to in-creased oxygenation of your tissues, which may boost your exercise performance.

Good news for those of you who like to push yourself hard, 1-2 cups of coffee taken one hour prior to exercise reduces the level of perceived muscle pain. The same amount of coffee also apparently reduces post exercise muscle soreness by up to 48%.

The Truth About CoffeeCoffee is one of the most chemically treated crops in the world. According to recent statistics, up to 120kg of chemical fertilizers are sprayed per acre of conven-tional coffee. Some companies claim that the pesticides are burnt off during roasting while others argue, they are rather cooked into the beans. When transported, coffee is stored in large containers and gets gener-ously sprayed with insecticides to prevent it from being infested by all kinds of bugs. Another large concern is its large sus-ceptibility to mould and fungus. Unfortu-nately even organic coffee is not protected against mycotoxins and fungal by-products growing freely on the beans.

Always use organic coffee! Some good quality coffee beans are available from Dubai’s Organic Store Change Initiative, a well established raw company and others. And don’t forget, that used ground beans are a great fertiliser for your garden!

Tips• Limit your consumption to 1-2 cups a day, preferably in the morning or before your exercise to stimulate your energy production and fat burning. However, after exercise opt for a recovery meal. You are not building muscles during exercise, but afterwards. Consuming caffeine after your workout will inhibit protein synthesis, which will stop muscle from building.

However, if your aim is to lean down, hav-ing coffee after exercise is exactly what you want. The post exercise coffee will continue mimicking the effects of exercise (therefore burning fat) until your next meal.• Whenever possible, buy organic, ethically grown and harvested coffee beans. Besides being low on pests, organic coffee is not acidic and should never give you a head-ache. Avoid drinking caffeine free coffee. The lengthy process of caffeine removal involves lots of chemicals and may result in the loss of beneficial antioxidants. • Use fresh whole beans and grind them just prior to preparing your coffee. • Beware of cups and containers. Invest in a good quality porcelain take away cup if you are not at home. Avoid styrofoam or cups with BPA, which will leach into your coffee. • If you are a fan of drip coffee (like me), be sure to use non-bleached filters. This method of brewing is popular in Japan and creates delicious coffee that is full of flavour. I love bringing individually packed coffees for my travels.

38 OUTDOORUAE

LIFESTYLE

“Play and exploration with elements of risk is inherent to us from birth but somehow we have lost that secret and must retrain ourselves to enjoy our natural environment.”

Outdoor PsychWords By: Sean James

So begins this short series look-ing at a more spiritual and holistic connection with the outdoors. Over the coming months we will look at a whole range of subjects, some con-troversial, ranging from what mo-tivates people; why mountains are often given a spiritual significance; psychotherapy and adventure; how adventure and the outdoors is often used as a healing therapy; adven-ture-based counselling; how wild we really are and many more. Mostly, they have their roots in the sci-ence of psychology. Psychology is a massively important part of sci-ence. It was developed as a bridge between philosophy and physiology. The theories of psychologists such as Descartes, Pavlov, Freud, Jung, Maslow, Piaget and Chomsky can all describe pivotal stages and pro-cesses in our lives but how much do we actually understand and relate to them? So it is appropriate that we as an active, outdoor and adventure seeking people should stop and reflect each month. No-where are the workings of the mind and changes in behaviour more acute than in the outdoors. Pro-found changes happen in very short spaces of time. Some are negative most are positive.

More often than not this section will leave you with more questions unanswered than answered. The subject matter is delib-erately thought provoking, has a touch of the liberal arts field and takes a look at the more cerebral and psychological aspects of why we enjoy being outdoors so much.

We Need Adventure“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass … it’s about learning to dance in the rain”, wrote Vivian Greene. Spending time in the outdoors and having an adventure is one of those things in life that just makes you feel great.

Unfortunately the stresses of modern life, work, school and study have taken away the quality of many of our experi-ences in life. Play and exploration with elements of risk is inherent to us from birth but somehow we have lost that secret and must retrain ourselves to enjoy our natural environment. Studies on children show that they are

now statistically more likely to grow up with symptoms of depression, anxiety and lack of self-esteem and carry these later into adult life. It is a major public health concern but it is not a new problem. 75 years ago, back in the 1940s, Kurt Hahn and Lawrence Durning Holt founded Outward Bound as a direct response to a need for a training pro-gram for young sailors. They had lost the tenacity and fortitude needed to survive the rigors of war and shipwrecks, unlike older sailors who because of their forma-tive experiences on sailing ships were more likely to survive. This was the beginnings of adventure therapy.

Psychological Well BeingWell-being is more multidimensional than simply being just happy, healthy, or successful. Well-being is a concept that encompasses a well-rounded, balanced, and comprehensive experience of life. It includes health in social, physical, mental,

Waiting out the rain

39OUTDOORUAE


emotional, career, and spiritual domains. Practitioners and coaches of adventure activities won’t tell you that going on a weekend hike in Oman or SUPing around the Burj Al Arab will solve all of life’s dif-ficulties but they will have many firsthand stories about the positive transformation that they have seen in people who regularly experience a sense of freedom and adven-ture in different, more challenging and per-haps more remote and sometimes wilder environments.Motivations for spending more time outdoors are many and varied. However, one of the benefits that is often promoted is psychological well-being. Medical professionals can actually measure the benefits of being outdoors and taking part in adventure activities and promote a number of key elements. Look at these below and try and think which ones are not enhanced by climbing, swimming, biking or simply setting up camp in a beautiful site overlooking the mountains of Hatta.

Self-Acceptance This relates to feeling satisfied with who you are, making peace with the past, and contentment with your current situation. Acceptance is about coming to terms with what we can’t change or control.

Self-GrowthGrowing as a person and expanding your knowledge should be a never-ending process. If you’re willing to be open to new experiences and seek out your potential you will develop as a whole person.

Purpose and MeaningWhen you have direction and something to strive for there is a sense of excitement and being alive. Purpose and meaning can come from using your natural strengths

and talents, developing relationships, and growing spiritually.

AutonomyAutonomy is the sense that we are a dis-tinct, unique person with our own identity, values, and purpose, and a sense that we can think and act for ourselves. All of this is possible in the outdoors.

ConnectednessIt is a great feeling to be connected, ac-cepted, and have the opportunity to love and progress with the aid and support of

Being outdoors creates lasting memories and instant friends

A reminder in this National Park about how to behave as a human

Challenge yourself to something you never thought you could do

others. You will find that activities in the outdoors are often used for team building and provide some lifetime memories.MasteryMastery provides a sense of pride and suc-cess, and is a catalyst for further motivation. Learning a skill like navigation or putting up a tent or finishing an obstacle course race in the desert is the rubber stamp that you have progressed and achieved a certain level of learning and developed as a person.

Well-being is when we are at a place in our lives where everything has come together and we’re proud and comfortable with what has, is, and will take place. Un-derstanding and incorporating the above ideas can bring greater wisdom, self-aware-ness, and psychological well-being.

Next month we will look at how the natu-ral environment inspires in people more spiritual feelings and often has a strong religious or sacred connection.

KayakingKayaking is the perfect option to roam on the sea, fishing, and exploring new exciting places. It’s a paddle supported boat with a capacity to hold one or two persons.Boat Safety: Before getting onto your kayak, check your kayak and paddles thoroughly for any repair and

Summer is the best time to spend a long day in the beautiful seashores of the UAE. It is loaded with fun-filled sea adventures: Let’s do kayaking? What about SUP? No, no, we should do wakeboarding or maybe rafting!

In other words, we are loaded with options! Hey wait for a while, have you prepared yourself for sea uncertainties or are you about to risk your life? What are some safety measures you can use? Hmmm, let’s explore some:

Please contact any time for any water sports assistance. It will be our pleasure to assist you.

Contact: +971 50 3790737Email: [email protected]

Stand Up Paddling (SUP)Stand Up Paddling is a great all-over body workout. Head to toe, every muscle is en-gaged in balancing on the board or during the paddle stroke with the bulk of the effort being done by the body’s core muscles. SUP is an incredible sport for individuals and family.Paddle Board Safety: Remove air from SUP board valve and check SUP board leashPersonal Safety & Apparel: Board shorts, rash guard, water bottle and sun block.Top Range Product: Jobe Sports Bamboo SUP Ramadan Offer: Before 4,995 AED, Now 3,745 AED

Towable / InflatableWith Towables you can share the fun to-gether while keeping yourself close to wa-ter. Through this activity you come across various faces in the water, each one having thrilling experiences.

Towable Safety: Check towable for possi-ble leakages, breakage and other mainte-nance requirementsPersonal Safety: Life jacket, wetsuit, jacket, full finger gloves, soft shell headgears and beach shoes.Product Range: Available from 1 to 8 Person Towables Range(Ramadan Offer: 20% off)

If you are planning to spend more than a few hours in the water, then it is recommended to keep the following items with you because weather conditions can change quickly!

• Visual Signals (e.g: flash lights, flares)• Navigation Equipment (e.g: Compass, GPS)• Storage bags with shorts and extra clothes• Sunscreen, sunglasses, cap etc.• Drinking water and snacks• Tool Kits and Spare Parts• First Aid

Water sports is one of the most effective sports when it comes to fitness so it is always highly recommended that you should choose quality products such as JOBE Sports through authorized dealers such as Al Yousuf Motors where not only the quality is good, but also you can find their price very competitive. Above all, you can find Al Yousuf Showrooms throughout the UAE.

WakeboardingWakeboarding is a thrilling face-to-face fun with the sea while ruling on waves. It’s fast, easy and can be done around any water location with suitable waves.Board Safety: Check your board properly, Check bindings attachment and wet your board before using it.Personal Safety: Board shorts, rash guard, half finger gloves, helmet and compressed vest.Top Range Product: Jobe Sports Conflict Wakeboard Ramadan Offer: Before 1995 AED, Now 1595 AED

maintenance requirement.Personal Safety: Life jacket, half face helmet, wetsuit, gloves, beach shoes, water bottle and sun block.Product Range: Available in One Person, Two Person and Three Person capacity, Fishing Kayak is also available Ramadan Offer: 15% off

Safety

Sea Fun

Sports

Your Life is More Important than Unsafe Adventures!

41OUTDOORUAE

Flip-Flops and the UAE

Photos By: Jung FranciscoWords By: Keith Pereña

It goes without saying that the flip-flop has become a major sta-ple of everyday life. Dating back to ancient times, this footwear has survived the ravages of time – the pharaohs of Egypt had them, the Romans went to the Senate with them, the Greeks debated and philosophized while wearing their own pairs. To cut the long story short, the flip-flop has been around for quite a while, albeit in various incarnations.

The modern flip-flop as we know it now finds its origins in post-war United States. Soldiers returning from the front carried gifts and goodies from the countries they have been in and one of the things they brought with them back home was the Japanese footwear known as zori – the forerunner of

modern flip-flops. As time passed, the 1950s saw the flip-flops adoption into American popular culture, being redesigned and changed into bright colours that were one of the hallmarks of the 1950s. As the 60’s came in, flip-flops became associated to the beach lifestyle of California and as such be-came a regular compliment with shorts and other swimming apparel. This is where the beach influences of flip-flops come from.

The beach-oriented lifestyle, drab in vibrant colours thus came as no stranger in the UAE. A country that has more than its share of summer days, it is pretty obvious that the UAE today is a country filled with shops geared towards watersport, the beach and other boutiques aimed at beating the heat. This is where the newly opened Flip Flops Shop at Ras al Khaimah’s Al Naeem Mall comes in.

Remaining true to the roots of flip-flops that first became popular in the 1960s, Flip Flops Shop is in a league of its own in the UAE. Because while we have a lot of stores that offer flip-flops, the shop on the other hand offers only flip-flops — and a wide range of it at that. As we stepped inside and felt the wooden floorboards of the store, I for one was immediately immersed in a store that doesn’t feel like a store but rather it felt like walking along the boardwalks of California with the cold, beach winds on my face.

The store has a lot to offer. Its wide range of brands includes already famous brands in the UAE such as Crocs and Havaianas as well as formidable new brands such as Co-bian, OluKai and Free Waters. Their unique catalogue of flip-flop brands is perhaps, the most comprehensive in the entire Middle East.

Apart from flip-flops, the shop also car-ries other products aimed at improving life on the beach. There’s the Sun Bum line of lotions and accessories – the former of which are 100% vegan and made of natural ingredients, and then the Waboba line of accessories which are made to have a more enjoyable time in the heat.

So if I may say, the store is not just all about flip-flops. It perfectly encapsulates an entire life in the beach inside a mall store’s space. Rarely do shops transport their customers to other settings and the Flip Flops Shop in Ras al Khaimah is one of it. In retrospect, the beach is a place where freedom can be achieved – free from the worries of everyday life; where one could just walk around in their flip-flops, a huge distance away from the close-toed shoes of the everyday world. Thus, the store’s motto of “Free your Toes!” rings true, and in a city such as the UAE. We all deserve a degree of freedom – to relax, to unwind with our favourite, comfortable flip-flops on our feet.

Pep in Your Step:

42 OUTDOORUAE


Millet Daypack Activist 22345 AED/ QAR37.500 OMR

Available exclusively at all GO Sport stores

Versatile, modern daypack for sport hiking and a Millet lifestyle

Features• Main compartment has U-shaped access zip, with padded inside compartment.• Zipped secondary compartment.• Two zipped outside pockets (one with key ring).• Two expandable side mesh pockets.• Pole holder.• Side compression straps.• Comfortable, aerated ACTIVIST Back™ in 3D mesh.• Ergonomic shoulder straps.

Size and Weight: 22L/0.650kg

Millet Hybrid Climbing Shoe465 AED/QAR50.500 OMR


Technical climbing shoe for sport climbing on cliffs, boulders and indoors; Perfect combination of comfort, feel and grip.

Features• Straight toe• Unlined, 1.6mm split leather upper• Comfortable padded tongue with overlap coating• Padded collar• Convenient, effective closure with triple Velcro system• Reinforced toe pad for crack jamming• Heel support with built-in EVA anti-shock insert: highly effective on boulders and Alpine routes• Ultra-sticky MILLET 4PointsGrip™ rubber.

PRODUCTS

Millet Rock Up 10 Climbing Rope549 AED/QAR59.700 OMR


The LOW IMPACT program applied to the ROCK UP family is about simplicity: it eliminates treatment, drying and machine transfers.

Features• Fewer temperature rises = respect for the yarn + energy savings.• Single rope.• Cable core.• Ideal for cliff and indoor use. • Highly versatile diameter, and highly affordable.• Very enjoyable to use, at the club or with friends.• Eco-friendly production: dry rope with advanced technical characteristics.

Impact Force 820 daNNumber of Falls 8Extension 38%Strands 40

Size and Weight: 70m Length - 63g/m Weight

Millet Easy Up Junior Climbing Shoe255 AED/QAR27.700 OMR


Junior beginner’s shoe for outdoor and indoor climbing; ideal for discovering the vertical dimension in comfort

Features• Straight shape, pointed toe.• Polycotton upper with linen lining for comfort.• Slim, comfortable junior fit, with removable heel pad for two-size extended lifespan.• Velcro buckle closure.• Ultra-sticky MILLET 4PointsGrip™ rubber.

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

43OUTDOORUAE

TRIEDTESTEDTHIS PRODUCT IS APPROVED BY OUTDOORUAE

&

extending its catalogue to offer shoes, jackets and other mountaineering and climbing equipment until today.

Their catalogue describes the Hybrid as an all-purpose climbing shoe for varied practice, with rising difficulty capability. It’s a shoe that they say is at home everywhere. I was keen to discover this for myself. With the shoes in my hands, I decided to take them out for the day. Since the summer heat is already upon us, it was almost impossible to climb the mountains, as it would spell certain danger for me! so with this in mind, I decided to take the shoes to one of my favourite indoor wall climbing venues in Dubai to test its mettle.

I wanted to push the shoes to their limit so I did some advanced techniques such as bouldering and heel-hooking, I was very impressed at how the Millet Hybrid tackled climbing problems with ease while keeping my feet comfortable. Since the shoes are brand new and not yet “broken-in”, they got a bit uncomfortable after climbing some routes. Since climbing shoes have to be very tight to be able to put the full body weight on for example, one toe; the tight shoe needs time to perfectly adapt to the anatomy of your foot. So it is normal that shoes get uncomfortable at the beginning until they are broken in.

As I climbed on and on, I soon became aware of how surgically precise these shoes are. It remains on point even in the face of the toughest climbing problems and to say that the toe is ultra-precise is an understatement. I also found out that despite the narrow profile of the shoe, it accommodated my wide feet comfortably.

The shoe has excellent design ensuring that the toes and heels don’t feel as stressed unlike other rock climbing shoes I have been using. It’s ultra-robust leather, padded tongue and collar ensures a smooth climb. The inner reinforcement inside the Hybrid also gave me more confidence as I tackled problems of higher difficulties.

In conclusion, I was more than satisfied climbing in the Millet Hybrid. It enhanced my climbing experience all the more and I’d love to take them out again once the climbing season begins. Setbacks such as the upper strap biting into my feet and the time needed for it to adapt to my feet are minor and should not be a deal breaker. The Hybrid remains true to its name being a solid all-purpose climbing shoe that is definitely at home anywhere whether it be climbing the cracks and cliffs of the Hajar mountains in winter or taking on indoor walls in sum-mer. It’s a pair of shoes that can make all your climbs worthwhile by keeping your feet comfortable and fully supported as you take on climbing problems of any kind.

A little historical info: Millet is a French brand of hiking, climbing and mountaineer-ing equipment that has been around as early as the 1930’s - starting out as a humble company of 10 people that made quality Mil-let bags. Millet gained widespread success creating backpacks for mountaineering and

Words + Photos By: Roy Antipala

I have been climbing for 15 years now and I must emphasize that climbing shoes are a vital part of climbing. It’s not just a mere ac-cessory or piece of equipment that one could buy off the rack, selecting a climbing shoe takes a great deal of examination. That’s why I was privileged to be given the opportu-nity by GO Sport to test a pair of Millet Hybrid climbing shoes, one of their best pairs currently available in market.

Pros: Great precision, aggressive, down-turned toe tip, great toe and heel hooking, precise fit and comfortable out of the box.

Cons: The strap can be uncomfortable some-times and it needs some time to break-in.

“I was very impressed at how the Millet Hybrid tackled climbing problems with ease while keeping my feet comfortable.”

Rating:

44 OUTDOORUAE


PRODUCTS

Waboba Extreme35 AED, 2,800 KWD, 3,800 OMR

Available at The Avenues Mall Kuwait City, Kuwait; Al Naeem Mall, Ras Al Khaimah, UAE; Avenues Mall Muscat, Oman

Looking for speed over control? Live life in the fast lane? Then the Extreme is for you. The Extreme bounces fast, far, and high. Better spread out and let the fun begin. Grab one for your next water adventure! Your friends will thank you for it.

Features• Fun for the adventurous!• Bounces on water.• Best for lakes, oceans, rivers, and giant puddles. • Ages 8+

Sun BumCool Down Hydrating After Sun Lotion 110 AED, 8,800 KWD, 12,000 OMR

Available at The Avenues Mall Kuwait City, Kuwait; Al Naeem Mall, Ras Al Khaimah, UAE; Avenues Mall Muscat, Oman

After a long, lazy, day in the sun, your skin needs revitalization and hydration. Sun Bum’s Cool Down Lotion is enriched with soothing Aloe and Vitamin E, providing an intense hydration to gently restore the skin’s natural moisture balance. The light, non-greasy formula is quickly absorbed, leaving the skin soft and smooth.

Features• Restores and protects sun-damaged skin• Prevents peeling for a longer lasting tan• Contains soothing Cocoa Butter• Contains cooling Aloe• Gluten Free / 100% Vegan• Alcohol-free• Vitamin E Enriched• 8 FL OZ / 237 ML

Jobe Inflatable Stand Up Paddling (SUP) (Complete Package)Size: 9.8 and 10.62,995 AED (Original Price: 3,995 AED)

Available only at Al Yousuf Motors Across the UAE

Specification This ready-to-go package includes the original Jobe 9.8 Surf SUP with a nylon PU-coated carrying bag, pump (with nozzles and pressure gauge), a 3-secs. aluminum paddle, ankle leash and repair kit. The carrying bag conveniently stores everything in one place and swings right onto your back with its comfortable single shoulder strap. Its three fins are made to snap-on and off easily; simply attach them before inflating your SUP, and off you go! Everything you need to get on the water and have fun!

Jobe Slam Wake Helmet Size: XS-XL295 AED (Original Price: 220 AED)

Available only at Al Yousuf Motors across the UAE

SpecificationJust pick your colour from one of these good looking and perfect fitting Slam Wake Helmets. This helmet features a side divider made from long-lasting Duraflex© and comes with a decal sheet for you to satisfy your customisation urges.

The Polar A300 is available from the following stores: Go Sport, Adventure HQ, Sun & Sand Sports, Virgin Megastore, Orlando Sport, Saucony, Jumbo Electronics, Modell’s, Mega Sport and City Sport.

Polar A300 brings colour and motivation for fitness enthusiastsPolar reveals new fitness and activity monitorPolar, the front runner in heart rate

monitoring and wearable sports devices, together with Sport In Life, has launched its latest product. Following Polar’s well-grounded success in heart rate monitors, the Polar A300 is the beginning of a new era of fitness monitors. In addition to having Polar’s familiar Smart Coaching feature based on heart rate, the water-resistant A300 can go up to four weeks before recharging, and includes 24/7 activity tracking.

whether the main effect of training was improving fitness or burning fat. The Smart Calories feature calculates the sum total of burned calories from training and daily activ-ity, showing exactly how many calories were expended during the day.

The Activity Benefit feature makes the Polar A300 ideal for tracking daily activity, measuring active time, steps, distance and sleep time, even showing how the quality of sleep taken was. By displaying how the dif-ferent active choices help in staying healthy with the Polar Flow web service and mobile app, the A300 rewards the user when they

have done enough and makes them move if they haven’t met their individual daily activity goal. For example, it will interrupt long periods of sitting with a vibration alert, encouraging the user to move. Activity and training details can be synced between the A300 and the Polar Flow web service and app with Bluetooth Smart; users can also share their daily activity and training summa-ries with friends for more motivation.

Designed for fitness enthusiasts who want to look good and feel great, the Polar A300 is comfortable, lightweight and seamless in design. The gorgeous A300 has an easily changeable silicon wristband which is available in six juicy colours to fit every style and occasion; with additional wristbands set to be available to be purchased separately as accessories.

When worn together with the accurate Po-lar H7 heart rate sensor, the A300 gives in-sight to heart rate-based training and helps the user to train right to improve fitness and push their body to healthy limits. Motivat-ing feedback is delivered immediately after exercise with the Energy Pointer - a simple-to-use feature that visually shows

46 OUTDOORUAE

MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE JUNE 2015 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

Seadoo Aqua Mate Seascooter1,600 AED

Available at all Adventure HQ stores

Performance, fun and excitement with the SEA-DOO® AQUA MATE. Easy to assemble and easy to drive, protection systems include master switch lock, over current protection, low voltage protection, high temperature protection, stall protection, finger ingress protection.• Designed for up to two riders.• Heavy-gauge PVC bladder.• Speeds up to 2mph/3.2kmh.• For ages eight and above. Designed to carry persons up to a maximum 155lbs/70kgs• Run time up to one hour with normal use.• Battery operated (rechargeable battery and charger included).• Safety features include a fully caged propeller, master switch lock and overheating prevention system.• Automatic shut-off function.• Puncture repair kit.• Easy access to battery compartment

HO Sports Excel Ski 63”895 AED


PRODUCTS

WOW Watersports First Class Lounge695 AED


This new, high backrest flip lounge features two lockers for beverages or gear. Keep the seat up to stay dry or flip it down to kick your legs up and get a little wet. It comes with two large coolers for beverages or to store gear, as well as two cup holders. Relax at the pool, lake, or river in First Class Style. Buy one and tell a friend.

Features• TUFF SHELL Full Nylon Cover with Zipper• Heavy-gauge PVC bladder• Tote handle for easy transport.• High backrest with deep cockpit seating with floating flip lounge footrest for ultimate comfort and relaxation.• Water Vent for Cool Comfort Seating• Ergonomic armrest and headrest for relaxation.• Secure, zippered valve cover.• Speed valve for fast inflation and deflation.• Two on-board, zippered beverage coolers/storage compartments with built-in, custom, cup holders• Great for pool, beach, lake and river tubing.• Dimensions Inflated: 52 x 46in

Silverback Scoop Fatty - Single Scoop10,999 AED

Available online at SportSouq.ae

Fat tyres provide excellent traction in all terrains such as snow, sand and rocks. Float over any terrain and remain comfortable while the large air volume soaks up the bumps. The Bluto sus-pension fork provides extra comfort and control for the more adventurous rider.

Weight 15.2kgFrame AluminiumFork Rockshox BlutoRims 100mmTires Vee Rubber Bulldozer 4.7inchBrakes Shimano BR-M675 HydraulicShifters SRAM X1Rear SRAM X1Cranks Race Face

The HO Sports Excel 63 Inch Combo Water skis are designed to for a stable ride with its tunnel bottom design. The Excels are a traditional water ski shape allowing the skier to pop out of the water and carve around the lake.

HO Excel 63 Inch Combo Water skis are recommended for skiers 70lbs to 150lbs in weight. The 63 inch Excel is a great option for women and teens. The new, adjustable horseshoe boot fits a large range of foot sizes.

Add a pair of tail weights to help novice water skiers reach their potential much faster.

Please note that the trainer bar will not mount on these combo skis.

The Pronto 5 premium battery pack is your dream charger come true. It charges insanely fast so that you can charge your mobile devices on-the-go. It stores enough power to charge your smartphone two to three times, yet is small enough to carry with you anywhere you go.

PRONTO 5Charges up to 5X faster thanother portable battery packs.

The fast-charge battery pack

FEATURES• 3A USB Output capable of charging any

USB device even high-powered tablets.

• Smart Dials show battery capacity and battery

charge rate.

• One-piece anodized aluminum case that

is tough as nails.

• Rubberized cap to seal ports from the elements.

Available at Instagram: @almekshah Facebook: www.facebook.com/almekshah Mobile:+971 55 9898954

QATAR EXPLORER

Fast Health Food100% Raw, 100% Natural, #MadeInQatar

Photos By: Raw Middle EastWords By: Eulogy van Dyk

If any of these names sound familiar to you, then you must have had a taste of Raw ME products - Qatar’s First Health Food & Beverage Co. offering a variety of products and customised services to help you navigate a healthier on-the-go lifestyle.

Everybody knows (or at least reads) that they should eat healthy and get their por-tion of fruit & veggies per day but due to busy lifestyles, does not find the time to follow through with it. Because isn’t it so much easier to just grab a take-away? And have you checked the kids’ lunch boxes for school lately? Instead of an apple and pear a day, you will find a pack of chips and some chocolate.

So how can one create a healthier diet while having a busy lifestyle with limited time to cook real food and prepare your lunch box for work or school every day? Including some raw juice treats in your diet might just be the answer and if you buy them ready to drink or get them delivered to your home or office door there will be no excuses anymore to become healthier.

People living in Qatar will agree that the country is putting in a lot of effort in the past few years to promote an active and healthy

Are you a green junkie, cool crush or in need of a sucker punch? Or do you simply like to go nuts?

lifestyle. There are many events and activities being held for families and athletes, but ex-ercise is just part of the solution. Following a healthy diet is just as important to ensure you manage a healthy weight and it also plays a major role in people suffering from diabetes in the country. It definitely starts with chang-ing your mindset and especially the parents’ mindsets to also give their children healthy food & snacks for school. The cool kids should be the ones with the fruit in the bags, not the one with chips and chocolates!

And this is just what Raw ME’s goal and main focus was when they opened up their doors back in 2011 to develop an easy and quick, but also healthy way to get all the important nutrients into your daily diet, and what could be a more convenient way than sipping it down in juice form. Raw ME is cur-rently the first and only service of its kind in Doha, which offers juice cleansing and detox packages to be delivered at your door. The ingredients are fresh and the juices are made in a Qatar-based kitchen. A range of options are available.

Cold pressing, used to create these raw juice products, is a relatively new concept to Qatar and adding vegetables to juice has also became a familiar scene recently. Due to the country’s geographical location and desert type of environment, 98% of the countries’ food is imported. There are only around five companies that produce their food or products fresh in Qatar, and Raw ME is one of them.

Hand picking every fruit and vegetable they include in the products, it is also good to know that they support local agriculture by buying some of the seasonable vegetables when available – starting with green veggies above all.But Why Raw? By using high-tech cold pressing machinery more of the fresh ingredients’ nutrients stay intact. Ensuring you that you fully get the benefits of a daily fruit and vegetable intake. Most people think they should cook break-

fast, lunch and dinner but don’t always realise that you lose a lot of the “important stuff”, and as mentioned before, if time is limited and you have a busy on-the-go lifestyle, Raw ME’s products can really open a whole new world for you.

They focus most of their time on delivery services rather than becoming a retail outlet, to ensure the products get delivered fresh into the consumers’ hands. Limiting any form of excuse not to try and eat healthy.

Layla Al-Dorani, founder and CEO of the business, says that “You won’t believe it but our beetroot juice mix is a best seller among kids, they actually think it is strawberry juice! It tastes so good! It’s the best surprise, but shhh… don’t tell them!”

Of course, you can also make your own juices at home when you have the time and energy! A recipe recommended by Raw ME follows something like this:Green Envy• A handful of green grapes• One cucumber• One green apple• A handful of greens: Kale or SpinachBenefits: A dose of iron – the key for healthy blood cells and muscle function.Special Tip: Make your juice a smoothie by adding fresh avocado. Pour the juice into a blender and add ½ avocado to give it a creamy texture and delicious taste!

Sounds kinda cool to jump on the juice bandwagon doesn’t it? So if you’re keen to hop along but have no time to prepare your raw juice mix at home why not check out www.raw-me.com and order some products online!

Try it and return to Mother Nature - eat more pure and natural food, even if it is just one meal per day!

RAW fruit basket

OUR EXPERTS

To fully benefit from fasting, a person should spare a great deal of thought to the type and quantity of food they will indulge in during the Holy Month’s Iftar. This month is an opportunity to have self-control, self-discipline and of course, a way to lead a healthy lifestyle.

During the holy month of Ramadan, the diet should be different from the normal one, and should be as simple as possible. It is very important not to feast right after the fast. During the fast, the metabolic rate of a person usually slows down to conserve

Dehydration during exercise activity especially when fasting is very common, and detrimental to health and athletic perfor-mance.

Practicing sports during Ramadan is al-lowed, as long as it allows Muslims to do their obligatory duties and virtuous deeds. At the same time, the level of exercise should be moderate, especially in hot weather; hot weather will cause the body to lose fluids, which may lead to dehydration, and if you are training during the day you will have no chance to rehydrate yourself or replenish lost energy just after the session. Tweak the intensity of training to a comfort-able level while fasting or try low-intensity activities such as walking instead of running.

The best time for exercising during the month of Ramadan is just before Iftar (even though fasting all-day could leave you very weak, I suggest minimal training) or two - three hours after that; it is not recommend-ed to exercise immediately after it, because all the body’s energy at that time will be focused on digestion.

Competing in endurance sport during the fast is a bad idea, since endurance activity yields a need for immediate energy. During the fast, your body converts stored body fat into usable energy, it is a slow, but efficient process. Although this is usually beneficial, endurance sports demand a quicker method of obtaining energy and this method only comes from digesting food.

In any case, even though you are not a Muslim, but you are living in an Islamic country and you are not fasting, remember not to eat or drink during the day in public areas as a sign of respect for our Muslim brothers and sisters.

Happy Ramadan!

Words By: Nico de Corato

The month of Ramadan is a solemn occasion for Muslims; it is the Holy Month during which the Quran, was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. Muslims are called by their religion to commemorate Ramadan by coming together to worship and fast each day for 30 days from dawn until sunset. More and more research shows that a period of daily fasting could have benefits.

Blogger, marathon runner and triath-lete, diver and heli rescue swimmer with Bergamo Scuba Angels. You can read my blog www.dubayblog.com, contact me on social networks or via email at [email protected] for information about this article or just to say hello.

Nico’s Fasting TipsFind out how to stay healthy during Ramadan, with some useful tips both for athletes and not

energy. So to avoid excessive weight gain, don’t increase your usual calorie intake dur-ing Iftar.

Before fasting, the Suhoor (pre-dawn meal), should be light. Indulge in whole-some meals with proteins to replenish energy during the day. For Iftar, or the meal after fasting, dates should be taken with food first for a refreshing burst of energy. Then hydrate with fluids, especially water, rather than bottled juices or fizzy drinks with loads of sugar. Plan your meals, so that they include whole grains, lean proteins and lots of fruits and vegetables. Complex carbo-hydrates are the way to go as these pro-vide a slow release of energy to your body throughout the day and are less likely to be converted to fat. You can get your fix of complex carbs from vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds and grains. These include dates, figs, grapes, bread and rice.

Between Iftar and Suhoor those fasting should:• Drink enough water.• Avoid hot or spicy foods and salty meals as they increase thirst.• Don’t include liquids with meals, drink in between the meals instead.• Limit your intake of caffeinated drinks, as caffeine is a diuretic and stimulates fluid loss.• Eat fresh fruits and vegetables that are rich in water and fibre.

49OUTDOORUAE


Relaxing after a walk

Stretching on Jumeirah Open Beach

Outdoor relaxing

50 OUTDOORUAE

We did not have time to drive Mike’s com-plete Starfish Dunes route; due to other com-mitments. The earliest we could arrive was just after nightfall on the infamous Friday the 13th in April. However, the four cars in the convoy managed to successfully rendezvous with some other Oasis Offroad members at a pre-arranged campsite some 6kms east of Starfish Dune #8 for a BBQ and campout, in readiness for an early start the next morning.

OUR EXPERTS

Photos By: Martin J L PepperWords By: Marina Bruce

“The Starfish Dunes of this route are the pyramidal dunes that lie to the southwest of Jebel Hafeet in Oman. They are remarkably beautiful dune forma-tions and stand tall and isolated in a sea of smaller dunes. The area in general seems to be very rarely visited by off-roaders.”

- Mike Nott, Advanced Adventure Routes UAE & Oman

They say that the Starfish Dunes are formed by changing wind directions and although none of us can offer scientific proof that this is so, we can now testify that the wind certainly does not come from the same direction for long; we had to frequently move our seats over the course of the next few hours to avoid a blast of campfire smoke in our faces!

One of the joys of reaching a camp in darkness is that you never know what the view will be like in the morning and we were all delighted to wake in the most beautiful of spots. April can be a tad warm so we were camped on a slightly elevated spot, surrounded by small red sand dunes, but very close to a sabkha and an easy route out just in case of an emergency.

Our group totalled around 14 cars but in the morning it split into three convoys; one returned to the road, another opted for an adrenaline inducing side-sloping drive whilst my group headed southwest towards Starfish #8 with the intention of completing Mike’s route within seven hours.

Our team comprised - myself with my hubby, Neil as co-driver (Nissan Patrol), Jean (Nissan Patrol), Kevin and Christa (Nissan Xterra) and last but not least, Clive Delves with visiting friends Martin and Clare (after the demise of his legendary and much loved Pajero, he too was driving a Nissan Patrol).

We dashed across the sabkha, slowing down a little when faced with some low, technical dunes on approach to dune num-ber eight. To fully appreciate the Starfish Dunes you either need to drive all the way around one, or look at some on Google Earth, or both. It seems almost incompre-hensible how these huge lumps of sand can stand alone; surrounded by sabkhas and small, connected, sand dunes.

Departing from #8, the group endured fur-ther technical driving over soft dunes before skirting round a sabkha and

returning to sand as we approached Starfish #9. We followed the dune line further until we reached Starfish #10 where we stopped in the shade of a ghaf tree for lunch. Our visitors were amazed by the beauty of the area and Martin, having been designated trip photographer kept busy with his camera.

If you look at Starfish #11 from the air, you will see that it does not stand so alone as its predecessors — it is surrounded by smaller versions of itself with high walls of sand; we were all tiring and made a group decision to visit that one next time, and if I am leading then I will approach it from the south.

We breezed through dunes #12 to #14 but for some unfathomable reason instead of driving to #15 via the nearest sabkha just 400 metres away, I headed west thus making a detour round a long tongue of sand; I now hold the official record for the longest track between #14 and #15 at 17.9km compared to 6.1km straight line. The detour took us within 1.5km of the UAE border over smooth terrain where we were able to pick up some serious speed.

From his book we learn that Mike’s favourite starfish is #10, however our team decided that #15 was the highlight of the trip. You can see it from a long way as it rises from a large sabkha and unlike the oth-ers it is not surrounded by a sea of smaller dunes - it is really out on a limb so to speak. Another unfathomable fact from this trip – nobody took photos of it, so we will just have to go back!

From here it is a short and easy drive to the final Starfish #16, then out to the main Ibri-Buraimi road and home to the UAE. Access to the area is only 15 minutes from the Mezyad/Hafeet UAE/Oman border post and it offers varied terrain, lovely camping and superb views. To do the area justice you really need two full days; if like me you are lucky enough to live in Al Ain you can be there in less than an hour.

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A few weeks ago, I had the very rare privi-lege of playing with my nephews. My older nephew was showing me his kicking skills to get a rugby ball through the poles. Whilst doing so, he was critiquing his own form.

A little about Murray. He loves various sports including, golf, cricket and rugby. He spends hours studying his favourite sport

OUR EXPERTS

What You Do Wellheroes’ form and does his very best to replicate their technique. Due to an earth-shattering event when he was very young, he carries a huge sense of responsibility no nine year old should ever feel. He puts a lot of pressure on himself to achieve the best results all the time.

After a short while of listening to him delivering a bludgeoning account of his own form (and watching his kicking getting worse), I had to stop him. I simply said “You have told me everything that is wrong with your kicking today, now tell me what you have done well”. He stopped and stared at me. It took a little bit of prompting on my part but after a while he too could see that there were definitely elements of his per-formance which were great. As he lined up his next ball, I encouraged him to focus on those good things. The result was immedi-ate. He delivered the perfect kick.

Triathlon is demanding and many of us doing the sport get frustrated when we do not see the desired result all the time. It really affects me to see my clients fail once and then not bounce back and do better next time. I believe the biggest cause for all of this is that they forget to enjoy what

they are doing. They also disregard the gains that their investment in this sport has produced quickly.

So the next time you find yourself beating yourself up about your performance, stop. You have achieved loads just by getting into the sport. Focus on your progress, focus on your strengths. You owe it to yourself. Just like that special little nine-year-old, you deserve to be awesome at any sport, you too are worth every bit as worthy.


Words By: Trace Rogers

How spending time with a very special little boy taught me so much.

Murray and me. Very proud aunt.

Murray playing golf

52 OUTDOORUAE

OUR EXPERTS

Words + Photos by: Kit Belen

Top Water Tuna

Closing the bail of the reel, I pointed the rod tip up and reeled the lure just fast enough so it skitters on top of the choppy waters, doing this mimics the movement of fleeing baitfish; suddenly a huge eruption behind the lure sent my nerves on high alert, I reel faster and got rewarded with another bigger eruption behind the lure. There were two as I have come to realize as they were side by side it was almost difficult to tell had it not been for one of the fish launching itself airborne, then suddenly I felt a sharp tug that stopped me in my tracks, the rod buckled over and the line started to leave the reel at an alarming rate with the familiar song of the drag filling the air. Looking behind my shoulder I see two other guys with bent rods, we were all screaming, elated by the fact that these were our first tuna of the day, and a triple hook-up, all from our first casts.

A long cast towards the chaos of birds and bursting fish, the short pause while waiting for the top water plug to land was almost unbearable. The pandemonium of fish and birds have moved quite a bit to the right of the boat before the lure landed and I was almost certain that I was out of the strike zone, was it us that moved or the fish? I asked myself.

TackleA decade ago, fishing for tuna with top water lures was uncommon, a handful of peo-ple did it with cumbersome rods and thick monofilament lines but the majority of those that chased after tuna were more than likely trollers and live baiters with stout convention-al outfits. Even the ones that were doing it stand up style were using cumbersome heavy outfits. These days, you’ll find that most of those going after tuna with top water lures are using relatively light tackle - who would have thought that a decade after, using light tackle on midsized tuna would be common-place and of all things with spinning gear!

Using light tackle means quite a few things for us:The entire outfit isn’t heavy, this enables us to fish longer and when we do hook up, we fight more of the fish and less of the weight of the gear. It enables us to cast lures farther, reaching fish that become aware of danger because of the boat’s unnatural noise. But because our subject is tuna, a fish notoriously known for bait profiling, that’s when the fish will strike only bait/lures that are the same size of baitfish they are feeding on, the big-gest advantage of using lighter tackle means

it enables you to cast smaller lures that are otherwise difficult, if not impossible, to cast a good distance with the tackle used before.

Rods and ReelsMy standard is a Shimano Twinpower 8000; it is an excellent reel that’s been serving me well for some time. It is a mid-sized reel that is light enough to be used from shore yet heavy enough to be used offshore on small to midsized tuna and dorado. Yet there are still some that find this reel is a bit too big for their liking. I would not recommend a reel that doesn’t have a metal body – I’m not saying that it won’t catch fish, but the flex of

Summertime is a good time to catch some tuna for the table

A metal bodied reel with strong and smooth drag is an essential item for success

When chasing boils you need to be quick and accurate at the cast

Avet SX Raptor a great all around reel, it’s a small powerful reel that can stand up to some monsters

I carry an assortment of both topwater and subsur-face lures to be more flexible when the bite is on


53OUTDOORUAE

Our fishing pro who shares his experiences and er-pertise with OutdoorUAE through his regular column. [email protected]

the composite body will give you problems and faced with a strong fish such as tuna, the reel will not have a long life. I have seen a few people fishing for them with a 5000 - 6000 sized reel (Shimano sizing), for me, this is okay unless there is a possibility of encoun-tering bigger fish, if they do decide to show up, an 8000 sized reel will give you the drag power and line capacity to dog it out.

On the conventional side, which is my favourite, I love casting with my Avet SX Raptor. It can cast just as far as my Twinpower but is more comfortable for me to use as my preference leans towards conventional tackle. Since the lures we cast are heavy, casting them with the SX Raptor is a breeze. Al-though I set mine to zero, the magnetic cast control system is there in case it’s needed, making casting towards the wind a worry free task.

Like the reels, rods have come a long way since. I pair my Twinpower 8000 with a spinning rod designed for popping. The one I’m using isn’t sold in the UAE, but there are lots of quality popping rods available to suit every budget. It will be a challenge to look for a rod that could match a conventional reel such as the Avet SX Raptor as casting with conventional reels isn’t practiced a lot in the region. The thing to remember about casting for tuna is – buy the best possible metal-bodied reel that you can afford and pair it with a good rod for the purpose. I have seen rods broken and reel drags burnt just because they thought their gear was good enough for the task. If you aren’t familiar with this type of fishing, I would suggest you do a little reading online and also ask people who have done it before to get advice on which rod and reel are suitable for the task.

LineBraid is used to give you more distance, more line capacity and an overall stronger line. Don’t even think about using monofila-ment. It will work but you’ll get less line on the reel, shorter casts and if you do get a long runner, you’ll feel like you’re fighting the fish with a long piece of rubber band.

A note about braid and something you should be careful about – there are some that cast better than others and for that matter, I stick with braid specifically designed for cast-ing. There are quite a few Japanese brands specifically made for casting, like Suffix. The most important thing before buying a braid is to ask your friends for feedback on the casta-bility of the line. You don’t want to be out in the middle of a tuna boil dealing with a huge tangle while your friends are catching.

LeadersI’m not fuzzy about leaders; I mostly use mono instead of fluorocarbon. I have used mono and fluorocarbon and to tell you hon-estly, I have not really seen a big enough gap between the two. I believe, if you feel like you’ll catch more fish with fluorocarbon, then go ahead and use it. If you’re more confident about something, you end up fishing a lot more and not fiddling about. I like really long leaders and usually tie on a fresh length for each trip. I find that I have better control over the fish as soon as the leader material gets wrapped at least a couple of times around the reel.

ConnectionsThere are primarily three schools of thought on how to connect a braided line to the leader. There are those that prefer to cast with the knot that connects their braid and leader outside the rod tip and feel they cast farther – primarily, these are the guys that feel that they get more distance with this system.

Another group is those that use very low profile knots that act more like a splice with the leader material knots such as the PR and FJ knots. Using long leaders that get wound around the spool, this system enables the caster to cast long leaders with very little impact on the distance because of the knots – not everyone agrees though and there are varying accounts.

The last group use premade, wind-on lead-ers – using a very strong knot that terminates in a loop and attaches the wind on leader via a loop-to-loop connection. This is an expen-sive way to go and for me, doesn’t really give a lot of advantage, but some guys prefer this system.

Test all three and see what feels comfort-able to you and go with that. I prefer long leaders because I mostly cut back on my leader when changing lures, preferring to create a new knot for each lure change and not rely on one knot with a snap at the end when changing lures – it’s a practice that has become a personal preference over the years and although it would be more convenient for me to just use premade, wind-on leaders, I prefer to tie a PR or FJ knot. I tie a fresh PR or FJ for each trip ensuring I have my desired leader length (which is usually about +/- 10 metres) for each fishing trip. I use this system for all my spin/conventional fishing.

LuresIt is easier to catch tuna with subsurface lures; it’s less complicated, and probably an easier bet to get hooked onto one espe-cially when they are fuzzy. However, catching one on top is explosive and very addictive, the visual aspect of the strike makes you crave for more and gets you addicted to a point where you just want to see the strike and don’t even mind losing the fish.

Poppers and stick baits top the list. The most important thing to remember when choosing one for the task is ensuring it has a thorough wire construction – this means that the wire that holds the hook/hooks is one, solid, piece that runs the length of the lure ensuring the lure stands up to the massive pulling power of tuna and not bend out of the lure.

I like stick baits more than poppers – I have caught tuna on both - this is a personal preference, I just like catching them more on stick baits than I do with poppers. I carry an assortment of poppers, stick baits and cast-ing jigs so I would be able to adjust accord-ing to the conditions at hand.

Getting Out ThereThere are a couple of companies operating in Fujairah that would be able to get you out there. I always go with Soolyman Sport Fish-ing (www.soolymansportfishing.com) as they have an impeccable track record and so far, have been very reliable. There is a couple charter companies that would be able to get you out there, I’m sure it will be worth your while to snoop around online.

It’s summer but fishing doesn’t have to stop. There are alternatives and opportuni-ties unique to this season, you just have to know where to go and put a bit of effort to the trip and you should be able to enjoy one or a few that would forever change your summertime fishing here in the UAE.

Till next tide change,

Kit

Light rods have replaced the big and bulky rods of the past

Poppers work well for surface feeding tuna and is one of the most exciting ways to fish for them

I like stickbaits more than poppers - so much so that I have started to carving out my own

I was approaching my first summer when we had an incident where two riders col-lided on quads. Patrice was still leading and it was already the end of May or maybe early June when the incident happened. It was to be one of our last rides before sum-mer and we wanted to make it a long ride before the summer kicked into full swing. Jerome collided with Pierre and the impact broke his quad’s left hand steering rod. This happened whilst we were already on our way back, around 10:00 a.m. and about 15km from the nearest track/road. We made several repair attempts and were confident that we should be able to get the quad at least to reach the nearest road.

Each attempt failed within metres of starting to ride, yet we were sure we could get her going. If not for Patrice who made the call: “That is it guys! You have spent more than 45 minutes working in the sun and drinking a lot of water. We still have a long way to go. Leave the quad here and

I have always stated that riding in the UAE summer is not a problem. If you have water and your bike/quad is running, then one can manage the heat (only if you are passionate about your riding I should probably add). The problem is when things go wrong. This is when summer is NOT your friend and things immediately can, and will turn ugly.

let’s go before we run out of water.” We were so into the repair that we did not real-ize how much water we had consumed. I ran out of water before we reached the truck road’s little store and that was a three litre hydration pack!

Patrice’s call that day had made a lasting impression and stayed with me since. I have since again been in more than one occa-sion where either a bike ran into trouble, a rider got injured, ran out of water or we got lost. (One very bad situation in Oman six

Summer and When Things Go Wrong…

54 OUTDOORUAE

OUR EXPERTS

Words By: John Basson


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

years ago that I never want to relive). I have written about summer riding and things to remember in the past, but for those who don’t know: A rider passed away during a “social” ride last month in Dubai. I have very limited information regard-ing the incident. All I do know is that they were only two riders and somehow they got separated. One was on a quad and as I understand, is new to quads in the desert, and the other rider was on a bike. Nobody was sure what happened next but the rider on the quad never reached the vehicles. His body was found by means of a rescue helicop-ter and only 300 meters from the vehicle. It would be unfair to speculate on what exactly had gone wrong, but I am confident (personal opinion only) that the heat was a great contributing factor as it did not look like the rider was involved in a fall/crash.

Let’s recap on some interesting things a lot of people might not have thought about:If you incur an accident during summer and you are still in the desert any time after 10:00 a.m., the injured rider CANNOT sit nor lie down. The picture of the injured sitting in the limited shade was in March. If that was in July he would not have been sitting. A friend of mine got his leg broken inside his boot from a quad colliding with him. He had to remain seated on his bike as the sand was too hot for him to sit. This was far from ideal as you actually

want the leg elevated to reduce pressure.Any person that has ever gotten a bike or

quad unstuck from soft sand will know how much physical energy is required to lift, pull, push or drag these bikes out. Even in winter I have seen riders needing a five minute break just to recover before they were capable to ride again. If the same effort is made whilst 45°C plus, and with full safety gear, it becomes a whole different ball game. Again I have seen riders that almost passed out and we had to wait a very long time before they were capable just to get back on the bike during summer riding.

Dehydration symptoms are often recognized too late and by the time a rider realizes he is dehydrated it is normally in an advanced stage.

All is not bad, and many riders ride in sum-mer. I believe if you stick to some basic guide-lines, and are of course, also passionate about your riding, even the summer can be enjoyed.

These are my personal guidelines that I impart to groups that I ride with during summer:1. All riders to have at least 2.2 litres (75oz) hydration packs. 2. Drink as much water with rehydration supplements before you start riding.3. I do not wait for latecomers in summer. We meet at 5:00 a.m. and start the ride by 5:30 a.m. If you don’t make the time, join us on the next one.4. I try to ride only with experienced riders and a minimum of three riders.5. No ride more than 60km total for the day. If you go on longer (further) rides you get back too late and have no reserve time.6. We try to be back at the vehicles by 7:30 a.m. and the bikes loaded by 8:00 a.m. This gives us about two hours reserve in case some-thing should go wrong. 7. All riders must have GPS and mobiles. 8. Do not get separated and do regular stops to ensure all riders are present. Brief new riders in the group as to your groups’ procedure if someone gets separated. 9. Most important: Ride to enjoy and keep the kamikaze stuff for winter.

Ride Safe and Go For Gold,

John Basson

PEOPLE

Occupation: Pro-athleteNationality: DutchAge: 27

Tell us how you

and the sea began...

I grew up close by the beach and it was just the place where I felt home. Nothing on the horizon clears my mind more than an endless playground and fun things to do. My buddies and I started flying power kites on the beach at the age of 10. Two years later, we saw the first big inflatable kite on the water and from that point on I knew what I wanted to do.

How has your injury in the 2006

World Tour impacted your

kitesurfing career?

I really wanted to aim for the top spot in 2006. Two weeks before the tour started, I had a bad crash and it hurt my ankle; it was really bad in the beginning but after a while it started mak-ing more sense — I wouldn’t focus on scoring points in a contest but would rather freeride and have fun. This resulted in me develop-ing skills in extreme weather conditions and performing some of the biggest jumps. Now I’ve built a full-on career out of that so I think that particular injury did a lot of good!

Are there any other sports

that you are involved with?

When there’s no wind, I love to go freediving, surfing and sometimes mountain biking but that’s a bit more risky. I try to stay away from getting injured through different activities.

In your opinion,

what constitutes your

riding style?

My whole riding style is basically freeriding and I like to take that to the extreme - flying as big, high, far and powerful as possible with my kite.

What do you love most

about your sport?

There are so many things that I love about kitesurfing - it’s my passion, my lifestyle and I get so much from it. It brings me peace, timelessness, adrenaline, challenges, health, friends and business! What’s there not to love? I mean the first thing I fell in love with is the moment you hook yourself to the kite and there’s no thinking about the past or the future it’s all about feeling and enjoying the moment.

What’s your most

challenging kitesurfing

performance to date?

Jumping over a 40-metre wide concrete pier in the south of Spain definitely gave me some adrenaline. Also jumping from a 100-metre high cliff in Norway was amazing to do but I believe it’s the challenges ahead that I want to conquer that will be most challenging. The possibilities are endless, so we’re looking to do some very extreme performances as soon as we’ve developed the right equipment.

How does it feel being

an inspiration

towards kitesurfers

around the globe?

It’s amazing to be in such a position where you get to share your passion with the world and

inspire people and especially kids to do what they love. This is how I found my passion and path in life, so I love telling how much kitesurf-ing has given me just by following my feeling and doing what feels right.

Do you see yourself

continuing in the

sport years from now?

I got into the sport when it was just starting and now after two decades the majority of the world still doesn’t know about it, or in case they do know something about it, it’s often “Oh that’s a dangerous sport“ or “It’s very ex-pensive”. Of course there’s some risk involved but walking on the sidewalk is more danger-ous. The equipment these days are very safe and accessible; you just need a lesson or two to understand how it all works. You wouldn’t drive a car without knowing what to do, the same goes for kitesurfing. It’s Mother Nature you’re playing with so definitely take care. But then again, it comes with a whole lifestyle that people love. So I see myself loving and living this sport for the rest of my life. Not sure until how much I can push the limits but I can definitely always promote and inspire so that’s my goal!

What comes next for you? Are

there any other events that

you are preparing for?

Gear development is taking up a fair amount of time, and we’re looking to start a new team - The Extreme Team with Nick Jacobsen and Jesse Richman. We’re currently working on the right structure and ways to make this hap-pen but once that’s in place we hope to find funding and build the right gear for very ex-treme stunts and adventures. In the meantime I’m travelling the world to ride hard, fly high, do clinics, demos and performances.

Lastly, how extreme is Ruben

Lenten willing to go? Are there

any extreme thoughts in mind?

Good question; well, I’ve always done what felt right and I will continue to do so. Having said that it’s obvious a comfort zone needs to expand and grow but hopefully we’ll end up in space with our kites and do some three-dimensional flying on the way down. Send us to the moon!

Radical, out-of-this-world and extreme, these are just some of the words that define Ruben Lenten as he positions himself on his board for another run on the water. Known as one of the world’s most renowned kitesurfers, he is also known for defying gravity with what he does as he breaks the bounda-ries of how high a kitesurfer can go. We exchanged some thoughts with him about where he plans to surf next; clue? It’s not on this planet.

Ruben Lenten

...hopefully we’ll end up in space with our kites and do some three-dimensional flying on the way down. Send us to the moon!

I want to one day know that if there is a cure for cancer, I will know that I helped with the research in finding that cure.

PEOPLE

At such a young age, how

did you get into running

and outdoor sports?

I didn’t really get into running as such but I enjoy being outdoors as much as I can, so I put that to good use and chose to start sports outdoors, like swimming.

How did you find out about

Al Jalila Foundation and how

could our readers get involved

as well?

I found out about Al Jalila Foundation via my close family friends that work at Mediclinic Middle East, David Hadley, the Chief Execu-tive Officer and Peter Menelauo, the Chief Marketing Officer. Ever since I was introduced to Al Jalila Foundation I feel as though I am constantly doing good things to give back, by fundraising and by raising awareness for cancer research. You can get in touch by going onto Al Jalila Foundation’s website at www.aljalilafoundation.ae or by visiting www.justgiv-ing.com/aljalila.

What do you think about the

current trend of sports for a

cause in the UAE? Do you see it

growing?

The current trend of sports for a cause in the UAE is fairly moderate, but I can see that it is growing quite quickly, with me doing races for

Jade WilkinsonOccupation : Student, Dubai British SchoolNationality : South AfricanAge : 16

Youth is one of greatest un-bridled gifts that life offers us. It is at this age that we get to enjoy activities during what is known as our prime years. It is the time when we are most capable to take on challenges be it a marathon or a hike up a mountain. So it came as no surprise us when Jade, a girl only 16 years of age has been very active in the great outdoors. Being a participant in several marathons around the UAE, this young lady is one to watch. We catch up with her during the downtime for this season.

cancer research, I am getting other people to notice and join me, like my friends from school have also participated in these races with me, which I love.

Are there any other sports

that you are involved with?

Yes, I love to do trampolining, swimming, rounders, riding my motorbike and scuba diving.

We have read that you recently

participated in the Spartan

Race and Dubai Holding Verti-

cal Marathon to raise funds

for cancer research, why did

you choose this cause?

I chose to raise funds for cancer research be-cause cancer affects a lot of people and their families. I want to one day know that if there is a cure for cancer, I will know that I helped with the research in finding that cure.

In what way were you challenged

by the recently finished Dubai

Holding Vertical Marathon?

I completed the Dubai Holding Vertical Mara-thon with two of my friends from school; the biggest challenge? Running UP 1,334 steps!

What’s your most

challenging race to date?

The Spartan Race.

It’s people like you that

make the world a better place

to live in by helping those

in need, how does this act of

fellowship affect you in your

sport and daily life?

This act of fellowship affects me in my sport and daily life in the way that I am always hap-pier reflecting on where all that I am doing is going. I love feeling great about what I can do to help.

Do you have a dream run

of sorts? Where or who

would it be with?

My dream run would be an awesome fun run

where the participants have to go through a lot of mud and water and climb over things but also where there would be stations where you must solve problems.

Do you see yourself continuing

in the sport years from now?

I do see myself continuing with trampolining years from now, as long as I don’t get any injuries that could put me out of the sport.

What comes next for you? Are

there any other events that

you are preparing for?

I plan on doing a sponsored vow of silence and I also hope to do my own events that involve me swimming or trampolining.

And lastly, if we were to meet

in the road and we talked about

marathons, how would you con-

vince me to be part of it?

I would say: “if I can do it, anyone can!” I have not done a marathon before but the Spartan race certainly counts for something.

Get outdoors in the uae

LOCATIONS

Arabian HighsWords By: Sean James

Hiking – A series of articles to help you start or gain progress from your hiking in the region

The massive Mount Noshaq in Afghanistan

Looking towards Jebel Shams, highest point in Oman

Highest point in Iran, Mt Damavand

This month we are going to look at hiking and adventure challenges around the world and in particular focus on the Middle East region. Setting a challenge with multiple goals is a good way to keep up the motivation over a long period of time.

The Highest Mountains in the Middle EastWe have taken 17 countries that compose the Middle East region and ranked their high points. The highest is in Afghanistan at a staggering 7492m. The lowest is in Qatar at only 103m, surely an easy option to say that you have climbed the highest point in a country if you have a layover.

Hikers and climbers like to build lists that they can set as a goal or objective. I have not heard of any individual having

The month of July is not a good month for hiking in our region. The weather this year has been windy and hot already and it’s extremely dangerous to be in the mountains at this time. However, what you can do is prepare a list of things to do here when the weather cools down after a few months. Those who have escaped to hike in foreign places will be very pleased that they have done so and be in great shape to plan what they are going to do over the UAE winter hiking season.

claimed to have done the highest points in the Middle East. It would definitely be a challenge logistically and physically to climb all of them. Anyone who did manage to climb all of these summits would get an understanding of the area in which we live and surely it would promote communication across the region.

The table shows all of the Middle East countries in descending order. Also shown is the ranking of the country in world terms. For example, the UAE would be ranked as being in 144th place for its highest peak in a list of countries and their relative high points. This is not the 144th highest mountain in the world as Nepal alone has more than 144 mountains

higher than in the UAE. It means that there are 143 more countries with higher points as their highest mountain. All information about Middle East high points is taken from www.peakbagger.com

Some of these mountains are fairly low and easier to climb than others but to complete the collection would really be a challenge.

Other Collections for Aspiring MountaineersThroughout the world there are many collections of high mountains. The practice of climbing collections of mountains is often called “peak bagging” and very popular in other countries around the world. Here are some of the most common.Seven SummitsThe highest points of the seven continents of the worldSecond Seven SummitsThe second highest points of the seven continents of the worldThe Volcanic Seven SummitsThe highest volcanoes of the seven continents of the world8000m peaksThe 14 mountains over 8000m in heightThe Snow LeopardsAll 5 peaks over 7000m in the former Soviet Union

59OUTDOORUAE

UAE’s highest point Jebel Yibir

The Sinai Peninsula of Egypt

The high point in Bahrain, Jabal ad Dukhan

Start point 25°39’0.01”N56° 7’22.16”E

Off-road driving required? No

Distance and time from Mirdif to start 142km 105min

Navigation on hike Advanced navigation and route finding

Time required for hike 5 - 6 hours

Distance 14.3km

Elevation gain on hike 850m

High point 1366m

Grocery / water on hike No

Possible to encounter a vehicle on trail? No

Suitable for all the family? Requires experience in scrambling, decision making and route finding. Some of the track is defined. There are some steep and loose rock sections with decisions to make at intersections.

Quick Checklist Route Planning

If you are not confident going or starting hikes alone or you just want to have an expert or a group of nice peo-ple with you, OutdoorArabia is offering hikes lead by our expert Sean James. outdoorarabia.com/regional-trips

The highest point in Kuwait, Mutla Ridge

Mount Ararat in Turkey

Cheekha Dar in Iraq

Alpine 4000mThere are 82 peaks in the Europeans Alps that are over 4000mUS 14,000Known as Fourteeners, this collection of 89 peaks in the US are all over 14,000 feetAll Mountains with 1000km of IsolationThere are 86 peaks in the world where the nearest high point is more than 1000km awayAll Mountains with 4000m of ProminenceThere are 22 peaks in the world that have a vertical distance of over 4000m from the summit to the lowest contour that circles itTop 10 UAE High PointsThe highest points in the UAEMiddle East High PointsThe 17 highest points in the Middle EastThe MunrosThere are 282 mountains over 3000ft in the UK

Why You Should Set Yourself a Mountain ChallengeMountaineering and hiking are both two of the most exhilarating and exciting sports you can do both in the UAE and worldwide.

The high mountains are nature’s most elegant objectives and goals combining the thrill of climbing to the highest points in your country or indeed the world with risks such as crevasses, avalanches and the changeable weather.

However as your experience progresses you will gain mastery and knowledge and this confidence will give you a feeling of wellbeing and progression.

Getting to the summits of any of these peaks requires experience, skill, physical strength; planning and mental fortitude. Being in the mountains uses a full range of outdoor skills, from hiking fitness, setting up camp to more advanced techniques such as scrambling, climbing and even travelling across glaciers and snow.

Whether planning a short summer walk or a multi-day expedition to the Himalayas, hiking and mountaineering offers something for everyone.

If you want to get started and learn new skills, the best thing to do is go with a qualified instructor, join a group, go out with friends or family or simply start exploring.

By reading and talking to likeminded individuals, you will soon learn essential skills and techniques such as the correct clothing and equipment, hazards and dangers to look out for, mountain weather, navigation, camping and survival skills, emergency procedures and first aid and generally how to have a good time and enjoy the outdoors.

A Hike for JulyThe hike this month is a really long one and is near Jebel Yibir, the highest mountain in the UAE and is definitely a good challenge to set for yourself. It is long and requires some advanced navigation, route finding and some tricky rock steps. Expect to be out all day with stops for water and lunch. There are no shops on the trail. It starts near the military post at the top of the new super road. Look over the wall and start heading down the steep slope before contouring around the hill. You must be in superb physical shape and not attempt this hike in the summer. Although it is higher, it is still hot and you need to take adequate water. You can also set this hike as a goal for the cooler winter months and use the exercises in the magazine to set yourself a goal.

You can download the GPS files from our website www.outdooruae.com in the downloads section

If you would like to join a guided hike with OutdoorUAE please contact us.

60 OUTDOORUAE

Exercise During the Travelling Season!Photos By: Jung FranciscoWords By: Mark Poolan

MARK POOLANFitness Manager Fitness First Al Manzil

Now that the summer travelling season is upon us, we might need to start thinking of how to keep our mus-cles active and maintaining our car-diovascular fitness with limited or no resources at all. When travelling, there might not be any gyms or leisure centres available to you so we need to think of exercises outside the gym environment and look at exercise we can do out in the parks or either in your hotel room.

During any exercise routines you may want to try incorporating the seven primal movement patterns in the human body. All the primal movements are very relevant in how we move and live our lives today. By doing these exercises correctly, you can guarantee that every muscle in the body will be utilized. The seven primal move-ment patterns are: Push, Pull, Squat, Lunge, Bend, Twist and Gait. It is very important that we keep our body working in these seven primal movement patterns through three-dimensional planes of motion. These planes of motion are: Frontal plane which is lateral movement, Sagittal plane is forward and backward movements and Transverse plane is any rotational movements.

7. High Knee Sprints on The Spot (Gait)This is simple! Run as fast as you can on one spot keeping high knees and good arm movement. This exercise will be very high intensity using maximum effort for the full 30 seconds. Incorporating high knees will ensure that increased range of motion is kept through the hip and knee joint.

30 Minute High Intensity Circuit (HIIT)30 Seconds Exercise with 30 Seconds rest

1. Press up Variations (Push)Start in a push up position with your arms just wider than shoulder width apart. Always remember to keep a neutral spine throughout this exercise. Lower the body as low as possible keeping good position and return to the starting point. After this we are just going to repeat the process altering your arm positions.

2. Supine Lat Press (Pull)Start lying supine on the floor with your elbows tucked in to the upper body and your forearms vertical to the ground. Angle your legs and place your feet on the floor. Push down through your elbows and guide your body up. Remember to initiate the movement from your arms and not your abs. Remember to keep your head in a neutral position and keep looking up. The angle between your upper arm and the ground should be as small as possible.

3. Squat Explode Ups (Squats)Put your feet shoulder width apart with your toes pointing out slightly. Initiate the movement from the hips and drop down with your bum ensuring your weight is kept through the heels and your knees don’t go past your toes. Go as low as possible; ensure good form is kept throughout. Once maximum depth has been achieved, explode up through your legs and jump as high as possible. Once in midair, flick your heels back towards your bum. Remember to cushion your landing and land with bent knees.

4. 3D Lunges (Lunge)Start in an upright position. Step one foot out in front and drop the back leg so it just touches the floor. The key in this is that you do not lunge over your toes and the actual movement is in the trailing leg. Just re-member: Step, Stop and Drop (the trailing knee). Now repeat this process forward, back and side to side. Complete on one leg first then change legs.

5. Burpee (Bend)Burpee exercise is a full body aerobic and muscular endurance exercise. This is a great way to keep the full body functioning working through full range of motion. Start standing upright with feet shoulder width apart. Lower into a squat position with your hands flat on the floor. Kick your legs backwards into a press up position and lower your chest to the floor. Push your chest back up into the starting press up position thrusting both feet forward so you’re back in the squat position. Jump and raise both hands over your head.

6. Russian Twist (Rotation)Lie down on the floor placing both feet flat or under something that will not move. Elevate your upper body so that it creates a V-shape with your thighs. Keep your arms positioned straight out in front of you - per-pendicular to your torso. Twist your torso to both the right and left side until your arms are parallel to the floor. Once this position is reached, hold for one second and return to the starting point. Repeat this on both sides

62 OUTDOORUAE

Words By: Sean James

TIPS & TRICKS

Amongst the topics, we are hoping to strengthen the major leg and arm muscles that you use when you ride by showing you a systematic programme that will also de-crease the chance of becoming injured and make you more aware of the mechanics of your body. This month we look at exercises to improve your core.

Core exercises are very different from the more dynamic movements we showed you last month. These can be done in moments of quietness, before or after a ride.

Research on cyclists show that when the core muscles become fatigued, the me-chanics of your pedal action break down and consequently your performance and efficiency drops. Injury can also follow. It’s great to have super strong legs and arms but that power cannot be transmitted into the pedals unless there is a strong core platform to push off.

Perform one complete routine of each of the five exercises below, resting 15 seconds between each exercise. Aim for two sessions a week. A study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research reported that cy-clists who cooled down with a core workout had significantly better lactate clearance, which helps reduce muscle fatigue, than those who did nothing so a great time to do them is after a ride.

Core strength means hips, butt, lower back and abdomen. It means flexing and ex-tending the trunk as in back extensions and crunches. It also means stabilizing against a force such as gravity in exercises such as bridging. Integration exercises that work the abdominal, back, hip and butt muscles all at the same time are the best core strengthen-ing exercises. Below are five exercises that you can use in your own sessions and will


Core StrengthThis is a series of articles

looking at exercises that can be used to improve your mountain biking.

probably see being used if you join a class. To improve your endurance, perform the exercises in a circuit format — one after an-other with little to no rest. Remember to be slow and controlled and to breathe deeply.

1. The PlankThe infamous plank is the most famous exercise for strengthening the core. It builds endurance in your arms, shoulders, and core muscles. Start on your elbows with your spine as straight as possible. Hold this posi-tion for the next 30 seconds. Do not twist or sag at the waist. If you want to mimic being on a mountain bike, do the plank on your hands, it strengthens the stabilizer muscles in your shoulder joint. Perform three set with 30 seconds rest in between. As you become more proficient, increase the time that you spend in the plank position.

2. Glute BridgeThis exercise will increase the strength of the glute. Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Extend one leg straight into the air as shown below. Raise your hips up using the strength of the opposite hip only. Keep the hips level and try not to wobble. Hold each raise for 10

seconds and lower. Repeat 10 times on each side. Keep the hips level and in line with your torso. Any weakness in the stabilizing muscles will show by a lack of balance and uneven hip position.

All of these exercises are good to do with a partner as they can watch for correct posi-tion.

3. CrunchesCrunches are great for helping the area around the abdomen and stomach. Lie on your back. Bend your knees towards your butt but keep your feet flat on the floor in a comfortable position. Lift your head and shoulders off the floor and then lower slowly keeping everything in line. Keep your neck in a neutral position and don’t pull on your head or curve your spine. It is possible to increase the intensity by lifting your feet off the floor or having your legs straight. Remember it is not the number of reps you perform but the control and position you maintain. You will definitely feel a burn in your abdomen muscles doing this. Exhale deeply when you rise and inhale when you lower back down.


See www.outdoorarabia.com or contact [email protected] for details of our courses and hikes in the UAE wilderness.

4. SupermansThis exercise can feel uncomfortable if you lie on a hard floor so try and place some padding such as a mat or towel. Lie on the floor on your stomach with your arms extended overhead. Look straight ahead. Using your core, lift your arms, shoulders and legs off the floor at the same time and then lower. You only need to hold in the raised position for a second and squeeze your glutes.

Every time you return to the lower posi-tion relax your body and take a deep breath before inhaling on the way up again.

Do four sets of 10 reps of the Superman raise in each cycle.

5. Hanging Knee RaiseYou will need something high to hang on to for this exercise such as the pull up bars at the gym or the underside of the roof by the parking at Al Qudra. Start hanging with straight arms and legs dangling. Contract the core muscles. Lift your knees as high as you can slowly towards your waist. Remem-ber to also lower them slowly and in control as this is half of the exercise. Try to do four sets of 10 raises.

Tips for Core Strengthening ExercisesThe exercises above are a guide to get you started and you should be able to do them alone. The key is getting the correct posture and technique. There are other useful sourc-es of information such as internet videos and professional instructors. Keep these tips in mind when you are doing the exercises alone. The more you do them, the more you will learn about your body and how it works.

1. Contract your abdominal muscles (core) throughout all the exercises. Think of keeping your belly button pressed into your spine. 2. Do all the exercises in a slow and con-trolled manner. Do not try and throw your body around and avoid jerking motions.3. Breathe slowly and smoothly throughout all the exercises. We have tried to explain when to inhale and when to exhale.4. These five exercises are the basics. There are many more. Always try and add variety into your core training routine to motivate yourself.5. As you progress, you will understand which exercises affect which muscles. Try to target your whole core by alternating abdominal, back and side exercises. Also learn to use both mobility and stability exercises.

A Workout on the Bike

The Fast StartLast month we looked at a simple workout that involved intervals and how they could improve your biking. This month the workout is looking at how we can improve our starts.

Even if you have warmed up before a ride or a race, starting a mountain bike is always the hardest until your muscles are truly working. In a race, this is crucial especially on single track races such as Showka or Hatta where the ability to start fast and recover at race pace is important. Getting to the front could mean all the difference either for the drafting aspects and particularly as the overtaking opportunities may be fewer. The fast start is something that

Core strength is important on rough ground

The Hatta Trails are perfect for intervals and core training pays off

is trainable and if you have developed your muscle memory you will leave your opponents and friends on the trail behind you.

So to train your body to become accus-tomed to fast starts in a race, find a wide and flat open area that narrows down to a single track after a few minutes. A few sessions like the one below will see you getting to the front a lot more easily.

You can do this session by yourself or in a group and it also provides a bit of fun. You or the group should go together on an imaginary start line as you would for a typical race. If you are using clips, snap one foot in and the other on the ground. Check that you are in the correct gear for a fast getaway. You don’t want the gears grinding when you put the power down suddenly. Get someone to call the start and accelerate quickly away. Ride at your maximum pace for one minute then without stopping, settle in at the threshold pace or heart rate zone four or power L4 for an extra nine minutes. If you don’t have an HR monitor or a power meter, this zone is roughly 80 – 90% of your maximum. It should feel that you have a conscious effort to go fast but is still com-fortable and a level down from the max that you started the race at. After the nine minute mark, select an easy gear and spin back to the start or continue with your ride. Do two of these fast starts once per week during the month leading up to your next race and see how more comfortable you feel at the start of races. This workout can also be used mid race to get ahead of your opponent and get to a particularly narrow section first.

Here the climber is following a natural crack line and using a traditional style and protection

Sport climbers use bolts that remain fixed to the rock as protection

Bouldering is on much smaller features

Soloing is without a rope but you must know the grade of the route to avoid danger

Deep water soloing is performed over water

Climbing on buildings is often illegal but seems popular in the UAE

So for this first issue let’s take a look at the main types of climbing. There is such a variety of aspects to mountaineering and climbing that there will be something for everyone. Most people will take part in all of the styles but have a particular favourite.

Rock Climbing:

The Essentials

TIPS & TRICKS


Over the next few months in OutdoorUAE, we are going to take a look at what has been one of the fastest growing sports over the past few years: rock climbing. We will look at different aspects of the sport ranging from bouldering to traditional and big wall climbing. There are many benefits to getting involved in climbing.

Traditional (Trad) ClimbingThis type of climbing involves ascending routes outside on cliffs or mountains. The lead climber must place their own protection in cracks, holes and natural placements in case of a fall. Once completed, the second person in the pair then follows and removes the technical gear which have names such as hexes, cams, Friends and nuts as they themselves go up. A traditional “pitch” may be 20 – 30m long. A climb may be a single pitch or consist or multiple pitches.

Sport ClimbingThis climbing is similar in characteristic to trad climbing and is also performed out-doors although it can be done indoors as well. The difference between trad and sports climbing is the use of pre placed bolts. The bolts remain drilled or glued into the rock or wall and the climber simply climbs using quickdraws that provide a link between the bolt and the rope. Bolts are often used where the walls are blank and natural protec-tion cannot be placed.

BoulderingBouldering involves climbing both indoors and outdoors on short, challenging prob-lems. People who boulderdo so without a rope on boulders, rocks or walls that are low enough to fall from safely. The moves are of-ten harder than on routes and the boulderer will practise a route several times before they do it cleanly. Thick, padded crash mats are often used to provide cushioning when the boulderer jumps or drops off.

Highball BoulderingNow we get to the more risky and adrena-line-pumped end of climbing. Highball boul-dering is the term given to boulder problems that are higher than normal bouldering. The added height and lack of rope can produce more excitement and fear. Highball boul-dering requires extreme concentration and nerve plus people to spot you and even more than one crash mat.

SoloingSoloing is the practise of climbing routes without a rope. It obviously carries a higher level of risk. Soloing is different from bouldering in that people who solo will climb pitches of 20 – 30m that are normally climbed by trad or sport climbers rather than small boulders.

Deep Water SoloingDeep water soloing has become extremely popular worldwide and particularly in Musandam. We have the perfect weather and a dhow trip to explore the sea cliffs of northern Oman; it is a true adventure. DWS is climbing without a rope i.e. soloing above deep water. Although there are guidebooks indicating where to DWS, often people who DWS simply find the easiest and most fun way up a cliff. They then either jump from the top or fall off into the water.


65OUTDOORUAE

There are many impressive locations in the UAE

Climbers wear a harness and carry equipment to protect themselves

Belaying is the process of managing the ropes to protect a fall

BuilderingThis is a recent form of bouldering and the word has been adapted for those who climb short problems on the features of buildings.

How to Get StartedIf you are a beginner, the best way to start climbing is to go along on a taster session at one of the walls in Dubai or Abu Dhabi. Next month we take a detailed look at indoor climbing. Some of the walls have specific

times and others you have to book and take an assessment.

There are also many places to climb outside in the cooler months and we will be featuring regular stories on the locations and details of these crags in the coming months. The UAE is fortunate that there is such a variety of rock types from small boulders to 20m cliffs to long routes. There is something for everyone.

What Equipment Do You Need?You don’t need that much equipment to start climbing indoors in fact all of the walls have equipment for hire and staff to offer advice on what to buy when you want your own.

Rock ShoesAlthough you can climb in training shoes, a specialist pair of rock shoes will help you improve much quicker. Rock climbing shoes have super sticky rubber on the soles to provide a high level of friction for push-ing against the small holds. They also have firmer soles and defined edges to provide great stability and balance when you need to stand on more precise footholds. When you first try a pair of shoes they feel incredibly tight but they should not feel uncomfortable or cramp your toes. Some people climb in socks and some without. It’s a matter of per-sonal preference although for longer routes with multiple pitches, a pair of socks may be more comfortable while without socks you can feel more precise just like in ballet shoes.Chalk Block / Chalk Balls

Chalk is used by climbers, weightlifters and gymnasts to reduce the sweat on their hands and preventing slipping off the holds. The chalk that climbers use is magnesium carbonate (MgCO3) and can be purchased in powdered form, blocks or in a chalk ball that can be squeezed to release the powder.

Chalk BagA chalk bag is needed to store and carry the chalk. Trad and sport climbers, often wear a chalk bag attached to a belt around their waist so that they can frequently dip their hands into it to reapply a coating of chalk powder as they spend a long time on a pitch. Boulderers who do much lower prob-lems with maybe only 4 – 6 moves will leave their chalk bags on the mat and chalk their hands once before climbing.

HarnessThere are many different styles of harnesses. They all have to meet a particular safety standard. The most popular style consists of a waist and legs loops that are adjust-able and connected. Tying the rope to the harness means you are able to be protected when you climb a pitch indoors or outdoors. There are also harnesses that fit around the chest to provide greater security for larger climbers, small children or injured climbers.

Belay deviceWhen climbing a route or pitch you will need a belay device. Belaying is a technical skill but is easily learnt and is used to protect a lead climber in the case of a fall or simply to lower them down when they have finished climbing. Any climbing course should focus on the practices of belaying.

Screw-lock KarabinerA karabiner is used to attach the belay de-vice to the harness. It is called a screw-lock because it has a gate that can be pushed open but also twists shut to prevent it from accidentally flipping open.

ClothingClimbing is a physical activity and you want to be able to move easily and freely so clothes that are loose or stretch such as Lycra are ideal. There are many brands that are climbing specific and they have some great designs and fabrics.

RopesTo trad or sports climb you will need a rope unless you are planning to solo. Most climbing walls will have ropes for top-roping that are left in place. As you become more experienced and climb outdoors and you move on to leading routes you will need to take your own rope with you.

HelmetA helmet is essential if you are climbing outside and there is the potential for loose rocks from above. A helmet will also protect you in case of a slip, trip or fall and a knock to the head.

66 OUTDOORUAE


UAE DIRECTORYGeneral Sports Equipment MegastoresAdventure 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.aeDecathlon, Dubai, Mirdif City Centre, +971 42839392Go Sport, The Dubai Mall: +971 43253595; Abu Dhabi Mall: +971 26454595; Bawabat Al Sharq Mall, Abu Dhabi: +971 25868240InterSport, Dubai Times Square Centre: +971 43418214 and Dubai Festival City: +971 42066581,www.intersport.aePeiniger BMT Est., CBD, Khalifa Street, Yateem Optician Bldg., Abu Dhabi, UAE, +971 26262332, www.peiniger.orgSun and Sand Sports, most shopping centres, +971 43504444, www.sunandsandsports.com

Adventure tours and desert safarisAlpha Tours, Off #512, 5th Flr., Al Qwais Bldg., Al Ittihad Road, Deira, Dubai, +971 42949888, www.alphatoursdubai.comDadabhai Travel, SR 1&2, GF, Gulf Towers, Oud Metha Rd. Dubai, +971 43885566,www.dadabhaitravel.aeDesert Rangers, Dubai, +971 43572200, www.desertrangers.com Desert Road Tourism, Office 503, 5th Flr., Al Khor Plaza, Dubai, +971 42959429, www.arabiantours.com Dreamdays, First Floor Rm. 107 Ibn Battuta Gate (Offices) Sheikh Zayed Rd., +971 44329392, www.dreamdays.ae Dream Explorer LLC, Shop no # 9, Plot # 312-504, Al Musalla Building , Mina Bazar, Bur Dubai, +971 43544481, www.dreamexplorerdubai.comDubai Relax Travel, National Towers: Churchill Tower Suite #614, Business Bay, Dubai, +971 44221776, www.dubairelaxtours.comElement Fitness, Dubai, +971 502771317, www.element-fitness.net Explorer Tours, Umm Ramool, Dubai, +971 42861991, www.explorertours.aeGulf for Good, Dubai, +971 43680222,www.gulf4good.orgGulf Ventures, Dnata Travel Centre+971 44045880, www.gulfventures.comMMI Travel, Mezzanine Floor, Dnata Travel Centre, Shk Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43166579, www.theemiratesgroup.comNet Group, Dubai and Abu Dhabi, +971 26794656, www.netgroupauh.comOasis Palm Dubai, Dubai, +971 42628889, www.opdubai.com Rahhalah, Dubai, +971 44472166, www.rahhalah.comVera City Tours, Downtown, Dubai, UAE, +971 556100414, www.veracitytours.comWild Guanabana, Dubai, +971 567954954, www.wildguanabana.comClubsAbu Dhabi Fishing, Camping, Kayaking, & Adventure Club, +971504920860, [email protected]

AirBallooning Adventures Emirates, Dubai, +971 42854949, www.ballooning.aeDubai Paragliders, www.microaviation.org, +971 552120155 or +971 552250193Jazirah Aviation Club, Ras Al Khaimah, +971 6139859, www.jac-uae.netSeawings, Dubai, www.seawings.comSky Dive Dubai, Dubai, +971 501533222, www.skydivedubai.ae

Boating & SailingManufacturerAl Fajer Marine, Dubai, Al Quoz, +971 43235181, www.alfajermarine.comAl Jeer Marina, RAK border Musandam, +971 72682333/+971 504873185, www.aljeerport.aeAl Shaali Marine, Ajman, +971 67436443, www.alshaalimarine.comAlyousuf Industrial, LLC,+971 43474111, www.aym.ae,[email protected] Pearl Charter, Saeed Tower 1 office # 3102, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, UAE,

YAS

+971 43889666, www.elitepearlcharter.comGulf Craft, Ajman, +971 67406060, www.gulfcraftinc.comDistributors and DealersArt Marine, Shed Nr. 31, Jaddaf, Dubai, UAE, +971 4324061, www.artmarine.ae / www.artmarinechandley.comAzure Marine, Dubai, +971 43404343, www.azuremarine.net Luxury Sea Boats, Dubai, +971 505589319, www.luxuryseaboats.com Macky Marine LLC, Dubai, +971 505518317, www.mackymarine.comNautilus Yachts, Sharjah, +971 65576818, www.nautilusyachts.comThe Boat House, Dubai, Al Quoz, +971 43405152, www.theboathouse.aeUAE Boats 4 Sale, Dubai Marina, +971 44471501, www.uaeboats4sale.comWestern Marine, Marina Yacht Club, Dubai, +971 43039744 EquipmentAli Khalifah Moh Al Fuqaei, Deira, Dubai, +971 42263220Al Masaood Marine, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43468000, www.masaoodmarine.comBlue Waters Marine, Shop 11, The Curve Bldg., Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43808616 / +971 553899995, [email protected], www.bluewatersmarine.com Extreme Marine, Dubai, +971 43992995, www.extrememarine-me.comJapan Marine General Trading, Al Garhoud Road, Liberty Building, Dubai, +971 559299111, +971 42828255, [email protected], www.japanmarine.coRineh Emirates Trading LLC, Dubai, Al Quoz, +971 43391512, www.rinehemiratesme.comRepairs and MaintenanceExtreme Marine, Dubai, Dubai Marina, +971 43992995, www.extrememarine-me.comRineh Emirates, Sheikha Sana Warehouse 1, Al Quoz, +971 43391512, [email protected], www.rinehemirates.comSNS Marine, JAFZA Techno Park, Jebel Ali, Dubai, +971 501405058, [email protected], www.snsmarine.aeThe Boat House, Dubai, Al Quoz, +971 43405152, www.theboathouse.aeCruise OperatorsAl Bateen Marina, Abu Dhabi, +971 26665491, www.marinaalbateenresort.comAl Marsa Travel & Tourism, Dibba, Musandam, +968 26836550, +971 65441232Bateaux Dubai, Dubai Creek opposite the British Embassy, +971 43994994Bristol Middle East, Dubai Marina, +971 44309941, www.bristol-middleeast.comCaptain Tony’s, Yas Marina, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, +971 26507175, www.captaintonys.aeDelma Industrial Supply and Marine Services, Al Bateen Jetty, Abu Dhabi,+971 26668153, www.delmamarine.netEden Yachting, Dubai Marina, +971 504586171, www.edenyachting.comEmirates Yachting, Dubai, +971 42826683 El Mundo, Dubai, +971 505517406, www.elmundodubai.comFour Star Travel and Tourism, Dubai, +971 42737779, www.fourstartravels.net4 Yacht Arabia, Shop No. 5, Dubai Marina Yacht Club, 800 92248, www.4yachtarabia.ae Fujairah Rotana Resort & Spa, Al Aqah Beach, Fujairah, +971 92449888, www.rotana.comGhantoot Marina & Resort, Abu Dhabi, +971 529933153, www.ghantootmarina.comHappy Days Sea Cruising LLC, Dubai, +971 558961276, +971 503960202, www.happydaysdubai.comJPS Yachts and Charter, Room 225, Emarat Atrium building, Sheikh Zayed Road,Dubai, +971 43437734, www.jpsyachts.comKhasab Divers, Oman, +971 567255889, [email protected] Musandam Travel & Tours, PO Box 411, Khasab, Musandam, +968 93350703, [email protected] Shem Tourism, Oman, +968 26731919, www.khourshemtours.comLY Catamaran, Dubai, +971 505869746, +971 566506683, www.lycatamaran.comMarine Concept, Dubai, +971 559603030, www.marine-charter-concept.com

Nautica1992, Dubai, +971 504262415, www.nautica1992.ae Noukhada Adventure Company, Villa 332/7, Al Meena Street, Abu Dhabi, +971 26503600, www.noukhada.aeRAK Marine LLC, Ras Al Khaimah City Hilton Marina, +971 504912696, +971 72066410Sea Hunters Passenger Yachts & Boats Rental, Dubai Marina, +971 42951011Sheesa Beach, Dibba, Musandam, +971 503336046, www.sheesabeach.comSmoke Dragon Of London Yacht, Abu Dhabi International Marine & Sports Club, +971 507011958 / +971 504546617 Summertime Marine Sports, Dubai, +971 42573084 The Club, Abu Dhabi, +971 26731111, www.the-club.comThe Yellow Boats LLC, Dubai Marina Walk – opposite Spinneys, Intercontinental Hotel Marina, +8008044, www.theyellowboats.comMarinasAbu Dhabi International Marine Sports Club, Abu Dhabi, Breakwater, +971 26815566, www.adimsc.comAbu Dhabi Marina, Abu Dhabi, Tourist Club Area, +971 26440300Al Jeer Marina, RAK Border, Musandam +971 72682333 / +971 504873185www.aljeerport.aeAl Mouj Marina, Muscat, Oman, +968 24534554, www.almoujmarina.comAl Wasl Charter & Fishing, Airport Road, Al Qwais Bldg., Off. 207, Dubai, UAE, +971 42394760-61, 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.comDubai Maritime City Harbour Marina, Dubai, +971 43455545Dubai Offshore Sailing Club, Dubai, +971 43941669, www.dosc.ae Emirates Palace Marina, Abu Dhabi, +971 43388955Four Seasons Marina, Doha, Qatar, +974 44948899, www.mourjanmarinas.comFujairah International Marine Club, Fujairah, +971 92221166, www.fimc.aeIntercontinental Abu Dhabi Marina, Al Bateen, Intercontinental Hotel, Abu Dhabi,+971 26666888, www.intercontinental.comJebel Ali Golf Resort and Spa Marina, Jebel Ali, Dubai, +971 48145555/5029, www.jebelali-international.comLusail Marina, Lusail City, Qatar, +974 55843282, www.mourjan-lusailmarina.comMarina Bandar Al Rowdha, Muscat, Oman, +968 24737286 (ext 215), www.marinaoman.netPavilion Marina, Dubai,

Jumeirah Beach Hotel, +971 44068800The Pearl–Qatar Marinas, Doha, Qatar, +974 4965801, www.ronauticame.com Umm Al Quwaim Marine Sports Club, Umm Al Quwaim, +971 67666644, www.uaqmarineclub.comDragon Boat GroupsDubai Dawn Patrol Dragon Boating, Dubai, +971 508795645 (Michael), www.dubaidawnpatrol.orgDubai Diggers, Jumeirah Beach Hotel, pier next to 360, Dubai, +971 501547175 (Nick Hando), www.dubai-diggers.comUAE Dragon Boat Association, +971 507634008, www.dubaidragonboat.com

Camping & HikingEquipmentBlingmytruck.com, +971 505548255, www.blingmytruck.com Gulf Camping, Dubai, UAE, www.gulfcamping.comJack Wolfskin, Mirdif City Centre Dubai, +971 42840228; Al Wahda Mall, Abu Dhabi, +971 24437802 Picnico General Trading, near Sharaf DG Metro Station, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43951113 Tresspass, 2nd floor above ice rink, The Dubai Mall, +971 43398801Tour OperatorsArabia Outdoors, Dubai, +971 559556209, www.arabiaoutdoors.comAbsolute Adventure, Dubai, +971 43459900, www.adventure.aeDesert Road Tourism, Al Khor Plaza – 503, Dubai, +971 42959428, www.arabiatours.comLibra, +971 559228362, www.libra-uae.comMountain High Middle East, Dubai, +971 43480214, www.mountainhighme.com Sheesa Beach, Musandam, Dibba, +971 50336046, www.sheesabeach.com

CavingMountain High Middle East, Dubai, +971 43480214, www.mountainhighme.comMuscat Diving & Adventure Centre, Oman, +968 24543002, www.holiday-in-oman.comOman World Tourism, Oman, +968 99431333, www.omanworldtourism.com

ClimbingEquipmentAdventure HQ, Dubai Times Square Center, Sheikh Zayed Rd, toll free: 800-ADVENTURE, www.adventurehq.ae Barracuda Fishing and Outdoor, Dubai, Street 13A 1, Al Safa 1, +971 43466558, www.barracudadubai.com

Global Climbing Trading LLC,Dubai Investment Park 1, Dubai,+971 48829361, www.globalclimbing.comJack WolfskinMirdif City Centre Dubai, +971 42840228; Al Wahda Mall, Abu Dhabi+971 24437802

ServicesAbsolute Adventure, Dubai, +971 43459900, www.adventure.ae Adventure HQ, Dubai Times Square Center, Sheikh Zayed Rd, toll free: 800-ADVENTURE, www.adventurehq.ae Al Shaheen Adventure, Abu Dhabi, +971 26429995, www.alshaheenme.comArabia Outdoors, Dubai, +971 559556209, www.arabiaoutdoors.comDorell Sports Management, Dubai World Trade Centre, +971 43065061, www.climbingdubai.comE-Sports UAE, Dubai, +971 42824540,www.esportsuae.comThe Club, Abu Dhabi, +971 26731111, www.the-club.comInformation UAE Climbing, +971 506456491, www.uaeclimbing.com

Mountain Biking & CyclingEquipment/DealersBikers JLT, Unit H6, Cluster H, Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai, UAE, +971 526221888, [email protected] Sports, Shop No. 1, Al Waleed Bldg., Al Barsha 1, Dubai, +971 43415415, www.cyclesportsuae.comFun Ride Sports, 301, 3rd floor, Mushrif Mall, Abu Dhabi, Rm. 4, Mezzanine floor,C-13 Bldg., Khalifa City A, Abu Dhabi, [email protected], www.funridesports.comMicah’s Bike Shop, Warehouse no.4 6th St. Al Quoz 3, Dubai, +971 43805228 Peak Performance, Mall of the Emirates, Dubai Mall, Dubai, +971 43413056 / +971 43308023 Probike, Dubai, Al Barsha 1, +971 43255705, www.probike.aeRage Shop, Dubai Mall, Mall of the Emirates, Dubai Festival City, +971 43369007, www.rage-shop.comRevolution Cycles, Shop G05, ApexAtrium, Motor City, Dubai, +971 43697441, www.rcdxb.comRide Bike Shop, Dubai Mall, Festival City, Oasis Centre, Mirdif City Centre, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43750231, www.ridebikeshop.comSportz Unlimited, Sheikh Zayed Road & Jebel Ali, Dubai, + 971 43388644Tamreen Sports LLC, Khalifa Street, Abu Dhabi, +971 26222525, www.tamreensports.comThe Cycle Hub, Motor City, Dubai, +971 505528872, www.thecyclehub.comTrek Bicycle Store, Seih Al Salam, Al Qudra Road, Dubai, +971 48327377, www.trekbikes.aeTrikke uPT, Dubai, +971 45081202, +971 556096757, www.trikkeme.net Wolfi’s Bike Shop, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed

Road, +971 43394453, www.wbs.aeOperatorAbsolute Adventure, Dubai, +971 43459900, +971 506259165, www.adventure.ae, [email protected] ClubsAbu Dhabi Tri Club, www.abudhabitriclub.com Cycle Safe Dubai, Dubai Autodrome www.cyclechallenge.aeDubai Roadsters, www.dubairoadsters.com

Diving Equipment Al Boom Marine, Abu Dhabi and Dubai, +971 42894858, www.alboommarine.comAl Hamur Marine and Sports Equipment, Jumeirah Beach Road, Dubai,+971 43444468Al Masaood Marine, Sheikh Zayed Road, +971 43468000, Dubaiwww.masaoodmarine.comAl Yousuf Motors, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43390621, www.aym.ae/yamahaBlue Waters Marine, +971 42232189, Dubai, www.bluewatersmarine.com Gulf Marine Sports, Abu Dhabi, +971 26710017, www.gulfmarinesports.comPremiers for Equipment, Abu Dhabi, Sh. Zayed 1st. Road, +971 26665226, www.premiers-uae.comScuba Dubai, Al Barsha, Al Khail Road, Dubai, +97143414940, [email protected] 2000, Al Bidiya Beach, Fujairah, +971 92388477, www.scuba-2000.comDiving CentresAl Boom Diving (equipment), Dubai, Al Wasl Rd, +971 43422993, www.alboomdiving.com Al Jeer Marina, RAK Border, Musandam,+971 72682333, www.aljeerport.aeAl Mahara Dive Center, near Muroor St across from main bus terminal, +971 26437377, [email protected],www.divemahara.comArabian Diver, Hilton Marine, Ras Al Khaimah, +971 72226628, +971 502428128 www.arabiandiver.comArabian Divers and SportfishingCharters, Al Bateen Marina Resort,Abu Dhabi, +971 506146931,www.fishabudhabi.comCoastal Technical Divers, [email protected], www.coastaltechnicaldivers.comDeep Blue Sea Diving, International City, Dubai, +971 44308246, www.diveindubai.comDesert Islands, Sir Bani YAs Island, Abu Dhabi, UAE, +971 28015400, www.divemahara.comDivers Down, Fujairah, Rotana Al Aqah Hotel Resort & Spa, +971 92370299, www.diversdown-uae.comEmirates Divers Centre, Abu Dhabi, near Meena Fish Market, +97126432444, www.edc-ad.aeEuro-Divers Oman, Muscat, Oman, +968 95035815, www.euro-divers.com Extra Divers Ziggy Bay, Oman, Musandam, +968 26735555, www.extradivers.infoFreediving UAE, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Fujairah, [email protected], www.freedivinguae.comFreestyle Divers, Dubai, Al Wasl & Dibba, Royal Beach Hotel, +971 43944275, www.freestyledivers.comFujairah Rotana Resort & Spa - Al Aqah Beach,Al Aqah Beach, Fujairah,+971 92449888, www.rotana.comGlobal Scuba Dive Center, Civil Aviation Club, Oman, +968 99317518,www.global-scuba.comKhasab Divers, Oman, www.khasabdiver.comLe Meridien Al Aqah Beach Resort, Dibba Road, Fujairah, +971 92449000, www.lemeridien-alaqah.com Moonlight Dive Center, Madinat Qaboos, Oman,+968 99317700, www.moonlightdive.com Muscat Diving & Adventure Centre, Oman, +971 503289642, www.holiday-in-oman.comNeptune Diving, +971 504347902, www.neptunedivingcentre.comNomad Ocean Adventures, www.discovernomad.com, +971 508853238, Dibba, OmanOman Dive Center, Muscat, Oman, +968 24284240, www.omadivecenter.comPavilion Dive Centre (equipment), Dubai,

+971 44068828Scuba Oman, Oman, +968 99558488, www.scubaoman.comScuba 2000, Al Bidiya Beach, Fujairah, +971 92388477, www.scuba-2000.comScuba UAE.com, +971 502053922, www.scubauae.com7 Seas Diving Center, Khorfakkan, +971 92387400, www.7seasdivers.comSharjah Wanderers Dive Club, Sharjah, +971 50784 0830, www.bsac406.com Sheesa Beach, Dibba, Musandam, +971 503336046, www.sheesabeach.comSky &Sea Adventures, Dubai, Hilton, Jumeirah Beach Road, +971 43999005, www.watersportsdubai.comThe Dive Shop, 34G, European Center, Green Community, Dubai, UAE, +971 48135474, www.thediveshopdubai.comClubsAtlantis Underwater Photography Club, Dubai, +971 44263000Desert Sports Diving Club, Dubai, www.desertsportsdivingclub.netEmirates Diving Association, Diving Village, Al Shindagha, Dubai, +971 43939390, www.emiratesdiving.comFilipino SCUBA Divers Club (FSDC),Dubai, UAE, +971 566952421, www.thefilipinoscubadivers.comFreediving UAE, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Fujairah, [email protected], www.freedivinguae.comSharjah Wanderers Dive Club, Sharjah, +971 507840830, www.bsac406.com

Fishing & KayakingEquipment Al Boom Marine, Abu Dhabi & Dubai, +971 42894858, www.alboommarine.comAl Hamur Marine and Sports Equipment, Jumeirah Beach Road, Dubai, +971 43444468Al Masaood Marine, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road, +971 43468000, www.masaoodmarine.comAl Yousuf Motors, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Rd, +971 43390621, www.aym.ae/yamahaArabian Divers and SportfishingCharters, 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.comBlue Waters Marine, Shop 11, The Curve Bldg., Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43808616 / +971 553899995, www.bluewatersmarine.com Challenging Adventure, Wadi Al Bih - Ras Al Khaimah, +971 561060798, [email protected] Climbing Trading LLC,Dubai Investment Park 1, Dubai,+971 48829361, www.globalclimbing.comOcean Active, Dubai, Garden Centre, +971 502898713, www.oceanactive.comOperatorsAbsolute Adventure, Dubai, +971 43459900, www.adventure.aeAl Boom Diving, Le Meridien Al Aqah Beach

Resort, Fujairah, +971 43422993Al Hamra Marina and Yacht Club, Al Hamra, Ras Al Khaimah, +971 72434540, www.alhamramarina.comAl Mahara Dive Center, Downtown Abu Dhabi, +971 501118125, www.divemahara.comAl Wasl Charter & Fishing, Airport Road, Al Qwais Bldg., Off. 207, Dubai, UAE, +974 4 2394760-61, www.cruiseindubai.com Al Shaheen Adventure, Abu Dhabi, +971 26429995, www.alshaheenme.comAl Wasl Charter & Fishing (Al Wasl Passenger Yachts and Boats Rental LLC),Airport Road, Al Owais Building, Dubai, +971 42394761, www.cruiseindubai.comArabian Divers and Sportfishing Charters, Al Bateen Marina Resort, +971 506146931, www.fishabudhabi.comArabia Outdoors, Dubai, +971 559556209, www.arabiaoutdoors.comBarracuda Diving Centre, Fujairah International Marine Club, +971 9222558Belevari Marine, Abu Dhabi,+971 26594144Captain Tony’s, Yas Marina, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, +971 26507175, www.captaintonys.ae Fun Beach Water Sports, Dubai, +971 53244550, www.funbeachsports.com Happy Days Sea Cruising LLC, Dubai, +971 558961276, +971 503960202, www.happydaysdubai.comHiltonia Beach Club, Hilton Abu Dhabi Hotel, Abu Dhabi, +971 26811900Le Meridien Al Aqah Beach Resort, Dibba Road, Fujairah, +971 92449000, www.lemeridien-alaqah.com Nautica 1992, Dubai, +971 504262415, www.nautica1992.aeNoukhada Adventure Company, Villa 332/7, Al Meena Street, Abu Dhabi, +971 26503600, www.noukhada.aeOcean Active, Dubai, Garden Centre, +971 502898713, www.oceanactive.comSheesa Beach, Dibba, Musandam, +971 503336046, www.sheesabeach.comSoolyman Sports Fishing, Dubai, Umm Suqeim, +971 508866227, www.soolymansportsfishing.comSummertime Marine Sports, Dubai, +971 42573084, www.summertimemarine.comXclusive Yachts, Dubai, Dubai Marina, +971 44327233, www.xclusiveyachts.comClubsAbu Dhabi Camping, Fishing & Kayaking Club, [email protected] Surfski & Kayak Club, Kitesurfers’ Beach, Umm Suqeim 1, Dubai, +971 554986280, www.dskc.hu

General Sports Equipment DistributorsAdventure HQ, Dubai Times Square Center, Sheikh Zayed Rd, Toll free: 800-ADVENTURE, www.adventurehq.aeAl Yousuf Motors, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43390621, www.aym.ae/yamaha 800 Sport, Al Quoz, Dubai+971 43467751, www.800sport.aeFlip Flop Arabia, [email protected], www.flipfloparabia.comGlobal Climbing Trading LLC,Dubai Investment Park 1, Dubai+971 48829361, www.globalclimbing.comGoal Zero, +971 509128353, www.goalzero.aeHighbury Trading, Dubai, UAE, www.highburytrading.aeJack Wolfskin Mirdif City Centre Dubai, +971 42840228; Al Wahda Mall Abu Dhabi,+971 44437802Ocean Sports FZE, +971 559352735, www.kitesurfsup.comPORTABLE SHADE UAE, Jebel Ali, Dubai, UAE, +971 4 3469600, www.portable-shade.net Sakeen General Trading, +971 47094224, www.sakeen.aeSport in Life Distribution, Nad Al Hammar Rd., Ras Al Khor, Dubai, UAE, +971 42896001, +971 42896002, [email protected], www.sportinlife.aeTresspass, The Dubai Mall 2nd floor above ice rink, +971 43398801

Horse RidingEquipmentAl Asifa Horse Equestrian & Requisites Trading, Al Khawaneej 1, Dubai, +971 554733110, www.asifa.ae Black Horse LLC, Abu Dhabi, +971 26422237, www.blackhorseuae.com

68 OUTDOORUAE


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.comEmirta Horse Requirement Centre, Sheik Zayed Rd, Dubai, +971 43437475, www.emirtahorse.comEquestrian Clubs/CentresAbu Dhabi Equestrian Club, Al Mushrif, Abu Dhabi, +971 24455500, www.adec-web.comAl Ahli Riding School, Al Amman Street, Dubai-Sharjah Rd., +971 42988408, www.alahliclub.infoAl Forsan International Sports Resort, Abu Dhabi, +971 25568555, www.alforsan.comAl Jiyad Stables, Behind Dubai International Endurance City, Dubai, +971 505995866, [email protected], www.aljiyad.comAl Sahra Desert Resort Equestrian Centre, Dubai, +971 44274055, [email protected] Desert Equestrian Club, Mirdif, Dubai, +971 503099770 / +971 501978888Desert Palm Riding School, Near Al Awir Road (going to Hatta-Oman), Dubai, +971 43238010, www.desertpalm.peraquum.comDubai Polo Academy, Dubai, +971 508879847, www.dubaipoloacademy.comDubai Polo & Equestrian Club, Dubai, Arabian Ranches, +971 43618111, www.poloclubdubai.comEmirates Equestrian Centre, Dubai, +971 505587656, www.emiratesequestriancentre.comGhantoot Polo & Racing Club, Exit 399, Abu Dhabi/ Dubai Highway, Abu Dhabi, +971 25629050, www.grpc.aeGolden Stables Equestrian Club, Al Khawaneej, Dubai, (Nouri) +971 555528182,www.goldenstables.aeHoofbeatZ, located just inside the Dubai Polo & Equestrian Club, Dubai,+971 501810401, www.hoofbeatz.comMushrif Equestrian and Polo Club, Mushrif Park, Al Khawaneej Road, Dubai,+971 42571256, www.mushrifec.comQudraland Community, [email protected], www.qudraland.comRahal Ranch, Al Wathba Racing Area, Abu Dhabi, +971 566127914, www.rahalranch.comRiding for the Disabled, Dubai, [email protected], www.rdad.ae,Sharjah Equestrian & Racing Club, Sharjah, Al Dhaid Road, +971 65311188, www.serc.aeRacecoursesAbu Dhabi Equestrian Club, Al Mushrif, Abu Dhabi, +971 24455500, www.adec-web.comGhantoot 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.aeSharjah Racecourse, Al Dhaid Road, Sharjah, +971 65311155, www.serc.ae

Jet SkiDealersAl Masaood Marine, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road, +971 43468000, www.masaoodmarine.comAl Yousuf Motors, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Rd, +971 43390621, www.aym.ae/yamahaJapan Marine General Trading, Al Garhoud Road, Liberty Building, Dubai, +971 559299111 / +971 42828255, [email protected], www.japanmarine.coLiberty Kawasaki, Dubai, Interchange 4,Sheikh Zayed Road, +971 43419341,www.libertykawasaki.com

Motocross & ATV’sDealersAl Badayer Rental (Rental), Dubai-Hatta Road, +971 507842020,www.albadayerrental.comAl Shaali Moto, Ras Al Khor, +971 43200009, [email protected]. www.alshaalimoto.comAl Yousuf Motors, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Rd, +971 43390621, www.aym.ae/yamahaGolden Desert Motorcycles Rental (Rental), Dubai-Hatta Road, Dubai, +971 551532550, www.goldendesert-dubai.comJust Gas It, Hatta Rd., Al Aweer, Dubai, UAE, +971 509192394, www.JustGasIt.netKTM, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road, exit 42, +971 4323151, www.ktm.comLiberty Kawasaki, Dubai, Interchange 4, Sheikh Zayed Road, +971 43419341,www.libertykawasaki.comPolaris 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 25555144, www.polarisuae.comSebsports, Al Quoz Industrial Area 1Dubai, +971 43393399, www.sebsports.comWild X Adventure Shop, Dubai, +971 48321050, www. wildx.aeEquipmentDesert Road Tourism, Al Khor Plaza – 503, Dubai, +971 42959429, www.arabiantours.com Sandstorm Motorcycles (Rental), Al Quoz, Dubai, +971 43470270, www.sandstorm-motorcycles.comSebsports, Dubai, Al Quoz Industrial Area 3, +971 43393399, www.sebsports.com2XWheeler, Motorcity Dubai, +971 44548388, www.2xwheeler.comWild X, Dubai, Um Al Ramoul Industrial Area, +971 42852200, www. wildx.ae Workshops and ServicesMoto-X and Quad, PO Box 476214, Dubai, UAE, +971 50 6169727, www.gasgasmotos.me

MotorcyclingDistributors and DealersAl Yousuf Motors, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Rd, www.aym.ae/yamahaDucati, Mussafah 4, Street 10, Abu Dhabi, +971 25535771, [email protected], www.ducati.aeDuseja Motorcycles, Dubai, Al Quoz, +971 43476712, www.dusejamoto.comHarley-Davidson, Mussafah 4, Street 10, Abu Dhabi, +971 25540667, [email protected], www.harley-davidson-abu-dhabi.comLiberty Kawasaki, Dubai, Interchange4, Sheikh Zayed Road, +971 42822144, www.libertykawasaki.comPolaris UAE, Al Ghandi Complex, Nad al Hamar Road, Ras Al Khor,+971 42896100, www.polarisuae.comTristar Motorcycles, +971 43330659, www.tristaruae.comWorkshops and ServicesAl Forsan International Sports Resort, Abu Dhabi, +971 25568555, www.alforsan.comDubai Autodrome, Dubai, +971 43678700www.dubaiautodrome.comEmirates Motorplex, Umm Al Quwain,+971 67681717 2xWheeler Adventures, Dubai, +971 44548388, www.alainraceway.comYas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi, www.yasmarinacircuit.com

Off-Road DealersBling My Truck,

+971 503634839 / +971 505548255, [email protected], www.blingmytruck.com4x4 Motors LLC, Shk. Zayed Rd, Dubai, +971 43384866, www.4x4motors.comLiberty Automobiles, Dubai, 800 5423789,www.libertyautos.comRepairs and ServicesAAA Service Centre, Al Quoz, Dubai, UAE, +971 4 285 8989, www.aaadubai.comIcon Auto Garage, Dubai, +971 43382744, www.icon-auto.comMebar Auto, Al Quoz, Industrial Area 2, Dubai, UAE, +971 4 3469600, www.mebarauto.comOff Road Zone, Dubai, Al Quoz, +971 43392449, www.offroad-zone.comSaluki Motorsport, Dubai, +971 43476939www.salukimotorsport.comEquipmentAdvanced Expedition Vehicles, Dubai & Abu Dhabi, +971 43307152, www.aev.aeAl Yousuf Motors, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43390621, www.aym.ae/yamahaBling My Truck, +971 503634839 / +971 505548255, [email protected], www.blingmytruck.comHeartland UAE, Al Mafraq Industrial, Abu Dhabi, +971 567231967, www.heartlanduae.comIcon Auto Garage, Dubai, +971 43382744, www.icon-auto.comMebar Auto, Al Quoz, Industrial Area 2, Dubai, UAE, +971 4 3469600, www.mebarauto.comWild X Adventure Shop, Dubai-Hatta Road, Dubai, +971 48321050, www.wildx.ae Yellow Hat, Nad Al Hamar, and Times Square Center, Dubai, +971 42898060, www.yellowhat.aeTour OperatorsArabian Adventures, Dubai & Abu Dhabi, +971 43034888, www.arabian-adventures.comDesert Road Tourism, Al Khor Plaza – 503, Dubai, +971 42959429, www.arabiantours.comOasis Palm Dubai, Dubai, +971 42628889, www.opdubai.comClubs Abu Dhabi Off- Road Club, www.ad4x4.com ALMOST 4x4 Off-Road Club, +971 507665522, www.almost4x4.comDubai Offroaders, www.dubaioffroaders.comJEEP Wrangler JK Fun Club, [email protected], www.jk-funclub.comME 4X4, www.me4x4.com

RunningClubs ABRasAC, Dubai, www.abrasac.orgAbu Dhabi Tri Club, Abu Dhabi, www.abudhabitriclub.orgAbu Dhabi Striders, [email protected], www.abudhabistriders.comAl Ain Road Runners, Abu Dhabi, +971 504188978, [email protected] Milers, Dubai, www.mirdifmilers.infoDubai Creek Striders www.dubaicreekstriders.org

Stand up Paddling, Kite & Surfing, WakeboardingEquipmentAl Boom Marine, Abu Dhabi & Dubai, +971 42894858, www.alboommarine.comAl Masaood Marine, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road, +971 43468000,www.masaoodmarine.comIkönic Brands, Suite 509 Düsseldorf Business Point Al Barsha Dubai, UAE+971 506874178, [email protected] Dubai, Kitesurf Beach, Umm Suqueim and Jumeirah 3+971 505586190, www.kitesurfdubai.aePearl Water Crafts, Dubai Marina Yacht Club, +971 553749398, www.pearl-watercrafts.comPicnico, Jumeirah Beach RoadOpposite Sunset Mall, Dubai+971 43941653Surf Dubai, Dubai, Umm Suqeim, +971 505043020, www.surfingdubai.comSurf Shop Arabia, Building 1, Al Manara Road (East), Interchange 3, Dubai, +971 43791998,www.surfshoparabia.com

Surf School Arabia, +971 556010997,www.surfschoolarabia.comUAE Kite Surfing, +971 505626383, www.ad-kitesurfing.netDistributorsKitepeople Kite & Surf Store, International City, Dubai,+971 504559098, www.kitepeople.aeOcean Sports FZE, +971 559352735,www.kitesurfsup.comOperatorsAl Forsan International Sports Resort, Abu Dhabi, +971 25568555, www.alforsan.comDubai Kite Surf School, Dubai, Umm Suqeim Beach, +971 504965107, www.dubaikitesurfschool.comDuco Maritime, Dubai, Ras Al Khaimah and Abu Dhabi, +971 508703427, www.ducomaritime.comDukite, Kitesurf Beach, Umm Suqeim, Dubai,+971 507586992, www.dukite.comKite Fly, Dubai, +971 502547440, www.kitesurf.aeKite4fun.net, Abu Dhabi, +971 508133134, www.kite4fun.netKitepro Abu Dhabi, Yas Island and Al Dabbayyah, Abu Dhabi, +971 505441494, www.kitepro.aeNautica1992, Dubai, +971 504262415,www.nautica1992.aeShamal Kite Surfing, Umm Suqueim Dubai, +971 507689226, [email protected], www.shmalkitesurfing.comSky & Sea Adventures, Dubai, Hilton, Jumeirah Beach Road, +971 43999005, www.watersportsdubai.comSurf School UAE, Umm Suqeim Beach and Building 1, Al Manara Road (East), Interchange 3, Dubai,+971 556010997, www.surfschooluae.comWatercooled, Jebel Ali Golf Resort and Spa, Dubai, +971 48876771, www.watercooleddubai.comWater Cooled, Watercooled Sports Services LLC, Hilton Beach Club, Abu Dhabi, UAE, +971 26395997, www.watercooleduae.comClubsAbu Dhabi Stand Up Paddle, www.abudhabisup.comUAE SUP www.uaesup.com

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

Other leisure activitiesAbu Dhabi Golf Club, Abu Dhabi, + 971 25588990, www.adgolfclub.comAl Tamimi Stables, Sharjah, +971 67431122 / +971 44370505, www.tamimistables.comBlokart Sailing, Nad Al Sheba, Dubai, +971 556101841, www.blokartme.com


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Children’s City, Creek Park Gate No.1, Dubai, +971 43340808, www.childrencity.aeDolphin Bay Atlantis, Dubai, +971 44260000, www.atlantisthepalm.aeDubai Dolphinarium Dubai, Creek Park Gate No. 1, +971 43369773, www.dubaidolphinarium.aeiFly Dubai, Dubai, Mirdif City Centre, +971 42316292, www.iflyme.comSadiyaat Beach Club, Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Island, +971 25578000, www.sbgolfclub.aeSharjah Golf and Shooting Club, Sharjah, +971 43999005, www.golfandshootingshj.com

Adventure tours and desert safarisAl Mulla Travels, PO Box: 4147, Doha, Qatar, +974 44413488, [email protected] Tours, PO Box: 13530, Doha, Qatar, +974 4837815, [email protected] QAYED Travel & Tours, PO Box: 158, Doha, Qatar, +974 44072244, www.alqayedtravel.comArabian Adventures, PO Box: 4476, Doha, Qatar, +974 44361461, www.arabianadventureqatar.net Black Pearls Tourism Services, PO Box: 45677, Doha, QatarEast Marine, West Bay, Doha, Qatar, +974 55200078 E2E Qatar Travel and Tours, PO Box: 23563, Doha, Qatar, +974 44502521, www.e2eqatar.comFalcon Travels, PO Box: 22031, Doha, Qatar, +974 44354777, www.falcontravelqatar.comGulf Adventures, 29, PO Box: 18180 Qatar, +974 44221888, www.gulf-adventures.comNet Tours Qatar, PO Box: 23080, Doha, Qatar, +974 4310902, www.nettours.com.qaRegency Travel & Tours, +974 4434 4503/4718, www.regencyholidays.comQatar Adventure, PO Box: 13915, Doha, Qatar, +974 55694561, www.qataradventure.comQatar Desert Gate, Doha, PO Box: 18496 Ad Dawha, Qatar, +974 55594016, www.qatardesertgate.comQatar Inbound Tours, PO Box: 21153, +974 77451196, www.inboundtoursqatar.comQatar International Tours, PO Box: 55733 Doha, Qatar, +974 44551141, www.qittour.com Qatar Ventures, Doha, Qatar, +974 55776679, www.qatar-ventures.com

ClubsCycling, Running & TriathlonDoha Sailing Club, Katara Beach+974 44439840/+974 55649995www.qmsf.com

QATAR DIRECTORY

Adventure tours and desert safarisBike and Hike Oman, PO Box 833, Ruwi, Postal Code 112, Oman, +968 24400873, www.bikeandhikeoman.comDolphin Qasab Tours, PO Box: 123, P.C.

OMAN DIRECTORY

Qatar Chain Reaction, www.qatarchainreaction.weebly.comQatar Sandstromers, +974 77775207 / +974 77776634, www.facebook.com/QatarSandstormersVelostar Doha, https://www.facebook.com/groups/587539064642288/Doha Bay Running Club, www.dohabayrunningclub.comTriClub Doha, www.triclubdoha.com

General Sports Equipment MegastoresGalaxy Sport, City Centre Mall, 3rd Floor, Qatar: +974 44822194; Villagio Mall, Qatar: +974 44569143; Ezdan Mall, Qatar: +974 44922827, www.galaxysportqatar.comGO Sport, City Centre Mall, 3rd Floor, Qatar: +974 44631644; Villaggio Mall, Qatar: +974 44517574, www.facebook.com/gosport.qatarSun & Sand Sports, City Centre Mall, Qatar: +974 44837007; Dar Al Salam Mall, Qatar: +974 44932973, www.sunandsandsports.com

Boating & SailingEquipmentRegatta Sailing Academy, Katara Beach+974 55503484www.regattasailingacademy.comDistributors and DealersSpeed Marine, Speed Marine, Museum Road, PO Box: 9145 Doha, Qatar, +974 44410109, www.speedmarinegroup.com

Horse RidingEquestrian Clubs/CentresAl Shaqab, PO Box: 90055, Doha, Qatar, +974 44546320, www.alshaqab.comQatar Racing & Equestrian Club, Racing and Equestrian Club, PO Box: 7559, Doha, Qatar, +974 44197664, www.qrec.gov.qa

DivingEquipment/CentresAl Fardan Marine Services, Najma Street (near Al Fardan Exchange), Doha, Qatar, +974 44435626Doha Sub Aqua Club, Doha Sub-Aqua Club,

PO Box: 5048, Doha, Qatar, +974 66304061, www.dohasubaquaclub.comExtreme Adventure, PO Box: 33002, Shop 3, 4 Ahmed Bin Ali Street (Bin Omran), Doha, Qatar, +974 44877884, www.extreme.qaGoSport, City Centre Mall, 3rd Floor, Qatar: +974 44631644; Villagio Mall, Qatar: +974 44517574, www.facebook.com/gosport.qatarPearl Divers, PO Box: 2489, Doha, Qatar, +974 44449553, www.pearl-divers.orgPoseidon Dive Center, Ras Abu Abboud Street, Al Emadi Suites, Showroom #2, PO Box: 11538, Doha, Qatar, +974 66084040, www.pdcqatar.comQatar Scuba Center, 187 Al Mansoura Street, Al Mansoura Area, Doha, Qatar, +974 66662277, www.qatarscubacenter.comQ Dive, Souq Al Najada cnr of Grand Hamad and Ali bin Abdulla Str.; Al-Odeid Aisle numbers 129-132, +974 55319507, www.qdive.netWorld Marine Centre, PO Box: 6944, Doha, Qatar, +974 44360989, www.worldmarinecenter.webs.comPearl Divers, Al Mirqab Al Jadeed Street, Doha, Qatar, +974 4444 9553, www.pearl-divers.org Poseidon Dive Center, Ras Abu Abboud Street, Al Emadi Suites, Showroom #2, PO Box: 11538, Doha, Qatar, +974 66084040, www.pdcqatar.comQatar Divers, Marriott Hotel Marina Near Old Airport, Ras Abu Aboud Area, Doha, Qatar, +974 44313331, www.qatardivers.comQatar Marine, Go Sport City Center West Bay, PO Box: 16657, Doha, +974 553199507, www.qatarmarine.net Qatar Scuba Centre, 187 Al Mansoura Street, Al Mansoura Area, Doha, Qatar, +974 66662277 / +974 44422234, www.qatarscubacenter.comQdive Marine Center, PO Box: 16657, Doha, Qatar, +974 44375065, www.qdive.net World Marine Centre, Old Salata Street, near the Qatar National Museum, Doha, Qatar, +974 55508177

Fishing & KayakingEquipment Al Kashat, Fishing and Hunting Equipment, Souq Waqif, next to the Falcon Souq, +974

66724828Al Mamzoore Marine Equipment, PO Box: 6449,Old Salata, Doha, Qatar, +974 44444238, [email protected] Adventure, Shop 3,4 Ahmed Bin Ali Steet, Doha, +974 44877884, www.extreme.qaFish World, PO Box: 1975, Doha, Qatar, +974 44340754 State of Qatar (QatarSub), Souq Waqif, next to the Falcon Souq, +974 4431234, www.stateofqatar.comOperatorsPaddle Qatar, +974 55490895, www.paddleqatar.comEntalek, +974 3023 3207, www.entalek.org

Motocross & ATV’sDealersQatar Adventures, Barwa Village, Building # 9 Shop # 11, Doha, Qatar, +974 77700074

Stand Up Paddeling, Kite & Surfing, WakeboardingEquipment, OperatorsFly-N-Ride, Ras abu Aboud, Doha, +974 33117089, www.fly-n-ride.comFlo Kite School, Westbay, Doha, +974 55041039, www.flokiteschool.comKitesurfing Qatar, +97430179108, www.kitesurfingqatar.comQSUP, 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/CarbonWheelsQTRFlash Bike Shop, Mesaeed New Souq, Shop C.06, +974 6600 9116, www.flashbikeshop.comSkate Shack, Salwa Road, South Doha, +974 44692532, www.skate-shack.comGalaxy 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 40165155 / 40165156

811, Khasab City, Musandam, Oman, +968 26730813, www.dolphinkhasabtours.comGo Dive Oman, Capital Area Yacht Club (CAYC), Sidab Muscat, +968 99289200, www.godiveoman.comNomad Tours, PO Box: 583, Postal Code 100, Muscat, Oman, +968 95495240, www.nomadtours.comOman Trekking Guides, PO Box: 917, NIZWA, Oman, +968 95741441, www.omantrekkingguides.com

DivingEquipmentAl Marsa Musandam, PO Box: 44, Dibba, Sultanate of Oman, +968 26836550, www.almarsamusandam.comAl Sawadi Beach Resort, PO Box: 747, Barka - Al Sawadi, Oman, +968 26795545, www.alsawadibeach.infoDiving UAE & Oman, www.dive-uae-oman.comEuro Divers CAYC Oman, Marina Bandar Al Rhowda, PO Box: 940, Muscat, Oman, +968 95035815, www.euro-divers.comExtra Divers Musandam, PO Box: 498, PC 811 Khasab, Musandam, Oman,

+968 99877957, www.musandam-diving.comGlobal Scuba LLC, +968 24692346, www.global-scuba.comMoon Light Dive Center, P.O. Box: 65, Madinat Qaboos, Muscat Oman, +968 99317700, www.moonlightdive.comOman Dive Center Resort, PO Box: 199, Medinat Sultan Qaboos, Oman, +968 24824240, www.omandivecenter.infoOmanta Scuba Diving Academy, Al Kharjiya Street, Al Shati Area, Muscat, Oman, +968 97700564, www.omantascuba.comOxygen Diving and Adventures, PO Box: 1363 PC130 Alazaiba, Muscat, Oman, www.o2diveoman.comSeaoman, PO Box: 2394, RUWI PC 112, Oman, +968 24181400, www.seaoman.comSub Aqua Dive Center, Hilton Salalah Resort, PO Box: 699, Salalah 211, Oman, +968 99894031, www.subaqua-divecenter.com

Stand Up Paddeling, Kite & Surfing, WakeboardingEquipment, OperatorsKiteboarding Oman, Sawadi Beach, PO Box: 133, PC 118, Muscat, Oman, +968 96323524,

www.kiteboarding-oman.comOman’s Kite Center, +968 94006007, www.kitesurfing-lessons.com

Camping & HikingTour OperatorsSafari Desert Camp, PO Box: 117, Postal Code 421, Bediyah, Ghabbi, Oman, +968 99310108, www.safaridesert.com

Fishing & KayakingEquipment Az’Zaha Tours, +968 99013424, www.azzahatours.comWater World Marine Oman, PO Box: 76, Muscat, 113, Sultanate of Oman, +968 24737438, www.waterworldoman.com

Boating & SailingManufacturerSaphire Marine, PO Box: 11, Post Code 118, Muscat, Oman, +968 99877243, www.sapphire-marine.com

Add your free listing to the ONLINE DIRECTORY

SkiDubai, Dubai, Mall of The Emirates, +971 44094000, www.skidxb.comSpacewalk Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, +971 24463653, www.spacewalk.ae

Health, Safety & TrainingSafety LessonsMarine Concept Yacht Charter & Sea School, Rania Business Centre, Dubai, +971 559603030, www.marine-charter-concept.comSafety & Leisure Training Middle East, Dusseldorf Business Point, Al Barsha 1, Dubai, +971 44502418, www.sltme.com

Sport and Health CentresBespoke Wellness, Dubai, +971 553724670, www.bespoke-wellness.comOriginal Fitness Co., C6 Tower Al Bateen Bainunah St, Abu Dhabi, +971 2406 9404, www.originalfitnessco.com Orthosports, 5B Street, Jumeira Beach road, Dubai, +971 4355060, www.orthosp.comThe Physio Center, Suite 405, Building 49, Dubai Healthcare City, Dubai, +971 44370570, www.physiocentre.ae

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The Avenues Mall, KuwaitOman Avenues Mall, Muscat, Oman

Al Naeem Mall, Ras Al-Khaimah, UAE

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#58 July 2015