Witness exciting desert action this month! We chat with 2013 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge quad rider Nick Black and sweep team member Shaun Ellis, inside Pete and Ian's Fat Bike odyssey through Liwa and DMX Championship. Plus, reports from the Musandam Adventure Race, Cape Epic, Urban-Ultra's Big Stinker and exclusive interview with SUP world champ Kai Lenny.
THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST ‘like’ us on Facebook! Get to us on Facebook! THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM Issue 28, April 2013 FREE + + Complimentary Copy The Musandam ADVENTURE RACE: THE KAYAK-RUN-BIKE EXTRAVAGANZA READY TO ROLL NICK BLACK PREPARES FOR THE 2013 AD DESERT CHALLENGE FAT BIKE FANATICS IAN AND PETE CHRONICLE THEIR FIRST LIWA DESERT CROSSING Of Cape Epic PROPORTIONS A REPORT FROM THE 7-DAY MTB CHALLENGE Exclusive interview SUP WORLD KAI LENNY CHAMPION + +
Transcript
THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST
‘like’ us on Facebook!
Get to us on Facebook!
THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST
WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM Issue 28, April 2013 FREE
++
Complimentary Copy
The Musandam Adventure rAce:The kayak-run-bike exTravaganza
reAdy to rollnick black prepares for The 2013 aD DeserT challenge
FAt Bike FAnAticsian anD peTe chronicle Their
firsT liwa DeserT crossing
Of Cape Epic proportions
a reporT from The 7-Day mTb challenge
Exclusive interviewsup world kAi lenny
chAmpion
++
3OUTDOORUAE
The information contained is for general use only. While we have made every attempt to ensure that the information contained in this magazine has been obtained from reliable sources, however the publisher is not responsible for any errors. All information in this magazine is provided “as is”, with no guarantee of completeness, accuracy, timeliness or of the results obtained from the use of this information. In no event will the publisher, its related affiliates or anyone else be responsible for any decision made or action taken in reliance on the information in this magazine.
All contents are under copyrights and may not be reproduced in any kind without written permission.
THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST
‘like’ us on Facebook!
Get to us on Facebook!
THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST
WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM Issue 28, April 2013
++
The Musandam Adventure rAce:The kayak-run-bike exTravaganza
reAdy to rollnick black prepares for The 2013 aD DeserT challenge
FAt Bike FAnAticsian anD peTe chronicle Their
firsT liwa DeserT crossing
Of Cape Epic proportions
a reporT from The 7-Day mTb challenge
Exclusive interviewsup world kAi lenny
chAmpion
++
Jim McIntoshMountain goat Mack and hiking route pioneer
Keeping Busy… Another successful Boat Show wrapped up on the 8th of March and OutdoorUAE was
present once again to connect with the continuously growing outdoor community. The booth gathered a lot of outdoor enthusiasts who were keen to know about cool outdoor gear, ad-venture tips and upcoming events.
We’re happy to announce it’s another busy month for the team as we will be returning to the Abu Dhabi International Sports Exhibition from the 9th to the 12th and we’ll also be host-ing the second edition of our fun Beach Festival. Featuring different activities like Stand Up Paddling, bungee jumping, yoga, dance workshops, slack lining, and more, we guarantee a fun and active day out for the whole family.
With summer just around the corner, we are hoping to enjoy the last dregs of relatively cool weather by checking out the motocross and desert adventure circuit highlighted by the excit-ing Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge that will happen this month. We had chat with former ADDC quad champ Nick Black who is on the cover and sweep team member Shaun Ellis about their preparations. Our regular contributor Ian Ganderton will also be following all the desert action and will be reporting in our upcoming May issue so stay tuned. We also tried out some great outdoor gear this month like the Point 65°N Mercury modular solo kayak which I had a go last weekend, and Columbia’s literally cool than cool Omni-Free Zero shirts.
Hope you have a great April and see you at the OutdoorUAE Beach festival on the 19th!
THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST ApRIL 2013 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM
4 OUTDOORUAE
CONTENTS
EVERY ISSUE
EVENT REVIEWS
TRAVEL + ADVENTURE
OUR EXPERTS44
IAN
’S L
IWA
CRO
SSIN
G O
N F
AT B
IKE
28 NICK BLACK RETURNS TO THE ABU DHABI DESERT
CHALLENGE
05 BEST SHOTS06 EVENTS CALENDAR32 PRODUCTS54 PEOPLE66 DIRECTORY
14 THE BIG STINKER16 DMX CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS 201320 SUNSET MALL KITESURFING CHALLENGE
23 GRAND TO GRAND ULTRA24 CAPE EPIC 2013
42 IMPROVING PERFORMANCE – JOHN52 WHEN TO EXPECT – KIT 56 GET THEM OFF THAT GAME CONTROLLER – JIM
60 JOINING STRAPS 62 PARTNER S T R E T C H E S - SANDY63 THE LAYERING GUIDE
TIPS + TRICKS
48 THE MUSANDAM ADVENTURE RACE
54 INTERVIEW WITH KAI LENNY
30 TRIED & TESTED: POINT65 N
MERCURY KAYAK
reAdy to rollnick black prepares for The 2013 aD DeserT challenge
THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST ApRIL 2013 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM
BEST SHOTS
WINNER!
Here are the best shots sent in by you for the monthly ‘Want Fame?’ 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 3 winners (who each receive Buff headwear and 5 free copies of the magazine) Natalie Campos Goodman, Gordon Rech and John Weston. Well done!
To submit your shots, simply email us at [email protected] with the subject ‘Best Shots’. You can submit a maximum of 3 images per month.
John Weston
Natalie Campos Goodman
Gordon Rech
WINNER!
WINNER!
To the edge and back
5OUTDOORUAE
THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST ApRIL 2013 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM
How’s the Serenity
Foggy Morning in Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi International Sports Exhibition (ADISE)April 9 to 12, 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., Abu dhabi national exhibition centre
The four-day exhibition is one of the biggest sports trade shows in the region and offers multiple opportunities for local and international brands. Exhibitors will showcase their latest sports products, equipment and services for all kinds of sports and promote them to the public. OutdoorUAE will also be there so drop by stand C03 (near the entrance) to know more about the outdoor community, grab free copies of the magazine, watch us do live demos or say hello to the team. For more information, visit www.adise.ae.
EVENTS CALENDAR ++Stay up-to-date with the latest events
SUP World Tour All-Stars InvitationalApril 4 to 7, 9:00 a.m., wadi Adventure, Al Ain
The water sports facility will play host to Waterman League’s Stand Up World Tour All-Stars Invitational that will see the 20 best men, including the current world champion, and the six best women Stand Up Paddlers battle it out on the wave pool. A part of the Abu Dhabi Beach Games offered by the Abu Dhabi Sailing and Yachting Club, the wave competition is on the 4th and 5th of April, while the flat water race competition (sprint race) will be on the 6th and 7th of April. There will also be a SUP clinic for the kids with the All-Stars on the last day. For more information, contact [email protected] or [email protected].
Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge 2013 April 4 to 11, liwa desert
The 23rd edition of the motorsport spectacular will gather the best riders from all over the world as they take on the Liwa Desert and the Moreeb area of the Empty Quarter for five punishing days on their motorbikes, quads and four-wheels. Under the patronage of HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Ruler’s representative in the Western Region, the event is the second of eight rounds in the FIA World series for cars and trucks, and the first of six rounds in the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship for bikes. For updates, visit abudhabidesertchallenge.com or contact 04 296 1122.
Al Gharbia Watersports Festival 2013April 18 to 27, mirfa public Beach, Al Gharbia
From kiteboarding on the waves to chilled-out camping on shore, the annual water sports fest is expected to be the wettest week in the UAE. Aside from sporting competitions for wakeboarding, beach volleyball and beach football, the festival will also include waters ports photography competition and night camp activities with concerts, food stations and tradition-al souk for the eager shoppers. For more info, contact 02 404 4000.
Naish N1SCO RacingApril 19th at the outdooruAe Beach Festival, Jebel Ali Golf resort
Taking place at the OutdoorUAE Beach Festival. Naish has organised an SUP race using the Naish One inflatables. This will be a 100m sprint with two buoy turns in the waters Jumana Beach at Jebel Ali Golf Resort and is divided to men and women (age 17 and up), juniors (male and female age 13 to 16) and kids (male and female age 12 and under). There is a limit of 24 racers for the men and women category and 18 racers for junior and kids. Registration fee is only 25 AED with proceeds going to Live Love SUP charity (www.livelovesup.com). Entrants can pre-register for their Live Love SUP entry wristband from April 12th at Adventure HQ or online at OutdoorUAE.com. On-the-day sign up starts from 10:00-10:30 a.m. For more information, visit www.outdooruae.com or call us on 04 447 2030.
6 OUTDOORUAE
THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST ApRIL 2013 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM
EVENTS CALENDAR ++
IGNITE Aquathlon Series Powered by KelloggsApril 19, 6:30 a.m., the shack on kite surfers Beach, umm sequim dubai
It’s the second instalment of the Aquathlon Series from one of the popular fitness and well-ness clubs in the UAE. The race is open to all categories, solos or teams: junior (200m swim and 800m beach run), sprint (400m swim and 2km beach run), open (800m swim and 5km) and fun run (3km beach run only). Registrations are until April 18th. Sign up at www.premier-marathons.com or contact IGNITE at 04 448 7142.
OutdoorUAE Beach Festival 2April 19, 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Jumana Beach, Jebel Ali Golf resort
It’s time to hit the beach! OutdoorUAE is hosting its second fun-filled Beach Festival featur-ing activities like kayaking, Naish N1SCO SUP race, slacklining, climbing wall, bouncy castle, yoga, photo wall, refreshments, entertainment and more. The entrance fee of 75AED will in-clude unlimited participation in activities all day (unless otherwise stated by the supplier) and kids under 10 years old are free. For more updates, log on to www.outdooruae.com/festivalcontact us at 04 447 2030.
Wadi Adventure Race 3April 27, 8:00 a.m., wadi Adventure, Al Ain
It’s going to be war out there at the third instalment of the Wadi Adventure Race series. Open to team and individuals, the course will definitely be tougher, longer and far more challenging as it will cover a distance of 10km with more than 20 obstacles to tackle. Register online at www.premiermarathons.com or visit Facebook.com/WadiAdventureRace for updates.
Featured Event
UU ENR13 170x120 Ad.indd 1 31/03/2013 12:03
THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST ApRIL 2013 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM
Boards and paddles at the ready for the first Naish N1SCO Racing that will happen on April 19th at the OutdoorUAE Beach Fes-tival. The water sports brand has organised a SUP race using the Naish One inflatable that
offers a fun and fair competition format for all contestants regardless of size or expe-rience. This will be a 100m sprint with two buoy turns in the waters Jumana Beach at Jebel Ali Golf Resort and Spa and is divided to men and women (age 17 and up), juniors (male and female age 13 to 16) and kids (male and female age 12 and under). In a knock out round format, top racers from each heat will enter Championship Semi and Final Heats, while bottom racers from each heat will enter the Consolation Final Heats
There is a limit of 24 racers for the men and women category and 18 racers for
What’SUP! Naish N1SCO Racingjunior and kids, so early registration is highly encouraged. Registration fee is only 25 AED with proceeds going to the Live Love SUP (www.livelovesup.com) clean water charity campaign. Entrants can pre-regis-ter for their Live Love SUP entry wristband from April 12th at Adventure HQ or online at OutdoorUAE.com. On-the-day sign up starts from 10:00-10:30 a.m. There will also be a live SUP demo after the prize giving. Yet another awesome and active event to look forward to at the Beach Fest! For more information, visit www.outdooruae.com or call us at 04 447 2030.
NEWS + COmmENT
Dubai-based expat Richard Mitchell, 56, will take the long way home from UAE to UK as he goes on an unsupported 22,000km ride to help the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF) Healing Hearts initiative aimed to build a paediatric cardiac unit in the European Gaza Hospital in Palestine. Aboard his fully-customised Honda Africa Twin nicknamed “Desert Rose,” Richard will leave on April 14th and em-bark on a three-month journey across 30 countries to his hometown of Fowey in Cornwall, UK.
“After 26 years in the Middle East, I consider myself very fortunate to have had a secure and happy family life,” says Mitchell. “I feel it is now time for me to give some-thing back and bring attention to the less fortunate children in the region, whose basic needs go unmet daily. Sick and injured chil-dren suffer unnecessarily, many are suffering due to the lack of adequate medical care and facilities, and I intend to make a differ-ence and do something about it.”
However, Mitchell knows it’s not going to be an easy task. “I’m not the youngest man out there, so it’s a challenge, physically and mentally. Logistically, it’s a major exercise too. I have to carry everything with me. The
motorbike itself is 22 years old that needed a lot of modifications. I also bought a second identical motorbike, which I’m keeping here. In case I have a major accident on route, they could send needed parts to me,” he said. “But frankly I’m not worried. Anybody can do anything if they set their mind to it and I’m driven by this important cause.”
Apart from raising money towards the facility and associated medical missions, Mitchell also aims to generate awareness about PCRF’s work and its UAE chapter that has been so supportive of the initiative. “The thing that I like about the PCRF is they are intelligent in the way they decide on their projects. They could’ve decided to build something that could take 10 years and peo-ple will never see anything tangible for their donations. This unit, however, can be up and running within a year. They also support the unit by providing surgeons and specialists to do the operations. This project will save and improve the lives of a lot of babies with congenital heart diseases.”
PCRF is an international non-political, non-profit organisation with an established track record of success and endorsed by former US president Jimmy Carter. With chapters around the world, Richard will also meet up with them along the way, bringing together the international efforts for the Healing Hearts campaign.
He’s also conceptualising a children’s story in parallel to this journey. “My daughter is writing it and we’ve got two toy characters travelling with me to UK to have a fantas-tic adventure,” he explains. “Camellia is a very shy pink camel. She’s kind of nervous because she’s pink and unlike the other sand-coloured camels, but throughout the journey, she realises it’s good to be different. And then there’s Arthur, a very stiff upper lip British duck, but inside he’s quite frightened. There’s going to be an underlying message of peace and cultural awareness that is very relevant to the children of Palestine.”
Richard is an adventurous fellow and is actively involved in charity work having pre-viously raised funds by running a marathon, scaling Mount Kilimanjaro, and being part of the former UAE Desert Challenge (now called the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge). But this ride will be his biggest challenge to date. He is fully funding the adventure himself, including costs for the motorcycle, necessities and travel expenses. All dona-tions will go entirely to building the new cardiac unit in Gaza.
Editor’s note: Richard will update us on his epic adventure through a series articles in the next months. For more information and how to help, visit healingheartsjour-ney.weebly.com and www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/pcrf-uae/healinghearts.
A RIDE TO hEAl hEARTSRichard’s motorbike journey for charity
8 OUTDOORUAE
THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST ApRIL 2013 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM
Richard’s Desert Rose
The Abu Dhabi International Sports Exhibition (ADISE) is set to launch its second edition that will repre-sent one of the biggest sports gathering in the UAE. The event will encompass an area of 5000sq m within the exhibition area which amounts a total of 15,000 sq m and includes various indoor and outdoor sport activities.
The UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation is once again organising the event with the support from the Abu Dhabi Sports Council. It will be held from 9th to 12th of April at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) in halls 10 and 11.
A large number of players and sports teams will be participating in ADISE 2013 including Christophe Hamel and his team, who will be presenting an extreme show on the trampoline along with the Crazy Dunkers that will be performing an acrobatic basketball show. The exhibition will also include the participation of freestyle football champions as well as BMX games.
ADISE’s committee has dedicated an area of approximately 5000 sq m that will include several sports activities such as bungee jump-ing, wall climbing, zip lining, mountain bike track, paddle tennis, cricket, golf, skateboarding and street ball tournaments with more than 70 teams expected to compete.
Commenting on the exciting sport activities offered during the second edition of ADISE, Abdulmunam Alhashemi, Chairman of the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation, said: “ADISE 2013 offers exclusive sports activities and shows that will take place in the indoor and outdoor areas of the exhibition and that encompass approximately one-third of the total space. We are also expecting a large number of partici-pants and institutions to take part in these activities. In addition, this event will represent a platform for local and international brands to showcase their latest products, equipments and services for profes-sionals and individuals from all over the Middle East and the world in a dynamic environment; enabling the finalisations of deals and agreements between institutions and organisations speciliased in sports at the local, regional and international levels.”
It is worthy to mention that the exhibition this year will witness the participation of more than 15 sports organisations, authorities and federations, such as the UAE National Olympic Committee, Abu Dhabi Sports Channel, Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority, Dubai Sports Council, UAE Basketball Federation, UAE Disabled Federation, UAE Fencing Federation, UAE Athletic Federation and many more. ADISE’s programme ranges from motor sports, water sports, outdoor and adventure sports, sports cars, health and fitness along with additional sports activities.
NEWS + COmmENT
Get the ball ROlliNG
ADISE 2013 to bring together international
sports brands, activities and showsCrazy Dunkers
Welcome aboard! 2013 Dubai international
boat ShowFrom the world’s tallest building, to the lavish hotels, to the living-it-up lifestyle, Dubai never ceases to rede-fine the term luxury. As the emirate continues to flourish, Dubai has become an important cultural melting pot and commercial hub in the Middle East, and one of the highlights of Dubai’s leisure events calendar is the award-winning annual Dubai Interna-tional Boat Show.
Historically a coastal community, Dubai
was built upon a sea-faring heritage of fishing and pearl diving in the Persian Gulf. Until today, the dynamic city continues to change with the turn of tides, making it the perfect platform for the region’s largest maritime industry exhibition. Organised by the Dubai World Trade Centre, this year’s event held from March 5th to 9th witnessed the world’s most impressive yachts and latest innovations from leading brands in the marine spectrum. The sun shone bright and there was excitement in the air as thousands of people streamed through the gates of the Dubai International Marine Club in Mina Seyahi on the opening day. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, was present to kick-off the festivities.
The venue was packed with exhibitors representing 750 regional and interna-
tional companies from 49 countries, and it was divided into segments that catered to everyone’s needs: Dive Middle East Exhibition area, Luxury Supplies and Services area, Equipment Supplies and Services area, the Supercar Promenade and the Marina Display featuring the gem of the show, the Superyacht Experience.
Watercrafts came in all shapes and sizes, but one of the biggest yachts was Behne-Mar’s Trinity 50m Sapphire. It was virtually a floating palace with elegant dark wood and golden interiors, a bespoke receiving area and eight, fully-equipped cabins that can accommodate up to 22 guests. It can go up to 21-24 knots and equipped with zero speed stabiliser for a quiet cruising experi-ence. BehneMar also presented their 28m Akhir Nasima that incorporated an Italian design with a modern craftsmanship and also zero speed stabiliser, which a rarity for a boat this size.
Gulf Craft’s 38.10m Majesty 125 was an eye-catcher with its spacious main saloon, five staterooms, dining area, garage for Jet Skis, beautiful fly-bridge and a Jacuzzi. “The concept has been extremely well-received in Europe when it was displayed at the Cannes and Monaco yacht shows,” said Gulf Craft COO Erwin Bamps. During day one, the local company announced the start of the construction of their new and largest luxury boat yet, the Majesty 155, which is to be
completed by 2015. The amphibious boat Iguana 29 from
the French company Iguana Yachts had its regional premiere at the show. It’s a high-performance boat with a maximum speed of 40 knots, can carry a capacity of eight people, installed with two rubber tracks and two motorised hydraulic arms that enables it to emerge from water to land. “The boating industry is growing faster than the marina’s capacity. The idea is to create a versatile boat that can go in the sea as well as land. It’s a groundbreaking concept that is sporty and user-friendly,” explained founder Antoine Brugidou.
The Sanlorenzo 40Alloy model also made its stunning debut on Dubai waters. A com-bination of form and function, it comes with a sleek aluminium design, four terraces, gull-wing doors and minimalist wood and leather interior finishes. According to reports, the Italian yacht builder delivered the 40m boat to HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
However, it’s not just about the boats. The event also gathered the region’s top luxury car brands like Mercedes-Benz, Bentley and McLaren. Dubai Exotic Limo also displayed their Dodge Challenger SRT and eager guests took turns checking out the ride. They also put together a conference about the evolving Middle East marine market, trade seminars, live entertainment and the
Words By: Glaiza SeguiaPhotos By: Tara Atkinson and Dubai International Boat Show
EVENT REVIEWS
10 OUTDOORUAE
THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST ApRIL 2013 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM
Al Yousuf accessories were there with their new brands
BehneMar’s palatial Trinity Sapphire
much-awaited raffle draw on the last day. The lucky winners went home with Yamaha Waverunner Jet Ski, tickets to the Cannes International Film Festival, passes for the 2013 Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and more.
For the third year now, OutdoorUAE participated in the prestigious Dubai International Boat Show as an exhibitor. With a bigger outside space, the booth attracted hundreds of visitors who were keen to know more about the great outdoors.
People took home past and current issues of the magazine for free and enquired about Mike Nott’s Off-road Adventure (UAE and Oman) Routes guide book, outdoor adven-tures, destinations and products. People who signed up for our monthly mailing list during the four-day event were immediately entered to our prize draw for two ISAW A2 HD Action Cameras from BlueWaters Marine and the Mercury solo kayak by Point 65°N from Go Sport The Dubai Mall. Congratula-tions to Ella Pintucan and Faten Mohamed Ahmed Rady, who won the cameras, and Philippe Choque for winning the kayak.
OutdoorUAE’s Boat Show booth
Turn to page 30 to see the full product review of the kayak.
We also had a soft launch of our new products – the creatively designed “I am OutdoorUAE” t-shirts and tyre covers that were well-received by the crowd. Despite the heat, strong wind and crazy traffic outside the Dubai International Marine Club, the whole team and guests had a fantastic time!
Here are some of the best moments from our stand…
11OUTDOORUAE
THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST ApRIL 2013 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM
EVENT REVIEWS
Mayiya loves her new shoes!
Eric and CJ at the Sun and Sand Sports HQ.
Columbia Photo wall ComPetitionVisitors of the OutdoorUAE Dubai International Boat Show booth also had a go at the free and fun photo wall featuring the Columbia Drain-maker shoes. By doing their best and funniest facial expression through the cut out, guests were already in the running to win a pair of Drain-makers fully-drainable trail shoes designed to move seamlessly from land to water.
We uploaded hundreds of photos taken from those four days on our Facebook page (Facebook.com/OutdoorUAE) and the photogenic top three who tagged themselves and got the most likes on their picture were Mayiya Frankoul, CJ Ferre and Eric Carreon. They all received vouchers worth 350 AED from Sun and Sand Sports to be redeemed at Columbia flagship stores.
Check out the best shots…
41
24
20
THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST ApRIL 2013 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM
14 OUTDOORUAE
THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST ApRIL 2013 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM
The Big STinker
Words By: Lee Bradbury Photos By: Louise Adamson - PHISHFOTOZ
In addition to the sprawling desert, UAE is noted for its mountain ranges, so where better for Ur-ban-Ultra to hold their second race? Although my running training has recently taken a bit of a back seat to preparing for the Reebok CrossFit Open and training at Reebok CrossFit LifeSpark, my love of running will never die. Add to that the great time I had running the Urban-Ultra’s first race, The Desert Stinker back in December, there was no way I was letting this race slip by.
The Urban-Ultra Big Stinker was aptly named because of the huge mountain that had to be climbed along the way. The race was a 12km loop which involved 560m of ascent in the first 6km. Competitors had the choice of running one, two or three laps covering 12km, 24km or 36km. I opted for a modest 24km due to the lack of specific running training I mentioned earlier, and trusted that my more than adequate training at LifeSpark would keep me going.
Another early wake up and a 90-minute drive, I was at the start point going through a very easy registration and getting a bag of goodies to help me on the way, next to the Golden Tulip hotel in Ras Al Khaimah look-ing up at the rocky terrain that was about to test me more than I could ever have realised. During the race brief there was a lot of talk about what if you decide to do less laps than you had signed up for or see how you feel after getting on the mountain, and I realised I had no clue what 560m of ascent over 6km actually meant. It meant I was running/
walking up hill for nearly one hour straight. It meant that I had seriously underestimat-ed the challenge that lay ahead. The race started quite flat for about 1.5km then the leg burner began. Oh my god, it went on forever! I got over the brow of what seemed to be the top of the mountain only to look up in sheer disbelief that there was more. A true mental battle had begun and I just had to keep pushing. Then it came, the top was there, my legs opened up and I suddenly felt as though I was only just starting the race and the 6kg I had on my back wasn’t drag-ging my shoulders to the dirt. I embraced the spiraling descent ahead of me and made up some time.
Then it dawned on me, a quick bit of math in the head – a 12k loop. I had signed up for 24km; I had to do it all over again! I spent the 20-odd minutes it took me to get back to the start fighting the urge to throw in the towel and give up on the second lap, but I snapped out of it just in time to put a brave face on for the spectators.
I immediately regretted it as the flat surface slowly disappeared and the true test began. I was literally shouting at myself to keep pushing to just get to the top and it’s all downhill from there, literally! I tried so hard to get in the zone and get lost in my music, but my body resisted, it was telling me to turn back, to take up golf, to give up.
Then I saw it, not the finish line, no this was better. I saw the building that signified the end, liberation, freedom, the gates of heaven itself, the top of the mountain. A wave of energy came over me and although not quite the same as the first time around, I knew I was going to make it. The downhill phase came and went and it was the last stretch of road to the finish line where there would be celebrations and cheers and some form of cold beverage waiting for me. Well almost, there was a line of what appeared to be humans lying in the shade staring into
nothing and my wife who had been up since 4:00 a.m. doing her best to show how proud she was. That was good enough, and thank god she was there as there was no way I was driving back home!
It’s the toughest battles that give the big-gest sense of achievement, the ones where you said “I really, really wanted to quit” but didn’t. For me this was the toughest of them all so far. The route was great and my running ability was still intact, I just needed some hill training. Urban-Ultra had done it again and reminded me why I will never, ever give up running. The route was very tough, but also very rewarding with some fantastic views at the top.
I’d like to say a huge thank you to Louise Adamson and the guys at Urban-Ultra for putting on this very well-organised event, as tough as it was, I loved the challenge and felt like I’d been really tested. Unlike the De-sert Stinker, this one is more for experienced runners – even the 12km would be challeng-ing for novice runners who haven’t done mountain running before. I know there is already another race in the pipeline so here is to more mental battles, more self-fulfillment and sometime soon I’ll have that fanfare waiting for me at the finish line.
EVENT REVIEWS
16 OUTDOORUAE
THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST ApRIL 2013 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM
Junior ClassRider No Rider Name
44 William Burke
99 Joey Mortada
1 Karran Basi
22 Anatole Kunegel
15 Ruby Crawford
111 Malia Gregson
Cadet ClassRider No Rider Name
15 Luca Crawford
86 Myles Sexson
7 Ashley O’Connor
5 Gian Luca Holder
6 Riley Bac
511 Keira Gregson
65cc ClassRider No Rider Name
19 Eugenio Barbaglia
174 Abdulla Al Nuaimi
99 Alexander Mortada
11 Khalifa Al Kumati
67 Godefroy Buisson
222 Ethan Lane
85cc ClassRider No Rider Name
42 Samuel Porter
999 Fraser Rose
22 Nicolas Kefford
88 Tom Hudson
48 Jessie Lee Davidson
67 Godefroy Buisson
DMX Championship
Results
2012-2013 Race season
This race season saw another round of amazing riding and excellent lap times from rid-ers in different classes. It’s a busy year for the Dubai Motocross Club as they held the UAE National Championships and the first round of Arab National Championships.
“It was a great season all the way around,” said DMX Club chairman Tom Wynn. “We had over 100 registered riders and we would really like to see that increase next season.” Tom added the junior class really kicked it up this team, “Our junior class is very good this season, unfortunately I think we will be los-ing some of our top riders just due to the fact that they have to move on to college.” According to Wynn, they are continuously improving the track and the facility to better cater to the needs of riders and spectators.
As another season comes to a close with a prize giving ceremony on April 25th, more expectation and excitement are building up for the next start of regis-tration in September.
On the 27th February 2013, Bluehaus Group undertook a cycle of all seven emirates in four days to raise funds for its chosen charity, the SOS Chil-dren’s Villages (www.soschil-drensvillages.org.uk). We have been looking for a CSR strategy for the business for a while now – something that promoted health, sustainability and local to the United Arab Emirates. Bluehaus Group celebrates a decade of supporting clients in the UAE, so we thought a cycle across the Emirates would be apt as a way of saying thank you. Having enjoyed it so much and being such a success in terms of the funds raised, we plan to make this an annual event.
Six riders with two support cars set off from Abu Dhabi early morning on the 27th February headed for Al Ain. We specifically selected routes off the beaten track, so to speak, to avoid motorways partly for safety reasons, but mostly to see more of the coun-try and more remote areas. The countryside was stunning and surprisingly diverse, and we experienced some wonderfully welcom-ing people, who gave nothing but support for what we were doing.
day 1 started foggy at around 10°C, but eventually warmed up. The deserts off Abu Dhabi (north of the Truck Road) are beautiful and very quiet with flat roads. At the end
of the first day and completing 160km, we arrived in Al Ain for a well-earned rest.
Day 2 started with a road map leading to Hatta and Hatta Fort Hotel. What started out as a very flat area took us through red sand and some busy roads that then led into some quiet, mountainous areas and our first experience of some remote villages. We really felt we were in the true UAE countryside on the quiet roads through tiny villages. Camels, donkeys and goats became a regular sight and there were some areas reminiscent of South African countryside or Australian bush. Day 2 was very flat and arid. We also came across historical housing pro-tected by fencing, it ended with some tough hills and through an area we would be dou-bling back through the next day. The “Tour of the Emirates” welcome sign at Hatta Fort Hotel was very welcoming indeed. Expecting Day 3 to be the toughest, it was early dinner and early to bed for all.
On Day 3, the 8:00 a.m. start took us to an immediate left out of Hatta Fort Hotel and up into the mountains – a very
challenging start. It was by far the hardest, but also the most exhilarating and rewarding leg of the tour. What started as incredibly challenging, mountainous areas, resulted to some of the most impressive mountainside and views across the UAE. Midway through the day, we came over the top of a mountain on the road down to Kalba and the beach. We then continued down the coast towards Fujairah and once passed the industrial area, the beautiful countryside greeted us. Although a little difficult at times, the support cars were very helpful to have behind
you. As the next day would be the longest, the plan was to pedal past our destination of Le Meridien Al Aqqa to reduce what was to be a 220km for Day 4. With some very tired legs, we did 30km before returning to Al Aqqa. We had well deserved refreshments at the beach bar, followed by a dinner and an early night in preparation of what was to be the hardest day.
Day 4 did not disappoint. Having set off at the previous day’s marker, we made way to some flatland headed back towards Al Dhaid and then on to Dubai. The first part of the day involved a climb up the mountain-ous areas and into Al Dhaid, a small but very busy town and a great place for a break. A local who had seen us on the road invited us into his cafeteria for lunch and did not allow us to pay. The second half of the day took us through some of the most stunning and unspoilt desert roads we have ever experienced – orange desert on both sides, no buildings, the mountains on our left and a brand new road for 70km. Apart from the mountains of Day 3, this was the most mem-orable. The finish in Dubai, near the Outlet Mall was bittersweet. High fives and sweaty hugs combined with a relief that we had done it and conversation about the plans for next year already started.
Bluehaus Group has raised around 25,000 AED for SOS Children’s Villages, which aim to give orphaned children access to educa-tion and health care, and receive support as they grow into independent adults. Partici-pants of the Tour of the Emirates are Jason Roberts, Tony Archibold, Ollie Blackmore, Ben Corrigan, Faisal Al Umari, Francois Papastefanou and James Coburn. Special thanks to KPS, Summertown, Arki Group, The Furniture Practice and HNI, hotels Le Meridien Al Aqqa, Hatta Fort Hotel and Al Ain Hilton. To know more about our cause, visit www.touroftheemirates.com and www.soschildrensvillages.org.uk.
tour of the Emirates 2013Seven emirates in four days
Words By: Ben Corrigan and Jason RobertsPhotos By: Ben Corrigan, Jason Roberts and Francois Papastefanou Day 2, Hatta to Fujairah
Day 4, Heading towards Al Dhaid
18 OUTDOORUAE
THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST ApRIL 2013 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM
REPORT
20 OUTDOORUAE
THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST ApRIL 2013 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM
On the first weekend of March, the second edition of the Sunset Mall Challenge was held under the patronage of HH Sheikh Man-sour Bin Ahmed Al Thani.It was very exciting that we could stage this event for the second time, as it is the only one of its kind in our emirate. The first thing that stood out this year was the huge in-crease of kites and spectators on the beach! It was quite a sight to behold. It is puzzling how this sport lost out (albeit last minute) to windsurfing in its Olympic bid, as it is clearly a very exciting spectator sport.
KitesurfingOn the kitesurfing front, there was quite a change in the format of the racing. A series of races – with each race counting equally – would determine the standings, creating a fairer competition. If you make a mistake in one race, you can still correct that with the results in the other races. With the races now held over two days, differences in body weight and equipment will get leveled out with potentially different weather conditions. The idea was to raise the bar on the level of racing and all the competitors really got into this new style of competing. We found many of them were calculating and planning their strategies for the final race.
Conditions were perfect on both days, with winds between 10-15kts in the after-noon. Three races were held on day 1, then one more race on the second day, making it a total of four races.
In the junior category (16 years and below), there was only ever going to be one winner, Mateo Vieujot was miles ahead of the rest. He won an impressive three out of
the four races. Second place was Mark How-es and at third was Baptiste Aubourg. In the women category, we saw a very close battle for the top three. Christelle Schaal was at first place after she had a crash at the start. Second and third place was a tie, in both points and race results, so the final race determined the victor. Second place went to An Smet and third to Anke Christine from Bahrain.
The men’s category was dominated by the guys on hydrofoils. First place went to Nicolas Caillou, who flew in especially from France for the event. Second place was for Sylvain Vieujot, proving that kiting is a family affair with his son winning the junior cate-gory. Third place went to Renaud Barbier, one of the pioneers of hydrofoil kiting in the UAE.
Stand Up Paddle boarding The main SUP races were held on Saturday morning, after some more relaxing sprint and relay races on the Friday morning. In the SUP racing, we saw the same two riders from last year taking first and second place in the men’s division: Daniel van Dooren and Scott Chambers. But some new faces are edging closer to the top podiums like Amer el Dan-dachli, who placed third. On the women’s front, we saw Janice Smith in first, followed by Jeniffer Scully in second and Chantelle Howes in third. Chantelle proved again that mother and son can both compete at a very high level. In the juniors, we saw the some familiar faces from last year, with Mark How-es taking first, Kasper Szczesny in second place and Baptiste Aubourg in third.
Let’s hope we can continue this worth-while event for many years to come and slowly but surely build the level of competi-tion in the UAE. Now, there are already new
Sunset Mall Challenge 2013 Kite surfing & SUP racing
Words By: Duco Photos Provided By: Sunset Mall
initiatives being organised towards regularly practicing and racing together, which is what it’s really all about!
The event is sponsored by Sunset Mall in cooperation with Kitesurfing UAE and Duco Maritime. Thanks for all the support and all the people there. We had an amazing event and received very positive feedback. Let’s do it again next year!
Kite Men
Position Start Nr. Name1 39 Nicolas Caillou2 56 Sylvain Vieujot3 26 Renaud Barbier
Kite Junior
Position Start Nr. Name1 74 Mateo Vieujot2 15 Mark Howes3 75 Baptiste Aubourg
Kite Women
Position Start Nr. Name1 17 Christelle Schaal2 50 An Smet3 18 Anke Christine
SUP Men
Position Start nr. Name1 17 Daniel van Dooren2 22 Scott Chambers3 11 Amer El Dandachli
SUP Junior
Position Start Nr. Name1 20 Mark Howes2 30 Kasper Szczesny3 2 Baptiste Aubourg
SUP Women
Position Start Nr. Name1 15 Janice Smith2 9 Jennifer Scully3 18 Chantelle Howes
THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST ApRIL 2013 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM
the country. As a result, we are now all set to welcome visitors from around the world to come and participate in the festival’s many activities,” he added.
Obaid Khalfan Al Mazrouei, the Festival Manager, said that plans are being put in place to welcome the thousands of com-petitors and visitors expected to attend the watersports festival this year. “Along with the plans we have developed for the festival, there will be a lot of exciting programs for families, where they will have the opportuni-ty to engage in a whole host of fun activities open to the public, including new activities and our professional trainers on hand offer-ing free coaching sessions during the week.”
Words By: WRDC
Final preparations are underway for the 5th Al Gharbia watersports Festival that will take place in mir-fa, Al Gharbia, the western region of Abu dhabi emirate. the event is held under the distinguished patronage of his highness sheikh hamdan bin Zayed Al nahyan, ruler’s representative for the western region and is organised by the western region develop-ment council (wrdc).
HE Mohamed Hamad bin Azzan Al Mazrouei, Acting Undersecretary of the Ruler’s Representative Court in the Western Region and the Director General of WRDC, said: “For the past few years, the Al Gharbia Watersports Festival has attracted thousands of families and visitors to Al Gharbia. So for 2013, we have made sure there is something for everyone, meaning this year is going to be even bigger and better than anything we have ever organised before.”
“Throughout the year, we have been working closely with our partners, local businesses, hotels, caterers and residents in Al Gharbia to promote the region as one of the most attractive tourist destinations in
The Al Gharbia Watersports Festival is a 10-day extravaganza filled with won-der, water and world-class athletes. From kiteboards and surf ski kayaks in the waves to chilled-out camping and a DJ playing on shore, along with many other activities and surprises. Besides the sporting competitions that include wakeboarding, beach volleyball and beach football, the festival will also offer a night camp activities with music concerts and festive food stations as well as a tradi-tional ‘souk’ to satisfy eager shoppers.
For more information about the festival, please visit www.algharbiafestivals.com/watersports.
AL GHARBIA WATERSPORTS FESTIVALKicks Off in Mirfa this MONTH
THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST ApRIL 2013 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM
The Dante Torres Super D on February 22nd was my first ever race since I started getting into mountain biking. More than the hype and the gut-wrenching feeling of every person who decides to enter a race – ulti-mately, this race is special because Dante Torres is my brother.
I was anxious, excited and overwhelmed. I was anxious because I am a novice and I am joining something that’s not my cup of tea. Going into things like this bring out the com-petitive side in me. I was excited because it meant that I would get to meet, laugh and swap stories with people whom I share the same passion with. I felt overwhelmed to know that people really took their time to join, remember and get to know my brother.
Shortly after taking my turn on the trail it happened, the signature Denise Torres move – I fell. Riding through the trails was a rush. No, it wasn’t the “I-have-to-win-this” kind of rush, but the one that came from the realisa-tion that I should enjoy this. And I did!
As the race moved along, more and more people began talking about their own expe-rience inside the 3-4km trail. Some decided not to finish, while some were forced to stop because of busted tires. Everyone had their little competition on who would win while waiting for the results.
Before I proceed, let me make it clear that this is not a story where in the end, I miraculously win. On the contrary, I lost, but I wasn’t bitter at all.
I can’t think of a person who deserved to win than my good friend, Joy Musa. She finished the race with 0:14:31. She was so good that her time would rank second for the 18-40 men’s category and in the 41 and above men’s exec-utive category, and third in the man’s open elite cate-gory. Bravo for girl power! She’s an inspiration and a
living testament to the saying that “girls can also do anything guys can.”
But who can forget Ian Ganderton? Hats off to the overall fastest rider with 0:12:28!
The week after that was the Showka Open XC Race. This race was different. This race was 42km long for the elite and 24km long (one loop for the ladies and newbies) and in one of my favourite trails of Showka. More men and women joined this race and the hype was really building up on which partici-pants to watch out for.
This event is not like the Super D. Apart from the 38km long difference, this was for “Padyak ko, Edukasyon mo,” Filipino words meaning, “My pedal, your education,” The name of the charity says it all. Isn’t it nice to enjoy what you are passionate about and send kids to school at the same time?
Few minutes into the race, I was beginning to hate my fa-vourite trail. I stopped for three times and even thought about quitting a few times. The wind was blowing hard against me and too much sand was getting caught in my eyes. With 10km in, I saw people resting, catch-ing their breaths, fixing their flat tires, while others were pedaling harder. It confirmed my hunch that I wasn’t the only one having a hard time. Part
of me wanted to tell them to quit with me, but then again, seeing some men struggling inspired me to push and drove me to pedal harder. Plus, I don’t like the idea of having to tell a story about not finishing a race, because for me, that is failure. So I pushed myself and pedaled more, and yes, I finished with cramped legs and sore behind.
When the results were announced, I felt really happy because I found another lady to look up to: Michelle Guerin of Cycle Hub who finished first at 1:09:40. Other winners include again Joy Musa, who finished at 1:14:44 and Airene Conde at 1:16:12. These ladies are very strong and definitely worth looking up to!
I went home really tired, hit the sack very happy and dreamt of the other events coming up before the summer heat sets in – I can’t seem to get the rush of mounting biking out of my mind. Challenges and inju-ries aside, I am happy to be part of a group that is full of life, camaraderie, and laughter. Words cannot explain how much zest this group has added to my life. UAE MTB is not about competition, like how I view most things. It’s about encouraging and teaching people how to have fun and hone your craft at the same time. More than getting on the saddle and pedaling around the rocky trails Showka, for me, this group is the closest thing to home. We make the most of our Monday and Wednesday nights around Nad Al Sheba and Friday morning in Showka or just about any off-road trail that we can get our bikes on.
Editor’s Note: Denise’s brother, Dante Torres, had a fatal accident on March 12th 2012 while kitesurfing on Topanga Beach, Los Angeles and the Super D race was held in tribute. See our April 2012 issue for his story.
Another big MTB event that happened last March at Showka was the 4th Get To-gether Ride organised by the UAE Moun-tainbiking family. The free event gathered around 300 people – from newbies to experts to spectators – for a fun ride into the wadi and dirt trails, yummy grilled burgers and raffle prize draw. To see this passion-ate community come together was a great experience and made the 5:00 a.m. call time well worth it.
FEBRUARy MTB ExTRAvAGANzA
The Dante Torres Super D Race and Showka Open XC Race Experience
Words By: Denise Marie Torres Photos By: Angie Villanueva
EVENT REVIEWS
Cheers for the ladies!
The men rocking the race
On tuesday, 26th of march, at Adventure hQ in times square, an eager audience greeted race director tess Geddes as she presented a talk about the upcoming Grand to Grand ultra race in north America in sep-tember. scanning the audience, there were a few familiar faces from the ultra scene, to desert, trail and road runners.
There were also some interested newbies and those who maybe had never thought of running such distances in one day! The fascination of the race and admiration of how people could put themselves through this was certainly a common theme. No wonder in Tess’ presentation we were watching people compete in seven-day/six-stage self-supported race which covered over 268km. Starting from the awe-inspiring north rim of the Grand Canyon, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, and finishing on the summit of the Grand Staircase, one of the world’s most iconic ge-ological formations, the race sees people running, climbing, walking their way through ascents of 5,837m and descents of 4,774m.
In her presentation, Tess went over the logistics and what to expect. She when onto explain that competitors are also required to carry all that they will need for the week with the exception of water and a roof over their head. This means they have to carry all of their food (a minimum of 2,000 calories per day as stipulated in the rules), as well as their sleeping bag, sleeping pad and other mandatory items in their backpack. The rules require that var-ious items are carried for safety reasons (e.g. com-pass, whistle, signal mirror, small knife, headlamp, windproof jacket). The backpack can therefore weigh up to 20lbs at the start.
Online, there is also much sharing of information on the Grand to Grand Ultra Facebook pages in the months leading up to the race as fellow athletes share tips. Whilst there is real competition between the entrants, there is also a real sense of camara-derie between them, as they help each other to combat the elements. Not everyone will compete to win, but all of them are helping each other to finish a gruelling course – the equivalent of almost six and half marathons over seven days.
After Tess had convinced us we were all capable of doing a race like this if we started training now, the next to present was some homegrown talent, Cath Todd, who has experience completing a race like the Grand to Grand but all in one go. Cath’s presentation was great and really showed us what it takes to commit to a passion, but we took note that it doesn’t go so smoothly all the time and you need to be prepared. After Cath, we saw the adventur-ous Adrian Hayes speak about this expeditions to both polar circles. With a background in the army, he sets challenges that may take anywhere from 40-60 days to complete and that are self-supported as well. A few key things that Adrian highlighted were attention to detail, diet and problem solving which all help in endurance races or challenges.
Hosted by Urban-Ultra, the evening was great, interesting and certainly inspirational.
Three runners from Dubai have already signed up for the race in September: Louise Adamson and Pascale De Jong from Urban-Ultra and Lee Harris from the Dubai Trail Runners. If you are keen to sign up as well, registration closes on the 30th of June visit www.g2gultra.com for more information.
If you want to see how all three runners are pro-gressing with training over the summer stay tuned, as OutdoorUAE will be following them through articles in the lead up.
This year was the 10th anniver-sary of the mountain bike stage race held in the Western Cape of South Africa. More than 1,200 international athletes – from Olympic Champions to hobby bikers – took the opportunity to struggle through the South African bush.
It is in human nature to look for challenges in one’s life. Participation in extraordinary athletic events like marathons, Ironmans or even MTB stage races have been booming for that reason and can be found on top of the challenge-seeker’s list. Although it’s not exactly cheap, let alone easy, to do such races, most of them are booked out just minutes after the entry is opened. In the Cape Epic race though, the first challenge is to get to the starting line (more on that below). The riders face eight days of “real” mountain biking on difficult ground such as deep sand, rocks and a lot of single tracks. Every year a mysterious guy called Dr Evil – no kidding, he really exists – looks for a new route around Cape Town with an overall length of approximately 700km and about 15,000m of climbs.
Cape Epic is one of the most popular mountain bike stage races. The idea for that race was brought to Cape Town from Costa Rica where a similar race, the Ruta del Conquistadores, is held. Time-wise it was extended to eight days – as opposed to the original three days of the Costa Rican race – and it usually starts with a short time trial and seven stages to follow. The race is open for teams of two riders only who have to overcome all challenges during that time together. In the first couple of years, the start venue was in Knysna and the finish in Cape Town. With more of 600 teams racing plus all staff and media, the course had to be moved to other areas in the Western Cape as the original one could not host so many people. The organisers do a very good job of fulfilling the needs and requirements of all people involved in and around the event. Every participant is accommodated in a tent, there are shower facilities at the end of every stage, and breakfast and dinner are offered. Even wireless internet is provided in the big “tent city.” Every other day the entire village is moved to the next location.
To get to the starting line of the Cape Epic, first you need to have the right partner who you can imagine to spend a week together within close quarters in the South African bush. The offered categories
are “women”, “men” (including masters and grand masters) and a “mixed” category. In all categories except the last one mentioned, both riders should be pretty much on the same physical level, otherwise it could really tough for one of them. Both riders apply for entry which is raffled almost a year before the race. Usually the raffle takes place mid to end of March. In June, the lucky riders who have got an entry are present-ed and have to the pay
Words By: Werner Leitner
Photos By: Nick Muzik, Sam Clarke and Sportograf.com
TRAVEL + ADVENTURE
24 OUTDOORUAE
the race fee for the team of approximately 20,000 AED. This fee includes entry fee, accommodation and half board during the race days. After payment, the trip to Cape Town can be organised.
Months of training, and material testing follows and as the race comes closer, you should know what to take to South Africa. Tubeless tires are strongly recommended because of the thorns on the tracks and you should also take some spare parts with you on your trip although South Africa is a country of mountain biking and you get everything there as well. In the race villages, you can also find shops with attached booths that offer services and spare parts. But it’s better to be safe than sorry, so you should have the essentials with you on board.
The 2013 race week started on March 16th with registration at the famous Water-front – a shopping centre at the harbour of Cape Town. Beside race numbers and timing chips, a bag was handed to the athletes which was used as travel bag for the race week and was transported from venue to venue by the organisers. This year’s race was not only held in honour of the 10th anniversary of Cape Epic MTB race, but was also dedicated to an extraordinary South African mountain biker and winner of the 2011 and 2012 edition, Burry Stander, who was killed in a car crash just a few weeks before the race. It was, for sure, the race with the strongest field of competitors ever. All the amateurs could match themselves with reigning and former Olympic and World Champions.
The actual race started the day after registration at the vine estate Meerendal 45 minutes north of Cape Town’s centre. It was a 22km ride carried out as a team time trial. The stage description showed a short course with sharp climbs, which turned out to be absolutely correct. After just about an hour, the first teams reached the finish line. The result of this trial served to define the start blocks for the next day’s first stage. Two hundred teams were in one block and the fastest riders in the ranking started first. After a transfer to Citrusdal, which is 200km north of Cape Town, the first stage was on the program. And it was to be the toughest one as the sandy surface turned riding partly into hiking with temperatures ranging around 40°C. It was a long day and for some of the amateurs it was a fight against the daily cut-off time. Everyone hoped that it would be the only stage with so much golden sand because the next day, with its 146 km and therefore the longest stage, would be an even greater torture on such surface. How-ever, the second stage was to show more solid ground; time-wise it did not take much longer than the first day. The third stage was proclaimed “recovery day” with an easy stage of 90km. All those who really believed that had a surprise coming. The recovery route had the athletes ride on rocky grounds with steep inclines from the beginning to the end of the 90km. But that is Cape Epic, and you have to think from day to day, and you have to save energy for the following days. The last real stage on day seven finished in Stellenbosch at a beautiful campsite in
the university town. From there it was just another 54km to the finish line in Lourens-ford where the finishers were celebrated. When you reach the finish line you can’t really believe that the tough tour is over. The only thing you can think of at this point is a night in a real bed and not having to get up at five the next morning to get ready for the 7 o’clock start.
For the professional riders, such a race is more or less business as usual, although their faces showed signs that the week had taken its toll on them. In the end, Christoph Sauser from Switzerland, former partner of the deceased South African hero Burry Stander, won his fourth Cape Epic title with his new partner, the reigning Olympic Champion Jaroslav Kulhavy from the Czech Republic.
When asked during or just shortly after the race, riders would say that they will never ever participate again. However, time changes everything and after some distance and when the pain is forgotten, the desire
to be on the starting line next year rises astonishingly fast. So it is safe to say that most athletes have become “infected with the Cape Epic virus” and are now addicted. Many of them will come over and over again although it is a tough and expensive holiday in the South African bush.
25OUTDOORUAE
JAMES PEARSONCAROLINE CIAVALDINIDOLOMITES, ITALY
Latitude:NORTH 46° 37’ 45”
Longitude:EAST 12° 15’ 22”
Elevation:2330 m
Photo: RIKY FELDERER
The new Spring/Summer 2013 The North Face® Backpack Range is now available at The Dubai Mall and Mirdif City Centre
Also available at select Sun and Sand Sports stores.
Optifit™ delivers an unrivaled combination of load control and maximised ventilation with a fully adjustable backpanel and hipbelt design. Optifit™ dramatically improves weight distribution and airflow. The result: a perfect fit and cooler carry.
BETTER FIT. LONGER DAYS
THE NEW STANDARD IN BACKPACK SUSPENSION DESIGN
TNF_SP13 MasterCoop Optifit_Outdoor UAE DPS.indd 1 3/21/13 9:27 AM
JAMES PEARSONCAROLINE CIAVALDINIDOLOMITES, ITALY
Latitude:NORTH 46° 37’ 45”
Longitude:EAST 12° 15’ 22”
Elevation:2330 m
Photo: RIKY FELDERER
The new Spring/Summer 2013 The North Face® Backpack Range is now available at The Dubai Mall and Mirdif City Centre
Also available at select Sun and Sand Sports stores.
Optifit™ delivers an unrivaled combination of load control and maximised ventilation with a fully adjustable backpanel and hipbelt design. Optifit™ dramatically improves weight distribution and airflow. The result: a perfect fit and cooler carry.
BETTER FIT. LONGER DAYS
THE NEW STANDARD IN BACKPACK SUSPENSION DESIGN
TNF_SP13 MasterCoop Optifit_Outdoor UAE DPS.indd 1 3/21/13 9:27 AM
In 2011, I decided to enter the De-sert Challenge after having been to Liwa to watch the event the previous year. I had no serious expectations and the goal was to simply finish and have fun. Being a complete novice, I had no strategy and the idea of pacing myself was not in my mind. I made navigational errors, got stuck and crashed numerous times. A crash that sticks to my memory was on Day 2. I had just come down off a slip face and was accelerating into a sabkha – I hit something (to this day I don’t know what it was), and the quad cartwheeled several times, coming to rest on my leg. Two very kind bike riders stopped and dragged the quad off me. At that stage, I was wiggling fingers and toes to check if they were still attached and functioning, fortunately they were and I carried on a little more cautiously. The service crew had to work most of the night to get the quad back to a fit state to carry on. At the end of Day 4, I was in 3rd place in the quad class, much to my surprise. I was very happy to nurse the bike home on the final day and grab a very unexpected podium in my first Desert Challenge.
Perhaps as an endorsement to the diffi-culty of this event on the machines, I passed the 2nd placed rider near the beginning of Day 5 (I didn’t know at the time, but he had terminal engine issues that would not allow him to finish). I then passed the 1st placed rider about 80km from the end of the stage, he was in some choppy dunes with a burnt out clutch. This again would cause him not to finish. So at that point I was extremely fortunate to be able to finish and get 1st place in the quad class. No one was more surprised than I was!
The original plan was to just compete in one Desert Challenge, however getting a
win is kind of addictive so I en-tered again in 2012. I thought I was better prepared this time with a little more experience. However, I tore the ACL in my knee six weeks before the challenge at a motocross event and I had some intensive therapy to get that ready to race. This obviously hampered my preparations significantly. Several cans of magic ice spray, along with some tight strapping and boxes of pain-killers did the trick. I wasn’t quite so fortunate in 2012 with my bike though. I lost fifth gear on Day 1, which meant I couldn’t ride as fast as I wanted in the fast sections. The service crew were unable to fix this issue for Day 2, so that was another day of limited pace. Day 3, a new gearbox, so I had fifth gear, but seized the piston early in the day. Day 4, a new engine, seized the piston again. I had run out of engine parts at this point, the penalties were somewhere in the region of 30+ hours and I was frustrated. I called it at the end of Day 4 and retired.
This illustrates the difficulty of the event, and more importantly, the investment need-ed in preparing a machine that will finish the event. A friend of mine frequently reminds me that “to finish first, first you have to finish” and this is very true. This year I think I am prepared better than the previous years and I am feeling confident. The quad class this year looks to be very competitive with very fast locally based riders and some inter-national riders with their entourages. These international riders are mostly competing in the Cross Country Rally World Champion-ship and will have lots of experience in these events such as the Dakar.
In summary, I am as prepared as I can be at this stage, I have an awesome sponsor in DFS Middle East, and I have a great service team PowerTecUAE looking after the bike this year. For rider support, my family is coming to Liwa as they always do and they offer lots of encouragement. I must admit that my wife always looks very relieved when I have finished this event with no serious injuries!
Nick Black
What drives you?Nick Black returns to the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge
TRAVEL + ADVENTURE
with NickUP ClOse
With just days ahead of the hotly antici-pated Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, 40-year-old South African, is steeling himself for another five punishing days of tough riding through the Empty Quarter and this year he hopes to cinch his second win.
ADDC 2011 was your first time to join and you won, how did that feel? To say I was surprised would be a gross understatement. In the quad class, the battle is really about what bike is going to make it to the end with no mechanical issues. I was fortunate that my bike was relatively trouble-free, thanks to the service team. I really had no expectation of doing more than finishing the event.
Photo By: Sue Black
Photos By: Tara Atkinson
28 OUTDOORUAE
How difficult is it out there? It’s one of the most demanding events of the Cross-Coun-try Rallies World Championship series. Physically, it’s demanding, but the biggest challenge for me is staying focused mentally for five days. I’ve crashed at some pretty high speeds and to this day, have no idea how I crashed other than simply not being switched on mentally and missing a drop off or just “getting it wrong.” Navigation is an area that needs complete focus as well.
If you miss a turn or end up off the course, it can take quite a lot of time to recover.
How are you now preparing for this year’s race? I’m in the gym every morning doing 60 minutes of cardio training – rowing, cycling and running. I’m also strengthen-ing core muscles so I can limit the damage
from a crash and also to be able to drag the 200+kg quad out of the sand if I need to. I’m also trying to spend as much time in the desert on the bike as possible. I’m not sure how I can prepare mentally to be honest oth-er than just picturing what the route will look like and how I’ll approach each day in terms of initial goals and “what-if” scenarios.
How about your quad? The quad has been prepared to be super-reliable this year. I want to avoid a repeat of 2012 preferably! The trick is to find a combination of perfor-mance and reliability. I’m fortunate to have DFS Middle East as a sponsor this year and PowerTec preparing the bike.
What do you think is your best moment in the ADDC? In 2011, when I crossed the finish line and I was only told then that I had won. I was not aware if the other competitors had managed to get started again or not after their mechanical issues. Also, some of the terrain that we raced over is unbelievably beautiful and untouched. It’s tempting to stop and just take in the scenery especially out near the Saudi border areas.
Who is a tough competition in your category for this year? Sebastian Husseini just returned from the Dakar and performed really well, so he is probably the most expe-rienced in the quad class. Then we have the locals Obaid, 2012 winner, and Shamsi who should have won in 2011 if not for mechani-cal issues. All these riders have competed in the ADDC numerous times and will be dif-ficult for anyone to match for speed. There are also some very experienced international riders who are competing in the world
championship series that you can be sure will finish. As I mentioned, the quad class is all about who is there at the finish.
What’s your game plan this year? Goal number one is to finish the race. I normally try to make sure I’m trouble-free mechani-cally and navigationally for the first two days or so. Then have a look at the race situation and decide if there is any reason to push a bit or not.
What are your other passions besides riding? I used to play a lot of golf, managed to get down to a 10 handicap before biking took more of my time. I might take that up again when I get too old to ride bikes. I also enjoy diving and other water related adven-ture hobbies.
How do you think ADDC will develop in the next years?
The ADDC seems to have regained some of its popularity this year, or perhaps spon-sors are easier to find now after the financial crisis. It would be fantastic to see more regional riders taking the sport up competi-tively – they have a natural advantage when it comes to riding in the dunes. I would also expect that the “buggies” class should grow significantly.
What’s your advice for people aspiring to get into quad biking and other motor sports? Ride and drive within your capa-bilities. Far too often I see groups of riders in the desert, with vastly different levels of skills, trying to outclass each other and it generally ends up with an injury.
Nick will ride with the DFS PowerTec team
Nick and his Yamaha Raptor 700 quad are ready to roll.
The bike has a customised GPS system
29OUTDOORUAE
PRODUCT REVIEW
Pointing in the right direction
The concept is simple: a kayak that makes paddling more convenient, accessible and versatile. Point 65 has taken recreational kayaks once again to a new level by offering the Mer-cury14, a high performance, stable, decked modular touring kayak with a large cockpit, great for exploration and then conveniently back home in the trunk of your car. Like the other recre-ational versions, the Mercury features the innovative snap tap solution.
The kayak comes in three pieces and can be assembled either as a solo or by adding an additional section it becomes a tandem. This makes it feel like you own two kayaks while only buying and storing one. The convenience of the modular design cannot be overemphasized. Taken apart, it fits in the back of a SUV or in a closet. Each section (about 11kg) can be carried to the water’s edge and assembled there. This opens up kayaking to people like me who own a
hatchback Yaris, and also those who would not normally be able to load a 35kg kayak on top of their vehicle.
The new Mercury model is a touring class kayak. It has sufficient storage for a multi-day trip with a large aft oval and a round forward hatch creating two accessible watertight compartments for gear and water, not to mention a cup holder for your drink. There is also a comfy padded cockpit, ergonomically designed and easy to get in and out of no matter what size. I also noticed that the seat had back padding and foot braces which can move for those with long legs providing good leg and hip support when finding your edge to turn or keeping stable in less calm waters.
When the pieces are all together, the kayak does become a bit cumbersome, it’s length, however, welcomes the built in keel rudder skeg system which works with the foot peddles to help its manoeuvrability. When testing the kayak out, the sea was slightly rough and turning became a bit
OutdoorUAE tests the new Point 65 North Mercury Solo Kayak and gives one away to a lucky reader during the Dubai Boat Show.
30 OUTDOORUAE
Photos By: Adam Allison
harder as there was an onshore wind, the keel and rudder system did actually help and aided the turning in these conditions. The kayak felt very stable and although heavy it was comfortable once you got it going. I definitely think it would be able to stand its own if used in rougher conditions.
Now whilst the snap and tap system is a great overall concept, and the convenience of it fitting in your car or apartment is a great reason to buy the kayak, I still found it quite frustrating to put the whole thing together. First off and out the box (even having had some experience with the snap and tap before) I had to ask for assistance. This was for no other reason than not having read the instructions, as we all do.
After two or three attempts however, the assembling becomes much easier and you learn there is just a certain technique to it and that the pieces must fit together at an angle so they lock into shape properly before you tighten with the snap tap. When out on the water, I also found the front section slightly loose bumping up and down over the small swell. Once back on land I realised that I hadn’t tightened the snap tap
ratchets properly and once again “must read instructions” and do an equipment check were on my mind.
Overall, it’s a great kayak, certainly for those who are looking for a kayaking/camp-ing adventure somewhere on a deserted island in the Musandam, or even for those just paddling around The World for the day, this kayak certainly proves its worth and is one of the coolest pieces of gear to get your hands on at the moment.
Note: The only downside is that you have
to buy the paddle and spray deck separately. Although, you can buy a single mid section to extend the kayak and not have to buy a whole new one to make it a tandem, which is really great. I always mention to those look-ing at the price that if you did have a 4m+ kayak to store, you’d be paying through the nose for it here in Dubai, so overall works out to really cost effective and great fun for the family. (The paddle also breaks down into two – they have thought of everything!)
Well done to Philippe Choque who won the Mercury 14 Point 65 North Kayak during our Boat Show raffle in March. The prize couldn’t have gone to a lovelier family and we wish them all the best with their new toy!
Check out Philippe and his family picking up the kayak from the headquar-ters in Al Barsha.
The Dubai Boat show winner!
The price of a Solo Kayak is : 4,490AEDThe Tandem is : 5995 AEDIf you want to find out more about where to buy and how the modular technology works head to Go Sport The Dubai Mall.
Philippe and his family with the kayak in the boot of his SUV
31OUTDOORUAE
THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST ApRIL 2013 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM
The North Face Casimir 36 Backpack (Unisex) 675 AED Available at the North Face Stores in The Dubai Mall and Mirdif City Centre. Also available at select Sun and Sand Sports stores.
The North Face® Men’s Casimir 36 is a light, robust and fully adaptable alpine and multi-day backpack for go further and faster adventures. The pack has a volume of 36L to haul climbing, hiking and travel gear. It has a size adjustable and gender specific hip belt and harness to achieve the best fit. The ripstop PU nylon pack body is strong and ultralight. The top pocket is removable. Cross over top compression straps have been added for when the top pocket is removed. The pack has multiple pockets for easy gear organisation. To go light and far with all the gear you need for multi-day adventures choose this.
PRODUCTSA round-up of quality products available right here in the UAE
Columbia Omni-Freeze ZERO™ apparel Women’s Coolest Cool Short Sleeve Top 135 AEDMen’s Total Zero Tee: 145 AED Available at all Columbia stores across the UAE. Dubai: The Dubai Mall, Ibn Battuta, Mirdif City Centre; Abu Dhabi: Al Wahda Mall
Sweat smarter with Omni-Freeze ZERO™. Sweat reacts with blue rings to lower the temperature of the material. Others will feel heat. You’ll feel an arctic blast. Omni-Freeze ZERO™ is the industry’s leading cooling technology. The Omni-Freeze ZERO™ blue rings capitalise on your sweat to lower the overall temperature of the material, accelerate the wicking process and provide an instant and prolonged cooling. Makes hot cool. Literally.
• Omni-Freeze ZERO™ sweat-activated super cooling• Omni-ShadeZERO™ UPF 50 sun protection• Omni-Wick™• 4-way comfort stretch• Antimicrobial
TRIED AND TESTED PG 40
32 OUTDOORUAE
THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST ApRIL 2013 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM
Kids Ultramist™ Tear Free Spray Lotion SPF 50, 175ml Available at all leading retail outlets like Carrefour, Spinneys, Lulu’s and Geant
Perfect for tearaway toddlers who just won’t sit still, just one pump of the UltraMist™ Tear Free Spray Lotion SPF 50 from the UltraMist™ range provides continuous spray from any angle – even upside down and covers your child from head to toe. You don’t even need to rub it in, making it the ideal solution for children who dislike the feeling of creams on their skin. Finally, it’s so much easier to protect all those hard-to-reach areas, and this quick and hassle-free application means you won’t be missing out on any quality family fun time. UltraMist™ Kids Tear Free SPF 50 has been specially formulated not to irritate you child’s eyes or skin. Not only that, but this gentle tear-free lotion is the only one on the market that’s widely available as a continuous spray.
• Quick and easy application• Even coverage, no need to rub in• Continuous flow with just one touch• Sprays at any angle, even upside down• Protects hard-to-reach places• Broad-spectrum UVA/UVB protection (AvoTriplex)• Tear-free, non-irritating to eyes or skin• Alcohol-free, it won’t sting skin• Hypoallergenic• Water resistant• UltraMist™ spray for rub-free application at any angle• Pediatrician tested• Dermatologically tested• Fragrance-free
Summer is all abouthaving family fun in the Sun.
To make sure sun protection doesn’t get in your way, Banana Boat has designed an effective and easy-to-apply sun care range for the whole family. Banana Boat products provide reliable UVA and UVB protection against sunburn and long-term skin damage as well as additional features such as UltraMist™ spray applica-tion, “Tear Free” and “Powder Dri” formulas.
Banana Boat’s UltraMist™ Continuous Spray Range is the hassle-free solution to sun cream application. It’s also quick and easy to use, leaving kids with more time to enjoy their fun time in the sunshine. Available in Baby & Kids, Protec-tion and Sport ranges, the whole family can use it and enjoy a full day in the sun.
33OUTDOORUAE
3LED ADVANCED HEADLIGHT (HDL33A1) 55 AED Available at Carrefour, Lulu Hypermarkets, Adventure HQ and most super-markets/electronics stores
• Advanced 3LED headlight• 41 Lumens & 23M beam distance• Light mode: Night vision – 1 red LED with runtime of 58 hours and 2 lumens;
Flood – 2 white LEDs with runtime of 28 hours and 30 lumens• HDL33A2 is also available which is a 6LED headlight priced at 65 AED
PRODUCTS
Endura Stingray (4 Lens Sets) 200 AED Available at Specialized outdoor and quality cycle retailers
MTB 4 lens set with high definition, low distortion polycarbonate lenses complete with hard case and soft wipe microfibre carry pouch. It comes in an Ergonomic wrap-around style for improved wind protection and light-weight rubber touch frame with flexible tips and soft-touch nose-bridge for maximum comfort, fit and grip. The 4 Lens sets includes polarized dark smoked set and has UV filtration standard EN 1836
Trango Piranha Climbing Knife 85 AED Available at Adventure HQ Times Square Center
Light, sharp and strong. The Piranha is the perfect micro climbing knife. The Piranha is equally at home on your key chain as it is 1,000 feet off the deck. The serrated blade handles years of use and abuse.
THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST ApRIL 2013 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM
An ATV (All-Terrain Vehicle), also known as a quad bike, three-wheeler, or four-wheeler, is defined by ANSI (the American National Standards Institute) as a vehicle that travels on low-pressure tyres, with a seat that is straddled by the operator, along with handlebars for steering control. As the name implies, it is designed to handle a wider variety of terrain than most other vehicles.
Having the right accessories for your ATV can heighten your riding experience and make it more enjoyable. Accessories can also serve a utilitarian purpose and help you to complete tasks such as hauling loads and carrying heavy equipment. They can also add to rider safety by protecting against abrasions from trees and reducing the risk of falls.
The purpose of your ATV will determine which accessories are right for you. Safety equipment is essential for all riders, ramps will come in handy for most riders, hitches, winches and racks are necessary for those who use their ATVs for work purposes.
Every ATV owner should have safety equip-ment. Safety gear is an essential accessory and can prevent serious injuries. All riders should wear goggles, helmets and gloves, as well as rugged pants and a jacket to protect against abrasions. No one should ever ride without proper safety accessories. Safety accessories for your ATV include bumpers and heavy-duty covers.
If you ever travel with your ATV, an indis-pensable accessory is a ramp. A ramp will make loading and unloading your ATV from your truck or trailer easy and safe. Do not be tempted to use some old 2x4s as a ramp as they will be likely to break under the weight of your ATV and are not safe. Another crucial accessory for your ATV during transport is
atVaCCeSSorieS
tie down straps. Make sure you buy heavy-duty straps that will secure the weight of your ATV to your truck or trailer. If you travel often, you should think about buying a trailer made specifically for your ATV as it is a safer way to transport your ATV than in the back of your truck.
If you use your ATV for work purposes or just want to have the ability to tow things if the need arises, a hitch is an important ATV accessory. You can pull virtually an-ything with your ATV if it has a hitch from other ATVs to wagons and carts. This can prove very useful if you do a lot of yard work or have heavy things to transport around your property. With a winch you can pull your ATV easily out of the mud or pull other stuck ATVs.
Some accessories improve the look of your ATV including ground kits and custom-made body parts. If you want to customise it to your liking, these accessories are a good way to do it. Make sure whatever accessory you buy is compatible with your ATV and that you can actually use it.
Most casual riders can go without some of the utilitari-an accessories and others can benefit from them greatly. Even if you don’t get a lot of extras with your ATV, make
sure you have safety equipment and always ride safely.If you want to protect your ATV and increase the
performance and speed you can visit Al Yousuf Motors showrooms to get the best deal.
Suunto Ambit Black (HR) 2,450 AED Available at Go Sport, Adventure HQ, Sun and Sand, Stadium, Studio R
It is the first ever GPS watch combining the advanced training and heavy-duty outdoor features. It is especially valued for its superior mechanical durability, reliable altitude measurement and water resistance. This watch has all the functionalities for your outdoor sports – you can even design new features for your next adventures! More information at www.suunto.com/global/en/collections/suunto-ambit.
Fox Titan Sport Jacket Black 750 AED Available at Al Yousuf Motors Showrooms Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Al Ain, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah
Complete with anatomic high-impact two piece plastic chest plate, plastic shoulder and plastic elbow coverage. It has removable ar-ticulated plastic back coverage, soft vented mesh main body fabric for enhanced fit, comfort and ventilation with centre zipper for easy on and off.
PRODUCTS
Speedcross 3 Dark Cloud (Black) 450 AED Available at Go Sport in Mall of the Emirates, Trespass in Dubai Mall, Orlando Sports, Jack Wolfskin in Abu Dhabi, Adventure HQ
Update to the iconic, light weight, aggressive profile, trail racing shoe.
• Synthetic and mesh upper• Rubber sole• Ultra light construction• Water-resistant nylon mesh upper with overlays• Winter Contragrip rubber outsole with multi directional lugs
36 OUTDOORUAE
THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST ApRIL 2013 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM
Choosing a head torch in the middle of a brightly lit store even where functioning display models are available can be a challenge. It’s impossible to reproduce the night time environment leaving you only deciding factors to be the claims made on the pack by the manufacturer, comfort and price. Even your test for comfort will be limited to standing with it on your head for all of 30 seconds and if you are looking for a lamp that will be a required piece of equipment and comfortable throughout the night, you may well be overstaying your welcome at the store!
Once you start looking into buying a head torch you might find that the amount of information is overwhelming and the number of designs and prices can vary wildly, but I think it’s first important to decide what your intended purpose is going to be. Is the head torch for a hardcore adventure race where illuminating dark and technical trails is es-sential? Is it for DIY work, camping or maybe street running where you may just need a little more ground light and also warn other roads users of your presence? Generally speaking, the more lumens a torch has, the more expensive it is, so buying a 550 lumens light would be overkill if all you need it for is to illuminate a burst pipe under the sink or throw on for a quick run in semi-dark streets.
Enter the 3 or 6 LED Energizer head torch. For the price (55 AED for the 3LED and 65 AED for the 6LED), I really haven’t seen a similar light-duty product with the same fea-tures and build quality. From a comfort point of view, it fits snug against the head with a curved rubber-spongy pad with what pre-sumably are slits to avoid a sweaty forehead. Personally, I always wear a bandana to avoid a pressure point developing when wearing for an extended period, but compared to other more expensive models, I found the build quality to be robust and the two-point adjustable thick elastic head strap, secure and very comfortable.
The lamp actually feels quite lightweight for its size, and when the included batteries are replaced with lithium ones, you can save even more precious grams if you are an ul-tra-light freak. Especially good for a smaller female head, the lamp doesn’t feel too front
heavy and doesn’t slide down even whilst running off and on road. The battery compartment sits right behind the foam pad but it is not as easy to remove as it could be, so changing batteries does require slightly more effort than other head torches I have used. That said, a small coin or house key would be sufficient leverage to prise off the panel and once off, the batteries are easy to pop in and out, but obviously you have to remem-ber to take that extra item with you or risk
Illuminate YourAdventures
PRODUCT REVIEW
Energizer 3 LED Head Torch
Words + Photos: Louise Adamson
The Energizer head torch in night vision mode exploring the trails
not be-ing able to change the batteries.
The 3 LED lamp on test features one red and two white bulbs allowing the user to se-lect white for general use and navigation or red to preserve night vision (not to mention advocate being a considerate companion by not blinding people with the bright white light). The bezel/lighting elements are in their own uniquely shaped hinged compart-ment in the front of the light allowing for vertical adjustment of the light source with-
38 OUTDOORUAE
out changing the balance of the light on the head. (In fact, the head swivels about 135° from its resting position, so it can be pointed in almost any direction without difficulty). The red LED is simply a bare LED behind the centre of the clear cover, using the LED’s own optical properties to project the light forward. The two white LEDs are behind two lenses creating a nice smooth spot of light where the projected spots converge. Over-all, the output is very good for two white LEDs. The optics are great for projecting the LED light forward to a usable spot and do an equal job to a similar but more expensive head torch we compared it against.
The head torch is not waterproof, but I guess in the UAE we are not looking at be-ing out in the pouring rain most of the year. However, it is worth considering if you are going to take it somewhere that rain is likely, it would not be guaranteed to live through the experience.
The slider switch is the weakest point of this unit in my opinion. It doesn’t match the solid feel of the rest of the lamp and if thrown into your backpack it could easily be
accidentally nudged across leaving your lamp illuminating the inside of your bag until you find the bat-teries disappointingly dead a few hours later. But it is simple to operate, right is white, left is red and centred is off.
If this head torch was waterproofed and the battery panel re-designed to include a latch, this would be a serious piece of kit for a fraction of the price of adventure racer targeted lamps.
Features:• 3 LED’s deliver 30 lumens of light and runs
for 28 hours on three AAA Energizer Max Alkaline batteries (included)
• Head tilts to aim light to where you need it• Operates in two modes: white spot and red
night vision• Light beams reach a distance of 23mLEDs
never need replacing
What’s Great:Price, long battery life, bright for a 3 LED headlamp, lightweight, comfortable. Great for close up and DIY work and most dimly lit areas. 6LED+ flood will work well in darkerraces. Can Be Better: This model is not waterproof, not very impact resistant, Slightly difficult battery change. Slider switch can turn on quite easily in your backpack.
39OUTDOORUAE
THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST ApRIL 2013 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM
PRODUCT REVIEW
Omni-Freeze Zero the low downHave you heard of the latest Omni-Freeze Zero technol-
ogy from Columbia? Ever wondered what it would be like to
actually use them? Columbia provided a moisture wicking
technical tee with Omni-Freeze Zero to three very active and
outdoorsy people for a day. To find if the technology really
worked and more of what they thought, read below:
Dave wore the Total Zero Omni-Freeze TeeActive Fit with, Omni-Freeze Technology and Omni-Shade (UPF 50 sun protection)
I liked this incarnation of a moisture management tee for the look. The close-knit face fabric and relaxed fit gave it the look and feel of a normal
casual tee. Most other “dry fit” style tees have a mesh woven look closer to that of a football jersey, so this one doesn’t scream outdoor junkie when worn in public. The science behind Omni-Freeze Zero is pretty cool. The fabric is covered in a whole lot of small blue polymer rings. Inside these rings are bundles of Hydrophilic molecules that try to sep-arate when they get wet. This separation requires energy, which it absorbs from your skin in the form of heat. Thus the heat is absorbed away from your body by the fabric. As far as performance goes, just as good as any other fully synthetic tee out there. Performance was better than bamboo or cocona tees as the 100 per cent synthetic fabric held no water and didn’t feel saggy or clingy after working up a full lather. It did dry fast; the light fabric wicked well and transferred moisture to the outer of the fabric quickly. I couldn’t tell if any cooling actually came from the mystical Omni-Freeze Zero fabric or just from the science of evaporation, as there was a decent breeze when in use. I will definitely reach for it again as it looks good, fits nice and did what it said on the box.
Dave
“Verdict:
7/10
40 OUTDOORUAE
THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST ApRIL 2013 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COMTHE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST
Performance Fit with, Omni- Freeze Zero Technology and Omni-Shade (UPF 50 sun protection)
Tara wore the Women’s Coolest Cool Short Sleeve Top
Living in the desert, where it’s always a challenge to stay cool while being outdoors, this shirt is perfect. I was mostly
impressed by the lightweight fabric and how easy it was to wear both inside with a pair of jeans and out on the trail. Before the test, I made a conscious decision to get a size bigger (S instead of XS), I like wearing things which fit well, but this time I chose comfort over style.
I was expecting the top to be baggy and not sit right, but I was impressed with how much give the tee had whilst keeping its shape and still looking good. When I mountain bike, there isn’t much movement in my arms and the riding jerseys tend to be tighter around my top half so they are not very efficient for climbing or running, this technical tee is not only a great all-round-er but when sweating I also noticed how breathable the top was. With pinhole mesh side panels and lightweight technical polyes-ter, the Omni-Freeze Zero technology lines the whole top (tiny circles slightly darker than the fabric), and during the test it felt as if I wasn’t sweating at all, keeping a cool overall body temperature. The top was really efficient at wicking moisture away instantly and the OFZ lining was working with the wind and helping the cooling effect further. As soon as I stopped sweating the shirt
“felt as if it had dried off, but when I jumped in the car with full AC, I felt a little chilly! I have yet to get incredibly sweaty over summer but I’m glad I’ve got a great piece of gear to help keep me cool. I would definitely recommend one.
Tara
Note: It would be a good idea to ac-tually spray the shirt down with water so by the time you head outside and it’s drying you are already producing the moisture/sweat to keep the shirt doing its thing.
Leigh wore the Freeze Degree Short Sleeve Crew TeeActive Fit with, Omni- Freeze Zero Technology and Omni-Shade (UPF 50 sun protection)
The first thing I noticed about the Omni-Freeze Zero when I put it on was how soft the material was and the instant comfort it of-fered. The shirt looked stylish and sporty and you could easily see that it was a higher-end product. The weather was around 20°C
(68°F) when we arrived at Yas Marina to set up for our SUP session. We had two inflatables to pump so this was the perfect temperature to do this in posing no serious challenge. There was not really anything noticeable about the shirt up until then. Very quickly though, the temperature increased and by the time we hit the water it was around 25°C (77°F), certainly hot enough for any paddler to start sweating whilst out on the water. After only a few minutes, the light breeze that was blowing felt very cool around my torso. The Omni-Freeze Zero technology seemed to be working as promised, instantly cooling the sweat from my body creating a cooling sensation. The feeling around the body was as if something menthol had been put on me, it is hard to describe unless you actually experience it.
I was out for around 1 1/2 hours and the sensation stayed the same and continued on through pack up. We went for a snack as soon as the car was loaded and after 10 minutes in the air-conditioned restaurant I became extremely cold (nobody else was). I think the combination of the technology with the damp shirt accelerated the coolness! The white shirt would be great for day-to-day use, but I would consider another colour
for outdoor activities, especially in the dusty conditions we have in the UAE as the shirt looked well-used by the end of the morning. The Omni-Freeze Zero technology proved to work. It really is intriguing as to how. but it does exactly what Columbia claims. I think this technology and the range of products will grow and every UAE paddler can now look forward to staying cooler whilst out on the ocean during the summer months.
Leigh
Verdict:10/10
Verdict:8/10
“
Photos By: Levy Delacruz
Photos By: Aey Pothecary
41OUTDOORUAE
Often the guys that dangle at the back would blame their quads/bikes, saying that they cannot keep up with the guys on the faster quads/bikes, and en-quire about adding some perfor-mance parts to their bikes. they would then spend a fair amount on new air filters, expensive exhaust and some add a per-formance “chip” to the engine’s management system.
Then, once they’re added, they cannot stop talking about all the extra power and how it was worth every cent! Strange how they are still dangling at the back and not much has changed with their overall riding. Their quads are now just a lot noisier, but no visible increase in their riding skill/level! Think about the following:
Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha, KTM, Suzuki and all the other manufacturers of performance machines are all competing to sell the most machines and be the number one brand. They can only achieve this by manufacturing a product that gets the highest “overhaul” score when performance, reliability, handling and affordability are achieved. No use building the fastest and meanest bike ever, if the engine only lasts a month. Or building the most relia-ble machine ever, but with poor performance.
These manufacturers undoubtedly have the best engineers in the world designing and building theses bikes and engines. They spent millions of dollars doing research and development and by the time they launch a new product, in my opinion, that is as good as it gets (overhaul package). Many “back-yard” mechanics claim they know better and “guarantee” they can improve your bike’s performance. This is possible, but it comes at a price.
Let’s look at some of the more common performance changes and their results:
Exhaust This is probably the most common and
does increase the performance. It also makes the engine sound “better” (louder). These exhausts are, however, rather expen-sive and there is a much cheaper option that also gives you added performance. When you buy a new bike, it has to conform certain noise and “fire” regulations. To prevent the start of possible wild fires in some countries, all bikes are fitted with a spark arrester. This is to prevent red-hot pieces of carbon being ejected from the exhaust and possibly caus-ing a forest fire.
These arresters reduce the airflow and when removed gives you added perfor-mance, free of charge. Maybe not to the extent an aftermarket exhaust can give you, but at least 50 per cent or more of that.
I did a trial on my 250cc Honda where I tested its acceleration with and without the arrester. It was done on level road and from 2000rpm, in first gear. I then rapidly open to full throttle and monitor the acceleration. With the arrester, the bike accelerated lifting the front wheel about two inches as she accelerated. I removed the arrester and did the same test. The bike nearly flipped and I had to close the throttle to prevent her from going over. No need for me to spend money on any expensive exhaust, as the results were more than satisfactory.
RPM limiterMost enduro-type bikes and quads have
some form of electronic device limiting the RPM of the engine. I know the Honda’s CRF X series (Enduro) have this, but not sure if the R series (Motocross) is also fitted with this. The reason being is that you should never be at max RPM on a motocross track/bike for longer than maybe one or two seconds as the track conditions will not allow this. On an enduro bike, there could be long sections where the rider has the throttle fully open. If the RPM is then not limited, it will reach a point where engine damage could occur. A mechanic once told me to cut a specific wire on the Honda’s wiring as this would allow at least 1500-2000rpm extra from the engine! My Suzuki quad has a plug where one can plug a “cherry bomb” (as it is called) into the system. This “bomb” also allows higher RPM as it overrides the limiter. The inscription on the cherry bombs however clearly states that it is only to be used on MX tracks! I am, however, not willing to remove or add any component that is overriding something that protects the engine. I am happy to sacrifice that last bit of power for the sake of knowing my engine is protected. I thus strongly recommend not changing this on a bike.
TyresHere in the UAE 99.9 per cent of the
riding is on sand. The standard tyres fitted to quads and bikes are not the best for our conditions. Fitting “sand tyres” gives better acceleration and overall performance, but does not change anything on your bike’s design. It has a significant improvement in
I need more power?I start by saying that I am not into competition riding and my references are the social groups I ride with.
OUR EXPERTS
Words + Photos: John Basson
42 OUTDOORUAE
THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST ApRIL 2013 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM
traction and almost all quads in the UAE use a tyre called “4-Snow.” Yes, I know we are not in Europe, but the 4-Snow has even more grip than the “4-Sand” version and I am yet to see a local not using these tyres.
Air box and filtersI have mentioned this before: do not change
your air filter from the standard oil type to the dry non-oil ones. You will have increased perfor-mance, but as Tiennie discovered, you need an engine rebuilt after only one year! There are oil-type filters that increase performance, as they are larger in size than the original. That would be okay, but it must be the type that is covered/soaked with foam filter oil.
Some time back, I was at one of the bike repair shops in Al Ain trying to buy some filter oil. I was blown away by the “technician’s” reply: “We don’t use oil on the filters because it only causes the filter to get clogged with sand.” Wow, imagine that, the oil traps the sand and he thinks it is a bad idea?!You can also remove the lid from your air box. If you do this, then fit an aftermarket cloth cover instead of the plastic lid. This will allow more air, yet still limit sand getting to the filter. On my Suzuki, I added small additional fillers to the lid. This allows more air, but still prevents sand from entering the air box. (See photo)
These are about the four easiest and most affordable ways to increase performance whilst retaining reliability. Two of my machines are still 100 per cent stock standard and even though my riding has significantly improved over the last five years, I don’t think I need any more power than what they currently have.
I recommend two different changes rather than increasing the power output of your machine (quad bikes). Rather than any of the above, I first recommend adding wheel spacer and then a steering damper. Both these don’t improve the power, but definitely the handling of the quad. The wheel spacers displace the wheels further
apart and this lowers the bike’s centre of gravity, and reduces your chances of rolling the quad during high-speed turns. The quad almost immediately feels more stable and is safer to ride. This al-lows you to use more of your quad’s availa-ble power, as you feel safer, and soon you are not the guy at the back anymore.
Then if you still want to spend some money, fit a steering damper to the quad. You hardly feel the difference and soon forget it is there. When you then take a ride on someone else’s quad that does not have a damper, you immediately feel the vast difference it actually has on the quad. It also reduces the chances of the steering being knocked from your hands during poor landings after jumping, or hit-ting any obstructions like camel grass, and again, makes the quad safer rather than faster.
To summarize:Most quads and bikes have more than enough
power for 99 per cent of all non-competitive use. Don’t change it. If you want to change, then remove the arrester. Additionally, on quads, you can fit wheel spacers and a steering damper. Then once the first set of tyres is worn, replace them with sand tyres (4-Snow).
The spacers and damper should cost around 1,600 AED and are all available from SebSports in Dubai. They are easy to fit, makes it safer to ride, and does not reduce the reliability of the quad.
Remember that summer is approaching and this is the time most people’s riding reduce, so spend the time getting your machine ready for the next season.
Ride safe and go for gold.
John Basson
Expedition
OUR EXPERTS
Mike and pete had come up with an idea. mike is very good at turning ideas into viable plans. now, i love a good plan and fortunately, i didn’t have to beg them to let me play the game. it was such a good idea, that i probably would have begged if they had said no, and that would be embarrassing.
And so it came to pass that I found myself one of four guys standing at the side of a very quiet road over in the western side of the Abu Dhabi emirate. The early morning dawn light was breaking and there was just enough crimson light to make out the silhouettes of huge whaleback dunes around us even though the sun was still hiding well below the horizon.
I’d been smiling to myself since I’d woken up despite not having slept particularly well. A mixture of excitement and nerves combined with a pretty chilly night in the open back of my pick up. We’d arrived at the roadside start point late the previous night. It’s a fair old haul from Dubai to the far side of the Liwa. A near miss with a camel on the dark road just past the car museum nearly scuppered Mike’s well laid plans before they had really got underway. We’d also had to pick up some of our team in the car park at Qasr Al Sarab as well as leave a vehicle there too.
Trans-Liwa
The smile had been fixed on my face as I faffed in the dark to the soundtrack of coffee in the making, the steady roar of my petrol stove. Getting ready for our planned dawn start, coffee was consumed, my bag was packed to go into the support vehicle, my bike was put together and tyre pressures pondered. Fat bike tyre pressures are a crucial thing, kind of like Goldilocks and the three bears’ porridge – too hard and the tyres dig into the sand, too soft and they suck up lots of energy, just right and the bike floats almost effortlessly across the surface of the sand. Inner tube, pump, multi-tool and a few little spares like zip ties were in check and checked again in the frame bag along with my camera. Hydration pack was full with 3L of water and I had another 2L platypus bladder into the frame bag too.
So there I was, excited and nervous, about to try something that wouldn’t have even been on my radar nine months previous to this, and something that had never been attempted before.
Pete and Mike’s idea was to attempt to cycle across the widest point of the Liwa
desert, through the area’s spectacular dunes, one of the toughest environments you could possibly think to cycle across. Historically, sand has never been the cyclist’s friend. In fact, it’s been the enemy of anyone who wants to travel efficiently. Soft, draggy and energy sapping as well as impossible to steer on. Even patches of sand or soft gravel can have a mountain biker on a conventional cycle over the bars as the front wheel digs in and steering goes out of the window.
That was before the Fat bike though, and more specifically the Surly Moonlander. Fat bikes have bigger than three-inch tyres; in fact four-inch tyres have become the default for this style of bike. Running these fat tyres at low pressures creates a big footprint and low overall ground pressure allowing the tyre to “float” on the surface of sand. The Moon-lander takes this to a whole new level with its ability to run up to 4.8-inch tyres and 100mm rims. This tyre/rim configuration is like magic on the sand. It changes sand dunes from a cyclist’s idea of hell into a huge grin-inducing bike park full of berms, lips and single track lines.
I know many of you cyclists reading this will not believe a bike can work like this on the sand. It’s okay; I was the same when Andy first got his. I only had a go on his for laugh. Cycling on sand goes against everything you learn riding a conventional bike, and those who aren’t convinced are de-scribed as a Fat-skeptic. The transition from
Photos By: Guida Verschut
44 OUTDOORUAE
Google Earth Screendump showing track
A truck full of fatbikes
Fat-skeptic to Fat-evangelist can be remark-ably fast, it typically takes just a few short moments riding a Moonlander! After my go on Andy’s bike, I virtually ran home because I knew I needed one of my own and part of the reason for Pete and Mike’s idea was to prove the viability of fat bikes on sand.
Mike turned a great idea into a good plan using his exceptional organisational skills and experience of driving in the Liwa. Using Route 3 from his book ‘Advanced Off-Road Adventure Routes for the UAE and Oman’, (available at www.outdooruae.com and Adventure HQ) as the basis, and through studying Google Earth and a helicopter reece to check the location of the Qasr Al Sarab gate he came up with our route. He then arranged a vehicle support team. Crossing the Liwa is a serious undertaking in a vehicle and we needed drivers with proven competency in the area with vehicles up to the task. Lastly, he came up with the logistics plan that got us all from Dubai to the start point and then got us home after the ride. Organising this with a group of cyclists and 4x4 drivers is just like herding cats!
The grin on my face spread to epic pro-portions as we rolled away from the road. We had a strong well-prepared team both on the bikes and in the support convoy, but we didn’t know if we were up to the task. No one had tried to cycle a route like this before
through this terrain. I love that feeling of uncertainty, of challenge, of pure unadulter-ated adventure.
We freewheeled away from the road down a gentle slope to the first sabkah and then to our first saddle we needed to cross. As we cycled up the dunes, we needed to pick our line carefully. Find the line of weakness, link the series of steps and gentle inclines through the slope and the cycling is not so hard. It’s just like walking/scrambling through steep broken ground in the mountains, tackle it head on and you’ll be fighting the terrain. Widen your perspective, read the ground, plan your line and you’ll waste a lot less time and energy while making good progress.
Of course with every up comes a down, and our first descent onto the next sabkah was completely off the end of the “awesome fun scale.” Those of you who snowboard will know the feeling of fresh tracks through off-piste terrain. Fresh slopes to carve, lips to pop, berms to pump. When we reached the sabkah below we were all grinning like Cheshire cats that had got the cream. As we cruised the sabkah, we chatted excitedly about the day ahead. Our nerves had evapo-rated; we had a hell of couple of days of fun ahead of us. And that’s what the next couple of days delivered, probably the best two cy-cling days I’ve ever had. The route consisted
of: Fast efficient cycling across sabkha, tech-nical interesting ascents, unbelievable fast descents through the desert’s custom-made, fun-filled, off-piste, bike park. Repeat over and over again for 135km.
In the two days and 135km of cycling, I think we had to push our bikes a maximum of 200m total and this is because of a slight route error that took us into a particularly complex area of sand bowls and ridges. If we had been a few hundred metres to our left, I think we would have ridden it.
It took our support convoy much longer than we expected to catch us up because we moved so efficiently through the terrain. We were probably significantly faster than them through the technical terrain and it was only because they could blast the sabkha that they did make up the planned two-hour head start they had given us.
We camped after 85km up on the top of a saddle just before a gatch road intersected our route that could possibly be used as an access point for future rides in the area. This left us a relatively easy 55km to do the next day giving us chance to get back home at a reasonable time. Our finish point was a bit of tarmac about 15km from the Qasr Al Sarab hotel. After the celebratory team photos, we made our way to the hotel to make use of the five-star toilets to freshen up and, my word, the celebratory refreshments tasted so fine!
I think this route is an absolute world-class classic cycling adventure. We had support vehicles with us, but in the future it will be done without them making the organisation and logistics much easier. I would recom-mend cyclists, especially those based here in the region, to put it on their bucket list. There is talk about a supported mass partic-ipation ride in the not so distant future using this route, so anyone with a suitable bike and properly prepared could find themselves having as much fun as we all did.
I’ll put the GPS waypoints we used along with the GPS tracks on my blog (www.ian-ganderton.wordpress.com) along with other info needed for anyone wanting to cycle this route. To find other regionally based cyclists riding in the dunes and information go to the Arabian Sand Bikers Facebook group.
The first of these was Ian Gander-ton’s purchase of his Moonlander in early summer 2012 and its appear-ance at the Battle of the Paddle. My young tribe subjected it to extensive field tests on Jumeirah Beach and declared that, most importantly, it was cool and secondly that it worked. Several months later we had secured the distributorship for Surly Bikes including the Moonlander with its out-rageously looking Fat Larry Tires.
When our first small shipment of Moon-landers arrived I was still seated in the Fat-skeptic camp – a camp unified by serious doubts, “they really cannot and will not work in the variable terrain and conditions expe-rienced in the desert.” Inevitably, curiosity got the better of me, migration to Fat-curi-ous, and I sneaked out to Bab Al Shams for some short exploratory trips. Within the first kilometer, I was a Fat-convert; these beasts
rocked and exceeded every expectation and report.
The second event, and on initial appear-ances, one that was extremely unlikely to have contributed to the subsequent Liwa adventure on a bike; this was the Outdoor UAE/Adventure HQ presentation evening where Mike Nott introduced his Advanced Off-road Adventure Routes guide. I am a vocal non-petrol head and confess that my attendance was more out of obligation to support a friend speaking about his passion and the journey he had taken in putting together his guide.
As I lurked at the back of the audience try-ing to surreptitiously consume the smorgas-bord of free biscuits, Mike showed a photo journey through the Liwa Desert. This was a hundred and twenty odd kilometers of flat sabkhas divided by some pretty big dunes; an area of stunning and savage beauty that was a top draw off-road trip and the high-light of many off-roaders driving experience. I suddenly realised that my focus had moved from chocolate biscuits to visualising routes through the dunes; routes not for vehicles
but for the Moonlander. Then the inevitable question arose; could you cycle through the Liwa on a bike?
Mike and I discussed at length, analysed the route options, logistics and the possibility of doing it unsupported. We even-tually concluded that the challenge of just making a passage through the Liwa Desert on bikes with vehicle support for safety and logistics would be sufficient. We had a short search of other Fat-converts; Ian and Shaun were obvious choices as they had their own Fat bikes and were experienced cyclists. Subsequent weeks saw me out in the dunes
near Dubai coming to terms with the chal-lenges of route planning and GPS integra-tion, navigation, bike maintenance and then actually cycling in the desert. Once away from the manmade clutter that hugs the trans-desert roads, I found the desert to be a place of stunning beauty and tranquility. The journeys I made were of increasing length and whilst there was occasional physical discomfort, I gained immense pleasure learning about the complexity of dunes, the different sand types, influence of the wind and seeing desert flora and fauna where it should be. There were frustrations such as the challenge of gateless camel fences, the migration of plastic water bottles beyond the regular human footprint and finding Chinese lanterns 10km from the nearest road.
We had an agreed date to launch in early March and everything was coming together
The Road from Fat-skeptic to Fat-discipleThe successful Liwa Desert crossing on Fat bikes was the end of a journey that had started with the unlikely meshing of two disparate events during 2012.
Photos By: Guida Verschut
OUR EXPERTS
46 OUTDOORUAE
as planned. Mike had assembled an experi-enced 4x4 support crew; training was going well, apart from Mike who was still waiting for his Moonlander to arrive and was limited to training on a road bike and wearing garish Lycra.
Anybody that has spent five days on a trade show will know that it is bad for your health; it was for me. Amongst the international crowd assembled in Abu Dhabi in mid-February as a germ carrier that condemned me to a week in bed and subsequent days in the office with a box of tissues. My preparation fizzled out and my household dogs breathed a collective sigh of relief as their extended walks chasing my Moonlander were reduced to comfort walks around the block. Ian encouraged me to delay any decision, but common sense prevailed and a week before the date I withdrew. Philip from Micah’s Bike Shop was quickly recruited and took the liberty of upgrading and super blinging my bike in preparation for the trip.
When the first hint of dawn emerged on a chilly early March morning at the roadside in Liwa, I had very mixed feelings. This was my idea and my trip to prove to the Fat-skep-tics beyond doubt that these bikes worked. The counter emotion was that the vehicle team was poised in support of a ground breaking trip that would shatter the Middle Eastern cycling paradigm that was focused on road, prepared track and manufactured single track in an environment that was 90% open desert. As the Fat Larry tyres left the last tarmac for a hundred and twenty odd kilometers, the later emotion prevailed with vengeance.
The support crew departed in pursuit of the cyclists some two and half hours after dawn. The previous nights move to Liwa had involved various gas station liaisons and vehicle changes that resulted in vehicle shuf-fles back round the Liwa Crescent before we were ready to move off. My early morning confession that my previous off-road dune bashing had resulted in spectacular vomiting was not well-received by the 4x4 drivers.
I was allocated duties as the sweet dis-penser in the lead vehicle and occasionally honoured with radio duties during the more demanding driving sections.
I believe that there was an almost compla-cent mental attitude from the support crew as we set off in regards to catching up with the bikers; a couple of hours then hang out drinking tea to give them a head start, catch up and repeat; this was rapidly dispelled. Whilst we could achieve 80km per hour across the sabkhas, once we hit the dunes, our speed dropped rapidly. The towering dunes with vehicle trapping bowls taxed the skills and experience of our crew. The cycle route was a deviation from the regular 4x4 route and whilst selected for cycle speed, it made for intense driving. There was more than one occasion when I thought we had reached the limits of the vehicle and driver capability and we would have to search for an alternative route. However, with skill and significant tenacity and the occasional 4x4 driver discussion, we eventually caught up with the cyclists after some six hours of hard bone-jarring and unrelenting pursuit.
Almost as soon as we had topped the cy-clists up with water, they headed off up the next bank of dunes. Our role as discretely distanced support was a miserable failure as the vehicles were soon facing bigger and more demanding sand bowls. I am not sure who was more relieved when we eventually met up with the cyclists at the end of the first day. Whilst the cyclists appreciated having their overnight equipment and dinner, I believe that the support crew was equally relieved to be able to park up, light a fire and enjoy a cup of tea after an exhilarating, but demanding day on the sand.
Day two was similar in format to day one apart from the dunes proved a greater barrier to the vehicles than the bikes. At locations when the cyclists enjoyed speeds of 45-50km/h downhill, the support crew was
mired in the all too familiar routine of bowl exaction and recovery. We subsequently learnt that a following convoy, that believed we were on the normal route, abandoned a vehicle and made major deviations to escape from the dunes. We eventually caught up with the cyclists and with only 20-odd kilometers to go there was a collective elation that this adventure was reaching a successful conclusion.
As we waited at the end of the route on the first road for 135km; with tyres being inflated and reflections on the previous two days, everybody in the support crew was willing the cyclists through the final bumps to the finish. As well as a massive well done to Mike, Ian, Shaun and Philip for complet-ing the first crossing of the Liwa Desert on a push bike, albeit a Moonlander Fat bike, I would like to tip my hat to the Desert Diva and her partners in petrol for their selfless support of the cyclists, driving skills and commitment to making this ludicrous en-deavour possible.
So it’s done, crossing of the Liwa Desert on a bike, this is a massive milestone for cycling that should not be underestimated. In a country and region where desert is a predominant feature, there are a significant number of challenges both relatively minor and significant to be had. For individuals that are Fat-curious but are concerned about learning the essential skills to safely and enjoyable travel through the desert, we have a little project in the incubator stage that I hope we will hatch in September or October 2013 that will be of interest –look out for the School of Fat. There is still Liwa unsupport-ed to be completed and the summer will provide additional challenges.
Pete Aldwinckle
47OUTDOORUAE
THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST ApRIL 2013 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM
The Musandam Circle TrilogyGoing through the UAE/Oman
border, just past RAK, is the closest I’ve ever come to going through the back of the wardrobe. You enter a world of sparkling bays, majestic mountains rising ruggedly up, and simple, yet myriadic colour contrasts. And that weekend, I experienced the marvellous and challenging brainchild of Mike Nott (to be known as Aslan), which is a kayak/run/bike extravaganza, and not for the fainthearted.
You might think I took part in this race, but actually I just helped. After the race, I slumped exhausted into my tent and slept like a baby. If I had actually kayaked, or run, or cycled, or did all three, I don’t know what would have happened (maybe I would just have died).
But 19 souls took part and five actually did all three disciplines, taking between about 9.5 and 16.5 hours and traversing some of the most spectacular sceneries you’re going to see anywhere in the world. The day before the race, we’d driven up the cycle route on our way back to camp (Mike had been putting out markers designed to keep runners from straying from a difficult run on to a “very severe” climb, which had been one of the interesting highlights of the previous year’s competition). As we progressed through the scenery, I had to stop the car and just look in awe at the rock formations that displayed millions of years of sediment in huge slabby folds and layers that what could only be described as a geologist’s thousand shades of grey. As the Oman sun was setting over the mountainscape, all you could see for miles and miles were lines and lines of peaks and wadis lying patiently waiting to be explored, in every direction.
And, of course, if anyone’s going to get out and explore this corner of Arabia, it’s going to be Aslan. Who’d noticed the track that was constructed to enable the power lines that con-nect Wadi Ba’neh and Limah on the east coast. Who’d created a race that assuaged his dislike of the “health and safety brigade.” Who’d seen the potential for an adventure race that could start and end in a bay, challenge the fittest and most self-reliant of super-being and take in a stunning landscape ratio of surface to beauty that defies belief (if you don’t believe me, go there).
Anyone doing this race is made clearly aware that they would not be supported in any way at all and that the team needed to navigate and look after itself all the way round. It goes like this: the kayaker sets off before dawn, shadowed by a dhow carrying the runners. The runner gets off the dhow (somehow) and sets off across the
The Musandam Adventure Race – 1st March 2013The Musandam Adventure Race is the most gruelling one-day adventure race in the region and consists of a sea kayak, a mountain run and a mountain bike for a team of three, as a relay or all three doing the full monty. The race is sponsored by Absolute Adventure (www.adventure.ae)
OUR EXPERTS
mountains for 22km. The kayaker passes her/his craft to the able support team of Alf, Gail and Ricky, onboard the dhow, and chugs back to the start, enabling him/her to enjoy the scenery twice. The runner avoids the wrong routes (hopefully) and, after a final rock scramble to the wadi base, gets to touch the hand of the cyclist who then pushes off for the final 65km along the tracks, handily previously engineered by the pylon constructors. The runner gets in the car that the cyclist had driven to the handover spot and supports the cyclist. The cyclist might come home in the light, but more likely finishes in the dark.
This was the second year of the race, which had been by invitation-only last year and was now gingerly offered to anyone who was prepared to accept responsibility for coping with the physical and mental demands (eg. you couldn’t get a helicopter near those pylons so rescue would be Shanks’s pony). I came along to help Aslan organise the event, after a promise that I could sit by that lovely bay and congratu-late finishers having had a luxurious twelve hours reading my book. My peace would be punctuat-ed only with little glances at the dancing water, the patient Omanis making their living with their boats and the munching goats assembled in hopeful groups near the skip. All I had to do was note down the finishing times.
Ha, bloody, ha. In ancient Greek tragedy style, Jean-Marc and Richard’s third team member had to pull out at very short notice because of an injury that was severe enough to prevent him being able to drive their car. I was volunteered to support. It would be fine, Aslan said. All I had to do was drive the car.
We got up at 4:00 a.m., did the briefing at 4:30, set off the first soloists at 5:00, Jean-Marc Laventure and Richard Palmer in their double sea kayak, and organised, or rather watched in a slightly dismayed fashion, the “mass” start of the nine surf-skiers at 6:00 a.m. Darryl Chiles,
Cath Todd, Sean James, Col Campbell, Mark Rogers, Doug Bitcon, Herman Broeker, Mari-ano Scandizzo and Paul Pettersson were the intrepid surf-skiers. The first three on this list and Jean-Marc and Richard were mad buggers enough to attempt the whole race.
In accordance with Aslan’s anti-modern, anti-officialistic philosophy, the start was a pale pink lily-livered affair. Naughty kayakers who’d edged up the bay were recalled, but then in a confusing minutes’ worth of silence, the rather over-competitive (to put it nicely) paddlers who didn’t come back to the start were rewarded as “Go!” was arbitrarily called. I found out later that they were supposed to have started on the beach in a “chocks away!” fashion, so that’s a point to remember for next year.
At 6:45 we set off to the run/cycle handover point. The runners were due in from about 12 noon so the drivers/cyclists could appear when they chose. But we needed to be there early as the lovely Nick and Matt, from Absolute Ad-venture, were acting as marshals and needed to get into position.
Peter O’Higgins, Dave Shennan, Edmond Menzies and Keith Kennetz were the four team cyclists who waited patiently for their leg to begin. Of course, if their runner was a quicky they had a good chance of finishing in the light, but anything after 1:30pm meant finishing in the dark. It was very pleasant sitting in the March sunshine soaking up as much of the lovely late-winter weather as we could. We spend so much of the year in boiling hot
Photos By: Alf Wild, Ed Menzies, Babu Babu, Col CampbellWords By: Jeni Davey
48 OUTDOORUAE
THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST ApRIL 2013 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM
weather that this little wait in a craggy valley of rocks was something of an indulgence to be savoured.
At noon-ish the first runner appeared as a pink dot at the top of the rockface. The elegant way it found its way down demonstrated to us that it was a woman. And indeed the ever-in-creasing size formed a clearly recognisable transition from dot to Rachael Clough of the Revolution Cycles team. She was about twenty minutes ahead of her nearest rival, Andy Nichol-son of DSKC (Dubai Surf-ski and Kayak Club) whose gait and method of descent demonstrat-ed the demands of the terrain more clearly than Rachael’s had done, as he back-climbed, tested and carefully picked his way down. Third in was Bruce McLaren, who, like Andy, performed a careful last scramble. A dislodged stone rolled and bounced down about a hundred metres, demonstrating the challenge of the decline to the onlookers.
Jean-Marc and Richard, for whom I’d been volunteered as support crew, appeared and bobbed left and right, as the others had done, picking a line and traversing the rocky hillside without any problems. Until they reached the car. I had got their bikes out for them, as I thought this would save them time. But Jean-Marc’s bike seemed jammed. They couldn’t get his front wheel on as the disc brake was partially across. Not only this, the back wheel wouldn’t go round properly. Apparently the bike had seized up as I had got it out of the car. They were there for an hour, instead of five minutes, and it was
all my fault. They managed to loosen the bike up, but Jean-Marc now had to cycle 65km with sticky wheels, thus requiring even more energy and force to negotiate the mountain tracks and roads.
We set off at about 1:50 p.m. with the team of three – Darryl, Cath and Sean – and the Abu Dhoobies runner – Jon Nichols – still to come in. As you can imagine, I felt dreadful and if I could have cycled the ****ing bike for him I would have done. I followed them down the valley for about 10km to the bottom of the first incline, where we had to decide whether Jean-Marc could go on. I thought he would throw in the towel and return in the car with me, but no, he said he could do it. The funniest bit, in fact the only funny bit in the whole 6.5 hours of disaster-scenario guilt of epic apology proportions, was when Jean-Marc turned to Richard and said, “Well no mug for us then,” which immediately sparked a backlash like an ignited firework that had been threatening to fizzle, but which suddenly exploded into action. There was no way they were going to give up and go home without an artistically designed (by Mr Michael Nott) mug with a map of the epic
journey on the side of it.I mounted the mountain and tried to gauge
the exact best place to stop. Too soon and they’d get back on their bikes with more spir-it-sapping uphill ahead; too late and they could be seriously in need of liquid or food or rest or something. Every hairpin bend I turned I had to make a judgement call and the blasted hill just kept going up. In the end, I opted for the foot of the last incline up onto a saddle. I got my fold-up chair out and looked down on the wadi. I could see about 7km of the first 10km we’d covered, I could see the transverse road with its heart-breaking corners and I could see the millions of years of geological slabby folds that had made me so glad to be alive yesterday. Now they were making me wish I’d never had the bright idea of getting their bikes out of the car for them, or the bright idea of being born at all. My spirits were in my boots and my self-esteem was filling out the forms for “Twit of the Year 2013.”
I watched a pair of black dots work its way up an incline and wondered what sort of attire one would wear on the Twit of the Year red carpet. And what, exactly, I would say as I raised the golden statue above my head.
I looked down the wadi from whence we’d come. A black dot on the 7km flat told me that the Abu Dhoobies were out
on the course. It was now about 2:30 and Keith had covered roughly the first five kilometres. He had driven in with us at 06:45 and so had been ready to pat Jon’s hand and pedal away since about 7:00 a.m. Good job he had the “Times” crossword and “War and Peace” with him.
My mountain top vantage-point gave a supreme view of current events and I had momentary rumblings of feeling glad to be alive again. I saw Keith’s support truck overtaken by Aslan and the Absolute Adventure crew who had seen the last runners in and were on their
way back to the start/finish. I subsequently saw them just down the road from me, poking about with Jean-Marc’s bike but failing to help get it back to normal. When Aslan, Matt and Nick reached me they said they thought every-one behind might give up. However the Abu Dhoobies’ vehicle passed us while Jean-Marc and Richard were resting/drinking/eating and a kilometre up the road we saw Jon crashed on a mattress in the waiting truck. Keith had by no means given up and was, at that every moment, negotiating those hairpins behind us with a determination that marked every one of the remarkable competitors in this race. Darryl and Sean were behind Keith, supported by the inimitable Babu – star photographer (see pho-tos) – with Cath, who’d unfortunately crocked her ankle on the run. No team had given up. They’d finish at “Zero Dark Ridiculous,” but there was no question of stopping.
There are two ways of looking at the final 50kms: a grand triumph over discomfort, challenge and disaster, or a bloody stupid way of spending a Friday. My feelings oscillated between the two. But of course, it was the competitors who were doing the triumphing. As I waited on the tarmac road junction, I looked back into the dark, waiting for my team’s two little white lights to appear. They’d done all those back-breaking ups, downs and up agains, and now had negotiated the hairpin downs that got us off the mountains and down to the coast. I pondered the mental acumen required to keep going after kayaking 35kms, mountain-running 22kms and off-road cycling 65-odd kms. The final journey-in was a matter of finding the top of the bay, doing the last horrible, horrible climb and then zigzagging down to the beach where the mugs awaited.
And that concludes my report. I know Aslan will ask me to help again next year but I can’t say, at this stage; I think I need to do a bit of training to cope with it all.
Full monty 1st Jean-Marc Laventure and Richard Palmer 14hrs 56mins
2nd Darryl Chiles, Sean James (and Cath Todd) + handicap 14hrs 57mins
Relay 1st Revolution Cycles, Doug Bitcon Rachael Clough and Pete O’Higgins
9hrs 48mins
2nd Dubai Surf Ski and Kayak ClubCol Campbell, Andy Nicholson and Dave Shennan
10hrs 15mins
Results
STARTKhor Najd FINISH
Ba’neh
Limah
Gulf of Oman
22 Km
65 Km35 Km
Kayaking
Cycling
Running
musandam adventure race
49OUTDOORUAE
Everyone received a Musundam Adventure Race Mug from Mike
Cath Todd on the ascent
Ed on the ascent in the bike leg
50 OUTDOORUAE
THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST ApRIL 2013 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM
Musandam Adventure Race a competitor’s viewLast year, Mike Nott invited a few
friends to come and explore an area of Musandam he had found. The proposal was to have teams of three to partake in three disciplines (each person doing one). The first, a 35km kayak from Khor Najd to Lima (a remote town with no road access), followed by a 20km run/hike over to the Rowder Bowl and the final leg a 65km moun-tain bike back to Khor Najd taking in a pass at 1,609m.
As a bit of a jack of all trades and a master of none, I could not decide which one would be the best for me, so I asked along with a couple of other all-rounders why we couldn’t just do all the disciplines. After some persua-sion, Mike agreed on the condition that the relay teams were okay to pick up our kayaks and we had organised a support vehicle on the bike leg.
A new rule was introduced to allow surf skis on the kayak leg (with a 56min penalty) which brought some more strong paddlers from Dubai Surfski Club to the event. We also opted for the surf ski option despite the penalty, partly because we had three surf skis and it would mean we would complete the section faster and thus not expend as much energy. It also meant a friendly start time at 6:00 a.m. rather than 5:00 a.m.
I think any race is as much about getting to the start line prepared as the actual race. In my experience of adventure race, this is even more important and can make a huge difference. So with a week to go, having not paddled for several months, having not really thought too much about the race, I can say that we were going to be winging it a little.
On the morning before the race, I took my ski out with Cath to check if it was seawor-thy. That evening after work, I packed the rest of the gear also to discover my recently serviced (but not ridden) mountain bike had a deflated tyre. Luckily, this was just the tubeless seal and was fixed fairly quickly, but did delay our departure from Dubai to 11:00 p.m. Having been up since 6:00 a.m. on Thursday, this was going to make an already long day on Friday even longer. With Cath and Babu (our superb support man for the day), we set off on a four-hour drive to Khor Najd in Musandam. The good thing about travelling at that time is there were no queues! We arrived at the campsite around 3:30 a.m. and got our heads down for a quick nap before the race briefing at 4:30 a.m.
At the briefing, Mike asked us if we want-ed to start with the sea kayaks (and have a 56min penalty added later), whilst this might have been a good idea, there was no chance
we would get ready in time with plenty of “faffing” still to be done.
We were on the water before six and Mike set us off with the relay team skis. Most of the skis shot off into the distance and it was slightly alarming how quickly we lost sight of them. However, it was quite a relief to have finally started; there was a calm serenity around, a full moon above the dark flat water of the bay, replacing the frantic pre-race last minute preparations.
As we settled into our paddling, I looked across to Cath and Sean and noticed the phosphorescence glowing from the bows of their skis and the streaks of green glowing light as their paddles hit the water. It was a moment I would love to have captured on camera. I realised why I love these types of races coupled with the amazing rocky back-drop to make the picture perfect moment.
The next 45min continued with us pad-dling on each other’s wake, calmly starting our progression to the finish. We soon turned out of the bay to see the sunrise in front of us and the brilliant morning light reflecting off the starkly jagged coastline, of-fering other adventures to occupy the mind.
Then as we headed south, we hit a fear-some headwind and from making good pro-gress, we started crawling. It was then that I realised that this was not just a nice paddle, followed by a nice run/hike in the mountains and a fun mountain bike to finish; it was in fact a very tough day out with challenges at every corner. I looked back to my lack of training (2.5km in over three months) and started to appreciate 35k is quite a distance!
For the next three hours, it seemed we weren’t even moving forward as we battled the headwind and swell. I would try to focus on small targets, but nothing seemed to get closer, eventually the village of Lima came into view on the horizon, but it just never got closer. Fatigue set into the poorly trained muscles, my lower back started crying out, my seat became uncomfortable and I just wanted it to end and get on terra firma! I might as well have thrown in the towel then and there, but luckily, there was no option,
the closest port of call was the village we were heading. It made me appreciate the remoteness of the area and the commitment we had undertaken was not to be taken lightly.
We turned into the bay after five hours – well off my own planned schedule. There was the reassuring sight of the dhow with a few paddlers who had long ago handed over to their runners! As we hit land, a couple came over to kindly take our skis back to the camp on the dhow, which had brought the runners from the relay team over and acted as a safety net for the paddle section of the race. After a few minutes, we were off again with a gentle trot out of Lima and on to a stretch of 8km tarmac road, slightly strange for a village only reachable by boat.
We were smack in the middle of the day and without much shade it was getting warm to say the least, enough for Cath to remark on it being great Badwater Ultramarathon training and having crewed for her there, I could see her point.
We covered the road in decent time and hit the graded track in the wadi, where we were afforded a little bit of shade. We made good progress until around 15km where the road finished and we started hiking through the wadi bed as it narrowed. At this point, Cath’s ankle started to cause her trouble having recently come back to running after
OUR EXPERTS
Photos By: Babu Babu
Words By: Darryl Chiles
51OUTDOORUAE
THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST ApRIL 2013 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM
spraining it. The wadi bed wound round a few bends following the power cables as indicated by Mike in his race briefing, with every turn I was hoping to see Mike pointing the way up the steep climb over the final part of the run/hike section, but with every corner came disappointment. It was definitely hot now and we were concerned about our water levels. Eventually, we saw the welcoming figure of Mike. This meant the end of the wadi, but also the start of a steep 600m climb over the next 3km. We continued the plod to the top; en route we saw Babu who let us know it was only 10mins or so to the top and then another 30mins down to the car. The views at the top were spectacular and it was also satisfying to know that not many others had trod that path before.
The descent to the car was fairly torturous; it was a steep lose rocky slope, like many descent routes in this part of the world. This slope was causing Cath’s ankle much pain and it was slow going for her, but there was no other option than to keep going. The car and transition to the bike could not come soon enough. I was having my reservations on doing the whole bike leg and given Cath’s ankle, it was clear that she would struggle. It is in her nature to want to carry on to the finish, but she took the wise decision to call it a day and not do more damage. I know that was a very tough deci-sion for her, having raced and crewed for her previously, it is almost impossible to stop her from finishing.
I remember her falling hard early on the second day of Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge in 2010; she continued to not only complete the next 7hrs mountain biking up Jebel Hafeet, climbing down and up via Ferrata on the same mountain before being stitched up. Her decision was out of sense rather than desire and with a second run at Badwater coming up, we were fully encour-aging of this. Sean was keen to carry on so I couldn’t entertain the thought of quitting and very glad I didn’t as the first 15kms of the bike were fantastic; suddenly the strug-gles of the hike and the midday heat were behind us as we cruised along the track with a slight descent and tailwind that made for effortless cycling.
I pointed out to Sean the ridgeline we were soon to be climbing and the more we descended the more climb we were going to have. As we turned the corner to start the
long ascent, I glanced at the altitude on my Garmin to see we were at 370m that meant we had about 1,250m to climb. Sean set the pace on the climb and I just did my best to keep him in sight, he stopped on occasion as did the support vehicle, but not too often which was good. I kept an eye on Sean half hoping he would dismount and push as the slope hit 20-odd degrees in parts, but he never did, which meant neither could I!
We made the top of the pass in under three hours and from there it was mainly downhill. I was ready to go and let the adrenaline flow and boy did I have fun descending; the bike I had been cussing on the way up just became my best friend. Picking the lines into the corners, releasing the breaks and flying down the straights was just too much fun.
The light was fading fast now and I mis-judged my pace and line on entry into a par-ticularly gravelly corner. As the back wheel fishtailed in the gravel, I knew this wasn’t one I was going to be able to ride out, the only option in that split second was to bail, luckily, I had managed to reduce the speed enough not to cause more than a couple of scrapes to my left leg; I think the bruised ego hurt more!
Of course it wouldn’t be an adventure race without a bit of a sting in the tail, but we knew about this one having driven it to get to the campsite only 16 hours, but what
seemed a lifetime, previ-ously.
The sting was a short sharp 200m climb followed by 300m descent to the fin-ish line. This had me willing my legs to keep turning for just a little longer; having made the 1,250m climb previously without walking, I was determined to stay upright and on the bike on this one. As I crested the hill, my only thoughts were to descend as safely as pos-sible. Oh who am I kidding, my thoughts were to try and
catch Sean who had opened up a gap again on the climb, but my descent was bulked by a couple of cars coming up which rendered me a bit blind by the dust against my bike lights, so thankfully I backed off and made it down in one piece.
Sean was waiting there with our trusty support car and crew. We cycled to the finish together where we learned that we were only a couple of minutes behind the other team of Jean-Marc Laventure and Richard Palmer. JM had suffered on the bike leg with a sticky break so it had been an even longer day for them than us in the end.
Some of the relay teams were there to applaud us in as we staggered off our bikes. It was great to hear a few of the other stories from the day as we had a celebratory drink. We had left at 11:30p.m. on Thursday night, four hours of driving, 14 hours of racing, another four hours of driving, some faffing and very little sleep in between and we were back in Dubai around 2:00a.m. on Saturday morning.
After some recovery time, I found myself heading into the office with the biggest smile on my face thinking back to the week-end activities, I spent the day admiring the mug we had got for our endeavours.
Forget the pain and aching body, the memories which stick are not those of the struggle, but ones like the fantastic phos-phorescence at the start of the paddle, the spectacular landscape, the amazing people and camaraderie, the adrenaline-fuelled MTB descent and finally the satisfaction of finishing and knowing you have completed a true test of endurance, which was as much a mental battle to overcome as a physical one.
They are the feelings that remain and the reasons we keep coming back. I’ve often said to myself “never again” or “let’s just stop now,” but when you overcome those moments and look back, you will be filling out that entry form for the next one. Trust me, I’ll be back!
Darryl Chiles
Our fishing pro who shares his experiences and
expertise with OutdoorUAE through his regular column.
The last nipping cold of winter greets my lungs as I inhale the frosty humid morning air. The low hanging clouds ob-scure my surroundings making it a challenge to see around me. It is an eerie beauty that greets us each turn of the season, one that is both lethal and myste-rious.
It is March and with this, the last two months of the winter’s fishing season is upon us. We have the last two months before the temperature rises and the time when our finny friends head into deeper water where they can normalise body temperatures better. As for guys like me that chase after them, it is the last two months to catch a few more memories before we bid our friends farewell and wait for the next season to arrive and play with them again. As summer comes knocking on our doors, the struggle between seasons carry the foggy mornings and brings about the feeling of change and progress. The season is changing,
another fishing year has passed, another adventure is about to start.
Weekend warriorsWe are almost all weekend warri-
ors. We only have the weekends and holidays to fish – that’s if we don’t have anything life threatening to at-tend to. Given the time we have, we don’t really have much choice but to be flexible. The last two outings for me had some of the most challeng-ing scenarios: relentless wind, murky water the colour of milk tea and a rushing tide brought about by a wax-ing moon. On the first outing, the fog was the main challenge. Already running late despite a very early 2:00 a.m. start, arriving at the spot and not being able to locate him immedi-ately, the chips were against us from the very beginning. My buddy for the day lives in Al Ain and was not about to turn around and go home just because of a minor setback — visibility was close to nil.
At around 9:00 a.m., we decided to trust my GPS and started sailing into the fog. The eeriness of the surroundings drove my imagination wild, I was expecting the head of the Loch Ness monster to pop out of the water and greet us good morning. The challenge of the morning was to find the place and not damage our kayaks with the sudden transition of the depth; we were heading to a rocky shelf that bordered deeper water. We had
some flat water with a light breeze that kept us moving. The current was swift and going the opposite direction, pushing us back to land, this made for an even longer journey than what we liked, still, we moved forward. While my fishing buddy was contented on combing the surround-ing deep water with his deep divers,
I was determined to test out a few flies I tied the previous week.
The next trip posed stronger winds and an unusual tide, it was pretty high up. The waters were heavily discoloured and the currents just ripping across the shallows. The same shallows I wanted to fish. Two weekends with two different sets of challenges, both of the weekends were normally the kind that sends you packing home.
Making the most out of thingsNot wanting the trips to be an
exercise in futility, I had to make the tracks I’ve made for these two weekends count. The chips were not
on my side since in these two trips I wanted to fly fish and determined to test out the flies. I brought an ultralight spinning outfit for in-surance, just in case the wind picked up. When the chances are down, you have two choices: admit defeat or be a bit more persistent and de-termined to stick to the
EXPECT WHEN NOT EXPECTING The weather might not cooperate, but it’s still not a reason to head home… yet.
OUR EXPERTS
52 OUTDOORUAE
Photos By: Kit Belen and Harry Lindemann
The new style shrimp flies I wanted to test out
At 8am, the fog was still up, we couldn’t wait any longer and decided to just sail into the fog and rely on my trusty GPS
Heading into the spot, the fog was thick - made me almost turn back
game plan. In my case, I almost always stick to the plan given that the situation would not be life threatening… much. On the first trip, the water was too cold. Fish were going to be lethargic because of the water temper-ature. When fishing in cold weather, the fish tend to not chase their meals with their usual spunk and will take snacks more than meals.
Having experienced a similar situation in the past, the first thing I tried was a tiny jig with a soft plastic body. This worked for a bit of time before I noticed that the winds were not that bad and switched to a flyrod.
Flyfishing enables me to fish slower than I would with a jig and it shines in cold water situations such as the conditions I was facing that day. The smaller size of the fly plus the more natural look (despite the screaming pink). The usual flat suspects were present in full force with the grunter entertaining me for a few hours before the tides changed and the bite shut off. My last few casts of the trip paid off with a nice black bream which my fishing buddy happily invited to dinner.
Windy with fast dirty waterThe following weekend, I decided to try
the spot again, hoping that this time, the weather would be a bit more forgiving. I could dream and wish, but things will not al-ways go with my plans. The water has taken on the colour of mud, the currents were rag-ing and the winds were howling even more than the previous week. It took us more than an hour to reach the spot and more than 30 minutes to find a suitable place to anchor. Having all the gear rigged up before we left shore, I had to find a way to at least fish in a bit more decent water. A similar past experience on fishing in dirty water, gave me an idea. I looked for “seams” of relatively clearer water to cast my fly into. Bigger fish tend to use the stained water as cover and face the clearer water in ambush for anything edible that drifts in. True enough, casting up-current of the seam got me a strike on the first cast. This scenario was a classic example of feeding fish in ambush mode.
I was not expecting the fishing to be so productive in this trip, we arrived late and
the current was so strong, conditions that would normally have me packing. The shrimp flies held their own and produced some of the nicest fish I’ve ever pulled out from this par-ticular flat. All the shrimp flies I tied for this trip were all used and they all broke from the crushing teeth of the black bream. Before we called it a day, I had a chance to teach a friend how to cast a flyrod and directed him to his first fish on a flyrod.
The chance to take chances
As weekend warriors we must give our-selves at least the chance to take a chance in what we think are unfishable conditions. At times, they pay off and at its very worst it would be just a fishless trip — and we’re all used to that! At work and in business, we learn to make the most out of a situation, to capitalise on a challenge or a mistake as a part of the learning process. Yet, we are far too unforgiving on ourselves when we go out and do what we love doing. On the drive home, I was tired, yet content on what transpired in the last two weekends. I was driving a little bit slower, savouring what has transpired. “Could you believe what hap-pened today?” I asked Harry. “Yeah dude, I was there, we should celebrate!” Harry said. “How do you suppose we do that?” I quipped. “Let’s get a burger!” he said.
And that we did.
Till next tide change,
Kit
53OUTDOORUAE
THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST ApRIL 2013 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM
Tiny jigs worked like a charm, but the fish preferred the fly more
My fishing buddy wanted one for supper
one of the new style shrimp flies I wanted to test out - This one has an epoxy body that would make it a bit more durable
Grunters loved the shrimp and I enjoyed a quite a few of them in the short session
The Bream loved the fly so much that I went through 4 of them in a relative-ly short period
“What’s great about SUP is that everyone
can do it in any body of water. You can
be on a lake, a river or the ocean and
you don’t even need waves to feel the
sensation of being a surfer.”
PEOPLE
The young water athlete from Maui was a man on a mission when he reclaimed the world champion crown at the 2013 Stand Up Paddle World Tour Sunset Beach Pro in Hawaii last February. Armed with the same determination, Kai is now preparing for the SUPWT Ubatuba Pro Brazil that will happen on April 27th.
Congrats on winning the Stand Up Paddle World Tour competition in Oahu! How does it feel to clinch your third win? It’s crazy! That was by far my favorite SUPWT event and will go down as one of my greatest experi-ences because I was able to take my surfing to the next level and when that happens, there is no greater feeling! Plus, a win to start the year!
What was your mindset throughout the competition? Just go out and ride the way I would ride back home on Maui. After losing the wave SUWT world title last year, I wanted to approach it differently. So I adapted all I learned and found a “new” perfect formula.
Do you feel any pressure being so young yet already at the top of the heap? I feel no pressure besides the pressure I put on myself. I have the greatest sponsors in the world and they understand how I work. I have so much motivation they don’t need to do anything to push me. I’m having fun and when I’m having fun, I am going to do it.
What’s your training like? I wake up early and check the ocean to see what is the best sport to do. I work out three days a week with my trainer in the gym, otherwise all of my sports activity is based on the conditions. I start my day in the water and my favourite way to finish the day is getting in the water with my family and friends.
How did you get into water sports? I started surfing when I was four, windsurfing sat six, SUP at seven and kitesurfing, tow-in surfing, foilboarding when I was nine. My mom and dad would take me to the beach every free moment – they both still surf, windsurf, kite-surf, SUP to this day. My little brother, Ridge, does every sport as well and he’s a ripper. I’m sure you’ll be hearing about him soon. The reason I got into SUP was because I saw Laird Hamilton doing a downwinder on a stormy windy day and since he was one of my heroes, I wanted to do whatever he did.
What has your sport taught you? In a way, the ocean has been my greatest teacher because she’s taught me all the basics in life. To always stay humble, grateful, driven, honest and to always take care of what you love. It has also taught me to respect the ocean and be appreciative of this beautiful planet.
What do you think is the best part of what you do? On a daily basis I’m able to push myself and my limits. I’m able to do what everyone wants to do, which is play in the wa-ter all day and be in peak, mental and healthy condition.
Kai lennyOccupation: Professional surfer, windsurfer,
kitesurfer and SUP’er Nationality: AmericanAge: 20
What are your other passions besides water sports? I’m so busy with training and having fun on water that I usually don’t have time for much more. Last year, the biggest challenge I had was to rest in between my work out and I focused on making video clips. I also like to work on de-signs for my boards and surf shorts. My sponsors have been great about listening to my feedback in creating the best equipment and surf wear on the market.
Do you have plans to drop by the UAE soon? I was hoping that I could visit in the upcoming SUP event in Abu Dhabi, but my schedule is already completely booked. I will get there someday and I look forward to the visit.
With the rising popularity of SUP in the Middle East, what’s your advice for people in the region aspiring to get into water sports, whether competitively or as a hobby? Just go for it and start having fun. Learning to SUP is so easy and it’s good for fitness. With such nice bodies of water in the area, it’s something everyone can do and supping makes a bad day into a good one.
UAE is included in the SUPWT, how do you think the competition will go, considering it is in a wave pool as opposed to the ocean? From the photos that I have seen, I’m really bummed that I can’t be there for this event. The waves look incredible and every wave is perfect. The competition is going to be really strong and I can’t wait to come next year. This event is a great example that you can SUP in any body of water.
Photos By: Erik Aeder, Quincy Dein,
Tracy Kraft Leboe and Yannick Lii
54 OUTDOORUAE
The Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge is all about men and their machine. But as the riders brave the dangerous dunes, the unsung heroes of the game – the search and rescue team, medics and marshals – get them back in the saddle and bring them safely home. Shaun has been part of the sweep team for three years now and he has seen what this race can throw at you, but that hasn’t stopped him from coming back.
How are you preparing for the ADDC 2013? Preparation is more about the vehicle than the body as long days will be spent in the desert, and driving to and from the bivouac. I’ll be driving my Nissan Patrol long wheelbase. Each team has to be self-suf-ficient for food, water and repairs in the desert, plus carrying water, a medic and medical equipment.
Why did you join the sweep team? I was asked to join three years ago by a 4x4 club mate, which is a great privilege. I jumped at the chance as it offers the best driving in the UAE and the opportunity to help others in the desert.
What’s your role in the team? The sweep team provide assistance including medical and bike/quad recovery back to the bivouac. In the previous years, I have been in the forward sweep, which entails joining the race approximately half to two-thirds race dis-tance, usually after the 20th bike has passed by. We follow the race route, on the lookout for stopped bikes/quads or other competi-tors coming up behind us, or being tasked to recover/assist competitors stopped ahead of us. There are usually two or three cars in the team. I usually drive lead as the pickup is
usually with a long wheelbase, and can get out in areas where shorter wheelbase cars can’t.
How difficult is it out there in desert for the sweep team? Temperatures can get up to mid 40°C, although on the sabkhas, higher temperatures are reached due to the heat being reflected off the white salt surfaces. Then the wind, when strong, makes it very difficult, i.e. getting sand in your eyes and making it hard to follow motorbike/quad tracks they are erased fast. Occasionally hav-ing to drive out in the dark and lifting bikes/quads onto the recovery pickups requires a lot of teamwork.
What do you enjoy most about the ADCC experience? Best driving in the UAE, team spirit, working with some of the best riders and drivers in the world.
What’s a memorable moment for you? Twice in successive years, I have carried highly placed riders whose bikes have bro-ken down in the back of the car. In following years, one of them became world number one, the other, a leading rider from the UAE. This rider had a few hours in the back and got to see more of the desert than he would usually see when on the bike!
What was an unfortunate moment? Hitting a hidden ridge at the top of a large dune causing a very sudden stop. It turns out I had bent the chassis on the car, which meant I had difficulty opening the front passenger door. I was quickly attended to by the medic with us for a sore neck. Whilst attempting to continue, I quickly realised my driving style had changed to protect my neck, so decided that I could not continue that day, which was the longest stage of the week and we were only 10km into our section. Having to leave the team at this point was very disap-pointing. My neck’s soreness disappeared
overnight fortunately, but the car took longer to repair.
What has this race taught you? Greater respect for the desert and in particular for those who ride motorbikes across it.
Any plans of riding as a competitor next year? No, I have seen the level of commit-ment, training and expense required, to complete this event. I would love to attend the Dakar Rally, but it’s not likely to happen.
What are your other passions besides riding? Off-road driving and cycling. I was recently part of a four-man team to cycle Fat Bikes 135km from one side of the Liwa Crescent to the other.
How do you think ADDC will develop in the next years? Hopefully, more internation-al work teams will be involved and a more frequent national race series to encourage more UAE participation.
As a member of the sweep team, what’s your advice for the riders? Watching the effect on a rider who has had to pick up his/her bike several times that day in that heat means physical fitness is very important. Hydration – it is extremely important to keep taking fluids throughout the day.
Shaun EllisOccupation: Air Traffic Control officerNationality: British
Age: 43
Photos By: Shaun Ellis
55OUTDOORUAE
THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST ApRIL 2013 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM
Bike recovery stuck
Sweep vehicle and competitor
Get Them Off That Game ControllerTHE NEXT STEP!Route 5 - Medium 1hr – 1.5hr
to campsiteTawiyen RAK
LOCATIONS
(Part 5) Health warning: Only to be attempted if physically fit and robust. To be used in conjunction with the whole walking series in OutdoorUAE magazine. You should accept all responsibility for your actions. In the nine years of working all over the UAE, I have only ever seen a handful of snakes. Whilst we were climbing in a wadi, we found a snake basking in the sun in a dried pool. Be aware and stay away from them.
Mountain campingWhat’s it all been for?
Over the last few months, I have laid out some basic rules for venturing into the hills here in the UAE, which I hope some have found useful. The level of these routes has varied in length of the walk and the difficulty of the terrain to be covered. I have listed some basic rules for planning and preparation for a trip outdoors, but more impor-tantly, I hope to have given those who may never have ventured outdoors in the first place the confidence to do so now.
So what has it all been for? Firstly, I hope you have enjoyed the routes and gained a little knowledge of just what can be found here in the UAE if you just cross over the Dubai bypass road away from the malls. Secondly, that you should have at least lost a few pounds around the waist, improved your fitness and most importantly dragged the kids away from that games controller! Now with your newfound confidence, preparation and fitness, it is time to go a little further.
This month’s route is not a particularly long or hard route to complete, but you will have to carry much more equipment for an overnighter on the hills and so will require
a lot more planning and preparation. As al-ways, before you set out do your homework on the area you are going to walk in. There are many guide and map books available on this area and Google Earth is invaluable. After you have looked at the area, in general you can start to ask yourself “what if?” and plan in detail. As always, I cannot and would not attempt to answer all the questions here, but if you have followed the previous four routes following the advice set out, you will already be well prepared.
Camping in the hills is great fun with the kids, but it does require a little more planning than just going out to the desert with the car, tons of kit including the kitchen sink! You really do have to prioritise your equipment, asking yourself if you really need an arctic sleeping bag and 8L of water for one night. Also, think about how many people are going and try to distribute the equipment equally around the group. You don’t want to double up on gas stoves or tents thereby carrying unnecessary extra weight. You should draw up a list of what you think you need and then try to eliminate anything you really could do without to reduce weight. You can then distribute items as evenly as possible around your group
depending on ability and age.During your planning, the group should
meet up at the very least a week before departing, where you can finalise your planning and as I have said before, remem-ber the 7Ps: Prior Planning and Preparation Prevent a P**** Poor Performance! During your planning meeting, you should consider the following:
• Size and ability of group (all should of have completed at least one of the routes and one adult to one child ratio for safety).
• Time of year or weather.• Mapping, guide books of area and route
card. Equipment, for the night and safety.• Safety brief “what if?” – casualty, nearest
hospital, lost, phone numbers etc.• Who you will check out and back in with
(text someone in Dubai) and the actions to be carried out by that person should you fail to contact them.
If you want to continue to the top, follow the path past the abseil area until you come to a flat area with two rock piles/cairns and head up the track to the right. Follow the path around the back of this jebal and keep heading upwards. This part of the route is covered in route 3 January issue.
The route card
The routeThe area used for our mountain camp was
Tawiyen in Ras Al Khaimah and was covered in January’s issue. Head north out of Dubai on the E311 to Ras Al Khaimah. As you pass the Bedouin camps, take the left turn for Dibba E87. Follow this road through the truck weigh station and straight over two roundabouts towards Tawiyen. You will need to do a U-turn after the Civil Defence station at grid 25 30’40”N 56 04’31”E.
From the vehicle park, you will head up along a well-used donkey re-supply route, following it up the hill and to the right. From here, continue through a small cutting with views over Tawiyen and as you see a farm to your front, the track takes an almost 90° turn to the left and check point one (CP1) follow the track up to a craggy area and small windy gap CP2. From here, you can see across the valley to a large farm on the high ground on your left. The track continues up and to the right of the windy gap and climbs up the mountain side to CP3. Continue along the track to CP4 on to the high ground at approximately 550m. We decided to pitch camp near CP4 instead of pushing higher due to the fading light, but you can find good flat areas to camp all along this route and beyond this check point.
When locating your campsite, locate a site that is safe and be sure you are not in an area where there may be signs that water has run along it, so if it should rain you’re not washed out or that too exposed to the wind. Check for loose rock and stay away from overhanging rock. Check that you’re not on top of an ant nest and there are no hiding areas for beasties! Ensure children are fully briefed on where they can and can not go around your site so they do not get lost or fall. If going to the latrine at night, children should inform an adult. Make sure your latrine area is marked with a light stick and the route has been cleared of trip hazards for night time.
If for some I am teaching you to “suck eggs,” I apologise, but many of these simple basic lessons are just not followed when venturing into the hills here in the UAE. Many people will get away with something once and think it’s okay to take short cuts next time, but these are the very people who when it does go wrong, it goes wrong very quickly and very badly! Not only will poor planning and preparation ruin your trip, what example are you setting to the kids?
Jim
57OUTDOORUAE
THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST ApRIL 2013 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM
OmanescapesWords + Photos: Darryl MacDonald
LOCATIONS
Last weekend, my wife and I took some Canadian visitors on a hike that has been on our “must see” list for nearly two years. The Chains hike is located on the north end of the West-ern Hajar mountain range.
The name of the hike comes from a set of chains that must be ascended halfway through the journey. Rumour has it that the chains were originally set up by the British military in the 1920s in order to utilise this area as a training ground for troops; there is of course no way to be certain. The trailhead of the hike is approximately a three-hour drive from Muscat which, in my opinion, is too far for a day trip and so it was decided to overnight nearby. We left Muscat late Thursday morning, detouring first to the Nakhal Fort and hot springs, located just south west of Barka. The fort is a little touristy, but an excellent example of the many Omani forts speckled throughout the countryside, while the hot springs provid-ed a lovely spot for a picnic lunch. We then continued north past Rustaq towards the Ibri road before finally turning back towards the coast. The scenery through this area is always nice, but becomes particularly stunning after leaving the main road and heading towards Al Ghizayn. The roads here wind in and out around mountains, passing some spectacular terraced gardens and several small villag-es. We passed a few crumbling towers and a small abandoned mud village offering a glimpse into the rich history of the country.
Using the off-road Oman book as a refer-ence for directions, we noticed that many of the roads in the area had changed and the suggested camping area now had perma-nent residents nearby. Not wanting to camp near someone’s house, we set off in search of another campsite. We managed to find a dirt track off the main road which we followed before turning up a small wadi, well off the beaten track, and found a suitable area to set-tle for the night. We lucked out that evening with a brilliant evening sky, an outstanding view of the Milky Way – just a few of the many perks of camping in the rural areas.
The following morning, we packed up camp after breakfast and prepared for the adventure ahead. As this was our first time doing this hike, I brought some extra equipment just to be on the safe side. In my backpack, I carried
58 OUTDOORUAE
THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST ApRIL 2013 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM
two small ropes along with some slings, anchors and carabineers along with the usual gear such as water, snacks, sunscreen, etc. As the saying goes, “it’s better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it” especially when ascending on gear that was purportedly assembled in the 1920s. At the head of the trail, we were met by some local Omani teenagers who instantly began leading us up the trail. We assured them that we didn’t require any assistance, but they trailed along behind us anyway, offering help where they could. In the end, they were quite friendly and helpful, so in exchange, we offered a few of our extra bottles of water and a bag of fresh fruit, which they seemed quite happy with.
The hike itself is not long, approximately 50 minutes each way, but requires some light bouldering in places and several water cross-ings. The canyon is like something out of an Indiana Jones movie, with smooth, white and black marble-like rock and massive boulders poised upright in the emerald green pools along the canyon. In one section, the walls become quite narrow and curve inward near the top of the canyon creating a dramatic effect. Upon arriving at the chains, a quick inspection revealed the equipment to be in excellent shape with several pieces of newer gear added to the mix (I think it’s unlikely there is anything remaining from the 1920s).
The chains are about 12m high and are relatively easy to climb if you’re comfortable with heights. A few people in our group weren’t very excited about the prospect of climbing up, but were encouraged with a little help from the local Omanis and others in our group. About 20 minutes beyond the chains, after passing through the narrowest section of the canyon, we came to what the off-road book describes as one of the most beautiful pools in Oman – it’s not. Don’t get me wrong, it is a beautiful pool, but the description in the book made the whole journey a little anti-climactic. Above the pool, someone has put some bolts in the rock for those who would like to continue up the canyon beyond. At the moment, there is a rusting piece of rebar tied onto them with some string. Do not use this to climb beyond! We took a dip in the pool before heading back down, which I might add was more fun than coming up. All in all, this journey was well worth the trip. Our entire group enjoyed it thoroughly, even those that weren’t excited about the climbing!
If you decide to undertake this weekend adventure, be sure bring all the necessary supplies/ equipment, and don’t forget to “leave no trace.” If you’re not comfortable with bouldering, it would be best to find a local guide to take you through the area; there are a few companies offering such services online.
As we like to say in Canada, get out there, have fun and “keep your stick on the ice.”
Darryl MacDonald
59OUTDOORUAE
Step 1: Pass the loop of strap A through the eye of strap B.
Step 2: Reach through and grasp strap B and start pulling the long section of B back through the eye of strap A.
Step 3: Now keep going until you’ve pulled strap B completely through. The result should look like the next photo. If you did the recovery at this point,
the straps would pull so tight you’d have to cut them apart, ruining one of them and severely weakening the other. Don’t believe me? Go ahead and
test it yourself, but don’t ask me to replace your ruined straps! So we need something
Gunnar had crested a high dune but his momentum was not enough to carry him over and the big 4x4 perched there spinning its wheels and going nowhere. The sand at the base was very soft, making it difficult to approach and to one side was a deep bowl that was best avoided. The other side of the dune was also out as it was the slipface. There was no way I’d reach him from a reasonably firm surface with even my longest snatch strap. But I carry two, and as the old saying goes: if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.
The solution was to join two recovery straps to increase the combined length. But therein lay two pernicious problems: firstly, as I pointed out in a previous article (see April 2012 issue) knots severely weaken the strength of any rope or strap making the likelihood of snapping much higher. More importantly, it is impossible to undo a knot that has had the combined force of two heavy off-road vehicles pulling it tight. To illustrate this: back when you could still get onto Ghantoot beach, I helped recover a Wrangler that was stuck to its axles on a sand bank with a rapidly incoming tide. My shackles did not fit through the recovery point, so we had no choice but to thread the loop of my strap through the recovery eye and feed the strap back through the loop. It took some effort to break the suction of the wet sand on the Jeep’s chassis, but eventual-ly I got him out, with seawater lapping at the doorsills. I couldn’t even get a screwdriver in to loosen the strap and had to cut it off, the remainder now hangs in our garden for my kids to swing on. The Jeep owner promised to replace the strap, but I never saw the guy again.
So to avoid denting your wallet or ending up stuck with a strap you can’t use, here is a
simple four-step method for joining recovery straps so that when all is said and done, they are not too difficult to pull separate and have not been weak-ened by knots. All you need is a thick piece of wood, although a rolled up magazine held together with duct tape will work just as well. I’ll call the yellow strap “A” and the white one “B” to make the explanation a bit easier:
to rest in the loops to prevent them from pulling together, this is where the piece of wood does its magic.
Step 4: Now place a solid piece of wood through the loops and work them tight up against it. You don’t want the wood falling out as the straps go taut. I made the one above from a hammer handle I bought from a hardware store, the raised pieces are to prevent it falling out. It lives in my recovery box along with my straps and shackles. A magazine rolled up tight will also work, but I’d tape it up first. I’ve also used a mallet and a shovel handle, but a shovel has metal bits that make me nervous.
And that’s it! Now you’re ready to do the recovery as I described in the April 2012 issue of this magazine and afterwards it’s a relatively easy job to pull the straps apart. A lot of off-roaders use sub-standard shack-les and, frankly, this is highly dangerous. Please, for the sake of your 4x4, family and bystanders buy proper rated shackles with screw-in cross pins. As can be seen in the picture, rated shackles come with a working load limit (WLL) stamped or raised on them, common ones are 3.25t and 4.75t shackles. I also added luminous paint to make it easier to find shackles when dropped in the sand.
Note: A 3.25t shackle should be adequate for most off-road use. Avoid stainless steel shackles with a simple push-through pin, they are not rated and the angle at which you pull can severely distort, even break, them. The impact of a highly tensioned cheap shackle breaking under the load generated by a 2.5t vehicle trying to free another 2.5t bogged vehicle is scary.
craig reynolds Craig Reynolds was born and
raised under the African sun and has been wondering around in the
outdoors for as long as he can remember. He used to climb about
twenty kilograms ago, oftendragging an old Pentax K1000 up
the crags. He is an unrehabilitated Land Cruiser addict who is
often sunburnt and generally in need of a shave and you can
see his photos and read his infrequently
updated blog at sunburntandinneedofashave.com
60 OUTDOORUAE
THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST ApRIL 2013 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM
Dan, the Desert Gardener loves
Murraya (Murraya paniculata)
There is something very special about a lovely green shrub that also has a fragrance that can reach out to you in your garden. Never overbearing but just a delicate whiff of an aroma that could be someone cutting into an orange and that is Murraya.
Murraya is also known as Orange Jessamine or mock orange and is related to the citrus family, which is why it has the orange scent. You could guess it could be part of the citrus family as it has glossy, smooth dark green, oval-shaped leaves and its scented flowers are small and white like those on a lemon tree. Sometimes it also bears small orange to red fruit, which re-semble kumquats, but only birds can eat these.
Murraya is a perfect plant for a UAE garden as it likes some sun or part shade and can survive in a wide range of soil including a sandy soil.
It is called a “hardy” plant, but as with most plants it does like to have its soil kept moist and drained and it can be grown in a pot both indoors and outside.
Murraya can be grown on its own as an orna-mental tree, but it is often used as a hedge. It grows to approximately 4-5m high and it thrives
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
Global Climbing (Dubai) HummveeLite Short Apr2013.pdf 1 3/18/2013 11:27:48 AM
on a good prune, in fact the more you prune Murraya, the better results with growth and den-sity. The Murraya hedge can function as a wind break or as a private screen to your garden and as it flowers throughout the year it is not only a very pretty hedge but a perfumed one.
Murraya is native to Southeast Asia, China and Australasia and was named after Dr Johann Mur-ray who was an 18th century Swedish botanist.
The Dubai Garden Centre always has Murraya paniculata in stock and is another must to have in your garden or home.
61OUTDOORUAE
THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST ApRIL 2013 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM
TIPS & TRICKS
Sandy Joy
This month we take a look at partner and individual stretches that focus on opening the shoulders and upper back as well as lengthening the hamstring muscles at the back of the thighs. These stretches can be done anywhere, just grab a partner, a mat or towel and you are all set.
Partner s t r e t c h e s
Side stretch. Sit facing each other with your legs open as wide as possible (you may need to bend your knees). Reach your right arm forward and hold your partners wrist of forearm. Extend your left arm up and reach over towards your right toes as you gently pull on your partner to deepen the stretch.
Shoulder Opener. From a neutral spine, extend your right arm up to the sky, then thread it under your left arm and allow your shoulder head to rest on the floor. Use your left hand to gently shift more weight onto your right shoulder. Keep your hips square and breathe deeply.
Double back flexion. Hold on to your partner’s wrist or forearms. Lean away from each other, rounding through the upper back until you feel a stretch between your shoulder blades.
Double back extension. Hold on to your partner’s wrist or forearms. Lean away from each other as you push your chest forward between your arms and look up towards the sky. You should feel a stretch across the front of your chest and an opening in your upper back.
Folded leaf. The base (partner on the floor) places their feet turned out in the groin crease of the flyer. The flyer places their hands on the base’s shins and their shoulders in the base’s hands. The base bends knees in and then extends arms and legs to 90°. The flyer releases their arms and the base removes their hands from the shoulders and gently places on their back. This should only be done with a third person spotter to make sure that if the flyer falls they are caught.
Cow. From Cat, as you exhale, look forward and up then press your chest forward between your arms. Repeat Cat, then Cow again and flow freely from one to the other to open the spine.
Partner twist. Sit facing each other in a comfortable position. Bring your right arm behind your back and to the outside of your left waist. With your left arm reach for your partner’s hand. Pull gently on each others’ hands as you twist simultaneously.
Cat. Come on to all fours, shoulders directly over wrists, knees directly under hips. As you inhale, push your upper back up between your shoulders and allow your head to drop down.
62 OUTDOORUAE
THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST ApRIL 2013 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM
Lightweight Base Layer240 AeD
Haven Fleece Jacket430 AeD
Leadville Soft-Shell Jacket765 AeD
Zeus Down Jacket930 AeD
Aegis Outer-Shell Jacket830 AeD
The layering GuideAs we are starting to approach the expedition and trekking season, we want to shift the focus on what clothing to pack for your next trip. Here are a few recommended combinations of layering appropriate items different weather conditions:
Perfect companion for high-energy action in mild to chilly weather. The Polartec® Power Dry® fabric features Cocona® technology for all-natural anti-microbial performance and three dimensional moisture wicking. Plus, mesh panels for increased mobility.
Incredibly versatile for cooler weather with its 100% polyester fleece. It is Zippin™ Compatible with sleeve pocket, handwarmer pocket, elastic bond cuffs, ad-justable draw cord hem and equipped withAngel-Wing Movement™
Delivers high-caliber performance for aero-bic sports from alpine climbing to cross-country running and spring skiing.Lightweight GORE® WIND-STOPPER® fabric that is wind and water resistant, with hand, chest pockets, adjustable Velcro® cuff and Venting side panels.
Suitable for extreme conditions with its ultra light down proof fabric and 800 fill power goose down. It also comes a wind flap tucked behind the front zipper to sup-press drafts.
Combined with weather beating performance and a wealth of creature comforts, this is equipped with Marmot MemBrain® Strata™ waterproof and breathable fabric, PitZips™ technology that extends into the body for venting and DriClime® lined cuffs, collar and chin guard for comfort.
1 2 3 4 5
All products available at Adventure HQ Time Square and GoSport
THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST ApRIL 2013 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM
I guess that I have had a long love affair with pottery. From the traditional Tiger Pots of Singapore to the beautiful, bright colourful glazed pots now coming out of China and Viet-nam, I love them all.
When you are an expatriate living in the Middle East, planting in pots means that if you have to move house or apartment you can take your beloved garden with you. It is also much easier to control water and nutrients if your plant is in a pot and the variety of pots available now means there is so much choice in size, design, material and colour. Vietnamese pottery has a long history spanning back to thousands of years ago, long before the Chinese dominated the region. There was an unknown civilisa-tion which lived in Cát Tiên, South Vietnam between the 4th century and 9th centuries AD that made pottery and ceramics.
Vietnamese pottery is unique because throughout the centuries, Vietnamese potters have combined indigenous and Chinese elements as well as experimenting with both original and individual styles. They have introduced features from other cultures, such as Cambodia and India. At one time, a Chinese emperor unsuccessfully tried to invade Vietnam, but as a consequence the Vietnamese potters learnt how to make blue
and white earthen-ware which was then exported all over Asia and became the most popular pottery in South East Asia. When the Vietnamese pottery arrived in regions such as Persia, Java and China the potters of those countries started to copy the designs from Vietnam and mixed it in with their own traditional designs.
At one time, China banned exports of its own pottery for a thirty year period and this naturally allowed the Vietnamese pottery/ce-ramic industry to expand and become widely known in the world. One of the reasons why Vietnam has always been a producer of pottery is that it has lots of really good clay. Clay has to have two essential components, silica and alumina this type of clay is called Kaolinite and this is the type of clay that is found naturally in Vietnam. Pottery is made from clay then it is heated to high tempera-tures in a kiln, which removes all water from the clay, this process also produces reactions that lead to permanent changes including strength, hardness, shape and colour.
The properties of clays differ from country to country and it’s these properties that will define how the pottery will turn out after it has been in the kiln. In Vietnam, the clay is known for its high-quality which makes the pottery strong and durable. Another impor-tant part of making pottery is the kiln.
In the Middle East, you can buy clay pot-tery from stalls or shops off the side of the road, but unfortunately these have not been in a kiln so they still have moisture in them and it will only be a matter of time before they crack and start disintegrating. The original kilns in Vietnam were called Dragon Kilns because they resemble the mythical beast’s body. A dragon kiln was built with bricks and earth, had a sloping elongated tunnel, with a fire-box at the front end and a flue at the higher tail end where smoke was emitted. Pottery pieces were fired inside the tunnel using wood for fuel. During firing, the crackling sounds of burning, rumbling noise of hot air, flames shooting from the fire-box and stoke holes and smoke escaping from cracks and chimney, make the kiln resemble a raging, fire-spewing dragon.
Unfortunately, the Dragon Kilns became redundant but recently there has been movement by some countries to restore them. In Vietnam all working Kilns are wood-fired as opposed to gas, electric or oil fired. Burning wood not only produces heat of up to 1400°C (2,500°F), it also produces fly ash
and volatile salts. Wood ash settles on the pieces during the firing, and the complex interaction between flame, ash and the minerals of the clay body forms a natural ash glaze. If this glaze is not wanted then the items are placed in special covered con-tainers inside the Kiln. The history of pottery from each country very much follows the history and development of that country and I find this makes the pottery on my balcony and in my garden all the more interesting. The Dubai Garden Centre stocks a wide range of Vietnamese pottery and water features.
+971554733110, www.asifa.ae Black Horse llC, Abu Dhabi, +97126422237, www.blackhorseuae.comCavalos Equine Care and Supplies,16th Street, Al Khalidiyah, Abu Dhabi, +9172 2222433, www.cavalosuae.comEmirta Horse Requirement Centre, Sheik Zayed Rd, Dubai, +9714 3437475, www.emirtahorse.comHorse & Carriage Equestrian Equipment llC, Dubai, +97142895069,www.horseandcarriageuae.comMirzan Equestrian Equipment, Dubai, +971 4 4472808, www.metdubaihorse.comequestrian Clubs/CentresAbu Dhabi Equestrian Club, Al Mushrif, Abu Dhabi, +97124455500, www.adec-web.comAl Ahli Riding School, Al Amman Street, Dubai-Sharjah Rd., +97142988408, www.alahliclub.infoAl Forsan international Sports Resort, Abu Dhabi, +97125568555, www.alforsan.comAl Sahra Desert Resort Equestrian Centre, Dubai, +971 44274055, [email protected] Dubai Polo Academy, Dubai, +971508879847, www.dubaipoloacademy.comDubai Polo & Equestrian Club, Dubai, Arabian Ranches, +97143618111, www.poloclubdubai.comDesert Equestrian Club, Mirdif, Dubai, +971503099770, +971501978888Desert Palm Riding School, Near Al Awir Road (going to Hatta-Oman), Dubai,+97143238010, www.desertpalm.peraquum.comEmirates Equestrian Centre, Dubai, +971505587656, www.emiratesequestriancentre.comGhantoot Polo & Racing Club, Exit 399, Abu Dhabi/ Dubai Highway, Abu Dhabi, +97125629050, www.grpc.aeGolden Stables Equestrian Club, Al Khawaneej, Dubai, (Nouri) +971555528182,www.goldenstables.aeHoofbeatZ, located just inside the Dubai Polo & Equestrian Club, Dubai,+971501810401, www.hoofbeatz.comMushrif Equestrian and Polo Club, Mushrif Park, Al Khawaneej Road, Dubai,+97142571256, www.mushrifec.comQudraland Community, [email protected], www.qudraland.comRahal Ranch, Al Wathba Racing Area, Abu Dhabi, +971566127914, www.rahalranch.comRiding for the Disabled, Dubai, [email protected], www.rdad.ae,Sharjah Equestrian & Racing Club, Sharjah, Al Dhaid Road, +97165311188, www.serc.aeracecoursesAbu Dhabi Equestrian Club, Al Mushrif, Abu Dhabi, +97124455500, www.adec-web.comGhantoot Racing & Polo Club, Exit 399, Abu Dhabi/ Dubai Highway, Abu Dhabi, +97125629050, www.grpc.ae Jebel Ali Racecourse, off the main Abu
Dhabi - Dubai Highway (Sheikh Zayed road) beside the Emirates Golf Club, Dubai, +97143474914Meydan Grandstand and Racecourse, Al Meydan Road, Nad Al Sheba, Dubai, +97143270000, www.meydan.aeSharjah Racecourse, Al Dhaid Road, Sharjah, +97165311155, www.serc.aeequine hospitals/ClinicsDubai Equine Hospital, behind World Trade Center, Zabeel 2, Dubai, +97143178888, www.dubaiequine.aeGulf Vetcare, Al Wathba, Abu Dhabi, +971508617590, www.gulfvetcare.comSharjah Equine Hospital, Bridge no. 6, Al Dhaid Road, next to Sharjah Equestrian & Racing Center, Sharjah, +97165311881, www.seh.aeCentral Veterinary Research laboratory, next to Dubai Equestrian Hospital, Zabeel 2, Dubai, +97143375165, www.cvrl.ae
THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST ApRIL 2013 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM
To list your company for free or to advertise, please contact us: 04 4472030 [email protected]
Fun Beach Water Sports, Dubai, +971 5 3244 550, www.funbeachsports.comThe Cove Rotana Resort, Ras Al Khaimah, +9717206000, www.rotana.comXventures, Dubai, +971555404500, www.x-ventures.ae
motocross & Atv’sDealersAl Badayer Rental (Rental), Dubai-Hatta Road, +971507842020,www.albadayerrental.comAl Yousuf Motors, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Rd, +97143390621, www.aym.ae/yamahaKTM, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road, exit 42, +9714323151, www.ktm.comGolden Desert Motorcycles Rental (Rental), Dubai-Hatta Road, Dubai, +971551532550, www.goldendesert-dubai.comPolaris UAE (atv’s), Ras Al Khor, Nad al Hamar Road, Al Ghandi Complex, Dubai, +97142896100, M4, Sector 13, 10th Street, Mussafah Industrial, Abu Dhabi, +97125555144, www.polarisuae.comliberty Kawasaki, Dubai, Interchange 4, Sheikh Zayed Road, 04-3419341,www.libertykawasaki.comSandstorm Motorcycles (Rental), Al Quoz, Dubai, +97143470270,www.sandstorm-motorcycles.comSebsports, Al Quoz Industrial Area 1Dubai, +97143393399, www.sebsports.comWild X Adventure Shop, Dubai, +97148321050, www. wildx.aeequipmentDesert Road Tourism, Al Khor Plaza – 503, Dubai, +97142959429, www.arabiantours.com 2XWheeler, Motorcity Dubai, +97144548388, www.2xwheeler.comSandstorm Motorcycles (Rental), Al Quoz, Dubai, +97143470270, www.sandstorm-motorcycles.comSebsports, Dubai, Al Quoz Industrial Area 3, +97143393399, www.sebsports.comWild X, Dubai, Um Al Ramoul Industrial Area, +97142852200, www. wildx.ae
motorcyclingDistributors and DealersAl Yousuf Motors, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Rd, www.aym.ae/yamahaDuseja Motorcycles, Dubai, Al Quoz, +97143476712, www.dusejamoto.comliberty Kawasaki, Dubai, Interchange4, Sheikh Zayed Road, +97142822144, www.libertykawasaki.comPolaris UAE, Al Ghandi Complex, Nad al Hamar Road, Ras Al Khor, +97142896100, www.polarisuae.comTristar Motorcycles, +97143330659, www.tristaruae.comWorkshops and Services2xWheeler Adventures, Dubai, +97144548388
Dune Bike, Dubai, Al Khail Road, +97143272088, www.dunebike.com Duseja Motorcycles, Dubai, Al Quoz, +97143476712, www.dusejamoto.comGecko Motorcycles, Dubai, Al Quoz, +97143413550, www.gecko-moto.comSebsports, Al Quoz Industrial Area 1Dubai, +9714 3393399, www.sebsports.comClubsDubai Motocross Club (DMX), Jebel Ali, Dubai, +971506950764 (Tom Wynn)www.dubaimotocross.com
motorsportsAl Ain Raceway international Kart Circuit, Al Ain, +97137686662, www.alainraceway.comAl Forsan international Sports Resort, Abu Dhabi, +97125568555, www.alforsan.comDubai Autodrome, Dubai, +97143678700www.dubaiautodrome.comEmirates Motorplex, Umm Al Quwain, +97167681717Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi, www.yasmarinacircuit.com
off-road Dealers4x4 Motors llC, Shk. Zayed Rd, Dubai, +97143384866, www.4x4motors.comBling My Truck, +971503634839/+971505548255, [email protected], www.blingmytruck.comliberty Automobiles, Dubai, 8005423789,www.libertyautos.comrepairs and ServicesOff Road Zone, Dubai, Al Quoz, +97143392449, www.offroad-zone.comicon Auto Garage, Dubai, +97143382744, www.icon-auto.comSaluki Motorsport, Dubai, +97143476939
www.salukimotorsport.comequipmentAdvanced Expedition Vehicles, Dubai & Abu Dhabi, +97143307152, www.aev.aeBling My Truck, +971503634839/+971505548255, [email protected], www.blingmytruck.comicon Auto Garage, Dubai, +97143382744, www.icon-auto.comWild X Adventure Shop, Dubai-Hatta Road, Dubai, +97148321050, www.wildx.ae Yellow Hat, Nad Al Hamar, and Times Square Center, Dubai, +97142898060, www.yellowhat.aeTour OperatorsDesert Road Tourism, Al Khor Plaza – 503, Dubai, +97142959429, www.arabiantours.com Arabian Adventures, Dubai & Abu Dhabi, +97143034888, www.arabian-adventures.comOasis Palm Dubai, Dubai, +97142628889, www.opdubai.comClubs
Abu Dhabi Off- Road Club, www.ad4x4.com AlMOST 4x4 Off-Road Club, +971507665522, www.almost4x4.comME 4X4, www.me4x4.comJEEP Wrangler JK Fun Club, [email protected], www.jk-funclub.comDubai Offroaders, www.dubaioffroaders.com
runningClubs ABRasAC, Dubai, www.abrasac.orgAbu Dhabi Tri Club, Abu Dhabi, www.abudhabitriclub.orgAl Ain Road Runners, Abu Dhabi, +971504188978, [email protected] Milers, Dubai, www.mirdifmilers.infoAbu Dhabi Striders,[email protected], www.abudhabistriders.comDubai Creek Striderswww.dubaicreekstriders.org
stand up paddling, kite & surfing, wakeboardingequipmentAl Boom Marine, Abu Dhabi & Dubai, +97142894858, www.alboommarine.comAl Masaood Marine, Dubai, SheikhZayed Road, +97143468000,www.masaoodmarine.comleisure Marine Beach Street, Dubai, The Walk JBR, +97144243191www.leisuremarine-me.comPicnico04 3941653Jumeirah Beach RoadOpposite Sunset Mall, DubaiPearl Water Crafts, Dubai Marina Yacht Club, +971553749398, www.pearl-watercrafts.comSurf Dubai, Dubai, Umm Suqeim, +971505043020, www.surfingdubai.comSurf Shop Arabia, Building 1, Al Manara Road (East), Interchange 3, Dubai,+97143791998,www.surfshoparabia.com UAE Kite Surfing, +971505626383, www.ad-kitesurfing.netDistributorsOcean Sports FZE, +971559352735,www.kitesurfsup.comKitepeople Kite & Surf Store, International City, Dubai,+971504559098, www.kitepeople.aeOperatorsAl Forsan international Sports Resort, Abu Dhabi, +97125568555, www.alforsan.comDubai Kite Surf School, Dubai, Umm Suqeim Beach, +971 504965107, www.dubaikitesurfschool.comDuco Maritime, Dubai, Ras Al Khaimah and Abu Dhabi, +971508703427,www.ducomaritime.comDukite, Kitesurf Beach, Umm Suqeim, Dubai,+971507586992, www.dukite.comKite Fly, Dubai, +971502547440, www.kitesurf.aeKitepro Abu Dhabi, Yas Island and Al Dabbayyah, Abu Dhabi, +971505441494, wwww.kitepro.aeKite4fun.net, Abu Dhabi, +971508133134, www.kite4fun.netNautica1992, Dubai, +971504262415, www.nautica1992.aeShamal Kite Surfing, Umm Suqueim Beach – Dubai, +971507689226, [email protected], www.shmalkitesurfing.comSky & Sea Adventures, Dubai, Hilton, Jumeirah Beach Road, +97143999005, www.watersportsdubai.comSurf School UAE, Umm Suqeim Beach and Building 1, Al Manara Road (East), Interchange 3, Dubai,+971556010997, www.surfschooluae.comWatercooled, Jebel Ali Golf Resort and Spa, Dubai, +97148876771,www.watercooleddubai.comClubsAbu Dhabi Stand Up Paddle, www.abudhabisup.com, [email protected]
UAE SUP www.uaesup.com
water parksAquaventure Atlantis, Dubai, Palm Jumeirah, +97144260000, www.atlantisthepalm.ae Dreamland Aqua Park, Umm Al Quwain, Emirates Road, +97167681888, www.dreamlanduae.comWadi Adventure, Jebel Hafeet, Al Ain, +97137818422, www.wadiadventure.aeWild Wadi Water Park, Dubai, +97143484444, www.wildwadi.com
other leisure activitiesAbu Dhabi Golf Club, Abu Dhabi, + 97125588990, www.adgolfclub.comAl Tamimi Stables, Sharjah, +9716743 1122, +97144370505, www.tamimistables.comBlokart Sailing, Nad Al Sheba, Dubai, +971556101841, www.blokartme.comChildren’s City, Creek Park Gate No.1, Dubai, +97143340808, www.childrencity.aeDolphin Bay AtlantisDubai, +97144260000, www.atlantisthepalm.aeDubai Dolphinarium Dubai, Creek Park Gate No. 1, +97143369773, www.dubaidolphinarium.aeiFly Dubai, Dubai, Mirdif City Centre, +97142316292, www.iflyme.comSadiyaat Beach Club, Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Island, +97125578000, www.sbgolfclub.aeSharjah Golf and Shooting Club, Sharjah, +97143999005, www.golfandshootingshj.comSkiDubai, Dubai, Mall of The Emirates, +97144094000, www.skidxb.comSpacewalk Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, +97124463653, www.spacewalk.ae
health, safety & trainingSafety LessonsMarine Concept Yacht Charter & Sea School, Rania Business Centre, Dubai, +971559603030, www.marine-charter-concept.comSafety & leisure Training Middle East, Dusseldorf Business Point, Al Barsha 1, Dubai, +97144502418, www.sltme.com Sport and health CentresThe Physio Center, Suite 405, Building 49, Dubai Healthcare City, Dubai, +97144370570, www.physiocentre.aeOrthosports, 5B Street, Jumeira Beach road, Dubai, +971 4 355060, [email protected]
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
AL YOUSUF MOTORS E-Bike out door ad.ai 1 1
www.element-�tness.net
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
AL YOUSUF MOTORS E-Bike out door ad.ai 1 1
ZSI TRADING LLCExclusive distributor for
Marmotwww.zsicorp.com
Available at Adventure HQ (Time Square Centre), GoSports (Mall of the Emirates)
and SnowPro, SKIDubai (Mall of the Emirates)
70 OUTDOORUAE
THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST ApRIL 2013 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM
To list your company for free or to advertise, please contact us: 04 4472030 [email protected]
Sweat smarter with Omni-Freeze® ZERO. Sweat reacts with blue rings to lower the temperature of the material. Others will feel heat. You’ll feel an arctic blast.
C O L U M B I A .C O M / O M N I F R E E Z E Z E R O
SWEAT-ACTIVATED COOLING
Dubai: Ibn Battuta • Mirdif City Centre • The Dubai Mall Abu Dhabi: Al Wahda Mall
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
Columbia OFZ Ad_Outdoor-UAE FP.pdf 1 3/24/13 1:33 PM
