Calling all aspiring and seasoned adventurers… Here’s a club for you to join. The UAE Trekkers train weekly and organise trips scaling mountains and hiking tracks.
Hiking is no picnic, so when we heard that there’s a social group that do weekly trek practice for fun, we were intrigued.
The group comes from all walks of life, but all share a passion for getting outdoors and exploring. They train in various locations, including Zayed Sports City and the ski slopes of Ski Dubai to get (and stay) in shape for mountainous exploration.
Trips to hike Kilimanjaro in November and to Yemen for Eid are just two of the exciting activities this group of over 300 adventurers at a time are planning, all founded and regulated through an online forum: www.meetup.com.
The UAE Trekkers organiser, Amy Subaey, says it is a great way to get fit and meet new, like-minded people. ‘The meetup concept is great – get people with similar interests together and they will make friends and get to do the activities they love. Though there are many meetup groups that are outdoor activity oriented, we are the only group which is specifically focused on hiking in the mountains of UAE and Oman. We end up camping but that is only as a means to an end; finding a mountain to climb. The solution to finding people to hike with was to start a meetup group.’
Upcoming hikes include Jabal Qatar in Baraimi, as well as Georgia and Turkey for the Eid holidays.
Amy says anyone of any skill level can join. ‘Definitely all abilities join and this is the beauty of the group. We have very experienced hikers who enjoy being a support, a resource and an inspiration to the less experienced hikers. Nobody is ever made to feel that their lack of experience is a problem or an inconvenience.’
The 1,500 strong group attracts a large amount of people to training, but the hikes have limited numbers, depending on availability.
But what about during the summer when it’s too hot to hike? ‘We do have a few secrets – Ski Dubai definitely is a pleasure and a huge privilege to be able to train on during Friday mornings, the mountains of Oman are actually quite do-able even in July because they are at 1,000 metres and, although its painful, we continue to train on the stairs, outside, even in the summer, at least once a week. It also helps to plan the international trips during the summer holidays so that we can just leave the heat behind!’ Amy tells us.
The UAE Trekkers train Mondays and Wednesdays every week at Zayed Sports City and climb the Ski Dubai slopes on Friday mornings before it opens, to condition themselves. ‘We do an interval training workout and practice some of the moves that we will use when we are on a mountain, which is a lot like snow. It’s an hour and a half, and we’re all beat at the end of it! We also carry five to seven litres of water in our backpacks, which is what we would usually have to carry for hikes in the heat here,’ says Amy.
Participant, Lama Helweh says: ‘It’s really fun and motivating! You realise you have become stronger every week and that alone is really encouraging. The best part of UAE trekkers is the sense of community you feel with the same like-minded people. You feel you are part of a group and it is always great meeting the same people (and new people) every week.’
For potential hikers, Amy says: ‘Don’t be intimidated. Getting on a mountain starts with just walking. Hiking is a great way to get fit because you have the reward of reaching a goal and a summit each time. And if you want to get ready for it, start by climbing some stairs!’
Search for UAE Trekkers on www.meetup.com
