10 thrills to try

We check out 10 thrills from the Adrenaline Sports show in Abu Dhabi Discuss this article

1

© ITP Images

View slideshow

• 
• Picture 1 of 2
• 

1 Dragon Boat Festival
Never heard of dragon boating? Jason Mackenzie, captain of the Shangri-La Abu Dhabi Dragons, explains how you can get paddling.

Dragon boating – so what’s that then?
I’ve been doing it more than 30 years. It’s huge in Canada, where I’m from, as well as Europe, Asia and North America. More than 50 million people a year register and race dragon boats around the globe. In fact it’s the fastest growing team sport in the world.

Do you need the strength of a dragon?
To join you just have to be human – we have young and old people; everyone from janitors to CEOs. There are 22 paddlers per team and you do a kilometre in about four minutes. Depending on the level of interest, we direct you to the right team: competitive or social.

When do you race?
We have about six domestic races a year and during the spring and summer the UAE national team takes the best dragon boaters from across the UAE and travels the world. This year we went to the World Championships in Prague. There are also some good regattas in Asia – dragon boating is due to be part of the Asian games in 2010.

What about practising?
If you want to go to the World Championship you need to practise a lot. If it’s just domestic and you’re in it for fun, you only have to turn up once in a while. Practice is usually held at the Marina (near Abu Dhabi Mall) or the Shangri-La Qaryat Al Beri.

Has the dragon boat league grown quickly in the UAE?
Every single team is looking for new people because there is so much turnover in the population; it’s a great way to meet new people. There are more than a thousand competitors racing against each other in five or six heats – we don’t all race at the same time, that would be chaos! It starts at 8.30am and finishes around 6pm, so just head to the Shangri-La Hotel and watch the action from there.

The Dragon Boat Festival (part of Adrenaline Sports Live) is at Shangri-La Qaryat Al Beri from October 9-10. To join, contact Jason Mackenzie on 050 763 4008. For info on the other events, see box at the end of the article.

Scream rating: 4

Time Out says: It’s too late to be in a team for the festival, although it might be worth enquiring about those that have already entered in case of drop outs.

2 Snow joke!
Snoworld, Abu Dhabi’s answer to Ski Dubai, may still be under construction, but don’t let that stop you: soon there will be a real-life ski slope in the capital. It may sound like a recipe for chilblains in the desert, but they’re driving in snow from Ski Dubai to create a genuine ski slope. We’re serious. They’re actually trucking the white stuff on an hour-and-a-half drive from Dubai to the capital. They did something similar in Jumeirah Beach Residence once; it wasn’t long ’til they were knee deep in slushy water, and the snow had dribbled down the road. Nevertheless, skis and snowboards will be on hand for people wanting to give it a go.

Scream rating: 5

Time Out says: We reckon it’ll be a solid ice block in a few hours. So it’s downhill on slightly wet ice – you’ll go like a Roadrunner-shaped bullet!

3 Go wakesurfing
Surfing is something of anathema to the UAE; the same breakers that stop the sea from washing away manmade islands and beaches ruin the chances of any real surfing, much to the chagrin of sunkissed surf bums. Consequently, like a Beach Boys Theramin solo, surfers must be ingenious and create their own surf, which is where this unique sport comes in. The premise behind wakesurfing is pretty similar to wakeboarding.

First, the surfer is towed along by a motorboat until the right speed is achieved; however, at this point the rider drops the tow rope and attempts to ride the steep face of the wake left by the boat alone. This roughly mimics the look and feel of real surf. It’s harder than it sounds (and it sounds pretty difficult); the board is a lot shorter than a normal surfboard, which means there’s more opportunity to fall off and, even for seasoned wakeboarders or surfers, it requires quite a bit of getting used to. Certainly mucho practise is demanded if you’re to make the most of the wake (see ‘Wakeboarding: the next level’, above right).

Scream rating: 4

Time Out says: Frustrating for beginners and even seasoned surfers might want a longer ride, but it’s worth a go.

4 Declare war
Paintball and airsoft competitions are essentially a battle to the grisly end – albeit, in a non-fatal way. Certainly, if you’ve ever gazed at the bright red welts that slowly appear on your body and cried, ‘oh, the humanity’ then you’ve probably experienced the joy of paintball (or just fallen down the stairs). Fewer might know of airsoft, which is similar in style but without the satisfying splatter – you run around a restricted area, wielding a compressed airgun and occasionally firing a small pellet wildly into nowhere before diving under cover once more. In the end, we favour the all-out assault, it gets the suffering over and done with faster and once you’ve counted the ‘corpses’ (those covered in neon paint), it means you can go for a refreshing drink all the faster.

Scream rating: 3

Time Out says: We love the smell of paintballs in the morning. On the other hand, airsoft scares the bejeezus out of us.

5 Plunge into the depths
Scuba diving might not seem like the most exciting thing in the world, but when you’ve only a little tank between you and soggy oblivion the heart certainly gets racing. Thankfully, the Empros try-dives at Adnec’s Marina let you try it in a special pool. The dives are run daily until sunset, so if you’ve never done it before and are put off by the exorbitant costs of learning, we reckon this is a decent way to at least whet your whistle.

Scream rating: 3

Time Out says: If you’re new to the sport, prepare to become addicted.