Calendar

24/25 February 2012 A family-friendly camping weekend, most likely in the Northern Emirates

April 13-14: Snake Gorge canyoning and via ferrata camping trip. Along with Stairway to Heaven, this is the ADAC’s staple outing — and for good reason: it’s a heap of fun sliding, jumping and swimming through this amazing gorge on one day and then climbing 100m above it the next. Check out the previous trips on the ADAC website. Contact: John john(at)henzell.com

April 20-21: John Henzell is having a birthday involving a number that ends in a zero so he’s organising a dhow and dive trip at Dibbato celebrate/commemorate/commiserate/obliterate this milestone. We’ll   hire a dhow and sleep on it in some sheltered cove on the Musandam Peninsula. For those who dive, we’ll be visiting sites beyond the usual reach of the dive boats but there’s also snorkelling and just hanging out on the dhow. It’ll be fully catered except for the drinks. Full details to follow.Contact John john(at)henzell.com

May 25 to June 2: There’s a Plan A and a Plan B at work here, since international politics may intercede.
Plan A: Climb the highest peaks of Iraq and Iran. The first of these is the glaciated but otherwise non-technical Cheekah Dah (“black tent” in the local Sorani dialect) at 3611m on the Iran-Iraq watershed and climbed entirely from Iran. The other is Damavand, a 5610m volcano outside Tehran which is the highest peak in the Middle East. The idea is the first peak will acclimatise us desert-dwelling sea level types for the second. You can also just come over for Damavand, which can be done in a four-day weekend. Spring is an excellent time to climb it since it’ll be good cramponing. You can read about the, er, interesting previous ADAC ascent here.
Plan B: Because Iran is not the most stable place, there’s an alternative of an ascent of Newtontoppen, the highest peak in Spitsbergen. The good news: this is the world’s most accessible polar region, lying 78 degrees north but serviced by daily flights and at this time of year, the sun is up 24 hours a day. The bad news: polar bears outrank humans on the food chain so you have to be armed with a shotgun. This is also not a place for beginners since it involves mountain terrain and polar climates but what a place! And I’m less likely to be deported from there. Contact: John john(at)henzell.com

Other future trips:
Wednesday June 20: How else to celebrate midsummer in Arabia than a solstice trip to Ski Dubai?
July: The Annual Hatta Pools Defy-Summer Trip: we’ll prove it’s possible to do something outside in the UAE (well, technically Oman) without dying. It’s been done in 50 degrees before as you can read here and here and here.

Other ideas for future trips:

• Find the proper path on the other side of Stairways to Heaven
• Highest point of Oman – Jebel Shams Hike
• Snake Canyon – the big canyon trip including a 30m abseil
• More Oman Via Ferratae
• Cave Exploration
• Long Distance Hiking (take minimum camping gear and leave the car behind for 2 days)
• Night Hike
• Desert Hike – so what’s it like to walk on sand?
• Trip to Mussandam
• Ski Dubai to escape the summer heat

If you have other great ideas, why not post them below?