So you’re a mountaineer, familiar with places where the air is thin, the snow is crisp, the pick of an ice tool hits with a satisfying thwok, and the rock is steep and juggy…

Then what on earth are you doing in the United Arab Emirates?

Chances are you’re doing what most of us are doing – earning money in a hot and sandy corner of the planet so we can spend more time in its high and frozen bits.

This is what the Abu Dhabi Alpine Club is about – a nexus of like-minded people with a shared interest in mountaineering so we can find people with whom to head into the greater ranges, tackle the peaks of the Arabian peninsula, and in between commiserate and tell stories about when we didn’t live where it’s hot, flat and sandy.

If you a lean and ripped cragster, UAEclimbing.com might be more up your alley but if you’re a mountaineer — or a mountain biker, kayaker, caver or just general outdoorsy type — check out some of our recent activities, get in touch and we can try to keep sane in the sandpit. And especially if you’re a caver because Thomas is missing the company of fellow spelunkers.

If you join our Google group, you can contact and be contacted by us whether we’re heading to the Himalaya, the Jebels of the UAE and Oman, or just to the pub for a culturally appropriate beverage.

Thomas, Wendy and John