skate

Young, energetic & free

The crew at Red Bull took me down to Big Red, an enormous, iconic and pretty daunting sand dune between Dubai and the Hatta mountain range. With a reputation for being able to separate  the novice 4×4 drivers from the real dunes bashers, those who make it to the top are considered real heroes!

Wouter Kingma blog for Red Bull Jan Hoffman 02

On this occasion, we didn’t aim for the top but set our focus on a skatepark custom built for newly recruited Red Bull ambassador, Jan Hoffman. It’s tough being a skater in Dubai, with frantic roads and hoards of security guards blocking access to abandoned industrial sites. So what to do and where to go? This reportage is about thinking outside the box and going that extra mile.

Wouter Kingma blog for Red Bull Jan Hoffman 03

Wouter Kingma blog for Red Bull Jan Hoffman 01

Wouter Kingma blog for Red Bull Jan Hoffman 04I came across Big Red years ago whilst competing in a desert running race. I recall around 2am, 20km or so into the race, expecting a desolate dune… little did we expect a huge crowd of local boys cruising the sand and showing off with tricks on their quad bikes. This dune certainly holds its own when it comes to action and adventure.

Wk