Ski touring in the desert? Sounds crazy – and it was. But that's exactly what we did: a very special adventure, right in the middle of the "Empty Quarter" (Rub al-Khali), the largest sand desert in the world. Our destination: Ramlat Jadilah, which, according to many sources and, of course, our local guides, has the sand dune with the greatest vertical drop in Oman, and at 455 meters, probably even in the world.
Joining us were Timmy, who had his splitboard setup including Contour skins, me, Dino Flatz, with touring skis and matching Contour skins, and Kizzy Price, who provided valuable support. Together with her father, who lives in Oman, we organized a local Bedouin guide.
Our guide, Salim, led us in two off-road vehicles deep into the endless expanse of the desert. The drive through the fascinating dune landscape lasted many hours – past enormous sand waves and over gently rolling hills. During the journey, Salim calmly and proudly told us about his Bedouin culture, his family, his work as a desert guide, and the challenges of life in this extreme region. It was a striking and personal introduction to a world that was completely foreign to us until then.
We received a particularly warm welcome when we wore traditional Omani clothing. At first, we were unsure whether this would be respectful or inappropriate, but our concerns were unfounded. On the contrary: everyone we met was pleased – Salim even emphasized that he and everyone else were very proud that we were honoring their culture in this way. We, too, were grateful to be allowed to wear this clothing – not only out of respect, but also because it was incredibly comfortable in the heat. The light, airy fabric made all the difference: you immediately feel cooler, more protected, more relaxed. A cultural experience – and a practical advantage at the same time.
The dune itself, embedded in an indescribably beautiful landscape of endless sand waves, was overwhelming. No civilization, no sound, no lights—just nature, the sand, the wind, the sky. On the first evening, at dusk, we ventured for a brief exploration of the dune's shoulder. The sunset over the golden sand was magical—the light glowed orange, then red. We spent the night amidst the silence of the desert, under a sky full of bright stars.
The ascent with our Contour Skins worked surprisingly well – the sand felt almost like firn in places, as long as you carefully chose a good line and didn't sprint straight up.
The next morning, we started early—at 5 a.m.—to tackle the big descent. The feeling of climbing through the desert on skis and splitboard was surreal. The descent? More adventurous than elegant—but that's exactly why it was so much fun. Spoiler alert: Snow is and remains the better medium for descents.
We climbed to the top of the dune four times that day. It was an absolutely surreal experience, experiencing the feeling of ski touring – not on firn, but on sand – in temperatures over 40 degrees Celsius starting at 10:00 a.m. Extremely physically demanding, we drank over four liters that morning. Our Contour Skins performed amazingly well on the sand and looser terrain – a real eye-opener in this unfamiliar terrain.
To round things off, Timmy did a couple of paragliding laps from the edge of the dune—while I followed him on skis. There could hardly have been a better end to the day.
What will truly remain in our memories is the hospitality of the Omani people and their overwhelming willingness to help. The desert has its own unique social code. Helping one another and sharing is a given there. So it was important to us to leave a token of our gratitude at the end of the trip: We gave our guide Salim three copies of our entire ski setup – skis, ski boots, poles, touring bindings, and skins – as a gift. He assured us we could always use it again when we returned. We've already received videos from Salim of his children testing out the skis.
A successful adventure between sand, sun and skis – and proof that with curiosity, good preparation and the right contour skins you can climb almost anywhere.
📽️ PS: If you want to see the whole thing in motion, a video of this desert mission has been posted on the YouTube channel @Scuventure. It's worth checking out!