UAE-based rowers train at Ski Dubai in final training session ahead of Arctic Challenge

United Arab Emirates, Dubai, 22 July 2024

The Arabian Ocean Rowing team, a crew of three preparing to row across the Arctic Ocean, today completed their last training session at Ski Dubai before embarking on their milestone mission next week. Toby Gregory, Orlagh Dempsey and Andrew Savill were welcomed to the indoor ski resort to prepare for the extreme cold conditions that they face on their 1,500km expedition.

The Arctic Challenge in partnership with UN Environment Programme Clean Seas initiative will see the courageous crew tackle the harsh conditions in an eight-meter boat (Ocean Guardian) with no engine, motor or sail. The team will row non-stop from Tromso, Norway to Longyearbyen, Svalbard and will be fully reliant on their physical power to make the crossing. Once complete, the crew will make history by being the first three-person team to row the Arctic Ocean and Orlagh Dempsey will be the first woman to do so.

Toby Gregory, Arabian Ocean Rowing Team, said, “My team and I are incredibly grateful to everyone who has supported the Arctic Challenge and our mission to raise awareness on environmental sustainability and plastic pollution. We would especially like to thank Ski Dubai for hosting our final training session in real snow right here in the UAE, as we prepare to embark on a rowing expedition in one of the coldest and most remote areas of our planet. Together, we can dare to dream and make a meaningful difference for future generations!”