In reply to lewismansell:
It's 14 years since I last climbed there - but keep in touch with many of the activists who can be found at
https://www.facebook.com/groups/UAE.Rock.Climbers/
There's a lot to go at - though many locations documented in the Red Armada guide and in the original CD guide (aka 'The Book of Choss') are either strictly out of bounds - or there are border crossing issues. Most climbing is about 1 - 2 hours out of the city, and many crags are accessible by car - though a 4wd is handy for the ground clearance!
Hatta Crag is the closest to Dubai, and has a good mix of single pitch sport and trad toutes.
Just outside Ras al Khaimah is Wadi Qada'a which has many good sport and trad routes - mostly single pitch , but few longer routes 2-3 pitches.
Big multipitch routes can be found in Wadi Ghalilah - though the Red Armada guide only lists a few in one 'sector'. In recent times there has been a revival of interest in that side of things after a decade where the emphasis has been on developing hard sports climbs.
Upper Wadi Bih is now strictly off limits - which is a real shame as there are some brilliant crags and routes of all types. In lower Wadi Bih 300m plus routes can be found on Jebel Hila - which only gets a passing mention in the RA guide. A number of routes are described in Wadi Shaha - but this has been an area of major development since the RA guide. As far as I know quite a bit of info on these areas can be gleaned from Red Armada's website - together with pdf versions of those bits of the Book of Choss not incorporated into the RA guide.
Wonderwall - beyond Al Ain - is well worth a visit - however there are border crossing issues, and if you're only there for a short trip it might prove a bit of a hassle. The guys on the FB group will have the latest info.
Enjoy.
