Newbie/Fewbie Desert Drive - Al Qudra - 17 Jan 2020

[Srikumar]

20 minutes ago, Xaf said:

Did somebody forget this lunchbox yesterday?

Hi, yes that belongs to me. Will WhatsApp you to collect it

[Wrangeld]

The Desert is a Fickle Mistress

Where to start?

OK – firstly, an apology because not everyone on our drives will get an honorable mention in this message. Please (please) excuse me for that – for a start, I am unsure that the Carnity server has enough room for names of all the people with whom we enjoyed another spectacular day out in Al Qudra, secondly, this was such an epic group of drivers that I may have lost track of one or two. Fortunately, Carnity never loses track of a driver, so we all made it home safely.  

For a Petrol Head like me, before we even got out of the parking lot to the deflation point, it was clear this was going to be a special drive. Not one, but three Hummers. A Range Rover (Sport) and the beast of beasts, a GMC Sierra AT4. Surrounded by assorted, Patrols, Land Cruisers, Jeeps, Pajeros and Trailblazers it looked more like the forecourt of a very spectacular 4x4 specialist than a troop ready to face the challenges of the sand.

From a housekeeping perspective, with such a large group, everyone really appreciated and respected the need to be at the meeting point on time. Yes, it’s an early start, but that applies to everyone and waiting around in the cold is no fun when all you want to do is get into the dunes.

After our briefing, because of the large number of vehicles we were split into 2 groups. My experiences from the Newbie drive are limited to the excellent leadership of @Gaurav, with whom we had yet to have the pleasure of a drive. @Srikumar led the other group, and could be heard from time to time over the radios, including one perfect moment when the instructions he was giving were the perfect guidance for the person who had refused on our drive!

In general, due to the large amount of rain that fell recently the dunes in Al Qudra were quite benign early in the morning. The hard packed top layer meant that all the drivers felt like masters of the desert. On one side, that’s a fantastic entry point to the whole experience of off-roading – and is just as legitimate a ride as any other we might face, because hey, it’s gonna rain some time! On the other, this might give you just a little too much confidence in the dunes, and that would be a dangerous thing.

With @Jeepie at the wheel it was smooth going as she managed to restrain what might have been my playful tendencies and drive excellently at the back of the pack.

Conditions might have been benign for most of the ride but it was not without incident. As is ever the case, we had the chance to learn some new techniques. Thanks go to @Obaid.Sultan.1987 for cresting his car. Gaurav was able to show is how to remove the crest from the car rather than the other way round … or would have, had the sand not been so incredibly wet deep down and refusing to play ball! In the end, we got two recoveries for the price of one as we also go to see the kinetic ropes in action and even a winched recovery – not bad for a benign day out in the dunes!

Reassembled, refreshed (thanks to all who brought and contributed to the tasty food and drinks) and debriefed it was clear that all the Newbies had had a great experience, enjoyed their day and mainly departed from the desert with their vehicles intact. @lucky appears to have not been so, again!

As a recent Fewbie, and watching the drive from the passenger seat, I really enjoyed seeing how I must have looked/reacted but a few weeks ago and to see the confidence with which @Jeepie handled the drive. Hopefully we will see many of the first timers back again soon. It was great to meet everyone.

To my great advantage and pleasure it was decided to return out into the desert for a Fewbie drive after lunch and prayers. Our numbers slimmed to 8 vehicles this drive showed once again that no matter how easy conditions might look going in a straight line over the dunes, side slipping, crest driving and cross axle moments completely change the nature of the experience.

The ‘confidence’ from the morning drive dissipated and was quickly transformed into the concentration needed for the afternoon.

We moved fast, we drove high up the ridges, we crested, we crossed and then we did it again and again and again, moving from one phenomenally beautiful location to another, eventually being led by @Frederic to the area around Solar park which was in equal measure, fun, technical and terrifying. This was big grin, at times sphincter tightening stuff. For this Fewbie there were more than enough challenges and challenging moments to satisfy any potential frustration from sitting through the Newbie drive.

Did we get stuck? Yes, of course (in my case anyhow) – but truth is that something that might have been a challenging refusal a few weeks ago was managed with more ease and calm thanks once again to the excellent coaching we received since we joined this incredible organization. And, hey! If you’re not getting stuck, you’re not trying hard enough.

A big thanks to @Jeepie who left me in the driving seat for the whole of the Fewbie drive. For me that was important because my big takeaway from this week was that a little more skill and care changes the driving experience massively. Engine power can get you out of a lot of trouble, but a bit more skill and a bit less power means you have a lot more control and meet and match the challenges much more effectively.

Five weeks ago, could I have imagined driving round the lip of a bowl and successfully coming out the other side? Five weeks ago, I would have been either too terrified to try or too stupid to realize that trying was complete idiocy. I truly hope someone has the video because that was an even more ‘yeehah’ moment from what was a fantastic ride.

@Gaurav, thanks for taking up places we did not expect to be this early in the 4x4 career. @Frederic, thanks for leading us to your back yard. @Srikumar @Xaf your advice on how to improve is/was always appreciated and taken on board (after all you were looking at my tail pipes most of the day! @AKR keeping the faith with Jeeps with you is a pleasure. @Tbone, first time out as a Fewbie, impressive.

Am I looking forward to the next outing? Of course. Where else can we learn in such a safe environment with such professional and friendly people. Thanks, once again for being allowed to join this family.

[Srikumar]

@Wrangeld I have lately started looking forward to reading your trip reports. There are no words in my vocabulary to describe your writing skills other than to say it's pure poetry and makes us relive each moment of what was a wonderful day. 

[Gaurav]

Wonderful trip report @Wrangeld that left me and sri with lots of less words in our trip reports, if we still feel necessary to write on lazy Saturday evening.

Many Thanks @Srikumar, @Frederic, @Lucky sAm, @Wrangeld, @Obaid.Sultan.1987, @Ale Vallecchi, @Jeepie, @Xaf, @Rizwanm2, @Edward Davies, @AKR, @Adam Marston, @Amit0103, @tjsingh, @Brette, @Mahmoud Hamzawy, @Seldon, @Matti Brockman, @Joe Biju Joseph, @IMAMP, @adelishakk, @Kavindu Avanka, @Tbone, @Junaid Khalid, @Martin., @Mostafa Taha

For waking up early and showing up on the meeting point on and before time. I truly love when people are on time to respect each other time. This was my first drive after a long break and I was equally charged up and waiting to see the dunes and new faces after a long time. Looks like Carnity wanted to welcome my Pajero come-back with so many new faces that I think it was a second biggest turn out for the newbie drive with 28 cars.

With the help of rain and hard surface, all newbie got a leverage to learn at a much discounted rate and everyone did wonderfully great within their vehicle capabilities and attentiveness during the briefing. I really appreciate everyone's patience and enthusiasm to learn off-roading in a proper structured manner than just hitting the dunes blind-folded.

Few minutes of reading, listening and slow pace drive might look boring in the beginning, but I bet as you slowly climb the ladder you will appreciate the slow and steady learning curve. All our off-road briefings are kept to bare essential to get started as fast as we can, so that remaining part newbies can learn on the drive, during the recoveries and by observing the technical recoveries.

I highly recommend every newbie to go through each pinned topic on the offroad club homepage: https://carnity.com/clubs/off-road-club and general discussion section: https://carnity.com/forums/forum/588-discussions to learn more about what we aren't able to share and explain in the morning briefing. These topics will answer lot of your curious questions and put you in a right track if you wish to pursue further:

• How to get promotions?
• What are different level of drives?
• What all offroad and safety gears are required?
• What is Carninty grading structure and how to get offroad certification?

Please share your feedback that will help us learn new things from newbie perspective: 

 

 

 

[Wrangeld]

Thanks for adding the wall of fame Gaurav. I really could not remember everyone!

[Frederic]

The family keeps growing and that’s what makes it so worthwhile waking up in the morning and seeing those people who are hungry for some adventure. 
@Gaurav came back with a bang and baptised the Pajero for a wonderful 2020. Good to have you back buddy.

@Srikumar Your briefings are the main secret ingredient why we hardly have to take out shovels and ropes. People hit the sand and understand the basics and keep a cool head. @Obaid.Sultan.1987 got crested with the mighty big Range Rover but kept the smile on his face and I saw he truly enjoyed the drive as I was driving behind him.

Due to the larger convoy, our Fewbies got the tasks to either sweep, take second lead, or help out their fellow team members. @Ale Vallecchi @AKR @Adam Marston @Xaf @Wrangeld @Jeepie @tjsingh  a shoutout to all of you. I heard really good feedback from you guys. Carrying knowledge forward is a great thing and makes the group become a real tight family. 
 

Looking forward to many more of these drives !
 

[Jeepie]

bird watchers asked, is that not a Crested Range Rover? 

[Gaurav]

Posted my photos in the gallery and looking fwd to see more from others.

https://carnity.com/gallery/category/172-newbiefewbie-drive-al-qudra-17-jan-2020

[Mahmoud Hamzawy]

Guys you have amazing spirit am really more & more interested to get within your group

 

Looking forward for the next ride and can't wait to see the dunes again 

[Rizwanm2]

3 hours ago, Jeepie said:

bird watchers asked, is that not a Crested Range Rover? 

Wow @Jeepie superb shot 👍👍

A picture worth thousand words.. 👍