Morning Intermediate Desert Drive - Redemption Drive: Salamat to the Old Lady of Sweihan - Abu Dhabi - 23 May 2026

[_luke_]

DRIVE DESCRIPTION

I'll be attempting this drive again after exiting early after 2 hours the other week 😅😅😅😅

We’ll be starting in Salamat, Al Ain, working our way through a fast-paced, high line desert terrain, before heading north towards one of the UAE’s most recognisable playgrounds: The Old Lady dune.

This drive will be paced at IM level, with a focus on maintaining momentum, clean convoy flow, and confident decision-making at pace. Expect a mix of ridge riding, long climbs, bowl loops, multiple quick switches, and fast open sections.

This is not a sightseeing cruise — it’s a fast, focused, and engaging Intermediate drive for drivers who are comfortable keeping pace, reading terrain ahead, and managing their car confidently in soft sand and in high temperatures. I recommend to not bring passengers unless they are used to very high fast pace driving.

MUST READ AND COMPLY

• Environmental Policy
• Offroad Flag Guideline
• Two Way Radio Guideline
• Off road Driving Etiquette's
• Emergency details for all off-roaders
• Off Road Driving - Roles & Responsibilities

DRIVE DETAILS

Level:  Intermediate  and above

Meeting time: 06:30 (SHARP - Without any exceptions)

Meeting Point: https://maps.app.goo.gl/BBCirNtGrUkc5T9N9 

Type of Car: Any proper 4x4 with front and back tow hooks and 8-10 inches of ground clearance.

What to bring along: Loads of water, snacks (for yourself), smiles, enthusiasm and willingness to learn.

Approximate finish time: 10:00 am

P.S. Only join if you have a compressor to inflate your tires after the drive.

LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE

• This drive is limited to 8 cars only. RSVP will close on FRIDAY - 12:00.
• If the RSVP is full, you can add your name to the waitlist, once someone drops, you will be moved to the RSVP list.
• RSVP will close a day prior to preparing a convoy list.
• Latecomers will be returned back - Without any exceptions.
• Members without RSVP will be returned back - Without any exceptions.
• Please withdraw your RSVP, if you aren't joining, so your spot can be taken by others.
• Repeated no-show members after RSVP will have their account suspended for a month

RSVP 

 

 

[_luke_]

Good morning @Aser @Cristian @_Herman_
A short convoy is a fast convoy. I will send convoy order tonight once rsvp officially closes at 5pm.

Looking forward to sharing @_Herman_ first IM drive in such a nice location!

 

[_luke_]

RSVP is closed.

We have one additional driver. @Ash S.
Two IM debutants tomorrow in Salamat! See you all at 06:30, deflated and on channel 8

@Aser @Ash S. @Cristian @_Herman_

[Cristian]

@Luke K P you made it home? 

[_luke_]

32 minutes ago, Cristian said:

@Luke K P you made it home? 

Thx. Yup Aser just dropped me back now

[_luke_]

Well well well,...

What started as a beautiful crisp morning in the dunes turned into one of those drives we’ll probably be talking about for a while 😅

We kicked things off with the briefing at 06:35, going through the game plan for the morning and revisiting some of the finer details that make Intermediate drives such a step up — momentum, commitment, quick reactions, and always being ready for what the car in front might do.

To warm everyone up, we started with some flowing ridges and a handful of bigger climbs to get everyone into the rhythm early. The recent wind has really sharpened the dunes lately, making the terrain feel fresh and technical in all the right ways.

A little later we found ourselves playing around a bowl area where we had a few small refusals. Nothing dramatic, but it gave us the perfect opportunity for a quick refresher discussion: IM level driving leaves very little room for hesitation. The convoy needs to stay alert, decisive, and ready to react smoothly and confidently.

With that reset done, we carried on deeper into the area, collecting a few more “summits” on some of the taller dunes before linking into a really enjoyable ridge ride that eventually guided us back toward the main road.

And then came the unexpected ending to the morning…

Right near the exit, I completely misjudged the flat ground transition and planted the nose of my car hard enough to trigger the airbags and immediately end the drive for me. Definitely not the graceful finish I had planned 😅

Massive thanks to the whole team who immediately stepped in to help. From figuring out the safest recovery plan to improvising a tow solution after discovering my tow points had effectively disappeared, everyone stayed calm, practical, and supportive throughout.

Not the ending we expected, but still a morning full of learning, good teamwork, and a reminder that the desert always keeps us humble.

@Aser @Ash S. @Cristian @_Herman_ this is the great team effort that I love in this club. From grabbing tools, recovering bashplates, hooking up ropes, doing translation for Saeed, it was a masterclass in how to work as a team and get the unfortunate work done quickly and efficiently.

See you all again once I get my car back from the shop! 

 

[_luke_]

[_Herman_]

Quite the drive, @Luke K P!

Never before had I seen a bash plate folded backwards like a sardine tin lid, or found 2 recovery points in the desert sand.

Never before had I done the circus-style bowl escape, which my passenger and I enjoyed very much indeed.

Never before had I realized that two FJ drivers at the bottom of a bowl really see less of the world around them than a two drunk monkeys in a bank vault.

Thanks @Luke K P, @Aser, @Cristian and @Ash S.!

Hope you are back in action again soon, @Luke K P!

[Frederic]

4 hours ago, _Herman_ said:

Quite the drive, @Luke K P!

Never before had I seen a bash plate folded backwards like a sardine tin lid, or found 2 recovery points in the desert sand.

Never before had I done the circus-style bowl escape, which my passenger and I enjoyed very much indeed.

Never before had I realized that two FJ drivers at the bottom of a bowl really see less of the world around them than a two drunk monkeys in a bank vault.

Thanks @Luke K P, @Aser, @Cristian and @Ash S.!

Hope you are back in action again soon, @Luke K P!

@_Herman_ Funniest comment of 2026 so far  

And with the help of ChatGPT we can now visualize it:

 

All kidding aside, it's amazing to see the teamwork on this eventful drive of @Luke K Pand @Mark B

Not only are the two of you fantastic leaders who took the challenges today with a smile, it goes to show what we can achieve if we have the help of others with us, and no doubt these kinds of drives will offer good memories later to be shared around a campfire.

[Abdullah A.]

Glad that you are ok @Luke K P, and looking forward to seeing you back in the sand soon