Leaderboard

I believe no amount of demonstration will help you to self-recover fully successfully because you are watching someone else. From the moment you get stuck yourself your brain starts to process things differently and at that point in time you should go through the following things in your head: 1) Stay calm and announce your stuck or refusal on the radio. 2) Exit the vehicle and walk around it. Most probably you will quickly see what is causing the stuck. 3) Engage 4Lo. 4) Steer 5 times left, 5 times right and give a tiny amount of gas just to see if you can get the car to move a bit. 5) If the vehicle is still moving, you can most-probably crawl yourself out slowly. 6) If the vehicle is not moving, go over to the use of a Rear Diff lock, and try again gently. 7) If still no movement is occuring, take out the shovel and identify the areas where sand needs to be cleared. As you can see these things will come with time and practice, and time and time again i have noticed some people nod a YES that they understood our verbal instructions, but when faced with the real scenario, their body goes into 'block' mode and they start to panic, become agitated, and seem to have difficulties in listening to very simple instructions.

Dear Desertnauts. Blitz = A fast intensive nonmilitary campaign. Ganthoot = An off-plan development located between the emirate of Abu Dhabi and Dubai Hence, this week's Saturday drives aims to be a fast, intense drive toward the border between Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and back. Determined, speedy, well coordinated, we'll drive through an area that has been overlooked lately, due to its proximity to the border's checkpoints. We'll "lift-off" from the Bab al Shams entry point in Al Qudra's area, cross a technical area that preludes to a sector of almost virgin long range cordons, zig-zag through another area of taller, more playable technical dunes, to reach the sabkha next to the E14, and several of Ganthoot's laborers' camps. From here, undetected 😜... we'll decide if we should proceed toward Little Sweihan, or double back toward Solar Park. Enough said. Part of the drive will be an "exploration", so come ready for anything the desert may throw at us. More news on Friday. In the meantime, @Heisem, @Kailas, @Mehmet Volga, @Tero Vallas, @marks, @Alexander Alcala, @Luca Palanca Falsini, @Nabil Bishara and @Pancho, enjoy your week, and get well rested for this adventure.

@Mohamed Seidam you've asked a very good question and I feel your genuine learning intention behind your question. I for one feel you're learning just fine at the pace you're going and also you're an integral part of our community sharing your experiences and encouraging everyone to share their experiences as well. All level drives are always planned and executed with safety for all in mind. I'm very glad that after seeing an amazing growth in number of participants and our team of Marshal and Crew going up, each one of us takes full responsibility to give all participants a chance to learn and grow within a safe environment. We all believe and practice the same. Getting stuck and recovering, whether self or with assistance is something that comes natural. No matter how many caution we take, somebody will always get stuck and need to either self recover or need someone's help to come out of their predicament. You should realize that some of these stucks come along with the chance of damaging their vehicle, so who knowingly is going to nominate themselves to damage their vehicle? Also most people sign in to a drive to have a silky smooth experience and if we have such sessions as you said is going to take time. Besides you're already posting videos of most situations and I see your post gaining good traction. I remember @Gaurav bhai about 3 years back ran a drive in 2 parts over 2 weekends to make people realize the art of traction, when deflation becomes important, when engaging to 4WD becomes important and some basics in recovery. The big thing we all learned from that day was where and how to dig, which each one of us preaches till date. With the Covid19 restrictions being eased a bit I would request @Gaurav bhai to run similar drive for all interested. But a disclaimer as this will not be much of a drive as we will be experimenting a lot of things and a lot of patience will be required for such an event. Honestly I think with our current structure everyone has ample of time to learn, practice and perfect each manoeuvre at their respective levels. Every car is different, as is every driver and every drivers fear. At our level we like to encourage, but also point out if we see any weak points for members to work at. BTW with 1 on 1 training you can sign up for one of the lessons so that we can design and deliver a training specific to yourself and your X.

or maybe shower cap!

Congrats Jana. You are a very good team player and have supported multiple level drives during your journey with Carnity. I am sure that all the senior members would be more than happy now to support your drives in the near future.

Dear Friends @Abu Muhammad, @Mohamed Seidam, @Piotr Kolodziej, @Nizam Deen, @Islam Soliman, @Jeandre Bezuidenhout, @Jorge Stepniak Felippe, @Lorenzo Candelpergher Waitlist @Anish S, @David Ortells, @Ashy. Please go through the following links ,get acquainted and well informed how to ride safely. This will help you come well prepared for this drive Every off-roader must know: What Went Wrong? - Page 36 - Discussions - Carnity.com Dune Crossing Tutorial and Techniques - Discussions - Carnity.com Drive Plan is we will start early from Behzad Ranch (Shuwaib) and try to find a cleaner route through the bowls (small, big and huge) this area has to offer and drive towards Shabiyat,Sharjah and exit somewhere there or further depending on the response.

@Carnity Dear Desert wanderers Each drive has its own pace and difficulty set by the leader depending on the level ( newbie , fewbie , F+ , intermediate ... and so on ) so are the maneuvers and style we perform ( side sloping , ridge riding , crisscrossing .... etc ) and all these are intentional and planned safely. Part of the game which is not intentional is when we encounter a refusal or stuck. How about to make it intentional ?! I am suggesting a conditional intentional stuck situation in safe environment where all drivers can witness it and learn from it in terms of analyzing the situation and learn the proper recovery technique . and this can be demonstrated once each drive matching the level of the drive . Especially the newbie and fewbie. for example like when we line up getting ready for uphill or side sloping the leader can choose a planned area where this can be demonstrated and still all is present and no violation to the Covid 19 precaution I believe the planed one would be far more beneficial for everyone as we know it’s part of our planned action during the drive. The real limitation to this maybe the time factor. Which might be on the expanse of other skills others see it more important . But to me there is no more skill higher for the off-roader to get out of a sticky situation as it’s an art of its own. Waiting your comments and feedback our seniors thank you cheers

Hello @Emmanuel, I have decided to support our newbie drive which is happening on the same day. Hence you can provide my spot to the next lucky person on the WL.

Congrats @Janarthan!

Congratulations @Janarthan!

That’s great news @Janarthan and so well deserved! You’re always around to help out others and have been steadily improving your driving skills. Soon you’ll be leading drives and I really look forward to be supporting you !

I would second and participate in such initiatives should it materialize. It would be good for the instructor to do the driving and a senior member to be a passenger to give a live commentary over the radio to relay information like throttle level, gearing, steering input, speed/momentum. This will help the participants watching to appreciate and understand it better. Whilst what we are doing is really good because we are doing the real stuff, driving on the sand and experience it first hand, a lesson or 2 on the real theory 'lecture' will be very beneficial.

Congratulations @Janarthan.

Thanks @Chaitanya D @Foxtrot Oscarand @Pancho for the great morning in the desert!

Well done @Janarthan!!!

Congrats Jana ...👏👏👏

What took you so long @Janarthan. Congratulations buddy, well deserved.

This drive is organized in full compliance with the COVID19 guidelines. We expect every member that joins this drive to go through below information and and strictly follow these guidelines in order not to jeopardize someone's health, and to ensure we can keep organizing these drives safely. MUST READ AND TOTALLY AGREE: COVID19 Precautions MUST READ AND TOTALLY AGREE: BAN POST Two Way Radio Guidelines Every Offroader brings his own radio, programmed to the frequencies described in below advice topic. We will not share spare radios or program your radio on the drive. If you need assistance in programming the radio, post a topic on the Carnity website with your questions and we will help you out. Make sure your radio is fully charged. It will be your only way of communication while driving. Before buying, please carefully read below advice so you are informed properly on which model / cost / shops... No radio = No drive. It is an essential tool and you should make sure you bring it on every drive and learn/practice how to use it. MUST WATCH: NEWBIE VIDEO BRIEFING Drive Details Level: Newbie and Above (All Levels) When: 27 Nov 2020, Friday. Meeting time: 6:00 AM (SHARP - Without any exceptions) Meeting Point: - Tawi Nazwa Farm - https://goo.gl/maps/rkkmz9FmyFwSb1jc8 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, face mask, rubber gloves, enthusiasm and willingness to learn. Approximate finish time: 10:00 AM End Point: 2nd Dec Cafeteria P.S. Only join if you have a compressor to inflate your tires after the drive. LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE: Limited to 15 cars only. RSVP will close on Thursday - 9 AM. 1 Lead Marshal + 1-2 Senior Members + 12 Members. If the RSVP is full and you wish to join, please mention your name on the drive thread to add on the waiting 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. PLEASE RSVP ON THE BELOW CALENDAR EVENT

Thank you for the reminder @Chaitanya D yes We already checked with mechanic. They didn’t find any physical issues, I explained that we could hear the noise while stuck on the sand specially when turning left and right. I also told them that after the noise I checked the steering oil level which was low and I toped up till “Hot Max” so maybe that could have solve the issue.

Please wait till Friday, I will keep this in my mind while preparing the final convoy order. Thank you

Sounds awesome @Chaitanya D! Any chance you could put Jorge and me together in the convoy order for the drive?

Dear Friends @Jon M, @Mikhail Lukichev, @Anish S, @Tariq Carrimjee, @Probir Mukherjee, @Goutam, @David Ortells, @Janarthan, @Mahmoud Hamzawy, @Mahmoud Asar and @Pancho Please go through the links below for you to refresh and understand safe practices in desert driving. This information is of great help for you to come well informed and prepared to drive confidently. Of course every desert drive is a learning experience for everyone including me, but we all should stick to the basics mentioned in the links Dune Crossing Tutorial and Techniques - Discussions - Carnity.com Every off-roader must know: What Went Wrong? - Page 36 - Discussions - Carnity.com We will be driving from Southern part of Qudra where (hopefully) we will find cleaner long range dunes ,play as much as possible there and head towards the road beside Hamari well for exit. Enjoy your week!

Congratulations @Janarthan !!

You can find a plastic round cover and order it online that may take some time and dollars. OR Use our creative in-house genius @Shamil idea to put a masking tape on all lights before passing. It really worked. I fabricated a rexine cover for my both LED bars and still use them once in a year while passing.

@Abu Muhammad, I would suggest you get your steering issue/noise checked/fixed by the time you join this drive as some dunes here can get quite tall.

I would also like to be added to this one, please let me know thank you.

Please add me on the wait list for 2nd drive Thank you 😊

Congrats @Janarthan. Will deserved after all those drives and recoveries.

Congratulations

congrats @Janarthan very well done!

Press the leave event button from the calendar. It will turn back to Going tab.

Done...found it...thanks...

Wait List 1. Daniel Noguiera

Hey @Niki Patel, you’re such a gentleman being concerned for the wellbeing of others. I applaud that trait, but as Jedi Master @Gaurav said, you should be fine; just take it easy and enjoy yourself. Lots of fellow drivers have H rated tires... My absolute newbie drive was led by @Gaurav. I got stuck so badly within two minutes of starting the drive, that Gaurav had to drive my car to get it out of the sand. Then I got stuck again after a few minutes. In my case, it wasn’t so much the tires, as it was my idiocy 😂 I thought I was in 4 Hi while in reality I was 2 wheel drive mode. Then when I got it to 4 Hi, I didn’t know how to turn off the traction controls (I thought I did). It wasn’t until my third drive, that a fellow driver showed me how. The moral of the story is for you to go into these drives whole heartedly, and face whatever happens as a group/team. Finally, you drive a 2020 “queen of the desert” for crying out loud, it can’t get much better than that😀 Enjoy your drive and see you soon!

Was he lucky or too professional or both ?!

I appreciate your concern, but I feel you have taken my previous advise way too seriously. Dunlop Grandtrek aren't horrendous for offroading. They are not forbidden tires, it just that they are less preferable. You can still SAFELY use them for few months to year (even) if you just deflate them to 14 - 15 PSI. We have had so many cars using grandtrek but with a caution of precise deflation and not hard steering. That's it. See you can resell them to buy a Yoko. If you can't then use them and try at 14-15 PSI for next few drives with your newly adjusted drive style. If you still pop them out on every drive, I will keep increasing 1 PSI until you find a sweet spot, but Im sure they wont pop out at 15 PSI (most likely). P.S. And don't worry too much about babysitting, as we all love that challenge and helping each other like we mention its a teamsport and not glory for one.

Congratulations @Jeandre Bezuidenhout👍🏼

Yes. It would work or alternatively you can buy the 20 litre can which might be better in terms of storage space as well as more economical.

Congrats @Jeandre Bezuidenhout. See you soon.

@Atif bhai I've already added you to my manage tab to help me out this week. @varunmehndiratta since you're already confirmed for the afternoon newbie drive I'm keeping you on waitlist for a second drive. Please understand first opportunity will be given to anyone who does not have a single drive this weekend. If by Wednesday there is no one else on waiting list and we have a drop out, you'll be my first choice.

Congratulations @Jeandre Bezuidenhout. Time to polish your skills with the throttle and the steering and join us in learning the art of recovery.

Kindly put me in the waiting list.

@Ale Vallecchi can you please add me to the waiting list?

Waitlist 1. Anish S 2nd drive 2. David ortells 2nd drive 3. Ashy 2nd drive

HI, I am interested to join this drive. Can you add me in the waiting list @Gaurav

Brilliant news @Jeandre Bezuidenhoutjeandre Bezuidenhout really pleased to see this.

Thank you for the footage, awesome!

Both are ok.

Thank you so much @Chaitanya D for great lead, it was full of new challenges and opportunities. Also special thanks to @Pancho , @Foxtrot Oscar and @Anish S for drive support.

You need to install ABS kill switch which will disable all your stability controls. For newbie drive it is not very important, but get it installed as soon as possible. ABS is not tuned well for off-roading in xterra it can occasionally kick in during steep slopes and keep releasing the tires making your xterra go down without break or control. You must kill the ABS if you are going for serious drives. There are two ways to deactivate ABS 1) With ABS kill switch, which will cost you 150 to 200dhs and you can control from your dashboard easily. On and Off without any hassle. 2) With Fuse Modification, (which I had did) Bought a 3 way fuse from scrap which costed me 10dhs that's it. Then remove the connection from inside the last 30amp compartment (as shown in the picture below) YOU ARE DONE......... Just replace the fuse before off-roading with original one while car is turned off and key is removed. Then start the car and you see ABS light and all other stability control lights are turned on in your dash, and you are ready for dune bashing 😀 After the drive just replace it with the original one with the car turned off and key is removed. Light will be still on but don't panic just drive for a minute and it will go off.