Leaderboard

Hey @Thomas Varghese none of us can say what is right or wrong so whatever makes you happy. All i can say is, passion is important but you need to enjoy your hobby and not be obsessed with it. Enjoy the journey buddy not the destination. Not getting the promotion is important or getting out in the desert is?, i did 2 drives last weekend a FB+ followed by a NB and honestly after doing the NB i felt i should be doing the NB drives for ever, just happy to be out there and learn every time we are out, promotions will come automatically with time. This is just me and what i think, doesn't mean you feel the same, hence do what you feel is right for yourself. You will be missed (if you decide to move away) for your support on the drives, your enthusiasm and the lovely pictures you took...take care of your health and hope to see you on one of our drives soon. These are difficult times for everyone but our past is our testimony of what we were and where we are today, like you said you have built your business with nothing i am sure you can do it again as you are wiser and more experienced today than what you were 8 years ago, stay strong.

@Thomas Varghese i really do not understand why people are pushing so hard for "promotions". This is all a hobby for us and we want to have some relief from stress, this is not a cut-throat business where you need to get your quota. We have a large number of members in the club who happily stay in their current level because it fulfills their needs and car capabilities. Rest assured if your promotion was held back, this was done for a clear reason as the safety of yourself and all our members is our highest priority. Furthermore, as you can see in the grading level, becoming eligible for a promotion is not purely based on the drive count. We work hard behind the screen to assess every request and every promotion is being discussed amongst the seniors of the club. If you are driving in another club merely due to your dissapointment of not getting promoted i think you need to re-calibrate your expectations and keep in mind this is a hobby, not a Formula One race.

Dear @Thomas Varghese, it’s sad to see you quitting Carnity for this reason.. I always enjoyed driving with you. I am not here to justify any decision (have no clue what this is about) but my reflection is more touching what I feel of disappointment and stress caused by this delay in the promotion. Talking about my own experience, and I am sure many other fellow off-roaders will relate and echo, I started offroading in an attempt to steam out the continuous stress we live in due to work pressure and always chasing achieving “a thing” at work. The minute a hobby becomes a source of stress it loses all fun and lose passion.. I know, it is because of this strong passion we got hooked and want to be always on the sand and join as many drives as we can and continue advancing in the ranks.. but if we lose the balance it becomes in itself a source of stress and we are pushing it to be another job!.. These words are a reminder to myself not to spoil the fun and passion I have for this hobby without ruining it with pressure and stress so I continue enjoy it for as much as possible, meet new people and make friends (without benefits).. Hope to c u again on the sand and wish you all the best

@Thomas Varghese, please reconsider your decision.. we joined this club almost together and had so much fun driving and learned this art to which we were strangers all this while. I totally agree with @Frederic and @N@ved, promotion is not as important as having fun and to keep improvising our skills. moreover I feel getting a promotion while you are not ready is very dangerous for yourself and co-drivers, which I think shouldn't be compromised not at least in @Carnity (one reason why I love this club). Hope to drive with you again and again! do get well soon ✌️

I totally agree with you @Frederic. Believe me, if it was not my son who keeps pushing me to apply for promotions, I would have been in newbie level till now. For me, it is just enjoying the time doing something different than work, to release stress and pressure of works.

I'm recharged and ready to drive again. Sorry for the indecision. Not quitting. How can I when I have so many friends here. See you all soon in the sands

Congratulations @Islam Soliman for reaching the Advance Level with Carnity Offroad Club. Looking forward to seeing you growing further and helping others to learn the art of offroading in a safe environment. Please make sure your Carnity user profile is always updated with all the latest Emergency contact details. P.S. Trip lead might deny your participation if you don't have required off-road gear. ADVANCE Carnity Benefits Off-road Certification with rank and skills achieved Join any drive in “Manage” tab even when drive is full Carnity Contribution Committed to drive with Carnity off-road club only Lead/Support: 3 drives or more per month at least Forum contribution to earn Carnity points Drives Attended (Indicative) Minimum 10 drives are required for Advance promotion along with mandatory attendance to leaders lead drives. (Promotion will be based on Marshal / Crew feedback.) What you'll learn Advance GPS and navigational skills Route planning, back tracking, safe exits Technical and extreme recoveries Learn to lead on medium to tall dunes How to avoid or lead through technical dunes Fast pace extreme desert driving (optional) Skills required Meticulous planning and preparation Ready for new challenges or unexpected situations Leadership skills to always put the team before yourself Car Worthiness Capable 4x4 vehicle with low range gearing Suitable approach and departure angle High profile tires Off-road gear required Safety flag, tire deflator, tire pressure gauge, shovel, fire extinguisher, medical kit, radio (walkie-talkie), air compressor, tool kit, rated recovery rope and 2 rated shackles, GPS, Floor jack and jack board, tire repair kit, tool box, tie-down straps, fluids. Drive teamwork Lead Fewbie or Intermediate drive under Marshal supervision Learn to scale drive level as per convoy response Support in training offroaders at all levels Drive Joining All Levels Forum participation Active participation on the forum Share drive experience + feedback Share drive pictures in the gallery Post trip report after the drive

Welcome back @Thomas Varghese having so much lovers, is enough to keep part of @Carnity and newbie level only 😀

Finally got my F150 steering gear replaced by AL Tayyar Motors ,magically they arranged new steering pump and installed it the steering pipes which they were claiming leaking and need replacement ,when I checked lTested at other place found all intact and new informed Al Tayyar and they fitted the same pipes back Today made atest drive appartently all satisfactory Thanks to all Carnity friends for support and advise Special thanks to @Thomas Varghese @Frederic @Rahimdad @Wrangeld @Gaurav

Congrats @Islam Soliman from the early days I’ve been impressed not only by your driving skills but also by your calm and friendly approach, willingness to help, and wonderful attitude. You’ll do great at Advance level where it’s all about teaching others and becoming a future lead very soon !!

@Islam Soliman you correctly echoed my sentiments. I don't want to leave but feel I don't belong there. I have joined in @Carnity to get some relief from the stress of running a business when everything is falling apart. 8 years of hard work going down the drain. I know how I built this business with having only 200 AED in my pocket when I left my last job. This was the place where I could find some solace. Now I feel alienated. I even gave up boozing on Thursday evenings so that I can drive with you all on Fridays. Driving with you all and capturing those moments in my camera became my passion.

Thank you @Wrangeld for a wonderful drive, had some early stucks at the back due to some refusals/stucks ahead of me, where I found myself in a very soft sand (all churned up) but thanks to @Kalahari who was very helpful and showed some patience with me.. allowing me to get back in rhythm and concentrate on my drive... in this drive for the 1st time I felt the challenge of driving at the back of a convoy (credit to the soft sand churned up more than ever) but having @Jeandre Bezuidenhout as our CF and @Kalahari (keeping an eagle eye on the convoy 👍) gave a lot of confidence and allowed us to focus on the drive, Thank you for the amazing work ✌️. Thank you @Shehab Alawadhi for being at the sweep position and ensuring all the dunes were turned flat, building bridges and ensuring not only that the convoy is following you but also doing it at ease 😂. It is always a pleasure and fun to have you and @armaan together in the drive... both of you add so much more to the fun, Thank you. Thank you to the rest of the convoy for the support, patience and enthusiasm displayed during the drive... see you all soon in the sand!

Thanks @Rahimdad bhai. I had the exact picture in mind as you described...it's very similar to when we learned those brush strokes in art class...smoother and relaxed the approach better is the outcome... Have been trying to put it in action over last couple of drives, has affected my pace a bit but then that's something can always get better with more drives ... @Frederic tips on side slope and criss crossing are surely something i revisit before and after each drive...just to remind my brain of the basics and assess what I missed out on at particular instant... Really like the way you emphasized on fact - it's not about trying hard but enjoying it and feeling the smooth sail.. Holding a brush hard does not produce much of an art...😀 For me the struggle hasn't been about stucks or major refusals..just the inner drive to do it with better finesse and grace.. On one of the drives saw a team of UAE adventure club, three Jeeps of same colors criss crossing through dunes in flawless sync...even the distance between them didn't change through the drive....that's the goal...was a beautiful well choreographed performance .😀 Same as we see it with our leads at Carnity ..

Hi All, My name is Jeetu and I joined the club only last month. I am originally from India but have grown up in this lovely country UAE. I have seen its evolution over the past 30+ years from a point where Dubai World Trade Center was the tallest building (in Dubai) to becoming this marvelous country with amazing man made wonders. The desert was always a place that intrigued me but never got around to venture it. By joining Carnity I feel I have joined a fabulous community of people and I am going to enjoy and learn at the same time. Have done my Absolute newbie drive with @Srikumarand have to confess that it was one of the most enjoyable experiences I have had. On a professional level I am a Marketer but on personal level still I am exploring the drives of life. Apart from the desert bug (alleged), I am also a drone enthusiast and look for opportunities to get that birds eye view of things.

Dear Desertnauts. While Tolkien's Middle-earth stories mostly focus on the north-west of the imaginary continent of Arda, this episode of Carnity's saga will concentrate on the south-east of the very real Qudra/Faqa basin. Meeting in sight of the futuristic Solar Park glass pyramid, we'll follow the bike path to take us across a small area of technical dunes, before starting our raid on an endless field of long range dunes, where the initial busy vegetation will slowly leave room to clean, smooth, sand cordons. This is our Middle Earth, seldom visited, hence less scarred by tracks. After cutting through a couple of sabkhas, we'll reach the sand canyons and bowls of Little Sweihan, and from here, depending on the remaining time, we may wander beyond, into the lower cordons pointing their sandy fingers toward Faqa. At some point, regrettably, we'll have to turn back toward the exit track, which will bring us back to reality, just in front of Solar Park. @N@ved, @Javier Lucero, @varunmehndiratta, @Rob Harper, @Niki Patel, @Jeandre Bezuidenhout, @Islam Soliman, @MUHAMMAD Kashif RAZZAQ, @Yusuf Esaf, @Nacho and @Mehmet Volga, get ready to discover this fabulous area. Enjoy your week, and see you next Friday.

Good evening fellow adventurers, I'm really looking forward to this drive, it has been a while since I ventured into Lisalli (Thanks @Ale Vallecchi for reminding me of it haha) We have a good, strong convoy, so let's see how far we get in just under 3 hours haha! We shall be using radio channel 1 (one) My proposed convoy is as follows: Driver Car Level Position Angela @Foxtrot Oscar Black X Expert Lead @Ashok chaturvedi Yellow FJC IM 2nd Lead @Watteau Raptor Fewbie 3rd @Arda Yagcioglu Black X Fewbie 4th @AlexPol Wrangler Fewbie 5th @GauravSoni Pajero IM CF @Rob Harper Tundra Fewbie 7th @Melenany F150 IM 8th @Hisham Masaad FJC IM 9th @David Ortells FJC IM 10th @Islam Soliman Yukon Adv 11th See you all tomorrow

Congratulations @Islam Soliman. I am always delighted when you sign up for one of my drives as I know I can rely on you to help the convoy out when needed. A very well deserved promotion.

Congratulations @Islam Soliman. You are already up there with your great attitude and helpful nature. Of course no doubt how well you handle that beast v8 yukon

Well deserved congrats @Islam Soliman

Congrats @Islam Soliman. Well done.

Congratulations @Islam Soliman! Well deserved!

Everything has already been said about the drive itself - it was really really fast and spectacular. Short video for memories:

Desert driving is about fun and helping others, if people in the back are stuck and I can't get to them ill flatten the dunes ahead so they don't get stuck 🤣

Some pictures of the day

Before fixing the external fan, give tiptronic a try. Most have seen good results by driving in tiptronic instead of D mode. Try to toggle between second and first gear and keep it in the same gear as much as possible. Less gear shifting = Less heat being generated. 15psi is fine but be aware that after about two hours of driving you’ll be at 17 most probably. So keep an eye on it and deflate back to 14-15 after a while.

@varunmehndiratta no need to try hard. Let it come to you, relax and let the lessons learned be a part of you rather than trying hard. Desert driving is an art, you cannot paint anything any better if you try too hard. It should become a part of your DNA and should come to you naturally. Don't just think about following the car in front of you, replicate the one which you feel is smoothest ahead of you. See closely the line they followed, the angle they attacked, the height, the speed. Criss crossing a dune is the hardest thing if you don't get it right. If you're not travelling at the angle you're supposed to, or at the speed, or at the height. I have seen most people try to stay on top of the dune and than turn sharply to the other side. That is not the way. It has to be smooth manoeuvre. Each dunes is different, but if you're struggling to stay on top, it will be a struggle to get such a manoeuvre right. Even though you survive through a couple of such scenarios, if you're not getting it right, at some point you'll face the unwanted result. If unsure, ask a senior to show you again the line to be taken and then try it out. Practice will make you perfect and all of this will come to you as second nature. Remember when you first stepped in sand, many things were hard and you had to remind yourself of the brief and what to do in that situation. Many of these things come to you naturally now. The many exercises we have put you through are the steps to take you to the next level. Don't be impatient for the next level, enjoy the ride, feel your car. Let yourself and your car be one. If you've managed to get through Reading this so far, you may now refer to @Frederic post on criss-crossing, where he's explained this with help of diagram to do some home work before your next drive.

Thank you for your guidance and patience 😊 @Chaitanya D @Anish S @Veedooshee

Congratulations @Lawrence_Chehimi for reaching the Fewbie Level with Carnity Offroad Club. Looking forward to seeing you growing further and helping others to learn the art of offroading in a safe environment. Please make sure your Carnity user profile is always updated with all the latest Emergency contact details. P.S. Trip lead might deny your participation if you don't have required off-road gear. Fewbie: Drives Attended (Indicative) Minimum 5 Newbie drives are required within last 3 months for Fewbie promotion. What you'll learn Basic dune and sand reading Self-recovery techniques Shoveling at right place Crawling out of difficult situations Blip Blip - Coordinate steering and gas control Advance side sloping and hill climb Basic ridge riding and criss crossing Basic control over technical dunes Slightly faster pace desert driving Ability to manage stuck/refusals with radio Learn to control and avoid fishtailing Never fight or challenge gravity Skills required Enthusiastic and positive attitude Willingness to learn and help others Presence of mind and attention to detail Car Worthiness Any 4x4 vehicle with low range gearing Suitable approach and departure angle Off-road gear required Safety flag, tire deflator, tire pressure gauge, shovel, fire extinguisher, medical kit, radio (walkie-talkie), air compressor. Drive teamwork Manage second lead and sweep positions upon request Intuitive and proactive to support Trip Lead Observe recoveries and offer help, when needed Drive Joining Join Newbie and Fewbie drives And Fewbie Plus, after 5 drives at Fewbie level only Forum participation Active participation on the forum Share drive experience + feedback Share drive pictures in the gallery Post trip report after the drive

Congratulations @Junaid120120 for reaching the Intermediate Level with Carnity Offroad Club. Looking forward to seeing you growing further and helping others to learn the art of offroading in a safe environment. Please make sure your Carnity user profile is always updated with all the latest Emergency contact details. P.S. Trip lead might deny your participation if you don't have required off-road gear. INTERMEDIATE Drives Attended (Indicative) Minimum 10 drives are required after fewbie promotion and within last 6 months. (Drives can be a mix of Newbie, Fewbie (50%) and 2 Fewbie plus, depending on your adaptability, learning progress and Marshal’s feedback) What you'll learn Basic GPS and navigational skills Basic tow rope and winch recoveries Extreme side sloping and long hill climb Tall dunes ridge riding and criss crossing Precise control over technical dunes Fast pace desert driving Clear radio communication skills Advance recovery skills Self recover from dune crest Soft sand recovery Pop-out fixing Skills required Adventurous and thrill seeker but in a safe manner Level headed under stressful situations Responsible, dependable and accountable Car Worthiness Capable 4x4 vehicle with low range gearing Suitable approach and departure angle High profile tires Off-road gear required Safety flag, tire deflator, tire pressure gauge, shovel, fire extinguisher, medical kit, radio (walkie-talkie), air compressor, tool kit, rated recovery rope and 2 rated shackles, GPS. Drive teamwork Manage center forward position with Trip Lead’s permission Learn/assist recoveries under Trip Lead’s supervision Re-route convoy and coordination, when needed Learn to lead small portion of Intermediate drive under Marshal supervision Drive Joining Join Newbie, Fewbie, Intermediate and Exploration drives only Forum participation Active participation on the forum Share drive experience + feedback Share drive pictures in the gallery Post trip report after the drive

Welcome to your extended family @jeetu sharma. I've noticed you're waitlisted on my drive and hope to meet up with you this coming Friday morning. Currently due to Covid19 restrictions we are even doing briefing over the radio, so drone flying is not feasible. But we do have our eyes on progress towards fighting Covid19 and as soon as the restrictions ease up you'll be in business. For the moment enjoy learning the art of off-roading and keep working on perfecting the skills you learn every week.

@Islam Soliman Congratulations 🎉

Congrats @Islam Soliman!

Congratulations @Islam Soliman you really deserve it. Very glad and happy for you.

@Islam Soliman congratulations 👏

Dear Islam @Islam Soliman My hearty and sincere congratulations . Truly deserved promotion . A smooth calm character and a true playmaker in any drive and in any position dealing with any situation in professional approach . Being driving with you is one of my greatest pleasure and it will be more when I will support your drives soon 👍🙏👌

@Thomas Varghese, welcome back, glad you changed your mind. Looking forward to see you on sands and see more Odometer records broken by your cars especially the altima..

Thanks to everybody who supported me in my difficult times. Never knew I will be making friends at this age. Once upon a time when I was a teenager I had lot of friends. When the daily routine changed to working, running business, looking after family the friendship circle started to becoming smaller and smaller and finally it reached zero. I'm so happy that I have friends who I can call as friends. I could see the people who come for off roading come there as they take it as a hobby and want to spend some time away from the bustling world and want to be themselves. See you all soon in the sands. Sad note - I got a fine of 700 AED on 26th Feb at 1.07 pm at Al Dhaid. For sure I must have been speeding to reach the drive.😔

@Thomas Varghese welc0me Back 🌻

My name is Ken and excited to join my first off-road club. 2020 Prado - modified for off-road. I have all necessary recovery equip, compressor, radio, etc. Been driving in desert/wadis across UAE for the last year (10-15 drives min), but ready to formalize my experience. Looking forward to meeting new people and enjoying the sand.

A spot has opened. I've added you.

I'm glad you're taking it in good spirits @varunmehndiratta. Experience counts too, along with confidence in one another. When you're driving with someone you haven't driven with before, you tend to observe them for a while before you start sync with their car.

You have become my favourite Angela @Foxtrot Oscar .Another amazing roller coaster drive . Loved the continuity of the drive and definately everyone did well. I was happy that we had few refusals and got some time to relax😇. Hats off to @Ilya Golubinsky mom , Its difficult to be a co-passenger on such tracks. Great to see all the fellow drivers 👍. Already missing the dunes.

Well done @Soumya Saklani congratulations

In a way both @Ahmad Shaker and @N@ved are correct. Try to understand momentum and gravity both have a role to play. The momentum on the vehicle is in the forward direction. Travelling high on a dune is always recommended as a bit lower might be a bit fun due to the softer sand, but dangerous nevertheless. Now your car is at 40 KPH in forward direction and due to gravity and soft sand your car fishtails. Your only option is to countersteer and point your front tires down. If you try to keep straight tires also sand is accumulating on your tires side walls which brings that momentum at the bottom to a halt, but the inertia on the top of your car continues as nothing on top of the car to stop it from going at that 40KPH you were at. This results in flips or roll overs. Never fight gravity. Always keep control of accelerator and steering at all times.

Well done @Junaid120120, congratulations!

congratulations @Junaid120120

Get well soon

Trip Report: I personally love the Lisaili terrain as it offers so much in terms of variation for a Newbie level drive, that you can continue playing as much as you want depending on how everyone responds to the challenges. We drove for quite some time and distance here on last friday for what turned out to be an entertaining drive for one and all ( At least I hope so!) We had our quick COVID safe briefing on the radio , and we set off to drive along the pylon tracks heading to the baby dunes after the camel race tracks. We did drive here I for close to 2 hours in the technical areas with tight dunes, and it was quite amazing how everyone of you managed here. Of course one will have some refusals, stucks etc which were good learning points for all of us. Another important aspect was how important it is to follow the tracks in these areas to avoid the tiny deep pockets which can break your bumper if you miss the track of the car in front of you. After circling back in these dunes we headed along the open breathable dunes where we picked up pace and covered quick distance to reach the long dunes in Murquab as planned . Some refusals / stucks here and there managed quickly and we were towards our exit at Murquab on time. Enroute we did our fair bit of crossing dunes straight up and straight down, after which I hope all of you are quite confident to cross the dunes . We slowly raised the height , and the sharpness of the dunes to cross which meant there would be some crest stuck situations , which were recovered in quick time. @luis mantecon was a perfect 2nd lead in his wrangler. Very clear on routing and asking if he was in doubt which is always a good attitude. Thank you ! @WaYan did well in her soft top SWB wrangler. Some minor refusals managed with self recovery and crests needing tug. We all have learnt it this way and it is no different for you. It was indeed great to see your enthusiasm. @Roger K managed his beast very well - the V8 LR3. Some amazing self recoveries and having perfect approach on sideys was a treat to watch. Well done! @Baskaran P.R managed his pajero well and played the role of CF to perfection. Keeping the flock together , relaying messages to Anish when there was some break in Radio. Thank you my friend. @Nitin Mohan did well in his Prado as long as he drove with us. Unfortunately had to exit due to a broken bumper due to a hit in a pocket. I hope it is nothing serious and hope to see you soon with us. @Alistair Mattock was enjoying his FJC more than anyone else. Used the gizmos in his car to perfection when he was having a refusal. You have a great car which is a dream for many, and as you drive more it only gets better and more thrilling. Well done! @Werno did well in his SWB wrangler, hardly heard on the radio which meant he drove without much issues even being at the back. @Ammar Naji did extremely well with his LWB Expedition in tighter dunes too. Being at the back is always a tricky situation , but for your experience and the number of drive you have done I specifically put you at the back and you really did very well. Bravo! @Anish S swept us to perfection, being all over the place quickly whenever some one was stuck. Simply peace of mind for any lead when you sweep. Thanks to @Veedooshee for joining along and sharing some nice pictures. Some stats from the drive as below If you have completed the required number of drives , then please apply for your promotion online which will be reviewed by all leads and advised back to you as to where you need to improve if any. See you all soon on one of the drives and enjoy your week!

Congrats @Soumya Saklani drives get more interesting from here on.

congrats @Junaid120120