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I love the energy! +12oC in the morning and nobody complained! I took a few shots of your cars, I hope you don't mind if I pasted them here (the gallery is maxed out with compression making pictures look so flat). @Abhilash Kottakkal in his Pajero Montero Sport (say what you want, we all know it's a Pajero underneath and that's why it looks so good on the dune!) The quietest and the smoothest of them all - 407 horses of driving pleasure @essam ibrahim @Frederic, I had to google to figure out the car you had... congrats on the rare piece of automotive legend! @Julien Recan flooring to make it count! My wife said it looked like an RC car from the distance. Awesome ride @Rafey Hashmi, congrats on your first popout on this car! @Benjamin reaching the top of the peak: The White Rhino: @Mike M. And the mighty 392, doing it so effortlessly... @Gautam Banka @Simon D I have a new profile picture for you Thanks again for the drive! See you next time!

Can't say good, it was fantabulos. The speed and the track amazing, always felt the cross tracks pain, but yesterday it was great coz of the speed we were, pure intermediate. Enjoyed to the core. Thanks @Looper. and amazing guys of our convoy.

My first time with @Simon D, def won't be the last! Nice and challenging - very enjoyable! Learnings from the drive 1. Spacers are necessary after a lift. Thanks for the tip @Frederic. Installed and done! 2. Watched closely to learn as much about the pop out process and yes it was a satisfying pop! 3. Able to do Pink Rock climb from the right for the first time - thanks to the extra momentum and 1st gear only. 4. Egg levelers are a thing for over landing expeditions - thanks to @Mike M. for the info! See you all on the next one #JimnyPower

Great shots @Marek_was003! Definitely reusing The White Rhino’s pics. Thanks!

This was indeed a great drive @Simon D ! You took us from the easy warm-up dunes nearby the farms into the bowls closer to the 2nd december cafeteria, where the pace and intensity was taken up a notch. From there, crossing Pink Rock itself and heading towards Big Red we had a good run with only minimal refusals and a mini-pop out Thanks for the support @Mike M. and @Benjamin !

Thanks @Looperfor the drive. And well done everyone.

Thanks @Looper for a fun and spicy 🌶️ drive. Shaken not stirred This morning. And what a group of people to drive with, thank you all for a great outing. Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Thank you @Looper. As usual Amazing drive till start to end. Lot of convoys, still you managed to find some good lines and dunes. really enjoy the drive with all the experts. Very few refusals and one recovery. see you all in next drive.

@Marek_was003 thank you very much for you nice gift ( a nice phono for my car while driving in desert ) many thanks but one note only that my car is 409 HP any way 2 hP not make deference . many thanks and wish we meet a gain . wishing you all the best.

Great pics @Marek_was003 ! Yeah the green Kermit is rare, that's for sure

Thanks @Sunil Mathew it was great having you behind me to give direction for my recoveries! I learned so much on this drive about momentum and throttle use, need to be a little bit more aggressive in the situations where I needed two attempts. Thanks to everyone in the convoy for a great drive in the soft sand. Andrew

Dear @Mahesh_, @Rafey Hashmi , @Gautam Banka, @essam ibrahim, @Julien Recan, @Abhilash Kottakkal, @Mike M., @Marek_was003, @Benjamin. Thank you for joining the Drive yesterday and i hope you have enjoyed it as much as i did. we have achieved our target of exiting from the big red side passing through pink rock .. we had a couple of refusals and stucks , but nothing serious that required us to get out the ropes or the shovels .💪 in between @Rafey Hashmi Jimny had a pop out , which i have to say was one of the easiest and fastest pop up fixes we ever had to deal with . I have to say everyone drove really well, 💪🎉 thanks @Benjamin for the great support and @Mike M. for sweeping the convoy . and of course special thanks to @Frederic for making this drive possible Looking forward to see you soon on the next drive below are the drive details

Great drive! The show was a complete success, thanks to Looper, especially for choosing an excellent track. Everyone performed exceptionally well, and there were no delays or wasted time.

In the UAE, we have a myriad of terrains to choose from when it comes to desert driving. For many new members who might be asking themselves what the differences actually are, I wanted to compile the most known areas we drive in, and give some information about the area and what you can expect when you join a drive with us in that area. We will be focusing on the sand driving. Northern Emirates (UAQ and RAK) Umm Al Quwain and Ras Al Khaimah have some very nice areas that we often explore, with plenty of vegetation, wildlife, and the mountains are never far away. On these drives, the emphasis is more on exploration than on the typical dune bashing. Scenic Score: 95% Excitement Score: 70% Versatility Score: 95% Fossil Rock - Faya - Sharjah From the moment you drive on the Sharjah - Kalba road, you'll see the majestic Fossil Rock mountain on the right hand side. It has got its name due to the ancient fossils that you can find on the rocks, and the surrounding red dunes are a delight to drive. Usually starting from Batayeh-Faya road, the dunes gradually go from small and bushy until you reach the nice open areas with "The Long Lady" as one of the most popular dunes to showcase and practice your sidesloping skills. The cherry on top is the climb on Fossil Rock itself which provides an amazing scenic view on the area and Mleiha town below. A must for every beginner level driver ! To even up the challenge you can take on the nice bowls behind Fossil Rock, or head out to Faya which is also called "The Saddle". Scenic Score: 90% Excitement Score: 70% Versatility Score: 90% Pink Rock - Big Red - Sharjah Nearby Fossil Rock, you will find Pink Rock, which got its name from the pinkish hue the rocks have. This very popular off-road area is known for the smooth gentle dunes at the start that gradually move to challenging bowls nearby the base of Pink Rock. Climbing Pink Rock is the ideal challenge for beginners and provides a fantastic view as well. From Pink Rock you can head out to Big Red which will up the challenge and entice every level of off-roader. The Big Red area is an off-roader hotspot during the season. Scenic Score: 80% Excitement Score: 70% Versatility Score: 75% Bidayer / Area 53 / Schuwaib - Sharjah This area is not for the faint of heart, and the big dunes will demand you to keep momentum at all times, while the massive hills such as Iftar Bowl and Super Bowl are ultimate play areas one can find in Sharjah. This area tends to be extremely busy during the offroad season. Scenic Score: 60% Excitement Score: 80% Versatility Score: 65% Margham / Lahbab - Dubai A little less known area, but very versatile with nice technical areas, playable bowls, and overall a terrain where any level offroader can practice and hone their skills without encountering too many cross tracks. Scenic Score: 70% Excitement Score: 70% Versatility Score: 75% Murquab - Lisaili - Faqa - Dubai This area is located on the Dubai-Al Ain road and offers so much. From technical terrain, to the arboretum in Faqa, long range dunes in both Faqa and some areas of Lisaili, and the most amazing creamy dunes below the Maktoum Solar Park which we have now called "Little Sweihan". This area never disappoints and there is a reason we have it on our weekly drives schedules ! Scenic Score: 85% Excitement Score: 80% Versatility Score: 95% Al Qudra - Dubai Al Qudra has become one of the most well known Offroad areas in Dubai, mainly due to the close vicinity to the city, but also because of its versatility, nearby facilities (Last Exit, Love Lakes), and the wildlife than can be spotted while off-roading (gazelles, oryx). This area stretches out to Murquab in the East via Al Hathmah area, on to Faqa going South below the Solar Park, and up to the Bab al Shams resort in the West. Scenic Score: 85% Excitement Score: 75% Versatility Score: 95% Sweihan - Abu Dhabi / Al Ain The Sweihan area in Abu Dhabi has to be experienced, and the proximity to Dubai brings lots of Dubai residents to Sweihan to explore the massive long range dunes and versatile area that has something in store for every off-roader. Sweihan never disappoints and the Nagrah area which alternates between monstrous dunes and deserted sabkhas will leave you hungry for more every single time. Scenic Score: 80% Excitement Score: 90% Versatility Score: 95% Al Khatim - Abu Dhabi A very popular and versatile offroader destination for Abu Dhabi residents with exhilarating dunes and technical areas that will challenge any offroader. Scenic Score: 80% Excitement Score: 90% Versatility Score: 80% Wagan / Umm Al Oash / Bu Tais - Abu Dhabi / Al Ain In search for monstruous dunes where momentum and pace are critical and where your vehicle will be pushed to its limit ? You have come to the right place as this area is spoiled with massive dunes, alternated by long flat sabkhas where you can get your bearings back before heading in again, and again ! Scenic Score: 95% Excitement Score: 100% Versatility Score: 80% Liwa Madinat Zayed - Abu Dhabi The Madinat Zayed area is famous for its Yellow Water Truck, which was left behind many years back, but no-one really knows how it got there. This area is consisting of massive dunes, and you can easily scale the level up or down in this area based on the convoy you bring there. From this place onwards and further down south into Liwa Crescent you will feel like you are on a different planet. Scenic Score: 90% Excitement Score: 100% Versatility Score: 90% Liwa Crescent - Abu Dhabi Seeing LIWA for the first time will leave you astonished, baffled, and beyond comprehension. From Himeem in the East, to Khanoor in the West, this whole area is filled with some of the biggest dunes on this planet, massive slipfaces that will make you shiver when descending, and extremely technical dunes that will require your utmost focus. This area is unforgettable and every off-roader should have this on his bucket list ! Scenic Score: 100% Excitement Score: 100% Versatility Score: 100%

We request every member that joins this drive to go through the information below and strictly follow these guidelines, etiquette and responsibilities. MUST READ AND COMPLY Environmental Policy Offroad Flag Guideline Two Way Radio Guideline Off road Driving Etiquettes Emergency details for all off roaders Off Road Driving - Roles & Responsibilities DRIVE DETAILS Drive Plan : We will start from the lovely Lisaili dunes which will test our Technical skills, as we head towards Murquab , maneuvering the vegetation enroute and towards the end back to some virgin sand which should allow us smooth movement Gear up for a bit of technical area , a bit of ridge riding , a bit of Vegetation and a bit of smooth flow towards the end of the drive - Only to discover how much each of this bit we manage to cover . Level: Fewbie and above When: 21 January 2024, Sunday Meeting time: 7:00 AM - Sharp Meeting Point: https://maps.app.goo.gl/pcUezqKatgKcD9CKA Approximate finish time: 11:00 AM 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. RECOMENDED OFF-ROAD GEAR: Tire deflator & Tire pressure gauge Compressor (MANDATORY) Walkie-talkie radio (MANDATORY) Off-road flag (MANDATORY) Shovel, Tow Rope & 2 Shackles First-aid kit Fire extinguisher LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE This drive is limited to 10 cars only. RSVP will close on Friday - 12 PM. If the RSVP is full, you can add your name to the waitlist, once anyone drops, you will be moved to the RSVP list. RSVP will close a day prior to preparing a convoy list. Latecomers will be returned - Without any exceptions. Members without RSVP will be returned - 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 CALENDAR

Congrats @Vijay Cowlagi Enjoy the new level

Congrats @Mahesh_ enjoy the new level

Congrats @Vijay Cowlagi !

Congrats @Vijay Cowlagi enjoy this new challenge!

Is it afternoon or 7 am? 😁 thanks

Congrats @Mahesh_! Well done and good to see you stepping up the ladder:)!

Congratulations @Vijay Cowlagi ! Another level of learning more on your way!👍🏻!

Hello Gaurav, Thank you for organising the interesting drive. I found the experience to be a valuable learning curve for me. Also, thank you, Pacific and the team members, for the support during the drive. I look forward to joining with you in more drives.

Thank you, Emanuel, for sharing the video. Excellent.

@Marek_was003 Thank you very much for the pic...My new profile pic...

Very enjoyable drive and awesome company. Have a great week everyone.

Thanks @Davie Chase for choosing Al Fayah for yesterdays drive and giving an opportunity to our newbie members to experience the wonderful terrain ... i am sure all of them have taken home loads of learning and pointers to implement or experiment with, in their next drives. We had some recoveries, but these are part of the learning and to an extent , fun too ... important thing is to stay calm, not to panic , not to feel bad , not to think that you are holding the convoy etc. Newbie drives are for getting stuck and learning about your cars, how they handle, and to get the balance between the 2 main inputs you are giving - steering and throttle Now, just penning down what i observed about our newbie friends driving within my field of view @Andrew John Melvill @Menon @Hani Howeedy- drove really well and learned along the way. You have heavy cars which call for a bit more of momentum on climbs , so that your front and rear both cross over together. If you let go of gas when your front crosses over, your rear is going to come down , ending up in what we call fishtailing. Whoever had refusals, got it right on your second attempts, which means that you know what to do, but instinctively it doesnt come to you on your first attempt. This is something which comes by practice. So keep driving and this will easily be second nature to you before you even know. @Jasim Bo Falah - as we discussed, your car is more than capable of conquering the desert. Dont be shy on the gas when it is required. To know "when" its required, we need practise, so keep driving and master the skills. Since you have 2 more cars - FJ, Tundra both being more powerful than the pathfinder, i suggest you stick to the pathfinder and get the hang of it , and once you confidently negotiate sideslopes, dune crossings etc , then only think of changing cars. @Shaun J - driving behind me did a wonderful job with clear radio comms whenever i was out of convoy order to attend to a situation and clarifying what he has to do, rather than assuming something. Appreciate your presence of mind and adherence to convoy discipline. @Prithvi Raj - on his maiden drive, did really well for a fresher. It was a relief to learn that your bumper was intact after that air time you had on the straight crossing. Also, appreciate you being calm during the long recovery involved with your car in the soft patch. Your car finally made when @Rob S was behind the wheels, so you must have realised now that its not the car , but the driver which is mission critical ! Hope you hade lot of learning from the episode, and see you soon , on your upward learning curve. @Nizar Shawwa @Damian @Abdul Hannan @Abdullah N @Vijay Cowlagiall driving behind me, and mostly in silence did a great job in keeping up with the convoy. @Soufiane - in 2nd lead, i couldnt get much of a glimpse, but looks like you did great , reading @Davie Chase 's report !! Finally @Rob S - thanks for joining last minute and relieving me of the pressure i felt when i saw a 12 car NB convoy with only me in support . Your "pajero" skills are amazing !!! and thanks for helping me out when i ran out of ideas Some photos uploaded in the drive gallery https://carnity.com/gallery/category/1928-newbie-al-fayah-abu-dhabi-13-jan-2024/ @Hani Howeedy and others not familiar with the website - we have photo galleries for each drive, and the link above will take you to the one for our drive yesterday. Please upload photos here, and lets hoard up all the good memories here !!!

This is a Relive video of our path today and a few pics. Thanks @Gauravfor another fabulous drive. These FB+ drives are challenging and I can feel a sharpening of skills happening. @Pacific - thanks for the support out there on top of a couple of dunes where I was nicely perched. 🤣 Have a great weekend everyone.

Thanks Davie, Sunil and Rob. Fantastic drive, looking forward to the next one.

Dear Desert Wanders @Sunil Mathew, @Abdullah N, @Prithvi Raj, @Vijay Cowlagi, @Damian, @Soufiane, @Nizar Shawwa, @Abdul Hannan, @Jassislahi, @Menon, @Hani Howeedy, @Andrew John Melvill, @Rob S and @Shaun J thank you all for being on time this morning and ready and eager to drive in the beautiful Al Fayah desert. you guys all drove amazingly well through some difficult soft sand,I hope everyone had as much fun and enjoyed the drive as much as I did. Great S/L from @Soufiane thank you for supporting the drive in this critical position. It made the whole drive go way more smoothly. @Sunil Mathew thank you for the excellent support in the CF role, having you there mastering and controlling the middle of the convoy was critical to us getting in and out safely whilst also dealing with the several refusals and stucks that we had. @Rob S thanks for showing up at the last minute to support the drive we would have struggled without you there mate, so thanks again always a comfort to have someone with your knowledge and skill in the sweep position, I hope you all have a great rest of your weekend and I hope to see you all on one of my drives in the near future

Please find the convoy numbering below, we will use Radio Channel 4 @Jona @Issam Atra @Cristian @Deepak Eswar @Gurcharan Mehta @Mohit Gurnani @Pacific @george charbel @Emanuel @Mark B @Rk ram @Zulfikhar Naiyar @Gary F Gaurav 2 Door - Silver Pajero Crew Jona Blue FJ Cruiser Intermediate Issam Atra FJ cruiser - Silver Fewbie Plus Cristian 2019 Jeep Wrangler JL - White Fewbie Plus Deepak Eswar 2023 Jeep Wrangler - 2 door - silver Fewbie Plus Gurcharan Mehta 2022 Jeep Wrangler 392 Blue Fewbie Plus Mohit Gurnani FJ Cruiser 2022 Intermediate Pacific 2016 wrangler 2dr Support Team george charbel 2017 Jeep Wrangler - 2 door - White Fewbie Plus Emanuel 2013 Mitsubishi, Pajero, Silver Fewbie Plus Mark B 2022 jeep gladiator Intermediate Rk ram X Terra Fewbie Plus Zulfikhar Naiyar 2014 Nissan XTerra Intermediate Gary F 2021 Jeep Gladiator Sandrunner White Intermediate

Thank you @Simon D for a great drive yesterday morning. The drive was well prepared, and nicely executed.the first portion from Tawi Nizwa, out of the beaten tracks was really enjoyable for a start, and the pace was perfect for a warm up for the whole convoy. Higher dunes were tempting, but the soft sand made it difficult for the back of the convoy and you reasonably decided to turn back in direction to Pink Rock. Despite the cross tracks we could enjoy a few high climbs, well executed by everyone in the convoy, according to the capabilities of their cars. During the break we noticed one man waving at us close to his car. We reached him with @Simon D. It was a lonely unexperimented driver, who tried to follow our convoy for a few dunes…. And got crested. After a quick pull, and some recommendations, we put him back on an easy track and could continue the drive. Simon took us across the Pink Rock and we were going up and down on the back side when the second incident occurred. A motorised paraglider came quite low over us and was intending to cross the mountain when it missed the summit ridge by a few meters and hit the ground. Simon took @Mahmut as passenger and could reach him first. @Robk was already halfway and courageously continued to climb by foot. I reached them immediately after. We checked on the guy who appeared to be globally ok, apart from a pain in the knee and ankle on one leg. He could stand so carefully we helped him to Simon's car to bring him down. Mahmut helped folding the wing and put it in my car, and we were left with the propeller, big thing weighting 30 kg, to be kept upwards to avoid leaking fuel. Luckily Rob's Gladiator was already half way in the slope. We carried the propeller down to the truck and strapped it at the back. The guy was still doing ok, and wanted to reach his car parked in Badayer, so we decided to keep him with us, and Simon adjusted his planned route accordingly. The rest of the drive was a nice stroll through the dunes, quietly reaching the big dune behind Big Red where we started to climb until the convoy got scattered between two soft bowls with other convoys crossing around. @Simon D skilfully put the convoy back in order, and we reached the exit close to Big Red. Excellent lead and management of the convoy from @Simon D, congratulations! @Mahmut well done through the drive. You struggled crossing some slip faces but it will improve as you get sync with your car. @Feras_Sh well managed also. The Pajero was under powered compared to the rest of the convoy and you had 2 passengers, but you did your best, and went through most challenges. @Robk well done with the Gladiator. You have good control of your car, continue to enjoy ! @Ben Lee no issue at all, the Jeep went easily through the dunes and climbs. Unfortunately considering the different situations, you did not have the opportunity to take all the challenges, it will be for next time. @Ranjan Das, great support in guiding other cars when need, alway a pleasure to have you in the convoy. Thank you all for the great support and participation in the different recoveries of this eventful drive !

Thank you @Mahmut @Robk @Ben Lee @Feras_Sh @Ranjan Das for Joining the drive yesterday . Shortly after the briefing and the warm up we slowly practiced the proper criss crossing , ridge ridding and side slopping techniques afterwards we moved into some larger and softer dunes afterwards moving forward towards the the pink Rock . We had an unfortunate incidence that a paraglider slammed into the top of the pink rock as we were very close to him we had to move in and assist him thank fully he seemed lucky not to have a major injury . I am sorry for the time i had to keep you waiting till we go him down the dune. Also, special thanks to @Robk for volunteering to put the pilot and the machine in his car . also thanks to @Ranjan Dasfor supporting and sweeping the convoy. finally a warmly thank you to @JeromeFJ for making this drive possible I hope you all enjoyed the drive and looking forward to see you on the next one soon