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I realized that some of our practices and rituals that are part of our offroading routine now may be of potential use to the new members or give insights to the more senior and the seasoned off-roaders. As part of a series of sharing How To's and practices, I will start by sharing a very fast routine related to the recovery rope and shackles. I have developed a routine after 5-7 uses of the rope and the shackles to rinse them in a bucket of water. This practice which doesn’t take any time, elongates the life span of your gear considerably to the point that @Gaurav recently asked if my 4-year old, battle-tested rope, is brand new or not. The logic behind the bucket rinsing is that sand particles can act like small razors when they get inside the rope and shackle openings which then cut through it in a very small manner everytime they are put under stress. Eventually the sand will keep eating at them until they one day break under pressure. The practice of rinsing them every once in a while makes sure that we get rid of those sand particles and protect our gear and pocket for a longer period of time. Hope this helps other members. Stay tuned for more How To's on other gear and offroading practices soon as well.

Hi team! Thanks for coming out today! @Andrew John Melvill @Dan S @Ahmed Farouk @Zsolt @Sam Selim @Diego @Gautam Banka @Giacomo @Aser @nithish468 @Glenn W @ChrisW Long way from Dubai! We started on time and started with encountering very strange some formations, covered in powder sand. We struggled through the vegetation and had a couple of refusals on the side ridges. We started encountering the big bowls and connected a couple of big loops, just as it was time to exit... So we will have to do a part 2 sometime soon starting where we exited. I was especially impressed with everyone moving through that soft sand.. 💪👍 We covered about 65km... And had a good moving speed!!

Here is our track and stats. The elevation profile illustrates the fun we had in the first third and later thirds of the drive. A very respectable drive covering nearly 54 kms.

Here is the Relive video. @Rob S you'll see your 100th drive photos in here too! Please smash the Like button.

Thank you, everyone, for an amazing drive yesterday! You all arrived on time and came fully prepared for a fun-filled morning in the dunes. A special shout-out to @Rob S, who celebrated his 100th drive with our club—what an incredible milestone! This achievement reflects countless learnings, recoveries, and moments of helping others along the way. Overall, the drive went smoothly with very few issues. The most notable challenge was when @Ash S. slid off a ridge and got properly stuck. Rob led the recovery brilliantly: we secured the front of Ash’s car with a strap, then carefully freed the rear, allowing for a graceful exit. Great teamwork all around! The route was a mix of terrains. We started along the camel race track toward our entry point in North Lisali, then navigated through technical patches to reach our fun zones. These included side-sloping and ridge-riding dunes of low to medium height, culminating in Murquab, where the taller dunes gave our Fewbie and Intermediate level drivers a chance to play before heading to the exit. A big thank you to @Mahesh_ and @Rob S for holding the Center Forward positions, @Theo Prado for Second Lead, and @Gertjan for Sweep. It was a pleasure meeting @Theo Prado, @Ash S., and @Thomas54675 for the first time. Enjoy the rest of your weekend, and see you all on the next adventure!

Yesterday’s drive took us deep into Al Wiqan, one of those places that once you get inside it still feels untouched and fresh. We set out early, led by @GauravSoni and joined by @Sam Selim for what turned out to be one of the most rewarding desert runs I’ve done in a while. The plan was simple enough: reach a star dune we had been eyeing on satellite maps for the last week. On the ground though, it was anything but simple. The terrain out there is raw, with soft sand, steep slipfaces, and long winding ridges that test both driver and machine. This drive was the perfect opportunity to apply what we learned in the earlier masterclass sessions with @GauravSoni. The ridge-crossing techniques he taught, such as throttle control, alignment, and positioning, were put to the test many times over. The complexity of the terrain made it an ideal setting to consolidate the skills we have built at the Intermediate level…definitely not a first-IM trip, but an excellent consolidation and trial of these skills. After several hours of careful progress, we finally reached the centre bowl of the star dune. It is hard to describe the feeling of standing there, surrounded on all sides by tall arms of sand, completely silent except for the wind. We beached our cars in the small bowl, sat on the ridge and soaked it all up for a while. We covered 117 km in total over 7 hours and 18 minutes, with an average moving speed of 31 km/h. A full day’s drive, but one that reminded me exactly why we love this kind of adventure: remote, challenging, and absolutely stunning. Final push to the top of the star dune: Taking it all in: Ridges for days: Fast switch: Downhill switch: Sharp ridge:

Amazing tip ! Never realized this !

‘Stuck’ of the day

very good tip @Mike M. in addition to protection it keeps it neat and clean

@Emanuel Oki Doki, sunday morning 😁

Thanks @Emanuel! Great drive and looking forward to the next one!

Likewise @Emmanuel great morning, awesome drive on various levels. C u soon 😉

Convoy below: see you bright and early 😎

Thanks @Frederic for an fantastic drive today! The family loved it, I loved it, and everyone enjoyed it! Looking forward to more such adventures if possible 🫡

Thank you all for joining again! With such a long train, i was expecting some struggles along the way, as we combined farm tracks with some technical passages in the dunes. But all of you really drove fantastic today! The weather was an absolute bliss, and i look forward to more drives like this coming winter, including full day drives, perhaps a 7 Emirates drive again, and definitely some drives in the mountains Fantastic support by @Aser, @J-P L, and @Mehmet Volga. Without your help i would have never taken the risk of a 20 car convoy, so thank you so much for stepping in. See you soon in the sand again! Photo gallery can be found here: Newbie - Scenic Northern Trails - RAK - 08 Nov 2025 - Carnity.com