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@Lorenzo Candelpergheryour drives never disappoint. It was perfect route today and I enjoyed how the convoy were supportive in giving tips to each driver, the cresting was fantastic to help refine my skills @Ale Vallecchifor your enthusiasm to get me in the bowl and then tactfully make my out on top, through clear guidance and support was fantastic Everyone else you were awesome team and see you soon

Not correct. You have already driven as an intermediate, but perhaps not driven in an intermediate rated drive. Enjoy, Thomas. You worked hard to get to this level.

Thank you Richard @Wrangeld for your kind appreciation. Todays drive was real adventurous. Yes your drives were exciting too. 15 minutes into the drive I was wondering what have I got myself into. I was contemplating whether to gracefully exit by giving some lame excuse as @Lorenzo Candelpergher was like riding an Unicorn instead of driving a Rubicon. I was going easy on the suspensions of my Xterra and was lagging a little behind @Shehab Alawadhi. As it is his F150 is like a tank destroying everything in its path. Most of the time I had to slightly deviate from his tracks when climbing uphill and had to change the angle of approach. The advantage is, that beast flattens any ridge it treads on. Still I managed to get stuck twice. The support from @Lorenzo Candelpergher, @Ale Vallecchi & @GauravSoni made these stucks looking like nothing serious. Once the feel of the fast paced desert driving started to slowly creep into my brain then it was easy and fun. By the time I warmed up completely the drive was over 😢. It was a surprise to me that @Ali Abas was also a debutante as I could see he was matching every move I make with the same steps and closely following behind me. I actually thought he had much experience in Intermediate drives. The rest of the team were all experienced Intermediate drivers and performed what was expected of them. Thank you all the lead marshals who I have driven with and have trained me into these desert driving skills. I had to use all that knowledge gained while driving with them to keep pace with @Lorenzo Candelpergher. My only suggestion is that the drive could have extended little more into the evening which would have made us drive under our lights. After the last few night drives I really enjoy them. One thing I kept hearing over the radio today was gain more height from Prof @Ale Vallecchi. I still remember @Frederic instructing us to the extent of even screaming the same during our Absolute Newbie drive. I always remember that advice and follow them like its the essence of all slide sloping. Of course don't fight gravity and lose fatally is another important lesson. Whenever driving a ridge try to keep the wheels on both sides. I don't remember exactly who told this first but its etched in my brain. Every time I think of @Rahimdad his stern class on throttle control crosses my mind and puts a smile. I was wondering what is he trying to teach me in throttle control when I have over 40 years experience driving on tarmac. @Rahimdad I think now I have made you proud by practicing it. (Secret- it was the best lesson and advice I got). In fact the whole essence of sand driving is merely throttle control. Thank you all again for your professional classes to turn a novice like me into an Intermediate driver over sands.

Dear @Lorenzo Candelpergher, thank you very much for the opportunity to sweep your convoy. It was a delightful drive, in a beautiful area swept immaculately clean by a warm wind, with a small and efficient group of drivers. I truly enjoyed the possibility of refining my skills at driving behind some heavily churned tracks (how could it have been otherwise, with 3 powerful monster trucks and a mighty Land Cruiser ahead of me), looking for a clean approach to ridges, or working to balance the car on crests already marked by the convoy ahead. I found the effort refreshing and very useful: never underestimate the value of supporting a convoy, and how much it can teach about one's own driving skills, and needs to improve. Thanks @Shehab Alawadhi, @Thomas Varghese, @Ali Abas, @GauravSoni, @Jack Thomas and @Rob Harper for joining the drive, working together to make it a fast, and almost uninterrupted one. And what a great conclusion, riding into the sunset, with gazelles darting away in front of us. See you soon in the sand.

Dear Desert Wanderers, the RSVP is now closed. Please find below the convoy order: @Shehab Alawadhi, @Thomas Varghese, @Ali Abas, @Gaurav Soni, @Jack Thomas, @Ale Vallecchi, this drive is going to be very fast paced and technically demanding, more mentally for the drivers than mechanically for the cars. For those of you who have been newly promoted to Intermediate Level, it will be a significant step up from Fewbie / Fewbie+, mostly because of the higher pace, but also because of the more frequent technical challenges, as we will be doing a lot of criss-crossing and deep dives on slip faces (hence the name of the drive..). This drive will require your full and undivided concentration at every step, so make sure you come well rested and you don’t have any reason for being distracted. If you are fancying to take a lot of photos, be aware that this may not be the best occasion, as you will need both your hands on the steering wheel at all times,.. Also, please consider carefully if you wish to bring passengers along with you. We will be using Carnity Channel 1 (446.00625MHz). Please make it to the meeting point, ready to go (i.e. already deflated and flagged) by no later 3:45pm (sharp).

DRIVE REPORT Dear Desert Wanderers, after a long period of forced abstinence from leading, today's drive was for me a great opportunity to get back in the game and feel once again the mix of adrenaline, fun and freedom that leading an off-road drive offers, so I couldn't be more grateful to all those who joined today and made this drive enjoyable, fast and smooth. All convoy members were sharp on time at the meeting point, so by 3:48pm we were already moving after the briefing: the best possible start for a drive meant to be all about speed and pace. A warm wind welcomed us on the sand. Maybe annoying during the very few recoveries, but perfect to grant us a virgin terrain, with ridges and crests perfectly reshaped in the anticipation of our passage. Less than a minute in the drive, we were already riding the first ridges at high speed: two wheels on one side of the crest, two on the other side, it became immediately clear this was going to be the leitmotif of the day. The name of drive became clear as well quite soon, as we systematically criss-crossed the ridges/crests, deep diving on the slip faces of dunes of all heights, to the extent that only once we did a straight up / straight down crossing. The convoy responded to my challenging routing far beyond my expectations. @Shehab Alawadhi was a perfect 2nd lead. Cautious enough to hold when I showed some hesitation, fast in response to my slight rerouting instructions, never hesitant to follow through, even in the most daring passages. Being crested in a couple of occasion only shows Intermediate level is now the right rank for him to polish even more his driving driving skills. @Thomas Varghese demonstrated beyond doubt how deserved his fresh promotion to Intermediate was. The drive pace and technical level were definitely a step up, but Thomas' response was excellent. A couple of stucks are to be considered part of the game, proof that even when one deservingly makes it to Intermediate, there is still more to learn. @Ali Abas led his Landcruser beautifully on all those crests. The only moment of hesitation (and a bush too much, probably) caused an unfortunate pop-out, which was however fixed in record time. I felt very sorry when I heard his daughters were a bit scared during the drive and that the little one got even car-sick in the end... Maybe a fast paced Intermediate drive was not the best occasion to bring the family along. @Gaurav Soni, despite driving in churned up sand, showcased the great wealth of experience built up over the many intermediate drives done with Carnity. @Rob Harper's Tundra was a beauty to watch.. I often looped back to keep an eye on the convoy and see how everyone was doing along the crests: everytime I looked, Rob's all black monster rode with two wheels past the crest in a very authoritative way. @Jack Thomasundoubtly had fun today, as he knew already what he had signed up for... He was indeed with me on my first "Slip face of Al Qudra" drive: I'm curious to read his views on this "reloaded" version, when compared to the first one. Last but not least, my appreciation and gratitude go to @Ale Vallecchi, an unusual sweep, who made my life a lot easier in the few recoveries we had to manage. I am glad to read he enjoyed the drive though churned up sand. Overall, we drove 52.3km in 2h 51', of which we spent in movement 2h 16', with only 34' stopped time. This resulted in a very fast pace at 23.4 km/h average moving speed. Not bad, but nothing to be compared with the running speed of the beautiful gazelles that crossed our path in the sabkha at sunset on our way out... I couldn't have planned a better gran finale. Thank you everyone for a great midweek drive and kudos for an outstanding performance.

Hi @Rob Harper, Yes, you responded to the RSVP. It was my mistake not to include you. Probably a wrong copy / paste. Apologies. You can, of course, join.

Wish you all Ramadan Kareem with a heart filled with peace, harmony and joy. May the divine blessings of Allah protect and guide you. Sending my best wishes to you, family and friends on this holy month.

@Lorenzo CandelpergherI have also been RSVP'ed for this drive from the day it was opened.

Hello Frederic, I'll be driving 2016 Pajero 3.8 - 4doors. and I have very little off-road experience as I came several times here to carnity but with my friends as a passenger. Looking forward to meeting you all guys. Thanks, Ahmed.

Thanks for a great afternoon, hope to drive with you guys again soon!

Congrats @Farouq Owdeh looking forward to drive with you

Congratulations 👏👏

I'm very excited going to be a great evening

Hi Frederick, I’m looking forward to it! I’ll be driving a 2018 Jeep Wrangler. I did one lap of an off road circuit in the mud in the UK so I don’t think this really counts! Front and rear tow points are in good order and I’ve got a tyre gauge and deflator as well as a compressor. Aaron

Dear @Thomas Varghese, I'm pleased it will be with me. Looking forward to it.

@Lorenzo Candelpergher this drive will be my debut as an Intermediate.

Drive Brief After the first successful edition, the "Slip Face of Al Qudra" drive is back. A fast paced, action packed re-visiting of the well known areas of Al Qudra Desert, where the drive level will be pushed to intermediate with lots of opportunities to practice ridge-riding, crest breaking and criss-crossing skills along with frequent dives and occasional climbs on the slip face of high and long range dunes, all mixed with a couple of highly technical small dunes stints. General Infos 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 Off-roader 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. SUGGESTED READING: Carnity Two Way Radio Frequencies MUST WATCH: NEWBIE VIDEO BRIEFING Drive Details Level: Intermediate and Above (All Levels) When: 13 Apr 2021, Friday. Meeting time: 3:45 PM (SHARP - Without any exceptions) Meeting Point: Sayh al Salm Roundabout - https://goo.gl/maps/6rYD28XzLS8xeHe9A 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, willingness to learn and your own compressor for tire inflation. Approximate finish time: 6:30 PM End Point: Bab Al Shams Limited Spots Available: Limited to 10 cars only. RSVP will close on Tuesday - 9 AM. 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

@Thomas Varghese it is throttle and steering control. Always proud to see the team managing the drives so well at different levels, sharing their knowledge and experience. With the size of our club growing its impossible to be everywhere, but the occasions I get to drive with the amazing members I'm always proud of the safety and strong basics all drivers show including you @Thomas Varghese.

@Chaitanya DI have added myself for second drive, my 1st night drive.

Good morning @Desert Wrangler@Ahmed Mostafa @aaron kamalland welcome to Carnity Offroad Club ! I am looking forward to meeting you all coming Friday morning. In the meantime please send a small introduction here below with the following: 1) Which 4x4 are you driving ? 2) Do you have any prior offroading experience ? If so please indicate where and what.. 3) Is your 4x4 equipped with front and rear towpoints ? This is a necessity and they should be in perfect condition. For your first offroad drive it's sufficient to bring a pressure gauge and tire deflator so you can deflate your tires before heading into the sand. If you have more offroad tools please also bring them along. A compressor to inflate your tyres will also be necessary as we are exiting near a petrol station that has no compressor. Please watch the below Absolute Newbie briefing video below as this contains all the essential information to prepare yourself for your first offroad drive: MUST WATCH: NEWBIE VIDEO BRIEFING When it comes to tools, we have the following article: Please use this topic to raise your questions, doubts, queries. We are here to help !

@Chaitanya D looking forward to this drive, my very 1st night drive

It was a great drive today. It was short convoy but team was amazing. Happy to drive with more experienced drivers. Had a great time with you guys and learnt many new things. Hope we will drive again soon. Thank you guys. @Thomas Varghese@Russ@Islam Soliman @Chaitanya D and 2nd Lead.

Thank you @Chaitanya D could you please share the location

Got fitted rapid deflation valves today. Just 10 seconds per tyre to deflate now. They pressure up a bit quicker as well.

Thanks Ale - looking forward to the drive 👍👍👍

Dear @Batuhan Kulac, the drive will start at 6am with the aim to finish by 10am, so it will be a 4 hours one, as specified both in the drive details and in the calendar.

Added to the drive thread and calendar . Thanks

I would want to join night drive and experience it and learn the night drive, to do it safe and to enjoy can do any thing and this is not expensive one, good suggestion!!!!

Dear Desert Wanderers, Amazingly fast responses to this RSVP, which was closed almost instantly after publishing. For the time being, subject to qualifying for Intermediate level, the following attendees are pre-booked for the drive: @AlexPol, @Tariq Carrimjee, @Mario Cornejo, @varunmehndiratta, @Shehab Alawadhi, @Ahab Shamaa, @Jack Thomas, @Tero Vallas, @Jon M. Waitlisted are @GauravSoni, @Jorge Stepniak Felippe and @Francois Germishuys. Have a good week!

Evening @Lakshmi Narasimhan. Thanks my dear. It is still in the garage and the clutch needs to be replaced. I should be ready on Wednesday, all going well. If not, then I get to borrow the wife's Land Cruiser again 😃 Have a good week ahead!

Dear Desertnauts. As I enjoy finding a theme for all my itineraries, this one has been inspired by one recent Fewbie outing, when we found this perfectly laid track, just smoothed out by some kind of machinery, that allowed us to speed, highway style, from the yellow Murqaab dunes to the white Lisaili cordons, without having to worry about the very difficult technical terrain separating these two great off-roading areas. Combine the presence of this "highway" with the fact that the sun will constantly be at our back, rising in the east to west direction, and Solar Park will be our goal, to understand why we'll be enjoying a "Highway to the Sun" drive. Despite its romantic, and possibly comforting title, the drive itself will not be a particularly relaxing one, from the point of view of the technical difficulties of the two areas will explore. They both have some tall dunes: Murqaab with smoother and wider ridges, Lisaili with sharper ones. There will be soft sand patches in both. There are a few deep bowls in both, wider in Murqaab, and tighter in Lisaili, where they tend to form "canyons" of successive bowls, to ride as a rollercoaster. We'll proceed with care, working on our skills, mostly focusing on side sloping, and perhaps some rudiments of ridge-riding. @Pmaraziti, @ARAGON, @Lakshmi Narasimhan, @Russ, @JeromeFJ, @WaYan, @Gregory, @Chris Wing, @Warren Flay, @TT_Dubai, @Ranjan Pattanaik and @Roger K, thanks for joining, and stay tuned for more detailed drive's info coming to you this Thursday. Enjoy your wee. Hi @Thomas Varghese. You are #1 in the WL. Thanks @Lucas Neo you are #2 on the WL. Thanks a lot.

@Niekku you'll need to get back to drinking coffee 🙃

@TT_Dubaihope you got ur car fixed, nice to see you joining the drive!!!

Only 3 words. Had great fun.

Few of us got opportunity to see @Rahimdadpushing @Ranjan Pattanaik car out of the sand, sand erupted and pushed our superman 2 feet behind, is that not enough for him to rise again strong and push the car out and pose the muscle power of super man!!!! Unfortunately no videos or pics taken!!!! Hope your car is fixed and see you soon in the sands

@Ranjan Pattanaik @Rizwan Waheed@Daniel Fernandez@Lakshmi Narasimhan@Roger K@Rawad Bahsas@Tbone@Chinthaka Ruwan@Pierre de Maigret@Yawa@Richard Franks @Rahimdad Pictures are up on the Gallery - hope I got everyone 😃