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Drive report We started off as expected and tackled some small dunes before heading into larger long range dunes with long corridors . The recent rains meant the usually pristine sands had little ‘land mines’ all over them in the shape of shrubs and bushes . I carefully picked a path to avoid as much bumps as possible, the effect of a small shrub at high speed can be quite damaging so with that in mind we traversed the dunes making our way to the sabka. We had some minor stucks and refusals along the way . When we reached the Sabka there was an audible gasp as the convoy laid eyes on the high ridges , beckoning us forward . This is where the fun really began! With the clarion call of “Yalla” we thrashed the dunes . We travelled further into the less travelled side and as we did so the dunes became higher and the ridges sharper! “Go fast or Go Home” was the instruction and the convoy didn’t disappoint . We continued at pace, avoid the land mines in our path, getting atop of those razor sharp ridges. In amongst the glorious long ridges is a fabulous swirling bowl, I had marked it and was desperately seeking it when finally I spotted the location and the convoy whipped around it , not once , not twice , but thrice ! It’s so much fun! Yes we had some stucks, cars are liable to get crested when we have so many ridges , and the odd refusal as the sand churned up. But it was nothing that you wouldn’t expect and no one driver had more than another. It is also expected at IM level that you choose a cleaner path, you don't need to follow the tracks as you would at less experienced levels, perhaps some of you chose the wrong path @Armanthat gorgeous silver wrangler keeps you trucking along and you had a very good drive @GoutamIt was nice to see you again after such a long time, I think you only had one minor refusal. Good driving @Jorge Stepniak Felippe You had the roof down and the whole family with you and still managed a flawless drive. Well done! I hope the family enjoyed your driving. @Mario CornejoThe last time I drove with you was back at fewbie level, it's great to see the progress you have made and a flawless drive from you. Well done. @Thomas VargheseJust the one stuck I think and a couple of refusals Thomas, nice driving, I would ask when next you find yourself having a refusal that you step out and assess the situation. You know better than most what your car is capable of and how it is reacting. At IM level it is expected. @Jon MYou had a good drive, there was one moment I had my heart in my mouth as you slightly oversteered. Perhaps the difference from the dinky SWB Jeep by comparison to the Montero? Otherwise, good drive, @GauravSoniAnother very accomplished drive from you , almost flawless , just that one refusal in the churned sand. Well done. @Jack ThomasNice driving Jack and a lovely stuck haha aside from that no major issues from you. Well done. @WatteauNice to see you and your better half again, flawless drive and perfect winch man. Well done. @Shehab AlawadhiHave you bought that lady of yours a Jeep yet? YALLA! haha. Well driven , I don't recall you having any issues . Thank you to my support team of @Jeepiererouting perfectly, great to have such experience behind me. @Yousef Alimadadihandling the recoveries and stepping in when needed and @Islam Solimanfor sweeping up everything at the back. Until our next adventure

Good morning Desert Devils, Lawrence_Chehimi @Lawrence_Chehimi Ishraque Ahammed @Ishraque Ahammed Alfred Alinazar @Alfred Alinazar Watteau @Watteau SP kALATH @SP kALATH Adhir Saxena @Adhir Saxena Warren Flay @Warren Flay TT_Dubai @TT_Dubai Lucas Neo @Lucas Neo Fabien Monleau @Fabien Monleau Clau Co @Clau Co Anoop Nair @Anoop Nair You're all confirmed for Friday's drive. On which I am delighted to say we will be joined by Carnity's newest marshal @Foxtrot Oscar (means I will need to be on best behaviour). We will be sharing more details with you as the week progresses, but look forward to some nice bowls, challenging semi technical dunes, a palace and potentially an unexpected exit point. All of this, as ever, and where we end up will depend totally on the convoy and how we manage to get through the challenges put in front of us. See you soon in the sand.

Good to know I'm a veteran now.

Dear Desertnauts. A quick follow up about tomorrow's PM drive: the first objective will be to complete the crossing of the first 2 areas - Al Aweer to Lahbab, and Lahbab to Nazwa (via Mahafiz) the major skill we will practice in these areas will be ridge-riding, in a very controlled situation (not quite in a straight line, but rather steering along curvy ridges) the second objective, if time will allow, will be to extend the drive in the Pink Rock/Big Red area the skills we'll practice here, given that we'll likely reach the area later in the afternoon, will be fast pace and criss-crossing the convoy composition is studied to allow the tutoring of each Fewbie Plus driver by one Intermediate member, the former following the latter, alternating each driver in the convoy; The convoy numbering will be the following, with the letter V indicating "veteran" IM drivers, and the letter J indicating the more "junior" FB+ members: @GauravSoni in SL (V) @Lakshmi Narasimhan at #3 (J) @Thomas Varghese in place #4 (V) @Batuhan Kulac at #5 (J) @Craig Finlayson, will center the convoy (V) @Pacific will follow at #7 (J) @Probir Mukherjee at #8 (V) @Gok Krish in place #9 (J) @Ali Abas at #10 (V) @Ranjan Das will be #11 (J), and @Shehab Alawadhisweeping the convoy to safety. Please reach the meeting point, just at the outskirts of Al Aweer, in time (considering Ramada's traffic at that hour), and start deflating, taking into account the high temperature of the early afternoon. In reaching the meeting point, pay attention to road works, and a detour to reach Al Aweer, which is taking place on E611. The road works, combined with heavy traffic, may cause delays in reaching the location. We'll choose the radio channel on the spot. Looking forward to seeing you all tomorrow. Have a great evening.

You have always been a veteran!!!!

You have veteran @GauravSoni ahead of you in his Pajero and me right behind you. Just follow Gaurav's path and you will do fine. Gaurav is one driver I always love to follow. Don't worry about me following you or getting closer. I can manage well while following. I think @Batuhan Kulac will be fine to follow me as I always tend to climb higher when doing a side slope and he being having a heavier car will do better if he climbs higher. Same when ridge riding too. I tend to keep the car on the ridge with both side wheels on both sides of the ridge.

Well balanced convoy, I am open for the learning and all the fun!!! Can’t wait till tomorrow!!!

Thanks for the great drive @Foxtrot Oscar really love Al Faqa area all my passengers enjoyed the drive. Thank you to everyone that supported @Jeepie @Islam Soliman @Yousef Alimadadi great job helping out and making sure we had the most fun! @Islam Soliman hope me messing around in the back didn't bother you too much, I may have been enjoying myself too much, was trying to get good footage for the go pro (which I will upload soon or ill make a dropbox or something) Overall had so much fun! See you all soon Inshallah P.S Yes kinda late for an after drive report 🤣

See everyone tomorrow on the sand! Good to see @Lakshmi Narasimhan @Pacific @Gok Krish and @Ranjan Das again so soon!

@Thomas Varghese it would be naive of me to think of me as veteran. Every drive I learn something new about myself and my car observing my fellow mates!

One day! We have plenty of drives in the area so I’m sure you’ll get there soon

Great day and looking back, what an awesome bowl to finish off the day with.

So wish I was there...somehow Faqa and i have never gotten along .. everytime planned for it, either was forever waitlisted like this time or some other reasons ..Not going to give up ..😀

2nd drive waitlist 1. @varunmehndiratta 2. @Thomas Varghese

Kinda late for an after drive report 🤣 but here goes nothing! Thank you @Wrangeld for the amazing night drive and thank you for sticking me in the back, helped me get used to reading the sand and finding other ways to traverse dunes in the dark, overall I think my dune reading skills have been improving and I hope @Islam Soliman can confirm that! Massive thanks to our second lead @MUHAMMAD Kashif RAZZAQ our CF @M.Seidam and our sweep @Islam Soliman for either showing us a better path, helping during stucks/ refusals and for not leaving us behind in the dark and rain! Great job everyone! See you soon Inshallah! P.S @Gaurav Soni MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHHAHA I have more ghost stories if you'd like to hear them

Kindly add me to the wait-list 2nd drive.

Different ways of crossing sand dunes Throughout the Carnity Offroad briefings you might have heard the terms "straight up and straight down", "side sloping", or "criss-crossing", and these are basically different techniques that we use in desert for crossing the sand dunes. Each come with its own risks and by learning and understanding the technicalities behind them i hope we can all learn faster and get more confidence in executing them. I hope below tutorial gives a more clear understanding on the subject and we can use it for future reference. 1) Straight Up - Straight Down Carnity Offroad Level: Newbie and Fewbies Description This technique is one of the very first we learn to apply when learning offroading. The trick is to approach the dune straight up with "JUST" enough momentum to make it through, but not too much to damage bumpers or cause a jump. One should always take into account the resistance that the sand offers based on different areas, and even more on different seasons. Most sand dunes have two sides - The windward side, which is the side where the prevailing wind blows on, and can be recognized by the wavy lines of the sand. This is the side where we ride on because the sand is more compacted and firm to drive on. - The slip-face side, this the softer backside (smooth side, no lines) of the dune which is generally not recommended to climb on, but this technique can later be learned as you advance through the off-road levels (slip-face attack). How to tackle It is advisable to start off at the bottom of the dune with applying a decent amount of power, and start letting go of the gas once you have climbed 75% of the dune. By that point the momentum should carry you further, and as soon as the car front wheel touches the crest, leave the gas completely or apply a bit of gentle braking when needed, to let you slide on other side of the dune safely. In fact the perfect technique is finding that right amount of momentum that you don't even need to apply brakes on the other side. Some gentle blips of throttle can help at the top to push you over the edge, as you learn and master this first step. If you run out of momentum going upwards to cross the dune, do not worry or panic, this is called a REFUSAL. Gently reverse and slowly come back in a straight line as you have climbed up. Announce on the radio that you have a refusal. Reverse up far enough so you can take a second attempt but this time with a bit more momentum. Risk Level: Low to medium. Approaching too slow will increase refusal and might cause stuck at the crest. Approaching with excessive speed might damage the bumpers or cause a vehicle to jump. Apply gentle throttle and slowly increase after learning. Take note that every dune is different and each approach will need to be made slightly different in terms of speed. Associated Risks: If you approach the dune too fast, more likely you will cause the bumper damage because your reaction time will be reduced substantially at very high speed. 2) Side-Sloping Carnity Offroad Level: Fewbie and upwards Description This technique is very fun and addictive, but it needs to be executed with a clear mind and a good experience on the behavior of the car. That is the main reason why this technique is only used from Fewbie level onwards. It is very critical to understand how gravity works and as we always says: " DO NOT FIGHT GRAVITY ". this applies to this technique most of all. When you approach a dune that you want to side-slope on, you need to carry enough momentum to get you through. This does not necessarily mean FULL throttle, because that depends on the type of dune. As soon as your car is on an incline, it will have the natural tendency to try to come down. The more momentum you carry, the further you will get. It is extremely important that you do not fight this by going higher up the dune at that point, but to steer down in a smooth way. Braking at this point is also very dangerous. While doing side sloping try to choose smooth path as possible and avoid stepping on rock, bushes or bumps that can bounce you and disturb the whole balance and tip you off or result in dangerous fish-tailing or tire pop-out at high speed. EVERY MOVEMENT OR ACTION YOU DO WHILE SLIDE-SLOPING NEEDS TO BE DONE IN A SMOOTH WAY, SUDDEN BRAKING OR EXTREME STEERING CAN LEAD TO ROLL-OVERS. Best practice: Always visually mark the entry and exit of the dune that you wish to do side sloping on. Stick to the initial plan as far as possible and exit safely. If you are new to this, then watch and observe how others have done before and try to replicate that as much as you can. The best thing to keep in mind is to think about "HALF MOONS" What i mean with that is that you should never make 90° turns during any kinds of these activities, but make smooth half moons during approaching dunes or crossing them. Risk Level: Medium. With proper training and guidance you can eliminate the risk of a roll-over for 95%, but one should always be aware of the risks involved and take all measures possible to minimize these. Keep both hands at the steering wheel and your full attention on the view ahead. Do not get distracted ! Associated Risks: If your vehicle is lifted more than 4 inch of OEM stock height then your 4x4 center of gravity will be less, and this will increase the risk of roll-over or flip by 50%. Same goes for bouncy (non-standard/rated) suspensions. 3) Criss-Crossing Carnity Offroad Level: Fewbie and upwards Description Criss-crossing is the art of riding the ridge of the dune and crossing over to the other side. Also here it is vital to understand that the approach towards the ridge, as well as the crossing over needs to be done in a smooth, half moon way. So basically you approach the dune along the length, you can stay on the ridge for as long as you want, but don't lose momentum at this point, or you will be crested lengthwise in the exact middle. Now the trick is to choose the right point at which you cross towards the other side. This feels scary at the beginning, but soon you will get the hang of it, and cross ridges without panicking at all. Make the criss-cross movement again in a half-moon method as seen below. Below picture shows the right and wrong way to criss-cross a dune. On the left side you will see that the approach is smooth and as soon as you cross over to the other side you gently steer down. Braking at this point is again very dangerous. In the right-side scenario, the angle of approach is very sharp, and during higher speeds this can result in a roll-over. EVERY MOVEMENT OR ACTION YOU DO WHILE CRISS-CROSSING NEEDS TO BE DONE IN A SMOOTH WAY, SUDDEN BRAKING OR EXTREME STEERING CAN LEAD TO ROLL-OVERS. Risk Level: Medium. With proper training and guidance you can eliminate the risk of a roll-over for 95%, but one should always be aware of the risks involved and take all measures possible to minimize these. Keep both hands at the steering wheel and your full attention on the view ahead. Do not get distracted ! Associated Risks: If your vehicle is lifted more then 4 inch of OEM stock height, then your 4x4 center of gravity will be less and this will increase the risk of roll-over or flip by 50%. Same goes for bouncy (non-standard/rated) suspensions. 4) Hill Climbing While this technique is not immediately necessary to cross dunes, climbing a mighty big dune will bring some fun and adrenaline in the equation. At first, you might feel intimidated and not sure if your car can handle this. With the right techniques at hand you can at least make a safe attempt and see how far you can get. This technique can be practiced from Newbie level onwards on small hills, and later you will learn to approach taller dunes from Fewbie level and up. Again it is extremely important to make a smooth "half-moon" circle at the top. If you run out of momentum and come to a standstill, DO NOT attempt to make a turn, but put your car in 4LO, and slowly reverse down the dune while keeping your wheels straight. The low gearing will help you in keeping that slow pace. As you begin to learn this, it's always advisable to make a smaller U-Turn to learn how your car reacts and how your mind reacts when you take the first turn on top of dune. This needs to be done with confidence and without any doubt or fear, so that you don't brake on top and do the complete U-Turn without braking and in a very smooth manner. Practicing on small U-Turn will build your confidence and after 5-10 small U-Turn attempt you can try higher and higher by understanding your vehicle dynamics and limitations. Risk Level: Medium. With proper training and guidance you can eliminate the risk of a roll-over for 95%, but one should always be aware of the risks involved and take all measures possible to minimize these. Keep both hands at the steering wheel and your full attention on the view ahead. Do not get distracted ! Associated Risks: If your vehicle is lifted more than 4 inch above OEM stock height, then your 4x4 center of gravity will be less and this will increase the risk of roll-over or flip by 50%. Same goes for bouncy (non-standard/rated) suspensions. Safety of all offroad enthusiasts is the most important thing. This is an extreme hobby that brings confidence, thrills, and people together as a family. We can only do whatever we can to make all safety instructions clear and concise but in end it's up to the offroader behavior to understand all risk and associated risk involve and enjoy safely. Open for any questions or comments !

It is my pleasure driving along with such experienced veterans!!! Always there are many take away from every drive, but I make sure I grab at least few!!!!

Lawrence_Chehimi @Lawrence_Chehimi Ishraque Ahammed @Ishraque Ahammed Alfred Alinazar @Alfred Alinazar Watteau @Watteau SP kALATH @SP kALATH Adhir Saxena @Adhir Saxena Warren Flay @Warren Flay TT_Dubai @TT_Dubai Lucas Neo @Lucas Neo Fabien Monleau @Fabien Monleau Anoop Nair @Anoop Nair NIki Patel @Niki Replacement and a wonderful addition to tne convoy is Niki (and family members). We will do our best to make it worth everyone's while.

Thank you very much @Ale Vallecchi see you tomorrow

Posted some pictures in the gallery

Hello @Ali Abas. You can join the drive, if you wish. Can you confirm? Thanks

@Batuhan Kulac, @Gok Krish, @Ranjan Das good to see you back to back. See you on dunes.

Hi, this is a Fewbie Drive. Corrected

kindly add me to the waitlist. 2nd drive.

@Anish Scan you please add me to waitlist for second drive for the week. I am getting second dose vaccine on Wednesday, just to be on safer side.

Great and very well deserved, congratulations @Foxtrot Oscar

Congratulations @Foxtrot Oscar! Well-deserved promotion - enjoy the new responsibilities!