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  1. For the first time, scientists have been able to determine the age of a star dune, one of the largest dune species. The Lala Lallia was formed in Morocco 13,000 years ago, and today it still moves slowly through the desert. Star dunes such as the Lala Lallia (Berber for 'Highest Sacred Point') can grow up to hundreds of meters high. They are found in Africa, Asia and North America, as well as outside the Earth, such as on Mars. The Lala Lallia is 100 meters high and 700 meters wide and is located in the desert area of Erg Chebbi in the southeast of Morocco. In the UAE, there are hundreds of these types of dunes, mostly found in the Al Quoa Region: https://maps.app.goo.gl/qaeHbLqc6zQyvV3f8 Such a dune is created by winds from different directions colliding with each other. From the ground, such a dune looks like a pyramid (hence the nickname 'pyramid dune'. But from the sky, the dune looks more like a star, because it flares out in several arms. By finding out their age, scientists can learn to understand the workings of those winds and better map the climate of thousands of years ago. Understanding how the dunes form also has a practical use in the construction of infrastructure such as roads or pipelines. The Lala Lallia now appears to be 13,000 years old. That seems very old, but in geological terms, 13,000 years is pretty young. And to the researchers' surprise, the top layer of the dune was much younger, 'barely' a thousand years old. By the way, the sand that makes up the dune is much older: millions of years, in fact. Scientists were able to determine the age using the technique of luminescence dating, in which they calculate when grains of sand were last exposed to daylight. According to the scientists, the dune formed relatively quickly, in 4,000 years. After that, the dune stopped growing for about 8,000 years, only to expand again in the last thousand years. Because dune formation is so strongly dependent on the wind, a dune never stands completely still. According to the researchers, the Lala Lallia shifts fifty centimeters every year. Geoff Duller, a professor involved at the University of Aberystwyth in Wales, called the dunes "extraordinary" and "one of the natural wonders of the world".
    13 points
  2. DRIVE REPORT CONVOY 1 With the rising sun warming us up after a chilly night, we met up at the Khanoor entry point with two convoys eager to explore this "holy grail of terrains" for off-roaders: The Mystical Liwa ! After the briefing, where we emphasized this kind of terrain demands a humble approach and mental resilience, we set off and started making our way Eastwards. We had drafted a plan with waypoints to keep as a reference to fall back on, but the idea was to follow where the dunes were leading us, as in Liwa this is usually the only way through. After a couple of hours, i handed over the lead to @DP1011, as i wanted him to feel the joy of leading in this terrain, which he did MARVELOUSLY. Throughout the day, we had a handful of refusals, zero stucks, and no rope or recovery. In almost 7hrs of driving in this challenging terrain, where low gear was sometimes the only way up or out. This says a LOT about the convoy, that was so in tune and capable, and of course the lead, who carefully chose his lines to keep the group safe from harm. Our tactic of letting the lead climb first to the platform of the dunes, and then giving the second lead the confirmation to follow, worked like a charm, and this allowed to avoid massive bowls and pitfalls. @Rafey Hashmi you had your doubts about yourself and what the Jimny could manage in LIWA. Let it be put to rest for once and for always that it's always about the driver. The way you carefully chose your lines and built your momentum on bigger climbs was a sight to behold, and the skills that your little Jimny forced you to learn has turned you in a super capable off-roader ! @Alphin Aloor we all know what a heavy boat a stock Patrol Y61 is. Me too But look at how bloody capable they are. I slept comfortably in the Patrol the entire weekend, and the car is a blessing for this long journey. If driven the right way the Patrol is unstoppable and unstuckable. You proved it by not breaking a single sweat all weekend ! @Pascal you've done plenty of drives with us, and your skills are way up there, together with your calm approach and magnificent 4Runner. Always a pleasure to have you and your wife on any of our adventures ! @Richard Franks who is an Ex-Jeeper who moved to the Toyota world of no worries, proves once again how capable a stock FJ is, and how you navigated it seamlessly through this challenging terrain ! @AlexM and @Amr A both equipped with superb driving skills and green mean Jeeps, i love having you guys on our drives, as you both have a can-do attitude and back it up with so many drive skills. @M.Seidamand of course his dear Abdallah, was an absolute delight to have you watching our backs and supporting us at each step. We reached the camp around 4.45PM and took our time to setup. I was in touch with @GauravSoniand heard he ran into some technical troubles, but soon after we saw 6 knights in shining armor racing towards us, full of adrenaline and joy, and it looked they had a very different type of day but nevertheless turned it into a blast and A-Team Work ! Kudos to you guys for not giving up and i am looking forward to your drive report to tell us your stories ! The next morning, we cleaned up the camp, left by 9.15, and within 40mins we were on top of Moreeb, enjoying the scenery and taking photos that will help us remember this unforgettable weekend ! Most importantly we have to count our blessings for exiting two convoys, free of incidents. And that is what matters most. I am sure everyone drove home with a smile I know i did ! Thanks @GauravSoniand @Simon D for taking the second convoy and offering everyone a chance to experience this unforgettable drive. I will never forget the stories you guys shared about how the Pajero roared back to life after its surgery 😆 Below the actual track we did (black line was our draft, red is the actual track): Day one we covered around 76km in approx 8hrs total. Day two we only needed to cover 10kms in 40mins to reach Moreeb.
    12 points
  3. Dear Desert Wanderers @Sviatoslav, @Guido Ferriani, @Theo09, @Adam Black, @Damien, @MHD91, @Wilfredo Perez, @Frederic118, @Vipin M, @ChrisW, @Sameer D., @Lea Degner, @Emmanuelle Ifrah, @Fabien Monleau & @Sunil Mathew firstly I would like to thank you all for being on time deflated and flags up, this allowed us to start the briefing and be underway by 14:25. You all drove extremely well with zero stucks and only a handful of refusals. so well done to each and every one of you @Theo09 great second lead and eventually sweep when we had to swap you and Fabian out, you followed my instructions to the tee which allows for a smooth flowing convoy. @ChrisW hope you get the car sorted quickly and easily and that we see you again in the sand real soon @Sunil Mathew great support in the CF roll, really appreciate you being in the middle buddy a lot less for me to worry about, thank you much appreciated. @Fabien Monleau great job in the sweep, always a pleasure to having you along my friend, and great job towing the jeep out, that went a lot smoother than I could have hoped for, thanks again and appreciate all the support Apologies we had to cut the drive a little shorter than we anticipated, and hope to see you all in the sand again real soon
    11 points
  4. Some of the best looking ridge riding attempts below: @Mahmut @Benjamin @Abhilash Kottakkal @Shiju Raju @Rohit Deginal @Emanuel @Shaun J I just realized I don't have a single "dramatic" picture of your car's crossing - that's how smooth you were with the throttle... And since I had to keep up after our lead, there was no time to catch him in the act. So I got this instead, @DP1011
    10 points
  5. @Sviatoslav, @Guido Ferriani, @Theo09, @Adam Black, @Damien, @MHD91, @Wilfredo Perez, @Frederic118, @Vipin M, @ChrisW, @Sameer D., @Lea Degner, @Fabien Monleau & @Sunil Mathew. due to the popularity of this drive please indicate that your plans have not changed and that you still are able to join us on Saturday afternoon. This will allow us to plan for those in the waitlist. If you are unable to make the drive, no issue, please go to the calendar and remove your RSVP. if you are still planning on making the drive simply like this post. Appreciated in advance. I will be sending out more information tomorrow Look forward to meeting new friends and old on Saturday.
    9 points
  6. Dear all, @Faraz94 @Andrei S @Shiju Raju @Shaun J @Andrew John Melvill @JERINE_B @Mahmut @Rohit Deginal @Premjit Vappala @Rahul6157 @DanielN @Jad Moussalli @Deepak Eswar @Mohammad Sayawoush Azad @Rk ram @JohanE @Frans M @Joji varghese @Rajiv Sam @Sunil Mathew I and @Kailas would see you all tomorrow 7.15am sharp please ( You can be early, and be deflated , ready for briefing) Please see the convoy order as below , with radio channel as below : Please make sure you are tuned / radio frequency programmed to Carnity channels. Convoy 1 : DP - We use radio channel 2: 446.031 Convoy 2 @Kailas - Radio channel 4 - 446.081
    9 points
  7. Is it weird that my hands are itching to go back? That does speak a lot about the outstanding experience we all had. Thank you very very much @Frederic for organizing this, I have rendered this trip as an Oman experience, and I'm happy with it. I have to say, I genuinely had doubts before joining the convoy. But Fred believed in me and gave me that 'one chance' (lol) and I can now proudly say that I am LIWA certified (awaiting the sticker Fred). Wouldn't had been possible without our amazing convoy and it's leaders. @M.Seidam@DP1011. Some highlights below Soft sand is an understatement when it comes to Liwa. I got a refusal 3 mins into the drive, back of my mind I was like 'what did I get myself into' - but further down my sight I could see Fred and Deepak sir quietly watching and assessing. Immediate motivation booster haha! The dunes sang for me whenever we headed down, that was a true ':O' experience. I thought I had a pop out and its creating that sound. Nonetheless, all captured on video. 😳 Deepak sir had a simple yet interesting situation, jerry can leaking. When @Amr A used his surgeon steady hands to transfer the fuel, it's only to find out that one is leaking too lol. 😋 Fred being on standby while DP checks out the dunes and gives the go ahead really saved us from some tricky bowls. Well done! 👍🏼 Unfortunately, I looked away for 5 seconds on the sabka and went off track and hit the front of the car from a step. Which caused my car to create weird sounds when I braked and when I took a half left turn. Bothered Fred from his well deserved break to check out the car and he was kind enough to do a thorough check just for my peace of mind. Although the issue was not identified and the grinding and grunting existed till the end of the trip, massive respect for Fred was gained. 🫶🏻 Heading to our final camping site and seeing the beautiful sunset was a sight to behold. But an even better sight was when our second convoy rolled up on our camping spot one after the other, next to each other with loud music blasting from their cars. @Simon D @GauravSoni 👏🏼 After a quick spin by the second convoy, @Imran Asghar decided to retire the rush and set camp as you cant be lucky thrice. Wise move sir! 🫡 The beautiful sun set as the stars came out, a blanket of pearls in the sky with little to no light pollution. Couldn’t stop looking away. Our fireside stories began and one by one, we voiced our experiences digging deep into our Carnity journey. ✍🏼 Headed straight to the tower the next morning, no rush, at ease at our own pace. @Batuhan Kulac got to try the Jimny and fell in love. @Amr A was able to squeeze his legs in the driver seat and immediately smiled once settled. ✅ As we inflated and said our goodbye’s, I was excited for this to happen again next season. 💪🏼 Learnings from the drive: I have a whole another level of love for Jimny’s Create your own lines when the going gets tough Push, but don’t over push. Fine line between getting bogged and making it out Any and I mean any mechanic can fix a Jimny. That incident costed me 20 dhs and a screwdriver to unbend the disk. Heads up the person behind you and request patience, @Alphin Aloor being a champion with that. Thank you. See you all post Eid. #JimnyPower
    9 points
  8. Can't thank you enough @Frederic for organizing such an enterprise and @GauravSoni for leading our pack safely in and out of LIWA. Thankfully I have always been able to answer whenever LIWA called - this being my 4th excursion - an annual pilgrimage of sorts.. and loved every bit of it and then some more... Thanks also for the opportunity to make new friends with @Gautam Banka and meet up with old ones @Simon D @Batuhan Kulac and @Imran Asghar. it was fun experiencing respective leads of Simon and Gaurav - different but then similar traits with common denominator being safety. It was an absolute pleasure driving with you gentlemen and the time spent together around the fire under clear star studded skies is simply priceless. Thank you for the company, the opportunity and all the fun.
    9 points
  9. Good afternoon desert wanderers, @Pajy McPajface - luke, @Abdullah N, @Nizar Shawwa, @Andrew John Melvill, @Ahmed Farouk, @essam ibrahim, @Imteeaz, @Hani Howeedy, @Jeevan Koshy, @Vijay Cowlagi, @Andrei S, @frederic demolder and @Islam Soliman. Thank you all for showing up on time this morning, being ready to go and paying full attention to the briefing. This made for a very smooth and flawlessly executed drive by you in in some very tricky terrain. I cannot tell you all how impressed I was with your skill and knowledge as well as the abundance of Enthusiasm shown at breaks and at during the drive itself. We covered 36.4 KM with a max speed of 47kmph. A huge shout out to my 3 Musketeers, @Pajy McPajface - luke for a fantastic S/L, always a please to have you and the girls in the convoy , you executed my requests to stop, change lines and hold the convoy perfectly, well done and thank you, this goes a long way to making the drive smooth for the guys that follow. @Imteeaz Brilliant in the CF position, your calm demeaner and ability to get the stuck unstuck in quick smart time is breathtaking to witness, fantastic job mate with 100% control over the middle of the convoy, thank you and appreciate you. @Islam Soliman, What can I say my friend, always a comfort to have your breadth of skill and knowledge in the convoy, having you at the back allows me to focus on the lead without having to worry what's going on behind me, brilliant as always appreciated and thank you. @Abdullah N, hope your passengers enjoyed it and are feeling better, motion sickness is horrible and can spoil the drive for them, hope this was not the case and we get to see them again soon. @Hani Howeedy, great first Fewbie drive my friend, and it seems you are on the way to losing your title of CREST CHAMPION, you might have to move over and hand the baton to @Abdullah N, as you pointed out, one drive is only one data set which does not make a trend, but none the less he led you today 2 - 0, we will keep monitoring and see how this pans out @Nizar Shawwa and @Andrew John Melvill great drive for only your second Fewbie's you both showed great control all the way around today well done to you both. @Ahmed Farouk as always you drove extremely well nice smooth lines and great control over your vehicle well done. @essam ibrahim great drive today, just need a little more confidence to keep the momentum up when performing some of the trickier maneuvers, however, i did see a much-improved Essam today so congratulations and well done. @Jeevan Koshy fantastic first fewbie drive, you drove really well with just a few minor refusals that @Islam Soliman was able to quickly help you out with, hope you learnt some tips and tricks from one of the best today, see you in the sand again real soon. @Vijay Cowlagi well done to you as well, great first fewbie drive, you drove well, and with confidence keep it up see you in the desert again soon. @Andrei S you drove impeccably, and no pop outs so well done and keep it up, see you soon for the next adventure. @frederic demolder Hope you enjoyed the drive and look forward to seeing you and the boss back in the sand very soon, we did miss her today hope she gets over the jet lag real soon. Have a great rest of your weekend and please remember to put your pictures in our drive folder in the Gallery and not here on the forum.
    9 points
  10. @Simon D @Batuhan Kulac @Imran Asghar @Gautam Banka @Ranjan Das Here is the convoy order I am happy to see you all on this short convoy! I will be camping tonight, reaching the start point around 11.30 pm.. you guys can reach out to me on 0585827986. please ensure you have read the drive post and ready for tomorrow. (Most important is Spare Tyre) Kindly confirm. we will decide the radio during briefing.
    9 points
  11. Thanks to @Kailas + Support team members @Joji varghese @Rajiv Sam & @Sunil Mathew We will have 2 convoys ( or 1 depending on total number by Friday noon) - So PLEASE update RSVP accordingly if you have change in plans. Currently you are all confirmed , looking forward to see you all ! @Faraz94 @Andrei S @Shiju Raju @Shaun J @Andrew John Melvill @JERINE_B @Mahmut @Rohit Deginal @Premjit Vappala @Rahul6157 @DanielN @Jad Moussalli @Deepak Eswar @Srilakshman Karthikeyan @Mohammad Sayawoush Azad @Rk ram @JohanE @Frans M @Arravind @Cristian !
    8 points
  12. Drive Report When I was reaching to the starting point, I noticed the sun looked extra-large, behind the Al Faya mountains further there was no fog or clouds. Indeed, it was an exceptional drive we had, because of the favorable weather conditions and the track that was compact as a paved mud road we could do things that we will perhaps never be able to do. My initial plan was to go to the left side from where we started and from there towards camel rock but when I saw the pristine tall dunes on the right, I was determined to make a dick move (you see 🫣 what I mean?) after that we came near the pink rock and climbed towards camel rock. That was not a track to climb up, that is for climbing down from the other side, but we could do it without any issues. I love that place for stopover and while we did only about 45 min drive by then I wanted to stop anyways for the views. The drive from Camel Rock towards Big red saw us navigating between play areas at 50-60 kmph and more if you believe others. At the play areas we climbed dunes that are unimaginable otherwise. we literally could climb Big Red standing still at its foothill. The terrain: The smaller tracks were all washed out and the dunes looked like tiramisu cake. The larger more churned up tracks however were quite bumpy and had to be navigated with caution. We tried to avoid the cross tracks as much as possible and when we found tracks, we tried to drive along with them instead of crossing them. The Loops: I like making loops of the same place again and again and we did plenty. Initially sometimes I had to stop to let the back of the convoy pass before I can move but gradually, I made them larger and larger. The best loop was made just before exit for our last hurrah when we were on a perfect loop with entire convoy driving on a large single-track segment and me driving behind Fabien for one round till, I came back to the place where I started to follow him and then I took a different track. There were large patches of radio silence whenever we were engrossed in the driving pleasure. @Ranjan Das was at second lead behind me, not a usual place for him these days but he was superb. I was playing catch me if you can for most parts and glad to have you behind so that you could actually catch up with me, and also moderate the drive behind you when I was literally flying. @Fabien Monleau was as usual very supportive at the back. Thank you @Marek_was003 for your drive report. I did not realize it was your first FB+, we drove earlier so I was under the impression that you have done a few but you ended up with a FB++ drive, you did great though. It was first time driving with @Robk hope you enjoyed the drive. @Deepak Eswar, @Rk ram, @Zulfikhar Naiyar & @Mahmoud Taha there was complete radio silence from you for most parts that meant only one thing - you were engrossed in the drive. @Emanuel I saw your video few times already, a fantastic one and I see that the final cut version is also has been released by you. This video perfectly summarizes what we did that morning. Thanks a lot! I see that you have not disabled the Kid-mode on the video please see following post on how to disable it.
    8 points
  13. A slightly chilly morning and a perfect newbie drive by @Kailas !! - we managed to do the skydive loop as a first part and then cross the E66 , navigating some bushy areas and ending at Qudra, covering close to 53Km in 3hrs, 45 min , impressive for a newbie drive, with enough and more of newbie challenges thrown in . Am sure that all drivers got a taste of their cars doing different angles on dunes, straight crossings, some drops, approaching a downward slope etc. @Pramod B - the absolute newbie among us on his first desert drive had an issue with his flag before we even entered the dunes which was promptly sorted out with some ingenious quick thinking by our @Davie Chase incarnating as the offroad handyman .. Pramod has promised to get it sorted before his next drive! Pramod , you went through some weird refusal/stuck situations which were sorted out by yourself by carefully listening to instructions provided over radio. Appreciate your presence of mind and adherence to instructions which is critical to solving such situations. Hope you understood what landed you in those situations and that you have taken home some pointers to implement on your next drive. See you soon , taming that powerful Pajero!! @khlief in his grand cherokee drove without issues , except for a crest stuck. As we discussed, be a little gentle on gas, as i could see your wheels spinning and kicking up sand a lot of times. It comes with practice, don't worry too much on that, keep driving and get to know your car better. Also, i appreciate that you always sought clarifications on the radio about whom to follow when the convoy order was temporarily shuffled/rerouted due to recoveries, rather than assuming something on your own. (Ps - Remember to get a spare radio or battery 🙂) @rroker Rizwan and @EbrahimZAF driving behind me had no issues whatsoever, hope you guys enjoyed the drive and see you on our next adventure. One pointer which i can offer based on what i saw is to straighten your wheels when coming down a slope. Always remember - "wheels pointing down". "Do not slide into the slope, drive into it". @TIMMY driving your expedition through the desert even on a newbie drive is no mean feat . I could sense your increased confidence after the drive yesterday. Keep driving and get to know your car better. @Deepak Eswar - thanks for helping out with support functions @Frederic118 @Sameer D. @Abdul Hannan @Tatsiana Chase - hope you all had a wonderful drive at the tail end, see you soon.
    8 points
  14. CONVOY 1 IS NOW CLOSED @DP1011@Rafey Hashmi@Alphin Aloor@MUSTAFA hussain@Salim Akhtar@Pascal@Richard Franks@AlexM@Amr A@Senthil [email protected] We will be using Channel 2 - 446.031 Mhz. See you all tomorrow morning 8AM at the starting point! Safe travels to LIWA !
    8 points
  15. Thank you all for joining the first episode of this night drive series which is going to continue in different areas across the country . @Alphin Aloor perfect second lead @Maytham Mahroos great driving and nice to meet you pal. @Prithvi Raj fantastic to see you managing your long wheel base Pajero in the this technical terrain well done @Sandeep Nayar despite you had 3 passenger with you I never doubted the capability of the FJC . Wonderful hope you accompany enjoyed too . @waqar thanks for being royally crested so you gave us a chance to practice shovelling it . Fantastic 👍 @george charbel thanks for joining in the last moment great driving too buddy @Mahmoud Taha you last moment show up indeed was useful your help in the back was much needed and I am glad that you sow Qudra differently this time 😉 everyone navigated brilliantly and with the exception of the royal crest all refusals were managed by self recovery . despite it was a short kind of drive but I enjoyed very much myself along with my sleeping companion in the back seat my Son Abdallah 🤣 see you all in more night drives inshallah
    7 points
  16. Dear desert Wanderers @Mark B, @Aser, @Hani Howeedy, @munkybizness, @Nizar Shawwa, @Gary F, @Amr A and @Srikumar, thank you for all being on time yesterday and for the amazing drive and company. @Hani Howeedy sorry you had to leave us early, hope all is good with you guys, maybe try a newbie night drive first to get used to driving at night. @Mark B great second lead mate, always a pleasure to have you behind me smoothing out the track. @munkybizness great support in the middle holding everything together always good knowing you are in support. @Srikumar pleasure as always having you relaxing at the back seriously though great to know you are back there allows the lead piece of mind to concentrate on what's going on in front. The rest of the team drove extremely well, even when we picked up the pace in the mid to end sections. i hope you all enjoyed the drive as much as I did and look forward to seeing you all again very soon in the sand
    7 points
  17. Drive Report : Convoy 1: It was a slightly warmer day compared to other weekends in last few months - and by 7.15 we had all 21 members of the convoy, most of them already deflated and ready for briefing. We gathered had a nice short meet and greet chat and some of members expressing how the drive duration influenced their decision of joining their drive. Quickly after a joint briefing, where it was highlighted the drive duration will be aimed to be 2 hours, hence we wont take break unless requested , both convoy's were on the move at 7.38 and the plan was - Either to exit back to entry point or Murquab or Qudra - all leaving to what convoy movements offer. It was a different terrain as @Sunil Mathew highlighted - Thanks to Rain, some tricky ridge formations. We had initial easy warm up movements, with the convoy slowly picking up the pace, and levelling up on the track that was taken and towards the end, handling those ridges and short technical patch just before exit to the track leading all the way upto camel track. @Faraz94 Well done as a Second lead and your show with Haval power ! Overall a great show where we had 2 first time FBs - @Rohit Deginal & @Premjit Vappala - I am sure you had your take aways on those few refusals and am happy with the way you dealt with those with inputs from Support team. Well done. @Andrew John Melvill & @JohanE - Impressive the way you guys were moving all through ! Been first time with you guys as well and great to connect ! Thanks to @Rajiv Sam who was anchoring the convoy in centre, and handling those couple of refusals . With another 30 minutes of drive time on hand, we realised @JERINE_B's Flag was missing and thanks to the guys with camera on video recording, I was informed it was 7 minutes ago the flag was lost , so I and @Rajiv Sam back tracked with rest of convoy on stand-by which was the only break taken. It was successful back track and we quickly got back and convoy was on the move with another attempt of the best ridge that we were offered today. @Mohammad Sayawoush Azad, @Rk ram - I dint hear anything from you and that was deftly a confirmation you were having your share of fun at the back ! Thanks @Sunil Mathew for keeping an eye on the convoy while dealing with those 1-2 refusals at the back ! Please see below the drive stats - which I personally feel is very impressive and we managed to make the most of it, despite having to use Rope 3 times - I Would like to highlight again which I mentioned during one of rope recoveries - Ideally the best way to handle those 3 rope recoveries would have been shovel, It was only in the interest of time, we resorted to Rope. ! Overall a great drive for me, I hope for everyone else too, with our exit at Camel track by 9.35am. See you all again soon in sand ! Drive time : 2 hours , Moving time 1.56 hours - I guess rope recoveries are part of moving time
    7 points
  18. Thank you all for joining the drive this morning. It was a real pleasure to be in the sand this morning. The temperature was still very nice, and the sand was still compact from the rains of last week. With the better grip and stability of the dunes it gave us the possibility to take a more challenging itinerary, and you did extremely well. After the briefing, and the entry track, we started with an easy warm-up in the rice rolling dunes. Well spaced, not too high, nice environment to practice dunes crossing, a bit of ridge riding, some side climbs, with very nice views of the desert around. We took a first break before starting the serious things. After a few higher climbs, crossing a ridge, we went down inside the Ghafeteen Bowl. From the flat bottom, one by one we could climb to the top, make a long loop on the high ridge, and go down a steep descent in soft sand. Nice terrain to experiment the power needed for higher climbs, and the challenges to control the car in steep descents. Out of the bowl, the most challenging part of the drive was still to come. A long portion of technical dunes, associated with a long climb. Full concentration and accurate driving was required to avoid the traps (steep pockets) on each side of the track. Step by step the convoy reached the top with a few minor refusals only, and we continued that technical portion until reaching the flat sabkha. From there a relaxing track took us back to the starting point. We had a complete variety of terrain, and as @RiadJL told me after the drive, I think you all got the difference between speed and momentum. It is a key understanding for your future drives, well done everyone. @Nathan, thank you for a great SL, and congratulations for manoeuvring the long F150 in the narrow technical dunes. @RiadJL very well done for your first drive with us. You had a little glimpse of the great capabilities of your jeep, and also a first understanding the driving skill required. @rroker great drive with the Pajero, a bit out of control at one point, just to understand that even a Pajero can have too much power in some situations. @Wilfredo Perez you have become more confident since the last drive, keep practising @EbrahimZAF too much energy on one of the first climbs, but after that, you took the measure of the amount of power required to cross the obstacle, very well done. @Rob S a big thank you for supporting the convoy from the middle. Your guidance to a car in difficulty is always clear and accurate. @Vipin M and @ozgu very nice control of the Safari both of you. It is a pleasure to see these cars well handled in their environment. @Abhilash Kottakkal thank you for seeping the convoy today. You went through the obstacles with great control, even on the churned track, well done. Thanks again for joining today with an open mind and willingness to learn, enjoy the rest of the weekend and see you soon!
    7 points
  19. Thanks for the detailed drive report @Looper and for the feedback on my videos. Very much appreciated. I have finished the video edits for the shorter version with music and animations. Enjoy and please smash the Like button and Subscribe. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGFMm4Jp0g_rL9ewwzUdnpQ
    7 points
  20. Thanks Gautam @Looper for the wonderful Sunday morning drive - the short but intense sprint at times felt like incarnation of madmax. Thoroughly enjoyed the drive. Thanks @Deepak Eswar, @Rk ram, @Marek_was003, @Robk, @Zulfikhar Naiyar, @Emanuel, @Fabien Monleau, @Mahmoud Taha it was nice meeting and driving with you gentlemen. Thanks for the company.
    7 points
  21. It was an absolute pleasure to drive with you guys. The terrain was amazing and thanks to our lead @GauravSoni and @Simon D who added some challenging maneuvers, which I greatly liked. I also learned how patience works when @GauravSoni kept performing surgery on his car and recovered it with great tactical support from fellow members. I would also like to admire @GauravSoni who suddenly stopped the car in between to collect the trash which some other people might have thrown in the nature. It reminded me of my last fewbie drive with @M.Seidam & @DP1011 who reminded me not to leave the coffee cup in the open. The spirit of keeping our desert clean is a great effort with everyone practising it religiously. I also appreciate @DP1011and his better half for hosting few of us with live cooking delicacies which were mouth watering. Looking forward to this kind of epic ride soon. Pleasure to meet new friends. @Ranjan Das@Imran Asghar@Batuhan Kulac Thank you Leads for bringing us out safely from the ride in 1 pc
    7 points
  22. I was travelling with back-to-back meetings throughout the week hence I was a bit cutoff on the communications, while I tried to accommodate as much as possible missed to inform on time for the remaining 3 WL members. Drive Report: The morning was chilly & after a quick briefing we started. The plan was to have a quick break at the jungle and then see the cliff faces. The area is mostly bushy, and there is no escape from vegetation if you want clean dunes. The next objective was to go to the far end of the Faya Dunes where we were supposed be riding on the cliff face but an incident with the @Mohammad Sayawoush Azad's patrol that went too near to a bush derailed it. While we went very near, we unfortunately missed those magnificent views. There's always a next time as I perfect this track. On the way back we once again had another incident when the patrol had a popout, but I am glad @Mohammad Sayawoush Azad is well prepared for every situation. The best was kept for the last. By now most of us were already warmed up and had a brief drive around a very very technical area at the start itself that I had deliberately avoided at the beginning of the drive. We finished the drive on time for an extra surprise post drive. Thank you very much @Ale Vallecchi and @Joji varghese for all your support. I couldn't have done the drive without your help. @Cristian you were an excellent second lead. A lot of new faces for me as I am not doing FB drive a lot these days, but it was an excellent convoy. Thanks, you @Prithvi Raj, @Sandeep Nayar, @Shaun J, @Mahmut, @Mohammad Sayawoush Azad, @Julien Recan, @Haneef Thayyil, @Faraz94 for joining the drive, hope you enjoyed it.
    7 points
  23. I tried so hard to catch this second dose of Liwa, but it seems I missed this one too.😭 Have fun you are all lucky guys, and click a lot of photos for us. Enjoy and be safe, rem it's Liwa and not Badayer or Sweihan. Be humble and drive safe.
    7 points
  24. A great evening out 😃 Nice Iftar in the dunes with amazing views and great company. The drive out was well paced and challenging in spots making a great experience for drivers and passengers alike Thanks @JeromeFJ for leading and @Ishak & @Gaurav for watching our backs. Good to drive with you again @EbrahimZAF & @Wilfredo Perez. Nice meeting you @Nicolò & @Ahmed Farouk See you all again on the sand!
    6 points
  25. Evening all... Firstly my sincere apologies to you all for curtailing the fun! These things happen of course, but nonetheless, do hope everyone had fun. I know I was really enjoying it! @Davie Chase Thank you for leading a really enjoyable and informative session...some great feedback which I will learn from and apply to future drives...and then also thanks to @Fabien Monleau @Sunil Mathew and @Theo09 for your assistance in recovering back to the roadside. I am very grateful for the help and calm approach! Pleased to say that an hour after we reached the road again the car was on a low-loader, and I got to the garage just before close...it took one of the mechanics ten minutes with some basic tools to fix the issue. Davie and Sunil were correct - the cable connecting the transfer case shifter had become detached at the shifter end, so after lifting the centre console the mechanic was able to reconnect it. So...a fun drive in the desert and I ended up driving the Jeep back to Abu Dhabi after all... Looking forward to next time!
    6 points
  26. Thank you for joining the drive this morning. We had perfect weather conditions, cloud cover, light breeze, and a little bit of rain. The start was not easy, as from this starting point we are directly into soft sand, big climbs and tight bowls. After a few refusals for most of us (including me), we passed that initial portion to continue in a long technical strech, were we practiced continuous momentum, balance the car on ridges, and soft sand riding. Then a set of higher dunes where we could push our cars a bit more, ...and feel the effect of too much power when the cars are dragged to the outside of the curve, and may be difficult to stabilize. Again, the practice of climbing into a succession of bowls was a good opportunity to get that feeling of the amount of power required to cross a high ridge... and keeping the car straight on that ridge. Coming to Super Bowl, and the high dune just behind, we had that moment where everything is coming together, and we had a perfect set of high roller coaster, up and down, bowl after bowl, ridge after ridge, the convoy perfectly in sync with each other, with fluid lines in this difficult environment, until we reached Iftar Bowl, and from there quietly reaching the exit at Badayer. Great driving from everyone, and a great learning curve during the drive itself, you managed to handle that soft sand and challenging environment, being focused and accurate. Things to look at : @frederic demolder @Deepak Eswar having at least one occurrence of fishtailing during a crossing that could have been dangerous, (come higher to merge parallel to the ridge) @Mohammad Sayawoush Azad, @Rk ram @Gautam Banka sometimes loosing balance on the ridge (adjust the power), @Julien Recan @Frans M @Deepak Eswar some fishtailing on side slope that should be corrected earlier (steer down). Thank you @Patrick van der Loo for the SL adjusting the line when needed, @Beide Worku and @Islam Soliman thank you for watching the back, and guiding other cars out of refusals. Enjoy the rest of the weekend and see you soon !
    6 points
  27. Dear Desert Wanderers @Sviatoslav, @Guido Ferriani, @Theo09, @Adam Black, @Damien, @MHD91, @Wilfredo Perez, @Frederic118, @Vipin M, @ChrisW, @Sameer D., @Lea Degner, @Giovana, @Emmanuelle Ifrah, @Fabien Monleau & @Sunil Mathew Important Pre-drive Details below: Be ready at the meeting point by 14:00pm (or before) with tires deflated and flag erected. Please ensure your programable radio is on, fully charged and set to Channel 4 (446,081). For first timers, pls ensure you complete all of the mandatory readings and watch the video in the main drive post before arriving at the meeting point of the drive. A full pre drive briefing will be conducted on the sand before we start moving. Please ensure everything in the car is tied down and there are no moving objects, please ensure that you are using cargo straps and not bungy type restraints. Please check all car fluids (Oil, Coolant, Brake Fluid, etc), tow hooks are essential front and back, and ensure no hanging parts below the chassis. Please ensure you come with a full tank of fuel (as much as possible). Ensure you have all the necessary gear for this drive level especially your tire deflator, pressure gauge, compressor, safety flag and radio. (NO FLAG or RADIO = NO DRIVE) Please ensure your radios are programmed to all 9 Carnity channels in case we have to change channel mid drive, instructions how to do this are below. Meeting Point: https://goo.gl/maps/aRhyHjqTEYeL1Csc8 On arrival at the pin go to the left of the RC club fence to inflate Convoy order will be as below: Looking forward to seeing you all in the sand tomorrow afternoon.
    6 points
  28. Awesome drive @Looper, packed with adrenaline and great views. It was my first time up north of Badayer, I usually tend to stick to the south, some beautiful dunes up there. I look forward to driving with you again soon. Have a good week everyone.
    6 points
  29. @Rafey Hashmi, @Deepak Eswar, @Gautam Banka, @Mahmoud Taha, @Anoop Nair, @Rk ram, @Gary F, @Marek_was003, @Robk, @Zulfikhar Naiyar, @george charbel, @Emanuel, @Fabien Monleau, @Ranjan Das It is not as bad as I thought it would be, and for the time being seems like we dodged the bullet. It is always better be cautious than sorry. We will perhaps have a G Force "Light" tomorrow than "Max" version, so I have added all the enthusiasts that have joined the drive till now. Won't mind some last-minute dropouts in case something crops up for you. We will see how we do it in the desert tomorrow and go about doing it accordingly. Not all needs to be planned, sometimes unplanned is better than planned. The tracks might seem stiff on the top but soft underneath, so please be extra cautious. Also please make sure that you have tied down everything and nothing is loose inside your car. If it permits us to do what I think we want to do, then please be wary of the motion sickness - just in case. We will tackle G Force on Channel 2 (looper's constant) and in the following convoy order:
    6 points
  30. Dear Friends @Batuhan Kulac, @Faraz94, @Sreenath G, @Haneef Thayyil, @Robk , @Senthil Kumar, @W a q a r, @Mahesh_, @Hugo, @Gurcharan Mehta As much as i want this drive to happen , but i need take safety Measures & precautions , after further discussing this matters and looking into the weather forecast it shows that badayer will be in one of the storm peaks and the fast wind also is a danger factor as it will be nearly hard to control our vehicles n top of the dunes , not to mention the flying debris that might hit us with high velocity. for everyone's safety and well being i have decided to call this drive off . thank you for understanding. Kindly acknowledge the cancellation
    6 points
  31. @Nivi @sophiedana @Xandi @Emma @Bindi @Giovana @Rasna @Juanita @Gráinne @Vanessa8580 @Frederic Wishing you all a Happy Women's Day. Considering the unstable weather forecast and warning for tomorrow, we will be rescheduling this "Ladies Day" drive for the next week on 16 March, Saturday - 1 PM - 5 PM. Kindly acknowledge this message by clicking on the "Totally Agree" emoji below. https://www.khaleejtimes.com/uae/weather/uae-braces-for-heavy-rains-hail-this-weekend-road-closures-announced
    6 points
  32. It was a wonderful and lovely drive Thanks @Kailas @Sunil Mathew and @Davie Chase
    6 points
  33. Good afternoon desert wanderers, @Pajy McPajface - luke, @Abdullah N, @Nizar Shawwa, @Andrew John Melvill, @Ahmed Farouk, @essam ibrahim, @Imteeaz, @Hani Howeedy, @Jeevan Koshy, @Vijay Cowlagi, @Arravind, @Andrei S, @frederic demolder and @Islam Soliman. I hope you are all looking forward to the drive as much as I am, please be at the meeting point (the gate will open automatically), deflated with Flag up and ready for the briefing at 07:00 sharp in the morning. Please also ensure you have a full tank of fuel (or as full as possible). We will be using Ch4 (446.081) for the drive, however please ensure your radio is preprogrammed to all 9 Carnity channels today so if we have a need to change channels mid drive it is a seamless process. I have added the how to below if you are unsure of how to preprogram your radios. Convoy order will be as below, see you all in the morning
    6 points
  34. Dear all, Please find the convoy list below: 1. @Kailas-L 2. @Premjit Vappala-SL 3. @Pramod B 4. @khlief 5. @Sunil Mathew- CF 6. @rroker 7. @EbrahimZAF 8. @TIMMY 9. @Deepak Eswar- CF 10. @Frederic118 11. @Abdul Hanaan 12. @Sameer D. 13. @Tatsiana Chase SWEEP We will be on channel 1 ( CH1-446006). Please set up the Radio to channel 1. See you all at 7AM tomorrow. Cheers!
    6 points
  35. Garangao Drive Common across the GCC, Garangao has been celebrated in the region for decades. Although known as Garangao in Qatar and Bahrain, it’s also referred to as Haq al Laylah (Due of Night) or Haq Allah (God’s Due) in the UAE, Al Garangashooh or Al Tolbah (The Request) in Oman, and Laylat Garga’an in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. It is held on the night of mid-Ramadan where children come out in groups and are delighted to visit the houses where adults are waiting to receive them with sweets, coins or paper money and nuts and contribute to put a smile on the faces of children. We propose to get to get together by the end of the afternoon, go into the desert with a very short drive (15 min max) to find a nice spot, watch sunset, take our time for Iftar (approx 1h 30m) and watch the moon rise, and then continue with an easy drive (approx 1h 30m) with the light of the full moon. The drive is open to Newbies with minimum 1 drive and all the above levels. Families are welcomed, children also, as long as they have proper seat and seat belts for their age. Donation I know you have a lot of solicitations at this time of the year, but if you want to take this opportunity to donate in favor of People affected by War in Gaza, you can do it here with Emirates Red Crescent Tarahum — For Gaza https://www.emiratesrc.ae/gaza/Default_en.aspx We request every member who 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 Etiquette's Emergency details for all off-roaders Off Road Driving - Roles & Responsibilities Drive Details Level: Newbie with minimum 1 drive and above (all levels) When: 24 March 2024, Sunday Meeting time: 5:20 PM (SHARP - Without any exceptions) Meeting Point: https://maps.app.goo.gl/26LiMnfDyBXW2FXZ6 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 and willingness to learn. Approximate finish time: 9:30 PM P.S. Only join if you have a compressor to inflate your tires after the drive. LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE: This drive is limited to 15 cars only. RSVP will close on Saturday - 6 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 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 below calendar
    5 points
  36. Always a pleasure driving with you @RiadJL and @Wilfredo Perez a wonderful Iftaar and drive indeed. nice to meet you @Ishak, @ahmedfarouk (not sure why your names not picking up) and @Nicolò @JeromeFJ a wonderful plan and excellent lead as always, really enjoyed the drive and meeting JeromeJnr (Eliott) ! @Gaurav Bhai, appreciate the support, assistance and positive words always ! (Thanks for the Chair as well)
    5 points
  37. @RiadJL @EbrahimZAF @Ahmed Farouk @Nicolò @Ishak @Wilfredo Perez @Gaurav Thank you for joining yesterday evening. We had a beautiful desert time enjoying the warm breeze at Iftar time, watching the moon playing with the clouds and kids playing in the dunes, and the short drive afterwards was a great way to continue the night. Perfect way to close the weekend!
    5 points
  38. @Emanuel in the trenches: @Benjamin showing off to Emanuel how to drive a Jeep the right way: And we had a lift off!
    5 points
  39. Hello Ramadan Series Lovers ! @Faraz94 @Shaun J @Ben Lee @Shiju Raju @Emanuel @Abhilash Kottakkal @Mike M. @Rohit Deginal @Rahul6157 @Mahmut @Marek + The anchor jeeper @Benjamin The convoy order will be published later today. So if you have any changes to plans, this is the time to update your RSVP response pls Even after posting the convoy order, you are still OK to leave the drive if you come up with any valid reasons - On a lighter serious note I have given some below pre-populated responses that can be copied pasted ! 1. I have some personal/family commitment 2. I just now noticed an issue in my car which is ..xxxxx 3. I am not well and hence apologies cannot join 4. My alarm got too lazy and self snoozed itself . 5. I have an unusual Satday morning work commitment Please feel free to add more that you can think of! (P.S : however post publishing convoy order, if you are not joining its going in the database, which after repeated no-shows, an AI based software will suspend your account for a month - this notification will come as a surprise just 1 hour before on a random day you wont be allowed to join the drive) I am looking forward to seeing you all tomorrow morning 7.15 - Deflated and ready for briefing - so we make the most of available time at our disposal ! ( Gentle Reminder : First hour of refusals if any - ONLY SHOVEL - Second Hour of Refusals - We might use ROPE) !
    5 points
  40. The marshal @Davie Chase Thank you for amazing drive, amazing pace and tracks. I enjoyed a lot. Thanks to the support marshal @Gaurav Soni @Ale Vallecchi
    5 points
  41. Dear Desert Wanders @frederic demolder, @Ale Vallecchi, @GauravSoni, @Ishak, @Frans M and @Robk, firstly thank you all for being on time this morning and being ready to go at the start time. The drive was amazing, and you guys all drove exceptionally well, so well in fact that we had zero stucks and only a handful of refusals, so well done to each and everyone of you. The drive pretty much had everything in it, with some half decent climbs, some cross overs and some ridge riding. we did encounter a little shrubbery along the way but for the most part we had some virgin sand to play on. @Ishak great S/L, good distance, attentive and followed my instructions well, you were able to react when needed so great job in smoothing out the lines for me, well done. @frederic demolder, amazing drive given it was your first Fb+ i hope you enjoyed it and your father also enjoyed the drive. Just be mindful of lines and getting fully onto ridges before crossing. @Frans M you drove extremely well, also be mindful of getting on the ridge and keeping both wheels either side, remember to wiggle the steering (not violent turns just gentle wiggling), this helps to keep you on the ridge as it moves the sand away from the front tires, just be mindful to be smooth. @Robk great drive, we chatted about fish tailing at the inflation point, just remember you have a longer wheel base and the back is really light compared to the front on the gladiator, so really important to keep a high line and be super smooth with the throttle and steering. @GauravSoni, great to have you along my friend, i think that is the first one since you support one of my 6 new leader drives, always a pleasure to have you in the convoy, thanks for all the tips you gave the guys as we were meandering through the dunes, invaluable lessons form a guru. @Ale Vallecchi Thanks so much for joining, having you at the back made the lead so much easier as i did not have to worry too much what was going on behind me, great advise to the team as we travelled through Nahil and Sweihan. thanks again really appreciated. Hope you get the suspension set up to make the ride feel more secure. Added some pics to the gallery and drive stats below Check out Fb+ 17 mar 24 Nahil on Relive! https://www.relive.cc/view/vKv2nXEep4v Have a great rest of your weekend and see you all again real soon in the sand
    5 points
  42. Thank You @DP1011 for offering such a wonderful drive. It was quick and smooth & I enjoyed both being a second lead as well as the smart duration of the drive. Also, everybody drove really well. Thank You @Rajiv Sam for help with the recoveries 😊 I’m looking forward to the Ridge riding video you recorded 😁 @Premjit Vappala & @Rohit Deginal very well done with the first FB drive guys, hope to see you soon again! @DP1011 I believe we should continue this Smart Drive (2-Hour) series even after Ramadan. 🔥🔥
    5 points
  43. Dear Desert Wanderers, @Pajy McPajface - luke, @Nizar Shawwa, @Julien Recan, @Mark B, @Aser, @Arravind, and @Gary F firstly thank you all for showing up on time, this meant we were able to get away and finish the drive on time. not sure what i can add to the wonderful drive report that @Pajy McPajface - luke has shared with us. Except to say that you all drove exceptionally well. The sand was still fairly hard and the top of the dunes had been flattened off and compacted by the rains of last week, but this should take nothing away from how you all drove, especially given that this was a first night drive for some of you. We only had two refusals and one stuck. the one stuck i think will be debated by @Mark B and @Gary F as to whether or not this was an intentional cresting. given that @Gary F did promise to make @Mark B work for his supper in the previous break . Either way it was handled superbly well by @Mark B @Pajy McPajface - luke you were brilliant as always in the S/L position correcting and smoothing my lines and stopping when instructed. always a pleasure to have you in the convoy watching my back. @Gary F great job as sweep mate gives me piece of mind to know i have someone of your experience and knowledge at the back keeping us all safe. @Mark B fantastic job in your first role as CF, you did not have a lot to do but what you did do was handled professionally and with applied knowledge and skill. well don on your first drive as a support team member. Thanks again one and all and i hope to see you all in Fayah next week for another one :) Have a great rest of your weekend
    5 points
  44. Hi Marek, It's great to hear about your intense first F+ drive experience, It was very well briefed and appreciated.
    5 points
  45. My first F+ drive and I immediately realized how big of a difference it is: everybody on time; straight to business and ready to go; I was the only one getting refusals and there was only one weird popout but @Fabien Monleau fixed it even before we all looped back to help (amazing job). I understand where @Looper got his nickname! The loops were often brutal and very demanding, but fun nonetheless. It was intense like never before since I joined - often reaching rev-limit on second gear in my humble dune buster (approx 110km/h) going around the slope... that's a G force I did not expect! Some of the loops: And some more: I guess the only way it's possible is because of the weather - you can go around and around over the same tracks without destroying the dune - that's how compacted it was... Thank you all for the opportunity to drive with you gents! Some stats: And the "big picture" :
    5 points
  46. super fasst and thrilling.... with plenty of loops from @looper ..... thank you for the lovely drive @Looper ...also @Ranjan Das and @Fabien Monleau.... had lot of fun with the lovely weather... thank you whole team for the company..... looking forward for ... more.
    5 points
  47. Thanks Ale for a good drive today even with the surprises. Here is the feature video followed by selected raw footage. Have a great weekend my friends. If you like the videos please smash the Like button on YouTube and subscribe to my channel. Thank you. @Ale Vallecchi, @Mahmoud Taha, @Mahesh_, @george charbel, and @Charbel
    5 points
  48. @Davie Chase thank you so much for this beautiful drive this morning. For sure you are THE BOSS ! My boss 😂🥰❤️ will be there for the next drive 👍. Thank you for the support team and it always reassuring to have the King of the desert @Islam Soliman😉 behind me.
    5 points
  49. Dear Buddies, I have managed to get 4 rooms from my customer ( ADNOC ) as we are in the Energy ( Oil & Gas ) business and they have COMPANY GUEST CAMP deluxe rooms with dinner arranged. Cost would be AED 235 per person. This location is 1 hr 10 mins ( on E65 AHAB ) If anyone needs it for tomorrow night please reach out to me on WA / Call - 052-8417000. I have availability for 3 rooms after keeping 1 for me. Payment by Cash directly to Camp Manager.
    5 points
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