Ale Vallecchi

We request every member that joins this drive to go through the information below and strictly follow these guidelines, etiquette and responsibilities. MUST READ AND COMPLY Environmental Policy Offroad Flag Guideline Two Way Radio Guideline Off road Driving Etiquettes Emergency details for all off roaders Off Road Driving - Roles & Responsibilities Drive Details Level: Fewbie and above (all levels) Meeting time: 08:30 AM (PLANNED DEPARTURE) Meeting Point: https://maps.app.goo.gl/acreM77zLxB2MRu76 Action Plan: In the spirit of a true overland desert drive, we'll dedicate the day to covering around 150 Km of open sand and tracks. The plan is to go from Faya to the Sweihan Pond, on to the Tilal section of Sweihan, where we'll take a break at a local restaurant, and we'll have the opportunity to refuel (if needed) then continue on to Nahil's big dunes, reaching the Pac-Man dunes (marked by the circular irrigation fields), and finally end the drive at Nahil's lake (a magic place close to our planned exit point). The route will favor the safety of the drive and is more focused on developing the drivers' endurance skills, rather than on adrenaline and thrills, as the keys to true overland drives are consistency, mental focus, patience, and the choice of the best, cleanest routes. Along the route, we'll share tips on orienteering and navigating in open spaces. What to bring along: Loads of water, snacks (for yourself), smiles, face masks, rubber gloves, enthusiasm, and willingness to learn. Approximate finish time: 05:30 PM P.S. Only join if you have a compressor to inflate your tires after the drive. RECOMMENDED OFF-ROAD GEAR: Tire deflator & Tire pressure gauge Compressor (MANDATORY) Walkie-talkie radio (MANDATORY) Off-road flag (MANDATORY) Shovel, Tow Rope & 2 Shackles First-aid kit Fire extinguisher. LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE This drive is limited to 10 cars only. RSVP will close on Friday - 12 PM. If the RSVP is full, you can add your name to the waitlist, once anyone drops, you will be moved to the RSVP list. RSVP will close a day prior to preparing a convoy list. Latecomers will be returned - Without any exceptions. Members without RSVP will be returned - Without any exceptions. Please withdraw your RSVP, if you aren't joining, so your spot can be taken by others. Repeated no-show members after RSVP will have their account suspended for a month. PLEASE RSVP ON THE CALENDAR

Thank you @davie c smooth operator for opening up the convoy and letting me lead its second half. We did have a great time, even while staying away from an extremely crowded, and terribly littered, Pink Rock, concentrating on reaching Big Red, through the very nice sand bowls along the way. Also thanks for extending the drive to Badayer's side and its big dunes. All my drivers - @Giacomo, @rroker, @W a q a r, @Jose Luis Campos, @Arvindraj, @Zubair @Shiju Raju, @Andrei S - did great, with a special thanks to @Mehmet Volga who helped greatly with his support and guidance from the Center's position. I hope that @rroker is feeling OK after the unfortunate roll which happened almost at the end of the drive. Please let us know if you sorted out the car's assistance and recovery, and if you have made sure you are 100% in good health (as Davie suggested, I would also advise you go see a doctor, and monitor how you are feeling at least throughout the weekend). You have taken the incident with an admirable amount of philosophy: be sure that these things can happen, at any time, to anybody, so I hope to see you back in action soon. For all drivers asking how the roll happened, it was just an unfortunate case of fighting gravity, by counter steering toward the ridge while being too low on the approach. Surely the mistake was compounded by the heavy tracks that scarred the whole face of the dune (the car may not have flipped if it had not bounced on the deep tracks). Have a great weekend all of you, and see you soon out there.

We request every member that joins this drive to go through the information below and strictly follow these guidelines, etiquette and responsibilities. MUST READ AND COMPLY Environmental Policy Offroad Flag Guideline Two Way Radio Guideline Off road Driving Etiquettes Emergency details for all off roaders Off Road Driving - Roles & Responsibilities Drive Details Level: Fewbie and above (all levels) Meeting time: 02:30 PM Meeting Point: https://maps.app.goo.gl/6rEQD577oA3dfihb8 Action Plan: A mid-week dash from Faqa to Little Sweihan (exiting at Solar Park), mixing a leisurely drive through sections of soft technical dunes with a bit of speed across sabkhas and taller dune canyons. An opportunity to stretch one's legs after the DCT weekend's break, in preparation for the upcoming weekend of drives. What to bring along: Loads of water, snacks (for yourself), smiles, face masks, rubber gloves, enthusiasm, and willingness to learn. Approximate finish time: 06:00 PM P.S. Only join if you have a compressor to inflate your tires after the drive. RECOMMENDED OFF-ROAD GEAR: Tire deflator & Tire pressure gauge Compressor (MANDATORY) Walkie-talkie radio (MANDATORY) Off-road flag (MANDATORY) Shovel, Tow Rope & 2 Shackles First-aid kit Fire extinguisher. LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE This drive is limited to 10 cars only. RSVP will close on Friday - 12 PM. If the RSVP is full, you can add your name to the waitlist, once anyone drops, you will be moved to the RSVP list. RSVP will close a day prior to preparing a convoy list. Latecomers will be returned - Without any exceptions. Members without RSVP will be returned - Without any exceptions. Please withdraw your RSVP, if you aren't joining, so your spot can be taken by others. Repeated no-show members after RSVP will have their account suspended for a month. PLEASE RSVP ON THE CALENDAR

@CristianIndeed, busted right axel. Being replaced, likely by Minday. Freaky accident in a very unexpected place. I believe I underestimated the slope I was stuck at, and the depth my tires were in. From @Marek's pic I can see the tires were turned right, which may have accentuated the tilt and the weight's pressure. Couldn't exit the car and tried to manover it out with A-Trac but, as the car slanted even more toward the incline, the angle, weight and steering effort may have been too much. Lesson learned: always exit to inspect the stuck, or have another pair of eyes on it. Thanks to @Simon Dfor the lead and assistance to recover and exit. I hope I didn't spoil this beautiful day too much. See you all soon out there.

Hi @Simon D. I have added myself to the drive. Looking forward to seeing you all.

Hi @Carl Stanley. Thanks for your reply. I'll fix it. Have a great weekend.

Dear @Carl Stanley, I saw you added yourself to the Manage tab of this drive. Did you do that by mistake or were you trying to join as a Member? Thanks for clarifying.

Dear Desertnauts, here's the briefing for tomorrow's drive. As mentioned, it's designed with the goal of attempting to beat a vertical climbing record of 2,771 meters, cumulatively ascended in the Badayer's area. Last week, due to some planning issues the convoy that set out to beat said record came up empty handed, and yet with a cumulative climb of 1,853 meters, second best for this area. This week we'll start earlier, hoping to gain that extra 30/45 minutes of daylight to make a successful attempt. Nonetheless, this drive will present a greater challenge than last week's or previous climbing attempts. The new variable to be considered will be the relative "youth" of the convoy. This convoy, in fact, has the greatest number of Fewbies to face the challenge with me, as all previous convoys happened (by chance) to have many more senior drivers. Therefore, just to be sure that everybody is aware of what's coming, I'll summarize below the main challenges that we'll face: - steep, long, climbs and descents - ⁠continuous sequences and runs with very little room for stops - ⁠faster pace and occasional sharp, or high elevation, crossings with no room for hesitation or breaking - ⁠a lot of cross tracks make it easy to cause confusion especially when other cars from the convoy are not always in sight while crossing. Having said this, we'll adjust to any situation we may face and will do the possible best to achieve our goal. As pasrt of this adjustment game, the convoy has been designed to put every driver in the best possible spot, to maximize their skills, and minimize issues or delays: @Davie Chase will be my experienced and reliable Second Lead @essam ibrahim at #3 will be able to further test his new car and gears following the lines drawn by an Expert @MICHAEL PAJERO single door at #4 will have the opportunity of getting accustomed to his first Fewbie drive at the top of the convoy @Matt - monkeywrench at #5 will find himself in a similarly advantageous position @Cesar Chacon will follow at #6 @Jon L will play with his bug truck at #7, and @Gary F will make sure all ends well by sweeping the convoy Please arrive at 2:00 PM is possible, so we have enough time to deflate, have the briefing, before leaving, as planned, no later than 2:30 PM. Enjoy the end of the week, and see you tomorrow.

We request every member that joins this drive to go through the information below and strictly follow these guidelines, etiquette and responsibilities. MUST READ AND COMPLY Environmental Policy Offroad Flag Guideline Two Way Radio Guideline Off road Driving Etiquettes Emergency details for all off roaders Off Road Driving - Roles & Responsibilities Drive Details Level: Fewbie and above (all levels) Meeting time: 02:00 PM meeting time, DEPART BY 2:30pm Meeting Point: https://maps.app.goo.gl/UpbBNoBRY4ZHMosS8 Action Plan: Due to time constraints suffered during last week's drive (with darkness falling over the convoy while still on one of the tall star dunes south of Super Bowl), we'll reattempt to beat the record of 2,271 meters of cumulative climb in the Badayer area. An earlier start should ensure that we manage to have the same driving time of the record setting drive and give us a fair shot at the record. What to bring along: Loads of water, snacks (for yourself), smiles, face masks, rubber gloves, enthusiasm, and willingness to learn. Approximate finish time: 06:30 PM P.S. Only join if you have a compressor to inflate your tires after the drive. RECOMMENDED OFF-ROAD GEAR: Tire deflator & Tire pressure gauge Compressor (MANDATORY) Walkie-talkie radio (MANDATORY) Off-road flag (MANDATORY) Shovel, Tow Rope & 2 Shackles First-aid kit Fire extinguisher. LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE This drive is limited to 10 cars only. RSVP will close on Friday - 12 PM. If the RSVP is full, you can add your name to the waitlist, once anyone drops, you will be moved to the RSVP list. RSVP will close a day prior to preparing a convoy list. Latecomers will be returned - Without any exceptions. Members without RSVP will be returned - Without any exceptions. Please withdraw your RSVP, if you aren't joining, so your spot can be taken by others. Repeated no-show members after RSVP will have their account suspended for a month. PLEASE RSVP ON THE CALENDAR

Dear Desertnauts a very quick briefing before this Sunday PM drive. The mission is clear, as stated in the drive's description: to beat the previous record of cumulative climbing in the Badayer/Area 53 area. That is climbing a total of 2,272 meters, to pass the previous record by at least 1 meter. Therefore, we'll move from star dune to star dune, with the goal of reaching each formation between Badayer's shops and the planned exit at Ericsson Tower in Al Madam, and climb every slope from bottom to top, with multiple side slopes (and some occasional criss-crossing. The convoy at the moment is the following: @Andrew John Melvill in Second Lead @Abhilash Kottakkal at #3 @Cha at Center @RiadJL at #5 @Jon L at #6 and @Mahmoud Taha in Sweep. The meeting point has been posted at Badayer's Shops, past the Quad rentals' area. Looking forward to seeing you on Sunday PM. Enjoy the end of the week.

We request every member that joins this drive to go through the information below and strictly follow these guidelines, etiquette and responsibilities. MUST READ AND COMPLY Environmental Policy Offroad Flag Guideline Two Way Radio Guideline Off road Driving Etiquettes Emergency details for all off roaders Off Road Driving - Roles & Responsibilities Drive Details Level: Fewbie and above (all levels) Meeting time: 03:00 PM Meeting Point: https://maps.app.goo.gl/UpbBNoBRY4ZHMosS8 Action Plan: A sequel to 2 old Vertical Limit - Climbing Challenges, in the Badayer area, with numerous tall star dunes, which provide a great opportunity for extensive climbing. The previous 2 editions managed to pass 2,000 meters of cumulative climbing, the record being 2,271 meters. This will be the limit we plan to reach and beat in as little time as possible. What to bring along: Loads of water, snacks (for yourself), smiles, face masks, rubber gloves, enthusiasm, and willingness to learn. Approximate finish time: 07:00 PM P.S. Only join if you have a compressor to inflate your tires after the drive. RECOMMENDED OFF-ROAD GEAR: Tire deflator & Tire pressure gauge Compressor (MANDATORY) Walkie-talkie radio (MANDATORY) Off-road flag (MANDATORY) Shovel, Tow Rope & 2 Shackles First-aid kit Fire extinguisher. LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE This drive is limited to 10 cars only. RSVP will close on Friday - 12 PM. If the RSVP is full, you can add your name to the waitlist, once anyone drops, you will be moved to the RSVP list. RSVP will close a day prior to preparing a convoy list. Latecomers will be returned - Without any exceptions. Members without RSVP will be returned - Without any exceptions. Please withdraw your RSVP, if you aren't joining, so your spot can be taken by others. Repeated no-show members after RSVP will have their account suspended for a month. PLEASE RSVP ON THE CALENDAR

We request every member that joins this drive to go through the information below and strictly follow these guidelines, etiquette and responsibilities. MUST READ AND COMPLY Environmental Policy Offroad Flag Guideline Two Way Radio Guideline Off road Driving Etiquettes Emergency details for all off roaders Off Road Driving - Roles & Responsibilities Drive Details Level: Fewbie and above (all levels) Meeting time: 03:00 PM Meeting Point: TBC Action Plan: A sequel to 2 old Vertical Limit - Climbing Challenge, in the Badayer area, with numerous tall star dunes, which provide a great opportunity for extensive climbing. The previous 2 editions managed to pass 2,000 meters of cumulative climbing, the record being 2,271 meters. This will be the limit we plan to reach and beat in as little time as possible. What to bring along: Loads of water, snacks (for yourself), smiles, face masks, rubber gloves, enthusiasm, and willingness to learn. Approximate finish time: 07:00 PM P.S. Only join if you have a compressor to inflate your tires after the drive. RECOMMENDED OFF-ROAD GEAR: Tire deflator & Tire pressure gauge Compressor (MANDATORY) Walkie-talkie radio (MANDATORY) Off-road flag (MANDATORY) Shovel, Tow Rope & 2 Shackles First-aid kit Fire extinguisher. LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE This drive is limited to 10 cars only. RSVP will close on Friday - 12 PM. If the RSVP is full, you can add your name to the waitlist, once anyone drops, you will be moved to the RSVP list. RSVP will close a day prior to preparing a convoy list. Latecomers will be returned - Without any exceptions. Members without RSVP will be returned - Without any exceptions. Please withdraw your RSVP, if you aren't joining, so your spot can be taken by others. Repeated no-show members after RSVP will have their account suspended for a month. PLEASE RSVP ON THE CALENDAR

Hi @ChrisW. You should find the meeting point in the drive's post, but I'll copy it below: https://maps.app.goo.gl/g9gmaVmbFAC1pzhMA See you on Sunday. Thanks

Dear Desertnauts. Let's prepare for Sunday afternoon's drive, planned in an area with plenty of large farms, by outlining the properties that we'll try to "visit" (if not only from outside their perimetral fences). First we'll aim for the "Pac Men's dunes and green fields of Marmun Dairy Farm. Before reaching them, we'll drive past, and later around, a massive enclosure with thousands of small trees planted. Proceeding from here we'll move south, and before reaching the Nagrah area we'll turn west, to skirt an area of multiple farms and horse breeding facilities (Al Manaf Arabian and Royal Desert Farms). Eventually we'll turn north toward Nahil, or continue west to Sweihan, to reach our exit point. The convoy order looks like the following (once again with an alternation of Fewbies and Fewbie Pluses, who will provide guidance and tutoring for those following them: @ChrisW in Second Lead @Abhilash Kottakkal at #3 @Zubail at #4 @Brett Eicher at #5 @Victor Socaciu at #6 and @Batuhan Kulac in Sweep. Looking forward to seeing you at Nahil on Sunday afternoon, to depart as close to 3:00 PM as possible. Have a nice end of the week.

We request every member that joins this drive to go through the information below and strictly follow these guidelines, etiquette and responsibilities. MUST READ AND COMPLY Environmental Policy Offroad Flag Guideline Two Way Radio Guideline Off road Driving Etiquettes Emergency details for all off roaders Off Road Driving - Roles & Responsibilities Drive Details Level: Fewbie and above (all levels) Meeting time: 03:00 PM Meeting Point: https://maps.app.goo.gl/g9gmaVmbFAC1pzhMA Action Plan: Another medium range drive (50+ Km), snaking around Nahil's dunes, circling the mega farms that border this village (reaching the area known as Pac Man dunes), with the possibility of extending the drive toward Nagrah, or continue closer to the Sweihan-Al Hayer Rd. A very mixed terrain, with taller and lower dunes, long cordons, deep bowls and wide salty sabkhas, surrounding large patches of cultivated green and vegetation. An insight on the UAE's farm life. What to bring along: Loads of water, snacks (for yourself), smiles, face masks, rubber gloves, enthusiasm, and willingness to learn. Approximate finish time: 07:00 PM P.S. Only join if you have a compressor to inflate your tires after the drive. RECOMMENDED OFF-ROAD GEAR: Tire deflator & Tire pressure gauge Compressor (MANDATORY) Walkie-talkie radio (MANDATORY) Off-road flag (MANDATORY) Shovel, Tow Rope & 2 Shackles First-aid kit Fire extinguisher. LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE This drive is limited to 10 cars only. RSVP will close on Friday - 12 PM. If the RSVP is full, you can add your name to the waitlist, once anyone drops, you will be moved to the RSVP list. RSVP will close a day prior to preparing a convoy list. Latecomers will be returned - Without any exceptions. Members without RSVP will be returned - Without any exceptions. Please withdraw your RSVP, if you aren't joining, so your spot can be taken by others. Repeated no-show members after RSVP will have their account suspended for a month. PLEASE RSVP ON THE CALENDAR

Hello @Bjoern Due to a last minute dropout you have been automatically added from the waiting list. Will you be joining? Please confirm. Thanks

Dear Desertnauts. The first thing to make sure everybody is aware of is that, as explained above, the drive's times have been scrambled by my posting it while travelling in a +3 hours' time zone. The correct time span of the drive should be from 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM. Secondly, please note that the meeting point will be along the E95 road, from Nahil to Al Ain. However, one time that I used this as a starting point, after the big rains, the road was a bit of a mess. Just be careful in finding the published meeting point. The convoy order at the moment looks as following, with higher ranked members in between every 2 Fewbie Plus drivers, to provide guidance and tutoring: @topgear in Second Lead @Gautam Banka at #3 @nithish468 at #4 @Hugo at #5 @Marek at #6 @Nizar Shawwa at #7 @Gurcharan Mehta at #8 @Shaun J at #9 @Brett Eicher at #10 @Mahesh_ at #11, and @Davie Chase in Sweep. Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow at 3:00 PM !!

Dear @Mahesh_, dear @topgear, the drive was posted while I was travelling in Thailand, which is 3 hours ahead. For some reason, the system "reads" that and translates it into the time of the drive. HOWEVER, if you check now that I have returned, you will see THE DRIVE IS SCHEDULED FROM 3:00 PM TO 7:00 PM. Kindly note this and make your plans accordingly. Thanks for noticing.