Kalahari

This was extreme for sure!  At times more INSANE than extreme.  Nearly 90 km through hectic climbs, high-speed crossings when climbing at full RPM in 1st gear, non-stop concentration from the word go.  Thanks for the exhilarating lead @Emmanuel - you took us through routes that I would have never guessed is achievable with stock cars!!! And sometimes twice from different approaches.  Well done to fellow extreme Ramblers @Christian Andras and @Jorge Stepniak Felippe

29 minutes ago, Jorge Stepniak Felippe said:

I did my DPI today and all green on the app 

how much time should I budget for the border crossing to show the app result?

 

 

12.5 seconds

40 minutes ago, Srikumar said:

Just getting confusing at the moment. 

Absolutely confusing! The challenge is not to understand the actual English guidelines, but how THEY understand it at the border.

On 2/14/2021 at 3:00 PM, Srikumar said:

Some of the guys from our company have entered twice after 1st Feb on DPI test only. Yes Al Hosn app is mandatory now

One of our employees were refused entry at Ghantoot yesterday, and instructed that you cannot enter with a second DPI (you need DPI - PCR - DPI...). Not sure what will happen at other entrances, but I am doing PCR this afternoon. Hope I am not the only driver in this convoy.....

For those coming from Dubai, take note that the entry requirements have changed from 1 Feb:

1. Al Hosn app is now compulsory ( not Text anymore)

2. You cannot enter AD with a DPI test if your previous entry was also DPI - need PCR. ( this requirement is a bit confusing, as the Gov site seems to indicate that you cannot enter AD more than once with "DPI test", which could also mean the same test - best to check before you wake up early just to be send back). And PCR only if less than 48 hrs prior. 

What a great drive at the off-road mall  Great lead by @Emmanuel, who took us through rolling dunes, where most of us were completely oblivious of the other convoys crowding this area on a typical Friday afternoon.  We were treated to a diverse mix of multiple crossings, safe ridge-riding, sideys by the dozen, and many moderate climbs - an excellent learning experience for the Newbies who were lucky enough to join this trip.  All Newbies can be extremely proud of their performance - some only doing their first Newbie trip! I am sure they have learned a lot, as 99% of the refusals could be managed without even touching a shovel!

Well done to @Nagham Albeitawi, @Mario Cornejo, @frederic demolder,@Ammar Naji, @pqpqpq and @Ahmed Wagdy - rest assured, no Newbie drive will throw more at you, and you can only look forward from this trip!

Thanks to @Nabil Bishara for the support, with only 1 kinetic recovery - which you executed perfectly!

PS: @pqpqpq, you can ask @Frederic to help you changing your username!

Thank you for organizing a great drive at a great place @Frederic! Absolutely stunning vistas and massive dunes to push our vehicles. I was pleasantly surprised to see how good the fewbies did on this drive - well done to @Mus_hus78 and @Gaurav Soni for overcoming those deep bowels.  Thank you to @Asif Hussainand @Gaurav for the convoy support - hope to be back in that area soon!

Current UAE Covid protocols for travelers - earliest you can stop quarantine is when you get official negative result of your PCR after you have landed (if from green list) - else 10 days.  DPI not sufficient  

Well done @Pancho - excellent progress and well-deserved.  Enjoy!

1 hour ago, GauravSoni said:

Hi @Asif Hussain thanks for the reminder. I have checked with the updated rules. 

Morning @GauravSoni - can you confirm if you will attend or not, as we need to ensure Covid protocols are followed at all times.

Well-deserved indeed! Fantastic achievement. 

17 hours ago, Emmanuel said:

 This time I introduced a small change in our convoy numbering system. Considering that all intermediates members need to be trained for recoveries, I decided not to put anyone at "Center Forward" position and to make each driver responsible of the car in front of him. 

I agree with this approach @Emmanuel, for Intermediate drives.  It generally worked well and allowed people to get more experience.

Overall it was a great drive, providing many opportunities for the Intermediates to gain experience in keeping the momentum of the convoy and approach challenges with confidence.  You threw in a variety of different scenarios and I think all had a lot of fun! Maybe just one observation to the newer Intermediates:  Try to focus on your approach angle / line of approach, with steady and constant momentum, rather than 100% throttle to overcome every obstacle. That way the convoy will move at a steady pace, you will have a "healthy" car for longer, and you will enjoy a smoother drive.  See you all next time!

1 minute ago, Gaurav said:

SPOT ON.

Well done @Alexander Alcala for nailing it perfectly that such extreme drives need a proper safety too.

Doing it with your daily driver without a roll cage, helmet, 5-point harness and other advance safety feature to cut-off fuel supply in case of rollover is highly not recommended here.

@Gaurav I thought this was one of your Absolute Newby drives, when there was some important sport on the TV!

Congrats - well deserved @Vanessa8580!!

Great lead by @Jeepie and excellent support by @Tamas Hoffmann who did a lot of hard work! Everybody did well, especially the new Fewbies who had to adjust to the higher intensity. 

Well done @Tbone!!!

Well done @DANIEL NOGUEIRA - enjoy the new level

Well done @Karthik Krishnakumar - enjoy the new level

Well done @Gregory Perkin - enjoy the new challenges

Congrats @Lorenzo Candelpergher!!

4 minutes ago, Ilya Golubinsky said:

Thanks @Emmanuel, @Kalahari for a great ride that was on the edge of my skills
A short video, mostly featuring @Yousef Alimadadi

 

Great video @Ilya Golubinsky - you did well in a high-paced first Intermediary drive. See you soon again!

Well done @Chaitanya D!!!

Congrats @Pancho!

Trip report

I arrived at the deflation point at 05:30, on a misty morning, with lots of anticipation.  This was my first trip that I had to plan and will lead from start to (semi) finish, and I was quite tentative on what Faqa would dish up today. Thankfully I had the extremely capable @Emmanuel to mentor me on this trip, and a short convoy of very capable Intermediates.  We deflated as night turned into day and headed off just after 06:00.   Pretty soon we were in moderately technical dunes and we were challenged to use finesse rather than power to make headways.  @Mehmet Volga had his first taste of rope recovery, when I (deliberately of course :-)) crested - and he did extremely well, with a very controlled soft tuck to get things going again. 

We progressed through a very diverse mix of terrains, including semi-highways in dune streets, sharp-crested moderate dunes, long-ranged dunes, and areas of beautiful trees and vegetation.  Given the mad congestion at some of the usual off-road hotspots in Dubai, it is always a pleasure to drive in these quite areas where the only other living things seems to be gazelle.  We tried to include a few ridges and criss-crossings, and everybody did extremely well.  Apart from a few minor refusals, we covered about 47 km to the track to Solar Park, where @Emmanuel took the lead to give us a short taste of Little Sweihan. 

Unfortunately, by this time the sun was quite bright and the extra-soft sands of LS dished up some unpalatable dessert, mixed with quite a dose of desert sand, with a LOT of shoveling and pushing!  At least this provided all of us with invaluable recovery learning, as @Emmanuel showed us multiple ways to attempt self-recovery.  Ultimately the use of 2 x kinetic ropes solved a tricky problem - as the convoy of @Ale Vallecchi and @Tbone passed us quietly without even a wave :-(.  We exited after a very enjoyable drive (for me at least).  All in all 64 km, with the desert mainly to ourselves - what a way to spend a Friday morning!

Thanks to @Anish S (on only his second Intermediary drive - you did well!); @Nivin (growing exponentially in confidence in his X!); @Pancho (your dedication to this sport is unparalleled, and you showed some finesse today with your Jeep); and @Mehmet Volga (great job as sweep and supporting the recoveries) - well done do all of you! And thanks @Emmanuel for your advise and support - the worst thing about this sport, is that the more experience you get, the more you realise how little you know! Great to have your experience on hand.  Hope to see all of you in the sand soon!