Almost4x4

Hello everybody!!!

This is apparently my first trip report, which has matured in my head exactly during the event. With Almost4 × 4 we have had a lot of drives, as CM, educational, family, beautiful, relaxing. I want to designate this drive as Meaningful in the full sense of the word.

They say, Be afraid of your desires, they tend to come true.

Do you want to be 10+, be, but match . And it was there, where I fully realized the seriousness and responsibility of this hobby. Of course, like any other hobby, it is primarily a pleasure, but no one has yet canceled the skills. And skills are exactly the same backbreaking work that each of us faces. Now I have shared my feelings, further, specifically, I will try))))

White Sands Rovers (All newbies)
Location - Abu Dhabi, Sweihan,
Action time January 15, 2021, meeting point 8.30am, the event starts at 9 am. All is well, but the weather conditions dictate something completely different. Thick fog that only cleared at 9.30am. We had two convoys, the first 10- leading by @presa , the second 10+ leading by @alshamsi_m , me is the third car, following the second lead@Tomvanhouten , @Booy is floating, @Loca is support. The track corresponded completely to the Gulf News Drive 2020, consisted of 6 phases and was designed for a whole day, approximately 145 km. This track contains absolutely all the elements that we have studied for all this time. All skills such as distance, correct speed, allowing climbs, drops, arches, safari style, overcoming technical areas and driving on flat terrain. I can absolutely clearly note that the correct distance in the convoy is one of the most important skills. An incorrectly chosen distance will entail a lot of difficulties both in high-speed mode and on the flat even. Which I am the most suitable example During the entire drive, the convoy faced plenty of second attempts( me), rescue, self-recovery and two popouts. What can be cooler?

The main thing is that all the participants of the drive before sunset arrived at the finish site happy and satisfied and in complete safety.

I want to thank all the organizers, the support and rescue team, and of course all the participants for an incredible day

Looking forward for the next time

Stay safe!!!

Viktoriia

White Sands Rovers (All newbies) 15-01-2021 another fantabulous Day!

As days go, this one was an early start, with a blanket of fog on the road and at the meeting point, would say there was 50 meters max visibility so the start time of the drive was delayed.
Great to meet the Almost 4x4 family after some time away and a delightful start to the day before the fog lifted, sitting and chatting with the group far outweighed any negative delay to the drive.

@presa @alshamsi_m - Full Introduction with rules and regulations focused on a safe drive with fair warning of the various terrain and the challenges to come. @alshamsi_m - Stay focused was the statement of the day!

I have to continue by thanking @presa and the team for putting this together, a great location with the right skills of the drivers to be challenged but have an enormous amount of fun.
Terrain was varying and fantastic, @alshamsi_m lead the way needing an occasional tug from the support @Booy , also showing the FJ comical side and @Loca , so a big thank you.



All drives with a lead of this caliber are excellent, also understanding that the knowledge and experience is shared at all opportunities during and after the drive with those who want to learn and progress to the next level or simply enjoy the discussion points.

Some of the statistics are below for the drive.



Stay Safe and be Happy ... Until we meet in the sand for the next one!

Hi Almosters, good to see the trip reports here!

This drive was on my list for almost a year, since is a nice area, various terrain, not far from Dubai, where most were coming and a different setup from our usual trips, since is more of a overland trip, than a Sand Dune as we usually do.

Some brave members slept on the area, but due to the fog conditions, meaning 100% humidity and single digit expected temperature I preferred to sleep and home, what didnt prevent me to arrive at meeting point at 7am, 1h30 ealier, so I could enjoy for longer the company of my Almosters' friends.

As mentioned before we had 2 convoys, a newbie 10- and 10+.

I lead the Newbie 10-, with ~10 newbies, mostly with less than 5 drive with us, and @Abubakar and @Johanna doing the rescue and support.

Due to fog we start driving with a 1h delay.

First part was eventful, with a unfortunate Jeep that had transmission lever problems and had to be taken out, a flat tire, some stucks... and we havent cover 15% of the track on the first 2h :)

After that we got some good pace, with white sand left and right, until we left Al Ain and enter Abu Dhabi.

After it we went to Crocodile Lake, with many sabkhah in between. Unfortunaly the entrance for the lake was closed, and the lake was fully fenced, so we made a stop for lunch, around 13h.

Convoy 10+ joined us for lunch and we left, around 14h to continue our drive, with over 60km already complete at this point.

On the following section we could see many high dunes, mostly with beautiful white sand, but with technical areas, that lead to many stuck and second tries within the convoy.

After covering less than 5km in 1h, due to the soft and technical area, we head to the big farm, using about 4-5km on the tarmac.

We crossed the big farm and head to Tilal Sweihan starting point, with some easy track until we reach the last dune chain to be crossed, with 40min for sunset.

A small 1km track took us around 30min to complete, with stuck and lost track, due to some soft sand but mostly by the tiredness of drivers, after 100km and 6h of driving!

At the finish point I was expecting to have some drivers tired and willing to go home, but I only got huge smiles and requests for more drives, what make us Marshals truly happy!!!

I had a great time with this drive and I am looking to get a report from each driver, and passenger, if willing to do so!

On the skill side, I must remind our newbie drivers a few points:
- keep the right distance: not too close, but DO NOT loose the car infront of your. If the cars are speeding up, get to the speed and follow it. The leading Marshal is assessing the area and will keep a speed that is suitable for the level of the convoy. We had 5+ times that people were slower that necessary to keep proper distance.
- keep the track: our last stuck, that took 20min to be sort, was due to a driver that went 1m out of the track and end up in a ditch. No harm, but that could easy have being a rollover.
- listen to radio: support team was having difficulties with members that were not listening to the instructions.

Hope to see you all driving with us!

Hello Everyone

This is one of old school drives we have , in the old days we used to drive From Thursday night until Saturday noon. The marshals decided to give you a FULL DAY drive and the choice went to the GNFD 2020 track!!!

The drive itself designed for people with no experience but our marshals tweaked the tracks to make them newbie 10- and newbie 10+, I was in the 10+ convoy and we had a blast!!
We had 8 members with @Booy floating and @Loca in rescue, So we had no major issue at all. Except until I reached lunch time to find this group doesn’t have FOOD to share !!! I called the other frequency to check the other convoy and maybe they have better members than my convoy !!!! Well, at least they had fruit and bread !!! The moral of the story “ Make sure that you have enough FOOD” to feed the marshals too hahaha !!!

While driving around 4 pm heading our last stage area I got the sun in my eyes the same angle which brought a déjà vu of racing the time and trying to close the event of last year of GNFD, it was warm feeling

Racing the sunset to find the other convoy was there too “ Safe & Sound “ was the best news to know. It was another wonderful day out with you and before I close I would like to thank @presa for organizing this drive for us.

Till next time stay safe and keep the sand flying
Shamsi

Dear Almosters

What more can I add to the great trip reports already posted here.
it started with a "concentration test" driving through the thick early morning fog down the infamous Truck road from Dubai to the meeting point. the last petrol station at Al Sweihan was invisible from the road - so thanks to the GPS for locating it.

We arrived at the meeting point on time but as mentioned the thick fog delayed the take off time, but it was great to hang out a while and chat with the other members.

I was in the 5 or less convoy led by @presa. the drive started off well with everyone finding their spot in the convoy Mitsubishi’s up front followed by Laani in the FJ and Nahor in his Jeep. But after only a short distance Nahor took a heavy dump off one near vertical short drop something in his gearbox decided to break so unfortunately for him it was the end of the drive for him, he was lead out of the desert but the support crew to limp his way back to Dubai.

The terrain was varied through out the drive, nice easy soft dunes, flat fast sections and some very technical areas. There were too many stucks, tows and pulls to list (or remember) no one was spared even our lead (@presa was unfortunate to hit a tree and need a pull to get out.

For me it was a day of Highs and lows. the highs being the amazing scenery, comradery of the members and that view from the Highest dune I have ever attempted to descend ! which brings me to my lows ! - at the top of the said high point I had stopped short of the crest and when my turn came to go over the top I lacked the power to get across the ridge, ending up completely bellied out and requiring my first pull - so my tow road made its first ever appearance and with the help of @Mabubaker I was quickly dislodged. my second attempt at crossing the crest was successful and down the other side I went, much to the amusement of the rest of the convoy who watched the spectacle of a little jeep completely bellied at the top - I was told later I could be seen from as far away as Abu Dhabi Corniche! but hey, what an adrenaline rush the descent was with a nasty little drop at the bottom that I failed to see so we hit with quite a thump !.

Not long after it was time for my second whoops - bouncing down some of the little (vertical) drops I hit the bottom of one pretty hard (lucky everything in the back was strapped down. I looked in my mirror to see my rear bumper dragging along behind me hanging on by only a wire. I radioed it in that I was stopped but the marshals and rescue guys (and girls, thanks @Johanna ) were busy dealing with a much more serious issue getting the Landcruiser behind me "unstuck". not to worry out with the obligatory "Duct Tape" and it looked as good as new !. so with fingers crossed that it would hold out to the end of the drive off we went.

The last Dune ! OMG @presa saved the most technical challenge to the last line of dunes between us and the finish line. as has been mentioned everyone was by now tired from a long day and mistakes were made, fortunately everyone made it across the last challenge relatively unscathed just as the sunlight was starting to fade.

Again thanks to the Marshals and Support crew for looking out for us, helping us, and keeping us Newbies safe - you certainly had your work cut out for you, you worked tirelessly all day.

my report is late as I spent yesterday out in Sharjah having a brand new steel rear bumper fitted.

Until I get the opportunity to do it next time and continue on the journey with Almost4x4

Regards

Brett
& the little yellow Jeep

I will start by saying that had done this route earlier at GNFD as it sets proper context for my report when I say "It felt brand new and a lot more fun with the Almost 4x4 family!"

Not that I needed a reminder, but I absolutely love how much more fun such drives are with a small pack of like minded people. Being an overlander at heart and pedigree, @alshamsi_m got me during the briefing when he announced the drive was less the usual style and more of an overland style of drive. I was not disappointed.

As always, I had a lot to take away - maintaining safe distance and pace, how to exercise self-preservation (both car and driver) for longer distances and a lot more,

Big thank you to @presa, @alshamsi_m , @Booy and others who supported this drive. I had a good time learning how to approach traveling through the desert and look forward to joining more of such overland style drives.

Hello everyone,

What started from a very foggy and cold morning, turned out to be a lovely day with sunshine, cold winds and a great atmosphere in the group.
The GNDF track was something, I have not experienced yet, but a nice thing to do.

Driving away the kilometers and progressing thru the drive, made me understand that to make it till the endpoint in time, playing around too much isn't possible. It made me understand what the concept of overlanding is. The fence is your best friend.
All and all, I had a great time during the day and double thanks to the organizers for letting this experience be part of our future luggage.

Thank you @presa , @alshamsi_m , @Booy , @Johanna , @Loca @Mabubaker for this day in Sweihan.

Really looking forward to the next playground experience,

Tom

Kris wrote: Sun Jan 17, 2021 11:48 am Hi Almosters,

We had an all-day fun last Friday thanks to @presa - the organizer.
The drive in the fog was also a nice addition so we had to be careful even before the drive had started.

The GNFD 2020 trail was well diversified and should satisfy all level offroaders. I was in the 10+ convoy (the one who only ate someone else food but did not share ) led by @alshamsi_m, followed by @Tomvanhouten, controlled by @Loca and swept by @James. @Booy was floating and supporting the rescues, which we did not have that many.

The terrain was diverse as mentioned before so that we could practise all what we had learnt before as well as we could gain new experiences: there were several straight crests, soft sand steep climbs and drops and eventually few new elements being "side crests for beginners" which I personally enjoyed a lot.

The pace was optimal, with very little stucks (I guess they were all made on purpose just be sure the fun will not finish too early before the sunset) and with @Booy FJ going to circus 3-wheeler mode in one of the ditches (see picture in @James post above).

Thanks to the Almost4x4 Crew and the Convoy fellows for a great day.
Kris

I am totally agree with Kris!

Side crest , even for beginners was a biggest fear for me. I think, now all the club knows a joke "side crest, like a camel".
BUT I REALLY ENJOYED THAT!!! Even i do it, like a . Lol.

Hello All,

Buckle up and bear with me! An adventurous trip deserves a detailed report. We were two of the courageous campers with my passenger @sparrow , willing to spend the night in the arms of calm dunes under the blanket of stars. Camping in Abu Dhabi is very exciting for me after the last spot we camped in Al Quaa with the presence of milky way.

We’ve reached to the meeting point around 21.30 on Thursday. Given meeting point was just inside a gate. Without any hesitation we unlocked the chain and passed through. This was very normal for me because the same happened in last Advanced drive around Al Quaa. After the gate, we just deflated and directed ourselves to the camping point given by @presa and @alshamsi_m . Few hundred meters later, the gatch road was blocked by an excavator! First surprise of the night! I gathered the courage and drive around the area, it was surrounded by fences and we couldn’t figure out an exit, so the best idea was to go out of this fenced area and Presa confirmed the same. Afterwards, I decided to find a way to enter in the dunes and find the most straightforward track which could potentially took me to the camping spot. At night, without the off-road lights every dune becomes monster in the eyes of a Newbie. We hanged around for a while in a nervous mood, followed some existing tracks and climbed through some dunes in pursuit of finding the other campers. The section we were driving, and the camp spot was separated with huge dunes all the time. Through Gaia, I spotted a section where it seems like there is a track through those big dunes heading to the camping spot. After reaching to the way-point which defines the beginning of our so-called corridor to the camp, the track was already blocked by fences. After 1 hour of alone night driving, we gave up and decided to camp at that point. After putting up the fire, both of us started to feel the humidity in the air. Few minutes later, all our mattresses were already wet. On the advancing hours, feeling of sitting inside a cloud was more sensible. Eeriest camping conditions up to now in UAE, what a mysterious night!

In the morning the scene was not too different from the previous night. Outer layer of our tent was soaked due to humidity and because of the thick fog visibility was not more than 20 meters. Maybe night drive was easier compared to these conditions?

Thanks god, I’ve recorded the track I took last night from the meeting point so I could track the same path reverse and reach to the point easily (at least in theory). After 20 minutes of driving, I started to hear a weird sound from the tires. Stopped and checked, I had a flat tire. It was not too far away from the meeting point and it was not totally flat, I pushed the limits at that point and decided to move on softly. Few mins after, realized that its not the best idea. To be able to at least reach to the meeting point I decided to inflate the flat tire if possible and rush to the meeting point to not miss the group and do whatever needed over there. After the first inflate, I was able to reach to the flat ground however over there it again got flat. One more push given by inflating the tire back and that took us to the meeting point.

At the meeting point the flat tire was not losing air anymore (maybe it was not a puncture but was only a pop out). However, to make sure nothing will happen in the drive we decided to change the tire with the spare. After last week's tire workshop with our new advanced group, I was trained enough to change my tire quickly. Thanks for being a great example @Mabubaker , @kareem.alameldin and @optimus

After dense fog started disappearing, Presa took the -10 Newbie drivers with him along with our great supports @Johanna and @Mabubaker to the GNFD 2020 track. We as the newbie’s mostly having 3 or 4 drives each, were not expecting the surprises ahead of us. Maybe after 15 mins of driving, @NahorJP had a transmission lever issue and had to leave the track with the help of supports. During that time I realized that my rear bumper was not in a good shape(there is definitely a correlation with @presa 's evil eye) and it was the time to remove it. With the help of @jeepers76 , we managed to remove the Pajero’s famous scoopy rear bumper.

10 mins later after a good hit to a tiny ditch, my steering started to pull me to the right. Ignorance could go only few mins and when a second try announced and convoy stopped, I just went out and check my tires. What to see, one more flat tire! At that point I was hoping that it is only a pop out otherwise it might mean the end of drive. I guess this was the curse of last week’s drive where I didn’t help enough to the intermediates to change that many tires… While Presa was called by Johanna to help the rescue, we have lifted the car on the jack and give a good inflate with the hope of a pop out, and thanks god it was only a pop out. At that point, I was too grateful to the Marshals who taught us how to deal with those problems by ourselves in such a short time.

After all those which happened in the beginning of the drive, my trip was smooth except getting crested once and a hard hit to a sneaky ditch. When I crested, Johanna and Abubaker helped quickly and with a good pull, I was back for a second try. Hit by the ditch was absorbed by my poor plate and the front bumper of Pajero.

I believe, this was the most challenging drive up to now for the Newbies started on December. Many stuck, second tries or pull outs. Challenges always teach lots to the ones who goes through. Today I feel myself more confident to tackle any obstacle or problem compared to few days back.
Many thanks to @presa to organize this amazing trip and leading us through different kind of terrains (big dunes, technical areas, sabkha, bushes) and special thanks to our guardian angels @Johanna and @Mabubaker . Even if they were only two and even we had tons of issues, they were everywhere and always kept helping us tirelessly.

It is never too much to re-iterate this important point " Keep proper distance between the car in front of you!". Much distance might result to lose the track or would take the chance from your hands to see whats ahead of you, however less will be dangerous for everyone because in any urgency you wont have time to make the correct decision.

Lastly, I would like to state that I am very glad to be a part of this family! See you in the sand! Hopefully soon.

Dorukhan.