Almost4x4

Eggs in basket is always a great event.

This year I joined as an Observer and was a bit worried about the heat or maybe get bored while waiting for customers. On the opposite I had a great afternoon, chit chatting with @Mahmoodyasin who was with me at Point 2.

Challengers did a great job and all of them full of enthusiasm, reached the point and still have the energy to run to get their stickers.

Congratulations to the challengers and a big thank to the marshals and the crew for the wonderful and perfect organisation, as usual.

Marco

Good Morning Almosters,

My report is a bit late, due to being tied up all day yesterday moving house !
and the unpacking continues today. So I will make this as short as possible.

Starting my CM drive back in December 2020 the journey has continued during the past 6 months. i have attended almost every drive i was eligible to join. I recently swapped vehicles from the J-Wasp (Jeep) to Wasp VII (FJ). during the ALMOST4x4 journey my skill level and confidence has grown tremendously and i can not thank the club enough for the patience, understand, instructions and advice @alshamsi_m and all the Marshals (too many to name individually thank you - you dedication to the club is 200% your commitment to Safety and support of the CM's and Newbies as they progress through the drives is nothing short of Amazing.

To be honest I was of 2 minds if i should join EIB or not as I didnt feel my skill level (and confidence) was up to the mark required. I was encouraged by @alshamsi_m to give it a try ! having recently been given the honor to become CREW the "CREW" members insisted I do it, this only made me more nervous as I didnt want to let the CREW down.

It was suggested to me that I should use the Jeep as it is more suited to this type of area. I might add that is the ONLY advice I was given being CREW did not give me any advantage, in fact even on the day its self I had crew duties to perform.

So we arrived and deflated. waited for every one to arrive and then set off along the track in convoy. after the briefing and issuing of the 2 sheets of paper we had a few minutes to enter the coordinates in the GPS, thank to the training wee had had this was fairly straight forward.

i was positioned almost at the end (18th Position) of the starting que. So I had a little more time than most to settle my nerves than the early starters. At the start point I was expecting @alshamsi_m to hand me an egg as i had seen what was going on with the other challengers when the started. I was completely shocked when the ever tricky @alshamsi_m passed me 3 ! who needs enemy's when you have friends like that. I must admit on my last 2 drives before this event I had carried an egg in a special pouch so I i was confident it would survive. But 3 !!! I had not even pulled away from the start point and 1 was broken (the reasons behind that shall be one of the campfire stories)

My aim was to do the event and just challenge myself not worrying what my time was and so I took my time at the way points to chat to the marshals and time keepers. I never considered it to be a race. No stucks no 2nd tries, I did get out of the Jeep a couple of times to look at the terrain past the dune in front of me so as not to encounter any steep drops with ditches.

So i reached the finish point and handed in my 2 remaining eggs, there were 4 or 5 other finishes there so we had a chat and watched to others roll in.

Once the event was over we assembled back at the Start point and the placings were announced. I returned with a great time but of course with a broken egg I was disqualified from the official placings. I did not mind that at all - I had managed the course and finished, i honestly didn't expect to complete the course.

So again thanks to all the Marshals who have helped my in my journey with Almost4x4.
I am looking forward to developing even further under your guidance.

So until next time we meet in the Dunes

Before I go a very special thank you to @Laarni for the amazing artwork on the eggs !
thanks also to the motley crew usual suspects for the moral support and encouragement.

Brett
J Wasp

All,
What an afternoon it was! Having taken part in the event I can now understand why it is one of the most awaited drives for all Almosters!
But first things first - big thank you and kudos to all Organizers - Marshals and Crew, as well as volunteers manning the checkpoints (during a true Heat Wave, 50degC on my dashboard) and ensuring our safety!

I was really waiting for the drive with great anticipation (and a a bit of stress I must say) on how the whole idea of timed self-driving in the desert is going to unfold :) I was only able to make limited preparations, missed the GPS class and a few drives before due to family duties, and mostly relied on the previous posts and videos to prepare for the unknown (luckily I read about the egg, it would be such a shame to damage this piece of art so masterfully created by @Laarni. I chose to use GaiaGPS as my satnav, after doing a few rounds in the neighborhood to familarize myself with all the quirks of the app and gain fluency in using it I thought it should suffice (and it did).
So with all that, I appeared on the start line, a little rusty, but eager to finish the challenge (preferably without digging!) :)
After the famous gogogogo by @alshamsi_m adrenaline rush, first few dunes went relatively easy, also in the right direction but then I passed a nastily V-ditched Xterra by (I think) @Germain I though OK, should I sand-shower him and drive away , or try to help (risking getting stuck myself, damaging the cars, and of course betting myself out of competition). I decided I can at least give it a go, my first "rescue" in history :) It was a bit tricky with soft sand and slopes around not allowing to use the ideal angle, but with 2 pulls I managed to get the Xterra out of the ditch!! Such a nice feeling :)
Then quickly on to checkpoint 1 first stamp, and the further routine in the dunes. I got 2nd and 3rd stamp very quickly, but I guess I have grown overconfident approaching the 4th (and then 5th) point and I got stuck 2 or 3 times in almost the same place (combination of wrong approach and not sufficient speed, probably). Luckily I was able to wiggle the car out of the stuck position (following the advice: don't make it worse, get out of the car, assess the situation and only then act).
Finally I reached the finish line in the flats, with many challengers already there. I was so happy to complete the track, I almost forgot to check-in and hand back the egg (why were all those people rushing me me?? ) .

In the end my goals (complete track with no digging :) were fulfilled, and t was not really about the raking at the finish line - everyone was there for the experience! I find EIB was a great self-confidence boost, being able to safely negotiate relatively challenging technical area, and of course a ton of fun. Definitely something to to again in the future!!

Piotr

Hi everyone. Thanks to @alshamsi_m for organizing the trip and all the crew that made it happen!
I joined as the audience to see what EIB looks like, chat with the amazing people around and try to learn from mistakes happening :)
I didn't expect to drive myself, but was happy to do a small drive to the audience area. @alshamsi_m and @Barish did a 5+ job to bring up the anxiety & tell us we might not make it to the spot with all crew busy for the challengers.
I did have trouble with one crest, but 2nd try on 4L was enough to cross it myself.

The EIB itself was awesome and all the challengers did great, it was amazing to watch you. Surely , everyone there was a winner!

I didn't stay for the sunset afterwards and decided to leave. After we were lead to the exit route, I was positioned 1st on the convoy. It was a simple route with some bumps on the road and my wife checked the direction by GPS to ensure we are on our way to the main road - but it was anxious to be the first. Am I really going the right way? Is the speed ok, or should I go faster? Should I slow down before the bumps? I just went what felt comfortable and safe and everyone on the back semed to follow. Sorry if it was too slow for you
On our way out there was another convoy going to the desert and I did a small trip around them to avoid going too close. The sand wasn't too soft and we passed easily.

Overall, it was a great day and hoping to get enough stars, experience and confidence to be the next challenger

Dear Almosters,

Another day in the desert… another wonderful time to spend together! I’m grateful!

The track was indeed for 10+ drives… and it was extremely enjoyable.
Myself, I got stuck only 3 times… and I was audience

Drive was pleasant, from meeting point to beginning of the area was a short route.. and then there we go. Event started! Organization was amazing: congratulations @alshamsi_m and to all Organziers who put out the effort of having the tent, umbrellas installed.. for us, so we could enjoys seeing the participants “suffer” in the dunes around. Although it was a true Heat Wave day – it was extremely pleasant!

I would like to thank @Sorin, @Rashidjass & @Barish for taking me out and teaching me how to get unstuck. I appreciate your advise and confidence you gave me, despite keeping you busy with my "Black Pajero stuck again"! I owe you!

And lesson learned @Barish , your guidance and tips to deflate 10 PSI if you want to have a chance in my car, are invaluable!
It’s experience, which cannot be gathered otherwise. Slowly I’m growing confidence in driving my car on the dunes! BIG Thank you!
I feel for Turkey game during that night.. but hey, you made it to EURO. And you still have a great chance in that group with that Wales equalizer!

The drive ended with the ceremony, and Congratulation to every participant! You fully deserve! The terrain was tough! And look out for next year.. I will join

After the drive we went to a high spot where we enjoyed the beautiful sunset over Al Qudra desert and had wonderful chit-chat! It's very nice to getting to know you, not just the voice over the radio!

It was another amazing day in the sand! Thank you Almost 4x4!

See you next week!

Best regards,
Dan

PS: Thank you @Laarni for the beautiful painted minion egg gift.. true work of art.. just to know.. now he chills “like a boss” in the fridge ruling all over the white eggs!

What an absolute interesting afternoon with the Almost family…..

There was some interesting chatter from the Newbie observers who were stuck after the first dune, all under the control of @Barish so can imagine the chaos as am sure they were all under -5 drives.

EIB challenge was one of the most enjoyable drives of all time with all of the smiling faces… as you are put on point in every turn, you need to be sharp and in tune with the environment around you, that and be prepared with a strategy to achieve in a safe manner but without being stuck, although, I was stuck temporarily twice … start using all the fancy buttons and just like that, no longer stuck… buttons… and was out. Stopped at a way points, had a bit of a chat and continued on my way.

What a distraction, being given three minion eggs, thought I was to get one but spent some time admiring the eggs, a big thank you to @Laarni

Once I started the drive the moment was gone, it was no longer any kind of timed race, but more of a challenge … after the second dune, I was in the zone enjoying myself and wanted it to last
completely forgetting there may be a prize at the end, I think the prize was really the drive. It was great to see the other drivers as we cascaded through the technical area, passed each other, looking for their flags over the dunes and being polite as the paths crossed… one of my stuck, I
could have booted it passed but chose to wait and let the vehicle go ending me being stuck.

A top thank you to @alshamsi_m for making this possible as a club founder, all of the Crew, Marshals and challengers, too many to name but was also good to see some old faces. The real game was the fun, the technical dunes that I really enjoy, an amazing invitation to sit and chat watching the sun go down...

Thank you all for the event, a real experience that a sure we will all be waiting for again next year. And to the CM young drivers, I am not sure if you noticed but there were a few very advanced drivers that got creased on the way out and needed a pull, all part of the fun.

Stay safe until we meet again.

Apologies for missing anyone but thanks to all once again. @alshamsi_m @Rashidjass @SINGH @KIMOz @Germain @desertwrangler @Barish @Lenny @Youssef.Abdelhady @Scorpio @rapailo @Gabor @rameezi @Jasper @kriskian @Mabubaker
& son @kareem.alameldin @optimus @lilGeo @Mahmoodyasin @Ammarxterra @nidal78 @Asadwrangler @mpodroid @AndreAJ @brett @Sorin @Kris @AdamW @Tomvanhouten @David @Laarni @NahorJP @piotr @Flor @CARLOSS @Claude @dorudoru @jeepers76

Hello everyone
Thank you for your ongoing support and for the beautiful adventures.

I share with you my trip report in video format below




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Have a nice day ahead and see you soon in the sand

Trip report: Eggs in the basket

Good day everyone!!

What a lovely evening spent with all of you, who proved to be an real heros and survivors. Congratulations to all of you for successfully completing this drive specially the winners (happy for you guys) and supporting each others.
My utmost thanks to the organizer @alshamsi_m and all the marshals, crew and support team for arranging this 'event of the year' which we all enjoyed the most.

It was adrenaline rush which pushed us right from the moment we left from our home untill we stopped at the finishing point. Couple of basic mistakes committed from my end to prove myself as a newbie. .. i completed this drive in 40+mints with one self recovered stuck and a popout and ofcourse not to miss the stuck right at the start point .

What a burning experience when you have
Just yourself to dig, fix, push yourself out of that situation. Thats the beauty of this drive and to gain all the tought experience you need to be independent. I sincerely thanks founder @alshamsi_m and all the marshals for all the learnings and insperational drives we had in past six months since the day i finished my CM drive.

Ladies well done! @Laarni @Flor @Claude you all did a great job and we all are proud of you.

Usul suspects @jeepers76 @dorudoru @brett @AdrianUAE @Tomvanhouten @James @CARLOSS @Kris @AdamW @piotr @David @Sorin @mpodroid @Rashidjass @Mabubaker @rapailo @optimus @SINGH sorry, i know i missed many names but i do remember all of you..

What a day, amazing Almosters Amazing egg Dunes, amazing hot weather :D
I was with @ammar and @David
we had a very interesting spot where we could see who parks up by us to get signature or down or behind our cars when they surprise us when they pop to get signatures.

we had one pop and unfortunate 4x4 disconnect, and the team managed it well.

Thx for the day to all Marshals, and thx to the Almoster that made the eggs, amazing job.

amazing relax time by watching sunset, other than one guy I don't know why he decided start inflating and being nosy while we were enjoying the sunset!!!!

best part for me honestly was seeing friends, and seeing my good friends son is learning from the best.