Sweihan Noon
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orlantsev
- Advance
- Posts: 70
- Joined: Fri Jan 24, 2014 5:37 pm
- Has thanked: 137 times
- Been thanked: 400 times
After my private drive two weeks ago in Wahiba with friends from Oman I realized how privileged we are to have the desert right at the doorstep which you can reach within 30 minutes after leaving home. The 1 hour 30 minutes drive to Sweihan is still nothing compared to 2.5 hour drive from Muscat which my friends go through before hitting the sand. At the deflating point we met some other club and Mark rightly observed they park in a nice and neat line and arrive as one group unlike us…but we are still better he…he… For some hard core folks it was the 2nd drive in a day. Bu Salem advised to apply the skills learnt in last few drives in different terrains and mentioned that Sweihan will test different technical skills such as big arches, drops, soft sand etc… The start was thrilling with 3 almost instant pop-outs. Just after they were fixed I experienced my most thrilling part of the drive which left my hands shaking for some time. There were two parallel lines of concrete blocks which I avoided by smallest margin when the car started to slide, but it was my lucky day. After that we did at least three bowls. On those occasions the best is to listen to the car and when it displays first signs of struggle go down. Guys just wanted to do more and more of these bowls. I am still struggling with my new drawers. All is well except the locks. I spent too much time finding the keys and opening them to get the rope or shackles out. Need to work on the solution. The drive finished on time as followed the same track coming back covering the total of 43 km. On the way back when I was already passing by Sweihan town but kept my radio on for some time I heard Bu Salem asking for jump start cable. Glad that I had one, and hope it helped to start the car of our media reporter!
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ginger
- Intermediate
- Posts: 0
- Joined: Fri Oct 26, 2012 10:16 am
Sweihan is a great place, it’s so interesting and challenging. Sweihan Noon was my first chance since March to get back there, and I love it !
Arriving at the meet I thought I’d joined the FJ-owners club! ; really nice to see everyone, and off we went. Straight into 3 popouts and a few early hold-ups. In my humble opinion Sweihan deserves to have only a small convoy, otherwise there is inevitably going to a lot of waiting around.
The early delays however were more than compensated for by the wonderful big bowls – I could have stayed and played them round-and-round another 20 times! What fun.
My new shocks were out for their first drive, and oh did they make a difference. I think it’s fair to say that they are the single most important upgrade that that anyone can make in this sport.
My ‘lessons learnt’ today included in the big bowls getting enough speed in 2nd gear rather than just relying on 1st (my rev-limiter cut in a few times!), and some of the ‘drops’ would have benefited from 4-low (which is definitely needed in Liwa), to increase the engine-braking.
All in all a fun drive, and thanks to all the organisers.
Arriving at the meet I thought I’d joined the FJ-owners club! ; really nice to see everyone, and off we went. Straight into 3 popouts and a few early hold-ups. In my humble opinion Sweihan deserves to have only a small convoy, otherwise there is inevitably going to a lot of waiting around.
The early delays however were more than compensated for by the wonderful big bowls – I could have stayed and played them round-and-round another 20 times! What fun.
My new shocks were out for their first drive, and oh did they make a difference. I think it’s fair to say that they are the single most important upgrade that that anyone can make in this sport.
My ‘lessons learnt’ today included in the big bowls getting enough speed in 2nd gear rather than just relying on 1st (my rev-limiter cut in a few times!), and some of the ‘drops’ would have benefited from 4-low (which is definitely needed in Liwa), to increase the engine-braking.
All in all a fun drive, and thanks to all the organisers.
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Daggerfall
- Marshal
- Posts: 355
- Joined: Mon Nov 03, 2014 11:23 am
- Has thanked: 236 times
- Been thanked: 213 times
It was really hard to wait for spare parts after damaging my front differential which means no desert time for me during the last two weekends. Finally the car was ready on Wednesday night (Thanks to Almost4x4 Garage) and we were back in business :)
And what could be better than returning to desert with a Sweihan drive. This is my favorite place!!
And here we go! @alshamsi_m did his classic big start and there was 3 pop outs in the first 300 meters :). After that, things went relatively smoother in the convoy (at least at the front). We had great time playing at 3 big dunes on the way and did some big drops to prepare for liwa. I removed the abs fuse this time and was much more comfortable at the big drops. When the abs engaged I was really having a tough time to use brakes for controlling the car.
Since I had to use every drop of horse power efficiently in this area with big dunes I constantly checked my tire pressures and kept them low. Having a relatively less powered car makes you learn how to use your momentum and you have to make sure that the car is floating on sand with the right tire setup all the time.
I also learned another future of my car in this drive after one year in the desert:))) I was having trouble shifting down at the end of the big climbs and the RPM was dropping like a rock at the second gear but it seams that I just needed to release the gas pedal during shifting and it was shifting down without loosing too much momentum whenever I want. :)) Having full control on shifting is crucial .While playing at the first big dune I was flooring the pedal and trying to shift down at the same time but there was no response, after 4-5 seconds later it shifted down suddenly to first gear with full throttle and the back of the car started dancing .Luckily I knew my cars habits and controlled it easily . But having understand it, now I will have better control on shifting. Learning never ends.
It was a great day and really enjoyed it.
Thanks to all marshalls and all participated.
And hope to see you again soon.
Here you can see the video I prepared . Hope you like it.
[video=youtube;2Ssj4a9grac][/video]
And what could be better than returning to desert with a Sweihan drive. This is my favorite place!!
And here we go! @alshamsi_m did his classic big start and there was 3 pop outs in the first 300 meters :). After that, things went relatively smoother in the convoy (at least at the front). We had great time playing at 3 big dunes on the way and did some big drops to prepare for liwa. I removed the abs fuse this time and was much more comfortable at the big drops. When the abs engaged I was really having a tough time to use brakes for controlling the car.
Since I had to use every drop of horse power efficiently in this area with big dunes I constantly checked my tire pressures and kept them low. Having a relatively less powered car makes you learn how to use your momentum and you have to make sure that the car is floating on sand with the right tire setup all the time.
I also learned another future of my car in this drive after one year in the desert:))) I was having trouble shifting down at the end of the big climbs and the RPM was dropping like a rock at the second gear but it seams that I just needed to release the gas pedal during shifting and it was shifting down without loosing too much momentum whenever I want. :)) Having full control on shifting is crucial .While playing at the first big dune I was flooring the pedal and trying to shift down at the same time but there was no response, after 4-5 seconds later it shifted down suddenly to first gear with full throttle and the back of the car started dancing .Luckily I knew my cars habits and controlled it easily . But having understand it, now I will have better control on shifting. Learning never ends.
It was a great day and really enjoyed it.
Thanks to all marshalls and all participated.
And hope to see you again soon.
Here you can see the video I prepared . Hope you like it.
[video=youtube;2Ssj4a9grac][/video]
" I feel the need, the need for Speed " 
Drives Black FJ " VF-1 Valkyrie " , Mob: 050 725 09 31
Drives Black FJ " VF-1 Valkyrie " , Mob: 050 725 09 31
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Mohammad
- Advance
- Posts: 0
- Joined: Mon Oct 28, 2013 6:08 pm
This is was a great drive and I copy @ginger, the convey was around 1.5km long "quoted :gangs:" .. loved the first technical dunes by @alshamsi_m. I think pop-out been the dominator on this trip and I could hear my tiers squeezing on the ground but tried to avoid hard turns and hard landing.. Thanks to @alshamsi @Yoghybear & @Rashidjass .. Great trip with a nice ending treat of a refreshing watermelon by @Rashidjass.
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Mark B
- Golden Member
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Sun Mar 23, 2014 10:50 am
Oh Sweihan. Thuo hast lovely dunes…..
We had a big crowd, 16 cars in all. [MENTION=27]alshamsi_m[/MENTION] in the lead and [MENTION=1633]Yoghybear[/MENTION] sweeping. [MENTION=1803]Zorro[/MENTION] in second lead and [MENTION=1657]Rashidjass[/MENTION] running rescue. Our lead marshal decided to forgo a warm up period and instead pointed the convoy to the sky. As said in other reports we had 3 pop outs in the first 300 meters including myself. A nasty dune reached out and pulled my tire off the rim.
Sweihan has big dunes and soft sand, a tricky combination which makes for a fun drive. Big arches and fast decents and up onto the next dune with always light fluffy soft sand at the apex. The reward is the bowls. Big round bowls to challenge the heart. As [MENTION=2551]ginger[/MENTION] said, I could do those bowls all day, but alas our lead marshal directed us back to the highway taking a challenging and rewarding route, taking advantage of every crest and arch along the way.
Sweihan tests all the knowledge the marshals have taught us and they have taught us well. No major mishaps and everyone had fun. What more can you ask for?
Mark
We had a big crowd, 16 cars in all. [MENTION=27]alshamsi_m[/MENTION] in the lead and [MENTION=1633]Yoghybear[/MENTION] sweeping. [MENTION=1803]Zorro[/MENTION] in second lead and [MENTION=1657]Rashidjass[/MENTION] running rescue. Our lead marshal decided to forgo a warm up period and instead pointed the convoy to the sky. As said in other reports we had 3 pop outs in the first 300 meters including myself. A nasty dune reached out and pulled my tire off the rim.
Sweihan has big dunes and soft sand, a tricky combination which makes for a fun drive. Big arches and fast decents and up onto the next dune with always light fluffy soft sand at the apex. The reward is the bowls. Big round bowls to challenge the heart. As [MENTION=2551]ginger[/MENTION] said, I could do those bowls all day, but alas our lead marshal directed us back to the highway taking a challenging and rewarding route, taking advantage of every crest and arch along the way.
Sweihan tests all the knowledge the marshals have taught us and they have taught us well. No major mishaps and everyone had fun. What more can you ask for?
Mark
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Eric
- Advance
- Posts: 0
- Joined: Sat Jun 06, 2015 9:06 am
Sweihan is a great place to drive. Sweihan has a lot to offer. It is challenging, technical and fast. The sand was soft, in a few cases it was that soft my car decided to go sideways, still keeping a general forward motion though. There were steep ascends and steeper long descents, then there were the big bowls everybody enjoyed.
All together another successful drive by Almost4x4, definitely one of the best drives and nicest locations I have been to.
Thanks to all the leaders for a great Sweihan (after-) Noon.
All together another successful drive by Almost4x4, definitely one of the best drives and nicest locations I have been to.
Thanks to all the leaders for a great Sweihan (after-) Noon.
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alshamsi_m
- Founder
- Posts: 904
- Joined: Fri Aug 10, 2007 8:29 am
- Location: Al Hamriyah
- Has thanked: 1211 times
- Been thanked: 1161 times
- Contact:
Hello Everyone
I write my trip report late recently because of work commitments. I make myself free for the weekend for the club but then I have rush things during the first days of the week but in the middle of the week things settle down. what attract my attention in the upper trip reports as following :
1. another club was organized at the start point :
Well I saw the way they are standing but for me it looked like showing off more than organizing on the other hand we were standing like ONE FAMILY, happy to see each others. it is well known that we are very strict when it comes to driving in higher level and it shows the way all of you are driving safely without any competition or challenging to each other - We would like to keep that spirit.
2. The convoy was big :
Yes I agree that the convoy was a bit long but this is the beginning of the season and we need to give more chance for the people to practice before we go to LIWA. I'm sorry guys if you thought that I was playing hard, I was just warming you up for the coming drives. - We haven't started yet.
3. I think all of you mentioned the POP OUTs:
If you expect that you will do higher level without a challenge then you are totally wrong. We have seen that after sometime intermediate members will start teasing the marshals and challenge them, my advice "DON'T" - Marshals can beat you ANYTIME & ANYWHERE because they are experienced . The good news that our marshals will never do bad things to you because - We are family.
Now the trip report, We all are boys with toys and I have seen that the boys had great time playing in the BOWLS again and again that is the maximum pleasure for any marshal is to give a great day for the members and bring them back home SAFE .
Thanks to @Yoghybear & @Rashidjass for the support. Also @Zorro for the second lead.
Till next time, see you in the sand.
I write my trip report late recently because of work commitments. I make myself free for the weekend for the club but then I have rush things during the first days of the week but in the middle of the week things settle down. what attract my attention in the upper trip reports as following :
1. another club was organized at the start point :
Well I saw the way they are standing but for me it looked like showing off more than organizing on the other hand we were standing like ONE FAMILY, happy to see each others. it is well known that we are very strict when it comes to driving in higher level and it shows the way all of you are driving safely without any competition or challenging to each other - We would like to keep that spirit.
2. The convoy was big :
Yes I agree that the convoy was a bit long but this is the beginning of the season and we need to give more chance for the people to practice before we go to LIWA. I'm sorry guys if you thought that I was playing hard, I was just warming you up for the coming drives. - We haven't started yet.
3. I think all of you mentioned the POP OUTs:
If you expect that you will do higher level without a challenge then you are totally wrong. We have seen that after sometime intermediate members will start teasing the marshals and challenge them, my advice "DON'T" - Marshals can beat you ANYTIME & ANYWHERE because they are experienced . The good news that our marshals will never do bad things to you because - We are family.
Now the trip report, We all are boys with toys and I have seen that the boys had great time playing in the BOWLS again and again that is the maximum pleasure for any marshal is to give a great day for the members and bring them back home SAFE .
Thanks to @Yoghybear & @Rashidjass for the support. Also @Zorro for the second lead.
Till next time, see you in the sand.
Adventurous League of Mountains, Oceans and Sand Thrills
Was amazing drive, around 40km of pure sand, I think 1h40 of moving time and 1h20 of non-moving including breaks, mandarins, juices and photos....We drove the dunes chain East West two ways... Many of us had remark about delay/pop-outs, guys... Peace and Love 
Once upon time we complained about lack of Intermediate drives, as a result the club responded very quickly and highlighted the club's first priorities as well, and If we look at the driver path within the club, starting from CM drive where we get full assistance till Marshal where you provide full assistance. So I think we are all on our way to provide our knowledge to the lower levels including many sacrifices which are part of the game, and we should not forget that before registering for a drive. At the end, we are having bunch of good friends with the same passion and good skills... And no rule says ''No'' if you need higher adrenaline, desert is free and available.
Honestly, helping and be patient could make you feel very proud and give the smile to the surrounding. Like what happened with me last week after Sweihan drive, I joined my friends at Al Qudra lakes but entered through the medium size dunes to play little bit safari style while I found two families struggling in complete dark (before moonrise). Two cars were stuck, LandCruiser in almost roll-over angle and another small Pajero sinked in soft sand... Earlier, I was playing and the adrenaline was high but believe me when I reached their cars, drivers were more under stress and were panicking, they don't know what to do... I think I spent two hours with them in calm temper giving them instructions step by step and absorbing the hyper excitement of some...(You will ask me how to absorb the excitement of some? Just let them shovel in the sand even if there is no need, and usually they are the first ones jumping on your shovel when they see it in your hand) :011:
Next, placed 8 or 9 children in safe zone while maneuvering cars...Even my car got stuck and we recovered it with the LC... etc etc... Then when placed their cars in convoy shape, I given them some instructions to drive in convoy. I took them to the road where all kids jumped out of the car and did long queue to tell me thank you and shake my hand one by one. Believe me you brought their panic down and shoot up the their happiness and comfort! I think no matter how many stars we get within the club you will not feel more proud than bringing happiness to people and get them out of trouble, and this attitude should go along in being an almost4x4 member.
By the way, guys, I was driving their cars in "Drive it like you stole it" style :011:
My post is not to respond to any specific member, I was thinking to share my story with you guys,
Looking forward to see you soon guys
@alshamsi_m sorry brother I think my post brings similar topic that you just explained, it is just posting timing thing...
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Once upon time we complained about lack of Intermediate drives, as a result the club responded very quickly and highlighted the club's first priorities as well, and If we look at the driver path within the club, starting from CM drive where we get full assistance till Marshal where you provide full assistance. So I think we are all on our way to provide our knowledge to the lower levels including many sacrifices which are part of the game, and we should not forget that before registering for a drive. At the end, we are having bunch of good friends with the same passion and good skills... And no rule says ''No'' if you need higher adrenaline, desert is free and available. Honestly, helping and be patient could make you feel very proud and give the smile to the surrounding. Like what happened with me last week after Sweihan drive, I joined my friends at Al Qudra lakes but entered through the medium size dunes to play little bit safari style while I found two families struggling in complete dark (before moonrise). Two cars were stuck, LandCruiser in almost roll-over angle and another small Pajero sinked in soft sand... Earlier, I was playing and the adrenaline was high but believe me when I reached their cars, drivers were more under stress and were panicking, they don't know what to do... I think I spent two hours with them in calm temper giving them instructions step by step and absorbing the hyper excitement of some...(You will ask me how to absorb the excitement of some? Just let them shovel in the sand even if there is no need, and usually they are the first ones jumping on your shovel when they see it in your hand) :011:
Next, placed 8 or 9 children in safe zone while maneuvering cars...Even my car got stuck and we recovered it with the LC... etc etc... Then when placed their cars in convoy shape, I given them some instructions to drive in convoy. I took them to the road where all kids jumped out of the car and did long queue to tell me thank you and shake my hand one by one. Believe me you brought their panic down and shoot up the their happiness and comfort! I think no matter how many stars we get within the club you will not feel more proud than bringing happiness to people and get them out of trouble, and this attitude should go along in being an almost4x4 member.
By the way, guys, I was driving their cars in "Drive it like you stole it" style :011:
My post is not to respond to any specific member, I was thinking to share my story with you guys,
Looking forward to see you soon guys
@alshamsi_m sorry brother I think my post brings similar topic that you just explained, it is just posting timing thing...
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