Almost4x4

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Hi everyone
"Liwa" a dream desert for the offroaders.
Back to infinity drive day was here, i opted to join in the morning. From dubai till the exit towards Zayed city it was a cruise drive. However Early start made it worth, when i was hit by a dense fog on zayed city road all the way till the camp site. Myself and @SINGH (met him on the way) together drove to the camp, where we met the bunch huddled up around the campfire.
The plan was rescheduled due to fog, from the original start time of 8:30 to 9:00.
@Barish carried out the briefing and divided the convoy into two groups. 1st lead by @Barish with @Shamsi and @Rashidjass as floaters and @Issa as support and 2nd lead by @Scorpio with @Booy and @presa as floaters and @Abu Odai as support.
ME was 2nd LEAD of @Barish confident!
@Barish started on flat and then moved towards small dunes. @Shamsi wise words came into effect (sand here is tricky, you won't know where it will get soft) when as soon as we entered small dunes, few cars got stuck in a bowl. In no time they made it out and we got going again. @Barishlet us experience few high drops where initially couple of cars got crested, which got pulled out in no time.
We then drove continuously for 2 hrs and covered 30kms, finally making to the yellow truck in the next 1 hr drive. Some nice pics were clicked and a short break was taken before we were back on the track. Around 2pm we stopped at a high ground and took our lunch under a fancy tent constructed by @Shamsi . Half hour break was enough to boost our charge to get back on the track.
@Barish then took on some very high dunes, performing high drops and big arches. From this time onwards although some experienced few second tries but didn't have any stucks or pop outs. When 2 hrs drive was left, we found that an xterra in the convoy got overheated, for which we had to stop and do some troubleshooting and maintenance. At this point the two experienced so called civil engineers @rapailo & @Christian came handy who with their brilliant skills managed to fix a leaking hose by carrying out a temporary repair which later on proved to be better than the permanent fix.
Following this @Shamsi and @Issa took a short route to escort the unhealthy car to the highway whereas @Barish continued on the original track with @Rashidjass as our guardian angel. Here onwards @Barish really pushed the convoy to speed up on the flats, on fire making us complete that 120k successfully and finally making us reach the dirt road just after sun down.
Doing a Liwa route with experienced Marshals, was like a guided tour. I really admire the efforts of our marshals who spend time and effort to get the track done so that we can enjoy the drive and the scenic of places like liwa.
Thank you very much
@Barish (for letting me be the second lead) @Shamsi @Rashidjass @Booy @presa @Scorpio @Issa @Abu Odai for letting us enjoy liwa.

till next time

Mahmoodyasin
Black FJ cruiser (DARK STALLION).

LIWA is LIWA and has no comparison be it the grandeur in scale during the day or the tranquility during night.
@Lenny and I drove from Dubai and reached the last petrol station before the camp at 9:30PM, we bumped into other fellow Almosters and tagged along to drive towards the meeting point under the guidance of @Rashidjass
As we entered the gate we stopped to deflate, I was curious to notice that the Marshal did not deflate when I asked, he said the terrain is such that if you maintain good speed you should be able to float on the sand without digging.
I initially thought I will not deflate and will follow the Marshal but then decided to deflate from 35 PSI to 20 PSI, did not want to risk getting stuck, once everyone was done, we started driving towards the camp location.
Human senses take time to get oriented to driving in the dark with only light in front and behind you. Once we were all settled the pace of the convoy increased and we were floating having fun kicking sand in each other’s face.
We reached the Camp in under 15 mins, most of the participant had already arrived and had dug in around the fire, with everyone settled we had a few hours of chit chat and discussion with @rapailo and @Hakkoum you are never short on humor and a reason to laugh your lungs out.
The night was very calm with no wind, the sky was crystal clear, it would have been better if the temperate was a bit lower, we all called it a night at around 0000Hrs and most of us were up by 5:30 after packing and quick breakfast we were all set to begin driving by 08:30 as the Fog had started to clear by then.
We were split into two convoys, I was in the second convoy lead by @Scorpio we were 6 Newbies, 3 Inter’s, 2 Advance 1 explorer and @Booy . The plan was to complete 120 KMS before 5 PM.
The drive is about endurance and believe me, you need to be well rested, well feed and always hydrated to ensure that you can stay alert and focused throughout the drive.
For me the drive hand everything that you can expect at Newbie level, pace of the drive was moderate to fast, the terrain was continuously changing, the radio communication was constant and clear, the experience of the lead car ensured that we were bang on with timing.
We had stops at regular intervals with inters & above getting chance to play on some beautiful walls, I felt green-eyed that I could not experience them but also realize that I need to reach that level before I try those maneuvers.
Post lunch the second part of the drive was more challenging and required me to stay very focused, my endurance and stamina were being put to test, with still couple of hours driving left I could feel the ache and pains settling into my hands, calf muscles and back, despite this the thrill of being able to do a drive like this makes everything else seem very small.
By 5 I was using all my reserve energy to stay alert and focused as fatigue had set in, I quickly munched on energy bar to up my sugar level and complete the drive.
Doing this once a year is a must, I hope next year it will be at a different level, the dedication required to do these drives is high, but you should do it once to feel the pain and joys of this kind of driving.
Thanks to the organizers and the support teams for providing us the opportunity & experience.

Dear All,

first Almost camp of the season and it was in Liwa…
I believe most people who see this place for the first time fall instantly. I left Dubai early to catch the sunset and I enjoyed the road trip to Madinat Zayed to the max with loud music and a lot of junk food wink
I reached the camping spot around 5.30 and witnessed one of the most amazing sunsets I have seen. More and more people joined the camp after sunset and we celebrated the opening of the camping season with a lot of food, coffee, tea and marshmallows.

I slept in the open as usual if the weather allows it. It got wet in the early morning hours, but I was too lazy to set up the tent and I just crawled in my sleeping back.
I woke up at around 6am to a very spooky scenery boo! as I found myself in dense fog in the desert, with a visibility of only a few meters. I was not far from the camp, but I had to use my GPS to find it in the fog

After breakfast we waited until 9am until the fog cleared up and started our 120 km track with 2 convoys. I joined @Scorpio in the middle of the convoy with @Mabubaker as second lead, @Petr ínside the convoy and @presa @Abu Odai @SINGH and @Booy floating around, keeping everyone safe.
Liwa is different from our other driving areas. Despite the beauty of the endless ocean of dunes with its incredible reddish colours, you better focus on your driving as the area can be full of surprises. Hidden ditches, soft sand spots and steep drops will cross your way.
On the track from Madinat Zayed towards Arada we started in an area with medium sized dunes, passing by the famous yellow truck. The dunes got higher and higher and we did lot of arches and drops followed by climbs in sometimes very soft sand.
Our convoy did very well, we had no stucks or mechanical/tire issues, just some second tries here and there.
Very well done guys and great lead from @Scorpio
The plan was to finish either the 120km or at 5pm, whatever comes first.

And we finished the 120km .

Honestly, I was very proud of us. It was a tiring endurance drive and we managed to finish 120 km without incidents in Liwa. Super .

As I mentioned in the beginning, its easy to fall with Liwa and it was so great being back after the hot summer months.
I am looking forward to our next adventure, much love for Liwa

Thank you everyone for the great weekend, I believe I am not the only one with a Liwa-hangover today.

Hello All,
I was supporting the convoy led by @Scorpio, with the guardian angels @presa, @SINGH and @Booy and my fellows @Mabubaker as the 2nd lead and @Johanna. I am taking the easy way - posting pics instead of words this time innocent. I hope you enjoy:

Hello Everyone,

This was a special Liwa trip for me in my off-roading life . I got the opportunity to lead one of the newbie convoy in Liwa for a track of 120km . Before I begin, I would like to sincerely thanks @alshamsi_m and all the founders for having trust in me and to all the amazing marshals for their continuous training, guidance and support .

We camped the night before Friday and it was big gathering at the camp. The night was not cold but started getting foggy after midnight and the lowest temperature I witnessed was 22C. I was able to sleep for 3 hours or so, and woke up on a dense foggy morning. After the breakfast and tiding up stuff in cars, we had the briefing from the organizer of the event @Barish and then from Bu Salem about the drive plan and the terrain.

There were 2 convoys made; one to be lead by Baris and the other by me. In my convoy I had @Mabubaker as my 2nd lead, @Johanna and @Petr in the middle for convoy reinforcement and @Abu Odai as the sweeper. The convoy was supported by @SINGH as well who was joining forces with the sweeper and the floating marshals to keep the convoy safe and intact. Presence of @Booy and @presa, being the floating marshals, provided us the necessary guidance and support whenever required.

So, I had two factors to keep an eye on during the drive; distance and time. We were supposed to finish 120km or drive until 5pm, whichever comes first. When you are in Liwa, time flies. There are many interesting areas where you can play the whole day on just one dune. The drive started and we enjoyed soft climbs, big drops, technical areas, soft sand sections, long runs, riding on the walls, negotiating with ditches and stunning Liwa scenery on fire . Liwa is full of surprises and it takes a while for you to adjust to this type of sand which gives you the false impression that the area in front of you in flat but it isn’t actually arr. . The sand color and the pattern combination makes it beautiful yet deceiving that requires continuous focus. We had numerous second tries and rescues but we all kept our focus intact and I would like to congratulate you all for playing safe . We had breaks in between to allow intermediates & above to play on the walls and enjoy some high revs yuush.


Below are some of the rough timelines of the drive:

• 11:00am – reached the Liwa Yellow truck
• 01:00pm – stopped for the lunch break in front of a tempting wall (thank you @Booy for that )
• 03:00pm – reached the underpass
• 04:30pm – reached at the exit point

In total, you amazing almosters did 140km on Liwa sand 8-) . I enjoyed the day with you all and hope you learnt some new skills in Liwa. After the drive, I went ahead to camp again before the Advance drive next day :twisted: .

Hope to see you soon in the sand..

Cheers

Halo every one .
Liwa is the best area to reinforce your skills and get in touch with all expertise from all the marshals , leaders and even founder surrounded by you .

After giving me the chance to join the trip , the plan was to go Thursday night after my work , unfortunately it was late and I decide to go early morning Friday .
The last 40 km before the petrol station was horrible and my speed was 30 km per hour due to the fog , however reached safely on time and found all the team preparing and ready to challenge .
We got a short briefing by @Barish and @alshamsi then took the garbage to the road come back fast and join the convoy .
We had slow start with some delays until we manage to have lunch after 30 km of driving , we stop for an hour in fixing @Ammaxterra car thanks for @kriskian and rade , @alshamsi took him in shortcut and we went in our fast track rally drive with the lead of @Barish .
We reach the end by 7 Pm , safely thanks every one for making it and was great pleasure to get in touch with all the team .
Special thanks for @alshamsi @Barish @Daggerfall @Solmaz for the trust and the confidence . Looking to see you more often in shalla .

Hello everyone,

I had been waiting the chance to drive in Liwa for a long time and finally the time has come. What a day.

This time I opted for camping at night, the evening passed pleasantly in anticipation of the day to come. We all woke up early surrounded by fog but excited to start the journey. During the briefing @Alshamsi warned every body that this drive and track would have been a blast of fun and indeed it was.

I joined the convoy led by @Barish with @Alshamsi and @Rasheedjass floating around and as soon as we started the thrill begun. With no doubts for me this has been the best drive so far, I never saw bigger and endless variety of spots, in size and shape, big drops, small drops, transitions, big arches, big bowls, climbs, descents, all multiplied indefinitely. The sand was tricky in many areas, the scenery was amazing the entire day, especially in afternoon time when different shades and colors became to emerge.

@Barish led us through beautifull lines and gave us the chance to practice many times different kind of passages and techniques. @Alshamsi and @Rasheedjass watched over us the whole time supporting everybody when needed. I had some second tries and each time I received the right advice on how to overcome the difficulties.

The Marshals did really an amazing job in planning and executing the track, we all felt safe the whole time so that we could enjoy at maximum our time.

When @Ammarxterra experienced some potential technical issues, the Engineers @Rapailo and @Cristian fixed it on spot skillfully, impressive to say the least.

Summing it up it was a special day for many reasons, but physically very challenging, since I’m not used to such endurance drives.

For sure it is going to be one of those days that I will remember for a long time.

My biggest thanks to the Marshals, Advanced, Intermediates and all participating members for letting this day happen.


Lorenzo aka Abu Touma

Dear All

First of all, thanks to @Barish & @Scorpio for leading this long journey in Liwa with a group of newbies for 140 KM. Secondly, well done for all of you who did the whole track safely. We can't forget the people who supported the drive and made happens for all of us, Thanks for the rescue training team.


@Booy and I reached the camp after the sunset so we didn't have the chance to see it slow but the scenery on the next day compensated that view . Our leader took in a very interesting terrain but due to some technical issues I had to escort 2 cars out to the shortest easy track which was not short ... We made 151 KM driving backward to Madinat Zayed although or final destination is Mozirah - Liwa

Hi everybody.

What more can a person say about Liwa. It must bt the most looked forward to weekends when you can drive in Liwa with Almost 4x4. Last year I was a passenger in this drive and this year I was able to join myself.

When we reached the first Waypoint I met @Rathica and herhusband and we deflated tyres. We immediately set for the next waypoints and made our way through some big dunes during in the dark. After a few turns and climbs we reached a gravel road which was much easier to get close to camp. In the distance we could see the green and red lights of the camp and made our way there. Reaching the camp spot we were met by @alshamsi @Booy @presa @Johanna @Hakkoum @osman @rapailo who had a good camp fire going and allready started their BBQ. We unpacked and had some nice meat and then the biggest Marshmallows i have ever seen.

We had a good nights rest and were waken up by the Alert message of dense fog on the roads. After everyone packed up camp and had their breakfast we were split in 2 convoys by @Barish and the Liwa drive began.

The sand was very soft in certain areas and after a while the convoy was doing good. Barish took us through some nice open areas and we had some very nice arches. We were making good progress and stopped at the yellow truck to take some photos and fill some cars with fuel.

We headed out again and started to reach the bigger dunes. The pace was good and we did not have problems along the route. We stopped at about 2pm for lunch and @alshamsi & @Rashidjass made a nice shade between their cars. After some coffee and a nice lunch we were ready for the last stretch. The dunes became bigger and the arches and drops more exciting.

We then had a problem with a car that was overheating. After refilling water we later found that the steel hose had a hole and all the water leaked from there. We came up with a bush fix plan and fixed the leak. Al Shamsi took the car out to the closest exit so they can get to a garage to get it fixed.

We pressed on and Barish really started to push us. He kept saying to close the gaps and keep up with the car in front of you. The night caught us and we did the last 45 minutes in the dark. This is were the night lights came in handy.
We reached the tar road and all stopped to start inflating.

With sore and tired bodies we stopped at the petrol station were the advance group gathered and left for the second night's camping.
Me and @rapailo drove back together and kept talking on the radios to stay awake.

Thanks to everybody that made this trip possible. It was absolutely beautiful and a wonderful day. The first time I have done so many Km's in one day.
The drive was epic, thanks barish. Thanks to all the Marshalls and support members that made it possible.

Liwa is truly a wonderful place.