Almost4x4

Dear Almosters

The Intermediate Drive in Al Quaa, Al Ain/Abu Dhabi area. an Early morning start meant a few decided to overnight in al Ain. I was fortunately able to passenger with @presa.

Obviously as a Newbie I did NOT drive I was a passenger only

To all the newbies who read this - if the opportunity comes for you to passenger in a drive at this level - Take the seat ! these drives are at another level !! the observations and opportunity to learn.

In order to meet up with @presa at the designated spot in Abu Dhabi I had to set an alarm for 3am leaving home at 4am so I wasn't late for the meeting. I arrived by 530, Presa was already waiting for me, quickly transferred to his car and off we went. It was another 1.5hr drive to the meeting point.

Others arrived @alshamsi_m @SINGH @Daggerfall @Mabubaker @kareem.alameldin @Mahmoodyasin. and the three (brave) intermediates @Tomvanhouten @osman @Germain .

With this level of Drivers assembled it was obvious this would be be a high adrenaline ride.
it was to be an all day drive until 530 - 6pm.

As I mentioned the 3 intermediates were brave to be in a convoy of this caliber. it was dominated by FJ's with just 1 Jeep and 1 Xterra ! those being the 2 of the 3 intermediates. The marshals had challenges planned for sure !

The height and sharpness of the dunes in this area is amazing, the sand was like powdered sugar and very soft. unfortunately in the first section there was a lot of vegetation making for a very bumpy ride and the need to find the correct line to have the power to climb and enter the crests and crossover from one HUGE bowl to the next. there were many 2nd tries - you might think the Marshals are meant to be experts so why they would need 2nd tries ? first up these are dunes that are a whole different level from what a Newbie has seen. Secondly the reason these guys got to be marshals is they know when it is possible to make the climb and crest safely and as they keep instilling in us there is no shame in 2nd tries and stucks the priority is Safety - not how big your ego is. The Skill level of these guys is amazing. the radio communication and constantly looking out for each other.

The Height and steepness of the bowls ! wow seeing the guys fly around them at speeds approaching 120kph - but the moment (if) the gravity started to take over there was no hesitation to go down and try again.

Unfortunately the first casualty of the day was the unusual double pop-out on the jeep - at the lower ground as we all went to assist with fixing them a Fox sprinted out from its fox hole 5m from the resting place of the jeep
The next casualty, just before lunch time was
@Tomvanhouten his FJ decided to make some nasty noises. needing to be towed out from the bottom of a bowl - first 2 FJ's were connected together and then an attempt to pull him to the top without success. then a Train of 5 FJ's were connected and managed to pull him out of the bowl. then towed by 1 FJ to descend to the flatter ground. then train of 5 connected again to tow him to the fence line which we temporarily dismantled to allow him to reach the track. the fence was put back and we headed back into the sand where we found a spot for a lunch break. a tarpaulin between to cars for shade - did I mention it was hot ! 45C
after lunch we had another slight issue with @SINGH FJ showing an increase in temperature he advised that he would hand the lead over to @Daggerfall. The second area was what everyone was waiting for - the dunes were higher, steeper, sharper and less vegetation. therefore the pace increased - considering the pace in the first half I was wondering how the increase was even possible.
Then around 5pm we went over a particularly challenging climb - crest, decent to the next bowl and @presa had a pop-out, on closer inspection the tire side wall had split in 3 places. again everyone gathered around for support and assisted with the replacement.
we then had a few more bowls to explore before heading out to the road.
inflated and said our good byes - it was another 1.5hrs drive back to AD to collect my car and then my drive back to Dubai - reaching home around 830pm. I was exhausted after a very long hot day

My take aways
- Was it worth to get up at 3am ? Yes most definitely
- I now have even higher respect for the skills and knowledge of the marshals
- The structure of the drives at all levels is to ensure everyone is safe and enjoys the experience
- Practice practice practice
- Leave egos at home


looking forward to welcoming the next batch of newbies for the CM drive next Friday as they begin their Almost4x4 family adventure.

Hello everyone


I was teasing poor @Rathica for the whole week on chat by saying " Less is more " . Well to some extent it is true.

With only 5 members and the rest were marshals/Explorers the drive was amazing having in mind that our leading marshals don't do a track saving drives, They drive what they see according to the level behind them " Excellent Skills " .

I had my 4 hours drive from 8 - 12 pm then I had to call it off for the day , the rest of the group drove until 5 pm and I'm sure they enjoyed their time to the max.

The scenery was so magnificent with these huge dunes but our brave members were up to the challenge.

The winter season is coming soon and I am sure there will be more drives in this destination.

Until then stay safe and looking forward to see you soon.

Shamsi




All credits for the picture goes to @optimus

Hi Almosters!

I was very excited for this drive because its been a long time since I drove at Abu Dhabi where we have the high dunes with sharp edges, stadium size bowls and fresh sand. I couldn't go to sleep earlier the night before to rest due to some personal "tasks" to be completed and it was already midnight so I was trying to decide whether to go now or to take a short nap (It was risky) till 4 AM

It seems like I fall asleep on sofa with no alarm was set but my subconscious woke me up at 4:30 AM sharp . It would never happen on a working day!

After a smooth ride for couple of hours I joined @presa on the way and made it to Al Quaa. I saw the guys were already on sand and drove directly to them without deflating and boom! I fall into a bowl and couldn't get out without deflating my tires.(They might be wondering where did I disappear ) It was a wake up call for the conditions we are about to encounter during the day!

After chitchatting with friends we started the drive and it was really challenging due to very soft sand. It took some time for us to adapt to the conditions (Speed, aggressiveness etc. ). As mentioned before the area was beautiful except the plants waiting to catch us on the drops , walls and climbs. Navigating through this kind of areas , keeping the pace high, giving challenge to all of us and taking all the risks is an extraordinary job which executed by @SINGH perfectly! (As mentioned all of us were doing second tries time to time )

While our team were executing the famous "Almost train" with 6 cars (total) @Mabubaker was helping me (Thanks buddy) saving my car from the fences I got caught while scouting an easy exit for @Tomvanhouten . There is no such thing like "unrecoverable car in the desert" only not enough FJ

I would like to thank one more time to @alshamsi_m on the behalf of our founders and our marshals who trained us and engraved our hearts and minds the "Almost spirit" which encourages team work , discipline and fellowship where we welcome any kind of challenge with joy and feel no hesitation about the outcome of the situation and almost knew that we will find a way out of it!

All the lucky intermediates did a great job and survived the day! And seeing from their faces I believe they enjoyed it !

Thanks to all who organized, joined and supported. It was a great day and looking forward go back!

The winter is coming!

Hello everyone,

I was so looking forward to this day, discovering the much talked about area of Al Qua'a!

We decided to get a good night's sleep ahead of what was about to come in Al Ain, so that the next day we didn't have to wake up so early.
Comfortably making our way to the meeting point, deflating, chatting and off we went into the dunes!

Absolutely great area, but as said before, the vegetation is really annoying, especially when you have to do a second try and need to go down. It gets bumpy!!

I was a bit frustrated during the early hours as I felt, I didn't have the grip to stay high up the walls, so this opened up the tire discussion once more. I just thought, if other people can do it, I can as well, just need to adapt and learn.

Anyway, it seems that the learning stopped after a few hours, as my car decided to "let me do it myself", so end of drive for me around noon
The rescue out of the desert was fantastic as described before, amazing job everyone!

I cannot imagine being in a better and more loving family then this one, thank you everyone for the amazing support! Will be back again!

Thank you:
@SINGH , @Daggerfall , @Mabubaker , @alshamsi_m @optimus , @Mahmoodyasin @presa , @Germain , @osman and off course @brett for the mental support

See you all soon!

Hi Almosters!

As @brett mentioned, this is a different level due to the area, but mainly due to the spectacular job done by @SINGH leading the convoy for most of the day, while @Daggerfall finished the last few miles.

The day was perfect, with no dangerous incident, aside from car´s problem, including a tire destroyed in my case.

Driving at the back of the convoy in this soft sand/large dunes is challenging since the first few cars will mess up the track, so adjustments will be needed to reach the crests.

The areas between Al Ain and Bateen Liwa are special, with big dunes and very steep bowls! If you havent being there, either driving or as a passenger, put it on your wish list!

Hi Everyone!

The game is on!

Al Aqu’a is my favorite terrain. It has a very special place in my heart.
I had my advance exam in this area & also did my first exploration drive here. I can drive here for hours & hours without getting tired!
The super soft sand, razor sharp crests, the majestic dunes, mighty bowls carry those virtual warning sign boards “approach with extreme caution”
High speed side cresting those dunes and riding over those bowls is a different ball game altogether! Can’t explain in words! The fun at advance level!

@SINGH took the lead, briefed the intermediates about the challenges they would encounter during the drive.

I was given the 2nd lead position. @Mahmoodyasin was sweeping the inters & the rest were floating.

It was getting difficult to maneuver through the vegetation but as someone has said in every difficulty lies and opportunity & that’s what @SINGH did, wherever he had the opportunity to shave the crests, he just kept launching towards those dunes!

Around noon, a car broke down, which was escorted safety under the leadership of Bu Salem. All the FJ’s joined their forces together to take the car out.

Post lunch, after driving for some time, the lead was handed over to @Daggerfall the terrain started to getting cleaner with very less bushes around. Some bowls were like mighty white boards (crystal clean).

The speed further increased . It was a pure bliss. Need for speed type! There was a one big climb 60-65° steep we had to climb and side crest into the other bowl.
We kept shooting the climb with full throttle from different angles and various gear combinations, until each one of us crossed over to the other side.

Then few more speedy cresting over to the sides until we called it a day and made our way to the road!

To make this drive even more remarkable, I literally missed my 2 brothers @Rashidjass @Scorpio . Wish you guys were with us. We should soon go back to finish the task, F16 way!

Thanks to the Braveheart intermediates @Germain @usman @Tomvanhouten , I am sure this drive have instilled more confidence in you.

Thanks to the @Rashidjass for organizing this drive,
To @SINGH @Daggerfall rfall for leading.
To @presa for floating around the convoy
To my Explorer brother @Mabubaker

& to our founder @alshamsi_m for being a great leader. Your passion towards off-roading keeps motivating and inspiring us to reach our goal of being better off-roaders! Huge Respect !

until next time!

Hi everyone
AlQuaa and Al wagon, my two favorite sites, where dunes touch the clouds and speed reaches to unbelievable 100k plus.
I have and, in future too, am ready to take a day off from work to make it for these drives, this shows how special these are!!!
Myself, @SINGH and @optimus drove together from dubai to reach the meeting point where everyone else was already present and getting ready.
Convoy was formed with @SINGH leading, @optimus as 2nd lead, followed by the intermediates and myself being the last car, while explorers and marshals/founder were floating.
The start off was from a new location, I’m sure @Rashidjass had cooked a new recipe for this drive. Different about this area was that the dunes were very high and steep, the sand was very soft as well. This made us revisit the tire press check exercise....multiple times.
The task of making to top of these dunes was made difficult by all the plantation on both sides of the dunes, we had to literally go zigzag to avoid the bumps. These hurdles did not effect @SINGH’s ability to push the machine to the max and attempt the highest crests.
We had multiple second tries by the intermediates which showed that they have adapted, how to act responsibly and respect gravity. furthermore This made them learn how to make changes to the approach angle and use the correct gear combination to overcome these challenges. I must give full marks to them to accept the AlQuaa challenge, and have the heart to show up for drive. We haven’t named you guys “brave heart” for nothing!!!
Half way to the drive we had to team up and tow one car out due to engine problems. @alshamsi_m applied his experience and technique to get the car out safely. Moreover he also tagged along and assorted @Tomvanhouten back to dubai. Huge respect for the empathy displayed by our founder at several occasions.
After the lunch break and refill of gas our leader @SINGH was recharged to give us more fun and excitement. As we moved towards the known territory, dunes started becoming more cleaner and the crests seemed more sharp.
Here the speed picked up further, flow became more uniform and the riding on the crest became more often.
While waiting for the convoy to join back we witnessed the awesome display from our “Maverick” pilot @Daggerfall who successfully conquered the steep climbs and infinity crests
Last bit of the lead was passed on to @Daggerfall who got us to achieve the impossible climbs using different gear combinations, angles and high speed approach. Thanks @Daggerfall To make us believe in....... “ try try again “ and “ don’t ever give up”.
Finally we reached the tarmac at half past five, having enjoyed the full day of excitement.
Well done to our brave hearts intermediates @Germain @Tomvanhouten @osman . I can assure that you guys will be different drivers after today.

Thanks to
The Marshals @SINGH & @Daggerfall for an awesome lead, @presa & @Mabubaker for the support, @alshamsi_m for guiding us and keeping an eagle eye on the convoy and my bro @optimus for filling in as 2nd lead,
Special thanks to @Rashidjass for creating the event and @Scorpio for drafting the route ( you guys were missed )

Thank you @brett & @Viktoriia for the wonderful company and great snaps.

Till next time
Mahmood Yasin
White Fj cruiser
(Blizzard)

Hello Everyone,

What a drive - and where to start!!

I was away for nearly two months, landed on Saturday, enrolled on Sunday and then started biting my nails and crossing my fingers so I can pass the Abu Dhabi border. I had my second PCR test at 1AM on Thursday (which was day 6) and received the result after 1PM and had my first smile on my face as I seemed to be "cleared" by the app.

With the usual enrolment reflex, I checked the the list and we were 7 intermediates, few minutes later it was 8. I thought it was a little bit too less, obviously we did not reach the limit because there is no one in the waiting list. Strange but understandable because of the holiday season and the COVID protocol etc. However, when the registration was closed and I received the invitation only 3 new intermediates were on the list, moreover there were 3 names under Advanced and 7 (seven!) names under the Marshals' list. I then immediately thought should I wear two nappies instead of one. My fellow intermediates already had another drive when I was away so better to take some spares as well.

I met with @Germain at the border and we drove together to Al Quaa petrol station for top up and he stayed there a bit longer as he needed to check some logistics with @Rashidjass. When I arrived end of the road, I saw the almosters at the meeting point on a dune just few hundred meters away but I circled back as I thought I should not take a risk to deflate at the meeting point. When I finished and about to drive to the meeting point, @Daggerfall arrived and he hit the dunes straight. I started to drive behind him but then quickly lost the sight, then I saw him inside a bowl which he then deflated there. I hesitated to stop but could not dare, just drove to the meeting point thinking afterwards that I made a wise decision.

When I arrived the meeting point I learned we had few more drop outs, including @Rashidjass as the organizer of the Drive but he shared the planned route with the Marshals. Briefing was pretty much straightforward and the convoy order was @SINGH as the lead, @optimus as the second lead, followed by @Germain, @Tomvanhouten, myself and @Mahmoodyasin sweeping and the rest (@alshamsi_m, @Daggerfall, @presa, @Mabubaker) floating. You can see such a group only in your dreams as there is more than one marshal per intermediate, meaning it is not a VIP drive, but VVIP. We will be watched by many eagle eyes getting instant feedback on mistakes, the convoy is small so less distractions and stops with more flow.

The dunes were very high, lots of deep bowls, soft sand and a lot of vegetation - especially the earlier part of the drive. I had to readjust the tire pressure three times as it gets hotter and hotter and one PSI makes a big difference. As said by the others we had a lot of second tries but we had a good flow in average. I had a lot of fish tailing at high speeds after a side crest and I must work on that to have better control. One reason is turning the wheel excessively by instinct as small corrections are not responded quickly by the car. Then I need to "correct the correction" on the other direction. Thanks for the tip @Mabubaker.

Vegetations on the slopes made the drive very challenging and I had the double pop out for that reason. We were driving on the higher part of a large wall but my momentum was not enough so I need to come down and complete the arch at the lower level. But it was really bumpy, too risky to come down straight immediately as the cars momentum would want to push me to the side. So one of the vegetation bumps caused my two lower side tires to give way. Then everybody helped to get it fixed very quickly. In fact, I was just handing the tools not doing any serious work. Thank you all.

I was not sure how long after that, but probably not more than half an hour, we had some mechanical issue on @Tomvanhouten's car where we thought the sound was telling us not to run the engine, yet alone drive it. Luckily the road was only a few dunes away but these dunes were high and soft and we were surrounded by them. Towing started by one car, then two then five until reaching to the highest point around. Going down was alone with escorts then two cars towing until the road. @alshamsi_m then said goodbye to us and kept towing until where I don't know.

We had more challenging drive after the lunch break when I saw the temperature reaching 51 degree shortly but on average it was wandering around 48. We were continuously climbing up and down, driving on the ridges, side cresting almost with full throttle. Then I had the temp warning light come on with the bells singing. I caused holding the convoy for few minutes to get the engine cooled down. Later on, I ended up winding down the windows and turning the AC off before the climbs.

We had a bowl to be named after this drive as "Xterra Bowl". @Daggerfall started from the bottom and after few circles reached to the top, giving a nice photographic pose. I will let @Germain to explain the name.

We had one special side crest were almost everyone had so many n'th tries (cannot be called as second try any more!). It was quite steep and towards to the top the sand was so soft that you think if you stop, it would swallow the car all together! For my case, I tried 4H only first gear, 4H 1+2 nd gear, 4L 3rd gear, 4L 3+4 gear with no luck to reach to the top, maybe engine power was also compromised. We then followed a different path to get out. In the meantime a dune or two away, @presa's had the tire cut.

We completed 9 hours on the sand at 5PM with full smiles on our faces and looking for another great drive like this one. Thank you @Rashidjass for organizing and planning the drive and @SINGH and @Daggerfall for the great leads.

Hi All,
Sorry for a late report, but better late then never.

Al Quaa, what a beautiful area it is and we are lucky that the local authorities allow access for the motor enthusiasts like us to go and play in these landscapes.

Journey started early morning and I met @optimus & @yasin on the way, who were waiting for me at Tarif Star restaurant. Had breakfast and we started onward. Reached Al Quaa Adnoc station for a final fuel-up.

The meeting point was around 150m from the road and I entered the desert without deflating in a thought that will do at the meeting point. Great welcome by the madam gravity, and i was resting at bottom of a small bowl before the meeting point. Sand in that area is so soft that you can’t take anything for granted. Prepared my FJ ready in the bowl and reached meeting point in a ready to shoot condition.

It was a VVIP convoy. Due to covid protocols and some personal commitments, out of all the active intermediates, only 03 managed to make it for this drive. I must say, they would be definitely one step ahead among there mates of this level, as the learning you get by driving experience in such areas lifts you up in skills and gives a substantial boost to the confidence level.

The briefing was quick and to the point. Stick to the basics, no ego or shame in 2nd tries, radio communication, going down is the safest option and maintain right momentum/distance. Having two advance drivers given me some flexibility to place them at key positions in the convoy. One as 2nd lead @optimus and the other behind the intermediates @yasin . Great support guys, as always we can count on you. Marshals, Explorers were free birds and founder @alshamsi_m was our guardian angel.

To my surprise, there was hell lot of plantations encountered for 70% of the track and that amplified the challenge to navigate/make the best possible line so that we can get right momentum to climb those huge walls and crest over to the other side, where yet again have to jump over those vegetation while coming down. Slight deviation and one can easily have pop-out or worst could have came rolling down. Thus, the best was to go down straight immediately as one senses losing momentum.

Few hours into the drive, one FJ wasn’t feeling good and the engine decided to give up. Well, no one would like to be in that situation in the middle of such a vast desert and to bailout. As always, legacy of Almost4x4 made a safe recovery and pulled that FJ out to flat area and @alshamsi_m decided to accompany the decedent to make it back to Home.

Time to take a break for rest of the members and have lunch.

Post lunch session was more interesting. We reached to that section of the terrains where there is no vegetation. Dunes were clean, huge walls and deep bowls, sharp crests and soft sand – what else you need! But my joyride was having different plans. 1 hrs into the post lunch session and I was forced to hand over lead to @Daggerfall due to technical issues.
The convoy could feel that the legend is back. The pace and the flow of the convoy got lucky and were enjoying the signature style lead by @Daggerfall which is unmatched and is uniquely limited to him…

Still, to this time (1700 hrs), the sun was not in any mood to turn down his heat, gauges were still showing 45 – 47 degrees. Finally, decision was made to call it a day and we started heading back to road. It was a day well spent in that amazing area and with great bunch of people of having same passion and energy.

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the young (not age wise) intermediates @Germain @osman & @Tomvanhouten who could manage to join this drive. It was first for them in this area and you guys coped very well. Thank you to our Advance drivers, Marshals, Explorers and to our Founder@alshamsi_m for your kind support, without which we couldn’t have marked this as a successful drive.

Take care all … till next time… and get ready to welcome fresh meat next week…

After a hectic week, nothing is better than a full day drive in Al Quoa with such a great company.
The fun started when @alshamsi_m decided to get to the meeting point without deflating, it was a fun ride indeed. The meeting point was carefully selected by @Rashidjass to give the participants an idea about what they signed up for. A great scene of XL dunes with version crests waiting for the intermediates.
After a quick and to the point briefing, @SINGH started singing, by his FJ, "The Game Is On" symphony.
Something need to highlight, this kind of drive requires skill, high stamina, concentration and a brave heart especially when its the first time to drive in such areas. So hats off to those who made it @Tomvanhouten, @osman and @Germain, you are a different offroaders after this drive.
Great lead @SINGH I am sure this drive will be remembered for ages.
The camping season is coming sooner that you expect, and we have several camp stories to tell from this drive (train, fake dune, fence, crazy crest, xterra bowl, Bu Salem's fence key...)
Finally thank you Marshals and Bu Salem for your support.
@optimus and @Mahmoodyasin you guys are an awesome company and support.
Thanks
M Abubaker