Almost4x4

Hello everyone!

Rescue the Marshal was a long-waited training exercise, and I was willing to participate and have some fun: I still recall the last EIB with sadness and wanted to relieve myself from that .
On the top of that, I was taking for the first my new FJ into the sand after some basic preparations such as installing the skid plate and most importantly, fixing both Almost4x4 sticker and flag.

The car is plenty of switches never seen by a Pajero’s driver so I took my time to investigate the purpose and how to use them depending upon of the situation and came to the preliminary conclusion that with this car it is the car and not the driver who will get you out from a tricky situation by pressing the magic bottom, turning the knob and turning the steering wheel both sides. It is too early to make any firm conclusion on that but still it looks very promising for future stucks.

After we arrived at the meeting point, we were instructed not to deflate and we went inside the sand with a strange feeling of lack of control with the car barely following the tracks. After a while we got to the briefing point for a master & priceless class of recovery tools and different techniques for getting unstuck given by Shamsi. Some of the concepts were already known but there were a few new ones so for thanks a lot Shamsi for this brilliant reminder session.

After the theory it was the time for practicing so we got ready for getting stuck and digging and pulling. I joined @dorudoru and @Germain and practice how to dig properly with the shovel and to pull the stuck car on a safely manner.

When it started to come dark we finished the exercise & got together for a bit of chit chatting and I went home with an smile in my face. I couldn’t have asked for anything better than this for Rescue the Marshal so thanks a lot to @alshamsi_m for organizing the event and @Solmaz , @Agalon , @Daggerfall and @Rashidjass for taking care of us.

See you in sand soon.

Carlos

Hello everyone,

I joined this drive as a passenger to my wife @Laarni and eventually was put to a "camera man" position by @Ehab Not sure how that worked out....

It was a lovely afternoon with moderate temperatures, which allowed for a lot of digging and having fun altogether.
These kind of days really make people see and understand the recovery techniques and I am pretty sure all are eager to try it again.

After the drive ended with the sun already below the horizon, my own sun also went down rather quick... ;)

See you soon again

Tom

Hello Everyone

I'm not sure if most of you know that in every level we teach you set of skills " Grading System Details " so Rescue The Marshal is survival training and it was

With support of @Solmaz , @Agalon , @Daggerfall & @Rashidjass I was able to execute another successful training session. As Always, There is a surprise hidden for the members to give the wake-up call which came too early even before the sitting area .

After the theory part, the members just jumped on the dunes and started digging and doing recovery under MARSHALS' supervision. I believe this batch of members are extremely lucky because whenever I set a trap for them, it turns on their favor anyway I'll keep trying until one day they will run of luck

Till that day, stay safe and see you in the sand

Shamsi

Hello everybody!!!

I missed writing my trip reports so much, that I immediately decided to take an advantage of being a passenger and to do it

"Rescue the Marshals" sounds alarming to say the least.  And as it turned out, it was not in vain!  The event started at 4 pm, meeting poin at 3.30pm.  The rules of the game were not quite usual, because after a short briefing, the entrance to the desert had to be overcome on full tyres, which turned out to be not easy and as a result, the convoy, which consisted of 18 cars, practically lost half before reaching the seating aria.  While the members of the convoy were stuck and made self-recovery, the rest waited, enjoying the view of the dunes and bones at that dunes , as it was previously mentioned by @alshamsi_m , apparently the bones of the participants from the past year )))) Then, when finally all the participants arrived, the very  cognitive and informational part of the event started. @alshamsi_m provided all the details and subtleties about the use of tools, clearly demonstrated the differences and advantages.  He also showed all the possible and impossible options for the rescue and self-recovery with all the ensuing consequences.  The entire presentation was accompanied by invaluable experience of marshals and advanced drivers . 
After that, everyone proceeded to the funniest part of the event.  The entire convoy was divided into pairs, where each of the drivers had to practice the above.  All actions were accompanied by a huge number of sand fountains, digging, pulls, and most importantly, great pleasure

I would also like to express my gratitude to everyone who made this event possible.  @alshamsi_m for the organization, @Solmaz ,@Agalon ,@Daggerfall ,@Rashidjass for support and everyone for their participation.  I was insanely glad to see you all after such a long break

It's good to be back to the family at least as a passenger

See you soon on the sand!
Viktoriia

What a learning, i arrived sharp 3:30 pm and i thought i will be the first, guess what? i was the last, meeting point was full of victims, all ready for the shoveling day.

Quick briefing by @alshamsi_m and we head to the desert while we were asked not to deflate and we were told to overtake if the car infront of you get stuck. I had previous experience driving a car on sand without deflating and i knew i should not lose momentum nor speed, i was the last victim in-front of @Daggerfall @Agalon @orlantsev

First soft patch and 2 cars got stuck, we head to the first dune, 4 cars already stuck, quick maneuver and overtook them to head to the front of the convoy, one more car stuck but managed to self recover.

Around 20 minutes later, we were asked to deflate, few minutes later the rest of the convoy arrived and we head to the seating area where @alshamsi_m started with a very informative and priceless training which had 4 parts:
1- Tire tools and how to fix a popout and full valve replacement
2- Recovery ropes and shackles
3- How to use the jack and the importance of jack wooden base and how to shovel
4- Demonstration on how to recover stuck cars in different situations

Then we were asked to find a partner and get stuck in as many as possible situations where self recovery should be done in addition to a pull using the recovery rope. I went with @Laarni , now how hard is it to get stuck considering that we learned from the best not to get stuck, I turned off my 4 wheel drive and went to a soft sand area, no matter what i tried, i did not get stuck, then i found a nice small dune, headed to the edge and stopped, then accelerated and here we go, a sand storm from the rear wheel and to be honest, i enjoyed it and did not want to stop
Shoveling here we go, I realized that shoveling almost 20 cm of sand underneath a lifted car is hard, i tried to stop shoveling and give it a try to self recover but @Laarni refused saying we have to shovel more , more shoveling but still the car is stuck, Laarni, comeon, i cannot breathe, please lets try but we continue to dig for more than 20 minutes, @Agalon and @Solmaz passby, Agalon please help, no, please agalon, little shoveling will help, no, i tried to bribe him, no luck, they continued to laugh and giving us direction to shovel here and there, come on, help us in shoveling, then multiple tries to recover but no luck, rear wheels are still spinning with no traction and then i noticed my front wheels are not spinning at all and a warning on my dash that 4x4 is not active, turned off the car and on again, all good, left right and here we go, what a relief, can we relax now, no we have to do a pull, ok Laarni, your turn, we head to a dune and she give it a try but she was easily able to go out, turned off 4x4 but could not climb, then 4x4 on and slow climb and here we go, quickly we attached the strap for nice and easy pull, now we can relax.

We met with Alshamsi and he did not believe we tried hard, what???? you cannot see the sweat? The sand on top of my car? The sand in my eyes and ears? Thankfully @Tomvanhouten has recorded the shoveling session we had and we showed it to Alshamsi. Quick chatting and finding few lost victims and we head out.

Amazing learnings, a 16+ years of experience being simplified, explained and then put in action is something highly appreciated, thank you shamsi for the knowledge sharing, @Rashidjass , @Agalon , @Daggerfall and @Solmaz , highly appreciate the knowledge and experience shared with us, thank you very much.

Enjoy watching

Rescue The Marshal - Part 1 (without deflating)


Rescue The Marshal - Part 2 (hands on recovery training)

All credit to @Tomvanhouten for the amazing captures

Hey Guys,

Well another training day behind us and what a day it was.

As all ways it started off with a drive through the desert to our sitting/training area with fully inflated tires 36PSI !!! and as always it proved to be a challenge. This is where momentum and distance between you and the car in front of you really matters. (good lessen for all)

After this interesting but short drive our our fearless leader @alshamsi_m started with his training session starting with important required tools and how to use them correctly as well as some tips based on his experience. Then he moved on to rescue scenarios where he explained in great detail the correct and safe way to rescue and recover a stuck car.

We then moved on to put his training to practice. Man did we shovel @Kevin and I shoveld so much we moved a dune from one place to another . Thank you @Kevin for all your help it was great being teamed up with you.

Thank you to @Rashidjass for his assistance and advice when i needed to rescue kevin from a side crest stuck. Thank you to @alshamsi_m for providing this training. Thank you to @Daggerfall , @Solmaz , @Agalon for your support on this day, Solmaz and Agalon provided us with some well needed moral support.

Thank you to all making this drive/training session possible, look forward to seeing you all in the sand on our next drive..

Cheers!!!

Dear Dune People,

I arrived at the meeting point very early – 230pm so I sat in my car and watched the videos on the previous “Rescue the Marshals” events. Thanks to @alshamsi_m for arranging this educational event for the 10+ Newbies.

Eventually @NahorJP arrived followed by @CARLOSS in his brand spanking new FJ beast. Others started to arrive then @alshamsi_m arrived – but he didn’t stop he wave and flew passed us waving as he went. What do we do now we wondered, will he come back, or do we follow ? everyone was attaching flags, but no one deflated. @Rashidjass arrived and we waited by now almost everyone arrive – Rashid headed off in the direction of Al Shamsi and the Newbies all just stood around chatting wondering what was about to happen.

Al Shamsi appeared – a quick role call and briefing – “no need to deflate, follow me was the instruction from our fearless leader. I decided to jump into the front section of the convoy as I realised it was going to be tricky driving to the fist point without deflating – closer to the front the, the less the track will be cut up. Still with my wounded wing I was not intending to drive in the dunes only to participate as an observer !. as mentioned, driving with fully inflated tyres on very soft sand (even as a track) is not an easy task and many were already experiencing stucks. Those of us fortunate to be towards the front stopped and waited while the multiple recoveries were done, and the convoy was once again connected. While waiting I decided to get my self stuck in the soft flat area and try the “buttons” on the FJ, with fully inflated tyres I was able to crawl out quite easily. We were then instructed over the radio that everyone should deflate only to realise we would only drive 500m more to the sitting area for the theory part of the event.

The imparting of knowledge from Al Shamsi with regard to the tools and the various correct and incorrect use of them was a great refresher course, so to was the explanation with the aid of the toy cars as to how a stuck car should be correctly (and safely) recovered from the various scenarios we encounter. A big thanks to @Rashidjass , @Daggerfall , @Solmaz and @Agalon for their sharing of knowledge also.


Due to still having stiches in my arm at this point I became and observer taking up a position in the passenger seat with @Rashidjass – thanks for the ride. It was very informative to move around and see all the drivers dealing with their stuck scenarios and hearing the advise they were being given on how to rectify the situation safely.

As the sun set all drivers were rounded up and I was able to get back in the drivers’ seat for the brisk track drive out of the dunes.

A big Shout Out to everyone who took part - it was amazing to watch you all applying the skills you have learnt so far in your journey with Almost4x4

I am looking forward re-joining the drives in the week ahead.

My Take aways

- The knowledge and skills the founder and marshals share with us unconditionally is nothing short of amazing.
- I feel honoured to be apart of this fantastic almost4x4 family as I grow and develop my off-roading skills
- Every time I attend a drive, I learn something new and realise there is still so much more to learn.

So getting lectured is not always boring after all.... especially when it’s all about your survival.....

And it’s just a bit of the afternoon sun, gentle sand that the breeze carried alongside & the lovely time with your Almost 4x4 family that all you need to pay for....

Reached the meeting point at 1530, which was kind of a tricky spot to enter from the highway if you didn’t pay right attention as the entrance can be missed by the vegetation that tries to hide it....

All of the members in great spirits... and close to 1600 the attendance calls were done and bit of briefing that without deflation we are to drive to the gathering area inside the desert.... Like in the Friday 13th drive.... if any one gets stuck in the convoy the rest overtake and proceed....

Convoy lined up and as we started moving @alshamsi_m on the radio reminded all to be well hydrated as the one who gets stuck and cannot self recover may need to leave the car and walk to the gathering area....

The convoy moved on and at a tricky spot there was a bit of traffic where myself and the car in front got stuck... the car in front of me was able to self recover... my car kept digging.... fortunately @Rashidjass the guardian angle appeared and assisted me to pull me out.... while I was being rescued heard on the radio that there’s a pile up ahead with other stuck cars... after I pulled out and reaching the pile up area... I could see at least 4-5 cars stuck in the same area.

All were trying for self recover and the gathering area was about 2 kms away.... all were then instructed to deflate... was a relief to hear that and once we were ready.... all were off to the gathering area....

At the gathering area... @alshamsi_m & @Rashidjass took out all the off-roading tools and the demo toy cars... and we were all gathered sitting around in circle to make it a classroom with a ‘class’ and of course the open desert 'room’

@alshamsi_m started going thru all the basics right from the pin remover, gauges, gloves, deflators, shovels, recovery rope/strap, shackes, hooks, tire pin, valves, jacks, jack board, hand tools, spark plug removers….the types and the uses of each one and where they can come handy for survival in the desert….

Then was the turn for the demo toy cars to play its role simulating different stuck scenarios …… crested, stuck on the wall, stuck over belly…. How to try a self-recovery in each scenarios & how to do a pull out recovery from the stuck situation…. How to avoid being rolled over (or getting in the washing machine) When it's dangerous to do certain recovery and how to safely carry out….

Each type or situation needs to be analyzed on a case by case basis and apply a common sense methodology. Obviously these trainings and real life experiences that is gained, counts a ton….

At the end it was time to pair up and go and try out for ourselves to get stuck and recovery with your own trucks…. It was another fun activity as well as learning, while we got stuck and lot of digging to follow before we got over selves back on 4 wheel…..

A great appreciation for the club, for an afternoon full of fun and learning…. Thanks to the marshals @alshamsi_m , @Rashidjass , @Daggerfall , @Solmaz , @Agalon
and the rest of the diggers @AdamW , @AndreAJ , @Asad , @CARLOSS (congrats on your new ride), @dorudoru , @Ehab , @ImranFJ , @jayslens (my digging partner ), @Kris , @Laarni , @jjone , @Kevin , @NahorJP , @piotr , @VTC4800 , @Zain

Regards,
Nabeel.

Rescue the Marshal is one of those “formation” drives (like EiB) in the club and everyone should invest the time to take part in one. However, it is only run once a year, and sadly I missed 2020 edition, so I was very happy to see it pop up on the app this September – I registered instantaneously.

On the day itself I arrived at 3:30pm sharp, only to see I was the last car in the meeting point Eager newbies, and it shows! We set of at 4pm the known route along the small power line – but this time without deflating. As @alshamsi_m said, “to get more natural stucks” And we got quite a few, this extra 20psi makes driving very difficult, even on relatively packed sand - it's like driving on snow to certain extent. Momentum is key, when you stop you are stuck. After having 4 or 5 cars stuck in the same place we were asked to deflate, self recover and continue to the camp.

In the camp @alshamsi_m gave us a insightful lecture on tools and techniques useful in recovery, and a few tips, tricks and storis from the Club’s rich history – thank you @alshamsi_m ! We were then asked to join in pairs and do some digging or pulling drills – I joined @Zain .

First thing to note, it is actually not that easy to get the car “properly” stuck when you need it . The area was quite forgiving (no super-soft patches), and the electronics in the cars makes miracles when you try the self-recovery first. I managed to crest twice (kinda expert in that ), and we did some digging first, and pulling later. However @Zain's blue FJ is a different beast – even with him trying SO hard to get himself stuck, it was able to self recover on all occasions (I even "decorated" the stuck setup with rope on one occasion, but he was faster ;) )

The drive was a lot of fun, and another confidence-booster – what it has shown to me is that with a bit of patience (and digging) one can self-recover himself from most situations.
And I finally learned the true meaning of “dig until you see the light”

Big thanks to the marshals @alshamsi_m, @Daggerfall , @Rashidjass, @Agalon , @Solmaz for making this event happen!

Hello All,

Another wonderfully sand eaten day in the desert. Some due to the wind blowing to our face during the class and mostly because keeping the windows down while trying to stuck myself on a crest. I finally managed to fully sand shower my car. You should've seen the face of the guys in the car wash

I saw some experienced members to reach the camping spots etc without deflating the tires, however never had a chance to try. Thanks to @alshamsi_m, this was the first experience driving in the desert on 35 psi. Momentum to be kept and we learned that no risks to be taken in these conditions because it is very hard to keep control of the back of your car due to minimal traction.

This drive/class is a must if you want to drive in the desert on your own. Most of us have already experienced the mentioned situations throughout our journey with Almost 4x4 and in our own drives in the desert. @alshamsi_m has explained all possible scenarios and how to resolve it without any problem. I was an eager student in the school, I realized that I missed to be in a classroom and listen to the experienced ones' teachings.

After the classroom dismissed we are requested to find a buddy and go get ourselves stuck in several scenarios and self-recover or rescue. In the first go we started to play around with @Germain, but after we saw our beloved @CARLOSS was digging the whole dune by himself we decided to give a help to him.

Several scenarios have been tested, I realized that I need to be much more gentle in pulling. Sorry @CARLOSS it was a welcome present for your new monster.

Special thanks to @Solmaz for encouraging me to self recover in some situations with the help of magic buttons. Thanks to all marshals visited (@Rashidjass , @Daggerfall , @Solmaz and @Agalon) and the support.

@brett, good to see you back on the sand after the little operation. @Tomvanhouten you are the rising star behind the camera. Amazing footage , good job @Ehab on finding the talent!

See you in the sand!

Bonus is my new dashboard style, called "sandman" along with Enter Sandman from Metallica.