Let us climb

User avatar
Gabor
Golden Member
Golden Member
Posts: 38
Joined: Thu Dec 29, 2016 11:40 pm
Location: Ajman UAE
Has thanked: 5 times
Been thanked: 7 times

Hi Everyone!

This drive was dedicated for 10+ drivers in Sweihan area.
So we could expect higher speeds, higher dunes, more interesting techniques.
The place has everything for this, it is one of my favorite areas. (I can say I have a lot :) )
The drivers were divided into two convoy by [mention]Booy[/mention] (two and half ).
Our convoy was led by [mention]Solmaz[/mention] , secured by [mention]Rashidjass[/mention] and [mention]Agalon[/mention] , [mention]Johanna[/mention] , [mention]jose[/mention] and me were supporters.
The terrain was great, high dunes, large arches, technic sections, surprisingly soft sand.
The distance. what we did wasn't too much, as we could say, we drove it with a lot of action.

As I saw, there were two typical errors: the distance and the momentum.
If the distance is too big, you lose the way you go, you don't see the reactions of the driver you should follow on the obsatcle. You will slow down, and behind you everybody also.
If the distance is small and the car is slowing down in front of you, you will slow down, you will not have time and space to accelerate again, so your momentum will not be right. Consequence: jam.
If all of this happens on an arc, your next mistake is to try to secure your car with a brake instead of instant turning down. This is a real dangerous situation.
Unfortunately, we have practiced all of these.
There were also popout, pulling out from the ditch, pulling down from crest ....

With all this, I felt good, thank you to the organizers, next time we meet. :)
Gabor
Mob: 0561453092
User avatar
Sostick
Intermediate
Intermediate
Posts: 29
Joined: Sun Jan 14, 2018 11:17 pm
Location: dubai

Back to the soft sand!!!

That was the thing of the day. after few drives on wet sand we are back to the nice and soft... which means less grip, more instability and more difficult to see the track in front of you. You have to be more precise especially when climbing otherwise you miss the right trajectory and difficult to emend in course.

Anyway, I was in the convoy led by [mention]Booy[/mention] and the briefing was that we would have eventually covered 65km in 3 hours. It sounded very ambitious and eventually we did half of that. The convoy was not moving as smooth as it should. Maybe for the different terrain conditions. At half of the drive [mention]JockJKU[/mention] and [mention]Booy[/mention] told us we were not behaving according to our level. The distances were not right, radio communication was not right. So they invited us to put more focus and attention. The second half didn’t go any better though. I was the third car and I had to continuously stop and go. I guess [mention]Booy[/mention] decided to slow down to keep the convoy in safety.

In any case, even if we didn’t achieve the target, it was an interesting drive in a beautiful area. My learning is to be more precise on soft sand especially in climbing towards a side crest. There is no way you can have a smooth and clean creating if the angle and speed an not right. And if you are wrong, there is not much space for correction. I think I have to learn those lines in my mind and stick to them.

Thanks again almost4x4 for the great experience and see you all in the sand!

Sostick
JockJKU
Club Member
Club Member
Posts: 231
Joined: Sat Mar 05, 2016 5:47 pm

Morning All!

I really like this area, and it has great potential for 10+ and Inter drives, from Nahil to Naqrah.

The plan was to do a high 10+ level drive and complete a good distance within the 3 hours. Unfortunately the plan could not be achieved in terms of level or distance, but it so easily could have been. There were rookie problems that should not be discussed at 10+ like tyre pressures, distance and radio comms. It led to a very frustrating stop and start convoy with no flow, which in this area is a problem because once you start, it is best not to stop!

The lead from [mention]Booy[/mention] was nice and he adjusted the level according to the convoy performance with great skill.

It was great to see everyone and spend time in the sand, as always!

Till next time,

Jock
User avatar
Johanna
Golden Member
Golden Member
Posts: 192
Joined: Sun Oct 08, 2017 8:04 pm
Location: Dubai
Has thanked: 1 time

Hi all,

what to say, it was an eventful drive...

I went with [mention]Solmaz[/mention] as her second lead, the plan was to finish the drive at Naqrah dune, around 65 km from the starting point.
We had some fresh 10+ drivers in the convoy, so [mention]Solmaz[/mention] pointed out some important things to remember in her briefing. Keep the right distance, proper radio communication and most important: Never fight gravity, always turn down if you feel you cannot do it.

We started the drive and after just a few minutes we had the first dangerous situation: One car got stuck due to fighting gravity. Soon after the recovery, a very similar situation happend, the angle was so bad that we even had to anchor the car. This incidents happend in the first 30 minutes of the drive, so [mention]Solmaz[/mention] adjusted the level.

We had some more incidents during the drive, but @Solmaz did a great job in the front and adjusted the level to ensure a nice flowing convoy, going safari style in between the dunes.

I saw some very dangerous stucks and manouvers in this drive, luckily nothing serious happend.
To stay safe in the future, please keep in mind that fighting gravity is the worst you can do. And I am talking out of experience here.

To tackle an obstacle the right way, make sure you have the right momentum. If you cannot do it, turn down, try again. If the sand is very soft, reduce the tire pressure if necessary, it raises quickly in hot weather.

We did not finish at Naqrah as planned, but we had some good times in the sand and I guess we all learned something in this drive and had fun as well, which is of course the most important thing.

Thanks to everyone for this experience, stay safe and see you all next Friday.

Have a great week ahead everyone have a nice day
BR, Johanna

If it excites you and scares you at the same time, it probably means you should do it.
User avatar
Jasper
Intermediate
Intermediate
Posts: 52
Joined: Fri Jun 02, 2017 3:02 pm
Has thanked: 112 times
Been thanked: 83 times

Hello everyone,

Weather is becoming hot and the sand, as expected, is very soft. Tire pressures quickly climbs. This is one of the thing that we have to adjust during this drive and of course the gap of the convoy.

I was in [mention]Booy[/mention]’s convoy and gave the briefing for the drive. The plan was to cover 65kms in 3hrs. We did about 48kms based on the app I’m using. Anyway, our convoy should be flowing smoothly. I was the 3rd car after [mention]KIMOz[/mention]. But we had many second try due to the gap issue. I was too close on most cases and this caused me not to have enough momentum and will have to do a second try. As mentioned by [mention]JockJKU[/mention] during the re-brief, this is causing a big impact on the flow. I need to be keeping proper distance. You need to find the sweet spot depends on the terrain and the convoy speed. Too near you get bugged and need to do second try. Too far then you’ll lose the convoy, which happened during the drive.

The area is very beautiful with big dunes and bowls. We did drive on the walls, which is amazing! I was so happy that I was able to stick on the wall and not slide down on most of the time. I kept telling myself to trust the skills I’ve learned and trust the capability of the car.

Good thing for our convoy is that no major incidents happen, only few stucks and no pop-outs. It was great day of learning and I really appreciate the effort of [mention]Booy[/mention] for the great lead as always, [mention]JockJKU[/mention] educating and reminding us on the mistakes we are doing so we all learn and [mention]KIMOz[/mention] for the support.

See you all again soon!
User avatar
Solmaz
Marshal
Marshal
Posts: 82
Joined: Mon Nov 04, 2013 8:44 pm
Location: Dubai
Has thanked: 157 times
Been thanked: 115 times
Contact:

Hi All,

This was my second time in this area. I was really looking forward to coming back here after [mention]JockJKU[/mention]`s great drive couple of weeks ago.

The area has so much potential! It offers a little bit of everything: sharp crests, tall dunes, wide smooth slopes, and very very soft sand along the way.

My initial plan was to go fast and smooth and cover as much as possible of the 60+ km that [mention]Booy[/mention] prepared for us. But summer decided to arrive early this year and desert welcomed us with extra soft sand. Problems started immediately after the first couple of dunes. We had quite a few dangerous stucks which we don't expect to see this often at this level. By now you should all have a good understanding when to abort a climb and do a second try instead. One other common problem was not leaving enough distance and that caused many second tries of the day.

After the first half, drivers warmed up a little and adjusted to the soft summer sand. Rest of the drive was smoother and we covered a good distance and finished on time without any major issues.

A big thanks to [mention]Rashidjass[/mention] and [mention]Agalon[/mention] , for appearing out of nowhere whenever you were needed. Thanks to the support team [mention]Johanna[/mention] , [mention]Gabor[/mention] and [mention]jose[/mention] for their hard work. You guys really worked hard this time XD

Drivers who struggled, keep in mind that practice makes it perfect! So come back for more!! thumbsup

Hope to see you all in sand very soon.
User avatar
Bu Zayed
Intermediate
Intermediate
Posts: 68
Joined: Mon Nov 07, 2016 4:46 am
Location: Sharjah

Hello everyone,

This drive was dedicated for members with 10+ drives. It was my first time to drive in this area. I have joined [mention]Booy[/mention] convoy as a rescue along with [mention]KIMOz[/mention] and [mention]JockJKU[/mention] was floating. Quickly, I realized how soft the sand is which I didn't expect at all caused me some difficulties at the beginning. I have seen everyone was driving in a nice manner except for some small issues that could have been avoided at this level which [mention]JockJKU[/mention] explained to everyone throughout the drive.

I really enjoyed the drive and the good intro to this area which I know now that its sand is soooooooft so I need to take that into consideration next time.

Till next time grin
User avatar
Booy
Golden Member
Golden Member
Posts: 258
Joined: Sat Jun 13, 2015 12:55 pm
Location: Dubai
Has thanked: 3 times
Been thanked: 1 time

Hello everyone,

A bit of a late report due to travels, but here goes:

I had an ambitious track of around 65km in mind, starting from Nahil, visiting Nagra, then exiting from the road closed to Nagra dune.

We started playing near Nahil and soon had our first second tries and stucks. I was hoping for a smoother flow of the convoy, with only 7 x experienced newbies, 2 x int for support and [mention]JockJKU[/mention] and myself. Unfortunately the convoy really struggled with keeping the correct distance between cars (way too close), and this lead to many second tries and stucks.

Unfortunately we could not visit Nagra dune this time, due to the delays experienced, and we could also not finish our 65km, but there is always a next time.

As you move closer to intermediate level, you get exposed to these types of drives and areas in preparation of the next level. Please guys, follow the basics as taught in the CM drive, keep proper distance, keep momentum, and keep the convoy flowing - it is so much more fun than constant stopping and going.

Lessons learnt - time for the next challenge.

Looking forward to seeing you in the sand this coming weekend!

Take care..
@Booy

Blue FJ Cruiser, with an Atlas on the door
User avatar
Rooies
Intermediate
Intermediate
Posts: 102
Joined: Sat Mar 10, 2018 3:50 pm
Has thanked: 51 times
Been thanked: 142 times

Let's climb or let's laugh, but thats a subject for another day.

We met at the meeting point & went through the drills as usual, deflate, fag up etc. There were a few new faces that I have never seen, but as usual the vibe was cheerful.

We were called for the briefing & the convoys were dealt in, there were 3 convoys, [mention]Booy[/mention] , [mention]Solmaz[/mention] & [mention]alshamsi[/mention] with his 2 car convoy. Our convoy was with [mention]Booy[/mention] which was considered as the faster convoy. We left first with the second convoy departing a bit after us.

We did not travel far before we had the first stuck, [mention]alshamsi[/mention] was there to help sort out the issue & in a bit we were back on the road again. We had to stop to help [mention]alshamsi[/mention] with his stuck, because McCloud was a bit underweight to pull the Cherokee from the bad stuck. The Cherokee was rescued & we were back on the road again, [mention]JockJKU[/mention] was floating & reminded us again to keep distance, momentum otherwise we will have issues. The following distance was a problem & I also was guilty that sometimes I caught up to quick then had to slow down to get the distance right again so that I have enough momentum for the next climb.

There were a few second tries & as mentioned before by [mention]Booy[/mention] we made rookie mistakes which led to a lot of starting & stopping. The rout was very nice & I was looking forward to get to the big bowl, but due to the start, stopping we ran out of time & had to head back to the road.

Again I observed that radio communication, following distance & momentum al plays a big role to have a nice drive. Thank you to [mention]Booy[/mention] , [mention]KIMOz[/mention] , [mention]Bu Zayed[/mention] & [mention]JockJKU[/mention] for taking care of us & getting us safely to the road again.

Till we meet in the sand again, take care & stay safe.

Greetings
Rooies
Nobody Gets Left Behind
User avatar
kriskian
Intermediate
Intermediate
Posts: 46
Joined: Mon Sep 04, 2017 10:37 am
Location: Dubai
Has thanked: 1 time

Hi All,

The intention was to climb but we did everything apart from that because some of us choose not to follow the basics dispite multiple reminders.

The track was fantastic and I will be waiting anxiously for an opportunity to drive again in this area.

The sand was so soft that the track would disappear on side walls, with the distance between cars it was a challenge at times to stay on track and this caused couple of stuck at very wrong angles, but the recoveries where smooth and quick.

The learning as always was fantastic got an opportunity to chat with [mention]Rashidjass[/mention] and clarify some of my question on maintaining speed on arcs as I was having an issue of over acceleration.

Thanks
kriskian,
Grey FJ
Post Reply