Almost4x4

It is just Nahil and interm drive, how hard can it be???, well, as it was soon found out much harder than expected when Daggerfall is towards the end of his "summer season".

Amazing drive that I personally enjoyed greatly, clean crests and fantastic lines.

Sid, our new Media member, asked me if he could be my passenger at the beginning to take some shots and videos for the social media channels, very happy to "try something new" and aim for good angles for him, however, as soon as I saw what the drive was going to be told him that I would take him for the best possible positions that I could manage but that we were also driving as no way I was going to leave some of those angles and crests without being challenged.

I believe that all interm both enjoyed the drive and felt the additional level of difficulty, as usual, the key is to keep on learning and improving.

Now you know ... hope for the "Daggerfall's season" not to finish when his family returns back from holidays and start begging for him to take you to the big dunes (he loves lamb chops)

See you on the sand soon.

Thanks @David and @siddharthsai

Your collaboration resulted in great shots and were great content for the insta account

Hi Almosters,

Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve been enjoying the beautiful sands of Sweihan. But with the weather improving, it’s been getting more and more crowded every weekend. Most of the dunes were already tracked out, and let’s be honest — few things beat the thrill of breaking a fresh, sharp crest and driving over untouched sand. So this time, we picked Nahil as our playground.

The morning started early — that’s the price you pay for waking up at 4 AM if you want to enjoy the best desert weather. It was business as usual, though I assume some members forgot to check the meeting date and didn’t show up. Even though I would have loved to see them, I must say: less is more in the desert.

We applied the “last man standing” system to improve the flow, but it felt like the desert had other plans today. A couple of our members had to retire from the drive, and even I came close to an early exit — twice. Just after a crest, I faced two Liwa-style ditches: I took a hit and managed to survive the first one, then stopped within just a few centimeters on the second.

The intermediates in our group were relatively “experienced,” so I threw a few challenges their way — and as @David always says, there’s always room for improvement. I truly enjoyed the fresh, untouched dunes of Nahil, and the only things that managed to stop us were the technical challenges… and of course, @Moustafa 's delicious watermelon.

I went back home feeling lucky, satisfied, carrying a few small scars from the ditches — and already dreaming about tackling bigger dunes.

See you next time!

Nahil as a passenger. My first intermediate drive. And boy it was eventful. I came to the meeting location with @MohamedMoustafa ..he picked me from the Adnoc station near my house. We reached the meeting point and this was my first drive as a passenger and also crew/ media for Almost.

I asked @David if I could be his passenger and he was more than happy to accommodate me. And what a gentleman. Told me to be as comfortable as I want, open windows when needed and what not. Man was a pro at making people comfortable which I think the finest trait of a to be Marshal. If not for David I don't think I would have got to record such amazing view of the drive. We took some time to get sync, after 10 mins we didn't have to communicate at all. David just went with the best angles I could get cars from.

So here is the thing. I would percent recommend newbies to at least have one drive with an explorer/ marshal. They are at that level for a reason. You know it's that feeling when you meet the final boss of the dune . His lines were so clean, he drove like he exactly knew what his car can do and drove with such a confidence that I had not experienced before. We did a lot of cresting and that in a way boosts confidence on what you can try with your car.

@Daggerfall on the other hand was not just leading the drive but I could see him completely enjoying the weather and the drive. Some people radiate passion and you can just feel it. Daggerfall is one of them.

Several cars broke down, including a ditch situation for daggerfall as well. It's a reminder that mother nature always is the final boss. But the camaraderie show by the entire support team and how professional the drive was can only be explained if you are there to see it.

I sent the video to a friend in another group and this was his reply on WhatsApp:

"they are not crazy... I would say this is basically as much as the mature professionals can do. You should see offroad k** guys... they have no brakes... drive like total morons with zero regards to safety. Almost is like a class above those guys and I respect that. You can see discipline, clear lines and pure fun in extreme cases with reasonable levels of risk. Pros. That's all."

That says it all.

Overall this drive might have boosted my confidence to go another level at Almost and I'm looking forward to experiences like this again.

Until then,
Ciao

Sid

Nahil as a passenger. My first intermediate drive. And boy it was eventful. I came to the meeting location with @MohamedMoustafa ..he picked me from the Adnoc station near my house. We reached the meeting point and this was my first drive as a passenger and also crew/ media for Almost.

I asked @David if I could be his passenger and he was more than happy to accommodate me. And what a gentleman. Told me to be as comfortable as I want, open windows when needed and what not. Man was a pro at making people comfortable which I think the finest trait of a to be Marshal. If not for David I don't think I would have got to record such amazing view of the drive. We took some time to get sync, after 10 mins we didn't have to communicate at all. David just went with the best angles I could get cars from.

So here is the thing. I would percent recommend newbies to at least have one drive with an explorer/ marshal. They are at that level for a reason. You know it's that feeling when you meet the final boss of the dune . His lines were so clean, he drove like he exactly knew what his car can do and drove with such a confidence that I had not experienced before. We did a lot of cresting and that in a way boosts confidence on what you can try with your car.

@Daggerfall on the other hand was not just leading the drive but I could see him completely enjoying the weather and the drive. Some people radiate passion and you can just feel it. Daggerfall is one of them.

Several cars broke down, including a ditch situation for daggerfall as well. It's a reminder that mother nature always is the final boss. But the camaraderie show by the entire support team and how professional the drive was can only be explained if you are there to see it.

I sent the video to a friend in another group and this was his reply on WhatsApp:

"they are not crazy... I would say this is basically as much as the mature professionals can do. You should see off-road K*** guys... they have no brakes... drive like total morons with zero regards to safety. Almost is like a class above those guys and I respect that. You can see discipline, clear lines and pure fun in extreme cases with reasonable levels of risk. Pros. That's all."

That says it all.

Overall this drive might have boosted my confidence to go another level at Almost and I'm looking forward to experiences like this again.

Until then,
Ciao

Sid

Nihal as a passenger. My first intermediate drive. And boy it was eventful. I came to the meeting location with @MohamedMoustafa ..he picked me from the Adnoc station near my house. We reached the meeting point and this was my first drive as a passenger and also crew/ media for Almost.

I asked @David if I could be his passenger and he was more than happy to accommodate me. And what a gentleman. Told me to be as comfortable as I want, open windows when needed and what not. Man was a pro at making people comfortable which I think the finest trait of a to be Marshal. If not for David I don't think I would have got to record such amazing view of the drive. We took some time to get sync, after 10 mins we didn't have to communicate at all. David just went with the best angles I could get cars from.

So here is the thing. I would percent recommend newbies to at least have one drive with an explorer/ marshal. They are at that level for a reason. You know it's that feeling when you meet the final boss of the dune . His lines were so clean, he drove like he exactly knew what his car can do and drove with such a confidence that I had not experienced before. We did a lot of cresting and that in a way boosts confidence on what you can try with your car.

@Daggerfall on the other hand was not just leading the drive but I could see him completely enjoying the weather and the drive. Some people radiate passion and you can just feel it. Daggerfall is one of them.

Several cars broke down, including a ditch situation for daggerfall as well. It's a reminder that mother nature always is the final boss. But the camaraderie show by the entire support team and how professional the drive was can only be explained if you are there to see it.

I sent the video to a friend in another group and this was his reply on WhatsApp:

"they are not crazy... I would say this is basically as much as the mature professionals can do. You should see offroad k** guys... they have no brakes... drive like total morons with zero regards to safety. Almost is like a class above those guys and I respect that. You can see discipline, clear lines and pure fun in extreme cases with reasonable levels of risk. Pros. That's all."

That says it all.

Overall this drive might have boosted my confidence to go another level at Almost and I'm looking forward to experiences like this again.

Until then,
Ciao

Sid

Hi Almosters

Intermediate trip in Nahil, an area known for its short and sharp crests. I reached just in time and right to the convoy where Daggerfall started from Sweihan road area with many large and untouched dunes, crest after crest there was nothing left untouched.

Looking to drive with you soon.

Hi everyone!

Not too much to say as most has been said in the previous trip reports…this is the good thing of posting a late one.

Even though I am not a fan of providing advice here (better to provide it on the spot and on a face-to-face basis), I will allow myself to remind our interm fellas a couple of things:

i) I saw members making their own tracks & short cuts departing from Marshal’s lines . This is a bad habit that might eventually put yourselves and the remaining convoy behind you at risk so please do not do that unless it is completely necessary and in case of missing the track or convoy’s disconnection, please note that there are normally marshals and explorers taking care of the convoy and they will guide you accordingly.

ii) These drives are designed & executed for your own sake with Marshals doing their best for helping you out in your learning journey. As a gesture of gratitude, it wont take too much of your time writing a trip report for Marshal’s feedback and sharing your experience with others. As of today, zero trip reports coming from you guys…

As usual, @Daggerfall nailed it with perfect lines and flow. He is now on steroids so if I were you, I would stay tuned for his upcoming drives.

See you soon.
Carlos