Sandboarding is aboardsport andextreme sport[1] similar tosnowboarding that involves riding down asand dune while standing on a board, with both feet strapped in. Sand sledding can also be practised sitting down or lying on the belly or the back. It typically involves asand sled, although it is also somewhat possible to usesnow sleds orsnowboards. The invention of modern sandboarding is largely attributed to Lon Beale, aka 'Doctor Dune', who began sandboarding in 1972 in California'sMojave Desert.
Sandboarding has adherents throughout the world, but is most prevalent in desert areas or coastal areas with beach dunes. It is less popular than snowboarding, partly because it is very difficult to build a mechanisedski lift on a sand dune, meaning participants must climb or ride adune buggy orall-terrain vehicle back to the top of the dune. On the other hand, dunes are normally available year-round as opposed toski resorts, which are seasonal.
The sandboard base is much harder than a snowboard, and is built mostly out offormica or laminex with special base materials now being made, that will slide on wet and dry sand. To glide in the sand, the board bottom is often waxed, usually with aparaffin-based sandboard wax, before a run. Afterwards, the bottom of the board may have a lightly sanded look to it. Most terrain sandboards are composed of hardwood ply, while 'full-size' sandboards are a wood, fiber glass, and plastic composite. However, a snowboarding base will sometimes work on steeper dunes as well.[2]
Sandboarding is practised worldwide, with locations available on every continent except Antarctica.The World's Greatest Sandboarding Destinations lists sandboarding destinations in over 65 territories.[3]
Sand boarding or sand sliding (Hawaiian:heʻe one) was a favourite beach pastime on theislands throughout the first half of the 20th century including the outbreak of World War II.[4]
Drorbamidbar has sandboarding inIsrael atNegev Desert not far fromAshalim inRamat HaNegev.
Little Sahara onKangaroo Island inSouth Australia is a sand dune system roughly covering two square kilometres (0.77 sq mi). The highest dune is approximately 70 metres (230 ft) above sea level.
Lucky Bay, about 30 kilometres (19 mi) south ofKalbarri, in Western Australia, is another sandboarding hotspot. Sandboarding Tours are offered in the area.
The Stockton dunes, 2.3 hours north from Sydney. Stockton Bight Sand Dunes system is up to one kilometre (0.62 mi), 32 kilometres (20 mi) long, and covers an area of over 4,200 hectares (10,000 acres; 42,000,000 m2). The massive sand dunes climb up to 40 metres (130 ft) high. Located only minutes from the centre of Nelson Bay, it is the largest sand dune system in Australia.[5]
Sandboarding sites inEgypt include the Great Sand Sea near Siwa Oasis واحة سيوة in Egypt's Western Desert, the Qattaniya القطانية sand dunes (1.5 h drive on/off-road from Cairo), El Safra الصفراء and Hadudah هدودة dunes midway between Dahab and St. Catherine in Sinai.
Namibia featuressand-skiing, which is similar to sandboarding, performed with skis instead of a board. Most of the sand-skiing is performed in theNamib desert dunes aroundSwakopmund andWalvis Bay. With a special permit it is sometimes possible to sand-ski at the world's highest dunes inSossusvlei.[6] Henrik May, a German living in Namibia for some 10 years, set a Guinness World Record in speed sand-skiing on 6 June 2010. He reached a speed of 92.12 km/h (57.24 mph).[7]
After some pioneers like Derek Bredenkamp who boarded Swakopmund around 1974, commercial operators inSouth Africa began offering sandboarding to tourists in 1994.[8] In 2000 the Sandboarding South Africa league was established. Between 2002 and 2004 the South African Sandboarding League held competitions on the Matterhorn Dune located between Swakopmund and Walvis bay. Competition events included dual slalom, boarder cross and big air events. In 2005 and 2006 Alter Action held sandboarding competitions at Matterhorn but the competitions no longer formed part of the South African Sandboarding League during those years. The league collapsed, then the sport was revived again in 2007 with weekly sandboarding sessions in and around Cape Town and Gauteng.
Sand Master Park, located inFlorence, Oregon is a dedicated sandboarding park and the first of its kind, featuring 200 acres (81 ha; 810,000 m2) of sculpted sand dunes and a full-time pro shop. Dune Riders International is the governing body for competitive sandboarding worldwide and sanctions events each season at Sand Master Park and around the world. Sand Master Park is also the factory outlet for the largest sandboard company in the world, Venomous Sandboards.
Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, nearKanab, Utah, permits sandboarding on roughly 2,000 acres of sand dunes within its boundaries.[9] Utah also contains sand dunes nearSalt Lake City,Lake Powell, andMoab. Additionally, the company Slip Face Sandboards is based inProvo, Utah.
Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve nearAlamosa, Colorado has sandboarding on what it calls the tallest dunes in North America.[10] Sandboarding and skiing are permitted anywhere on the dunefield away from vegetated areas.[11][12]
Peru is known for having large sand dunes inIca, some reaching up to 2 km (1.2 miles). Duna Grande in Ica is the largest sand dune in the world. TheCopa Sandboarding Perú (Peru – Sandboarding Cup) has been held near Paracas every year since 2009. Since 2017 the Sandboard World Cup is hosted in the region of Ica by InterSands.[13] There are also great dunes near the capital city (Lima) in Chilca.
InChile, sandboarding is practiced throughout the north of the country, including the Medanoso dunes in Copiapo (where the Dakar rally takes place), Puerto Viejo beach in Caldera, excellent dunes in Iquique, and some near Viña del Mar.
Nicaragua is home toCerro Negro, the youngest volcano in Central America. Since it has steep slopes and volcanic sand, it is possible to sandboard down this active volcano.
A rather small sand mountain is theMonte Kaolino inHirschau,Germany. Equipped with a 120-metre (390 ft) lift, it was the host of the annual Sandboarding World Championships until 2007.
TheDune of Pilat inFrance is an hours' drive fromBordeaux; it is the tallest dune in Europe, measuring 3 kilometres across, 500 metres wide and between 100 and 115 metres tall depending on the year.[14]
Amothines is a small desert five kilometres (3 mi) from Katalakkos village inLimnos,Greece. There are many sand dunes there, where people can practice sandboarding.
Wales is home to the village ofMerthyr Mawr that is2+1⁄2 miles (4 km) from the town ofBridgend, the village is close to a beach and it is home to the "Big Dipper", the second largest sand dune inEurope.[15]
Holywell, Cornwall is also home to a beach with a complex of sand dunes; in the summer and during peak times, local shops that cater for beach goers also sell sandboards.
TheBraunton Burrows sand dunes on the Devon coast, was the filming location for where Alex Bird became the first sandboarder to be towed by a car on British shores.[16]
In theNorth East region of theUnited Kingdom, there is a small beach atSeaton Sluice where people can sandboard. This is a good alternative tosledding, as there is insufficientsnow to support sledding there, even though the UK has a rather cold climate, with chilly winters and cool summers.
