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Sandboarding is a boardsport similar to snowboarding. It is a recreational activity and takes place on sand dunes rather than snow-covered mountains. It involves riding across or down a dune while standing with both feet strapped to a board, though some sandboarders use a board without bindings.
Contents
- Equipment
- Sandboarding in Australia
- Sandboarding in Egypt
- Sandboarding in Namibia
- Sandboarding in South Africa
- Sandboarding in the US
- Sandboarding in South America
- Sandboarding in Central America
- Sandboarding in Europe
- Events
- References
Sandboarding has adherents throughout the world, most prevalently in desert areas or coastal areas with beach dunes. It is less popular than snowboarding, partly because it is very difficult to build a mechanised ski lift on a sand dune, and so participants generally must walk back up to the top or ride a dune buggy or all-terrain vehicle back to the top of the dune. On the other hand, dunes are normally available year-round as opposed to ski resorts, which are usually seasonal.
Equipment
The sandboard base is much harder than a snowboard, and is built mostly out of formica or laminex with special base materials now being made for this sport. To glide in the sand, the board bottom is often waxed, usually with a paraffin-based sandboard wax, before a run. Afterwards, the bottom of the board may have a lightly sanded look to it, while 'Race Base' tends to polish smoother and glossier with use. 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.
Sandboarding in Australia
Little Sahara on Kangaroo Island in South Australia is a sand dune system roughly covering two square kilometres. The highest dune is approximately 70 metres above sea level.
Sandboards and toboggans are available for hire from the onsite office, a stunning building designed by internationally acclaimed architect, Max Pritchard, and Winner of the 2015 Master Builders National Environment and Energy Efficiency Commercial Building Award.
Lucky Bay, about 30 km south of Kalbarri, 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 wide, 32 kilometres long, and covers an area of over 4,200 hectares. The massive sand dunes climb up to 40 metres high. Located only minutes from the centre of Nelson Bay, it is the largest sand dune system in Australia.
Sandboarding in Egypt
The best sand dunes for sandboarding in Egypt include the Great Sand Sea near Siwa Oasis واحة سيوة in Egypt's Western Desert, the Qattaniya القطانية sand dunes (1.5 hr drive on/off-road from Cairo), El Safra الصفراء and Hadudah هدودة dunes midway between Dahab and St. Catherine in Sinai. Sandboarding is said to be originated in Egypt in the time of the Pharaohs where they slid down dunes on pieces of wood.
Sandboarding in Namibia
Namibia features sand-skiing, which is similar to sandboarding, performed with skis instead of a board. Most of the sand-skiing is performed in the Namib desert dunes around Swakopmund and Walvis Bay. With a special permit it is sometimes possible to sand-ski at the world's highest dunes in Sossusvlei. In the area, they use two different sand-boarding styles, the ”Lie Down”, where the rider lies upon a special made board and slides headlong on the sand dunes and ”Stand Up Boarding”, where the techniques are quite similar with those of snowboarding. Any style you choose, the fun is guaranteed. The rides in the coastal desert of Namibia can offer the right adrenaline doze!
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.
Sandboarding has been a commercial tourism activity in Swakopmund since 1994, when Christian Vaatz set up Namibia Sandboards. In 1995 Beth Sarro and Chris Jason started taking holiday makers sandboarding on masonite boards. Using masonite boards involves lying down whilst sliding down the dunes and is similar to sledding. A few years later they bought Namibia Sandboards, and started offering standup sandboarding as well.
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.
Sandboarding in South Africa
After some pioneers like Derek Bredenkamp who boarded Swakopmund around 1974, commercial operators began offering sandboarding to tourists since 1994. In 2000 the Sandboarding South Africa league was established. Sandboarding competitions started in 2001 when SA camps were held in 2002 up and until 2004. The league collapsed, then the sport was revived again in 2007 with weekly sandboarding sessions in and around Cape Town and Gauteng.
Sandboarding in the U.S.
Sand Master Park, located in Florence, Oregon USA is the world's first sandboard park with 40 acres (160,000 m2) of private sculpted sand dunes and a full-time pro shop. Sand Master Park was opened in the year 2000 by sandboard pioneer, Lon Beale, and introduces sandboarding to about 25,000 people each year. Dune Riders International is the governing body for competitive sandboarding worldwide and sanctions three events each season at Sand Master Park.
Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve near Alamosa, Colorado welcomes sandboarding on the tallest dunes in North America. Sandboarding, sledding, and skiing are permitted anywhere on the dunefield away from vegetated areas. Great Sand Dunes National Park does not rent sleds or sandboards; these may be rented or purchased at two retailers in the San Luis Valley in which the park is located.
Sandboarding in South America
Sandboarding in Central America
Sandboarding in Europe
A rather small sand mountain is the Monte Kaolino in Hirschau, Germany. Being equipped with a lift to the 120m top it is also the host of the annual Sandboarding World Championships. Amothines is a small desert five kilometres from Katalakkos village in Limnos, Greece. There are many sand dunes there, where people can practice sandboarding.