Sandboarding

A sandboarder does a jump on Fortaleza dunes.

Sandboarding is a board sport similar to snowboarding. It is a recreational activity that takes place on sand dunes rather than snow-covered mountains. This boardsport has adherents throughout the world, most prevalently in desert areas or coastal areas with beach dunes.

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.

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. Alternatively, they may ride a dune buggy or all-terrain vehicle back to the top of the dune. Dunes are normally available year-round as opposed to ski resorts, which are usually seasonal. As well, the availability of sand dunes confines participants to warmer areas.

Josh Tenge, professional sandboarding champion, holds the Guinness Book of World Records entry for the longest-distance back flip at 44' 10". Tenge is also a four-time world sandboarding champion and holds three world records.

Namibia is the centre of sand-skiing, which is similar to sandboarding; however, it is performed with skis instead of a board.

Equipment

Boards in Brazil

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. Erik Johnson, a professional snowboarder and sandboarder, holds the Guinness World Record for Speed on a Sandboard at 51 mph (82 km/h). Unofficial speeds of 60 mph (97 km/h) have reportedly been clocked.

Worldwide

Sandboarding in Australia

Little Sahara on Kangaroo Island, South Australia, is a heritage area, with a sand dune system roughly covering two square kilometres. The dunes vary in size with plenty of small dunes and the highest dune is approximately 70 metres above sea level.

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. ^[1]

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 to Bahariya Oasis), 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 Pharoahs where they slid down dunes on pieces of wood. ^[2]

Sandboarding in Namibia

Most of the sand-skiing in Namibia is performed in the Namib desert dunes around Swakopmund and Walvis Bay, however, with a special permit it is sometimes possible to sand-ski at the world's highest dunes in Sossusvlei.

Henrik May, a German living in Namibia for some ten years, set a Guinness World Record in speed sand-skiing on 6 June 2010. He reached a speed of 92.12 km/h^[3]

Sandboarding in South Africa

Sandboarding in Dubai

After some pioneers like Derek Bredenkamp who boarded Swakopmund around 1974, commercial operators began offering sandboarding to tourists since 2006. 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.

A boy sandboarding in Fuvahmulah, Maldives

Woman sandboarding at Atlantis Dunes in South Africa.

Modern sandboarding was popularized in the U.S. by the efforts of Jack Smith and Gary Fluitt in California in the early 1980s. The pair were featured in numerous surf films such as Adventures in Paradise, and in magazines such as Action Now.

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 world wide and sanctions three events each season at Sand Master Park.

Locations

Alaska

• Kobuk Sand Dunes - Kobuk Valley National Park - Ambler Artic County

Arizona

• Ehrenberg Sandbowl - Ehrenberg
• Hot Well Dunes - Safford
• Parker Sand Dunes - Parker
• Yuma Sand Dunes - Yuma

California

• Buttercup - Glamis - ( South of Glamis, past Gordon's Well (freeway hill), across Hwy.8, smaller dunes and less people.)
• Carmel Beach - Carmel - ( Small dune but beautiful location. the sand is so good that the boards run on gentle slopes.)
• Death Valley National Park - Stovepipe Wells - ( Small Dunes. No offroad. )
• Dillon Beach - Bodega Bay - ( Good run located in an RV park" )
• Dumont Dunes - Baker - ( 455 ft (139 m). Home of the "World Back Flip Record" )
• Gordon's Well - Glamis
• Guadalupe Dunes - Guadalupe
• Ibex Dunes - Saratoga Springs
• Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area - Glamis
• Indian Rocks - Lake Los Angeles - ( private dune bank for films )
• Kelso Sand Dunes - Baker - ( 600 ft (180 m). - no offroad - pink feldspar )
• Marina State Beach Marina - ( very limited area but extreme runs! )
• Montana de Oro State Park - Los Osos - ( now closed to sandboarding )
• Fort Ord - Seaside - ( small dunes, 40–50 ft.)
• White Water - Palm Springs
• Manilla Dunes - Grassland Community - Arcata/Eureka ( Very small - no offroad )
• Panamint Dunes - Panamint Valley
• Pismo Beach Dunes - Pismo Beach / San Luis Obispo
• Point Mugu Sand Bank - Pacific Coast Hwy. - Pt. Mugu
• Pudding Creek - Fort Bragg ( small dune at the creek's mouth & the Pacific Ocean + parking )
• Rice Valley Dunes - Death Valley
• Saline Valley Dunes - Death Valley
• Salmon Creek - Bodega Bay ( small coastal dune on Sonoma State Beach )
• Ten Mile Beach Dunes - Cleone ( small to medium size with nice sand )
• The Pit - Sand City ( Easy access - huge bowl right on the beach. )
• Superstition OHV Park - El Centro - (The Sand Dam / 409. Steep runs and jumps.)
• Tomales Bay

Colorado

• Great Sand Dunes National Park - San Luis Valley, Colorado (tallest sand dunes in North America)

North Carolina

• Jockey's Ridge State Park - Nags Head North Carolina

Sandboarding in South America

• Peru is known for having large sand dunes in Ica, some reaching up to 2 km. Duna Grande in Ica is the largest sand dune in the world.

The Copa Sandboarding Perú (Peru Sandboarding Cup) is held near Paracas every year since 2009.^[4]

• Chile sandboarding is practiced in Medanoso dune in Copiapo City, in this place it's done the Dakar rally. Puerto Viejo beach in Caldera is an excellent place to practice sandboarding in front of the bay.

Sandboarding in Central America

Sandboarding down volcano Cerro Negro in Leon, Nicaragua

• Nicaragua is home to Cerro Negro, the youngest volcano in Central America. Since it has steep slopes and volcanic sand, it is possible to sandboard down this active volcano.

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.

Events

• Sandboarding World Championship – The SWC is held annually in Hirschau, Germany at Monte Kaolino, currently also the site of Europe’s largest sand hill. Riders can board down dunes over 300 feet (91 m) tall, riding into a water landing site at the base of the hill. It has a sand lift, the only one in the world. Events include slalom (akin to snowboarding's parallel giant slalom), freestyle (similar to freestyle snowboarding) and sandboard cross (cf. snowboard cross).

• Sand Master Jam – Annual sandboarding event that takes place in Florence, Oregon at Sand Master Park. This event occurs in late spring or early summer. The Sand Master Jam has been held since 1996.

• Pan-American Sandboarding Challenge – This event takes place in July in Aquiraz, Ceara, Brazil at Prainha’s Beach. It features amateurs and professionals who wish to compete in freestyle and jump events.

• Sand Sports Super Show – Annual outdoor event for all sand sports, including sandboarding. This three-day event takes place in September in Costa Mesa, California at the Orange County Fair and Expo Center.

See also

• Surfing
• Mountainboarding

External links

• sandboarding info & tours in Cape Town South Africa
• 2009 Sandboarding World Championships, Monte Kaolino, Germany
• Planet Sandboard
• Sandboarding in South Africa
• Sandboard Club of France
• Sandboarding In Japan - Bilingual Page
• Sandboarding in Australia

References

1. ^ [1]
2. ^ Egypt Sandboarding.com
3. ^ Henrik May sets Guiness World Recort in speed sand-skiing, Ski Namibia, 6 June 2010
4. ^ Peru's top sandboarders compete tomorrow in Paracas, Living Peru. Sports. 26-11-2010. Retrieved 11-26-2010