Ailsa Harvey

 
Imagine snowboarding…on sand! Sandboarding is an extreme sport, very similar to snowboarding, minus one component; the snow. The sport involves riding down, or across, sand dunes whilst standing on a board. It is most popular in desert and coastal areas, where beach dunes are found.
 
One of the reasons in which sandboarding is not as popular as snowboarding is due to the difficulty in being able to build a ski lift mechanism in the sand. Therefore, dune riders are required to walk up the dunes or use a dune buggy. However, a relatively small sand mountain called Monte Kaolino in Hirschau, Germany is equipped with a lift (the only sand lift in the world). The mountain reaches up to 120m and has hosted many of the annual Sandboarding World Championships.

 
Competitive events in the sport include sandboard slalom, freestyle and sandboard cross.
 
Did you know…
 
– A sandboard base is much harder than that of a snowboard and is often waxed in order to allow the rider to glide along the sand.
– Dune Riders International – DRI was founded in 1995 and is the governing body for competitive sandboarding. By fairly governing the sport on an international level, they help to not only encourage the development of the sport but also promote the responsible use and preservation of the world’s dunes in sandboarding.
– There is an active volcano in Central America called Cerro Negro which you can sandboard down. It has steep slopes and volcanic sand and is the youngest volcano in Central America.
 
What do you think about sandboarding? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!