the Adventure Lifestyle magazine

Maybe there's more sand in Africa than there is snow in the Alps. Maybe not. But sand doesn't melt in summer and sandboarders have modified snowboards to hurl themselves down dunes as high as mountains. Boarding on soft brown sand that glows gold in the sunset is a surreal experience in slow motion. Sandboarding in Africa is in its infancy, leaving lots of room for independent exploration. Some of the best sandboarding in the world is in the wide, dry expanses of the Sahara and the deserts of Namibia and South Africa. These deserts are vast, composed of dunes constantly being sculpted by the intense winds and whims of the desert. Sand boarding gear is similar to snowboarding gear, with a few obvio'us variations. The first is the board. You can shred the dunes on anything-pieces of cardboard, bits of hardboard, old surfboards, Burton Cruiser split tails. But recently, sanc;lboard companies such as Omni and Venomous have started making sand boards equipped with technology designed specifically for maximum sandriding pleasure. The main difference between snowboards and sandboards is the base. A snowboard's high-density polyethylene base-the same stuff from which soda bottles are made-doesn't allow the sand rider to reach endorphin-inducing speeds because the combination of polyethylene and sand creates too much friction . Production sandboards have an extremely hard base, similar to Formica. Sand surfers ride further back, toward the tail of the board, so sand boards have an extra set of insert holes. Finally, unlike a snowboard's razor-sharp edges, sand boards have detuned edges to reduce the possibility of flailing in the sand. Extra sheets of fiberglass are added to the board's base to create a more solid landing surface. The final touch is a coat of Dr Dune's Boardwax. The second variation is the apparel. Fall in sand-and fall you will-and you'll quickly realize that sand is very different than snow. Slamming on sand at speed in shorts and a T-shirt will teach you that sand has a nasty way of working grains into orifices you never knew you had. Wear pants. There are also significant differences in the action itself. While high speeds can certainly be attained on a sandboard, the thick, granular nature of sand makes it more difficult to carve. Good boarders can kick up arcs of dust, though, and the best can EAR T H Lye 0 LOR 5 huck spins and grabs from naturally occurring kickers, or the wooden ramps they set up. Something else to consider is the heat of the African sun. Nice, you might think. But not when you are continually hiking up the dunes because there are no chairlifts in the desert. Hiring a quad bike is a good idea, if they are available, if you can afford it and especially if you are terminally lazy. Whatever you do, just remember to take lots of water. Southern Africa is relatively well organized when it comes to sandboarding. You will be able to find places to rent sand boards and qualified people to take you out. Northern Africa is a little more haphazard. Sand boarding has been documented in places such as Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Chad and Libya, but not in any organized fashion. In these countries, you may find a place to rent an old pair of skis, another way to get down dunes fast. But you won't find any local adventure outfitters. The locals know the desert and dunes intimately and if you bring your own gear, you should have no problem finding someone to take u out. For information on where and how to sandboard Africa, see the Guide, page 54. • Sand dunes are created by severe wind erosion and vary in color. depending on the composition of the earth from which they came. Quartz is always the dominant ingredient of sand. but when the following minerals are present a broad spectrum of different sand colors is the result. Potassium feldspar creates pink sand. Fine. dark-colored rock fragments. such as chert. andesite and slate lead to salt-and-pepper colored sand. Iron oxide creates yellow. orange. red and brown sand. Calcite makes gray sand. Obsidian from volcanic eruptions creates black sand. Chloritic clay imparts a greenish-black color. while sand consisting entirely of quartz grains will be glassy or white. Sand can consist of an infinite number of rock and mineral combinations. allowing for many possible sand colors. Remember that the colors of sand change radically depending on the time of day. SOUTH AFRICA: RED. NAMIBIA: VARIOUS SHADES FROM PALE APRICOTS TO VIVID REDS. ORANGES AND VIOLETS. MOROCCO: BRIGHT ORANGE. ALGERIA: LIGHT GOLD. LIBYA: GOLD. NORTHEASTERN NIGER: DULL ORANGE. SOUTHEASTERN NIGER & WESTERN CHAD: WHITE. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON SANDBOARDING THE WORLD OVER, CHECK OUT WWW.SANDBOARD.COM

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