Sandboarding is a blend between surfing, skateboarding, and snowboarding. Instead of descending water, asphalt, or snow, a sandboard rides down or across ...Whatissandboarding?SurfingWelcometothegrainyworldofsandboarding.Ifyouvisitorlivenearlargedunes,youmayexperienceoneofthemostheart-pumpingoutdooractivitiesyouwillfindontheplanet.Thesportthatwasneverquiteconsideredan"officialsport"isusuallypracticedinlarge,steepcoastaldunesandeveninhotdesertswhereoceansandwaterareonlyamirage.Sandboardingisablendbetweensurfing,skateboarding,andsnowboarding.Insteadofdescendingwater,asphalt,orsnow,asandboardridesdownoracrossthedune'sface.Thelostartofsandboardingisanoldpractice,though.Believeitornot,theAncientEgyptiansalreadyusedwoodplankstoslidedownthedunesandtransportheavycargo.However,accordingto"TheEncyclopediaofSurfing,"thefirstmodernenthusiastsofsandboardingonlystartedhittingthegrainyslopesbetweenthe1940sand1960s."Sandboardingexpandedinthe1970s,largelyduetotheeffortsofGaryFluittandJackSmith.Borrowingtemplatesandtechnologyfromsnowboarding,thesandboardbecamelongerandwider,withfootstrapsandslickFormicabottoms,"wroteMattWarshaw,authorofthe"EncyclopediaofSurfing.""Aswithsurfboards,itwasdiscoveredthatlongerequipmentwasbetterfordrawn-outlinesonbighills,whileshorterboardshadtheadvantageintermsofmaneuverabilityandwereusedmostlyonsmallerhills."Gear,SpotsandStarsThesport,alsoknownasdunesurfingorsandsurfing,requiresaspecially-shapedboard,gloves,goggles,ahelmet,kneeandelbowpads.Somepilotsalsoapplysandboardwaxtoincreasegrip.Rememberthatthemajorityofduneslocatedonbeachesareextremelysensitive.Inmanycases,sandboardingcandestroythefragileecosystemandalterthesandmovementdynamicsofaparticulararea.So,makesureyouknowwhereyou'recarvingthedunewithyoursandboard.Thegoodnewsisthatsomeofthebestsandboardingspotsintheworldarelocatedinregionswherenatureisnotharmedwhenyouenjoythethrillofspeed.Insandboarding,thequalityoftheridenotonlydependsondunesteepnessbutalsoonthequalityandtypeofsand.Theequipmentunderyourfee