Any sandboarders out there?
I’m just finding out about this activity (basically snowboarding on sand dunes), and I’m curious about a couple things regarding sandboards…
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Can you buy them? Many of the sites that I’ve found on the web have instructions on how to build them; but are there any companies that make and sell them?
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Why wouldn’t someone just use an old snowboard and modify it?
Any info you have would be appreciated!
I sandboard!! wheeeeeeeeeee
I started on a snowboard, but it didn’t work well. We all tried different waxing methods, etc, but none really worked.
Venomous, Paradox and OC (which I think stands for Ocean Culture) are brands that I know of - I’m sure there’s others.
Check out www.sandboard.com - there’s a lot of resources, including locations, vendor info, reviews, etc.
Thanks for the info, Smashed!
Can you tell me why you think the snowboard didn’t work? I’m curious, because, from the plans I’ve seen, you’re basically putting together a homemade snowboard. Was it too heavy? Not flexible enough?
My best guess is that it needed to be longer than I use to snowboard, the bindings needed to be a little more forward (I need my center weight to be farther toeside on sand, YMMV)
I think another reason is that we used old scuffed up boards, and no amount of wax really kept it smooth enough to keep the sand from gritting up grooves and dings on the bottom.
I don’t think weight was an issue, but I’m also only about 100#, so heavier boards work well for me whatever I’m trying to do.
We go to Cape Kiwanda in Oregon, which is a steep slope with good jumps. It’s also right smack on the cove, and wet sand can be a bit of a problem. It’s really a lot of fun, though - if you can do other boardsports, you shouldn’t have too much trouble learning. If you can’t do other boardsports, give yourself three days of practice. It seems to just ‘click’ in - how to do it. Expect to spend a lot of time (a) not going anywhere and (b) falling down when you do get going. ©** Opal** may or may not have suggestions on sandboarding.
Wear kneepads. Really. (Unless you like the feel of ground-in sand on them) Actually, all protective gear is a good idea.
Wow- I guess there’s not a lot of sandboarders around…
Thanks for all the info, Smashed, I can’t wait to give it a try!
I did this once, out in White Sands, but I was a kid and it was rented equipment. I really hardly recall the board, but I’ll never forget boarding down the dunes in 95+ degree heat.