Alter Action – Sandboarding / Swakopmund
SANDBOARDING – Fun for the entire family! – If stand-up boarding is not what you would try, how about lie-down boarding?
Lie Down Boarding: No experience necessary. The sandboarder lies on the stomach shooting head first down the dune.
After a brief instruction period we head up the dune for our first ride which we call Little Nellie. This ride makes a gentle arc down the dune and introduces the boarder to the feel of the rides and gives them practice in steering and stopping the board. From there we move to the second „training“ ride called the Birgit Run. This ride is longer, steeper and faster than the first.
Lizzie is the first of the real rides and the third ride on the dune. The boarder is now confident with reaching speeds up to 60 kph (37 mph). This ride also offers excellent photo opportunities.
The Tandem toboggan is next. Each boarder picks a partner and we send them down a long gentle slope with one sitting in the front and one controlling the board from the back.
The fastest ride on the dune is called Dizzy and comes right after the tandem. We put an extra layer of polish on the boards in order to reach the maximum speed of 80 kph (50 mph). People often choose to do this ride more than once.
To finish the morning we slide back to the starting point via the Gentle Valley- a long steep ride that rounds off the morning nicely.
Stand Up Boarding: No experience necessary, but previous boarding experience and a sense of balance is a bonus. The boards we use for this are snowboards with soft boots and bindings. For experienced boarders we have snowboards with Formica bases.
The experienced snowboarder must bear in mind that snowboarding and sandboarding are two entirely different sports, so they will need to adjust their stance and technique from snow to sand. But after a ride or two it feel just like boarding in very thick powder.
Sandboarding is excellent for inexperienced boarders also. The sand is softer than snow and a bit slower than snow, so it gives the boarder a chance to get their balance on the board. The experienced instructors will teach them balance techniques first and when balance is achieved they will start working on turn techniques. By the end of the morning the beginning sandboarder will feel confident with their riding and their equipment and can take their newly learned skills to the snow.
Professional sandboarding instructors are on the dune with the boarders at all times.
An advantage of the Stand up Boarding is that the boarder can choose to try the Lie Down Boarding as well. Normally Stand Up Boarders join the Lie Down trip for the two fastest rides- Lizzie and Dizzy.
RATES 2013
Valid 1st January, 2013 to 31st December, 2013
TOUR |
DURATION |
RATE PER PERSON |
MINIMUM PARTICIPANTS |
Lie Down Boarding |
whole morning |
N$ 300.00 |
no minimum participation |
Stand Up Boarding |
whole morning |
N$ 400.00 |
no minimum participation |