Sandboarding - Dune Days For Flat Spells

It was the picture that caught my eye. Thought it was one of those "Snow Bunnies" - the term that only a bloke would come up with to describe the snowboarding scene's equivalent of the REEF girl. On closer inspection, the practicality of the bikini - board combo is given a dusting of credibility since the surface is sand not snow.

Sandboarding is one of those cousins from the family of board sports that meshes elements of surfing and snowboarding. A poor cousin perhaps - as it doesn't yet have the profile of its uber-hyped relatives. Not that aficionados will give a damn - if you can carve your way down a dune over 50mph without leaving your butt looking like something hanging in a butcher's shop, you aren't going to stress yourself much about popularity stakes.

Sandboarders even have their own Doctor Dune speed wax. I haven't got my head round the physics, but the wax goes on the bottom of the board and not the deck.

And like everything these days, sandboarders can read about what sandboarders do in the imaginatively titled "Sandboard Magazine". I noted with interest that one of my favourite beaches, Holywell Bay, in our very own Kernow was listed as a hot location for this sport. Now I can attest to the fun that can be had on the dunes as evidenced by my three Nippers in the pic below but I can't claim to have spotted any sandboarders. Perhaps like surf mats, they haven't come to Cornwall - yet.