Sand skiing (occasionally sand-skiing) is a
sport
Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, ...
and form of
skiing
Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow. Variations of purpose include basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee ( ...
in which the skier rides down a
sand dune or strides across a beach on
skis
A ski is a narrow strip of semi-rigid material worn underfoot to glide over snow. Substantially longer than wide and characteristically employed in pairs, skis are attached to ski boots with ski bindings, with either a free, lockable, or partial ...
. It is practised in many sandy areas, including
Sossusvlei
Sossusvlei (sometimes written Sossus Vlei) is a salt and clay pan surrounded by high red dunes, located in the southern part of the Namib Desert, in the Namib-Naukluft National Park of Namibia. The name "Sossusvlei" is often used in an exten ...
,
Namibia
Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...
and
Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = National seal
, national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...
, along with other
boardsports such as
sandboarding
Sandboarding is a boardsport and extreme sport similar to snowboarding that involves riding across or down a sand dune while standing on a board, either with both feet strapped in or while standing loose, without bindings. Sandboarding can als ...
. Sand skiing equipment includes a pair of skis with a laminate base and wax that needs to be applied to reduce friction from the sand. An International Sandboarding and Sandski Association (InterSands) was founded in 2014 at St. Gallen, Switzerland.
Henrik May, a German living in Namibia for some 10 years, set a Guinness World Record in speed sand-skiing on 6 June 2010. He reached a speed of 92.12 km/h.
Competitions over the years have included:
* International Sand Ski Tournament in Florida held from 1949 to 1951
* Sandblast held in
Prince George, British Columbia
Prince George is the largest city in northern British Columbia, Canada, with a population of 74,004 in the metropolitan area. It is often called the province's "northern capital" or sometimes the "spruce capital" because it is the hub city for ...
annually from 1971 to 2003
* World Sand Skiing Championships held at Redondo Beach, CA
* Nevada
Sand Mountain GS Championship
* international European championships in sand skiing held regularly on
Monte Kaolino since 2007
* Freestyle SandSnow was first held in 2018
In 2018,
Fayoum University
, Jame'at al-fayoum)
, image_name = https://www.google.com.eg/search?q=%D8%B5%D9%88%D8%B1+%D8%AC%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%B9%D8%A9+%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%81%D9%8A%D9%88%D9%85&client=firefox-a&hs=AVm&rls=org.mozilla:ar:official&channel=sb&tbm=isch&imgil=65FV ...
held a sand skiing event in
Fayoum
Faiyum ( ar, الفيوم ' , borrowed from cop, ̀Ⲫⲓⲟⲙ or Ⲫⲓⲱⲙ ' from egy, pꜣ ym "the Sea, Lake") is a city in Middle Egypt. Located southwest of Cairo, in the Faiyum Oasis, it is the capital of the modern Faiyum ...
with students from around
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...
joining in on the fun.
History
Skiing on sand has been reported before 1920 in Germany,
in 1927 Sahara, on an Asian expedition and throughout the 1930s in
*
Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado
*
French Algeria
*
Cronulla sand dunes
The Cronulla sand dunes, also known officially as the Cronulla Sand Dune and Wanda Beach Coastal Landscape, are an open space, heritage-listed nature conservation, and visitor attraction located on the Kurnell Peninsula at Lindum Road, Kurn ...
, Australia
*
Venice Beach, California
Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The islan ...
*
Shirahama Beach, Japan
*Peru
*Cape Cod, Massachusetts
*Long Island, New York
*
Tadoussac
Tadoussac () is a village in Quebec, Canada, at the confluence of the Saguenay and Saint Lawrence rivers. The indigenous Innu call the place ''Totouskak'' (plural for ''totouswk'' or ''totochak'') meaning "bosom", probably in reference to the tw ...
, Canada
*
Death Valley
Death Valley is a desert valley in Eastern California, in the northern Mojave Desert, bordering the Great Basin Desert. During summer, it is the Highest temperature recorded on Earth, hottest place on Earth.
Death Valley's Badwater Basin is the ...
, California
*
Camber Sands, England
''Cinetopicalities in Brief'' No. 65
(1939) newsreel segment
See also
*dry ski slopes
A dry ski slope or artificial ski slope is a ski slope that mimics the attributes of snow using materials that are stable at room temperature, to enable people to ski, snowboard or snow tube in places where natural, snow-covered slopes are inc ...
* roller skis
*grass skiing
Grass skiing, skiing on grass, is a training method for alpine skiing and an established sport of its own. The skis used for grass skiing are short with rolling treads or wheels. These skis are attached to the skiers' boots. Depending on the ski ...
*Lençóis Maranhenses National Park
Lençóis Maranhenses National Park (''Parque Nacional dos Lençóis Maranhenses'') is a national park in Maranhão state in northeastern Brazil, just east of the Baía de São José. Protected on June 2, 1981, the park includes of coastline, ...
References
External links
*
Skiing
Sand
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