SURF THE DUNES!If you ache for the thrill of downhill racing but don't live where it snows, forget sledding. But if you live near a desert, you may be in luck. Why not hit the dunes, or sand hills, and surf the sand? Speedsters from New Zealand New Zealand (zē`lənd), island country (2005 est. pop. 4,035,000), 104,454 sq mi (270,534 sq km), in the S Pacific Ocean, over 1,000 mi (1,600 km) SE of Australia. The capital is Wellington; the largest city and leading port is Auckland. to New Mexico New Mexico, state in the SW United States. At its northwestern corner are the so-called Four Corners, where Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah meet at right angles; New Mexico is also bordered by Oklahoma (NE), Texas (E, S), and Mexico (S). (like this woman in the Namib Desert Namib Desert Desert region, extending 1,200 mi (1,900 km) from Namibe, Angola, along the entire coast of Namibia to the Olifants River in South Africa. It is an almost rainless area, 50–80 mi (80–130 km) wide over most of its length, traversed by rail lines in Namibia) are catching the wave of a hot new sport called sand "Sandboarding Sandboarding is a recreational activity similar to snowboarding that takes place on sand dunes rather than snow-covered hills. For some, it involves riding across or down a dune while standing with both feet strapped to a board, while others use a board with no bindings. is free and fun" says Lon Beale, publisher of Sandboard magazine. You can sandboard on your feet or lying down, and use anything from a piece of cardboard to an old snowboard. But a sandboarder needs to overcome sand's friction (rubbing force). So boarders take advantage of freshly blown sand, with air trapped between sand particles. That makes for boarding s more than 88 kilometers (55 miles) hour. "When you sandboard, you practically glide on air" says Beale. |
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