Riding the dunes
Who needs snow?
[ CAIRO ]
EVER SINCE 1866, when Mark Twain tried surfing in Hawaii, board sports have been an important part of the adventure tourist’s journey. At first it was all about waves, and the world’s beaches became cluttered with surfers looking for the kind of nerve-jangling rush you only get when you’re hurtling down a six-foot wall of water [see our feature, p.48]. Then, in the 1970s, snowboarding hit the big-time, giving daredevil globetrotters something to do when the sea turned icy. But the latest board sport on the up is best in the desert.
Sandboarding – which sees riders skimming down vast sand dunes on a hard, waxed board – is beginning to take off around the world, not least in the oceans of sand that surround Cairo and Riyadh. Here, the slopes can reach heights of more than 120 metres, giving you plenty of time to pick up speed. It’s hard to build chairlifts in the desert though, so if you want more than one go, you’ll need to take a 4×4 or quad bike along for the ride. Otherwise, it’s a long trudge back to the top.
Steve Vickers The Adham Compound Hotel, two hours from Cairo on the Cairo/Alexandria Desert Highway, runs certified sandboarding lessons. For more information, visit www.adhamcompoundegypt.com
