Last Updated on December 16, 2022
Sandboarding is a niche sport that has yet to gain worldwide recognition. While snowboarding has been present in the Olympics since 1998, its desert equivalent has yet to be included in the Games.
That said, there are competitive sandboarding events held regurarly throughout the globe and even an annual Sandboarding World Cup.
Sandboard World Cup
Organized by the International Sandboarding and SandSki Association (InterSands), the competition was held in Germany until 2007, nowadays it normally takes place on the dunes of Huacachina, Peru.
The last World Cup took place in 2019, when over 60 sandboarders from more than ten countries competed against each other in Slalom, Boarder Cross & Big Air competitions. Luka Flachenecker (slalom), Vitor Semedo (sandboard cross), and Daniel Vonach (freestyle) have been crowned Sandboard World Cup champions.
Competitive Sandboarding
Over the past two years the Sandboard World Cup could not be held in Peru due to the covid-19 pandemic, but alternative competitions took place on a smaller scale in Chile and Germany.
The Dragon Cup was held on the massive Cerro Dragón in Iquique (Chile), becoming the de facto world championship, attracting sandboarding enthusiasts and first timers from all over the planet.
Monte Kaolino in Hirschau (Germany) used to hold the World Cup until 2007, it is now home to a smaller competition that takes place every spring, named SandSpirit. Monte Kaolino is the only sand boarding facility in the world equipped with a lift.
InterSands remains committed to promoting development activities in the dunes and hopes to launch the next Sandboarding World Cup in 2023.
The most likely location remains the oasis of Huacachina in Ica, Peru; although many other countries have displayed interest in hosting the competition.
Earlier this year, the organization launched a project was launched with the aim to explore opportunities for the practice and promotion of this outdoor sport on the dunes of Southern Spain.
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