Moroccan Sand Dunes - The latest buzz.

How do you value-add to sand dunes? It may seem like a strange question, but if you have a lot of sand dunes and most people come simply to look at them, then it is a fair question. Fortunately the Moroccans have come up with the answer: dune-boarding. Patrick Steel from the Guardian newspaper has an interesting article about it. Here's an extract.

Photo: Patrick Steel
It goes without saying that sand and snow are very different. But I'm just outside the Moroccan village of Hassi Labied, where the Ziz Valley comes down from the Atlas and dissolves into the arid moonscape of the Western Sahara, and as I launch myself off the largest sand dune in the area with a snowboard strapped to my feet, the difference seems academic. I am hurtling at considerable speed through the desert while around me sand dunes ripple over the horizon, changing colour, chameleon-like, in the setting sun. The scenery, as it rushes past, is intensely beautiful - a blur of browns, yellows and blues.

The differences do matter though. The sand is very fine, so I have to lean back to keep the tip of the board from burying itself in the side of the hill. It feels slightly unnatural because on snow, which I am used to, leaning forwards is the key to staying upright. And where snow eases the board on its way, sand seems to create some friction, which means having to hurl myself off the top of the dune to gather momentum. Luckily, the dune is not only the largest, but also the steepest in the area, so gathering speed is not a problem, despite the friction. It's even possible to put a few turns in, carving S shapes in the sand near the bottom.

It's exhilarating stuff, but over far too quickly; then begins the slow trudge back to the summit. It's at this point that I start dreaming of an Alpine-style chairlift to whisk me back to the top.

The full article is HERE

Tags: Morocco Fes, Maghreb news