When I walked into the Sand Master Park rental shop in Florence, Ore., for a sandboard, I was a skeptical and avowed downhill skier. The prospect of riding a waxed, snowboard-like piece of wood on nearby dunes ran counter to my New England roots. I like my mountains snow-covered and my boots pointed forward. Sensing my reluctance to find my inner sandboarder, four-time world champion Josh Tenge slid around the rental counter and gave me a proper introduction to his sport.
"Our goal here was to see if people wanted to sandboard," said Tenge, as he selected a board for me and checked the elastic bindings around my heels. "They love it. I love it. Where else can you go out and get the feeling of snow with no snow? I think it's perfect. It's just not a known board sport."
Tenge hands me a neon green disk of board wax, and I venture into the dunes behind the Fred Meyer supermarket on Highway 101. The small, gently sloping mounds of soft sand that form one section of the 40-acre park are perfect for beginners. Once I climb to the top of a nearby dune, I spot a couple of families trying out their sandboards for the first time, too. A teenager from Portland soon joins the impromptu novice class with everyone shouting helpful hints.
"You're sort of picking your heels up," says a father to his son who is struggling to stay upright. "You've got to get your heels down."
His mom follows with encouragement: "Nice job. You stayed on the path."
On a medium-grade, 40-yard stretch, I cannot stay upright or on the preferred path. Keeping my board properly waxed is also a challenge. As a result, I move down the slope in an awkward start-and-stop motion, trying to gather downhill momentum. Each run I make it a little farther before falling. But it's frustrating. Thankfully, the soft sand doesn't hurt as I tumble into it again and again.
The teenager from Portland, Wynn Humphrey-Keever, shouts a few tips. "Keep your center of gravity more over the board to stop falling," he says. "You're leaning back too much." Even though I make my way down the dunes more on my behind than my board, I start to find something strangely addictive about the sport. I love the challenge, the summer temperatures, and the uncrowded dunes.
I begin to understand why locals tell me sandboarding will soon be the next big thing on the Oregon coast. Sandboarding is already popular in a number of desert and dune areas around the globe, from Australia to Uruguay. Sand Master Park claims to be the first sandboard park in the world and aims to be a full-service facility with equipment for sale and rental, lessons, and plenty of terrain just outside the front door.
