Sand Storms

Filed in archive ATV Safety on January 6, 2007

Sand storms are never fun. I've been in a few different types of situations during sand storms: Driving cars and motorcycles on the freeway, riding in the dunes, and sitting at the campsite. One thing which is consistent about them all, besides the sand and wind, is that they were all extremely unpleasant.

Lack of visibility is always an issue with sand storms, especially on the freeway. Reducing your speed is obviously the first thing to do. Another consideration is the wear and tear sand does when moving at high speeds. Think about what a sand-blaster does and you'll quickly realize just how abrasive sand really is. It can ruin paint or other finishes, it can get between moving parts and cause excessive wear. On a motorcycle, it is downright painful, and can get into your eyes, even with a full face helmet.

When you're riding in the dunes, you get the full effect of all of the above. But you can multiply the amount of sand by about 3x. You might think the best place to be is at the bottom of a bowl to protect you from the wind. Wrong. The bottom of the bowl gets just about as much wind, but many times more sand. It's more sand than you can imagine, going places you never thought sand would go.

Get on top of the dune and deal with the wind. It's better than dealing with wind AND sand. If it's blowing hard and you are considering stopping, stop and stay inside what ever you're riding.