Delaware Officials Ask Snowboarders To Stay off Sand Dunes

Urban snowboarding is all about finding spots that no one else has hit before. That sometimes leads to disgruntled security guards, shop owners, and police officers. On Sunday, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control joined that list.

Environmental officials are urging shredders in Delaware to not snowboard (or sled, for that matter) on the dunes in the state, no matter how tempting it might be following the heavy snowfall the East Coast just received.

“The dunes themselves are a very fragile ecosystem," the DNREC’s Scott Borino told Delaware Public Media. "They’re homes to important wildlife, important vegetation. And especially with the vegetation, what's really important is, if they die, that can weaken the dunes. They’re what actually hold the dunes in place.”

The dunes and beaches serve as a frontline defense against the ocean’s waves that can cause erosion during storms along the coast, according to the DNREC website. They protect against rising sea levels, and visitors to the dunes during the spring, summer, and fall are also asked to not walk over them, in order to preserve the wildlife that has claimed the dunes as home over the years.

“If Delaware experiences a stretch of calm weather, then sand will remain in place for longer than if we experience a series of storms. An increase in storminess usually means more sand will need to be replaced to offset the losses,” the website says.

The DNREC is also concerned about the risk dune-shredding could pose to humans as well, such as serious injury or the possibility of being fined. The metal fencing and posts will sometimes get covered as the size of the dunes grow, and that could led to an unsuspecting beach boarder getting caught on some wires.

“We definitely encourage people to come out to Delaware state parks, enjoy nature," Borino said to DPM. "It's beautiful, seeing it while it's snowing, but just to help protect the integrity of the dunes, personal safety, we just strongly encourage people to stay off the dunes during these nice winter times.”

It’s understandable why residents in Delaware might take to the beaches to get some turns in: there are no ski areas in the entire state.

There are nearby, non-dune options, though. Riders in Delaware can take a short trip to Spring Mountain Adventures, Bear Creek Mountain Resort, Montage Mountain, Roundtop Mountain, or Whitetail Resort in Pennsylvania to get their turns in. All of those ski areas are less than a three-hour’s drive from Delaware.