Dune Reading and Dune Transitions

Dune reading is the skill of looking at sand dunes and working out the easiest and safest way through. The wind shapes dunes predictably: a gentle windward slope and a steep, soft lee side. Ripples, colour and shadows tell you about sand firmness and hidden drops.

A transition is where one slope, ridge or valley turns into another. These are where riders get caught out, so change speed, body position and line before the transition, not in it.

You will meet everything from dunettes – small isolated dunes scattered over a plain – to an erg, a large sea of dunes such as Erg Chebbi in Morocco. Lower tyre pressure, keep momentum and ride in a group in big dune fields.