We have finally reached the final day of the XUV700 Great Escape and the teams are making their way to Atlantis Dunes on the Cape West Coast for a superb sandboarding saga!

This adrenaline-pumping sport is perfect for those who love the thrill of speed and adventure. The pressure is definitely on as none of the friends has ever tried the activity before. Today’s win would also decide the overall result, as all three teams are very close together in the point standings.

Looking at the incredibly steep and tall dunes was daunting to the team at first and climbing up the top of the dunes, was exhausting in the hot sun! The loose and powdery sand made it challenging for the teams to keep their balance and there were a few wipeouts, which left the teams covered in sand from head to toe.

The last few days of activities prepared the team for today, as they quickly realized that sandboarding requires one to be in good shape and have excellent balance. After some trial and error, the teams were all riding the dunes like pros.

Congratulations to Mark and Chantal who ended up being the team that conquered the sand dunes of Atlantis!

After a magical day of riding the dunes, Chantal reflected on the XUV700 Great Escape adventure:

“Looking back now, I think I understand why Mahindra South Africa made this astonishing event possible it has cemented a lifetime of memories for us six ordinary South Africans and all of it was born out of a unique and truthful partnership between man and machine. The world we live in is presenting us with many challenges at the moment and some of it more difficult to overcome than others, having a reliable and willing partner that is always ready to share any adventure with you is very important as it helps us escape and break free from the stresses and monotony of our everyday lives.

It has shown me that we as South Africans are spoiled for choice when it comes to outdoor activities and that we only need to make that decision to break free and explore active living!

Thank you to my teammate Mark, for your support and all the fun we had, thank you to the other teams for showing true sportsmanship in every activity we competed in and thank you Mahindra South Africa for the fantastic XUV700 in which we had the time of our lives and thank you for showing us what is really important!”

In a close race where all three teams led the overall standings at some point, Adriaan and Li-Mari succeeded in winning the overall point standings in the end-congratulations to team red for winning the XUV700 Great Escape in a hard-fought battle.  Congratulations to the other two teams for being fantastic competitors! The spirit in which you guys competed will be remembered by everyone!

It is a bittersweet moment as we conclude the #GreatEscape, while the adventure may be over; the opportunity to #ExploreActiveLiving in the XUV700 is always there!