Volcano-boarding is the hot new sport in Nicaragua. Photo by Carlos Eduardo Melo de Oliveira/Caters News
If careening down an active volcano at speeds of up to 60 mph sounds like fun, Nicaragua has just the place for you.
It’s the 2,382-foot Cerro Negro volcano, whose slopes are covered with ash, which is soft like snow (although not what you’d call pristine) and provides a steep, smooth surface on which to slide.
The accompanying footage, via Caters News, provides a glimpse into what volcano-boarding is all about. It seems that Cerro Negro in the Central American nation has become a hot spot (pun intended) for this budding activity.
“The extreme sport, known as volcano boarding, sees thousands of thrill seekers race down the Cerro Negro volcano in Nicaragua, Central America, each year,” states the video description.
Riders hit speeds of 60 mph. Photo by Carlos Eduardo Melo de Oliveira/Caters News
Riders speed downhill aboard plywood sleds while wearing goggles and orange jumpsuits. A top-to-bottom run can be accomplished in as little as 20 seconds. Tours to the volcano specifically for boarding cost as little as $31.
As for the risk factor, Cerro Negro is Central America’s youngest volcano, and one of its most active.
Volcano-boarder wipes out on slope of ash; photo by Carlos Eduardo Melo de Oliveira/Caters News
According to Volcanodiscovery.com, Cerro Negro “has been producing frequent strombolian eruptions, occasional lava fountains and lava flows, and powerful explosive eruptions every few decades.”
The last significant eruption was 1999.
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