A Short Introduction to Volcano Boarding
You have tried every single activity from bungee jumping to snowkiting and are convinced there is nothing left in this world that can get your adrenaline pumping? Then volcano boarding in Nicaragua might just be your sort of thing!
It all started in 1850, when Cerro Negro, the youngest volcano in Central America, made its first appearance. Rather unspectacularly. It started as a molehill on a farmer's field about 20 km from León but piled up to be a 728 m high black cone after several violent eruptions, the last one dating back to 1999.
True, Cerro Negro has caused a lot of anxiety (and ash) during its eruptions and most locals stay well clear of it. As with most volcanoes, eruptions are impossible to predict. But to make the wait a little more entertaining, local entrepreneurs came up with a brilliantly foolish idea: sliding down the flank of the black monster on something faintly resembling a toboggan. Who in their right mind would do such a thing, you may ask yourself. Well, thousands of people!
French extreme biker Eric Barone, also known as the Red Baron was one of the first to challenge Cerro Negro's almost-vertical slopes in 2002. On a bike. At 172.661 km/h. He did establish a speed record but unfortunately his bike snapped and sent him hurtling down the slope. Luckily, he survived (with several broken bones).
Yes, that's the slope! (Source: Sonati Tours)
But don't you worry, volcano boarding isn't quite as dangerous as that. As a matter of fact, it's more of a social event. It's ultimately about spending time with your friends in the middle of the stunning Maribios chain. We make volcano boarding easy for you: You get picked up by our partners Sonati in the early morning. A 4WD vehicle takes you to the foot of the „gateway to hell“ as Cerro Negro has sometimes been called. You then grab your board, as well as a jumpsuit, gloves and goggles and get going. The walk takes you through a sectacular, almost lunar scenery and takes about 40 minutes. Walking along the rim of a soot-coloured cone, surrounded by green hills, with views of the entire Maribios chain – that's a combo you don't get every day. Once you're up there, you'll smell the sulfur and see the fumaroles, just in case you had doubts regarding the activity of this volcano.
You don't think it's steep enough? You'll be surprised...(Source: Sonati Tours)
Once you're ready, you get on the board. Depending on the size of your group, you'll have to wait in line to make sure that every person gets down safely. Your moment has come. You're sitting on that wooden board. You're in agony. „Why am I doing this? There was so much more I wanted to do in my life!“ Stop whining and get on with it! You decide how fast you want to go by putting your foot down (at least to some extent). Whitin a split second you're accelerating, going faster than you want. Tiny pieces of basaltic gravel and sand are flying around, stinging your face like tiny hot needles. Good thing you're wearing goggles that protect your eyes! Then, after a minute or so, the adventure is over. You survived Cerro Negro. You briefly check your limbs: everything's still in its place. Your face and throat are covered in a sticky conglomerate of sand and ash and your socks and shoes are filled to the brim with gravel. But you're alive and full of adrenaline. It's time for a beer to wash down that dust...