Volcano boarding

Volcano boarding, also called volcano surfing, is an exciting sport where people slide down the slopes of a volcano on a thin plywood or metal board. One of the most popular places for this activity is Cerro Negro near Leon in western Nicaragua. Riders hike up the volcano and then slide down, either sitting or standing, reaching speeds of up to 43 mph (69 km/h). The current record for volcano boarding speed is an impressive 54 mph (87 km/h).

This sport can be dangerous because of rough volcanic ash, poisonous gases, and the risk of being hit by flying molten lava. Riders often wear protective gear like jumpsuits and goggles to stay safe. While Cerro Negro is an active volcano, its last eruption was in 1999, making it a bit safer. However, Mount Yasur on Tanna, Vanuatu, is much more active and erupts every day, making it a more challenging location.

Volcano boarding was invented by Zoltan Istvan, a National Geographic Channel adventurer, on Mount Yasur in 2002. He described two types of volcano boarding: sliding down active volcanoes with immediate dangers like lava and gases, and sliding down inactive volcanoes, which is safer and more like sandboarding. Other famous volcanoes for this sport include Mount Fuji in Japan, Mount Etna in Italy, and Pacaya Volcano in Guatemala.

In Hawaii, there is an ancient sport called he'e holua or lava sledding, which is very similar to volcano boarding. The sport became widely known and commercialized by an Australian named Daryn Webb, who started the world’s first commercial volcano boarding tours from his hostel in Nicaragua.

Equipment and safety gear

For volcano boarding, people use a special board that looks like a snowboard but has extra material at the bottom to help them slide smoothly. They also wear safety gear, such as a jumpsuit, goggles to protect their eyes from dust, and gloves to keep their hands safe.