Extreme surfing in this country has little to do with the ocean
This extreme sport isn't for the faint of heart and to participate you'll need a board, some safety gear -- and an active volcano.
By
Adriana Navarro, AccuWeather staff writer
Published Apr 8, 2022 4:04 PM EST
|
Updated Apr 8, 2022 4:23 PM EST
Spewing lava can’t stop these tourists tackling one of Nicaragua’s deadliest destinations.
Adventure-seeking tourists can test their mettle with an extreme activity known as "volcano surfing" at the summit of one of Nicaragua's most dangerous locations.
In the Cordillera de los Maribios mountain range near the city of León in western Nicaragua, a 2,388-foot mountain of black cinder and gravel mars the surrounding verdant green summits and valleys, earning the landform the name Cerro Negro. The volcano is the youngest in Central America and has been active since it formed in April 1850, with the last eruption occurring on Aug. 5, 1999, according to the Global Volcanism Program by the Smithsonian Institution.
The volcano has a history of burying farmland and during an eruption in 1995 ash and sand were reportedly falling "like light rain" over the city of León, nearly 15 miles away, according to The Associated Press.
But then in 2005, a man named Daryn Webb decided this volcano was the perfect slope to sled down.
His first choice of a vehicle wasn't anything resembling a board at first, but, rather, a mini-fridge. When that didn't work, he turned to a mattress and then a front door. Finally, after trial and error, he crafted a board suitable for racing down the slope of a volcano and brought to life an activity that now makes up a chunk of León's tourism industry.
The journey begins with about an hour-long hike up a 1,600-foot slope, after which the participants will don a brightly colored protective suit along with goggles. Gloves, hiking boots and long pants and sleeves are also recommended. While the descent won't take long, it's almost guaranteed to be bumpy and dusty, so surfers may want to cover their noses and mouths, too.
"You go really fast, you kind of lose control a little bit, but you get the hang of it after a little bit," Adolfo Adofen, a tourist who had boarded down the slope, told EuroNews. "And it's a really cool experience. Never thought I'd do this in my life, go down a volcano, but that was amazing."
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The current record volcano boarding speed is 54 miles per hour, set by an Israeli woman at Cerro Negro, according to the tourism site Sandboarding & Dune Adventures, though a typical volcano boarder can reach speeds of up to 43 mph.
"It was a very interesting and unique experience," tourist Anna Müller told EuroNews in Spanish. "You can only do it in a few places in the world, and that's why it's very interesting. There are many volcanoes here in Central America, but only volcano boarding here in Nicaragua, in León."
The extreme sport has become a popular attraction not just in Nicaragua, but also in Indonesia and Vanuatu where Mount Bromo and Mount Yasur, respectively, provide a similar thrill.
Of course, the activity isn't without risk. These volcano boarders aren't descending down soft sand, but rather hot volcanic ash and rocks, according to the tourism site, making for some more painful wipeouts. There's also the additional risk of being hit by any flying molten lava, ash and debris and inhaling toxic volcanic gases.
While there have been no volcano surfing deaths as of 2021, according to Sandboarding & Dune Adventures, there have been cases of people needing medical care after a mishap, so any travelers who are hoping to add volcano surfing to their bucket list may want to make sure their travel insurance covers volcano boarding.
For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
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News / Travel
Extreme surfing in this country has little to do with the ocean
This extreme sport isn't for the faint of heart and to participate you'll need a board, some safety gear -- and an active volcano.
By Adriana Navarro, AccuWeather staff writer
Published Apr 8, 2022 4:04 PM EST | Updated Apr 8, 2022 4:23 PM EST
Spewing lava can’t stop these tourists tackling one of Nicaragua’s deadliest destinations.
Adventure-seeking tourists can test their mettle with an extreme activity known as "volcano surfing" at the summit of one of Nicaragua's most dangerous locations.
In the Cordillera de los Maribios mountain range near the city of León in western Nicaragua, a 2,388-foot mountain of black cinder and gravel mars the surrounding verdant green summits and valleys, earning the landform the name Cerro Negro. The volcano is the youngest in Central America and has been active since it formed in April 1850, with the last eruption occurring on Aug. 5, 1999, according to the Global Volcanism Program by the Smithsonian Institution.
The volcano has a history of burying farmland and during an eruption in 1995 ash and sand were reportedly falling "like light rain" over the city of León, nearly 15 miles away, according to The Associated Press.
But then in 2005, a man named Daryn Webb decided this volcano was the perfect slope to sled down.
His first choice of a vehicle wasn't anything resembling a board at first, but, rather, a mini-fridge. When that didn't work, he turned to a mattress and then a front door. Finally, after trial and error, he crafted a board suitable for racing down the slope of a volcano and brought to life an activity that now makes up a chunk of León's tourism industry.
The journey begins with about an hour-long hike up a 1,600-foot slope, after which the participants will don a brightly colored protective suit along with goggles. Gloves, hiking boots and long pants and sleeves are also recommended. While the descent won't take long, it's almost guaranteed to be bumpy and dusty, so surfers may want to cover their noses and mouths, too.
"You go really fast, you kind of lose control a little bit, but you get the hang of it after a little bit," Adolfo Adofen, a tourist who had boarded down the slope, told EuroNews. "And it's a really cool experience. Never thought I'd do this in my life, go down a volcano, but that was amazing."
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
The current record volcano boarding speed is 54 miles per hour, set by an Israeli woman at Cerro Negro, according to the tourism site Sandboarding & Dune Adventures, though a typical volcano boarder can reach speeds of up to 43 mph.
"It was a very interesting and unique experience," tourist Anna Müller told EuroNews in Spanish. "You can only do it in a few places in the world, and that's why it's very interesting. There are many volcanoes here in Central America, but only volcano boarding here in Nicaragua, in León."
The extreme sport has become a popular attraction not just in Nicaragua, but also in Indonesia and Vanuatu where Mount Bromo and Mount Yasur, respectively, provide a similar thrill.
Of course, the activity isn't without risk. These volcano boarders aren't descending down soft sand, but rather hot volcanic ash and rocks, according to the tourism site, making for some more painful wipeouts. There's also the additional risk of being hit by any flying molten lava, ash and debris and inhaling toxic volcanic gases.
While there have been no volcano surfing deaths as of 2021, according to Sandboarding & Dune Adventures, there have been cases of people needing medical care after a mishap, so any travelers who are hoping to add volcano surfing to their bucket list may want to make sure their travel insurance covers volcano boarding.
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For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
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