There are a lot of thrillseekers in the world, but so far nobody’s been brave enough to take on an active volcano. Or at least, nobody outside of a particular town in Nicaragua.
The town is León and the volcano is Cerro Negro, a 2400-foot peak that blew its top as recently as 1999 and still contains a positively unnerving amount of molten lava. More importantly for thrillseekers, the outside is coated in an ashy cinder cone, which makes it perfect for the eccentric local pasttime known as volcano sledding.
It works on the same principle as the snowbound version, with volcanic ash in place of snow. You’ll brake and steer by pulling a cord or by digging your legs into the ground, and the soft cinder means wipeouts tend not to be too serious. But Cerro Negro’s 40-degree incline and 1600-foot unbroken slope mean that sleds can go as fast as 50 mph before they reach the bottom. The result is unlike anything you’ll find in Aspen.
The company that runs the trek is called Bigfoot, and they’ll ferry you to the mountain from León and outfit you with a board, a jumpsuit, and enough courage to take on a volcano—all for under $30. Of course, first you’ve got to get to the top, via a 45-minute trek up the less slippery side of the mountain, which should give you enough time to take in the sights and steel your resolve. Then they’ll give you a quick lesson on how to handle the slopes and 15-foot practice run before you set off.
A few minutes later, you’ll land at the bottom of the slope a little dustier and a whole lot more excited. And as luck would have it, your ticket gets you a free mojito at the house bar back in León.
We imagine you’ll need it.
More info at:
http://www.bigfootnicaragua.com/adventure.html