Volcano Boarding

León, Nicaragua - Yes, you’re reading the title correctly, we boarded down a volcano. To make things even more interesting, it’s Nicaragua’s youngest active volcano. Climbing Cerro Negro (“Black Hill” in Spanish) is gradual, although the trail isn’t very defined and consists mainly of loose volcanic rock. We kept a careful eye on each step to avoid rolling ankles.

We stayed in León at a great hostal called Via Via which operated various tours around the city. Like many of our experiences to date, we didn’t have volcano boarding in our initial plans. But shortly after arriving to our hostal, we quickly learned from other travelers that volcano boarding was a must-do while in Nicaragua, given that it’s one of the only places in the world which offers the experience to those crazy enough to partake. The tour also included a free coffee and beer, so I was hooked.

Our group at the base of Cerro Negro

At the base of Cerro Negro, we were equipped with the essentials: a small backpack consisting of goggles and a bright yellow jumpsuit which looked like a hazmat suit and the board on which we’d be propelling our bodies down the volcano. To our delight, the board looked super official — a plywood base with some plastic sheets nailed onto it, a few 2x4 pieces and a rope to hold onto. We were then told to throw on our backpacks and boards and follow our guide up the volcano.

Taking a quick breather

It was a beautiful hike to the top, seeing the black volcanic rock and ash gradually change into bright green vegetation. A side effect of past eruptions is the fertile soil which is packed full of minerals needed to grow all sorts of tropical vegetables and fruits. We also were able to observe multiple craters within the volcano, all of which erupted at different times in the not-so-distant past. Once at the top, we suited up in our yellow jumpsuits and were given a 5 minute rundown before sitting down on our boards and hanging on for the ride.

Trekking up the mountain, taking a quick pit stop to enjoy the greenery

They told us to jump.

To our right you can see some of the craters formed within the volcano.

We made it to the top!

Still working on a name for our new album that’s about to drop.

Neither of us broke any speed records, but we also didn’t break any bones so it was a WIN in our book. There were a couple times along the 1000+ ft descent which really got the heart pumping, but it looked a lot worse than it was when we were standing at the base looking up.

Me kicking up a dust trail, unable to see anything in front of me.

Note the lack of dust behind Alex … :)

Sometimes the best memories are unplanned and spontaneous — you just need to sign up and keep an open mind. We left the volcano with big grins, new friends and a new perspective on how to quickly descend a volcano.