Visualize yourself standing before a towering mountain filled with volcanic ash. You’re not just here to hike or sight see; you’re here to make your mark on one of the slopes of one of nature’s most colossal giants.
The air is thick with sulfur and anticipation as you make your way up the mountain. Once you reach the peak, you stand there with your board in hand as the adrenaline begins to pump the longer you stare down the steep slopes of volcanic embers before taking a deep breath and getting on your board, launching yourself down the ash-covered slope.
Each twist and turn is an exhilarating experience as the thrill of adventure meets with the powerful force of Nature’s Fury.
Welcome to volcano surfing!
Volcano surfing is an extreme sport that was derived from sand-boarding. With sand-boarding, individuals surf down sand on their boards, volcano surfing can be classified into two different types of volcano surfing: surfing on an active volcano or surfing on an inactive volcano.
The difference between these two classifications is that active volcano surfing is where there is lava and gases which can make the ride more difficult with more challenges to face while inactive volcano surfing doesn’t have this but rather just the ashy slopes.
Volcano surfing is not contested at a competitive level but is rather something for high adrenaline adventurers who can’t get enough of sand-boarding and want more.
Uriel de Jesus, a senior at Eleanor Roosevelt High School, says “It seems pretty fun and safe, but at the same time it seems like it has a lot of long-term risks like breathing in poisonous gasses or contracting histoplasmosis”
These risks are recognized by individuals who decide to venture into the smokey areas of the volcano, decked out in their safety gear with their boards in hand. Most of the riders who decide to take on this extreme sport commonly use seated positions, standing positions, or luge-like positions before beginning their descent down the volcano.
Another senior at Eleanor Roosevelt High School, Becca Zhou, gives her opinion on the topic of volcano surfing: “It sounds super cool but I think I’m a bit afraid considering it’s a volcano. However, if given the chance I would like to try”.
Although volcano surfing may not be for everyone, those who want to find the thrill of rushing down a steep slope of ash to get that adrenaline rush are welcome to try out volcano surfing which is popular in Cerro Negro, Nicaragua.
