As a snowboarder, I know the insanity required to strap yourself to a board and go careening down a mountain. That said, the more insanity is involved usually means the more fun is involved.
Snowboarding has nothing on the newest rage in extreme (read: crazy) sports, however. As The New York Times' Laura Siciliano-Rosen reports, adventure seekers are now pursuing one of the awesome past times I've heard about in a while: volcano boarding.
You read that right -- volcano boarding. The sport began at Cerro Negro, an ominous charcoal-black volcano in western Nicaragua. Enthusiasts like Darryn Webb, who helped develop the sport, hurtle down the active volcano's bald, steep slope atop a sledlike piece of plywood at speeds of up to 50 mph.
The thrill of careening down the mountain, of course, is amplified by the risk of an active volcano actually bursting. Nothing like a little lava to light a fire under your board (literally).
So if you're feeling up to an extreme adventure, or if you just have a death wish, head to the Bigfoot Hotel in Nicaragua. It sounds like a hell of an experience.
- Leslie
