By Jed

There are only a few volcanoes in the world that have ideal conditions for the so-called “sport” of Volcano Boarding. Cerro Negro outside of Leon, Nicaragua, is one such volcano. It is a Cinder Cone Volcano, which means it erupts from the bottom and the debris causes it to build up into a cone shape. Most Cinder Cone Volcanoes only erupt once and then are permanently dormant. Cerro Negro, however, is one of the most active volcanoes in the world, having erupted more than 20 times. It's frequent eruptions has caused it to be higher than most Cinder Cone Volcanoes and has resulted in layers of relatively fresh, fine ash covering its slopes. These conditions prompted several mountain bikers to try (and succeed) to break the downhill speed record a number of years ago (although one ended in a disintegrated bike and many broken bones). Some crazy Australians then decided to try and ride other things down the volcano. They eventually ended up with this sort of wooden sled as the best/most fun tool and people have been riding down Cerro Negro with this board ever since.
I ended up clocking in at 40KPH (25 MPH), which was a respectable average pace for the guys of the day. The good news for the guy with the bloody head is he had the speed record of the day at a blazing 70KPH (44MPH)! His prize for the pain: a free shot (probably very much needed).
(Click any of the pictures below to see an enlarged gallery)