After a sweaty climb to the top (apparently central america is a pretty hot place - who knew that being closer to the equator translated to warmer temperatures), we donned all our safety gear, and listened to the final sled instructions, where we were informed that most people didn't fall (he specifically dodged my question about what percent fall), and then we were off!
Nobody was volunteering to go first, so being impatient / foolhardy / dumb, I volunteered. We actually went two at a time so it was a race, but within 2 seconds of starting, my competitor had already wiped out. (that did not help my confidence as far as avoiding a crash, but I ended up making it all the way down without incident). I was definitely thankful for the protective jumpsuit and especially the goggles - I was kicking up a huge amount of dust and pebbles which were completely pelting me. After finishing I brushed out a bunch of pebbles from my hair, and even found a large deposit of volcanic sand inside my ears and even in my belly button!
Volcano sledding was definitely awesome - next time maybe I'll try it on a snowboard!
Pics below:
me ready to tackle the mountain. Looking forward to the sledding, but first I'll have to climb it!
at Cerro Negro's crater
a 100% staged photo of me "surfing" the mountain - you sat on the sleds for the actual run.
volcano boarders streaking down the mountain
one of the cars heading towards the mountain got stuck in the sand so we had to tow it out!
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