I remember the week we climbed Iztaccihuatl, one of the volcanoes down in Mexico, five climbers making an illegal climb of Popocatépetl died of asphyxiation when the live volcano blew. So I've kind of stayed away from live volcanoes as a matter of principal since then. And there's the whole red hot magama thing. Reading this article on the new "adventure craze" sweeping Nicaragua reminded me of my policy. Still a good policy I think. Despite the fun.

This was my introduction to volcano boarding, a young adventure activity that has popped up, most notably at Cerro Negro, an ominous charcoal-black volcano in western Nicaragua. Boarders hurtle down the active volcano’s bald, steep slope atop a sledlike piece of plywood, at speeds of up to 50 miles per hour. It’s hot, dusty, a little scary — and crazy enough to be fun.

Yeah, fun until you die Arnold style with your eyes bulging out of your head like in Total Recall. More on volcano boarding in the New York Times.