The 29-year-old former tour guide has spent two years perfecting his “volcano boarding” on Cerro Negra, an ominous-looking active volcano located about 45 minutes from Leon. The colonial Nicaraguan town is surrounded by 13 volcanoes, including Cerro Negra, a cone of blackened rock that usually erupts every seven years. Perfect, it turns out, for tourists to hold onto a board and slide down its 40-degree sandy slope, reaching speeds of 25 m.p.h.

“We tried everything,” explains Webb, an Australian who runs the activity from his popular Bigfoot Hostel in central Leon. “Volcano boarding is like flying in an airplane. We want people to come down safely.”

Standing on a board, the most common method of sandboarding, was too painful. Cerro Negra’s hard volcanic rock is sharp, and any serious tumble can put the boarder through a natural meat shredder. The solution was a piece of wood with a strip of laminate, usable only twice (the wood becomes too scratched to gain speed in future runs), before being recycled into bookshelves. Considering more than 4,000 people have already boarded down the volcano, Webb must read a lot of books.

Boarders can choose between a fast new board, and a slower board that has been used once before. They are also provided with orange overalls and goggles, which helps avoid cuts and abrasions should you fall. For the time being, there are no waiver forms. “If backpackers want to pay me to throw them off a volcano, that’s their problem,” explains Webb. And, I suppose, mine too.

Webb personally guides his clients up the volcano, enjoying the opportunity to show backpackers why he has made Leon his home.

On the climb up the side of this black mountain, the scenery is breathtaking. A string of nearby volcanoes sit like pearls on a necklace as the sun begins to sink into the horizon.

My group of 18 backpackers, an even gender split, carry their own boards as locals visiting the surrounding national park look on curiously.

Webb stops along the way, enthusiastically explaining the flora, local history and a few facts about volcanoes.

At 160 years old, Cerro Negra is a young volcano. It currently is at the end of its fourth seven-year eruption cycle. The last time it erupted in 1999, it covered Leon in snow-like sand, much like the fine sand that the wind blows to its west face, from which we will descend.

It takes 40 minutes to walk to the top. Webb asks if anyone wants to join him for a run into the crater. There is no lava, but sulfuric gas is steaming from the earth, and digging your hand into the sand can result in a serious burn. He warns of the strenuous nature of this little jog, and then takes off into a cloud of gas. A couple of us follow, sprinting and sliding down to the bottom, fighting for air amidst the fumes. We slide down more than 300 feet of soft ash in seconds.

The crater itself is brown, black, red and white–a mineral-rich, hostile, alien planet. Climbing out of the crater is more than I bargained for, as each step up the ash hill is rewarded with a half-slide back, and a lung full of gases. I am ready to vomit by the time I rejoin the others. Webb does this four times a week. I overhear a group of Irish girls sounding suitably enamored with the “fitness” of their guide.

As the sun sets, we’re ready for our trip down the cone. Webb explains where to put our hands on the board, how to position our body, how to use our feet to brake. Our orange overalls glow in the sunset, contrasting surreally with the dark ash. We do a little practice run, and then it’s time to go.

I hold on as I get a push, and in a second, I’m sleighing 1,500 feet down the side of the volcano. The wood chafing on hard sand sounds like a jet plane, adding to the sensation of flying, and I leave an impressive tail of dust in my wake. An overzealous Israeli traveler takes a huge tumble when he hits a bump, but he’s got such a huge smile on his face he barely notices. Another guy slips and scrapes his arm, laughing as he does. I flip over backwards in a speed wobble but all I get is black dust covering my face and hands (there’s a reason you’re advised not to wear white shoes).

Safely at the base, we drink cold water and talk excitedly about our descent. The sun has set, and the sky is a Monet painting of peach and purple. “We get photocopy sunsets like this from November ’til June,” says Webb proudly. “It’s paradise up here; just nobody knows about it yet.”

It may have taken a lot of work for Webb to pioneer volcano boarding in Nicaragua, but anyone traveling in Central America (with a definite flair for the edge) will be grateful for his efforts.

IF YOU GO

INFORMATION

Volcano boarding in Leon, Nicaragua, is operated from Bigfoot Hostel, with trips leaving every day. The activity is 4 1/2 hours round-trip, with overalls, boards and goggles provided. The cost is $23 per person. For more information: www.bigfootadventure.com