When it comes to toasting marshmallows, everyone has their own unique technique. Some like their gooey treats golden brown and soft, while others enjoy them burnt and crispy. And then – then there are those who like them roasted over a volcano.
Bradley Ambrose filmed colleague Simon Turner as the two descended 1,312ft (400m) towards an active lava lake inside Marcum Crater in Ambrym, Vanuatu. Turner, from Christchurch, New Zealand, wanted to make the trek more memorable, so he audaciously brought a cold bottle of beer and a bag of marshmallows to enjoy from atop the South Pacific geyser.
The bold adventurer used a collapsible tent pole to reach the blistering fire – where temperatures reached more than 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit – from a safe (sort of) distance.
“It ended up being one of the most perfectly-cooked marshmallows I have ever tasted,” said Ambrose of Turner’s roasting skills. “Perfect and crusty on the outside without being burned – it had just the right amount of a gooey center but without getting it all over your fingers.”
“We dangled the marshmallow out over the lake where the radiant heat was at its hottest, so it didn’t take too long to cook,” Ambrose added.
For the most part, the melting point of marshmallows is right above body temperature, which is 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit; at this condition, marshmallows usually melt just by putting them in your mouth. And since Marcum Crater’s temperature normally soars to the Fahrenheit thousands, it seems as though the two adventurers were roasting marshmallows on hyper-speed.
Ambrose, a seasoned volcano expert, has made the deep descent towards the lava lake, which includes three miles of rappelling, 12 times before. He revealed that droplets of lava, which are known as lapilli, that shoot out from the lake have previously ruined his camera equipment and even burnt him. However, his equipment made it out unscathed this time around.
The summit of Ambrym Island contains a desert-like caldera covering 100 sq km. In 1913, the Ambrym volcano produced the largest eruption in 400 years in Melanesia, while the Marum Crater has not erupted in over 60 years, according to Volcano Live.
To watch Ambrose’s video of the roast session, click here.
