The D-Wave by the Turkish firm Polin is designed to offer high thrills in a small footprint. Suitable for indoor and outdoor operations, this four-person water slide features a steep entry that creates the thrill of free falling.
For operators looking for something larger, Polin also offers Dragero. Designed for outdoor installations, Dragero is a high-speed, multiperson mat racer slide featuring a significant drop, followed by an uphill ride route that transforms into enclosed aquatube slides and ends in a catch pool. Riders can choose between standard or headfirst entry.
Dragero is available in a number of color combinations and, according to the manufacturer, is compatible with any theming. It also offers high throughput.
La Quinta, Calif.-based Splashtacular Entertainment is debuting a new mat racer ride. SplashRally is a six-lane, downhill tube racer slide with a curvy figure-eight shape, rather than the straight race slide that has become the industry standard.
SplashRally stands six stories tall and the design is carefully engineered to ensure all six lanes are equal in length,while adding the thrill of banked turns and tubes passing each other. Riders begin at a “starting gate,” with a mechanically controlled start. Once the race commences, all guests are sprayed by the first of two strategically placed water cannons as they descend the 604-foot track. As the race nears its finish, everyone except the winning rider is deluged by the last water cannon before ending in an 8-inch-deep run-out. As riders exit, they can check their final race times, displayed on time clocks located above each lane.
The ride can accommodate between 1,400 and 2,100 riders an hour. Other innovations include built-in “race spectator” viewing areas, and the fact that riders use a two- or three-passenger tube rather than the foam mats traditionally used with race slides.
When Splashin’Safari opens this spring, visitors to the Santa Claus, Ind., park will get a chance to experience the world’s longest water slide, Wildebeest. The $5.5 million ride, a ProSlide attraction, stretches more than 1,710 feet. Riders are seated in four-person rafts and propelled up more than seven hills, through three tunnels and around a helix.
The Ottawa, Ontario, Canada-based ProSlide also will be debuting the Topsy-Turvy slide in 2010. Topsy-Turvy is a two-person tube slide that stands approximately 40 feet tall and includes multiple funnels. Riders can choose between one of two tracks.
The SCS Interactive Cannonball was developed to deliver big excitement in a small, 1,000-square-foot space.
Based on the idea of a water cannon, the attraction projects riders up to 23 feet into a pool. Representatives for the Denver-based company point out safety features that include a sensor and video control monitor.
WhiteWater West Industries’ Aqualoop is a looping water slide that reaches speeds greater than 35 miles per hour. According to the Richmond, British Columbia, Canada–based company, it is designed to build riders’ anticipation the moment they start climbing the steps of the tower.
To begin the ride experience, they step inside a pod-like capsule that contains lights and music. The capsule includes a trap door that drops out after a 3-2-1 countdown. Riders then accelerate in a 40-foot vertical free fall that propels them into the looping side of the slide. Overall, Aqualoop is approximately 55 feet high and has a capacity of 120 persons per hour.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Noah’s Ark waterpark in Wisconsin Dells, Wis., and Jay Peak ski resort in Jay, Vt., both plan to unveil the Aqualoop on Memorial Day Weekend 2010.
The 360Rush from Splashtacular Entertainment is a contemporary bowl slide designed to be a signature attraction. It allows two riders to spiral simultaneously down into an enormous “chase bowl.”
After racing down enclosed slides — reaching speeds up to 40 miles per hour — riders enter the bowl on opposite sides at exactly the same time and begin “chasing” each other in high-speed, 360-degree revolutions.
To access 360Rush, riders climb a towering access stairway to the launch platform, located directly above the center of the bowl, approximately 58 feet off the ground. Two riders take their places at separate launch modules. When the “traffic light”system flashes green,riders take their start at exactly the same moment. Once the riders enter the bowl portion from the enclosed tube slides, those waiting in line can watch the chase. At the conclusion, the riders come to a gentle stop and stand in a shallow, 25-foot-diameter pool that’s slightly more than 1 foot deep. 360Rush can handle as many as 240 riders per hour.
For operators looking for options, GameTime of Fort Payne, Ala., has teamed up with AquaBlue International, Cornelius, N.C., on a new line of fiberglass and rotationally molded water and pool slides, in a variety of sizes and styles to meet any facility’s need. Offerings include open-flume fiberglass water slides, and enclosed-flume poly tube water slides and pool slides. All slides have smooth, even flume bed-ways with no internal fasteners, thus providing a safe, comfortable ride.
Modular designs, multiple stair configurations and a wide variety of color options ensure there is a slide to fit any facility, from large waterparks to municipal aquatics centers. All slides are designed to meet or exceed ASTM, WWA guidelines, and International Building Code standards for the design and manufacture of water slides.
