Funworld August 2010

by Marion Hixon

Waterparks around the world gave the green light to many thrill rides in 2010, most notably those with scream-inducing, gulp-producing drops.

“I have always been intrigued by the drop-out capsule slides since I first saw it at Wet ’n Wild in Orlando,” says Tim Gantz, president and co-owner of Noah’s Ark Waterpark. The Wisconsin Dells facility introduced “Scorpion’s Tail” this year, a slide that begins with the rider enclosed in a drop capsule 80 feet above ground, leading to a free fall and the first inversion on a North American waterslide.

Even if no trapdoor is involved, guests are seeking feelings of weightlessness. “It’s the same thrill skaters and snowboarders get,” says Bryan Nadeau, director of park operations at SeaWorld’s Aquatica in Orlando. The park’s new “Omaka Rocka” sends riders swooshing up and down half-pipe tunnels, often pausing mid-air.

For a more grounded feel, racing slides and themed activity areas continue to hold popularity. “Me and my brothers and sisters used to play in the creeks around home in the Smoky Mountains, and more times than not, we’d land on a moss-covered rock that sent us for a ride like you wouldn’t believe,” said Dolly Parton, namesake founder of Dollywood’s Splash Country waterpark in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, in a press release, on why she chose the park’s “Slick Rock Racer” multilane slide. As a multiperson interactive experience, the racing slides are family friendly and elicit competitive streaks over risk taking, while still adding a dash of adventure. And Legoland Water Park now complements its dry sister park with interactive areas including the Duplo Splash Safari waterplay area, specifically geared toward toddlers. The Carlsbad, California, waterpark puts its own stamp of play on each ride; attracting the most attention thus far with a lazy river featuring self-assembled Lego rafts.

Whatever makes guests happy—be it bright and colorful themed play areas, interactive stations, or dizzying slide loops—waterpark guests are looking for the surprising and unexpected. And that’s what 2010 gave them—with a few first-of-their-kind attractions among many successful twists and turns.

Legoland Water Park at Legoland California
Whitewater West (slides and main tower theming); Funtraptions (“Imagination Station”); Storyland Studios (theming)

Legos aren’t just dry anymore. In May, Merlin Entertainments introduced the first Lego-themed waterpark, geared for families with young children. At 5.5 acres, the $12 million dollar investment is the single largest addition to Legoland California since the park opened in 1999. The waterpark features eight rides and attractions, including the interactive water platform “Joker Soaker,” seven slides, 22 Lego models, and “Duplo Splash Safari” toddler area. “The feature I am personally the most excited about is the one-of-a-kind Build-a-Raft concept where kids customize their own raft with soft Lego bricks before floating down a lazy river,” says Peter Ronchetti, Legoland California Resort’s general manager. www.legolandwaterpark.com

‘Booster Loop’
Aquaparc Klarer
The first looping waterslide in Switzerland, “Booster Loop” places riders in a glass cabin, where they drop through a trap door and plunge down 103 meters (338 feet) of slide. With speeds of up to 80 kilometers per hour (50 miles per hour) and forces up to 3Gs, the loop surprises riders before they land in a splash pool. www.aquaparc.ch

Badelandet Water Park
Kristiansand Theme Park
Kristiansland theme park in Kardemomme, Norway, introduced Badelandet in June this year, modeled for both children and adults. The waterpark is filled with swimming pools, activity areas for kids, waterslides, a lazy river, a wave pool, and more. www.dyreparken.no

‘Omaka Rocka’
Aquatica
ProSlide
In March, the Orlando park opened this raft slide, which projects riders high on three half-pipe funnels where they make near-vertical climbs up walls, evoking a feeling of weightlessness. “At the end, our guests get drenched in a splashdown and find themselves wanting to do it all over again,” says Bryan Nadeau, director of Aquatica park operations. “The reviews have been terrific.” www.aquaticabyseaworld.com

‘Slick Rock Racer’
Dollywood’s Splash Country
ProSlide
The 300-foot slide attraction was added in celebration of the Tennessee park’s 10th year of operation. Building momentum with each hill, riders race down four side-by-side lanes. “Slick Rock Racer” accommodates approximately 600 guests per hour, each riding belly down on mats and propelled by an initial bump to build speed. www. dollywood.com/splashcountry_home.aspx

Darien Lake–SplashTown Water Park
Aquatic Development Group
Pro Slide
Darien Lake Resort in NewYork added Splash Town Water Park to its offerings with three new water attractions, an additional five acres of park space, Shark Bites food and beverage stand, Splash Town Surf Shop, a new bathhouse, more deck and lounging space, and new cabanas. Designed for all ages by Pro Slide, the waterpark’s newest thrill ride is “Swirl City,” a 1,500-footlong quad speed slide featuring four water slide experiences, open and enclosed sections of track, and several translucent sections. The 16-foot-wide “Flotation Station” lazy river and “Lazy Days Lagoon” wave pool round out the new additions. www.godarienlake.com

‘Wildebeest’
Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari
Pro Slide
This four-person toboggan-style boat ride is now the world’s longest water coaster. Guests travel two and a half minutes down seven drops, through two tunnels, and around a helix. The second-largest single-ride investment in the park’s history, “Wildebeest” covers more than 2 acres at 1,710 feet in length and begins with a ride-up conveyor lift hill. “Wildebeest was an instant hit,” says Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari President and CEO Dan Koch. “You can’t beat a water ride when it delivers air time!” www.holidayworld.com

Nashville Shores Waterpark
Aquatic Development Group
Sitting just outside Nashville, the renovated waterpark has added a wave pool and lazy river to its attractions, nearly doubling the size of the park. The 25,000-square-foot wave pool holds more than 400,000 gallons of water, and the 17-footwide lazy river is more than 1,000 feet long. Guests can also relax on the latest amenity—a new 30,000-square-foot lounge and food deck. “What we’re doing is much more than a facelift,” says Martin Strobel, general manager at the park. “And we plan to keep progressing to become a first-class waterpark.” www.nashvilleshores.com

‘Scorpion’sTail’
Noah’s Ark Waterpark
White Water West
At nearly 80 feet tall and 400 feet long, the trapdoor-style speed slide holds guests in its launch rocket for three seconds before the floor drops out. Riders fly down an enclosed chute at almost 40miles per hour, and along the way, water and centrifugal forces pull them through a 45-degree loop. The ride sits next to “Black Anaconda,” “Point of No Return,” and “Slidewinder” at the outdoor park. “It’s our adrenaline rush area,” says Tim Gantz, president and co-owner of the Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, waterpark. “It really excites the thrill seekers, and we’ve found Facebook users talked it up, which helped get the word out.” www.noahsarkwaterpark.com

‘Stingray Racer’
SplashTown Waterpark
ProSlide
As the Houston waterpark’s largest addition in a decade, the “Stingray Racer” is a vision of blue and orange speed slides that stretch over the 53-acre facility. “Friends seem to love racing each other to the finish line, then rushing back to the top of the complex to try a different slide,” says Jody Kneupper, general manager at Splash Town. Riders begin 55 feet in the air and drop into a twisting, enclosed tube that circles the tower and opens into a six bright lanes full of bumps and waves to quicken the ride. The slide ends in a non-skid run-out that gently approaches the finish line. www.splashtownpark.com

‘Triple Twist’ and ‘Double Barrel Drop’
Great Wolf Lodge Resorts
Pro Slide
Great Wolf Lodge Resorts added “Triple Twist” waterslide (same Pro Slide ride design as “Omaka Rocka” mention in this story) at its Kansas City, Kansas, and Kings Island–Mason, Ohio locations, and installed “Double Barrel Drop” at Great Wolf Lodge in Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania. All slides provide full-sensory LED lighting experiences through the entirety of the ride. At five stories high, “Triple Twist” features a high-speed drop into a huge funnel and follows with twists and turns through two additional funnels. “Double Barrel Drop”—six stories high—also drops into a funnel and then takes a 450-degree turn into a dark vortex, finishing the ride with a second funnel. “This is a really big year for Great Wolf, and we were excited to unveil these first pieces of the puzzle just in time for spring break,” says Tim Black, executive vice president of operations. www.greatwolf.com

‘The Wedgie’
White Water World
Pro Slide
White Water World in Queensland, Australia, debuted “The Wedgie” in April, and it’s left a lasting impression on riders. “This is Australia’s first looping body slide, and the scariest part is waiting for the countdown,” says Noel Dempsey, the park’s CEO. “As you stand in the launch capsule, you know what’s going to happen. You know you’re going to drop down a trap door. You just don’t know when it will start. But you certainly know when it’s over.” Triggered by a trap door, the attraction sends riders barreling through a twisting helix. Rated high on the park’s thrill scale, “The Wedgie” is more than 57 feet high and lasts seven seconds. www.dreamworld.com.au

‘Dr. Von Dark’s Tunnel of Terror’
Raging Waters
Pro Slide
The twisting tube slide is set in the laboratory of Dr. Von Dark, and passengers are positioned as test subjects who spin on two person inner tubes through the darkness. Riders experience a 40-foot drop and two 360-degree rotations while traveling through the Tornado Funnel section of the ride. www.ragingwaters.com

‘L2’
Wave Water Park
Hartwigsen/Aquarena
The waterpark in Wörgl, Austria, opened in March with “L2,” a double-looping waterslide. The slide begins 25 meters (82 feet) high, with a trap door freeing the rider through two looping elements at 65 kilometers per hour (40 miles per hour). A video system records the ride and produces a video that can be downloaded and shared by the rider.
www.woerglerwasserwelt.at

Contact Departments Editor Marion Hixon at mhixon@IAAPA.org.