Topping out at somewhere around 43 meters (140ft) in height, Shlitterbahn Waterpark’s Verrükt MEG-A-BLASTER slide was designed with one goal in mind: exhilarate and terrify riders at the same time.
For anyone willing to brave the slide, cause for alarm will be immediately obvious. With almost no horizontal lead, the vertical assault that is Verrükt (German for insane) is very quick to begin. Dropping for what appears to be the entire height of the structure, riders will reach speeds nearly unfathomable for a waterslide.
As riders speed to the bottom, though, their ride is still far from over. They will then be confronted with a vertical slope, resembling a ramp that would seem to catapult them into the stratosphere. Fortunately, no such launch will actually take place. Instead, riders will slope up and back down as they careen toward the end of the ride.
Now, you might be wondering why I haven’t been too specific with the details about this slide. Apparently, Shlitternbahn’s people want their record-breaking slide to stay atop the charts for as long as possible. According to Jeff Henry, Schlitterbahn co-owner, “To ensure the record-holding statistics of this new extreme attraction, we are not going to release final height and scope of the project until we are ready to welcome our first guests.”
Henry, whose also an award winning waterslide designer, continued, “This new MEG-A-BLASTER speed-slide is going to wow our guests and is going to be a game changer for our industry. Our greatest challenge will be to find thrill seekers brave enough to ride.”
For the moment I’d definitely consider taking a trip down Verrükt, but you might want to ask me again when I’m standing atop it’s 140ft tower.
Image and Video Courtesy of Schlitterbahn