Some people really miss the extreme in their lives. Therefore, they try in every possible way to find activities for themselves that would not only take their breath away, but also tickle their nerves.
Of course, when there is demand, there is also supply, so the world is increasingly coming up with such extreme things, only at the mention of which many people feel uneasy. So, a variety of very high rides in amusement parks have long become commonplace.
For example, in one of the water parks in the United States is the highest water attraction - Verruckt. The outstanding size of this slide led her to the world-famous Guinness Book of Records, but she did not work long.
Kansas City Waterpark
Residents and guests of the city of Kansas City, Kansas, USA, can experience the most amazing sensations at any time. This opportunity is available thanks to the water park built here called Schlitterbahn.
This world of water activities belongs to Schlitterbahn Waterparks,which originated back in 1966 in Texas. Then a simple American family, consisting of parents and three children, began to create a water park based on their own ideas and fantasies. Over time, their brainchild has become one of the most famous and popular water parks in the United States. And today, Schlitterbahn Waterparks has as many as five magnificent water parks: four of them are located in the state of Texas, and one is in Kansas.
In the amusement park located in Kansas City, both adults and children will find a wide variety of entertainment for themselves. Here you can ride the waves and all kinds of slides, swim in the pool and just relax on the beach under the hot sun.
Kansas water park, like other parks in the network, is completely open. Therefore, it functions only in the warm season, namely from the beginning of May to the end of September. At the same time, its mode of operation does not depend on the weather: you can enjoy all the attractions both on a sunny day and on a rainy one.
Slide from the Guinness Book of Records
One of the brightest attractions in this water park is the Verruckt water attraction, the photo of which is definitely better not to look at for the faint of heart. Its size and length really amaze the imagination of even the most sophisticated person. This entertainment is the largest water slide in the world, which even managed to get into the Guinness Book of Records in 2014.
The Kansas City-based attraction's achievement comes as no surprise. Toto be convinced of this, you just need to find out about the technical characteristics that the Verruckt water attraction has.
The description of this slide says that the height of the entire structure reaches almost 51.5 meters. The Statue of Liberty and even Niagara Falls are inferior in size to it. The descent along the gutter is carried out on special boats designed for three or four passengers. In order for the daredevils to be at the beginning of their unforgettable journey, they need to overcome the ascent of 264 steps. Not everyone will be able to master such a height!
A boat going down reaches a speed of 110 km/h! At the same time, the attraction is not limited to one slide, the angle of inclination of which is about 60 degrees. After the first descent, there is a new ascent to the height of a seven-story building, and from there the boat rolls down to the end of the entire route. And so that passengers do not suddenly jump out of the gutter, a special mesh is stretched around the entire slide.
How the attraction was checked before opening
Before the official opening of the Verruckt water attraction, the water park staff carefully checked it. As an object that descended this slide, a sandbag was chosen, the weight of which corresponded to the average weight of a person. Unfortunately, the design failed the first test. Climbing the second slide turned out to be very dangerous, and the bag easily flew out of the chute.
As a matter of urgency, the structure in this place was redone, and aspecial safety net along the entire length of the ride.
Impressions of people riding the attraction
Many adult visitors to the Schlitterbahn Water Park in Kansas City are sure to go to the Verruckt water attraction. Reviews about this slide are very emotional. It is immediately clear that the descent from such a high attraction remains in the memory of the guests of the park for a long time. People have never experienced such sensations as on it.
Many people noted that it is better to go to the Verruckt hill right in the morning, because then you can not get on it because of the large number of people.
Despite the thrill of riding the ride, some visitors commented that the boat's seat belts don't hold people very tightly. Others did not like how the boat behaved around the second rise.
Tragedy on the water ride
It's possible that some Kansas City water park goers complained about the Verruckt water ride for nothing. After all, if everything was in order with this huge slide, then the sensational tragedy would certainly not have happened.
A terrifying incident happened on August 7, 2016, when a boy at the age of 10 decided to experience a lot of new sensations by descending from the main attraction of the water park. When the special boat, on which visitors descend from the hill, arrived at the end of the path, the child was already dead.
After clarifying all the circumstances of the case, it turned out thatThe boy's death was due to a neck injury. At the same time, two women unfamiliar to him rode in a boat with a child. They escaped with minor facial injuries and were taken to the hospital.
It remains unclear how such a small child could climb the Verruckt water attraction. After all, according to the rules, people under the age of 14 are not allowed on it. Immediately after the tragedy, it was even reported that the child was not 10, but 12 years old. However, a Kansas State Congressman named Scott Schwab and his wife issued an official statement regarding the death of their 10-year-old son Caleb Thomas on this extreme slide.
Closing Verruckt slide
Immediately after the tragedy, the management of the Schlitterbahn decided to temporarily suspend the operation of the water attraction called Verruckt.
In November 2016, it became known that the administration of the water park decided to finally close the world's highest water attraction. According to representatives of the park, this is the only thing they can do after such a tragic event. It was also announced that the Verruckt slide will be completely demolished and something else will be built in its place in the future.
At the moment, on the official website of the Schlitterbahn water park, among all the water activities, there is no longer even a mention of this extreme attraction.
