The looping waterslide. It’s one of the holy grails of amusement park design. Only one has ever been built, at Action Park in New Jersey. It was opened for less than a month – but it’s legend lives on forever.
Now, the same park that “invented” the first looping waterslide is now poised to install this monstrosity:
How you can call this a “waterslide” – when there’s no water and you’re not really sliding – is beyond me. It’s much more like the vacuum tubes you find at Costco or your local drive up teller.
After being secured into a metal “pod” (nee coffin) guests are whisked down the enclosed tube via a vertical drop, then into the vertical loop. After that – I assume they somehow get you out of the five point harness, and get the “shuttle” back up to the top.
Now, just seeing the GIF of the first human rider – at what point do we begin to have fun? ‘Cause last time I checked – being strapped into a metal cage has never led to good things. Remember “the Chamber” on Fox? Yeah, it didn’t last too long and I suspect this looping “waterslide” won’t go mainstream, either.
Stick with the body and tube slides, people. Some things were just not meant to become reality.
From Daily Motion today – here’s a “nostalgic” (more tongue in cheek) look back at America’s most infamous amusement park, New Jersey’s own “Action Park.”
This is the home of the Cannonball Loop, a full 360 degree looping waterslide (and not the 45 degree models they’re building today, folks!)
Be sure to check out both parts of the video – enjoy!
Yes, amusement park safety technology was pretty much non-existent back in the last 19th century, but you have to admit that this free-fall ride concept was far beyond the acceptable level of crazy for it’s day.
According to io9.com, this is from, “An 1891 issue of Scientific American. (It) showcased this invention by a one Monsieur Carron of Grenoble, France. In short, Carron had invented an amusement ride that involved 15 patrons falling almost 1,000 feet inside a 30-foot-long bullet, which then would land inside a champagne-flute-shaped, 180-foot-deep well.”
Eat your hearts out, free fall fans. This thing is crazier than the looping waterslide at Action Park in New Jersey. (The only difference – that was ACTUALLY built!)
The article also goes into very specific details on how the “ride” would work:
“Mr. Charles Carron, an engineer at Grenoble, has analytically studied the conditions in which the punctuation of the water by such a shell would be effected, and the reactions that the passengers would have to support. The conclusions of this study show that there is nothing, either theoretically or practically, opposed to its construction and to its operation in falls reaching three hundred meters. The accompanying figures give the general aspect of such a shell capable of accommodating fifteen passengers falling from a height of 300 meters […] The passengers would be securely seated in arm chairs that exactly followed the contours of their body.”
Nevermind the fact that there’s no lap bars to hold you in, or that the wind conditions at 1000 feet are far different than those on the ground. (Trust me, I used to work with an airship company – they’re WILDLY different!) True, in principle it makes sense – but we all know from the Mythbusters that real-world results can always vary!
Here’s my question – who’s ready to queue up for a modern take on this?!?
Great American Thrills® 