Verrückt: World’s Tallest Water Slide Opens Amidst Serious Safety Concerns
The aptly named Verrückt water slide, the world’s tallest, finally opened its rafts to the public on Thursday. There had been delay after delay surrounding the attraction due to major safety concerns
The water slide – the name means “insane” in German – stands taller than Niagara Falls, and is located at the Schlitterbahn Waterparks and Resorts in Kansas City, Kansas.
At a staggering 168 feet tall, the Verrückt has officially made its way into the Guinness World Records as the tallest water slide in the world. And the slide’s height isn’t the only thing it’s got going for it.
After the initial drop, which is equivalent to a heart-stopping 17 stories at a 60-degree angle, riders are taken up a hill, and then plunged at high speed down another 60-foot drop, landing in a splash pool at the bottom.
The rafts reach a maximum speed of about 65 mph, but the ride itself lasts for just 10 seconds.
However, as previously noted, there were a number of delays when it came to the opening of the world’s tallest water slide, which was supposed to have opened on Memorial Day. Due to numerous safety issues, the opening was delayed time after time, and for good reason.
Gene Van Buren, a physicist at Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York, explains that it’s all about the relationship between gravity, friction, and steepness, a challenge that was hard to overcome for the slide’s designers.
So how steep can a water slide of this type actually be? As Van Buren explains: “If it becomes too steep too quickly, then a person or object of any sort would no longer remain on the slide, and would likely become airborne.”
During testing of the slide, numerous test dummies flew off the rafts, and the ride needed some serious tweaking before it could be considered safe for public use.
Thankfully, the Verrückt water slide has been thoroughly tested and is now considered safe for riders. But there’s no question you’d have to be a real brave daredevil to ride it.
