German looping waterslide

This one doesn't look as scary as the one that was posted awhile ago, but no thank you.

[url="http://gizmodo.com/5013190/insane-water-slide-drops-you-straight-down-through-a-trap-door-flings-you-through-a-loop']Yikes!

There is a really interesting story behing this: The ride that has now opened isn´t the one that we saw here before. It was build by a different manufacturer and it isn´t even in Germany.

This one recently opened in Slowenia, near the Austrian border.

Klarer, the austrian company that is currently building the slide for the German park (which was to be the worlds first looping slide) screamed that this is copyright infringement and that they have a patent on the looping slide.

The company who now built the Slowenian slide (they are also from Austria) claim that they have been in the process of building this "overbanked"-slide for a very long time. Apparantly they found out that a full loop was not safely do-able on a slide, so they planned and tested this design.

Klarer, the company who has the patent on the looping waterslide had to ammend the design several times befor the TÜV would give technical approval. In the end both slides actually look nearly identical but they are obviously NO looping slides.

Apparently the two companies will sue each other. Who knew that the waterslide business is more thrilling behind the scenes than in the tubes. *** Edited 6/5/2008 11:34:03 PM UTC by tricktrack***

I don't know what's more frightening, the slide or the guys in the skimpy bathing suits.

It's Germany. You're lucky if they're in bathing suits to begin with.

I love the beginning of the video though. "It cost 500,000 Euros, but nobody really knows if it works. Did the engineers really design it correctly?"

But it looks like a totally awesome ride. In fact the larger guy in the speedo claims "Absolutely cool!"

Hey you Speedo-phobes! Did anybody read what I said? It is not in Germany, its Slovenia! ;)

I think the further you go east, the shorter the speedos.
But seriously: Why are all north americans so freaked out by Speedos? Are you offended by well-hung europeans who are proud to show the world what they have? (Even if most of them have more to show upward of their speedo belt) :)

I haven't looked into this type of slide all that much ... but what happens if you don't make it all the way around. Trap door?

Mike

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tricktrack said:
Why are all north americans so freaked out by Speedos?

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Puritanical history, sexism, homophobia, consumerist culture, take your pick.

^ Add to that list, butt flab, no butt, exposed ribs, large gut. All too often, those who are flaunting it are the people who should be covering it up.

i found the last image in the film much more disturbing.

Maybe people aren't allowed to wear more manly watershorts in the slide?

I'm sure the slide delivers a powerful "rebirthcanalling" experience though.

Actually New Jersey was the first to have a fully looping water slide. It was in Action Park in Vernon, NJ. Over the years, it reopened a few more time until a series of injuries in 1995 forced its final shutdown due to safety reasons.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Action_Park_looping_water_slide.jpg