Tornado Alley by ProSlide--Who will bite first?

Have you ever thought "Gee, those Tornados are awesome, but what if they kept on going?" Well, how about if they kept on going into a tube that leads into another Tornado and then splashdown?

To create a Tornado Alley you need two (or more maybe by customer request?) of the new Tantrum Tornados to make up Tornado Alley. These are smaller than the regular Tornado, and and are fully enclosed.

While not every big waterpark in the USA has a Tornado (Dorney Park's Wild Water Kingdom for example), I'm wondering how more potential there is for many more Tornado sale in the States. But, I guess this could be a great addition to the indoor waterparks that show no signs of slowing down in construction.

Overseaas could be completely different, as I don't know if it's reached the saturation point yet over there.

Seems like these would either be a safety hazzard or would have incredibly low capacity. Not worth it for the expense, IMO. I wouldn't expect to see one anytime soon.

But then again, I'm not running a park... :)

-Nat

There's a video of this concept on Pro Slide's website. Riders get through the tornado in only a few seconds, making me believe that they won't significantly hurt capacity.

This looks like a concept destined to remain on the drawing board. Speaking of 'drawing boards', whatever happend to the "Land of the Giants" from Huss...specifically the Delirium. Maybe since Geauga Lake is going water-only CF could consider one.

Direct link to Tornado Alley PDF
*** Edited 12/14/2007 2:31:19 PM UTC by Neuski***

Did Huss die yet? I thought they were on the way out (sadly).

Regarding that Tornado Alley design drawing, it looks like the ride would be virtually dark for most of the ride. Now THAT would be cool/slightly scary.

Considering they couldn't make the Giant Top Spin work, I doubt you'll ever see another one of that scale.

Coaster Alley 1, Tornado Alley 0? ;)

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PhantomTails said:
There's a video of this concept on Pro Slide's website. Riders get through the tornado in only a few seconds, making me believe that they won't significantly hurt capacity.

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It should have a capacity about equal to any of the numerous family raft rides out there (such as the Proslide Mammoth line). They quote 1200pph on their site, but I have a difficult time believing that. Every time I've ridden one, there is only one tube allowed on the slide at a time, with about 30-45 seconds between dispatch (which means they're only cranking 320-480pph). That's pretty crappy any way you look at it. And given that these slides are bound to be more expensive than a Proslide mammoth, I don't see any park finding it worthwhile.

-Nate

I wonder if there would be away to put a "block brake" between the two? Something hydraulic device that blocked the raft at the bottom of the first tornado tube - something that wouldn't be activated unless it was needed due to someone spilling out of a raft, so that they could have at two rafts on the course at all time. I imagine thats why they aren't dispatched more often on the rides they theoretically could - do you want to deal with the lawsuit of someone falling out of the raft, sliding slower, and then getting hit with a heavy raft full of large people? That was the first thing that popped in my head - I don't know of any of the Tornadoes that are dispatched without the raft going through or close to going through the exit, and I'd hate to have to stand in line of one of these that had the same dispatch policy.

-Chris

P.S. - Maybe one of those fastconveyors such as a what you see on some watercoasters between one cone and the start of another entry tube to the next - it could even go uphill a bit with that?

Not to mention this slide is designed for 2-person whirlywheel tubes and not the 4-person clover leaf tubes, which could deter a park from purchasing this ride.

If you watch the video on Pro-slide's website it looks like capacity won't be an issue because the tubes get through the Tornado section pretty quickly and they are using 4-person rafts. Looks like a winner to me. I can't wait until a waterpark near me buys one.

Video: http://www.proslide.com/sub.php?mainRideID=1&rideID=4

Some of the rafts do seem to get awfully close to the sides of the exit tube in the Tornado section...

Let's see...

There's the Dells, there's the proposed ProSlide park in Canadia-Land...

It's only a matter of time. We'll see one.

-'Playa

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lilspike333 said:
If you watch the video on Pro-slide's website it looks like capacity won't be an issue because the tubes get through the Tornado section pretty quickly and they are using 4-person rafts.

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It doesn't matter much, since they won't be able to send a tube down the slide until the one before it has landed in the splashdown pool. That's a lot of time between dispatches when you figure the slide has more than one funnel. Regular Proslide Tornados are low capacity enough...I couldn't imagine waiting for this one.

The "block brake" idea sounds decent in theory, but I don't think it would work for this ride. It works on Master Blasters because those tubes are difficult (if not impossible) to fall out of. On the other hand, I've seen many people fall out of Proslide Tornado tubes, and I wouldn't want to see someone go slamming into a "block brake" sans tube.

-Nate

If the block brake was of heavy rubber or atleast lined or a small retaining pool inbetween the 2 it would work.

How would a retaining pool be activated when needed and deactivated during normal activation?

What kind of heavy rubber would effectively stop and hold a heavy tube full of guests and not injure a guest sliding around with no tube?

Seems like far more trouble than it's worth...

-Nate

Indeed. If you're off your tube I don't care how soft or cushy it is, if you hit something solid at a weird angle it's either gonna hurt or you're going to get injured. Suddenly smooshing into anything at any speed on a water slide doesn't sound like fun to me.

The video on proslide company is an actual model that has been built for real in a water park. It is the only one in the world right now and I know it as I received an e-mail from proslide telling me so. It will open in 2008. They might be more for 2008, but as proslide stated me that due to professionnal "secret" they cannot spread any information from other parks.

The tornado has been built at the beginning of the already existing slide. Before, it was simply a dark mammoth ride. The park, Mont-Cascades, is located in Cantley, Quebec, Canada. It is 20mins. away from Ottawa, which is where Proslide HQ is located.
Here is a video on the park's official website.
http://www.montcascades.ca/aqua/en_space_river.asp
As you can see this video was shoot before the installation of the Tantrum Tornado.

I also got pictures from the slide but I don't know how to post them. If someone could tell me how, I would be glad to share them with you, members.

Actually, when I first saw this video, I sat down, and in my head thought of a way you could effectively "block" a water slide of this nature.

It's pretty simple, though I'm not sure how cost effective it really is.

Forgive the very crude drawing, but I don't have my tablet here at work, just the mouse.

http://i6.tinypic.com/8fzmixc.gif

It's very similar to the lock system used in canals with varying water levels. The tube exits the funnel, where the slide slopes down, however, a retractable gate has been activated, catching all the flowing water and creating a makeshift splashdown pool mid-slide. Of course, it will only be a few feet deep, but as long as it needs to be to stop the raft, so if someone comes off their tube, they can stand up and breathe, etc.

Once it is clear for that raft to go, the lock gate goes back down, and the tube floats away on the rushing water. This could really be used mid-slide on a lot of things, not just as a safety block, but even as an effect to slow down a raft and give the riders a "rest" mid-ride.

Just a little something that came to mind, and of course would need much more thought behind it, but hey - it's a start.

-Josh

Very nice ride! So, its going to open to the public at the Mont Cascades waterpark? I'll go next summer for sure then. Its only a 2 hours and a half drive.