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[Ed. note: The following is an excerpt of a press release. -J]
The largest single-ride investment in Holiday World’s history is announced today: The World’s Longest Water Coaster will open in Splashin' Safari next May.
“We added Wildebeest water coaster last year and it was a runaway hit,” says park president Dan Koch. “So we asked our designers for something even bigger. It’s so huge, we’re calling it Mammoth.”
Located east of Wildebeest, Mammoth will begin with a conveyor ride up the water coaster’s lifthill. Following the five-story drop at a 45-degree angle, linear induction motors (LIMs) will propel the six-person round boats up additional hills, into dark enclosed sections and through twists and turns. Mammoth will cover three acres, increasing the water park’s size to 30 acres.
“The new twist to this water coaster is the six-passenger boats—this is a brand-new design,” says Koch. “These round boats add tremendous capacity, plus riders may be facing forward, backward or even sideways. It’s all the fun of Wildebeest, plus Mammoth is taller, longer and wider. Starting next season we’ll have the two longest water coasters on the planet!”
Mammoth’s tallest elevation is 69 feet higher than its lowest drop. The conveyor-style lifthill replaces any slide-tower stairs, making the water coaster accessible to riders who might have difficulty walking up stairs.
Today’s announcement, on the 65th anniversary of the park’s opening as Santa Claus Land, marks the largest single-ride investment in the park’s history. Koch says the price tag for Mammoth is $9 million. In addition, Koch announced that the park’s 2012 season will be extended to include a family-friendly event called Holiday World’s Happy Halloween Weekends throughout the month of October.