Ooops..... accidentally launched in the air...
World's tallest waterslide on hold after test riders allegedly launched into air
The public opening of Kansas City's insane new waterslide, the tallest in the entire world, has officially been put on hold after test riders allegedly caught some serious air. Like no one saw this coming.
Ever since plans for the gigantic waterslide were announced, Verrückt has been one of our favorite stories to cover. It seems that with each new image or announcement, people get firmly divided further into two categories: "Hell yes, I want to ride this!" and "Oh, dear God, no thanks." Well, we won't blame you if the latest bit of news moves you squarely into the latter camp.
Schlitterbahn's record-breaking slide was slated to open in time for Memorial Day weekend, but now the opening has been pushed back after reports started surfacing that the first batch of test riders allegedly went airborne.
While there's no indication on whether "test riders" means actual, living people or weighted test dummies, that's definitely not supposed to happen either way, especially on a ride that stands taller than Niagara Falls. The test riders allegedly caught air near the bottom of the 17 story drop, which, honestly, is probably a lot better than at the top.
When asked, park officials wouldn't specify why the slide opening was delayed, but passed the delay off as routine maintenance, saying they were simply "taking apart and putting back together" the slide for safety purposes.
“It’s a one-of-a-kind attraction, and there is a one-of-a-kind process for getting it ready,” Layne Pitcher, marketing director for Schlitterbahn, told local news.
Despite the issues, Schlitterbahn still aims to open the ride just a week later than the the initial launch. The question is, will anyone still want to ride it?
“Based upon their adjustments, I don’t think I’d let my kids on it now,” Kansas City parent Cassandra Lewis told WXYZ Detroit News.
If all goes according to plan, you'll be able climb 264 steps to take the 60 MPH plunge down Verrückt at Kansas City's Schlitterbahn on June 5.