World’s first storm racer waterslide is now open for visitors
Polin Waterparks has opened the world’s first Storm Racer Waterslide at Aqualand Frejus in France. Storm Racer incorporates a variety of key features that set it apart from every previously designed waterslide in the industry: unique geometry, high capacity, a pioneering ride configuration and an exclusive, interactive “Watersplash” feature that ensures intense competition and blasts of adrenaline.
“The addition of a Storm Racer to Aqualand Frejus is important in ensuring the park maintains its guests’ expectations of always delivering the best entertainment. We know how quickly people’s interests can change, and we want to make sure we are always top of mind when they are considering how to spend their entertainment dollars. We focus on delivering an incredible experience for the value so guests will come back and are never disappointed,” said Wilfrid Lenandeis, Director of Operations, Aspro Group.
The slide’s streamlined, geometric path is unlike any previously designed attraction. The result is an expertly engineered waterslide that takes guests by surprise from the start of the ride when they launch from an exceptional height: 24 meters (79 feet), nearly eight stories high. The ride extends along a slide path of 87 meters (285 feet) at a speed of 11 meters (36 feet/second), nearly 40 kilometers (25 miles/hour). The tunnel start of the slide features Polin’s patented Natural Light Effects technology, and Polin’s Slide ‘n Roll feature is also available. Upon entering the slide, guests shoot through a closed tube that curves downward in a wide arc. They then are plunged into an open-bowl configuration where they experience the strength of centrifugal force as they are propelled up a wide, sweeping, curved, vertical slope. Rafts rush toward the top of the slope and – just before they seem to be ready to shoot over the edge – gravity safely pulls them backward in a reverse ride. The energy gained in this journey provides the force to propel them down and out of the bowl where their high-adrenaline journey is extended through another closed tube before ending in a splash pool or run-out.
In the past, waterslide designers have created attractions that have allowed one individual to race against another individual or multiple individuals. The Storm Racer, however, allow families – or teams – to race one another together. The inducement to test different rider impacts on the raft’s agility and speed will push competition to new extremes. Because the Storm Racer slide uses multiple family rafts running simultaneously, the number of guests it can accommodate is 8 x 120 riders per hour. This enables multiple guests to share the excitement on the riders’ side.
Polin Waterparks and Aqualand Frejus have partnered in ground-breaking achievements over many years in the amusement park sector. Significantly, Aqualand Frejus was the first park in France to install Polin’s King Cobra waterslide. To date, that attraction has been honored seven times as Europe’s Best Waterslide. And, just like King Cobra, Storm Racer is changing the industry’s – and its guests’ – perspective on what a waterslide experience is supposed to be thanks primarily to its innovative integration of cutting-edge technological elements. In addition, due to its unique design, Storm Racer was honored as a winner in the Sports, Entertainment and Recreation Equipment division of the A’Design Award & Competition in 2017.
