Starting in May this year, visitors to Kansas City’s Schlitterbahn water park will be able to test their nerves on the world’s tallest waterslide, known as the Verruckt Meg-A-Blaster. (Verrukt is German for insane.)
Although park officials are remaining tight-lipped as to the exact dimensions of the slide until they consult with publishers of Guinness World Records, the slide, which is currently under construction, is estimated to be about 17 stories high and will send riders plummeting at speeds exceeding 65 miles per hour on four-person rafts — thus avoiding problems with high-speed “wedgies.”
They have said that Verruckt will be higher and faster than the current record holder, a 164-foot monster in Brazil, known as “Insano.” Before taking the harrowing plunge, riders will ascend 264 breathtaking steps.
The ride, which includes an unusual uphill segment, is the brainchild of Schlitterbahn co-owner Jeff Henry, who is credited with creating the Meg-A-Blaster concept, which uses powerful jets of water to propel riders uphill the way chain lifts and linear-induction motors do on non-aquatic coasters.
“Imagine a combination of a speed slide and a water coaster,” says Park Spokesman Layne Pitcher. “It’s going to be a thrilling experience unlike anything you can get anywhere else.”
