ProSlide
Encyclopedia
ProSlide Technology is a Canadian manufacturer of water rides and water park resorts. They manufacture both traditional slides and innovative rides such as water coasters with conveyor belts, funnel-shaped Tornado slides, and Bowl slides. More recently, they have received some additional attention for being the first water slide manufacturer to build a water slide that is launched with the aid of linear induction motors
.
, Rocket, CannonBowl, and Behemoth Bowl. ProSlide maintains a continuous ProSlide Product Development Program with the goal of allowing their clients to continue adding new ProSlide products to their water parks each year.
During the early 2000s, ProSlide has manufactured the majority of the water park industry's award-winning rides. For example, in 2005, three of the top five Golden Ticket Award winners for Best New Ride for 2005 (Water Park) were rides manufactured by ProSlide. The Black Anaconda at Noah's Ark Water Park, which placed first, was a ProSlide Rocket; the third-place Typhoon at Six Flags New England
and the fifth-place Funnel of Fear at Michigan's Adventure
were ProSlide Tornados. ProSlide also had two of the top three winners for Best Waterpark Ride in 2004, 2005 and 2006, with Holiday World and Splashin' Safari's Zinga (ProSlide Tornado) and Zoombabwe (ProSlide Mammoth) coming in second and third, respectively; Master Blaster, a water coaster at Schlitterbahn New Braunfels
made by NBGS International, won the award.
Linear motor
A linear motor is an electric motor that has had its stator and rotor "unrolled" so that instead of producing a torque it produces a linear force along its length...
.
History
Coming from a background of alpine ski racing, Richard D. Hunter founded ProSlide Technology Inc. in 1986. As of 2008, Hunter still serves as ProSlide's President and CEO; he is responsible for designing many of the products that ProSlide offers, including the TornadoTornado (disambiguation)
* A tornado is a violent, rotating column of air that contacts the surface of the earth.Tornado may also refer to:-Aviation:*B-45 Tornado, an American bomber aircraft* Beardmore Tornado, a diesel airship engine fitted to the R101...
, Rocket, CannonBowl, and Behemoth Bowl. ProSlide maintains a continuous ProSlide Product Development Program with the goal of allowing their clients to continue adding new ProSlide products to their water parks each year.
During the early 2000s, ProSlide has manufactured the majority of the water park industry's award-winning rides. For example, in 2005, three of the top five Golden Ticket Award winners for Best New Ride for 2005 (Water Park) were rides manufactured by ProSlide. The Black Anaconda at Noah's Ark Water Park, which placed first, was a ProSlide Rocket; the third-place Typhoon at Six Flags New England
Six Flags New England
Six Flags New England , formerly Riverside Amusement Park, is a Six Flags theme park, named for the New England region, in which it is located. Located off of Massachusetts State Route 159, Six Flags New England is located less than from the major City of Springfield, Massachusetts, in the nearby...
and the fifth-place Funnel of Fear at Michigan's Adventure
Michigan's Adventure
Michigan's Adventure is a amusement park in Muskegon County, Michigan, about halfway between Muskegon, Michigan and Whitehall, Michigan. It is the largest amusement park in the state and has been owned and operated by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company since 2001...
were ProSlide Tornados. ProSlide also had two of the top three winners for Best Waterpark Ride in 2004, 2005 and 2006, with Holiday World and Splashin' Safari's Zinga (ProSlide Tornado) and Zoombabwe (ProSlide Mammoth) coming in second and third, respectively; Master Blaster, a water coaster at Schlitterbahn New Braunfels
Schlitterbahn
Schlitterbahn is a family-owned and operated company based in New Braunfels, Texas, USA. Schlitterbahn began its first park, Schlitterbahn Waterpark Resort, in 1979. Since then Schlitterbahn has developed three waterparks located in Texas and one in Kansas City, Kansas.Schlitterbahn Waterparks are...
made by NBGS International, won the award.
Current products
ProSlide debuted three types of water slides in 1987, which they continue to make today: Twisters, Kidz, and Plummets, which are all types of body flumes. In 1989, the first ProSlides using inner tubes opened (Pipeline). More recently, they have built 4-person family slides (Mammoths), funnel-shaped slides (Tornados), bowl-shaped slides (Bowls), and uphill water coasters (Rockets).- One of ProSlide's first products, the Twister, is a classic body flume water slide that carries riders one at a time. As their name implies, they frequently incorporate twists and turns into their layouts. The first Twisters opened in 1987 at Mont Saint-SauveurMont Saint-SauveurMont Saint-Sauveur is a ski mountain and resort located in Saint-Sauveur, Quebec, 45 minutes north of Montreal, Canada, in the Laurentian mountains.-History:...
in QuebecQuebecQuebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
and Adventure World Theme ParkSix Flags AmericaSix Flags America is a family theme park and water park located in Mitchellville, Prince George's County, Maryland. It is situated east of Washington D.C. and southwest of Baltimore. The park covers , 131 of which is currently used for park operations...
(now known as Six Flags AmericaSix Flags AmericaSix Flags America is a family theme park and water park located in Mitchellville, Prince George's County, Maryland. It is situated east of Washington D.C. and southwest of Baltimore. The park covers , 131 of which is currently used for park operations...
) in Largo, MarylandLargo, MarylandLargo is an unincorporated area and census designated place in Prince George's County, Maryland, in the United States. The population was 8,408 at the 2000 census....
, USA; both parks opened 4 Twisters that year. The following year, Disney's Typhoon Lagoon opened its three ProSlide Twisters. Twisters have become ProSlide's most popular product, with 607 installations as of 2007 and more Twisters opening each year. - Like Twisters, ProSlide Plummets are body flumes. However, they consist of a vertical drop only, followed by a long, flat segment to help riders decelerate. Often over 70 feet tall, Plummets are frequently the tallest ProSlide slides in a water park. The first Plummets opened in 1987 at Aquapar Magog in Quebec and Six Flags AmericaSix Flags AmericaSix Flags America is a family theme park and water park located in Mitchellville, Prince George's County, Maryland. It is situated east of Washington D.C. and southwest of Baltimore. The park covers , 131 of which is currently used for park operations...
, respectively; as of 2007, ProSlide has installed 227 Plummets. - In addition to their Twisters and Plummets, ProSlide also debuted their children's water slides (ProSlide Kidz) in 1987, which are miniature versions of Twisters designed for young children. Initially, they were installed more frequently than the full-size Twisters; as of 2007, there are 302 installations of ProSlide Kidz.
- The ProSlide Pipeline is a water slide that carries riders on 1-to-3 person inner tubes and is ProSlide's second most common style, with 330 installations as of 2007. The Pipeline has both open and enclosed sections; many have water curtains at the beginning and/or end of their enclosed sections. The first ProSlide Pipelines opened in 1989 at Fantasia de Agua in the Dominican RepublicDominican RepublicThe Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
and Waldameer ParkWaldameer ParkWaldameer Park and Water World is an amusement / water park in Erie, Pennsylvania located at the base of Presque Isle. Waldameer is the fourth oldest amusement park in Pennsylvania, and the tenth oldest in the United States. The park is admission-free, with a busy midway, well-appointed grounds,...
in Erie, PennsylvaniaErie, PennsylvaniaErie is a city located in northwestern Pennsylvania in the United States. Named for the lake and the Native American tribe that resided along its southern shore, Erie is the state's fourth-largest city , with a population of 102,000...
. Throughout the 1990s, several large park chains started opening new ProSlide Pipelines, including Cedar Fair, Six FlagsSix FlagsSix Flags Entertainment Corp. is the world's largest amusement park corporation based on quantity of properties and the fifth most popular in terms of attendance. The company maintains 14 properties located throughout North America, including theme parks, thrill parks, water parks and family...
, and Wet 'n WildWet 'n WildWet 'n Wild is a chain of United States water parks founded by Seaworld creator George Millay in Orlando, Florida in 1977. The Wet 'n Wild name is currently branded onto two water parks owned by different companies: Wet 'n Wild Orlando, operated by Universal Parks & Resorts under the Wet 'n Wild...
. A variation of the Pipeline is the Atomic Coaster, which uses 2- to 3-person tubes. - The first ProSlide Racer opened in 1994 at ProSlide's Mont Cascades Waterpark in Cantley, QuebecCantley, QuebecCantley, Quebec, Canada, is a rural municipality north of the city of Gatineau, east of the Gatineau River, located within Canada's National Capital Region approximately 15–20 minutes from Parliament Hill. The population in 2006 was 7,926. Between 2001 and 2006, Cantley had the largest population...
; over 200 Racers have been installed in the years since. Racers consist of one wide slide with dividers between the lanes and are designed that riders can "race" to the finish if ride operators send all of them down the slide at the same time; riders slide down a Racer headfirst on foam mats. A more recent variation of the Racer is the Octopus Racer, which debuted at Kings IslandKings IslandKings Island is a amusement park located northeast of Cincinnati in Mason, Ohio. Opened in 1972 by Taft Broadcasting Company and now owned by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, Kings Island is the most visited seasonal amusement park in the U.S...
as the Coolangatta Racer in 2004 and allows riders to start the ride on separate slides going different directions, taking a downward spiral in enclosed sections before merging onto a traditional Racer toward the end of the ride. Most Racers have four to eight lanes; Holiday World and Splashin' Safari opened a 10-lane Racer in 2005.
- Wet 'n WildWet 'n WildWet 'n Wild is a chain of United States water parks founded by Seaworld creator George Millay in Orlando, Florida in 1977. The Wet 'n Wild name is currently branded onto two water parks owned by different companies: Wet 'n Wild Orlando, operated by Universal Parks & Resorts under the Wet 'n Wild...
in Orlando, FloridaOrlando, FloridaOrlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
, opened the first ProSlide Mammoth in 1991. The Mammoth was the first ProSlide slide that riders rode in 4-person tubes and is a larger-scale version of the Pipeline. Mammoths initially appeared in Wet 'n WildWet 'n WildWet 'n Wild is a chain of United States water parks founded by Seaworld creator George Millay in Orlando, Florida in 1977. The Wet 'n Wild name is currently branded onto two water parks owned by different companies: Wet 'n Wild Orlando, operated by Universal Parks & Resorts under the Wet 'n Wild...
, Noah's Ark Water Park, and Anheuser-BuschAnheuser-BuschAnheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. , is an American brewing company. The company operates 12 breweries in the United States and 18 in other countries. It was, until December 2009, also one of America's largest theme park operators; operating ten theme parks across the United States through the...
-owned parks and have been built for several Six FlagsSix FlagsSix Flags Entertainment Corp. is the world's largest amusement park corporation based on quantity of properties and the fifth most popular in terms of attendance. The company maintains 14 properties located throughout North America, including theme parks, thrill parks, water parks and family...
, PARCPARCPARC or Parc may refer to:* PARC , the Palo Alto Research Center * PARC Management, a theme park and entertainment venue operator...
, and Cedar Fair-owned water parks in the 2000s. Enclosed Mammoths are known as Dark Mammoths; some have lights in their enclosed parts. - The first ProSlide Bowl, a ProBowl, opened at Golfland SunsplashGolfland SunsplashGolfland-Sunsplash is a water park and family amusement center located in Mesa, Arizona. The park is separated in to two separate parks. Golfland operates year-round and features three miniature golf courses, an arcade, a pizza restaurant, a go-cart track, and bumper boats...
in 1999. ProSlide manufactures four kinds of Bowls: ProBowls, CannonBowls, BulletBowls, and BehemothBowls. All four types consist of an enclosed flume which terminates in a bowl; riders travel in a spiral around the bowl (using centrifugal forceCentrifugal forceCentrifugal force can generally be any force directed outward relative to some origin. More particularly, in classical mechanics, the centrifugal force is an outward force which arises when describing the motion of objects in a rotating reference frame...
to stay on the bowl's wall initially) before dropping into a splashdown pool. ProBowls are enclosed body flumes which end in a bowl with an open top. CannonBowls and the larger BehemothBowls accommodate 2- and 4-person inner tubes, respectively, and have a common exit in their centers.
- Since the early 2000s, ProSlide has gained much recognition for their Tornado, a 4-passenger, 50- to 75-foot-tall enclosed slide which ends in a large, often multicolored funnel. Riders travel back and forth in the funnel several times before exiting into a splashdown pool. The first Tornados, Tornado at Six Flags New EnglandSix Flags New EnglandSix Flags New England , formerly Riverside Amusement Park, is a Six Flags theme park, named for the New England region, in which it is located. Located off of Massachusetts State Route 159, Six Flags New England is located less than from the major City of Springfield, Massachusetts, in the nearby...
; High Anxiety at Mountain Creek WaterparkMountain Creek WaterparkMountain Creek Waterpark is a seasonal water theme park located at Mountain Creek Ski Resort in Vernon Township, New Jersey. The park is open from Memorial Day to Labor Day yearly....
in Vernon, New Jersey; and Zinga at Holiday World and Splashin' Safari, opened in 2003. Zinga, in particular, won a Golden Ticket Award in 2003. Since then, many Six FlagsSix FlagsSix Flags Entertainment Corp. is the world's largest amusement park corporation based on quantity of properties and the fifth most popular in terms of attendance. The company maintains 14 properties located throughout North America, including theme parks, thrill parks, water parks and family...
, PARCPARCPARC or Parc may refer to:* PARC , the Palo Alto Research Center * PARC Management, a theme park and entertainment venue operator...
, and Cedar Fair parks have added Tornados, which they have often named Tornado.
- ProSlide's Waterslide Version of a Roller Coaster is the Rocket, an uphill water coaster. The first three Rockets opened in 2005 at Noah's Ark Water Park (the snake-themed Black Anaconda), Six Flags New EnglandSix Flags New EnglandSix Flags New England , formerly Riverside Amusement Park, is a Six Flags theme park, named for the New England region, in which it is located. Located off of Massachusetts State Route 159, Six Flags New England is located less than from the major City of Springfield, Massachusetts, in the nearby...
, and the Great Wolf Lodge in the Pocono Mountains. These three Rockets, as well as another one that opened the following year at the Great Wolf Lodge at Niagara FallsNiagara FallsThe Niagara Falls, located on the Niagara River draining Lake Erie into Lake Ontario, is the collective name for the Horseshoe Falls and the adjacent American Falls along with the comparatively small Bridal Veil Falls, which combined form the highest flow rate of any waterfalls in the world and has...
, used conveyor belts for their uphill sections. (In contrast, the water coasters made by NBGS International, who started building their water coasters at SchlitterbahnSchlitterbahnSchlitterbahn is a family-owned and operated company based in New Braunfels, Texas, USA. Schlitterbahn began its first park, Schlitterbahn Waterpark Resort, in 1979. Since then Schlitterbahn has developed three waterparks located in Texas and one in Kansas City, Kansas.Schlitterbahn Waterparks are...
parks in the 1990s, use jets of water to blast riders up the hills.) More recent ProSlide Rockets, starting with the Super Tubes Hydrocoaster at WhiteWater WorldWhiteWater WorldWhiteWater World is a water park situated in the suburb of Coomera, on the Gold Coast, Australia. It is owned and operated by Ardent Leisure....
in Australia, have used the ProSlide HydroMagnetics system of Linear Induction Motors placed throughout the ride to launch riders up the uphill sections. HydroMagnetics uses Force Engineering LIM technology, which first gained recognition in the amusement park industry as the power behind launched roller coasterLaunched roller coasterThe launched roller coaster is a modern form of roller coaster which has increased in use in the last decade. In place of a traditional chain lift, the launched coaster initiates a ride with high amounts of acceleration via one or series of Linear Induction Motors , Linear Synchronous Motors ,...
s such as Flight of Fear and Speed - The Ride. ProSlide Rockets with HydroMagnetics are the first waterslides to use this same technology, which allows for more flexibility and efficiency in running the waterslides' uphill sections than the previous conveyor-belt system did. In addition to the Supertubes Hydrocoaster, ProSlide also built a LIM-propelled Rocket at the Great Wolf Lodge near Kings IslandKings IslandKings Island is a amusement park located northeast of Cincinnati in Mason, Ohio. Opened in 1972 by Taft Broadcasting Company and now owned by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, Kings Island is the most visited seasonal amusement park in the U.S...
in 2006; in 2007, LIM-launched Rockets will open at Naju Lake Waterpark in Korea and at Six Flags Kentucky KingdomSix Flags Kentucky KingdomKentucky Kingdom is an amusement park located in Louisville, Kentucky, USA. The park is located on of land which includes a collection of 27 amusement rides and a water park named Splashwater Kingdom...
. ProSlide recently opened the longest watercoaster Holiday World's WildebeestWildebeest (ride)Wildebeest is a water slide currently operating at Holiday World & Splashin' Safari in Santa Claus, Indiana, since May 7, 2010. Manufactured by ProSlide, Wildebeest is currently the world's longest water coaster at in length since it opened in 2010...
in 2010. The newest MammothMammoth (ride)Mammoth is a water slide currently under construction at Holiday World & Splashin' Safari, Santa Claus, Indiana. Manufactured by ProSlide, Mammoth will be the world's longest water coaster at in length when it opens in May 2012.-History:...
will become the longest Water Coaster in the world opening in 2012 at Holiday World. - ProSlide started working with indoor waterpark resorts in the late 1980s. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, they have been the major provider for attractions in many indoor waterparks, including the Great Wolf Lodge and Kalahari Resort chains.
Golden Ticket Award winners
- 2003: Zinga, Holiday World and Splashin' Safari (ProSlide Tornado), Best Waterpark Ride
- 2005: Black Anaconda, Noah's Ark Water Park (ProSlide Rocket), Best New Ride (Water Park)
- 2010: WildebeestWildebeest (ride)Wildebeest is a water slide currently operating at Holiday World & Splashin' Safari in Santa Claus, Indiana, since May 7, 2010. Manufactured by ProSlide, Wildebeest is currently the world's longest water coaster at in length since it opened in 2010...
, Holiday World and Splashin' Safari (ProSlide Rocket), Best Waterpark Ride - 2011: WildebeestWildebeest (ride)Wildebeest is a water slide currently operating at Holiday World & Splashin' Safari in Santa Claus, Indiana, since May 7, 2010. Manufactured by ProSlide, Wildebeest is currently the world's longest water coaster at in length since it opened in 2010...
, Holiday World and Splashin' Safari (ProSlide Rocket), Best Waterpark Ride