Cedar Point’s Shoot the Rapids
Yesterday, Cedar Point announced “Shoot The Rapids” their new water ride for 2010. The park’s many hints and clues via their OnPoint blog and social media sites seemed to hint to a roller coaster. But as with Holiday World’s 2009 Pilgrim Plunge, it seems like parks are starting to hype up and tease even non-roller coasters these days. I can’t blame them as the buzz that every dissected tweet or cryptic clue generated was astronomical.
Shoot the Rapids looks like a pretty standard log flume, although you don’t often see new log flumes built these days. Here’s the lowdown on Shoot the Rapids:
The excitement builds when the boats ascend one of two lift hills. The first and largest hill will be 85 feet tall and will drop riders down onto Millennium Island at a 45-degree angle. The second hill will be 49 feet tall and will end with a dramatic “shoot” through water rapids and rockwork.
Guests on the Frontier Trail can keep their feet planted on dry land and watch as riders complete their wet and wild trek down the final drop.
“Shoot the Rapids will instantly become a family favorite,” said John Hildebrandt, vice president and general manager of Cedar Point. “Our guests wanted another option to cool off on warm summer days. We listened, and Shoot the Rapids will deliver the perfect combination of refreshment, thrills and new memories at Cedar Point.”
Shoot the Rapids looks like a good addition especially considering, like the VP said, guests wanted another water attraction. Plus, it was a little hard to believe that Cedar Fair had the cash to add Intimidator, Intimidator 305, AND another new roller coaster at Cedar Point all during a recession. Shoot the Rapids
should help the park round out the supporting casts of rides.
Holiday World’s Wildebeest
A few weeks ago Holiday World announced Wildebeest as the World’s Longest Water Coaster. It’s a massive water slide that features rocket-boost-like launch sections. At times on the ride, the water rafts are actually launch up hills. It sounds pretty insane and I’m excited to see a new application for the LIMs (linear induction motors) that propel modern roller coasters.
Water Coasters versus from Water Roller Coasters
So when I quickly read Holiday World’s Wildebeest announcement, my roller coaster-centric mind thought that the park was presenting the new ride as a water roller coaster. Paula from Holiday World set me straight (see the comment below). Apparently, there is a type water slide known as a water coaster. According to Wikipedia, a water coaster is a water slide that mimics a roller coaster by providing not only descents, but ascents as well. Water roller coasters, on the other hand, are amphibious steel roller coasters with boat-like cars that have splash sections. Read more water roller coasters on my Coasterology 101 post. Here’s more on Wildebeest created by ProSlide Technology:
Wildebeest is one-third of a mile long and it will thrill riders for two-and-a-half splashing minutes of hills, drops, twists and turns.
Located to the north of Bahari wave pool, Wildebeest will begin with a conveyor ride up the water coaster’s lifthill. Following the four-story drop at a 45-degree angle, linear induction motors (LIMs) will propel the four-person rafts up seven additional hills, through three tunnels (two of them underground)
and around a helix.
-Holiday World
I typically stick to roller coasters, but Wildebeest looks like so much fun that I’m going to have to ride it on my next trip to Holiday World. Check out this video of Wildebeest in action:
What’s Your Take?
What do you think of Cedar Point’s Shoot the Rapids and Holiday World’s Wildebeest? Which one looks like more fun to you? Leave a comment below.
September 4, 2009 at 12:17
Our announcement last month stated Wildebeest will be the World's Longer Water Coaster. Where did you see the word "roller"? If there's an error somewhere, we'd sure like to correct it…
Thanks. :0)
September 5, 2009 at 17:50
Very tricky Paula! I stand corrected. I added the 'roller' part myself. You can see how that'd cause some confusion as there are "Water Roller Coasters" like in my Coasterology 101 post and apparently "Water Coasters" like in this Wikipedia entry.
Anyway, glad to know that you're not misusing terminology. I hate it when parks do that. I'll update my post and brush up on my water ride knowledge.
Thanks for reading.
September 11, 2009 at 15:29
To tell you the truth, it looks pretty fun
November 23, 2009 at 08:21
i never been there so i don't know i was just playing
January 26, 2010 at 17:18
Wildebeest looks continuous-circuit. I am most likely wrong so, I'll check the Holiday World website to be sure.
January 27, 2010 at 03:14
it looks better than last years Deluge@SFKK
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