No matter how old you are, we can all probably agree that taking a ride down a slide is an
experience that can't be matched.
But take slides a step further by adding skyscrapers, cliffs or even volcanoes, and you've got yourself
some pretty terrifying rides.
While sliding is a pretty universally loved activity, did you know that there are some
that even the most daring of enthusiasts might glance at and think twice before riding.
Well, if you're one of those brave people, continue watching, because today we're going
to take a look at some of the most unusual and terrifying slides in the world that will
most definitely give you goose bumps.
But before we get started, I've got a question for you.
What would you rather take on?
Riding down a slide from the top of a skyscraper, or jetting across one through shark infested
waters?
Let me know down in the comments.
Let's get it on!
SKYSLIDE!
The US Bank Tower in Los Angeles was the tallest building in the famous LA skyline for most
of its history, appearing in loads of movies, TV shows and even video games.
Well, in an attempt to take the view from scenic to totally insane in one fell swoop,
the observation deck installed a new feature in 2017: The Sky-slide.
Made entirely of tempered glass, the sky-slide hangs out over the 78th floor of the observatory,
going down to the 69th.
On the way down, riders get to feel like their free falling through mid-air, with a 270-degree
view of the cityscape beneath them and to the side of them.
While the ride itself is relatively short, only lasting a few seconds, the idea of spending
any amount of time falling through an almost invisible tunnel 800-feet in the sky would
be enough to make almost anyone a little uneasy.
However, the Observatory's marketing team assures us that the glass Sky-slide is strong
enough to support a humpback whale.
I'll just take their word on that.
SLIDE WHEEL WATERSLIDE!
As if water slides weren't extreme enough already, the Slidewheel Water slide in Chimelong
Water Park in Guangzhou China adds a whole new dimension to the experience.
LITERALLY!
The truly unique attraction is actually made up of 3 slides that each give a totally unique
experience.
The slides rotate as riders slide down them at a speed of once every 20 seconds, causing
riders to drop down at a speed of 40 kilometers a second forward, before suddenly dropping
the way they just came BACKWARDS!
The monstrous 80-foot tall ferris-wheel-waterslide hybrid opened in 2018 and has been visited
by hundreds of thousands of adrenaline junkies from all around the world, looking for the
incredible thrill of shooting up, down, backwards and even upside down in specialized rafts
designed to fly through the slidewheel as fast as possible.
Truly a terrifying experience.
This Chinese slide definitely gives a whole new meaning to the phrase of not knowing which
way is up.
SHARK WATERSLIDE!
While regular slides can be a ton of fun, water slides add a whole new element of excitement
to the mix, and among them, the Leap of Faith Water Slide at the Atlantis Resort might just
be the most insane.
This truly terrifying slide drops you 60 feet from the top of a Mayan Temple, straight down
into what might be the most terrifying feature of any water slide in the world: an underwater
tube in the middle of a shark-infested tank.
The see-through material around you puts you right in the middle of these hungry predators,
and when adding on to the adrenaline from the 60 foot straight down drop you just underwent,
there's no doubt the sight of sharks surrounding you will be more than enough to drive some
people completely over the edge.
Of course, you're completely safe on the other side of basically bulletproof acrylic, so
it's actually quite a beautiful view, and in the many, many years the slide has been
open, not a single person has been eaten by sharks, so maybe it's best to just sit back
and enjoy the thrill before it's over and just hope you're not the first.
ROYAL FLUSH WATERSLIDE!
Waco, Texas isn't exactly a city most people think of as thrilling, or, really at all.
It may surprise you to learn however, that Waco is home to one of the craziest water
slides in the United States: The Royal Flush Waterslide at BSR Cable Park.
Opened in 2015, this waterslide has a secret that its name doesn't immediately give away.
It's actually a water jump.
The triple bodied water slide has riders build up speed down its 65-foot lengths, each designed
to provide different speeds based on how adventurous they're feeling, before curving upwards and
LAUNCHING THEM into the air, getting some serious airtime before landing in a 16-foot
deep pool.
The highest of the slides has seen some riders thrown as high as 10-feet, hanging in free
fall above the water for several seconds that probably feel like a lifetime.
Experienced riders use the momentum of the jump to launch into flips, twists and other
cool tricks that wouldn't be possible without the gravity defying power of the Royal Flush.
For only $15 for unlimited rides all day, I might just have to pay a visit to otherwise
quiet Waco, Texas.
CLIFF-SIDE SLIDE!
Have you ever wanted to walk among the clouds?
No?
Well I'll tell you anyways.
In Dolni Morava in Czech Republic, you can do exactly that, with the colossal Skywalk.
Located over 3000 feet above sea level in the Czech mountains, this incredible attraction
lets visitors scale the skies themselves, rising to an incredible 170 feet, providing
a view that's unmatched by any of the surrounding peaks.
Take that nature!
But of course, the walk to the top wouldn't be complete without an awesome drop back to
the bottom, because who wants to walk all the way back down?
That's where the massive Skywalk slide comes into play.
Equipped with see through windows to give sweeping 360-degree views of the mountain
range from all kinds of angles, the 330-meters long slide whips riders around its deeply
banked curves high enough to make the mountains below look like molehills.
Reaching speeds as high as 35-kilometers per hour combined with the breath taking and slightly
terrifying views, riders are sure to get a massive adrenaline spike on their way down
one of the tallest slides in all of Europe.
Definitely beats walking back down, am I right?
ROCK SLIDE!
A rock slide typically sounds like a terrible natural disaster, but in New Zealand, rock
slides have a totally different meaning.
So far we've looked at incredible feats of man-made engineering on this list of unbelievable
slides, but sometimes mother nature is wayyyy ahead of us.
In Gisborne, New Zealand, that's absolutely the case.
Here water from the nearby Wharekopae River has spent millions of years weathering the
rocks around to create the awesome Rere Rockslide, a naturally cut 200-foot long decline in the
rocky area that provides one of the most extreme rides in the world.
The rocks have been coated in moss that's incredibly slippery, further propelling you
like an awesome natural slip and slide.
Fun to ride?
Yes!
Crazy?
Maybe just a little bit..
VOLCANO SLIDE!
Well, while man made slide technology has only come so far, it seems mother nature is
just leagues ahead of us in producing the most insane slides the world has to offer.
Of course, until someone has the crazy idea to, you know, actually slide, these spots
are just places.
Nicaragua is home to some incredibly breath-taking, not to mention massive volcanic peaks, and
while most people would be satisfied to admire from a distance, adrenaline junkies needed
to take a closer look, and on the Cerro Negro volcano, they found exactly what they were
looking for.
A steep bit of volcanic cliffside on the side of a 750-meter elevated volcano.
And thus volcano slides were born.
Here riders take specially designed boards and shoot down the volcanic rock.
The fine volcanic soil provides peak sliding conditions, but riders still need to wear
protective suits to keep from getting overheated or scraped up by the razor-sharp shards of
volcanic glass separated from their bodies by nothing more than a wooden board.
Well, I think we found it, the most extreme slide in the world.
WORLDS TALLEST SLIDE AT SEA!
So far we've seen some of the tallest slides on land, but what about the tallest slide
at sea?
While the idea might seem a bit silly, after all, who's going to go out to the middle of
the ocean just to go down a slide; well surprisingly that's what thousands of people do every single
year.
The Ultimate Abyss Slide is in fact, the tallest slide at sea all year round, because it's
located aboard the Harmony of the Seas Cruise Ship.
This massive 228-ton ship is home to a laser tag field, zip line, multiple restaurants,
and enough luxury rooms to host over 6300 people.
But, enough about the ship, what about the slide?
You can race your friends down these two slides to see who makes it to the bottom fastest,
careening over the edge of the ocean down these ten story high sea monsters.
The over 100-foot tall slides shoot adventurous riders straight down into darkness before
looping upward, back downward and through a series of LED lights that flash suddenly
to make you feel like you're crashing into the deep blue sea below.
Now that's a cruise I'd definitely like to be on.
ICE SLIDE!
Winter is usually a time to stay indoors and drink warm beverages to avoid the cold, right?
Well, I guess people in Harbin China didn't quite get the memo, because they turned winter
into one of the coolest and most beautiful displays in the world with the Harbin Ice
And Snow Festival where gigantic blocks of ice and snow are expertly carved into some
of the most amazing sculptures I've ever seen.
While you could walk around in the frigid cold to appreciate the sculptures one by one,
it might be a bit...uh, cooler to take it all in really really fast, and the ice slides
at this event make that entirely possible.
Carved out of the frozen lakebed the festival takes place on, visitors can slide through
the man-made ice crevasses all around the massive sculptures and appreciate them in
less time than it takes to get too cold.
ARCELOR MITTAL ORBIT SLIDE!
The 2012 London Olympics was an opportunity for the English city to show off to the rest
of the world, and so they had Sir Anish Kapoor build the tallest sculpture in England for
the event.
After the festivities had passed, while the sculpture still stood, the city wanted it
to serve more of a purpose, so they brought on an artist to add a slide to the sculpture.
But this wouldn't just be any old slide; after all, it was on the tallest sculpture in London.
So as a result they designed a slide that twisted and turned through the intricate sculpture,
with some sections being transparent to let riders see the London skyline on their way
down, and other sections plunged in complete darkness.
In the end, the slide was a total of 180 meters tall, with a length of 243 meters when accounting
for its 12 sharp turns on the way down, with riders reaching a speed of up to 25-kilometers
per hour on the way down.
In the end, the Arcelor Mittal Orbit Slide officially opened in 2017, and became the
longest tunnel slide in the world.
If you're afraid of heights, do yourself a favour and maybe give this slide a skip.