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Design

Behold, the World's Most Terrifying Water Slide

The vertical looping water slide plots its return.
Photo by Nick Diamond / Nick Diamond Photography, via

Like its cousin, the "360 on a swing set," the vertical looping water slide has long been a thing of childhood legend. In 1985, amid safety concerns, the Cannonball Loop at New Jersey's Action Park was shuttered, relegating the ride to nearly 20 years of obscurity. Now, thanks to Vancouver-based company, Sky Turtle Technologies, it gains a second wind. Using aluminum alloy capsules to house riders, Sky Caliber is the next-gen looping water slide we've all been waiting for.

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Today, Sky Caliber is in its testing phase as a 90-foot-tall prototype situated in Missouri. Previously, the slide concept had only been successful for loops of 45-90 degrees—more of a banked turn than anything—a patent held by the company WhiteWater West for their AquaLoop slides. Using its specialized shuttles, however, Sky Caliber is able to achieve the full 90-degree flip.

Where Cannonball Loop's initial setback was due to the potential for friction to slow riders down to the point where they'd be unable to maintain a speed high enough for the loop, the pod concept allows Sky Caliber to flow without a hitch—at least 100 people out of the 500 required for safety approval have successfully spun 360 degrees. Explains LA Times, "With a roller coaster-style lap-bar restraint, the new M40-URV capsule features a more open design with perforated safety screens that allow for better air and water flow. Riders will climb inside the capsules while waiting in line at the top of the slide tower. With 10 capsules in rotation, Sky Turtle expects to be able to simultaneously load, unload and drop riders at a rate of 180 per hour."

Future versions of Sky Caliber could include corkscrews and multiple loops. As of now, it's set to debut at Action Park in summer 2016.

Photo by Nick Diamond / Nick Diamond Photography, via

Via LA Times and BoingBoing

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