With the park in full swing and against a background of the hustle and bustle and cries of joy and fun from visitors, Aqualandia today presented what is undoubtedly to become the park’s star attraction. VERTI-GO is the name of this twin slide attraction, whose special features were outlined today in a special press conference, by Aqualandia President, Georges Santa-Maria and Managing Director, Joaquin Valera. “28 metres and 33 metres tall respectively, the heights of the two slides which make up VERTI-GO”, explained Joaquin Valera. “The latter, at 33 metres, making it Europe’s highest slide and the highest capsule slide in the world. There is nothing like it anywhere in the world. Just one which stands at 25 metres in the USA.”
The Managing Director of Aqualandia explained the term capsule-slide, because “the client reaches the slide itself through an air-tight capsule, from which they are suddenly released, by means of a trap door beneath their feet, with no prior warning. When the client enters the capsule, it is in a standing position, the same as when they fall, thus accentuating the height of the attraction, as if in free-fall”, added Valera.
VERTI-GO is a unique attraction, which offers nail-biting sensations from start to finish. “From the moment that the client climbs to the top of the 42 metre tower and admires the breath-taking views of the sea and Benidorm, until they enter the capsule and fall, they pass through a range of feelings, which go from simple nerves to fear, but always with that feeling of excitement and curiosity which goes with riding an attraction like VERTI-GO”, explained Joaquin Valera.
The gravitational force felt by the visitor will depend on his or her body weight, but it is always in excess of 100 km/h, even in the lightest cases. VERTI-GO guarantees that the client’s entire slide lasts just 3 seconds, with a total length of 100 metres in the 33 metre slide and 95 in the 28 metre version. “VERTI-GO is akin to jumping off a 13 story building”, says Aqualandia’s Director.
Aqualandia President, Georges Santa Maria, set out the launch date for the new attraction. “VERTI-GO will go live on 1st August. This is a great bonus for Aqualandia and for the city of Benidorm as a whole.”
VERTI-GO: THE BEAUTY OF COMBINING ART AND ENGINEERING
The new ride is the result of many months of hard work and building, which were challenges in themselves. The tower itself, to which the two slides are anchored, standing at 42 metres high, was built in a huge ditch measuring 15 metres in depth, 70 metres in length and 10 metres in width. It was made using Galvanized Iron (which does not rust) and given its special colour in order to help it blend in with the surroundings and not spoil the landscape.
The features of the tower help enhance those feelings of vertigo, so well reflected in its name. The higher of the two slides offers a total ride of 100 metres at the steepest of angles, whilst the 28 metre version is 95 metres in total length.
To enhance those “nail-biting sensations”, a sure thing when riding VERTI-GO, the attraction is decorated with rocky outcrops along the fall route. Two huge archaic birds fly overhead, unaware of the void beneath, as they circle the visitor’s head. To finish off, there is a waterfall and a small lake at the beginning of the braking zone, which give the lower section a very natural appearance, blending well into the surroundings.