Giant Slide Forced To Shutter Hours After Opening Due To Painful Design Gaffe
Image via Belle Isle Park
Most adults would have gotten over their fear of playground slides, if there ever was one. A feature in a Detroit park, though, might caution them to slow down and think twice.
After two years of closure due to the pandemic, the Giant Slide in Belle Isle Park, Michigan, resumed operations on August 19… only to shut down just four hours later.
It turns out that riders were zipping so fast on it that they were catapulted in the air, before flopping onto its curls, like fish. Footage of people on the slide has since gone viral. Pro tip: you have to watch it with the sound on.
What's the problem? https://t.co/oNysl7lFou
— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) August 20, 2022
One visitor told ABC13 that he ended up selling his tickets to another after watching parkgoers “[hit] the ground with coming off the hills.”
“If 2022 was a slide,” commented one Twitter user.
It took 4 hours to shut it down? 😂 https://t.co/LlWZSK5XiI
— Penthouse Sidebar (@drfessel) August 21, 2022
I'm genuinely thinking of starting a Twitter account on bad slide design
— Jeremy Vine (@theJeremyVine) August 21, 2022
pic.twitter.com/r6gaZVOrKn
The attraction was shut down hours later for “a little scrub down,” announced Joel Thomas, Belle Isle supervisor for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
Apparently, things were straightened out pretty quickly as the ride reopened the next day. Officials reassured the general public that the slide is now good to use as workers have scrubbed its surface and sprayed it with some water to slow riders down.
Ride the Giant SlideHello Giant Slide Riders. We are closed today due to rainy weather however, we have scrubbed down the surface and started to spray a little water on the slide between rides to help control the speed. It seems to be working well so please come out and give it a try. We plan to run it for the next 2 weeks , Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11am until 3pm. Just $1 for a ride!. You must be 48" or taller. Please follow the operators instructions when riding, remember to lean forward. See you at the Giant Slide!
Posted by Belle Isle Park - Michigan on Sunday, August 21, 2022
So far, there have been no injuries, and the park has even released a how-to video to prove that the Giant Slide—which is priced at US$1 per entry—can be used safely.
Riders have to be at least 48 inches tall to use the slide. They are also advised to lean forward during the ride.
The park says the attraction will be closed during rainy weather.
“It seems to be working well so please come out and give it a try,” it encourages.
[via Indy100 and Complex, cover image via Belle Isle Park]
