Amusement parks: Tallest Waterslide

Worlds Tallest Waterslide

For you thrill seekers here it is.  The countdown continues for the opening of Verrückt — the world's tallest water slide — in Kansas City, Kansas, at Schlitterbahn water park. After multiple delays and test runs, the ride is still undergoing refinements, and at this point (June 29, 2014) there is no scheduled opening date. Verrückt, which means "insane" in German, towers 17-stories above the ground at 168 feet, 7 inches, and is taller than both Niagara Falls and the Statue of Liberty from toes to torch. It promises to be a daredevil blockbuster.

 Here is what Schlitterbahn Waterparks & Resorts co-owner Jeff Henry, who created Verrückt with Schlitterbahn senior designer John Schooley, has to say about Verrückt: "John and I were the first people down; I'm still recovering mentally. It's like jumping off the Empire State Building. It's the scariest thing I've done."  Then he added, "It's dangerous, but it's a safe dangerous. Schlitterbahn is a family water park, but this isn't a family ride. It's for the thrill seekers of the world, people into extreme adventure."

Riders travel the equivalent of two football fields in 18 seconds, Henry says. It takes a spiral climb by foot of 264 steps to reach the top of the tower. Four riders are strapped into a rubber raft that is expected to reach speeds of 65 mph. The 607-foot-long fiberglass water slide starts as the "Drop," a 60-degree, 17-story near free-fall before swooping back up the 55-foot-tall "Hill" where riders go from 5 Gs to weightlessness before descending to a stop in a splash zone. It's expected to last all of 10 seconds. Velcro seat belts lash riders to the raft, and netting encloses the chute to retain the raft in the unlikely event it goes flying. During early testing, rafts did just that.

Here it is, Verruckt: Ride the world's tallest water slide :

But... since the tallest one isn't ready try this Loop-The-Loop Water slide until it is open.

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UPDATE:  07/10/2014
It finally happened, they got all the safety issues taken care of and even let News people test ride.  Read their verdict and take the ride at  The Kansas City Star.