August 23, 2012
I never liked the Choose Your Own Adventure books when I was a kid. I always sneaked a peak at the results of my decision and made the choice accordingly (somehow I always seemed to get eaten by aliens or cut by a knight). However, lately I have enjoyed creating my own ride experience. In our world we recently have been lucky enough to work with two very unique products where interactivity is the key to fun. Gerstlauer’s new Sky Fly ride and the Sky Trail® from Ropes Courses, Inc., are both fantastic products that let the guest be the star.
We were lucky enough to put one of each in one of my favorite Meccas of retail- the Mall of America. This gargantuan structure wraps four hallways around one central amusement park- Nickelodeon Universe. When it opened the park was planned and run by the Knott Family (or Knott’s Berry Farm fame) but now the mall and park are wholly-owned by Triple 5 (of West Edmonton Mall fame).
For the 2009 season we installed “The Flying Dutchman Ghostly Gangplank”, a four-level ropes course. It was capped off by a massive foghorn that could only be rung when guests climbed to the top level and used both hands to activate it. The ropes course is great because kids above 42 inches get to choose what they want to tackle. Some stay on the first level, others scamper straight up to the fourth. However, the common reaction is that guests enjoy their time on the first level of the course and then slowly work their way up to the top. However, there is no set way to attack it; guests go about the course in any way they see fit. By the time many are 4 stories above the park floor they are comfortable trying to traverse some of the tiniest elements imaginable. This year Nick Universe added the “Anchor Drop Falls” a pair of tube slides lit with LED’s, which are wicked fast.
The Sky Fly, from Gerstlauer, is dubbed the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Shell Shock”. On this ride guests are strapped in, but get to be their own pilot. After heading through the themed sewers they board one of twelve vehicles that sport the weapon of one of the four famous reptiles. The restraints are checked, the main sweep raises and the rotation begins. The Sky Fly is not about speed, it is about barrel rolls. Riders get to flip themselves head-over-heels as many times as they please. By rocking the vehicle side-to-side and changing the way the moveable wing hits the air rushing by the flight can be a gentle one, or it can be two minutes of heart-flipping insanity.
Considering my age I could only muster about 10 barrel rolls, but I am happy to report that the young man next to me hit over 30.
-AFS