| Bowcraft Amusement Park or Bowcraft
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| | intended to allow jumps and splashdowns
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| Playland is located on Route 22 West in
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| | into a larger puddle.
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| Scotch Plains, New Jersey, United States.
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| | Employees at the park used to like eating
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| It is a medium size family amusement park
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| | at a nearby snack bar with a good view of
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| with a large selection of rides for
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| | the attraction, since it was guaranteed
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| children and teens, including the Dragon
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| | that they could see some serious
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| roller coaster. Bowcraft Amusement Park
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| | injuries, lost bikini tops, or both. This
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| is open weekends from April through
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| | closed in 2005.
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| October and daily June through Labor Day.
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| | Present slides and attractions
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| Parking is $5 and admission is free.
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| | The Tidal Wave Pool
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| Rides are priced using multiple tickets.
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| | This attraction goes to about 6 feet
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| The opening scene from the 1994 movie
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| | deep. Under Action park management the
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| North was filmed at Bowcraft.
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| | pool went to 10 feet deep. Under Mountain
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| Mountain Creek Waterpark is a seasonal
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| | Creek management the pool was modified.
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| water theme park located at Mountain
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| | This pool alternates short periods of
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| Creek Ski Resort in Vernon Township, New
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| | waves and short periods of calmness.
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| Jersey. They are open from about Memorial
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| | The Tarzan Swing
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| Day through Labor Day.
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| | This is a wooden beam hanging from a
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| Both are owned by Intrawest, but the
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| | 20-foot-long (6 m) cable over a pool of
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| Waterpark was managed by Palace
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| | stagnant water. Patrons waited in long
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| Entertainment, which manages and owns
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| | lines for the chance to hang from it,
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| many water parks.
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| | swing out over the water, then jump off
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| Many of Mountain Creek's attractions were
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| | as the beam reached its height. The water
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| built as part of "Waterworld" at Action
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| | though comes from a natural river and is
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| Park, where they were notorious for their
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| | therefore colder than the rest of the
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| poor safety record, including several
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| | park. It averages 55 to 60 degrees.
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| deaths. Intrawest and Palace have closed
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| | The Gauley & Thunder Run
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| some of the worst, opened some new ones
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| | The left side is known as The Gauley and
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| and in general vastly increased the
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| | riders use a single tube. The right side
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| park's focus on safety.
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| | is known as Thunder Run and is a double
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| History
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| | tube rafting ride
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| The first park on this location was
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| | Super Speed Water Slides
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| Action Park, which was a popular
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| | These were two water slides, set slightly
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| amusement park open from 1978 to 1996 in
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| | apart from the rest of the park, that
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| Vernon, New Jersey, on the property of
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| | took advantage of incredibly steep slopes
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| the former Vernon Valley/Great Gorge ski
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| | to allow riders to attain higher speeds
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| area, today also called Mountain Creek.
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| | than usually possible. One started with
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| Its popularity, however, went hand in
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| | riders going almost vertically downwards
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| hand with a reputation for
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| | and was covered with screening for the
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| poorly-designed, unsafe (yet thrilling)
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| | first several feet.
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| rides; inattentive, underage, underpaid
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| | As barriers on the side of the slides
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| and sometimes under-the-influence
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| | were very low, lifeguards reminded every
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| employees; equally intoxicated and
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| | user to remain flat on their back with
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| underprepared visitors — and the poor
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| | their arms at the side as they descended
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| safety record that followed from this
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| | since there was no way to ride it
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| perfect storm of circumstances. For more
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| | otherwise and stay on. The fall from both
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| details of these issues see Action Park.
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| | slides had the potential for very serious
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| Intrawest Corporation opened Mountain
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| | injury.
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| Creek Waterpark in 1998 at the same
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| | Those who made it to the bottom found
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| location as the former Action Park which
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| | their progress arrested by water,
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| closed on Labor Day of 1996 at the end of
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| | guaranteed to cause a spectacular
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| the season. Action Park had been closed
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| | splashdown, and then a small pool.
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| and for the entire 1997 season.
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| | Canyon Cliffs
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| When Mountain Creek Waterpark opened, the
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| | The area around Roaring Rapids was (and
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| Motor World attractions were eliminated.
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| | still is) laid out like a kind of grotto,
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| Alpine Slide stayed open one more year.
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| | with many lower-intensity attractions.
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| The other waterslides were holdovers from
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| | One was cliff perches 30-50 feet (10-15
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| the former Action Park. They were all
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| | m) above a pool 16 ft (5 m) deep, where
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| modified to conform to higher safety
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| | divers could jump.
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| standards. In 1999 the ski lodge burned
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| | Colorado River Ride
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| down and in 2000 a new portable building
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| | The Colorado River Ride, winds its way
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| opened in its place. The Motorworld side
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| | down a heavily wooded area on the side of
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| of the park became parking as the former
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| | the park. It used to feature large,
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| parking lot added more buildings and
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| | unwieldy circular rafts that people had
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| offices.
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| | to carry from the splash pool all the way
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| Alpha Smart Parks began managing Mountain
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| | to the start. The "river" is actually a
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| Creek in 2001 and Ogden began management
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| | large trough made to look like a natural
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| in 2003. In 2004 in a corporate deal
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| | river bed.
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| Palace Ammusements began managing the
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| | The ride started out as a nice jaunt
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| park. Palace is now being sold once
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| | around a couple of turns, but then become
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| again. Also on the former parking lot a
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| | far more challenging. Since the river is
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| Condominium Hotel is being built where
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| | on a steady pitch down the hill, the
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| people buy the studio apartments, one
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| | rafts gained speed very quickly. At one
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| bed-room apartments, and two bedroom
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| | point the rafts would come to a fork
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| apartments. They have the option of
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| | where they could either head into a
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| either living there or renting them out
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| | tunnel, or (less frequently) around a
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| as luxury hotel units of a little bit of
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| | corner into an unknown section of river.
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| both. A parking garage is also being
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| | The tunnel had many turns and was dark.
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| built there as well.
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| | At the exit rafts commonly slammed into a
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| A couple new slides have been added since
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| | curved wall. The raft then floated into a
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| Mountain Creek opened but most slides are
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| | small rock pool and stayed there until it
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| holdovers from the former Action Park but
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| | found its way out. The final stretch of
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| modified for safety reasons.
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| | the river consists of a large downhill
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| Rides
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| | portion complete with bumps, and a
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| Past slides and attractions
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| | foot-high (30 cm) jump where the rafts
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| Alpine Slide
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| | would momentarily catch air and then slam
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| Action Park's alpine slide descended the
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| | back onto the surface.
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| mountain roughly below the ski area's
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| | Bombs Away
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| gondola, resulting in much verbal
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| | Aggressive body slide that begins with a
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| harassment and sometimes spitting from
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| | steep descent and finishes off with
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| passengers going up for their turn, who
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| | 18-foot plummet into our spring quarry.
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| would often be entertained by the
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| | Cannonball Falls
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| accidents they witnessed while at the
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| | Two fully enclosed tubes catapult one
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| same time hoping to avoid similar fates.
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| | through pitch darkness to a final 10-foot
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| The tracks themselves were made of
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| | freefall into crystal cool mountain
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| concrete, which led to numerous serious
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| | water.
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| abrasions on riders who took even mild
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| | H2-Oh-No!
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| spills. When Intrawest took over the park
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| | 99 foot vertical drop.
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| and renamed it Mountain Creek at the
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| | High Anxiety
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| beginning of the 1998 season, they
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| | High Anxiety is a high-speed, extreme
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| announced the slide would remain open for
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| | tubing water ride that creates the
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| one final season. Riders were required to
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| | highest-thrill, zero gravity experience
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| wear helmets and kneepads on the slide.
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| | available. It’s a two, three and
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| The last day of the slide's operation was
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| | four-passenger tube ride that begins with
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| September 6 of that year, the day before
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| | a four-story vertical plummet through a
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| the park closed for the season, as that
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| | tunnel. Riders drop into a huge funnel
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| year's Labor Day was rainy and the slide
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| | shaped enclosure and are gravity
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| had to be closed.
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| | propelled to dizzying heights back and
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| The tracks were torn out afterwards, but
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| | forth along the walls. Finally at the
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| the route can still be seen from the
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| | base of the funnel, riders are thrust
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| gondola.
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| | through another 90-foot long tunnel into
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| Surf Hill
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| | a catch pool.
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| This ride, another one common to other
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| | Kamikaze
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| water parks at the time, allowed patrons
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| | Long and fast furious body slide known
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| to slide down a water-slick sloped
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| | for its extreme speed and sudden 8 foot
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| surface on mats into small puddles, until
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| | drop!
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| they reached a foam barrier after an
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| | Rogue River
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| upslope at the end. Barriers between
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| | This daring body slide sends you sliding
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| lanes were minimal, and people frequently
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| | through twists and turns followed by a
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| collided with each other on the way down,
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| | plunge into total darkness before
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| or at the end. The seventh lane was known
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| | rocketing out into the Canyon Cliffs
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| as the "back breaker," due to its special
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| | quarry.
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| kicker two-thirds of the way down
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