Ballast VR launches new VRSlide® ride at Wings and Waves
Wings and Waves Waterpark in McMinnville, Oregon announced the opening of the first VRSlide® on the West Coast over the Fourth of July weekend.
Ballast’s newest content for waterslides, “Flight”
The attraction was designed and installed by Ballast Technologies and marks the 7th Virtual Reality enabled Waterslide in the world to be commissioned by Ballast. Launching from inside the fuselage of a real Evergreen Boeing 747 on the roof of the indoor waterpark, the Sonic Boom waterslide is the first of its kind to be upgraded with virtual reality technology. While half of the slide is a fully enclosed flume that soars over the roof of the building, the other half is an open flume with dramatic turns that snake through the inside of the park. This indoor/outdoor combination required new technology to mount Ballast’s VRSlide® sensors, which are the industry-leading solution to synchronize VR content with guests' speed as they ride down the slide. Ballast also pioneered brand new custom content to fit the park’s aviation theme, resulting in a thrilling and unique VRSlide® experience.
The exterior of the Wings and Waves Indoor waterpark. Inside the 747 is the launch tower for the Sonic Boom and other slides.
“We’re so excited to open the new VRSlide® experience for our guests and to be the first installation for Ballast on the West Coast,” said Cathy Lawson, General Manager of Wings and Waves Waterpark. “We are particularly excited about the new content Ballast created specifically for our theme and park, which celebrates the magic of aviation.”
The Ballast team created custom content for Wings and Waves called “Flight”, the first of its kind anywhere in the world.
“Our newest VRSlide® is basically a water slide on steroids," said Atlas Roufas, Chief Content Officer. "Imagine flying next to the Blue Angel’s fighter squadron and various other aircraft in “Flight” or shooting through a wormhole to the other side of the galaxy in “Space” or flying alongside “Dragons” in our fantasy adventure. All while twisting and turning down an exciting water slide. The guest can choose from a different theme each ride."
A still image of “Flight”, Ballast’s new experience
Ballast Technologies has other new installations to announce later this summer. Ballast is the world leader in Hyper Immersive Experiences for waterparks, which includes VRSlide® for waterslides and DIVR® for pools.