13-19 September 2013
Wiegand-Maelzer
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The Tropical Islands indoor pool complex 80 kilometres southeast of Berlin.
loves the loop-the-loop and turbo slides, where he can feel the centrifugal force. He has also tried out slides riding in a capsule dropped into free-fall by a trapdoor. One paradise for waterslide fans in Germany is the Galaxy Therme leisure centre in Erding, near Munich. According to Wiegand Maelzer, it is Europe’s largest indoor
aqua-park, with some 20 slides combining for 1,700 metres. This includes Europe’s longest tube slide, 356 metres long. Also popular is the Tropical Islands recreation park in Krausnick, 80 kilometres southeast of Berlin, which boasts the country’s tallest water-slide tower. Those who dare to take off from the 25-metre-
A boy rides an orange-coloured water slide.
tall tower can reach speeds of up to 70 kilometres per hour. The biggest vertical descent of a water-slide in Europe is at Lazise on Lake Garda in northern Italy. The L-shaped runs start from a 32-metre-tall tower, and is upto 75 degrees steep. The latest thrill-giver on the market is the Canonball. It’s simple. It resembles a gigantic pipe, inside the head
Climbing Yosemite’s Half Dome { Barbara Munker/Half Dome, California / DPA }
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t six o’clock in the morning not much can be seen of the towering granite dome. Most Yosemite Half Dome climbers get going with flashlights well before sunrise, on a trail that is long, steep and ultimately, adventurous. For the final steep 120 metres they will need to pull themselves up the climbers’ path with the help of steel cables. “You just have to keep calm and put one foot in front of the other,” Yosemite National Park ranger Kari Cobb advises. A wiry 27-year-old, she can do the trek from Yosemite Valley, elevation 1,230 metres, to the peak of Half Dome (2,693 metres) and back in about five hours. Less experienced hikers should plan 10 to 12 hours to cover the 27-kilometre distance. Hiking a zig-zag path, hikers quickly put Yosemite Valley behind them. An idyllic resting point before proceeding to the top is at Little Yosemite Valley, over 2,000 metres up. Up until 1875 the mountain was considered to be unconquerable. But then climber George Anderson hammered eyebolts into the
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Freefall & Cannonball
{ Joern Perske/ Rasdorf, Germany/ DPA } he sparkling world of water slides is getting speedier, more daring and varied. Be it the cannonball, the freefall or a loop-theloop ride, slides are what draw many thrill-seeking bathers to today’s swimming pools. “The adrenaline junkies always want the craziest slides,” says Hendrik Wiegand, Chief Executive of Wiegand-Maelzer, the largest German water-slide manufacturer. Since the sale of the first flume or water slide in 1981, Wiegand-Maelzer has sold more than 500 around the world. The channels are made either from stainless steel or fibreglassreinforced plastics. “Stainless steel lasts longer. It’s the higher-end variant, and above all perfect for outdoor pools,” 49-year-old Wiegand says. Adding value to the waterslide experience are new special effects such as LED lighting, sound and fog. Videos of water-slide tests, conducted by Julian Tshech, can be viewed on his Internet page, www.tuberides.de . Tschech
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granite, ran steel cables through them and so created a trail along the back side of the mountain up to the summit. The steel cable balustrade in use today was installed in 1919. It’s a simple design, consisting of two steel cables about one metre apart, stretched at about arm’s level along poles anchored in the rock. Climbers can use it from May through October. The route is closed in the winter.
For decades now the Half Dome has been the most popular trail hiking destination in Yosemite Valley. “Some days you’ll see 1,200 people making their way up the steel cables. Often enough, there are some real traffic jams,” Cobb says. Starting
three years ago the Park administration began restricting the number of dome climbers. This summer, 300 permits - which need to be reserved in advance - are issued each day. And one had better not forget to bring the permit along. At the foot of the “Subdome,” where things are about to begin in earnest, a Park ranger is there to stop interlopers. For another hour, hikers clamber over granite boulders,
and the trail that has been hewn into the rock is difficult at times to make out. But along the way, there are spectacular views of the surrounding peaks. Then the final stretch, a 47-per-cent grade, comes into view. Dozens of hikers stand on a small plateau and stare intently at those ahead of them, looking like tiny ants against the gigantic rock, as they hold onto the two cables to make their way up to the top. On come the gloves and now it’s time for the final push – step by step on the smooth rock, both hands firmly gripping the cables.
of which some daring soul sits, waiting for 1,500 litres of water to smash into him with a pressure of 1.2 bar and launch him 8 metres through the air into the pool - as a human cannonball. “This is something really special,” slide tester Tschech says. Adds Wiegand: “This one makes humans the playtoy of the water.” u
Every three or four metres there’s a board lying crossways between the poles - a spot to stop and catch one’s breath, to pass up slower climbers, and for those who dare - to risk taking a look back down below. The strenuous half-hour “high wire act” brings a rich reward. From the top of Half Dome there’s a breathtaking view of the world far below - a view that drops vertically downwards 1,400 metres to Yosemite Valley. The top of the Half Dome is the size of several football fields. The daring few will crawl out onto a promontory called “the visor”, which looks as its name suggests. Max Bock is now posing for a classic summit photograph. “It’s been worth all the effort,” the German says, beaming. But the effort is only half over. “The return down the Cable Route is tough,” ranger Kari Cobb warns. “Most people will go backwards hanging on to the steel cables. After that there is 13 kilometres of hiking, all downhill.” Many finally finish just as darkness is descending on the valley. But fortunately, the adrenaline rush of having conquered the summit drives the hikers onwards. The fitting souvenir can then be purchased in a Yosemite shop, in the form of a T-shirt that says “I Made It To The Top.” u