wiegand.waterrides, a leading water rides and attraction provider, has added its latest installation to a well-established European camping destination at Beesd, The Netherlands.
BetuweStrand Recreatie is home to various accommodations and activities, however, the lake takes centre stage with its shallow water and a sandy beach. Needing a new addition to meet demand, the park reached out to wiegand.waterrides with the objective of providing a new, longer waterslide, constructed of stainless steel to give the popular slide park an updated sense of style.
Slide and jump
The new slide is not the company’s first installation at the site, with the lake’s first slide being added in 2012. The site is family-operated by the Kraals, who specifically selected a stainless steel slide as it is a sustainable option that is durable and operates with natural lake water without being damaged or losing quality.
Wiegand’s Tumble Wave, a wide slide with a few undulating rises on the surface, was BetuweStrand’s debut slide, built in the heart of the lake. A popular slide type, its style and height were designed to appeal to the whole family.
As with the nature of open lakes, the water level can vary with the season and weather. Wiegand adapted the slide by placing it on the end of pontoons, so the waterslide runs out to an ideal water surface height.
Catering for thrill-seekers, an adrenaline-inducing Jump Slide was also added, providing excitement for older children and teenagers. Short yet impactful, the slide is barely five metres long, culminating two metres above the lake for a freefall plunge into the water.
New addition
For nearly a decade, the grey slide combination provided fun and memories for swimmers – but campsite owner Arris Kraal envisioned an additional 75-metre themed slide attraction for his lakeside attraction.
Kraal recalls the project saying “We have once again chosen wiegand for our new stainless steel slide because we have excellent experience with it. This project was quite a challenge because the entire basic construction is in the water at a few meters depth.
“With the help of a floating work platform and various telescopic cranes, the whole slide has been professionally placed in a spectacular way. It was immediately [of interest] for our guests who could admire the progress for themselves or enjoy it online.
“Children couldn’t wait to take the first ride from our `Snake’, named after a water sea snake for which wiegand has specially produced a snakehead. The mouth and head of our Snake have been completely airbrushed by wiegand with eyes and scales to make it even more realistic and exciting.”
“We knew in advance that we would create something unique that would appeal to our guests, but we could never have imagined in advance what an enormous success and attraction this new slide has!”
The Snake will not be the last time BetuweStrand Recreatie will utilise wiegand.waterrides’ services, as Kraal continues; “Our biggest ‘problem’ is the proper regulation of the influx of users of our different slides.
“The [COVID-19] distance measures are not easy to implement properly. Last season we responded to this with a ‘stop and go’ system in which our supervisors somewhat regulate the influx.
“For the coming season, we will make technical changes in collaboration with wiegand, such as widening stairs and separating visitor flows to the various slides in advance.
“In addition to the world-class quality of the materials used, we think it is special that the employees of wiegand, despite all technical and safety obstacles, have always thought along with us to realize our ultimate slide and for that we thank you.”
Last month wiegand.waterslides unveiled new glow in the dark technology which allows the company’s slides to be customised.
