WhiteWater Celebrates Two Brass Ring Awards and New Products at IAAPA Expo 2024

WhiteWater, a prominent waterpark manufacturer, has shared valuable insights regarding the impact of its latest product launches at IAAPA Expo 2024. The company showcased more new products than ever before at this leading industry event and was honoured with two prestigious Brass Ring Awards.

The awards were given for Walhalla, which was recognised as the runner-up in the Best New Product: Class A (over $2m) category, and Mini Blaster, which secured the runner-up position in the Best New Product: Class B (under $2m) category.

Award-winning Products

Walhalla stands out as the world’s fastest six-person raft ride. It combines two striking attractions, Boomerango and Manta, delivering the highest climbs, fastest speeds, and largest thrills in WhiteWater’s impressive collection.

This ride made its debut at Meryal Waterpark in Lusail, Qatar, offering a shared experience for friends and family. It features lateral high speeds of 50 km/h (31 mph), up to seven thrilling oscillations, maximum G-forces, weightless experiences, and a terrifying drop of 11.4 meters (37.4 feet). Its popularity is evident, with a single Instagram reel of the ride garnering over 286 million views. Beyond the excitement, Walhalla is designed to use minimal water and energy, resulting in low operational costs for its size.

The second award-winning product from the company, the Mini Blaster, is a scaled-down version of the classic Master Blaster, aimed at children 36 inches (91.4 cm) and taller. The Mini Blaster features a more gradual acceleration compared to the adult version, reaching speeds of 25 km/h (15.5 mph) instead of 48 km/h (30 mph), with a ride time of just over 20 seconds. Children can enjoy multiple rides as the run-out lane is strategically positioned at the attraction’s entrance for high throughput. This design, along with its slide course, is also suitable for parks with limited space.

“The ride is a winner to us,” comments Schlitterbahn New Braunfels in Texas, which features the first Mini Blaster in its new kids’ area.

Doug Smith, global head of sales at WhiteWater, states: “The contrast between these award-worthy products couldn’t be greater, but they are both proven to thrill their target audiences. Kudos to everyone involved for the careful thought and hard work that went into making these attractions a reality.”

New Products Revealed

WhiteWater debuted Wall Runner at IAAPA Expo last year. Set to open at Soaky Mountain Waterpark in Tennessee next year, it promises a thrilling ride experience with a first-of-its-kind lateral acceleration that prolongs the zero-G sensation.

At IAAPA Expo 2024, WhiteWater unveiled the following new products:

• Topspin. Featuring a high-banking corkscrew descent, Topspin is a stunning attraction on its own and can also be paired with other features to create an exhilarating slide that is sure to delight visitors. Both enclosed and open types are available in this newest addition to WhiteWater’s small footprint features. Topspin will premiere at Parrot Island Waterpark, Arkansas.
• Nautilus. This ride boasts a unique 90-degree turn, twisting over, under, around, and through. Its ability to adjust to different incoming slide routes and speeds makes Nautilus perfect for fusion slides. It is available in two forms: one enclosed and the other featuring a centre hole for a crawl-through, walkway, or flume-thru-flume slide. Nautilus will also launch at Parrot Island Waterpark, Arkansas.

• Slingshot. This innovation allows for quick direction changes and high-banking curves that are enjoyable both to ride and watch. Slingshot’s intimidating sawtooth finish enhances the physical presence of any slide and performs well in small spaces, effectively containing water. Yas Waterworld in Abu Dhabi will host Slingshot’s premiere.
• Covered Boomerango. The classic zero-G Boomerango wall can now be covered and extended outside of an indoor water park. This not only saves valuable space inside but also serves as an excellent billboard. Covered Boomerango will premiere at Kalahari Resorts and Conventions – Wisconsin Dells, in Wisconsin.
• Fiesta Slide. Simple yet enticing, the Fiesta Slide allows up to six adults to slide down an undulated ramp side by side. It comes in various heights and levels of excitement, providing a vast surface for creative theming or park branding. The Fiesta Slide debuted at Evermore Resort in Florida this year.
• SmartPay. SmartPay by Vantage enables visitors to share payment access with friends and family, such as for corporate events or older children, while setting tailored spending restrictions for each individual. This feature manages charging rights for groups of guests, offering security, autonomy, and the potential to increase sales. The first SmartPay deployment will take place at the San Antonio Zoo in Texas.

Onno Meeter, WhiteWater’s president of water parks, remarks: “These awards and new products demonstrate WhiteWater’s continued commitment to providing both unique attractions and clever solutions to serve diverse market needs. As we head into 2025, we are excited to bring these new innovations to life.”

At IAAPA Expo 2024, WhiteWater also announced its ISO 14001 certification and celebrated the induction of its CEO, Geoff Chutter, into the IAAPA Hall of Fame.