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Volume 2, No. 9. May 24, 2002

New Arrivals

It’s a waterslide!
Roaring Springs Waterpark in Meridian, Idaho, announces the arrival of The Avalanche, May 18, 2002. Measurements: 40 feet high (12 meters), 76 feet long (23 meters), 35 feet wide (11 meters), three-person tubes. Delivered by Waterfun Products, Inc.

Roaring Springs could have been tempting fate when it celebrated the groundbreaking of its new $300,000 thrill ride by breaking an ice-sculpture rendering of the ride. Would ice exact revenge on the ride’s—and the park’s—Opening Day?

Not in 90-degree Fahrenheit (32 Celsius) temperatures, which southern Idaho enjoyed last weekend. About 1,500 people entered the park on its opening Saturday, and another 1,200 visited the 4,000-capacity park on Sunday. “That’s a good opening weekend for us,” said Roaring Springs General Manager Lee Hovis.

Avalanche probably played a hand in those numbers. The ride is part of a one-acre (half hectare) expansion of the park which also included a sand area with two volleyball courts and more lounge chairs. The ride gives the waterpark a singular thrill. “One thing we were lacking was a thrill ride,” Hovis said. And the boomeranging Sidewinder fit the bill. “When you get to the top of that tower and look down and can’t see the bottom, that’s when people chicken out.”

Hovis got a big boost in publicity through what he called an “MTV-style contest,” referring to the music channel’s famous party competitions. Anybody who bought season passes could enter for a chance to invite 50 friends to a private party at Roaring Springs and ride Avalanche the evening before it opened to the public. A local radio station partnered in the contest, allowing non-season pass holders to enter via the station’s web site.

The winner was a season passholder with an 11-year-old son, and she invited kids from her son’s school, along with relatives. Winner and son were transported via limousine, courtesy of the radio station, who also provided a deejay for the party. Roaring Springs served hamburgers and hotdogs and operated Avalanche for the evening. “We really catered to them, and they felt special,” Hovis said. “It was a real good promotion for us, and right before we opened.”