Splashworld Provence Waterpark Opens in France

After an interval of nearly 30 years, the first waterpark in France has opened with a variety of "firsts." Not only does the tropical-themed park feature Europe's tallest free-fall slide, but it also is home to the region's largest racing slide, longest toboggan slide and longest leisure river. Polin Waterparks is the waterslides supplier of the Project.

Frederic Bouvard, founder and CEO of Splashworld, said that as his firm was planning its development of one of Europe's most spectacular waterparks, it considered the partnership with the appropriate slide supplier to be absolutely critical.

"After 25 years in the waterpark industry, I had a good understanding of which companies were up to meet our requirements," he explained.

But he also took advantage of his position on the Waterpark Committee of the IAAPA, representing Europe, to share his thoughts with his peers. "Although I never contracted with them before," he said, "I was very interested in Polin." A trip to its state of the art manufacturing plant convinced him of the quality of their products, he added, as well as of the flexibility of its designers - "something that is not so commonly seen," he added. "They truly want to produce what you want and are not constantly trying to convince you that their off-the-shelves product is what you need!"

Now, with the park having opened to much acclaim, he added, "We are extremely happy to have contracted with Polin to provide all the waterslides in our park."

A range of record-setting attractions

Among the waterslides that Polin installed at Splashworld are:

The Huricana Sliiide. This 33-meter-high (108-foot-high) free-fall slide is the tallest in Europe. Manufactured by Polin as its Kamikaze, this expertly engineered ride delivers a high-speed thrill with a slide path consisting of multiple drops.

The Banzaii Bomber. This 18-meter-high (59-foot-high) "rocket launch" free-fall slide launches from the same departure platform as the Huricana Sliiide. It offers guests an exhilarating drop that combines adrenaline and unexpected entertainment. In upcoming seasons, the same tower will host two extreme slides.

The Aloha Racer. Polin's Windigo is a 17-meter-high (55-feet-high) eight-lane, head-first mat racer that starts with Polin's Black Hole slide. This sophisticated thrill ride then transforms into a high-speed multiracer to create the largest racing slide in Europe.