What Happened to the Raging Rapids Lazy River Slide at West Edmonton Mall?

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  • čas přidán 22. 08. 2024
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    The World Waterpark first opened its doors in 1986, along with Phase Three of West Edmonton Mall. What many believe to be the most iconic slide in WWP history, was known as the Raging Rapids Lazy River Slide.
    Did you like the camerawork in this video? Well, thank Vern for helping by following him on the world wide web: / vernon.boldick
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Komentáře • 374

  • @scottysoften
    @scottysoften Před 4 lety +178

    I'm that Jeremy guy! Lol Thanks Matthew! I'm so greatful to have had the opportunity to help you with this project! I will never forget how much fun I had working on Raging Rapids in its near full glory days of the early 2000's. Thanks again for such an amazing video, it brings back so many memories of my childhood and the countless hours spent working at one of the world's best water parks! =D
    Side note/question: I remember calling the 'Turn' position 'Corner'. Was Turn the original name, before my time working there?

    • @BestEdmontonMall
      @BestEdmontonMall  Před 4 lety +14

      I had actually heard both (after we spoke) - and meant to mention there were two names... but somewhere along the way the word 'Turn' got stuck in my head. Thanks again for all your help on this video. If I ever see an Orbitz, it'll be yours. ;)

    • @LakeNipissing
      @LakeNipissing Před 4 lety +9

      I remember drinking those Orbitz drinks in the late 1990s. They used to sell them at the Canex store at CFB North Bay. If I recall correct, there was a coconut flavored Orbitz that was real good. I didn't mind the suspended gel in the drink. I guess too many people hated it, and this nifty beverage disappeared.

    • @scottysoften
      @scottysoften Před 4 lety +4

      Best Edmonton Mall deal!! I remember Orbitz that would be awesome, definitely let me know if you find any or maybe some more WWP Pepsi ;) And you are most welcome, Raging Rapids means a lot to me so I'm so happy I could meet you and help with this video :)

    • @englishruraldoggynerd
      @englishruraldoggynerd Před 3 lety +2

      Fantastic watching this, you had such a great thing originally, what did they expect with cutting off half of it!
      And thank you for being ‘That Jeremy Guy’ and providing your footage, you must all have had so much fun, and got so many distinct and distant memories of it. 👍🏻

    • @scottysoften
      @scottysoften Před 3 lety +2

      @@englishruraldoggynerd thank you! I absolutely have some amazing memories! I worked on Raging Rapids back when I was in high school around 2001-2002. Back then it still had the famous waterfall at the bottom so I feel very privileged and honoured to have helped with this project. It was hands down my favorite attraction at the mall with the Drop of Doom a very close second. Something not mentioned in the video but a fun fact and perk of working tube ride was finding sliders loose change on the bottom, you'd be surprised just how much I found! 😂😂

  • @HomeAmatuerRacer
    @HomeAmatuerRacer Před 4 lety +144

    I honestly thought I was losing my mind when I tried the new yellow slide and thought to myself "this used to be a lot wider with multiple paths".
    I'm glad this video validated my sanity.

  • @woodmarketing
    @woodmarketing Před 4 lety +55

    I was a supervisor in the early '90s and I know this ride caused many issues! The "Corner" was brutal for spinal injuries as tubers tended to flip backward hitting their heads on the wall. Once the water shut off button was hit it took a fair bit of time for the water to recede to get a spine board in there and removal was tough due to the slippery incline to bottom. We had to be really creative in how we did this.
    Another issue was the unwanted touching that kept happening on the ride, which was a major reason we had so many guards on there. The ride stayed open later and was a dark area so hard to supervise fully. I had many complaints from parents and teen girls
    Also, I know the rubberized foam padding needed to be replaced in sections due to people getting limbs caught in it. This removal was met by a paint replacement on the slide section. Not a good idea as skin and bone on concrete = massive abrasions and burns... on many days the ride line was dwarfed by the first aid station line we had set up for that ride itself! We ran out of bandaids and gauze at times. SOO many great memories working there, sad to see some of the old rides gone. I'm taking my kids there this Spring break ... should be a time warp!
    Thanks for doing this! I would like to find the footage from the Much music show they did with Dan Gallagher in 93'ish ... also Archie comics did a comic with thieves that ended up in the water park... I remember the writers hanging out for the day...

    • @VonScience
      @VonScience Před 2 lety +12

      I was in the boat of "why would they get rid of the best ride there" until your comment unlocked the memories of these persistent problems. I got scraped and bruised many times and witnessed a few of the serious injuries.
      I totally forgot about the unfortunate knowledge which all teenage girls who went to the waterpark shared: do not get too close to strange male riders in the dark areas of the Rapids. My friends and I would make sure that we never left the middle area on our own.

    • @tegantalks9612
      @tegantalks9612 Před 2 lety +4

      Honestly this makes a lot of sense. I am certified as a lifeguard and getting a spine board on a regular slide is such a pain I can’t imagine how bad it would be on the tube slide. Also my mom works closely with EPS and she says they still get a lot of reports about people creeping on little kids and groping teens at the water park.

    • @CannaToker420
      @CannaToker420 Před rokem +3

      @@VonScience that’s fucking horrible. What kinda sick bastards would assault teenage girls at a water park? Jesus

    • @zombieponcho
      @zombieponcho Před rokem +1

      Ah I knew I was remembering correct when I told friends the old ride was fun but a total liability! I remember having a lot of fun on this ride but also that it was dangerous so I was overly cautious on it. Accidents still happen though and that corner was a nightmare. I hadn't even thought about how bad getting a rescue/medical team in there would have been, wow. Amazing that someone had enough money to build this but didn't bother to account for real physics instead of some Loony Toons physics.

    • @StewNWT
      @StewNWT Před rokem +1

      Thanks for the info and details! Totally makes sense. Sucks though cuz it was cool

  • @ucprod
    @ucprod Před 4 lety +82

    Love this line: "Everything existed as it was meant to." Perfectly describes this channel.

  • @warrenwebb8172
    @warrenwebb8172 Před 4 lety +54

    I was a supervisor at the water park early 2000s. Staff either loved or hated working tube ride, not much middle ground. Ya there were a lot of injuries at corner, couple ambulance calls a week in the busy season.
    I also remember all the humidity in the air, mixed with the chlorine would cause some of the staff to get a cough that was named “tube ride cough”.

    • @SARA-kh1kp
      @SARA-kh1kp Před 4 lety +4

      Not sure what it is but it seems sometimes they put in wayyy too much chlorine into the wavepool to the point where you cough so bad your throat and chest burn. Happened to me a couple times, One day it was so bad everybody in the pool was coughing and when my family and I were changing a lifeguard or slide attendant im not sure, came running in she was coughing so bad she couldnt breathe and passed out we had to go get medical attention and they had to call her an ambulance. Usually its not too bad, but sometimes we go and its very bad.

    • @newageretro
      @newageretro Před 3 lety +3

      Oh the chlorine and the "tube ride cough" the way my buddy who was a lifeguard "back in thr day" pointed out, the water starts at the tube ride, goes to the slides, then the wave pool and then back for treatment. And that was why working the top of the tuberide gave you a cough

    • @ryann3487
      @ryann3487 Před 3 lety +2

      @@SARA-kh1kp yeah one time like 4 years ago when I was there with a bunch of friends my eyes were burning so bad from what I assume was the wavepool. It got so bad that when we were sitting in the hot tub by sun runner I couldn't even see anything beyond the edge of the pool clearly because my vision was so blurry. Ended up dumping water from the Coke machines into my eyes and that helped a bit, but it only got better after I left.

  • @codywhitford897
    @codywhitford897 Před 4 lety +42

    i remember always blocking the second tunnel with multiple people 😂

  • @Campake
    @Campake Před rokem +17

    This was also in the Tom Scott newsletter! Three videos from one person - I don't remember him doing something like this in a while. And I get why he loved this so much - it's great content!
    Here's his text:
    And then the mall waterpark also had what looks like one of the best rapids rides ever made(hyperlink to this video)? And the channel's filming in the old, dry, decaying flumes, presumably with permission? This channel is called "Best Edmonton Mall", and it's been quite a while since I've been this impressed by a small channel. I recommend all three of those videos.

  • @mrdeeds72
    @mrdeeds72 Před 4 lety +29

    The Raging Rapids was my all time favourite slide/fun thing to do at the mall!

  • @fruttibotti1430
    @fruttibotti1430 Před 4 lety +44

    I only got to use the 3rd version of the slide, I would give anything to go on the original or even the second variation

    • @katelyngallup4825
      @katelyngallup4825 Před 4 lety +7

      The second variation was really cool, they wired lights into the tunnels at the straight away section it was super trippy and fun it was my favourite slide in the park I'm heartbroken to hear it's gone 😢

    • @SavouryLobster
      @SavouryLobster Před 4 lety +1

      The original was disgusting in it's later years. Very gross and you'd get stuck a lot.

    • @SierraM197
      @SierraM197 Před 4 lety

      I have not tried it at all but the og one looks really fun

    • @user-kd9qk7ij2j
      @user-kd9qk7ij2j Před 4 lety

      I got to ride the 2nd and 3rd version but definitely enjoyed the 2nd best

  • @Oniqueen
    @Oniqueen Před 4 lety +32

    I remember this slide mostly due to the fact I lost my glasses on one of the steep slide.

    • @user-kd9qk7ij2j
      @user-kd9qk7ij2j Před 4 lety +2

      Why were you wearing glasses in the water park!! I can barely see without myne but even I don’t wear em

  • @BestEdmontonMall
    @BestEdmontonMall  Před 4 lety +55

    The WWP has plenty of awesome slides, but my favorite was always the Raging Rapids.

    • @charlottegambler
      @charlottegambler Před 4 lety +4

      hi best edmonton mall your videos are great please keep up the good work

    • @jamieyakimets839
      @jamieyakimets839 Před 4 lety +2

      Best Edmonton Mall Fully agreed. I was only kid when I use to ride on it (late 90s to early 00s), and it’s still the slide of which I have the fondest memories. The moment of anticipation before heading down the through the tunnel was fantastically nerve-wrecking.
      I also miss the original blue bullet... glad it got a mention as well.

    • @ChantelleCynthia
      @ChantelleCynthia Před 4 lety

      Best Edmonton Mall agreed!

  • @mrFunkyPickle
    @mrFunkyPickle Před 4 lety +13

    Wow rest. In. Peace. What a blast from the past thank you

  • @dylanthomas8961
    @dylanthomas8961 Před 4 lety +6

    I remember at the bottom of the original ride, there was a big waterfall you had to go through before reaching the exit. The ride attendants could not clearly see you through the falling water so you could sneak back up to the last drop and take it again. Eventually, they would catch on and chase you out, lol! One of my best memories of the Raging Rapids!

  • @steven_jahn
    @steven_jahn Před 4 lety +10

    The summer pass was an amazing deal even for its time. $50 for unlimited visits to either park and a July & August bus pass. I had one from ages 13 when it first started to 15. At 13 and 14 I was at the waterpark at least twice per week and I made the trek all the way from Hermitage in NE Edmonton via #73, LRT, and #100 bus (or was it 101?)
    I would always lounge around in mid. Only to be pulled into the final section by an attendant. It was by far my favourite ride.

    • @user-kd9qk7ij2j
      @user-kd9qk7ij2j Před 4 lety +1

      Woah only 50 bucks!! Now it costs just that for a few hours 😮

  • @EverydayJ1786
    @EverydayJ1786 Před 4 lety +99

    I was lucky enough to ride this ride . Was one of my favorites for sure ... On another note can you consider making a video about the hidden places within West Edmonton mall ? There had been a rumor that there was a future lrt station built under the mall at the time of construction of the mall back in the 80's or even a bunker of some kind . I had heard even classrooms were built under the mall as well .

    • @rehab5116
      @rehab5116 Před 4 lety +10

      Yes there are classrooms! I went in my preschool feildtrip, cant remember exactly where it was but you cant acsess it without a pass and your school info with your principal at Ricks

    • @SMARTBoardSBMInchInteractiveWh
      @SMARTBoardSBMInchInteractiveWh Před 4 lety +9

      OMG THOSE CLASSROOMS WERE USED DURING FIELD TRIPS IM NOT CRAZY

    • @professorchaosX94
      @professorchaosX94 Před 4 lety +10

      One time at the elevator by the movie theatre by hmv it went to the basement by mistake I only went a few feet out and looked around but it was super creepy. It was middle of summer and all around was the Christmas decorations and super long hallways. Ran back to the elevator because I was scared I might get stuck down there since I went down there by mistake.

    • @aceraceae
      @aceraceae Před 3 lety +1

      same

    • @Kailee201
      @Kailee201 Před 2 lety +1

      Same sadly only once tho

  • @_Matsimus_
    @_Matsimus_ Před 4 lety +16

    I love this channel! I love Edmonton Mall and I love this video! Keep it up!

  • @chaz865
    @chaz865 Před 4 lety +2

    I was born in 88 so all these videos are very nostalgic from my youth watching these videos bring back memories i had forgotten

  • @liftedresearcher64
    @liftedresearcher64 Před 4 lety +25

    my dad would be a bully and flip mine and my siblings’s tubes all the time. He loved it.

    • @originalsaplings
      @originalsaplings Před 4 lety

      Hahaha, same. It was always a challenge to try and flip friends & family.

  • @Lucysmom26
    @Lucysmom26 Před 4 lety +5

    Hey I remember this (OG version, we left Edmonton in 1989)! The waterpark was my favourite attraction in the entire mall and we used to beg and beg and beg my mom to take us. And in the waterpark, the raging rapids was by far my favourite ride, too. I remember hanging around that middle section for ages. Kids were pretty unsupervised back then so I would be with my little friends from school and we'd just hang out going down it over and over for hours. I can still recall how pleasant the water temp was - not too warm, not too cool. Perfect, especially in an Edmonton winter... Curious if anyone else commenting remembers a store called Mariposa? As a little girl that was the store I always wanted to buy all my clothes from, because it was where all the cool older girls got theirs. Anyway, great vid, great nostalgia trip, thank you. :)

    • @Berubium
      @Berubium Před 4 lety +2

      Lucysmom26 I remember those days. Mariposa was my sister’s fav store too. All the kids her age (born 1976) would beg to go there.

    • @twinberettas
      @twinberettas Před 3 lety +1

      Chiming in that I too remember Mariposa. Just as I was old enough to wear clothes from there, they closed up shop, haha, but my mother loved it.

    • @laurenkimberly3937
      @laurenkimberly3937 Před 2 lety +1

      I remember mariposa

  • @devonopdendries7722
    @devonopdendries7722 Před 4 lety +4

    I remember the original raging rapids as a kid and I definitely remember having to ready myself for the last drop and tight turn to avoid getting flipped haha. It was definitely my favorite slide in the entire park. I also remember the shock of riding it after the changes, going through the lighted tunnel and thinking "woa this is different" thanks for a walk down memory lane 😊

  • @HawkEye3366
    @HawkEye3366 Před 4 lety +5

    Great video. Growing up I had the attractions pass. Spent many summers cruising down the river.
    Thanks for the nostalgia :)

  • @carolyndallimore8718
    @carolyndallimore8718 Před 4 lety +12

    The og version was my absolute fave at the waterpark. Great opportunity for an overstimulated and not very brave kid to spend some quiet time away from the crowds and the bigger, brasher attractions. I understand how difficult it would be to maintain, but its a shame these kind of retreats tend to get cut out so easily, because they dont leave a lot of places for those of us in need of a bit of peace to go.

    • @jeremyfreeman4829
      @jeremyfreeman4829 Před 3 lety +2

      Yaas, it was pretty chill :) .... I miss it too. It may have gotten gnarly in the end, but the OG version was really beautiful (as all the mall used to be) and chill. Soo many more plants along the ride too -- it was tropical in there and the entire waterpark! (and rumor had it, had a bit of a cockroach problem, as they hitched a ride on all the palmtrees). Probably what I miss most about WEM.. The tropical plants and planters everywhere.. Old Fantasyland storefronts (like the bizarre Hardware Store), ..the ballmachines and peacocks, and the plants throughout the mall and the original waterpark. Not to mention the tanning beds, etc. lol. Never used them, but was cool they were actually there /an option :D Actual wood in the mall.. They don't make things like they used to.

  • @pawprintheroes8408
    @pawprintheroes8408 Před 3 lety +1

    This was my favorite slide 🥺 i was heart broken when it was removed

    • @aaazzz090
      @aaazzz090 Před 4 měsíci

      Me too, I liked it because it was a combination of both relaxation and excitement,,,

  • @alexav4329
    @alexav4329 Před 3 lety +1

    I remember this ride from when I was younger. Very fun, miss it though!

    • @aaazzz090
      @aaazzz090 Před 4 měsíci

      Me too, it should have never closed, it was so much fun,,

  • @yegmtb8377
    @yegmtb8377 Před 4 lety +4

    I was a kid when riding this ride and one of lucky few to experience the original rapids the way it was meant to be ridden. It really saddens me that Water park has changed its true magic and palm tree getaway feels it once had how tropical it all felt. That's something we can all hold onto.

  • @meghan9436
    @meghan9436 Před 4 lety +4

    Greetings from Japan again. These videos definitely help a lot with the homesickness that comes with living abroad. I didn't arrive in the Edmonton area until 1999, so I think I missed the heyday of this slide.

  • @Mondoblasto0
    @Mondoblasto0 Před 3 měsíci

    Haven't gone to the waterpark much over the years, but I do remember Raging Rapids back in the day as a teen. That ride was sooo relaxing!

  • @whatifwevibed429
    @whatifwevibed429 Před 4 lety +3

    It is hard to see this slide go. I haven’t been to west ed water park for about 3 years. This is the first time I was told it closed. I remember a phase about 5 years ago (2014) when it was only one path without the blue tube. I didn’t even know there was a blue tube until I watched this video. God... I cannot believe its gone. I was planning on going to the water park again soon, and go on that ride first. It was my favourite. Well, at least we all have our memories. I’ll miss it dearly.

  • @Inlinetodie
    @Inlinetodie Před 2 lety +1

    Hello to all my fellow Edmontonians who grew up with this mall, we all had a great time together and here we are again

  • @DKazzed
    @DKazzed Před 4 lety +2

    I last rode this in 1992-93 which must’ve been the original design? Don’t remember too much of it except that I loved it.

  • @Benhojka
    @Benhojka Před 4 lety +13

    I guess it shows how long since I’ve been there that I had no idea this was gone. The part about people waiting to steal your tubes cause you don’t wanna pay the $5 to rent one totally hit home haha. I wonder how it costs to rent a tube now a days.

    • @sophiehoskins5642
      @sophiehoskins5642 Před 4 lety +2

      It costs Nada

    • @scarletellis2274
      @scarletellis2274 Před 3 lety

      You don’t rent tubes anymore lol you just wait for tubes

    • @jeremyfreeman4829
      @jeremyfreeman4829 Před 3 lety

      .. At one point they were a Buck for the Blue and yellow (rental) ones.. And I think that was too much for my mom/family... lol
      Envious..

  • @trinzy3000
    @trinzy3000 Před 4 lety +9

    I love these videos...brings me back!!! Not going to lie though, the lazy river wasn’t my fave. I remember scraping myself on the walls or something lol. It was all about the Blue Bullet (less stairs but lots of fun), Nessie’s Revenge, and the Howler (although I think that one was one of the highest so too many damn stairs!).
    Does anyone else remember going to the candy store that was upstairs next to the water park after a day at park??

    • @anthonyr4705
      @anthonyr4705 Před 4 lety

      Yes I remember that candy shop!! I always wanted to go there but my parents wouldn’t let me. Also, when you came out of the waterpark, I remember there was a really weird spa thing, it looked like a coffin but it looked kinda fun.

    • @zxcvbnmjfjf
      @zxcvbnmjfjf Před 2 lety

      @@anthonyr4705 Thank you for bring back that treasured memory. I remember always being fascinated by those water spas.

  • @faedraemberhart5500
    @faedraemberhart5500 Před 4 lety +6

    I remember when I was a kid the lazy rivers jam definitely wasnt there and I dont think the middle part was either but I remember there being 2 different paths. I also remember the tube lineup and running as fast as we could to the slide entrance. Also werent their lights in one of the lazy river tunnels? I also remember being on the white lightning. One time my moms friend was on it and severely damaged her foot and had to go to first aid cuz it was bleeding all over. Totally understand why that closed. When I was even younger (too young to swim) my mom would take me out into the wave pool and id always get terrified when the horn went off to start the waves. My mom said she would come home bruised everywhere from me kicking her and hanging onto her neck tightly. I used to go there all the time as a kid but havent in like 5 years now. Definitely wanna go back there soon and see what changed. Loving all this nostalgia on this channel even though im a little too young for some of it (21)

    • @faedraemberhart5500
      @faedraemberhart5500 Před 4 lety

      Hell I think I 2 birthday parties there even and my dad would rent the cabanas near nessies revenge. Man just so many memories brought up by this video

    • @jeremyfreeman4829
      @jeremyfreeman4829 Před 4 lety

      The waves were a lot more intense then, yah.. then they tamed them down as this channel details in some other video ;P I was a skinny kid and got clobbered/landed on top of quite a few times by much bigger/plumper people getting tossed by the waves... thankfully I was a great swimmer :D

  • @epiphanyjayne
    @epiphanyjayne Před 5 měsíci

    That was a favorite of mine when i was a kid. I miss it 😢 wish i could share that experience with my children. ❤

  • @shannonmarshall4263
    @shannonmarshall4263 Před 4 lety +7

    I mostly remember skinning my legs across concrete on this slide.
    Maybe a “whatever happened to Edmonton’s Wild Waters video?”

  • @lifewithneenz355
    @lifewithneenz355 Před 4 lety +1

    I remember that slide! Definitely my favourite when I was a kid. So sad when they started changing it and then when it finally closed 😢

  • @ALISTGAMERS1
    @ALISTGAMERS1 Před 4 lety +13

    any plans to cover professor wems and dragon tale mini golf as well as some past exhibits we had at the mall such as the dinosaur alive one back in 2008

  • @CharlieRosek
    @CharlieRosek Před 4 lety +1

    I rode this ride in I think 2003-ish and I loved it!! I still think back on it every now and then as my favourite waterpark attraction. so sad to hear it's no more, I'd always hoped to go back and ride it again as an adult. lazy rivers are the best!

  • @ChadLEMcGhie
    @ChadLEMcGhie Před 6 měsíci

    Was just there yesterday, and I STILL miss the OG. I was crazy young, but glad I got to experience it.

  • @WhiteWulfe
    @WhiteWulfe Před 3 lety +1

    It was pretty much my favourite ride there. When I was a lot younger, it was somewhat harder to navigate, but once I got somewhat taller it was a joy to be able to relax, yet still move through it.

  • @LukeWohlgemut
    @LukeWohlgemut Před rokem

    Thanks for the video! I remember riding the OG version as a kid around 1990 ish. It was my favourite ride! ❤

  • @spunkflunk
    @spunkflunk Před 4 lety +8

    That is for making this video I ask myself the same question everytime I'm there

  • @jaymalloryy
    @jaymalloryy Před 4 lety +5

    This was my favourite slide as a kid. I always wondered why they got rid of it!

    • @scottysoften
      @scottysoften Před 4 lety +2

      Jenna Mallory I know right 💯% agreed! Its arguably one of the best attractions the mall has ever had! At least we both were lucky enough to experience it growing up :)

  • @LakeNipissing
    @LakeNipissing Před 4 lety +3

    11:52 . . . Matt with the hat!! :)
    Brilliant video for the history of this slide.
    I remember being on this in the original form, and you got *soaked* by the waterfalls!!

  • @Berubium
    @Berubium Před 4 lety +1

    Awesome video!!! I was one of the unlucky ones to get injured on that slide back in 1992. I flipped over at the bottom of the turn & hit the back of my neck on the small exposed part of concrete at the bottom the slope where it met the flat part. I remember them putting me into a stretcher on the slide & taking an ambulance ride all the way to Mill Woods despite there being hospitals much closer. They were concerned it was a serious spinal injury but it ended up being not bad & I had full mobility within a few days.
    A couple years later, I went on the slide again & fell the exact same way & hit my head on pretty much the same spot, but wasn’t hurt lol. In spite of all that, I loved that slide too!!!

  • @TechnokidYT
    @TechnokidYT Před 4 lety +7

    Oh dude! Thank you!! I requested this!

  • @kaioker
    @kaioker Před 4 lety +1

    i do remember it in its former glory. by far it was the best slide in the park.
    RIP rapids, you will be missed

    • @aaazzz090
      @aaazzz090 Před 4 měsíci

      Definitely,, it was a blast going their should have never changed it,

  • @lionelfrantzsiplife
    @lionelfrantzsiplife Před 4 lety +3

    Great video bem

  • @MisterGlassy
    @MisterGlassy Před 4 lety +9

    Please do a look back at the white lightning and it's dangers

    • @LakeNipissing
      @LakeNipissing Před 4 lety +3

      White Lightning / Thunderbolt ruled! The danger was what made it fun.

  • @DoubleTheDees
    @DoubleTheDees Před 4 lety +1

    Once again this channel takes me back to some of my fondest childhood memories. Thank you so much for this, dude. Raging Rapids 4ever

  • @TrickiVicBB71
    @TrickiVicBB71 Před 4 lety +1

    I went to West Ed a few weeks ago with my girlfriend and her friends. Was wondering what that abandoned waterslide was. Thank you!

  • @Qui-9
    @Qui-9 Před 4 lety +4

    I remember riding it in it's original form when I was in high school, and one time one of the attendants told me about how when the wave pool was new, they applied full power to the waves and flooded the change rooms. I miss that slide, it's odd seeing its remnants while I was wondering if they'd restart it again. The yellow slide isn't nearly as enjoyable.
    At the time, I remember exiting through the gift shop, and taped flat to the counter beside the till was an interesting fact/spec sheet about the pool, stating how many gallons etc, and I noticed it said maximum wave height as 7 feet! I'd like to see that but that's probably why the water ran over into the change rooms lol.
    What happened to the slides with the plastic sleds? That was hella fun and scary going down that steep lol. But I guess the surf machine is in it's place now.
    I think the waves were 3 or 5 ft, and they are the same now, but I notice they usually run only like 3 of the six wave makers at a time now, which is disappointing because the waves covered a wider area of the pool before and therefore people weren't fighting for the little sweet spot. But sometimes they make wide waves and it's awesome. I like how they still blow the same horn and the crowd cheers at the start of a new session, and I like how the sessions are randomly changed between each one, you have different style of wave sets. Never need to change those things 👌. It certainly beats the small "always on diamond" type in generic pools.
    I still find the place enjoyable, and for the price, make sure you go early and stay a good 3-5 hours, there's a lot to enjoy 😊

  • @kristianhuttaldrich8506
    @kristianhuttaldrich8506 Před 4 lety +2

    This was one of the best rides in the whole park

  • @ShawnWigginsKafka
    @ShawnWigginsKafka Před 4 lety +1

    I used to love that ride! Thank-you for making this!!!

  • @kirbysuperstaruhh3769
    @kirbysuperstaruhh3769 Před 3 lety +1

    The second to last time i went i heard my dad mention being dissapointed at the closure of this slide, now i understand. I wish i couldve gotten a chance to ride it

  • @Fifalasvegas17
    @Fifalasvegas17 Před 4 lety +1

    This was my favourite slide. Also had the Attractions Pass. My brother and I always tried to flip each other

  • @meandyourmom69_
    @meandyourmom69_ Před 4 lety +4

    When I was able to go on the raging rapids, you still started from the beginning, but at the end you went into a dark tube tunnel with colourful lights, but we could still only go on one vortex, I miss that slide a lot, and here’s my funny story about it.
    So me, my mom, my sister, and my moms friend all went to the world water park, and so I loved the raging rapids, so I went on it, and got stuck right near the end, my moms friend was so nervous, and then this guy ran into my tube and so I got unstuck. I cried during that I was like 8

  • @kadickau
    @kadickau Před 3 lety +1

    Loved that tube ride. Sad it is gone

    • @aaazzz090
      @aaazzz090 Před 4 měsíci

      Agreed, it was one of my favourite rides at the waterpark, So much fun

  • @superkelz1049
    @superkelz1049 Před rokem

    Oh wow I didn't know they added fast tubes! The original was my favorite and it was fun grabbing onto your friend's hand and trying to fling each other down the little slopes :)

  • @pontiacgoblin
    @pontiacgoblin Před 4 lety +1

    Oh man, I pretty much lived on this thing whenever I was lucky enough to have my parents buy me an attractions pass. This and the old blue bullet were my fav. I was so sad when they changed and ruined it both of them, Lol! Great video! Lots of memories.

  • @chrissmith513
    @chrissmith513 Před 8 měsíci

    Yes we rode on Wild Rapids when it first opened ! So fun it was but as you said the cement wall flipped the tubes over ! But it was so much fun ! 🎄🎄🎄

  • @jillianhauck9215
    @jillianhauck9215 Před 4 lety +2

    Can you do what happen to the canon ball

  • @brentwatier6654
    @brentwatier6654 Před 4 lety +1

    I believe I rode the original. I was so young I can’t fully remember but yes it was amazing. So sad it’s gone. Great video. Thanks for all your hard work.

  • @cochese18
    @cochese18 Před 3 lety

    Thanks for this video, I used to spend whole days on this slide in the 90's when my friends and I had attraction passes. I'm going to enjoy showing my kids the waterpark that once was.

  • @lauriepenner350
    @lauriepenner350 Před 4 lety +1

    My family was really cheap so I never made it to the World Waterpark more than a handful of times in my childhood. It was like visiting the Holy Grail. It was even rarer for Mom 'n' Dad to splurge for a tube rental or even a locker (meaning one parent had to stay on shore and watch our stuff the whole time). My main memory of the Raging Rapids was the time my sister scraped up her leg on the concrete bottom and sides. I was always nervous of riding after that.

  • @lindsayhalladay1946
    @lindsayhalladay1946 Před rokem

    I remember this slide, it was one if my favorites

  • @mattstang281
    @mattstang281 Před 4 lety +1

    I remember that the original ride tubes were thick rubber and I always had difficulty carrying them up the first set of stairs, and used to get annoyed when the attendants in the vortex would push me to the drop lol

  • @babalab4486
    @babalab4486 Před rokem +1

    Hey There @Best Edmonton Mall I was rewatching this video of yours and you missed a small part of Raging Rapids History. The second right path between the middle and the jam between the time when the entire right bath was working and when the right path was cut shorter. Right when Sun Runner came in, a bit of the sun runners path caught into the second Right bath between the middle and the jam removing a bit of the wall of the path of the slide causing the path to be closed. And for a short time, there was no second right path. It was still there but they blocked it off both ends for no water to run through. (In the photos of the jam getting removed and other photos you can see the entrance and exit of the second right path blocked off) It was like that for a VERY VERY short time before the got rid of the jam entirely.

  • @loganmanweiler4957
    @loganmanweiler4957 Před 2 lety

    This was my favourite slide and I was devastated when it was removed

  • @jasonbucknell4473
    @jasonbucknell4473 Před rokem

    I loved riding the tubes when I was younger. Flipped many times at the turn and took some lumps, but fortunately never injured too bad.

  • @wiscadams
    @wiscadams Před 4 lety

    I love these videos. Really brings me back to my childhood, driving up from Calgary for a day or two at the mall.

  • @bren2232
    @bren2232 Před 3 lety

    I rode the 2nd revision and I loved it. Can't even imagine it better than it was... Thanks for this video!

  • @sexystarrs
    @sexystarrs Před 4 lety +1

    I have even more history for you on this. My father was part of the company who actually built the water park. I know the ins and outs of the backside of the wwp. I have been to were they keep all the animals and aquariums under ground. Some place around my house i think I still have the pictures of everything being built. My dad even built the area where the submarines used to be.

  • @Christy_G_
    @Christy_G_ Před 2 měsíci

    I remember getting knocked out on that slide one of the best days of my life lolol! It was my favorite slide, got knocked out went right back in line.

  • @TheCoss10
    @TheCoss10 Před 4 lety +1

    Love this channel. So much nostalgia. Thank you.

  • @OriginalPineapplesFoster

    Although I've only visited the waterpark once, in the 90s, you make it feel like I've been there tons. Thanks dude. ✌️🍍

  • @jolenelutyck1422
    @jolenelutyck1422 Před 3 lety

    Aww that was the best part of the waterpark! I still remember riding that as a kid!

  • @finzo777
    @finzo777 Před 4 lety +2

    Damn i never got to experience this ride but it looks hella fun

  • @dwsnb
    @dwsnb Před 4 lety +1

    Great video as always! Always look forward to watching your videos. Anyways, could you make a video on the bungee jump tower in WWP?

  • @curtis1220
    @curtis1220 Před 4 lety +1

    Great channel👍, I love the mall. Can't wait to visit it again in December😎

  • @Diids12
    @Diids12 Před 4 lety

    Every time I stand in line for the sort-of-fun Sun Runner, I look at the old bones of Raging Rapids and remember how awesome that ride was.

  • @shanesutton336
    @shanesutton336 Před rokem

    This was my favorite ride in the entire mall! It gutted me when they started culling sections from it. I loved it as a kid, and when I started getting older, it was an amazing place to flirt and meet girls! Removing this ride changed the entire vibe of the park.
    I used to work in the Bungee Jump Tower, and looking down to see where the rapids used to be always made me sad. Still does. Thanks for the video. Loved it so much.

  • @donaolliffe5249
    @donaolliffe5249 Před 4 lety

    Definitely one if my favorite rides growing g up in early 2000s so awesome sad to see it's gone

  • @victoriawebb7358
    @victoriawebb7358 Před 8 měsíci

    This was definitely a GREAT water slide! I worked there from the Grand Opening Date for many years and we all had a Love~Hate relationship with this one. As a slide attendant, you got completely wet at this station but also we had so much fun! Fun Fact … just watched your video here and saw myself from our photo shoot days … I’m the 15-year old girl modeling as I came out of the bottom of the slide pool on the ladder on the Triple Speed Slides from your shot of the postcard in this video! Thanks for making my day🥰 Those were some pretty AMAZING days!!!

  • @n0vellette
    @n0vellette Před 4 lety

    I never get to go that often despite only being in Calgary, but when I was a kid the rapids were my FAVOURITE! We rode it every time we got the opportunity to visit Edmonton. I didn't even know it closed down! What a shame!

  • @TheKurtsPlaceChannel
    @TheKurtsPlaceChannel Před 4 lety

    Great video. Thanks for posting this. Have a nice day.

  • @peachtea3175
    @peachtea3175 Před 4 lety +1

    wow neat, I had no idea thats what happened to this slide

  • @minion986
    @minion986 Před 2 lety

    The only reason why I loved the waterpark. They gotta find some way to bring this back

  • @Angie2283
    @Angie2283 Před 4 lety

    I love your channel it bring me back to some of my favourite memories of west Ed as a kid. Growing up in St. Albert trips to the mall were huge highlights! Thanks for reminding me!

  • @fitnesswithsteve
    @fitnesswithsteve Před 4 lety +2

    Can you do a video on the HVAC system in the mall? If you are able to gain access to the mechanical rooms with the furnaces and generators and such would be interesting for such a large building!

  • @Cortana278
    @Cortana278 Před 4 lety +2

    You should do one about the fish tanks! I remember the huge fish tanks they use to have around the mall

    • @Lucysmom26
      @Lucysmom26 Před 4 lety

      I went on a nostalgia binge on this guy's videos about a month ago and was wondering about whether or not the aquariums would be mentioned or shown. I remember them being on the second level overlooking the ice rink. Really, really big and full of tropical fish.

    • @lauriepenner350
      @lauriepenner350 Před 4 lety +1

      ​@@Lucysmom26 There were aquariums there until maybe 10 years ago. Salt water fish are tricky to keep alive and I think there was a high turnover rate because the species of fish in the tank were different every time I went. It's probably for the best they got rid of the aquariums (as well as the koi pond near T&T, which also seemed to go through fish very fast).

  • @Mobius-one
    @Mobius-one Před rokem

    I loved working here I’m high school, best memories were me and the boys taking mini tubes to the top of twister and 7 of us would all link arms and make a chain. Mini tubes has less surface area so they went faster then you add all our weight together. 2 points in that slide you had to be careful going that fast or you would fly out of the slide literally. One time me and my buddy were going a little fast and we were in the middle of the stack, we both bailed off our tubes into the slide at the last second as the tubes went flying out. Many more stories like this, the staff functions were wild as well after hours

  • @Slurpee_Burger
    @Slurpee_Burger Před rokem

    I remember this ride (if it’s that blue one, looks so different from how it was! My friends and I would go on this and get ourselves stuck in the tunnel part, grabbing the wall. This was in the early 2010s. I vaguely remember one kid who was smaller than us yelling and kicking us to force us to budge. We were little turds but it made for great memories 😝
    I also remember I was with a group that rented out the whole waterpark and a few hundred of us went down a slide at the same time!! It was crazy, and against the rules… but so fun.

  • @zbrown69
    @zbrown69 Před 2 lety

    This answered my question why it was an abandoned slide. Sadly never got to ride this slide as i was born in 2005 ;(

  • @noahclarke9615
    @noahclarke9615 Před 3 lety

    Ok this explains a lot to me, I always remembered there being a middle pool as a kid but I could never fully remember and I always just thought I was remembering it wrong

  • @lisadoornbos4519
    @lisadoornbos4519 Před 3 lety

    Oh the memories! Used to go as end of year parties in junior high school... it had only been open a year or so the first time I went. Circa 1987! We used to stay at the bottom of that vortex waiting to get bumped by the next tube lol, wow the attendants busted us so many times lol!

  • @everythingsalright1121

    I never got to ride this one. I remember seeing water running thru it in the 2000s as part of a year end field trip in grade 6 but it was closed. It looked neat

  • @kimberleydawnbarnaschone3716

    Honestly my favourite slide as a kid. I had back problems when I was young, so this was one of the only slides my mum would let me go on, because it was a lot more chill and didn’t jar you around as much as the others. I loved this one. I got to ride the original, but I don’t remember the second or third portions. I remember going down the final slide and always being scared of hitting my head on the wall haha

  • @devingibson4463
    @devingibson4463 Před 3 lety

    Great video! Yes I lucky enough to ride the Raging Rapids as a kid and young teen in the late 90s and early 00s. Loved the ride but not the wait. This and the White Lightning always made this Wetaskiwin boy's day. (Reminisces about the 90s. wells up, starts crying) :_( The waterpark and WEM always has a special place in my heart.

  • @Doseofpie
    @Doseofpie Před 3 lety

    God i miss the waterpark and galaxyland (not living in edm anymore) In the early 2000s these places were the BEST and this slide was my fav ! Lol you would meet alot people on this slide lol