I went on the world’s tallest slide in London and screamed like a small child
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Your support makes all the difference.When news came that Carsten Höller’s ArcelorMittal Orbit sculpture was going to be turned into a tube slide, I imagined it to be a leisurely one centred around taking in aerial views of London similar to the London Eye. As it turns out, it is anything but.
This is a good thing, I find the London Eye aggressively boring.
Instead, The Slide is an adrenaline-orientated heartstopper that genuinely provoked mortal fear in me, which is exactly what you want from a ride you know deep down is completely safe.
Twisting 178m down - the tallest slide in the world - it is made up of a transparent section where you can see the world whizz by, and particularly hellish blacked out sections where you lurch down in the dark.
After being fitted with elbow pads and a thin helmet, you lie on a sort of rug/sack, grip on for dear life, and slightly regret being so blasé about the whole thing on the Tube ride over.
Apparently you reach 15 miles an hour on The Slide, but honestly, it feels like 15,000, with sections where you go up the sides a little, catch some air slightly, and generally question the strength of centrifugal force.
The acoustics are fantastic, enabling you to revel in the yelps and screams of other riders from both the top and bottom of the slide.
Reaching the bottom of the slide, I thought “oh god, why did I do that” before immediately queuing up to do it again, which says it all really.
The Slide is open in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park now. Tickets cost £15 for adults, £10 for children (I know).
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