Tuesday 26 April 2016

Olympic Park Orbit tower slide tickets go on sale

Tickets have gone sale for the world's "longest and tallest tunnel slide" down the Orbit Tower, next to the Olympic Stadium.
The ride will measure 178m (584ft) in length and 76m (249ft) in height, with the descent taking about 40 seconds.
The £3.5m attraction in east London will be open from 24 June.
The Orbit tower previously ran at a loss of £520,000 in 2014-15, while being used as an observation tower.
The London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) says it will recover the money spent to build the slide in five years.
Slide entranceImage copyrightQueen Elizabeth Olympic Park
Image captionThe slide has transparent sections for people to see through as they descend
The tower had been forecast to make a profit of £1.2m by the LLDC.
Adult tickets will cost £17, with £12 to access the sculpture and £5 to slide down, although it is £15 if you book in advance.
Park officials said the ride would give a "different perspective" of the tower.

Who can ride the Orbit slide?

SlideImage copyrightQueen Elizabeth Olympic Park
  • Users must be at least 1.3m (4ft 3in) in height and weigh under 23.7 stone (149kg)
  • Riders will have to ride feet first on their back using mats provided
  • Children must be at least three years old
  • People are expected to hit speeds of up to 15 mph (24 kmph) down the slide
  • You cannot go on the slide if you have a heart condition, back or neck injuries, claustrophobia, vertigo or if you are pregnant
  • Each ticket is valid for one use of the slide

Turner Prize-winning artist Anish Kapoor and structural designer Cecil Balmond designed the tower for the 2012 Olympics.
The slide has 12 twists and ends with a 50m (164ft) straight run to the ground.
It was designed by German artist Carsten Höller, who last year designed slides which ran outside the Hayward Gallery on the Southbank.