Area 47

The New Outdoor Park in Austria

The old adage that the Alps are not sexy in the summertime has been obsolete for years. This is clearly evidenced by the makeovers conducted in regions such as Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis and the successful operation of the Tyrol Therme Aqua Dome spa facility in Längenfeld, representing prime examples of the rejuvenation of summertime Alpine tourism. Now reinforcements are on the way for the Aqua Dome in the 65 kilometer long Ötztal Valley: Since May of this year, a 24 kilometer drive south of the spa has lead visitors to the Area 47 adventure playground facility (we reported on this in EAP 1/2010). (…) Following an eight-month construction period, the Tyrol region, well known for its outdoor activities potential, opened the Area 47 outdoor adventure park on Pentecost weekend in May to some 16,000 visitors. The facility is the only one of its kind in Europe.

Climbing enthusiasts are in their element in the “Climbing Area”. According to Area 47’s website, the 27 meter high artificial climbing wall supplied by Sintroc and attached to the pillars of the Ötztal Valley’s Achbrücke bridge is a dream come true for climbing fans. Directly under the bridge one also finds the “Air Trail” tight rope garden (27 meters high). And more adrenaline is on the way with the “Mega Swing”, which swings between the bridge pillars in pendular movements, and the “Flying Fox”, a 350 meter long high speed rope slide. These three attractions were supplied by Tyrol-based Adventure-Company Hofer GesmbH.

For those with energy reserves after the climbing is done, Area 47’s absolute highlight is to be found in its 20,000 square meter “Water Area”. A 7,000 square meter manmade swimming lake with space for some 2,000 sunbathers to stretch out was constructed on the water features site. The undisputed main attraction here is the water slide park. A combined 20 meter high diving and slide tower was supplied by Wiegand Maelzer based in Rasdorf, Germany. The company’s stainless steel specialists erected a total of five water slides on the banks of the lake for beginner and advanced slide enthusiasts, as well as an additional attraction that is not attached to the tower. This latter attraction is a so-called cannonball facility, the first of its kind in Austria. This “water canon” shoots bathers up to nine meters out into the lake with a one cubic meter stream of water under 1.5 bar pressure.

The lower section of the slide tower features one 27 meter long children’s slide at a height of 3.5 meters and a 31 meter long wide wave slide at a height of 5.5 meters for younger and less experienced guests. One storey higher at a height of 11.5 meters, guests find the start of a 64 meter long kamikaze slide with a 270 degree high-speed gyro, while further up at a height of 15.5 meters is the start of a large water slide with a total length of around 140 meters. And for the absolutely fearless bather, there is also a 20 meter high freefall slide 53 meters in length. At a 60° almost vertical descent, this attraction is a pure adrenaline factory reaching speeds up to 80 km/h!

The previously mentioned diving board and platform system is attached to the side of the slide tower. Two diving boards are fixed at heights of two and five meters, while an adjustable-height hydraulic diving platform starts at ten meters, enabling the jumping height to be selected freely from a height of ten meters upwards. The slides from the German manufacturer are made solely of high-grade steel and stainless steel, and are as such seamless and maintenance-free. “This is the largest water attraction we’ve built in the outdoor sector!” proclaims Thomas Schmitt, Project Manager at Wiegand Maelzer, taking great pride in this exceptional project.

Along with the diving and slide section, the Water Area also offers visitors numerous other attractions, including water jumps for snowboarders, free skiers and BMX riders. (…) The park’s operators anticipate 30,000 Water Park visitors and 200,000 guests in the whole outdoor park annually.

(…)

Initiator and investor Hans Neuner is satisfied with how his project has turned out and its chances for success. Planned for years and costing 14 million Euros, the main investors are Bergbahnen Sölden and the Stiegl brewery along with project partners Red Bull, Adidas and KTM.

You can read the complete article in the print edition of EAP – issue 4/2010.