Advice for a slide?

[carefactornil]

All,

For the exit to the Syncytium Maze (see separate thread in this forum), I'd like to have a slide. The exit is actually from one of the bridges that form the 2nd level to the maze - the bridge ends at the edge of one wall of the maze. You can see it (with a ladder as the exit for now) in this video @ 2:45.


The way up/down from all the bridges are ladders. But I don't want a ladder to exit down from the maze for 2 reasons:

1. You can go up a ladder and therefore can enter the maze this way. Whilst I'll put up a sign saying "Don't enter this way if you want to enjoy all the maze has to offer", some folks will ignore that. Heck, if I build a slide to exit, some folks will still ignore the sign and try and go up it because it's Burning Man. But hopefully fewer. The reason for being anal about which way you do the maze is that, assuming you want to find it "not easy" then you need to go in the entrance as it was designed that way. Going in via the exit will mean a less frustrating experience and why would you go in a maze for a lack of frustration. (OK, I can think of a few answers to that!).

2. A slide is just a cool reward for finishing the maze correctly.

So, where to get/build a slide? Bear in mind I'm in the UK, so this either needs to be bought in Reno or SF OR constructed pretty quickly/easily.

The slide will be from a height of 7' so if I'm buying one, then the top should be at that height. Guess the angle won't be less than 45 degrees from the vertical.
Does such a thing exist to buy in the USA? Googling, I've not seen any childrens slide that matches that height.

If I'm building it, what do you suggest for a slide base? Bearing in mind I don't want to have people reliant on something to sit on. Could I take some wood (like OSB or MDF) and just varnish the hell out of it? i.e. lots of coats?

Any other thoughts or suggestions?

[trilobyte]

Whatever you build should be covered if you want people to slide on it during the day. Otherwise it'd be painfully hot when the sun'd hitting it, regardless of the material used.

[carefactornil]

Good point, Trilobyte - hadn't thought of the heat factor. That probably rules metal out!

Do you think if it was varnished wood and the angle of the slide was angled so that the sun was never directly perpendicular to it, that would make enough of a difference?

I guess we could build some "walls" for the slide so that they cast shadow over the bit you slide on.

I know there was the giant slide back in 2009 which had astroturf, but I'm thinking that even for ~9' of sliding that might turn people into a different sort of "burner" without something to sit on?!

[Drawingablank]

Prefab plastic slides are pretty common although you might have to preorder it for pickup at the store in Reno.

https://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4ADFA_enUS360US360&q=plastic+slide

[carefactornil]

I've looked at (US) prefab slides and not found anything that matches the spec mentioned above (i.e. 7' high). But if anyone has seen such a beast or knows a really good place to look then I'm all ears.

[remi]

KY Jelly slide.

[ygmir]

how about a high, angle platform, covered with astroturf?

[carefactornil]

YGMIR - if you're talking about a piece of wood going from 7' high to the ground at a (say) 45 degree angle, covered in astroturf, then I think that's a possibility. I'm just concerned about friction burns even over that distance (10' of slide).

My fiancee actually just suggested something like using a MDF kitchen work surface. i.e. some form of laminate to coat a piece of wood. Which doesn't strike me as being a terrible idea.

[ygmir]

YGMIR - if you're talking about a piece of wood going from 7' high to the ground at a (say) 45 degree angle, covered in astroturf, then I think that's a possibility. I'm just concerned about friction burns even over that distance (10' of slide).

My fiancee actually just suggested something like using a MDF kitchen work surface. i.e. some form of laminate to coat a piece of wood. Which doesn't strike me as being a terrible idea.

or have a bunch of pieces of cardboard for folks to sit on and re-use.

ETA: viewtopic.php?f=69&t=31588&p=494085&hilit=slide#p494085

[carefactornil]

YGMIR - I think the cardboard (i.e. anti-friction device) won't work from a MOOP point of view and relies on people getting them back up to the top again.

BUT! You've given me an idea instead of card. I remember people sliding down the 2009 astroturf slide on trays and the like. So perhaps we have a tray (or similar slide device) which is tetherered to the top of the ramp with a metal chain. So one end of the chain is tethered at the top and the other is attached (strongly!) to the tray. And the metal chain is 12' long (say). That way, if you're at the top and want to use a tray to slide on, you just pull the chain (and therefore the tray) back up and it resets! That keeps the fun, makes it safer (and less hot/friction-y) and hopefully gives a self-reset without MOOP.

What does everyone else think about that sort of plan?

My only concern there goes back to the problem with a ladder - a chain gives people a way to try and climb up it if it's not instantly reset.
But then as I also said earlier, given the nature of burners, that's not a solvable problem anyway. Unless I really do take the KY Jelly route!

[Bob]

None of this seems suitable for people with mobility problems, eg the disabled and people who'd very much like to get out whilst others stand in their way staring vacantly at shit.

Proper signage could solve that, though.

[theCryptofishist]

Yeah, I was thinking this was not for me...

[carefactornil]

Absolutely there needs to be proper signage at the entrance, although not everyone is going to read that. What should be fairly obvious from even the approach to the maze is that it's not just walking around on the ground - there are numerous bridges which you HAVE to climb to get through the maze. It won't take long to encounter one. So yeah, if folks aren't up for a bit of (fairly easy) climbing or aren't able to, then sadly the maze isn't going to be for them.

But if we go with the slide idea, then having the bottom area around the slide well lit and potentially cordoned off sounds like a good idea just to prevent games of human 10 pin.

[Drawingablank]

Why not use a vertical fireman's pole to slide down? That would also make it much harder to enter from the end and probably be cheaper and easier to make.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fireman's_pole

[TinkerMom]

Good old fashioned linoleum. It's slick, comes in light colors (cuz lighter is cooler), comes in whatever length and width you want.
I remember as a kid sliding in our socks all over the house on the old 60's/70's linoleum.

[TomServo]

How about a roller slide?

[Ugly Dougly]

Gotta have some razor wire someplace, you know.

[Lex-Leo]

What about using a large pastic tube 24-30 inches in diameter, with the astro turf lining the bottom. I'm suggesting the corrugated type of plastic tubing they use to let a creek or stream run under a road. Check with JM Eagle in sacramento for pricing and availability.

[TomServo]

found a 10 foot roller conveyor for over $400. But that was brand new, from an already expensive outlet. They do sell individual rollers for between 20 and 40 a piece..

[Bob]

found a 10 foot roller conveyor for over $400. But that was brand new, from an already expensive outlet. They do sell individual rollers for between 20 and 40 a piece..

Obvious answer is to build ladders, and use those for the rungs.

[gaminwench]

loving the fireman's pole idea...

[Elliot]

...the corrugated type of plastic tubing they use to let a creek or stream run under a road.

This is called culvert pipe. Corrugated on the outside, smooth on the inside. Comes in up to huge sizes, like six feet diameter. ABS plastic, I suspect. Ought to work.

I'd avoid all types of additional equipment like sheets of cardboard or tethered cookie-trays. K.I.S.S.

But.... this is all because a slide is fun.
To keep people from entering the exit, use a turnstile. That is, any type of self-closing gate that can be opened only by pushing from the inside.

[TomServo]

[Bounce530]

Combine the firemans pole with the rollers...that'd be entertaining to watch.

[Ugly Dougly]

Slide into darkness, or the unknown. At least, don't let the slider see where they are landing. and make it really strange.

[catinthefunnyhat]

Slide into darkness, or the unknown. At least, don't let the slider see where they are landing. and make it really strange.

Yes! The only thing I'd be worried about is someone landing on top of someone else as a result of not being able to check that the person before them had cleared the end of the slide.

I'm personally not into the fireman's pole idea. I'm sure there are plenty of people like me who can and will climb ladders but for whom a fireman's pole is an unsolvable puzzle. Something about fear of heights combined with lack of upper-body strength renders me helpless in the face of those things.

Fuck. Maybe I'm just a big sparklepony.

[theCryptofishist]

Only when you ask someone else to slide down it first, so you can land on his shoulders.

[CarrieSnarf]

Not to poop on the party, but the worst injuries I have ever seen as a regional burn medic were secondary to a slide. I shudder as I remember taping that poor man's ass back together... and the woman who ripped her lady bits took it WAAAAY better than I would.

Just please be thoughtful of your audience- not all of them are wearing proper clothes, and any snags in the material can cause some really nasty injuries. I've wanted more than one shirt-cocker to be punished for inflicting my retinas with their visage, but no one deserves to have their ass cheek ripped off.

Just a public (pubic) service message from your friendly neighborhood snarf.

[carefactornil]

CarrieSnarf,

I think you raise a very valid point, as did Cat about the pole. The exit from the maze should follow the 10 principles, i.e. be "radically inclusive". The last thing I want is for someone who has actually got through the maze to be at the exit and not want to take that path or hurt themselves doing it.

I'm due to talk with the Artery very soon and I intend to listen to their thoughts on all the various suggestions above before making a decision. One way or another, it's just a feature of the maze and it'll hopefully still be very cool without it!

[Ugly Dougly]

Not even a little danger?