You might want to skip out on visiting any water theme parks any time
soon. A water park in Germany has decided to bar
women from using one of its high-speed slides after several female
guests required medical treatment for "intimate injuries."
Capable of free-fall speeds of up to 45mph (OUCH!), the X-treme Faser slide is one of the more popular rides in The Galaxy water park in Erding, Germany. Based on the six reported incidents, the slide seems to only affect women and not male riders. Park manager Marcus Maier told The Local.
Capable of free-fall speeds of up to 45mph (OUCH!), the X-treme Faser slide is one of the more popular rides in The Galaxy water park in Erding, Germany. Based on the six reported incidents, the slide seems to only affect women and not male riders. Park manager Marcus Maier told The Local.
"These injuries are caused by the nature of the female anatomy," he said.
"We are trying to do right by women; we don't want to discriminate against them," said Maier, who compared the restriction to that of a slide that requires riders to weigh at least 110 pounds. "You could argue that's just as discriminating," he said.
The park hopes to make the slide available to all once more as soon as
it finishes developing a special protective suit for women. But the real mystery here is what exactly is causing those injuries. A Professional Association of Gynaecologists spokeswoman called into question Maier's claims, saying water slides were not known to cause vaginal injury. "We are trying to do right by women; we don't want to discriminate against them," said Maier, who compared the restriction to that of a slide that requires riders to weigh at least 110 pounds. "You could argue that's just as discriminating," he said.
