The Giant Slide at a state park in Detroit has reopened after a bumpy ride sent some parkgoers flying last week.
Officials at Belle Isle Park announced on Facebook on Aug. 19 that they were closing their famous Giant Slide to "make some adjustments to the speed" after some visitors went airborne on their way down the steep, undulating slide.
The slide had reopened last week after a two-year closure due to the pandemic, but officials with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources closed it by the end of the day as videos of people bouncing high in the air circulated on social media.
With the slide giving off a whiff of vibes from New Jersey's notorious Action Park, park officials announced on Aug. 21 that they scrubbed down the surface and sprayed water on the slide between rides to reduce the speed.
A park employee demonstrated in a Facebook video how to properly ride the six-lane slide in the burlap sacks provided to each rider. He also emphasized that riders need to lean forward, which helps alleviate any bumpiness.
The slide, which first opened in 1967, costs $1 per ride, and riders have to be at least 4 feet tall.
After the bumpy start, the ride reopened on Aug. 20 without any issues, a parks and recreation ranger told The Detroit News.
The parkgoers thankfully avoided a ride like the one taken by a Los Angeles Dodgers TV reporter who broke two bones in his wrist and cracked six ribs last week in a calamitous journey down a home run slide at the Milwaukee Brewers' America Family Field.
The slide in Detroit is traditionally open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays during the summer and then closes after Labor Day weekend.
Going down it is considered a rite of passage for Detroit locals.
"I am ready to ride the giant slide again even if my tailbone has PTSD from me looking at this photo," one rider commented on Belle Isle Park's Facebook post.
"The next generation can get burned up on the big slide. Lol. Can’t wait to bring my kiddos," another wrote.
"I used to love the giant slide as a kid," another commented. "I’m glad they’re bringing it back!! Just don’t let your legs touch it! Ouch!"