What Happened to the World's Tallest Indoor Bungee Jump at West Edmonton Mall? - Best Edmonton Mall
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 ก.ย. 2024
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The Bungee Tower at West Edmonton Mall was built in 1990, and opened 1991. It operated as the World's Tallest Freestanding Indoor Bungee Tower for 22 years. During its tenure, it added additional attractions like bungee assisted trampolines, a zip line (different than SkyFlyer), a king swing, and a massive 80ft. climbing wall.
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I’ve been waiting for this for years idc how nerdy that sounds 🤩
It would have been interesting to hear a bit more of the business side - why it closed, why it was transferred, whether the tower is still useable, what discussions are underway, etc.
Very good point. Was it only shut for fiscal reasons? Could it be reopened tomorrow if someone else wanted to operate the bungee jump?
I remember well, being in my early teens at the water park with my family, when a girl in a two-piece bikini jumped off of the bungee tower, got half dipped, and had her top ripped off from the suction of the water. Shreiking and holding her chest, then trying to get into the retrieval dingy, losing her balance and falling out uncovering herself again. I just remember hearing a lot of whistling, hooting, and hollering...😂
Oh, the 90's..😕
It was great having Andy Bredow and Jarrid Kolodnicki in this video.
Great work here!!
And Lake Nipissing too! Haha
@@BestEdmontonMall Yeah, but the history behind the installation, including the short-lived zip lines, that I was certain I could remember going across the wave pool to the slide tower were discussed. There is so little out there on the bungee tower zip line and King Swing.
@@BestEdmontonMall I wouldn't be caught dead swimming in any lake that the name of which contains 'pissing' LOL!
I grew up going to WEM (local girl). Now I work there. It's easy to forget they way it was when I was a kid. I had completely forgot about the trampolines and rope quest until this video. I was curious to see what happend to the bungie jump as I wanted to do it. Never got to, but at least they brought back the zipline around the wave pool, which I do plan on doing!
This channel is amazing. Thank you for bringing back the memories. It hard to look at Bourbon street now and remeber the Mardi Gras theme. I miss the submarines in the lake around Santa Maria. And now that I work at WEM, I've been through the tunnels behind the store fronts (yes there are tunnels behind the stores) and I plan on checking out the basement tunnels.
I was lucky enough to get to jump in early 2009. I was working a terrible job and decided to call in sick so my room mate and I could spend the day at West Edmonton Mall. He ended up chickening out, even though it was his idea to begin with. I remember being terrified, as a completely inexperienced 18 year old, but we wanted to build up to eventually sky diving someday. Well, we never skydived, and he never jumped, but not turning around in that elevator as they warned me I could, was the best decision I made that day. I still remember the feeling, even if I could barely see on the way down. They had an iPod with a bunch of music, I got to choose the song playing during the jump, so I picked David Guettas "The World Is Mine". Hearing it play as I dangled over the pool of cheering people and bobbing up and down was exhilarating, and a memory I will never forget.
Your videos are truly fantastic productions, especially if you're a born and raised Edmontonian. Thanks for taking the time to make this amazing documentary, you deserve so much more exposure than you get.
Lmao I was always just one of those people in the wave pool cheering!
I live hearing other people stories about lost attractions or just simple Edmonton stories back in the day! I can’t believe I was only a few months old when you are bungee jumping
@@UnnamedChannelLol Thanks for saying that! I'm only sad that you'll never get to see some of the best stuff the mall had to offer. Watch these videos with pride knowing our city had some amazing things. It still does, but it's worth it to remember the past.
Long time Edmontonion here even before there was WEM. Phase 1, then Phase 2 & finally Phase 3 & a huge Catered 1st Class Grand Opening for thousands and thousands of formally dressed, by Invitation Only guests from all aspects of the building of the mall from beginning to completion, from executive to laborer, politician to celebrities, national & local media, a World Wide Story. You bet I did that very cool Bungee Jump. 3 or 4 fantastic different times over time. WOW! The cool memories this just brought back as if it were yesterday!!
Kudos for going the extra mile and tracking down people to interview, it's great to have a first-hand perspective on things recorded for posterity, let alone woven into the larger story.
not fer nuthin...... i prefer the old VCR style opening .... it really took me back to the WONDER of WEM when i was a kid
ik i do too
I Iike the old one to
I've never been to Edmonton in my life...why do I love this channel so much lol
Well thanks!!! 🤣
Thank you for preserving part of the history of our city for posterity.
Oops! West Edmonton Mall bungee jumping closed? I thought but hesitated to go bungee jumping after I did the steepest and scariest water slide when I visited WEM last time (years ago). I thought that "Hey, there will always be a next time". But it turned out there may not be a next time. Guess the lesson learned is to always grab the opportunity in your life while you can, because you never know if it will be your last one.
Many early memories I have of this tower; the biggest being in May 1992 when my Cousin Kristy from Palm Springs jumped. I'll never forget that day, myself plus 2 other cousins and my Sister were in the wave below chanting "do it!! Do it!! Jump!! Jump!! After 2 minutes hesitation she finally let go pummelling head first to briefly touch the water below. After a couple upward swings then some brief pendulum rocking She was then slowly lowered into the waiting Zodiac directly below. On dry land she was greeted with cheers of; "Encore!! Encore!! Encore!!" From us. It was about 150 bucks to jump back then (about 325 or so in today's money)For her efforts she received a super rad looking "Wild Gravity Bungy Co." T-shirt and a VHS tape showing her jumping to the tune of "Black Box's - Good Vibrations" So so awesome!! Thanks Matt for filling us in as to what happened to "Center of Gravity etc" So cool, never knew or noticed that it was a climbing wall for those final few years. Sadly I never did make the leap however I did ride "The Skyflyer" several times and wondered about the tower's fate as it was so empty then. For those who are interested "Wild Play Inc" still operates a bungy bridge just outside of Nanaimo here on Vancouver Island. It continues operating today and also features a huge ropes course and Zipline for those who prefer something gentler. Thanks also to Lake Nipissing for the amazing footage. "You rock man!!!"
Well done sir. This one was bussin’.
When I worked for WEM when the Mall took it over I worked in the welding department. I hung off the bottom of the platform welding the modification expansion. Strange was there was people in the pool while we were working on it. They would yell at the people in the pool to move back. It was a different time.
WEM in the 90's to early 2000's was da bomb 💣
Thanks for making this video! (and all the others...) I was lucky enough to try it in 2011 after wondering about it for years. Man, it was something else! Freefall and nothing to hang onto - it just lights up every nerve in your body! I always hoped to come back and try again, but it looks like I missed my chance. It was definitely one of those attractions that put WEM on the map!
My aunt was doing a family history project where she gathered as much info on the family as she could. One of the items she got was an old vhs tape, and on it was a video of her doing the bungee jump at west Ed.
Thanks Matt. Great video as usual. I jumped about 20 times over the years at the mall. Was always the highlight of my trip to Edmonton. Buddies and I would come up from Calgary a couple times a year. Really enjoy your videos, keep em coming!!
Thank you! So happy you liked it!
Good point up above, why exactly was it closed? The video doesn’t answer, is the tower not usable? Is it financially not feasible? And also why was the climbing wall so short lived?! I’ve always wondered
So cool that you could interview people that ran it
Man I miss the old wem
I have my DVD from this still. Just found it. haha
That's a fantastic new intro, I love it!
slick intro love it
To see those pictures at the start really brought back some good memories from my childhood, wish the mall still looked like that, now it’s just modern and boring looking:/
I did this twice, around 1993. Hit the water hard enough the 2nd time to rupture my ear drums. was a trip.
Didn’t seem like it was installed that early. Crazy. Always great to see/hear Lake Nipissing.
Got to meet the guy 12-15 years ago while I was there with some friends. This guy chatted us up and started telling us all sorts of stories and history about the pool. I had no idea who he was, but he was fun to talk to. A few weeks later I was reading through the comments on a vid about the waterpark, and a story sounded a lot like one i'd heard weeks earlier. I DM'd him and asked if it was him and if he remembered us. He did!
Ever since he's been a bit of a celebrity to me whenever I see him come up!
This time you got to see me jump... 20 years ago. LOL
I liked the early jump setup when they picked you up in the boat!
I first went to the Waterpark in 2007 and was six at the time. I always wanted to jump from the tower myself but it sadly closed before I was big enough to do it. I'm glad I got to at least bounce on the trampolines. Those things felt like witchcraft to me because of how high I would bounce.
I remember going to it and thinking i can do it but i never did till Jarrid worked there and he gave me confidence to do it, My mom was of course laughing her head off seeing me lose my mind and my hair going all over the place and my sister who was in town at the time also laughed and said i'd probably be the only one who did it in the family and funny enough it sadly was.
I remember this attraction as a kid; I didn't know they closed it down. I would be interested in a video about what happened to the dolphins and the animals in cages that you saw in the mall during the 80s.
Some died Because of the objects being thrown into the water by people so the animals were removed.
Wow, I am surprised the original owner just walked away from it and WEM just got to keep it for free.
They did the same thing with REDS. Up the lease until they can't afford it and then take it over.
But, he got it for "free" too... it was largely paid for by the grant (the $150,000 grant worth around $342,000 today). This was more like transferring a "free" asset from one entity to another.
@@BestEdmontonMall He still did all the leg work to coordinate the design and construction of the project. And them doing the exact same thing with REDS does show a pattern. I'd imagine they tried the same thing with playdium too but they didn't play ball and took their stuff with them.
good morning sweet matthew. thank you for this bountiful upload
Jarrid Kolodnicki is such a cool guy. I definitely think that he fits more as a star in Hollywood instead of in the laidback Edmonton. Would like to see an interview in more detail regarding why he decided to end his business endeavor of bungee jumping in West Edmonton Mall.
I have been wondering this for a long time actually, thank you
I always wondered how to get onto the roof!!!! I had no idea this balcony existed
I've lived in Edmonton forever and I never knew there was a bungee jump at WEM or I might've tried it.
I went on the Rollercoaster one week before the crash. I was in the back car and I felt it shifting around. Scared me so much I swore I'd never ride another one. I wasn't surprised when it went off the rails.
Dud you live in Edmonton 1000 years ago? Did you live in Edmonton in 30 AD? I bet you've been in Edmonton since the beginning of the world. Am I right?
I rode it a week before as well but in the very first car. Scared the hell out of me
I have been waiting for this forever my sister did the jump once I was too chicken to ever do it , loved the video amazing quality and effort!!
My music teacher was the manager of the world water park when this closed. She had to close it because I think it didint follow stuff for a bungee jumping company thing. She actually closed the lazy river too because the design was bad and it was hard to care for. Her name is Mrs. Clintburg and I think her first name is Esther
No videos of the King Swing? I’ve never knew about it
Could you do a videos on the history of Soundwave? I remember hearing about the management transition a few years back but would love to hear you unpack it all! I've been to a couple but you couldn't pay me to go back to a Soundwave lol, too many sticky bodies 🤢
I use to work the locker rooms and I always worked the nights when soundwave happened. Man it looked gross lol. I’m sure it was fun but I don’t think I could do it.
I worked the last couple of Soundwaves, it’s a fun time as Waterpark staff but I personally wouldn’t see myself attending one as anything other than WWP staff.
I wish they bring back the bungee trampolee i have been on one at klondike days when i was a kid. Really fun
Tremendously amazing💖
Opps I was thinking of the glider lol but it does look fun
Awesome video. Just watching this brings back my internal "what happened to" memories. "Reds"(had the escalator) ,McDonalds which i recall was right beside that but cant remember. Then my top 3 rides " Perilous Pendulum" "Space Shot" and my all time favorite the "DROP OF DOOM" The drop was scary no doubt but it was the metal on metal sound it created especially at the bottom which will stay in my memory indefinitely! 😛
I had no idea it closed in 2013!! My sister and I would always talk about it as kids
I remember always standing there at the glass and looking in, through school I got to go there and go on the cannon ball.
You should do a vid of what’s in those “houses” when you look up on Europa street, I’ve always wondered what’s actually up there! I miss West Ed’s former glory 😢
.. There was elevators up to that upper balcony that I remember riding. Glass ones. Still there?? .... Yes, and lounge-chairs all over for say, parents to watch or hang out while kids went to the park... Might have even been a hotdog vendor up there? Can't remember that much but think there was food available there for sure. Never experienced the roof I think. Must have been REAL shortlived .. lol. Too bad. High concept stuff of the entire mall was super neat and unique.. Then (likely) lawyers and risk and all that BS had to come into play :( Heard they had a full zoo there on opening. Met some of the keepers who used to work there. Tigers I believe. Cray. I remember all the Peacocks though... :D
I was working here as slide patrol in 2008, I did this jump, if you went head first you weren’t allowed to hit the water. I remember them telling me don’t flex your stomach muscles…I didn’t listen. Fuck that hurt.
Another fantastic video!! How did you find the guy who built it??
Old news articles mentioning the build had him in them! Was great to have his insight included in the video.
I still have my VHS tape of me jumping on my 12th birthday. Funny I got to jump a second time for free because they screwed up the recording.
Thank you for the effort and work put into this great video . Although I do have one question .
But you didn't ask it! XD
@@BestEdmontonMall my question is why is it not longer there? Why is the bungee completely gone ? Thanks for responding!
@@naetz The business / operation is closed, but the tower still exists in place.
I didn’t even know that there was a rooftop patio
It was open for only a very brief time.
I wish there was a video or photos of the stores or store up above
fantasyland ( second floor ) that had the escalators that went down right into fantasyland that led where the old ticket booths used to be.
International Marketplace.
@@BestEdmontonMall Thank you 🙏. I was trying to remember and I can picture it in my head. So many years have passed since.
Video request: What happened to Galaxyland’s Galaxy Quest?
I still remember silver city in west ed mall. when you walk into the theater via the mall that dragon would stare into my soul lol. I wonder if batman, Yoda and king kong are still chilling on the ceiling.
I LOVE THE EDMONTON MALL but I live a looooong way I live like 8 hours away😃
Jarrid says Center of Gravity Bungee Tower was accident-free ... but word around Edmonton is that the bungee jump was shut down in part because the slack was often wrong and people were smacking their faces on the bottom of the wave pool floor and they would then surface with blood everywhere. 🌊
Funny how easy misinformation spreads, I guess...
Dam I wish I seen all this stuff 😢 still 🔥 tho
Can you do a video on the roof?
But why did it shut down?
I wish I would be able to do that. I was only a child. I never got to try the bungee or mindbender or even the whirl pool ride. I wish I could
I would love to visit someday but its just so far out there
#worthit
What's happening with the roller coaster, are they going to do something with it or just tear it down?
You never said what happened to it though! Why did it close?
Hello, I was looking on the galaxy land website and it says that havoc and auto sled is closed. Do you have an explanation?
21:46 that looks like a clip from montreal!
Well... it's stock footage of "winter", so I suppose it could be. Looked close enough though (esp if you look outside today!)
@@BestEdmontonMall that wet snow gave it away and the bus confirmed it. I’m from Mtl lol
I feel the height of the drop of doom was also exaggerated. Look up at the signs on the beams. 20 feet, 40 feet, 80 feet, 100. Wait, what? What happened to 60', there's no way it's 40' between the beams.
I live in spruce Grove (it's beside Edmonton)
Me too! :)
so talking about the roof top thing was there ever a area you could golf off the roof my dad mentioned something about it idk if he is mis remembering or if it was before my time or before i was into it.
Nope, not misremembering! It existed!
Any info on the animals that used to be at the mall? My mom told me there used to be monkeys and i heard a tiger?
So can you still go up to the upper patio or do they have that closed off? Had no idea it was there...
It has been shut for years... I mean like 30 ! The "family Nicolic" video from 1989 shows going up the elevator to the mezzanine and people sunbathing on the roof of the mall. I don't think it was open much longer after that.
i remember as a kid wanting to do the bungee jump when i turned 18 sadly that did not happen
Does anyone else want to go to a fry's electronics now or is it just me?
Its gone???
so why did it close in 2013?
Business ceased operations.
Best Edmonton Mall, I have a request. In the late 1980s or early 1990s there was a very peculiar attraction at the end of Europa Boulevard - a museum of sorts, focused on medieval torture. Whenever I mention this, either people don't remember it, or refuse to believe such a thing. I know it existed, because I went to it. Do you remember this? If possible, can you investigate this oddity?
It existed! Sadly, no footage to be found as of yet. But I'm always looking!
@@BestEdmontonMall Thank you for replying. I honestly started to think I was remembering this "museum" only from a dream.
dang im 33 and i didnt even know there was a spinning ride in the mindbender like that. what ride was that??
The Orbitron! It was my favorite ride in the park.
At 0:56 ?
That was Zipper. Video was recorded in 1994 shortly before conversion from Fantasyland to Galaxyland.
@@LakeNipissing I think he meant during the credits?
Fun Fact: Kurt Cobain did this bungee jump in 1991
The Santa Maria is not a pirate ship. FYI
What Happened to the World's Tallest Indoor Bungee Jump at West Edmonton Mall, well what happened to it?
jesus christ man... 26 minutes?
Quite the reaction lol.
Why though?
Ah, at time before oppressive political correctness and compelled speech. The football team was the Edmonton Eskimos. We'd cry "GO ESKS!" at the game. Now the team calls itself the Elks.
Sounds like he was pretty screwed by the mall. Pretty par for the course.
Dirty of the mall cost to much to run and the mall takes it