PHOTOS COURTESY SANDCASTLE

It may be the time of year where our minds shy away from swimming pools and turn instead to sled riding, ice skating and hot cocoa, but Sandcastle Waterpark is already looking ahead to next summer.

The park will be debut a new water slide in 2022 as part of its “ultimate Steel City Summer.” Called Bombs Away, sliders will step into an enclosed capsule and, without warning, the floor beneath their feet will abruptly vanish. They’ll fall six stories through a closed tube at speeds up to 18 miles an hour (26 feet per second), into a twisting closed-tube track before splashdown into a landing pool.

“Guests have been waiting to blast off on Bombs Away and Sandcastle’s newest attraction is perfect for all water park thrill-seekers,” said Kennywood and Sandcastle General Manager Mark Pauls in a press release. “This drop is over the top, and riders will love looping around and around to the splashdown.”

You will need to be at least four-feet tall to ride the new slide.

The new slide is being touted as part of one the “biggest and best seasons” yet for Kennywood, Sandcastle and Idlewild and Soakzone, as the parks plan to expand their operating schedules — including more days and more hours — with more activities for guests across the board. In addition to the “Bombs Away” water slide, Kennywood’s Bites and Pints Food & Drink Festival returns along with Sandcastle’s Jammin’ July Weekend.