Big Bear Mountain a Standout Ride of the Season for Dollywood

© Dollywood

Of the class of 2023 new coasters in the U.S., Dollywood's Big Bear Mountain has stood out as one of the best.  Highly rated as a very thrilling family roller coaster by fans, the coaster has quickly cemented itself as a must-ride when visiting the famous theme park.  With bright orange track and forest green supports, the ride also features on-board audio to help riders follow along with their adventure to spot the elusive big bear.

The coaster itself has been created by Vekoma and is engineered to provide a butter smooth ride for passengers, and with the 39 inch height requirement that's even better news for families looking to take the kids on a comfortable but thrilling ride.

© Dollywood

Big Bear Mountain starts with a small launch out of the station immediately followed by a much stronger launch that really sends trains moving along.  They blast at 48 miles per hour to traverse most of Wildwood Grove - the track length is 3,990 which is quite long for a launched ride!  One of the highlights of the ride's layout is soaring under a cave and waterfall - seen above - and hearing big bear roar at you while in there!  The ride's layout is much more zippy that many expected, and features tons of curves and gentle hills that make the ride feel even faster.

If you haven't been able to get to Dollywood to check out Big Bear Mountain, check out the video below for a virtual ride!

Vekoma Releases Details of Cotaland's New Tilt Coaster "Circuit Breaker"

© Vekoma / COTA

Vekoma Rides Manufacturing is very pleased to release some additional renderings and details on the much anticipated new Tilt Coaster opening next year at the Circuit of the Americas in Texas.  The racing facility is building several thrill rides to create a new amusement park named Cotaland next to the track and the Vekoma coaster, called Circuit Breaker, is easily one of the standouts.  The drawing above shows the ride's anticipated location, pretty cool eh?

Circuit Breaker will stand around 131 feet tall (if you're in the back of the train) and is the first Tilt Coaster to open in the United States.  The train heads up the lift, does a 180, then slows as it enters the tilt track.  The track tilts the train downward till it is vertical to the ground with riders staring straight down - then lets the train fall down the first drop.

© Vekoma / COTA

© Vekoma / COTA

The rest of the layout, seen in these renderings, is seriously twisted stuff.  Vekoma has been designing some amazing layouts in Europe the past 5 years, and it's great to see one of them in North America finally.  I'm not sure what the names are for these elements, so I won't even try.  That said, the combination of upward and downward twisted zero g rolls in the first element looks amazing!  There are also pops of air-time, banked curves and more packed into the appx. 2,200 feet of track.

© Vekoma / COTA

Trains will hit a top speed of 57 miles per hour when they descend the first drop, and speaking of the train there will be two of them, each seating a total of 20 riders at a time.  For an animated preview of Circuit Breaker in action, check out this video!

Vekoma's Latest Ride - Lech Coaster - Looks Amazing

© Legendia

We already knew that Lech Coaster, at Poland's Legendia theme park, had a great looking layout but now we have on-ride proof that the ride looks, well, amazing.  It just opened to the public yesterday, but fans are already sharing footage from the ride's preview day.

Vekoma hasn't always been known for the most comfortable multi-looping steel coasters, but here's hoping that Lech Coaster is smooth and comfortable!

I hope so because the ride has a twisted series of elements and interactions with theming the park installed (see photo at top) that look top notch.  The trains appear to carry their speed really well throughout the course, hopping in and through elements such as a "reverse sidewinder," a heartline roll through a building and a corkscrew.  The twists, turns, extreme banking and fast direction changes are what have me the most interested, though.  Lech Coaster appears to have something planned for riders from the moment they dive from 131 feet in the air at 59 miles per hour to the final brakes.

If you want to see the on-ride video, check out the video below, it takes place after the off-ride shots which are just as good.  There has to be significant air-time on that one hill!

Impressive New Vekoma Coaster Going Up at Legendia

© Vekoma

2017 will be an interesting year for new coaster debuts at parks around the globe, and one that I couldn't help but notice recently is the Lech Coaster at Poland's Legendia theme park.  Designed by Vekoma, the ride features a multitude of inversions and extreme elements.

Pictured above is a view of the intense-looking first drop of the Lech Coaster, which turns 90 degrees as it plunges from a height of 131 feet.

© Vekoma

After the ride's first drop the trains will encounter a twisted layout that interacts with several planned themed elements.  In total there will be 2,979 feet of track, two corkscrews, a reverse sidewinder and several helices, according to the statistics posted to Roller Coaster Database.

© Vekoma

Vekoma also shared this photo of Lech's rolling stock - complete with a nicely themed front piece.  While the trains feature over-the-shoulder restrains they look to be the vest-kind that hopefully will provide a comfortable ride experience.  The trains will consist of six cars each with four seats for a total of twenty four riders.

© Legendia

I'm not 100% sure that Lech Coaster's theming will be completed right away, but the park has posted these images of what they have planned.  I love how this building is incorporated into one of the corkscrews, with riders passing through it while upside down.

© Legendia

This larger aerial view not only shows all the theming elements that are planned, but also the coaster's full layout.  Vekoma has long been known for their production model roller coasters, so it's great to see a unique new design going up.  The ride looks well paced and has a nice element mix that has a little bit of something for everyone!

For more photos of the ride and its construction, stay up to date with Vekoma and Legendia's Facebook pages.

Vekoma Teases new "Bermuda Blitz" Looping Roller Coaster Design

A brand new sit-down looping roller coaster design has been revealed by Vekoma, dubbed as the Bermuda Blitz, and it looks like the kind of ride you wouldn't mind seeing cloned - perhaps often.

Here's the layout of the ride:

© Vekoma

One of the most exciting features of the design is the use of Vekoma's new MK1101 trains, which feature vest-like restraints that give a comfortable ride experience.

The Bermuda Blitz coaster starts with a chain lift hill to over 160 feet in the air, followed by an extremely steep 90 degree right turning plunge at nearly 60 miles per hour.  Immediately after is a "reverse sidewinder," the ride's first inversion.  What makes the design so temping is that it then features several extreme looking air-time hills and quick directional changes, not just a focus on inversions.  Granted there are two additional corkscrews in the layout, but also tight turns, bunny hops and even what looks like a trick track.

Vekoma released a video of the design in action on Facebook:

The first instillation of the Vekoma Bermuda Blitz is already planned, opening next year in Poland's Śląskie Wesołe Miasteczko as Lech Coaster.  The coaster will have a unique theme, including a giant bird's nest at the top of the lift, according to concept art included in this VHCoasters post about the ride.

Hopefully the great looking track layout combined with the upgraded trains will make the ride a hit.  It's got the stats to make it a "big" addition for many parks!

New Vekoma Suspended Family Coaster Opens in Denmark

What a fun looking, zippy family coaster!  This is the Orkanen (Hurricane) at Farup Sommerland in Denmark, a brand new Vekoma designed Family Suspended Coaster.

As you can see in the video, the ride actually travels under a lagoon at the base of the first drop, which looks pretty neat.  The coaster's train keeps up a swift pace as it travels through the rest of the layout which includes several helices and another below grade tunnel. 

I can think of many parks that would benefit greatly from a ride like this - let's hope they take notice!  Thanks to CoasterClub Denmark for sending along the video!

Interesting European Attractions Show Wrap-Up

I've had this article open in my browser for a couple weeks now, meaning to share it with you all because it contains some pretty interesting information.  At least I think so.

Coasters and More did a great write up on the EAS, as it is known, which is the European version of the IAAPA show.  It's smaller, but quickly growing and most of the big manufacturers are there, which means that plenty of news leaks out.

If you click through and read the full story, you'll see what I mean about interesting news.  Take for instance the fact that Gerstlauer is transforming the Schwarzkopf flywheel launch Turbine at Walibi Belgium into an LMS launch, complete with brand new trains.  Or that Mack rides has sold a clone of Blue Fire, and Vekoma a Dive Pretzel Coaster, that crazy looking thing that was proposed for the Orlando Thrill Park.

On the water cooler talk side of things, the article also reports that a lot of attention has been going to Dynamic Attractions, a company that has been in the industry for decades, quietly building the hardware for some of Disney and Universal's most impressive attractions.  From the Soarin' theaters to full Space Mountain track replacements, they've done them all.  The original founder of Premier rides is with them, and it sounds like they're ramping up to become a much better known supplier in the industry.  Their motto is "Anything you can Dream.  We can build" after all.

Regardless, check out the story and read all the details!

News From Premier Rides, Chance, Vekoma, and Ride Entertainment

Maryland's Premier Rides, known for some of the wildest and unique rides and attractions out there, has welcomed Pete Barto as their new Director of Sales.

Pete will travel directly to customers in order to meet specific client needs and interests, and better present the wide variety of products that Premier Rides offers.  He has worked in the industry previously, as the Vice President of Exhibitions, Conference and Sales with IAAPA - where he worked the marketing efforts of the organization's trade shows, along with FunWorld Magazine.

A true ride fan, Pete is a theme park enthusiast, and seems quite pleased to be rejoining the industry after spending some time working outside of it.  He and his wife, Heather, have traveled to many parks, even spending part of their honeymoon at them.

Jim Seay, President of Premier Rides, commented, “We are excited to have Pete on board. The combination of Pete’s sales expertise and extensive experience in the industry will allow Premier to better anticipate the needs of our valued customers and to identify new opportunities.”

Congratulations to Mr. Barto and by all means, get selling!  

***

Chance Rides and Vekoma Manufacturing have announced the discontinuation of their partnership in North America.  The two have had a licensing agreement for Vekoma products sold in the U.S. market since 2006.

"Despite the good cooperation during the past years, effective October 2012, Chance and Vekoma have decided to separately approach the US-market. Our companies have valued the relationship and will work together to ensure a smooth transition on the existing projects. Chance Rides will continue to provide spare parts and technical service for all the rides built under the license agreement," says Chance.

The partnership successfully delivered three Vekoma family coasters in the U.S. market, with another one currently under construction at Fun Spot Action Park in Florida.

***

Gerstlauer Amusement Rides, represented in the U.S. by Ride Entertainment, has had a very busy past couple of years.  So busy in fact that for the last few years they have been producing coasters at capacity, filling as many ride orders as possible.

To keep up with the demand, Gerstlauer previously expanded in 2008 with the addition of a new production space dedicated to track manufacturing.  At the time it seemed that the new space would allow for almost endless expansion, however, now with so much coaster track being bent throughout the year they're in need of more room once again.

Enter the above new production facility, this time tailor made to handle sandblasting and painting.  Large track pieces can now be easily handled by Gerstlauer on site, substantially upgrading the company's efficiency.

So just how busy as 2012?  Well, three SkyFly rides opened around the world, a unique spinning coaster, complete with a world's first inversion, opened in Japan, a Family Shuttle Ride went to France, and a Polyp flat ride opened in Sweden.  The U.S. saw the creative Iron Shark open in Texas, new coaster trains fabricated for Hersheypark, and a SkyFly at the Mall of America.

But how about next year, we're always looking forward to next year, no?  "Next year we are busy doing more classics like hybrid coaster trains and Bobsled Coasters, but also some more firsts, such as our newly-designed 8-passenger launch vehicles," says Gerstlauer.  Projects will appears on three continents next year, so keep an eye out for future announcements.

Ben 10 - Vekoma's Junior Boomerang

Ever since Drayton Manor announced they would add a new coaster, named Ben 10 - Ultimate Mission, I've been wanting to know more about this new Vekoma junior boomerang design.

Finally, with the coaster well on its way to being completed, some great photos have surfaced of the ride.  Being a junior ride no inversions were expected, and the ride delivered on that point.  It looks like the coaster will head up the first lift backwards, then release to head through the course.

A couple banked turns and a helix make up most of the track, but pay close attention to the crazy camel-hump in the middle of the ride's second tower!  Pretty wild looking.  Ben 10 will definitely be something unique for guests of Drayton Manor in 2011.

The Amusing Ads Archive - Vekoma And Kentucky Kingdom

This Vekoma advertisement from mid-1993 felt rather fitting for right now, considering it has quotes from Kentucky Kingdom's Ed Hart, who is once again in the park's spotlight. Mr. Hart was responsible for the development of the park into a major attraction in the 1990s.

And from this ad it would appear as though Vekoma helped a bunch with their convenient financing options. Instead of haggling over the interest rate on a car loan, could you imagine trying to get the best deal on a Boomerang coaster, Ferris Wheel, and a Waikiki Wave? Now that would be fun!

The ad also mentions that the park was planning on working with Vekoma again to debut a new SLC coaster - which we all know happened 1995 when T2 debuted. Maybe Mr. Hart will return to Vekoma for his redevelopment of the park, part 2?

The Amusing Ads Archive - Vekoma 1992

In this Vekoma advertisement from 1992 the company is pushing some pretty wild rides, at least going off of those drawings!

Some of them were vastly more popular than others. The Waikiki Wave, themed above as the Tidal Tremor was installed at Kentucky Kingdom, but has since been removed (okay well the park is closed, but even before that). The Nordic Voyage looks like the Gladiator's Gauntlet that briefly was at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. A few Time Warp style rides were installed in later years, though some of those have since vanished as well (Frontier City and Six Flags New England).

Also of note is that they list Evolution and Sky Shuttle as rides "realized in co-operation" with other manufacturers. Evolution looks like the one that was at Six Flags Great Adventure and now Six Flags St. Louis.

I'm not sure of the difference between a Waikiki Wave and Energize-R, but here is a video of one of them at Six Flags Mexico. Make sure to watch till about halfway in when things get real twisted.

Weekly Rewind 2.6.10

Resorts World Sentosa has posted a great new photo album on Facebook which showcases the brand new Universal Studios Singapore theme park. An official opening date has yet to be announced, but the park certainly looks ready to go!

While you're on Facebook, you might want to check out Six Flags Great America's page as well. They've posted a batch of fun winter photos, including some shots of the Little Dipper trains which are now on site.

As it struggles to negotiate funding streams from new investors, Freestyle Music Park has announced that it will close its business offices and lay off its current staff until a deal has been reached. While General Manager Steve Baker remains confident that this will happen soon, I think we can all predict the outcome if it doesn't.

Like sister park Carowinds, Kings Dominion has announced that it will be auctioning off the first rides on its towering Intimidator 305 coaster, which is scheduled to open on April 2. You can place your bid online through March 25. Proceeds will benefit the Dale Earnhardt Foundation, the Make-a-Wish Foundation of Greater Virginia, Challenge Discovery Projects Inc. (Richmond), and the USO of Hampton Roads.

Speaking of Carowinds, the Intimidator of the Carolinas successfully completed its first test run this week. Watch it for yourself in the video embedded above! (Warning: May cause drooling.)

Cedar Point's Shoot the Rapids isn't quite ready for a test run yet, but construction has officially gone vertical. You can check out the progress in the park's latest construction photo album.

The trains which will run on the world's first "psychoaster" have been revealed on the official TH13TEEN blog. If you're psycho enough to subject yourself to "psychometric testing", an "interrogation interview", "rollercoaster endurance", and "midnight bootcamp", you could be one of the first people to sit in them. Visit the TH13TEEN web site for more information on how to apply.

The closure of Kentucky Kingdom is sure to drive would-be visitors to other parks in the region, including Holiday World and Beech Bend. Perhaps in an effort to better compete with its northern neighbor, Beech Bend has begun advertising that it, too, will offer free unlimited soft drinks starting this year.

Just when you thought you had ridden a roller coaster in every possible position, Vekoma is asking you to kneel. Well, sort of anyway. Among other innovations, their newest concept in coaster design is a family flyer called the "Dragon Fly", which you ride in a kneeling position. (The phrase "have mercy" comes to mind.)

Following on the heels of a successful campaign to retain their Cobra roller coaster, Paulton's Park is now seeking permission to retain their Disk'O, The Edge, as well. The park's troubles began back in August, when it was discovered that both rides had been built without the required planning permission.

Back in December, Enchanted Forest's Facebook page revealed that a "top secret" project was taking place in Western Town. This week, they hinted that the project involves the resurrection of a former park attraction. The only thing that's clear at this point is that it isn't a ride!

If you're a frequent visitor to Kings Island and don't feel like paying an additional 3% admission tax and 5% parking tax, the park encourages you to voice your opinion at the Mason City Council meeting on Monday, February 8. In case you need an additional incentive, Kings Island will be sponsoring a Tax Vote Tailgate Party, complete with complimentary food and soft drinks, in the park's International Restaurant prior to the meeting. Who said politics can't be fun?

The Amusing Ads Archive - Vekoma 1995

No, this post has nothing to do with Halloween... though from this 1995 Vekoma advertisement you very well may think it does.

Vekoma took a bold approach in advertising their new Invertigo coaster design when they were shopping it to the greater amusement market. The ad promises that a complete marketing package was on the way, and eventually the first of these rides debuted at Liseberg in 1997. That ride was actually delayed a year, according to its entry on rcdb.

After that, well, the ride didn't seem to sell nearly as well as it's regular non-inverted Boomerang sister, which is still being added to parks today. Paramount picked up two of the rides for Kings Island and Great America, Six Flags America added one, and that's it!

The rides have since been removed from Liseberg and Six Flags America, with only the former Liseberg ride currently operating again.

Maybe that face in the ad was just too scary?

Scott And Carol Present - IAAPA 2008 Final Report

When Jim Seay , President of Premier Rides, hears people say that rides and attractions aren’t rocket science he laughs, because as a project engineer for Hughes Aircraft he is one of few able to make a valid comparison.

Constant expansion of the amusement ride envelope is the hallmark of company. A recent breakthrough is the revolver coaster which opened at Hard Rock Park.

Some other areas include maintenance and technology improvements by offering new types of chains and wheels for existing rides.

Sartori has some of the cutest coaster cars being produced today

But their real news is the introduction of their compact inverted coaster called Cobra. With a small footprint of 100 feet wide and nearly 200 feet long, it’s hard to imagine that this coaster actually has an inversion. And at one point it pulls over 4.5 gs.

The fact that it is built on a platform means there are many options for installation. We need one of these in the US for us to go and check out.

Great Coasters International's 2008 Installation, Evil Knievel was the star of this year's booth, wonder which of their woodies will have that honor in 2009?

GCII' is going to be piling up airline miles before next year is done. Being based near the east coast and building coasters in Missouri, California, and Germany, they will be road warriors for the winter of 2008.

It appears that some travelling plans need to be made for wood coaster fans next year.

Philadelphia Toboggan Company was showing one of the cars for the new coaster in China being designed by Gravity Group.

Here also is a shot of the one bench car and the open front modification available for their current and past trains.

This is just one more option for customers in the competitive wooden coaster rolling stock market.

If you would like to have a coaster built in your back yard you should contact Amusement Rides by Bailey.

They will design, fabricate, and install a steel coaster for only $350.00 a linear foot.

Here is a photo of their first coaster built in Peterborough, ON. When you look at the condition of the track you can see how well designed their products are because this neglected ride is still in operation.

Vekoma has projects for next year on every continent except Antarctica. A lot of excitement surrounds their second generation Flying Dutchmen coach.

A more comfortable train and a new reclining feature that uses an electric motor instead of hydraulics should ensure more consistent reliability for future customers. The new Stingray layout features a vertical chain lift and is only one third the size of the original Flying Dutchman.

Maurer Sohne is hanging their hat on the new coaster for Universal Escape in Florida. Due to limitations from the customer, no photos of the ride layout were permitted but it looks to be a positively special roller coaster. Hopefully the veil will be lifted soon on this upcoming attraction.

Rides 4U sells both new and used rides. We mentioned them because they have listed all the rides from Cypress Gardens.

They even said two of the rides are already sold, but not the wooden roller coasters at this time. Well, there’s still hope for tomorrow.

So, here's the show floor. All 8.3 miles of entertainment.

When you look out through these overhead windows at the show floor, almost everyone in the room supports GKTW through gifts-in-kind, monetary, or supporting the various fundraisers.

Give Kids The World is a special place where terminally ill children get the trip of a lifetime to Orlando and hopefully enjoy the present while forgetting the future for a little while. For more information, and possibly make a contribution, check out their website at http://www.gktw.org/

Give Kids The World has a special relationship with IAAPA and its members. They are building a new splash pad for their guests supplied by Vortex

So that is the last of our onsite reports for IAAPA EXPO 08. We hope you enjoyed them.