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Mountain/Alpine Coaster or Alpine Slide Discussion Thread


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I just got back from the Great Wall of China at Badaling and believe this ride to be a roller coaster. To get up to the wall you take the car up a lift hill and to descend to the bottom they hook several cars together and run them down the mountain.

 

A few points:

 

The cars run on a coaster style track.

 

There is someone in the front car who applies brakes to keep it from going too fast, but the cars run down the hill completely on gravity.

 

Here is a YouTube video! Let me know what you think! My credit count depends on you!

 

Edited by larrygator
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Shawn - It looks similar to other mountain coasters, but with attached cars and a very slow speed. There is one on the East Coast at Jiminy Peak in Massachusetts.

 

I say count it. Personally, I consider it a coaster even though it's is not currently listed on RCDB. It's gravity powered and runs on a track.

 

Then again Freefalls also are gravity powered on a track but I don't consider them coasters.

Edited by larrygator
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^Thanks Larry. I pretty much agree with your points and do consider it a coaster myself. I just thought it would be interesting to see what other enthusiasts think.

 

To help you make a decision here are a few pictures that I took. BTW does anyone know if this is listed on RCDB? I looked, but couldn't find it. If not I will email Duane to see why it isn't listed. Thanks!

1947778463_GreatWallMingTombs_0195.JPG.926339090db4bf1f37cb67474d11d990.JPG

Back of my head on the way down!

1582132118_GreatWallMingTombs_0134.JPG.2e93b25470854e7b1ed6e2f70fe0ee8f.JPG

Heading out of the station at the top.

910534030_GreatWallMingTombs_0133.JPG.8b7e48bc3aea67083fed959eed79d3c0.JPG

Getting ready to go down.

2069531295_GreatWallMingTombs_0130.JPG.05713b11f85ef593c38fd3244aa4a343.JPG

The track.

992891414_GreatWallMingTombs_0037.JPG.885c92f3d2d7bbc6cd476b8aca0a4c65.JPG

Lift hill going up to the wall.

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^ Not much difference, but I'd say a "roller coaster" should have some amount of uphill travel & variation in speed along the run.

 

My personal feelings only, I don't care what other people call it, and I'd ride it anyway.

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Looks like an alpine slide on rails.

 

I believe this would be considered a gravity powered railroad, though, not a roller coaster.

 

By definition all roller coasters ARE gravity powered railroads. Roller Coasters are specially built gravity powered railroads, strictly for amusement.

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So this is at Badaling???

 

Is it new? We were planning on heading over to the Mutianyu area of the great wall where they have a 'traditional' alpine slide. But knowing the true credit whore nature of some people on our China Trip this may now be a better alternative!

 

A few questions before I make the decision to change it...

 

- How long was the line for this? I know that Badaling is the most famous area and usually VERY crowded.

- Did you notice if small children were allowed on (aka kidtums)?

- Cost?

 

Thanks for any help!

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In My book, a Roller Coaster should:

 

Have Rails or Track of some sort

Have Trains traveling around the Track

Have Trains that End (Which Means No Himilaya Rides)

Have Some Elevation Change of some Sort

Have a Definate Load/Unload Area

Must Return to Said unload Area (Which Means like Water Slide type rides don't Count)

 

And this ride fits all that criteria. I say go ahead and add it!

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While I would personally not count this as a credit since it's more of an Alpine Slide than a coaster, there are plenty of arguments out there why you could.

 

Your count is YOUR count and you can add to it whatever you want. There are not official rules on what you count as a coaster.

 

I know some people who add Alpine Slides to their count and this would be no different. But for my own personal count, I do not consider this to be a "roller coaster."

 

That's my opnion and I'm sticking to it!

 

--Robb "Thanks for posting this though, that looks awesome!" Alvey

 

ps. RCDB does not consider the Alpine Slides or Alpine Coasters either so I doubt Duane would list this.

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It has a chain lift.

It is powered by gravity.

 

so YEP! It is a roller coaster. You should contact RCDB to get this added if it isn't listed.

 

So rides without chain lifts aren't coasters?

 

Sorry, I should have elaborate a bit on this. One of the pictures has a chain lift so it makes it more obvious that it should be considered as a roller coaster.

 

Yes, I still count LIM, Flywheels, etc.

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^^No, He's saying that since it has a chain lift it's a coaster, not roller coasters have to have chains. Like Jets are Airplanes but Airplanes aren't Always Jets.

 

And I've seen these discussions many times, and in the end it's never one or the other.

Racer.thumb.jpg.3432b26f34760f121c9f47cf4c75c80f.jpg

Do You count this as One Coaster or 2? Kings Island Counts it as One

Avatar.jpg.d17f9e5e79805520bcd301a96ad39490.jpg

Do you count this as a Roller Coaster? Kings Island Does

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The only reason I count that as a coaster is because of the design. I usually don't count it as a coaster if RCDB.com doesn't, but in this cause, I have too. I don't count Alpine slides as credits, if I did, I would have many more credits since those "Rotterbahns" as the Germanys say, are all over Germany.

 

But yes, that is more in coaster style than anything else. (But still, it's for credit whores)

 

--James

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So this is at Badaling???

 

Is it new? We were planning on heading over to the Mutianyu area of the great wall where they have a 'traditional' alpine slide. But knowing the true credit whore nature of some people on our China Trip this may now be a better alternative!

 

A few questions before I make the decision to change it...

 

- How long was the line for this? I know that Badaling is the most famous area and usually VERY crowded.

- Did you notice if small children were allowed on (aka kidtums)?

- Cost?

 

Thanks for any help!

 

Elissa,

 

We actually booked the tour to Mutianyu because of the luge and it being less crowded, but were told at the last minute this morning that they weren't going there today and we would have to go to Badaling.

 

As for the lines, we waited around five minutes going up and ten minutes to go down. It was very crowded today, but like so many other places in China it was with domestic tourists. They also have a cable car, so not everyone uses this method of transport. (Basically I have been told to avoid the weekends at the Great Wall which is why we went today.)

 

There weren't any height requirements, so KidTums should be able to ride with you. As for the cost, it is 60yuan for anyone over 1.2meters or just shy of $9USD round trip. (Less than 1.2 meters is free).

 

If you have any more questions let me know. Thanks!

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If a gravity railroad counts as a coaster, this should. The only problem is that there's a discontinuity -- there are no original gravity railroads left, and probably no riders thereof either. So are we free to change the definition?

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