Heide Park Discussion Thread

[Taron]

If I remember correctly the ride had a woodworm problem.

 

Come on.. at least read the last page or how many times do I have to comment this?

[TheoB]

There were huge woodworm problems which were literally eating away at the supports and track and they spread a lot before there were noticed.

 

That stupid rumor that has been around long before the closure of Colossos. It has been debunked by the CEO of Holzbau Cordes who is responsible for the wooden parts, in an interview January 2015, where he also named several counter measures.

German Source

 

Edit: Unless you have any other sources, which have not been named on german coaster forums???

 

My bad - I have heard this A LOT, thought that a source wouldn't be needed with it being closed for around a year now I thought this was just general knowledge.

 

 

Bobbahn was like a trashcan rolling down a hill (but that in part was why I found it so immensely enjoyable)

 

I didn't realise the Mack bobsleds weren't meant to be like this honestly, both Avalanche at Blackpool and Trace du Hourra were like this, however Avalanche was not as bad.

[Canobie Coaster]

I guess I won't be visiting Heide Park when I go to Germany later this year. Hopefully can they fix Colossos so it can run again in the future rather than tearing it down, since it looks like a great ride.

 

I'm in the same boat. The other coasters are solid but Colossos was the main reason drawing me there. Looks like I'll make a pit stop in Sweden instead for another Intamin woodie.

 

Hopefully Heide can restore Colossos so it runs as well as I've heard in the past.

[cookiex]

I didn't realise the Mack bobsleds weren't meant to be like this honestly, both Avalanche at Blackpool and Trace du Hourra were like this, however Avalanche was not as bad.

The one at Europa was a lot less shaky than Heide's. Granted it's less intense but I still think there's a difference in upkeep going on.

[cookiex]

According to one report Colossos will be closed all year because Heide doesn't have the funding to do the necessary fixes (which are said to be extensive and costly) since they had already allocated the annual budget to Ghostbusters when Colossos was ordered to be shut down.

 

Meanwhile a wall has been put up.

 

[MrSum1_55]

Looks like I picked the wrong year to go to Germany!

 

I do have something interesting to say about my rides on El Toro last summer. El Toro has begun to develop some rough spots as well, particularly in the turnaround and on the hill after the turnaround. If I was sitting in a wheelseat, that drop after the turnaround seemed to have a unique bit of roughness to it. I mean, the roughness combined with the G's on the drop just hit my spine in such a way that it gave me a massive neck pain. I wonder if Colossos was getting that same amount of roughness.

 

My crazy rediculous idea would be to give it the RMC treatment. Imagine an RMC'ed Intamin? I could only imagine how insane the enthusiast community would go.

 

With this news, I am becoming increasingly tempted to cut Heide Park out of my travel plans in favor of another day in the Hamburg area.

[Canobie Coaster]

Looks like I picked the wrong year to go to Germany!

 

I do have something interesting to say about my rides on El Toro last summer. El Toro has begun to develop some rough spots as well, particularly in the turnaround and on the hill after the turnaround. If I was sitting in a wheelseat, that drop after the turnaround seemed to have a unique bit of roughness to it. I mean, the roughness combined with the G's on the drop just hit my spine in such a way that it gave me a massive neck pain. I wonder if Colossos was getting that same amount of roughness.

 

My crazy rediculous idea would be to give it the RMC treatment. Imagine an RMC'ed Intamin? I could only imagine how insane the enthusiast community would go.

 

With this news, I am becoming increasingly tempted to cut Heide Park out of my travel plans in favor of another day in the Hamburg area.

 

I agree on the few rough spots on El Toro. 90% of the ride was glass smooth but there were one or two valleys that had the odd roughness you're describing. I never noticed that in my previous visits.

[cookiex]

With this news, I am becoming increasingly tempted to cut Heide Park out of my travel plans in favor of another day in the Hamburg area.

You can go to Hansa Park instead. It's an hour's drive from Hamburg.

[MrSum1_55]

^I already had Hansa in my travel plans as well. (Plan was to do both parks). However, if I only have time to do one park, it will certainly be Hansa over Heide.

[historyfreak92]

Golee I really hope that Heide Park won't remove or loSe Colossus! It would mess up germany just like Holiday Park losing Super Wirbel!

[LeoBruz199]

Golee I really hope that Heide Park won't remove or loSe Colossus! It would mess up germany just like Holiday Park losing Super Wirbel!

 

Superwirbel honestly doesn't look like anything mindblowing- just another Vekoma Corkscrew, but at least they replaced it with Sky Scream!

[cookiex]

Not that it should surprise anyone but Colossos is gone entirely from the attraction list on the park website now.

[historyfreak92]

On Wikipedia Heide Park! When I clicked on colossus! It says Under Refurbishment!

[coasterbill]

... imagine that.

[cparkes92]

Not that it should surprise anyone but Colossos is gone entirely from the attraction list on the park website now.

Maybe they will actually remove and replace with an RMC woodie or hybrid for 2019

[TheCoasterKid211]

On Wikipedia Heide Park! When I clicked on colossus! It says Under Refurbishment!

[LeoBruz199]

I honestly cannot comprehend the lack of enthusiasm in this thread. I think it's pretty good that Colossos is finally getting some TLC. It can mean nothing but good.

 

Then again, you all know what this site's views on enthusiasm are

[cookiex]

I honestly cannot comprehend the lack of enthusiasm in this thread. I think it's pretty good that Colossos is finally getting some TLC. It can mean nothing but good.

 

Then again, you all know what this site's views on enthusiasm are

Maybe they shouldn't have let it reach such a state that they had to close it down in the first place?

[LeoBruz199]

I honestly cannot comprehend the lack of enthusiasm in this thread. I think it's pretty good that Colossos is finally getting some TLC. It can mean nothing but good.

 

Then again, you all know what this site's views on enthusiasm are

Maybe they shouldn't have let it reach such a state that they had to close it down in the first place?

 

Perhaps. But at least Merlin's doing something about it. Still better than leaving it to essentially rot.

 

As I said before, nothing but good can come out of this, eventually.

[CSLKennyNI]

I honestly cannot comprehend the lack of enthusiasm in this thread. I think it's pretty good that Colossos is finally getting some TLC. It can mean nothing but good.

 

Then again, you all know what this site's views on enthusiasm are

Maybe they shouldn't have let it reach such a state that they had to close it down in the first place?

 

Perhaps. But at least Merlin's doing something about it. Still better than leaving it to essentially rot.

 

As I said before, nothing but good can come out of this, eventually.

 

Merlin isn't doing anything at the moment though. The ride has been shut since July and they haven't done any work to it. It's hard to believe that this isn't anything other than they just didn't want to spend the money required. People are right to be cautious considering Merlin's previous TLC endeavours have mostly been an excuse to get rid of attractions eg. Sub terra and CATCF at Towers and Loggers Leap at Thorpe - which they said would be closed for a year for refurbishment and then that never materialised.

However I personally think they have no choice but to repair Colossus it stands out unlike the SBNO attractions in AT which are easily hidden and don't draw attention. People will start to be enthusiastic when work starts and we know for certain it is coming back next year.

And as said above they should never have let it get in such a bad state.

[cookiex]

Ghostbusters

 

 

 

 

[Vtafro]

Heide is on our itinerary for our germany trip. Colossus being down for the year is a bit disappointing, but with the entire park being new for us, we just will have to use it as a great reason to come back.

[CSLKennyNI]

Heide Park have revealed that they haven't actually decided on the future for Colossus.

 

Their latest statement on Colossus being closed for 2017 from the article linked below ends with "The complex testing and decision-making processes tend to end, and as soon as there is news, we will announce them".

 

The author of the article goes on to criticise Merlin and the park for the lack of information given out and the fact they claim to haven't decided on the future of the ride - when it has already been shut since July.

 

The fact they haven't actually decided to repair it yet it is worrying - they could still decide to demolish it or leave it SBNO....

 

http://www.freizeitpark-welt.de/freizeitparks/heide_park/heide_park_start.php?id=2&nid=2843

[DirkFunk]

Maybe they shouldn't have let it reach such a state that they had to close it down in the first place?

 

Therein lies the problem. Can these rides be as easily repaired or fixed as traditional wood coasters? The company that makes the track now works for Gerstlauer, so how does that affect the ability for Intamin to source replacement parts? Can they?

[SharkTums]

Merlin.

 

I get that they make some big B&M investments at the parks they have bought and manage, but overall I feel that they are charm killers and have brought lots of problems to parks.

 

Heide had all of this really great German charm/weirdness and I feel like they're pulling it out with Dreamworks and now Ghostbusters and now whatever is happening with Colossos.