Mountain/Alpine Coaster or Alpine Slide Discussion Thread

[I Like Theme Parks.]

The two unfortunate accidents in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg are perfect examples of why these things unfortunately aren't as common in America as they should be. Either the operators don't know how to operate the coasters, or the riders aren't careful and they get injured.

[GCI Wooden]

Just got word from the park that the Runaway Branson Mountain Coaster is opening tomorrow after lunch, and operating daily for the rest of the week. The official Grand Opening isn't until August 12th, though.

 

They are planning to be open from 10:00 A.M. - 8:30 P.M. every day.

 

Here's a POV posted by the owner:

 

Runaway's Website

[Canobie Coaster]

I've been on 8 different mountain coasters and really like them. They're smooth, usually have great settings, and many of them build up good speed. I'd rank the ones I've been on as (separated into tiers):

 

1) Nor'Easter Mountain Coaster- Attitash

 

Attitash has the best mountain coaster I've been on. The entire layout is well concealed and in dense woods. But the real thing that separates it from the others are the drops. This one has multiple larger drops including one particularly big one 2/3 of the way down that kicks the cart's speed into overdrive and gives a burst of air-time.

 

2) Timber Ripper Mountain Coaster- Okemo

3) Smoky Mountain Alpine Coaster

4) Beast Mountain Coaster- Killington

 

These ones all build up speed quickly and maintain it the whole way down. They have multiple small dips that give pops of air and have powerful laterals. Good settings too.

 

5) Mountain Coaster- Jiminy Peak

6) Mountain Coaster- Gunstock Mountain

7) Goat Coaster- Goats on the Roof

 

These ones aren't quite as good ad the previous tier. They have many of the same elements (laterals, mini dips, good settings) but they aren't as intense.

 

8) Mountain Coaster- Cranmore

 

Cranmore's Mountain Coaster is the only one I wouldn't be willing to pay to ride again. While the others are in the woods, this one was plopped on a wide open hill. The ride was also shorter than the others and as a result, it didn't go as fast.

[LeoBruz199]

Over the summer I managed to ride an amazing one in Italy in Alpyland Mottarone. It's right above the Lago Maggiore and it delivers possibly the best view on any ride I've ridden! See for yourselves:

 

[SharkTums]

I'd like to learn more about how the automatic braking works on these Wiegand models. I've been on a bunch of them, multiple times and depending on the specific car you get the ride can really be changed. I wonder if some cars are 'less maintained' or just closer to their maintenance cycle and therefore don't brake quite as well. There were a few of us in Pigeon Forge who especially noticed this on the two mountain coasters there. We had two rides each on the Goats version and my first ride was braked to death. The second time I went (different car) I actually had to let up because it was going so fast and not limiting me. I had a similar experience on others where some cars go super fast compared to others.

[Canobie Coaster]

^ It very well could come down to when a sled was recently maintained. I had two rides on the Timber Ripper one this weekend. My first ride was definitely faster. It seemed like I could push the brake levers down further and had less resistance than I did on my second ride.

[chickenbowl]

Saw this online. No idea where it is (or if it's a legit Wiegand ride), but HOLY SHIT. This is dangerous as hell!

 

[Canobie Coaster]

I tried the new mountain coaster at Rowdy Bear Mountain in Gatlinburg. The interior and exterior of the building still need a lot of work but the coaster has been operational since yesterday. The coaster is pretty fast and glass smooth, but this is the shortest mountain coaster I've ridden. The double helix finale is nice but that's half the layout right there.

 

Overall I'd say its the fourth best in the area. It's far behind Smoky Mountain Alpine Coaster and Goats on the Roof, just a notch behind Gatlinburg Mountain Coaster, and maybe a tad better than Ober Gatlinburg's.

[hoppedup]

Saw this and not sure if it has been posted anywhere here yet. NC is getting it's first alpine coaster. There is a test run video on FB.

 

https://www.facebook.com/wildernessrunalpinecoaster/

 

https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/north-carolina/alpine-coaster-in-nc/

 

Next Month, North Carolina Is Getting Its First Ever Alpine Coaster, Wilderness Run Alpine Coaster

Get ready, because life in the Tar Heel State is about to get a whole lot more exciting with the opening of the first-ever alpine coaster in North Carolina! Few details have been released about the attraction as yet, but the fun includes a very steep mountainside that has an alpine coaster filled with twists, twirls, and drops that wind through the trees on a mountain across the road from and overlooking the Sugar Mountain Ski Resort. Here’s what we know so far about Wilderness Run Alpine Coaster:

 

Wilderness Run's alpine coaster will take riders up a very steep incline to the very top of the mountain where riders will wait momentarily in a short queue until it's time to begin the thrilling descent.

 

Stay tuned for more info and for additional photos when North Carolina’s first alpine coaster opens at Wilderness Run Alpine Coaster in Sugar Mountain. Weather permitting for adding finishing touches and ensuring all safety precautions are met, the owners of Wilderness Run anticipate an opening during the second week of February 2020.

 

[The Great Zo]

Nice bump -- forgot this thread existed. And great to see alpine coasters continuing to sprout up in new places.

 

In the middle of 2019, the first alpine coaster opened in the state of Georgia -- the Georgia Mountain Coaster in Helen. I went and rode it on a very quiet day on September 5th, and got some pictures that I put up on Twitter but then kinda forgot about until now.

 

Helen is an interesting place -- it's a small alpine-themed resort city in northeastern Georgia, nestled within the southern Appalachian mountains. Helen is a long, long ways from being as developed as Gatlinburg or anywhere along those lines, but it's definitely an interesting place to visit.

 

How's the coaster? To me, it compares most easily to the Gatlinburg Mountain Coaster, but I like this one just a little bit better. It's all about the first half of this coaster -- it is surprisingly intense, with a little bit of airtime and some tight turns and drops. The knock on this one, as with the Gatlinburg Mountain Coaster, is that it's very short. That makes the $15-per-ride cost a little much, perhaps, but half-off re-rides can help to ease the blow a little. I rode it twice and enjoyed it both times, though overall I probably prefer the length of the Smoky Mountain / Goats coasters in Pigeon Forge. It would still be another couple weeks before I got on what would be my favorite alpine coaster, but that's another story for another time...

 

Anyway, here are some pictures. Helen's pretty far out of the way so I'm not surprised this one hasn't been discussed yet here.

The Georgia Mountain Coaster!

Here's the ticket window / gift shop / etc.

A view of the walk-up entrance to the coaster, which is on the east end of downtown Helen.

The Wiegand car on rails out in front is a nice touch.

Coaster car and that awesome Helen architecture.

An array of colorful Wiegand cars.

The pull-out from the station, which makes a left turn and heads straight into the lift hill.

Heading up the lift!

A rider returns from the course. There weren't a lot of people riding on this day, so I had to wait a bit to get some pictures.

This is also a really tough coaster to photograph, since they kept a /lot/ of trees on the hillside. That's a good thing -- it makes the course more thrilling.

Heading downhill.

A mess of alpine coaster track, as viewed from the parking lot.

The helices near the bottom aren't as thrilling as some of the tight turns near the top.

Another car heads into the brakes. This is a good, fun ride -- hopefully a sign of continued growth for Helen!

Helen is an interesting place. Sort of a Swiss/Alpine themed version of what is still /very much/ a rural southeastern US resort town.

The architecture is all coordinated and controlled.

I have to admit -- having been through /actual/ Alpine villages in Switzerland/Austria/Germany this summer, it was a little bit weird to see the Georgian facsimile.

Flags of the Alps!

Gift shops, bakeries, candy stores, etc -- it's still a long ways from being Gatlinburg, but it's trending in a slightly-less-hokey version of that direction.

Even the Wendy's is themed!

"Well way down yonder on the Chattahoochee..."

"It gets hotter than a hoochie coochie..."

Yep, one of Helen's biggest tourist draws is going tubing down the Chattahoochee river. Honestly looks kind of relaxing. Anyway, that's it.

[Canobie Coaster]

Glad to see more of these mountain coasters popping up. My favorites in the US are the ones at Attitash and Anakeesta. They have the most violent turns by far.

[VF15]

The new North Carolina Apline Coaster mentioned a few posts above has recently opened. It is currently soft opened to people who live within 45 minutes of the place and by reservation only. They hope to open it to everyone else once North Carolina has entered Phase Two of reopening.

https://www.charlottestories.com/north-carolina-just-opened-their-first-ever-alpine-coaster-at-over-2100-feet-long/?fbclid=IwAR04HNlyFhO-YyynaRvUpcKs7FJt9CdjJlmhKzZVuMSkkSEck-BpDfY39-g

[hoppedup]

^From the WIlderness Run Alpine Coaster's FB page today:

 

ANNOUNCEMENT: Starting Friday May 22nd you will no longer need to reserve a spot to ride the coaster. We will fully open on the 22nd with no restrictions! With that said, we ask patrons that are immune compromised to please stay home. It is a holiday weekend so expect lines. We also ask patrons to be mindful of the 6ft markers and to practice social distancing. We will also be extending out hours Friday through Sunday to 8 pm (or dusk). We are so excited to fully open and offer this thrill to everyone. Adventure Awaits! Please review website for pricing and FAQs.