Alpengeist is an
inverted roller coaster
An inverted roller coaster is a roller coaster in which the train runs under the track with the seats directly attached to the wheel carriage. This latter attribute is what sets it apart from the older suspended coaster, which runs under the t ...
located at
Busch Gardens Williamsburg
Busch Gardens Williamsburg (formerly known as Busch Gardens Europe and Busch Gardens: The Old Country) is a amusement park located in Williamsburg, Virginia, James City County near Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. Located approximately ...
in
Williamsburg, Virginia
Williamsburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 15,425. Located on the Virginia Peninsula, Williamsburg is in the northern part of the Hampton Roads metropolitan area. It is ...
. Manufactured by
Bolliger & Mabillard, Alpengeist has an
Alpine
Alpine may refer to any mountainous region. It may also refer to:
Places Europe
* Alps, a European mountain range
** Alpine states, which overlap with the European range
Australia
* Alpine, New South Wales, a Northern Village
* Alpine National Pa ...
mountain region theme and opened in 1997 as the tallest inverted coaster in the world. The name "Alpengeist" is
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
for "Ghost of the Alps" or "Alpine Spirit", and the ride is themed to a runaway
ski lift
A ski lift is a mechanism for transporting skiers up a hill. Ski lifts are typically a paid service at ski resorts. The first ski lift was built in 1908 by German Robert Winterhalder in Schollach/Eisenbach, Hochschwarzwald.
Types
* Aerial ...
. It has the records for the tallest complete circuit inverted coaster in the world, tallest inverted roller coaster in the United States, and the longest complete circuit coaster drop in the world.
History
On August 30, 1996,
Busch Gardens Williamsburg
Busch Gardens Williamsburg (formerly known as Busch Gardens Europe and Busch Gardens: The Old Country) is a amusement park located in Williamsburg, Virginia, James City County near Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. Located approximately ...
announced the addition of Alpengeist for the 1997 season. It would break the record for height and speed among
inverted roller coaster
An inverted roller coaster is a roller coaster in which the train runs under the track with the seats directly attached to the wheel carriage. This latter attribute is what sets it apart from the older suspended coaster, which runs under the t ...
s, and it would feature the tallest vertical loop on an inverted coaster. The ride would be the park's second new roller coaster in two years after
Wild Maus. It would be built in the deepest ravine, with much of it hidden by trees. Park experts had worked on state-of-the-art devices to keep the noise lower, including switching from nylon wheels to quieter polyurethane wheels and pointing the major drop away from residential neighborhoods in
Kingsmill.
Construction of Alpengeist began two months before the announcement in June 1996. The coaster would be made out of 106 track pieces, with seven for the lift hill, ten for the station and 89 for the rest of the layout.
Alpengeist officially opened on March 22, 1997.
It held the record for tallest inverted coaster until the opening of
Cedar Point's
Wicked Twister
Wicked Twister was an inverted roller coaster located at Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio, United States. Designed by Werner Stengel, it was a second-generation, double-twisting Impulse model manufactured by Intamin. Wicked Twister o ...
in 2002. However, Alpengeist remained the world's tallest among complete-circuit inverted coasters.
In 2021, it was surpassed again by Legendary Twin Dragon, an inverted shuttle coaster in China. Wicked Twister closed at the end of the 2021 season making Alpengeist the tallest inverted coaster in North America.
Additionally, Alpengeist would hold the record for being the fastest inverted coaster until
Volcano: The Blast Coaster at the nearby
Kings Dominion
Kings Dominion is an amusement park located in Doswell, Virginia, north of Richmond and south of Washington, D.C. Owned and operated by Cedar Fair, the park opened to the public on May 3, 1975, and features more than 60 rides, shows and att ...
surpassed it in 1998.
In 2022, Alpengeist was repainted with light blue supports.
Characteristics
The ride contains three trains, although only two are in use at any time. Three mechanics maintain the ride and spend four months each year completely reconstructing each of the trains.
The trains each contain eight cars, each with a single row seating four riders, for a total of 32 riders per train.
The trains feature a zero car at the front of the train which contains of weight which allows the trains to complete larger elements. The trains also feature skis on the side of each seat support beam which adds to the theming of the ride. The trains' wheel protectors are also painted to resemble ski helmets, each having a unique design, and further adding to the theming.
Ride experience
Upon exiting the station, the floor drops beneath the riders' feet and the train climbs the tall chain lift
after hearing the send-off recording "Thank you and enjoy your avalanche of adventure on Alpengeist!" The top of the lift reaches above the river below. The track turns right while dropping down a spiral drop, going past The Land of The Dragons, with the train hitting .
Following the drop, the train passes through a
Immelmann loop, followed by a
vertical loop
The generic roller coaster vertical loop, where a section of track causes the riders to complete a 360 degree turn, is the most basic of roller coaster inversions. At the top of the loop, riders are completely inverted.
History
The vertical ...
.
The track then races through a wooden tunnel before passing through a
cobra roll over the Rhine River, adjacent to the
Loch Ness Monster
The Loch Ness Monster ( gd, Uilebheist Loch Nis), affectionately known as Nessie, is a creature in Scottish folklore that is said to inhabit Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. It is often described as large, long-necked, and with one or mor ...
. Out of the cobra roll, the track crosses over the entrance to the cobra roll, passes by
Griffon, then rises into the midcourse brake run. After the midcourse brakes, the track crosses over the exit from the Immelmann loop and then into another tunnel and down a drop before entering a
zero-g roll
Roller coaster elements are the individual parts of roller coaster design and operation, such as a track, hill, loop, or turn. Variations in normal track movement that add thrill or excitement to the ride are often called "thrill elements".
Com ...
, alongside the
Le Scoot log flume
Le Scoot is a log flume ride at Busch Gardens Williamsburg located in the New France area. It is themed after mountains and a saw mill.
Ride experience
Once seated in the "logs", riders are taken up a conveyor belt lift hill. Part of the hi ...
. After a short section of straight track close to ground level, the track goes through a
corkscrew
A corkscrew is a tool for drawing corks from wine bottles and other household bottles that may be sealed with corks. In its traditional form, a corkscrew simply consists of a pointed metallic helix (often called the "worm") attached to a hand ...
followed by a clockwise upward helix, before making a left turn to the final brake run.
Awards
File:Alpengeist (Busch Gardens Europe) 03.JPG, Alpengeist's loop
File:Alpengeist (Busch Gardens Europe) 04.JPG, Alpengeist's cobra roll
Image:Alpengeist (Zero-G Roll).JPG, Alpengeist's Heartline Spin (zero-g roll
Roller coaster elements are the individual parts of roller coaster design and operation, such as a track, hill, loop, or turn. Variations in normal track movement that add thrill or excitement to the ride are often called "thrill elements".
Com ...
)
References
External links
*
{{BGE Coasters
Roller coasters introduced in 1997
Roller coasters in Virginia
Busch Gardens Williamsburg
Roller coasters operated by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment
Inverted roller coasters manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard