Great Bear (roller Coaster)

Great Bear is an inverted roller coaster located at Hersheypark in Hershey, Pennsylvania, United States. Designed and manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard, with additional design from Werner Stengel, the roller coaster opened on May 23, 1998, in the Minetown section of the park. Great Bear was the first inverted looping coaster in Pennsylvania and cost $13 million, the largest project Hersheypark undertook at the time. The roller coaster reaches a maximum height of , a maximum speed of to , and has a total track length of .

When Great Bear opened, it was the sixth roller coaster in operation at Hersheypark, as well as the fourth steel roller coaster at the park. The layout of the roller coaster was designed to weave through several attractions, including a steel roller coaster, SooperDooperLooper; a log flume, Coal Cracker; and Spring Creek. The ride is named after the constellation Ursa Major, and its major elements represent the number of stars within the constellation. Upon opening to the public, the roller coaster received positive reviews from critics and guests.

History

After the opening of Sidewinder, a steel shuttle roller coaster in 1991, the park considered in its long-term goals to add a bigger steel roller coaster for the coming decade. Great Bear was part of the Hershey Entertainment and Resorts Company's five-year plan, alongside an expansion to its Hershey Lodge and Convention Center at an estimated $26 million dollars, as well as renovations for the Hersheypark Arena. The park conducted surveys showing that guests wanted the park to add roller coasters.

During the planning stages, Jeff Budgeon, then the park's planning, engineering, and maintenance director, said that park executives did not want to build record-breaking roller coasters because these would not equate to better thrills and would be expensive. Four manufacturers presented proposals to Hersheypark that would be designed specifically for the park's layout and terrain. Ultimately, the park chose Swiss manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M).

Hersheypark announced on August 19, 1997, its intentions to build a $13 million roller coaster (equivalent to $ in ) for the 1998 operating season. Named the Great Bear, the attraction would be a steel inverted roller coaster built by B&M. At the time, the closest roller coaster similar to the Great Bear was located at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson Township, New Jersey. The park's general manager said the project would constitute "the largest sum of money ever spent on a single attraction at Hersheypark". Ground breaking and construction of the Great Bear started in mid-November. By December, excavation work was completed, with concrete foundation work taking place for the track and station. In the same month, track work began to be assembled on site.

In the new year, the park would increase admission prices because of the construction of Great Bear. A press conference was held on March 31, for media to view the Great Bear which was nearing completion with all of the track work in place. To be finished were the electrical wiring for the controls and testing the roller coaster. The roller coaster was revealed to media personnel on May 22, to ride, and opened to the public a day later on May 23 during the park's 92nd operating season. It was the most expensive roller coaster ever constructed in the park, as well as the first inverted looping coaster in Pennsylvania. To promote the Great Bear, Hersheypark created a 30-second television advertisement called "Brave Souls". At the end of 1998, the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions gave the commercial a Brass Ring Award for "originality, creativity, and excellence in marketing". In its first five seasons of operation, the Great Bear attracted an average of 1.2 million riders annually.

Ride experience

After the floor drops down slightly beneath the train, riders exit the station begins to climb a tall lift hill. After cresting the lift, the train begins a sweeping helix to the left. Following this turn, riders plunge into a drop into The Hollow. The train enters a vertical loop, then racing straight through a shallow pit towards onlookers, followed by an Immelmann loop. After the Immelmann, the train curves slightly right into a zero-g roll. The train continues through The Hollow, passing over walkways and heading towards SooperDooperLooper and Comet, then making a sharp left turn over Spring Creek. Due to the presence of Spring Creek, the train passes over several unconventional support structures wrapping under and around the train. The train whips into a corkscrew, and then two wide turns, first to the left, then the right, skirting around SooperDooperLooper's vertical loop. Following another slight curve to the left, over the Coal Cracker flume ride, riders photos are taken and the train enters the final brake run. After the brake run, the train curves to the right and returns to the station. One cycle of the roller coaster is about 175 seconds long.

Characteristics

The roller coaster is a custom Inverted Coaster model, designed and manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard; Werner Stengel assisted with the design. Most of the ride's components were manufactured in the United States. Due to its proximity to other attractions, the roller coaster was one of Bolliger & Mabillard's most difficult projects to design. General construction was undertaken by Wickersham Construction and Engineering, which built the foundations and buildings for the roller coaster. Sources cite the ride as be