Avalanche (Amusements of America)

Avalanche
Previously known as Firecracker (1984–1998), Blitzen (1981–1983), Cyclone (1976–1980)
Amusements of America (Portable)
Status	Operating
Opened	1999 (1999)
IX Indoor Amusement Park
Status	Defunct
Opened	1998 (1998)
Closed	1999 (1999)
Jolly Roger Amusement Park
Status	Defunct
Opened	1998 (1998)
Closed	1998 (1998)
Holiday World & Splashin' Safari
Park section	Fourth of July
Status	Defunct
Opened	1981 (1981)
Closed	1997 (1997)
Geauga Lake's Wildwater Kingdom
Status	Defunct
Opened	1976 (1976)
Closed	1980 (1980)
General statistics
Type	Steel
Manufacturer	Pinfari
Model	Zyklon Z47
Track layout	Twister
Lift/launch system	Chain Lift Hill
Height	36 ft (11 m)
Length	1,427 ft (435 m)
Max speed	35 mph (56 km/h)
Inversions	0
Duration	1:30
Capacity	950 riders per hour
Height restriction	3 ft 6 in (107 cm)
Trains	8 trains with a single car. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 4 riders per train.
Must transfer from wheelchair
Avalanche at RCDB
Pictures of Avalanche at RCDB
Amusement Parks Portal

Avalanche (previously known as Firecracker, Blitzen, and Cyclone) is a steel roller coaster owned by Amusements of America that travels to various locations east of the Mississippi River, USA. Avalanche is a portable Pinfari Zyklon Z47 model roller coaster. Prior to traveling with Amusements of America, Avalanche was a permanent installation roller coaster at Geauga Lake's Wildwater Kingdom (1976–1980), Holiday World & Splashin' Safari (1981–1997), Jolly Roger Amusement Park (1998), and IX Indoor Amusement Park (1998–1999).

Contents 1 History 1.1 Progression 1.2 Geauga Lake 1.3 Holiday World & Splashin' Safari 1.4 Jolly Roger Amusement Park 1.5 IX Indoor Amusement Park 1.6 Amusements of America 2 Characteristics 2.1 Station 2.2 Trains 2.3 Track 3 Experience 4 Operation 5 References 6 External Links

History

Progression

Progression of Ride Names and Locations
Years	Name	Location
1976–1980	Cyclone	Geauga Lake
1981–1983	Blitzen	Holiday World & Splashin' Safari
1984–1997	Firecracker
1998		Jolly Roger Amusement Park
1998–1999		IX Indoor Amusement Park
1999–Present	Avalanche	Amusements of America (Portable)

Geauga Lake

The long journey of what would later be known as Avalanche began at Geauga Lake in Aurora, Ohio, USA. In 1976, Little Dipper was removed and Cyclone, as Avalanche was then known, was added in its place. Cyclone stayed at Geauga Lake for just four years before being sold to Santa Claus Land (now known as Holiday World & Splashin' Safari) in 1980.^[1][2]

Holiday World & Splashin' Safari

Avalanche is probably best known for its time spent at Holiday World & Splashin' Safari in Santa Claus, Indiana, USA. It first operated here as Blitzen from 1981 to 1983. During this time period, the park was called Santa Claus Land and all of the ride names were themed after Christmas. When Santa Claus Land changed its name to Holiday World in 1984, the area Blitzen was located in became part of the newly added Fourth of July section. The name of the ride was changed to Firecracker to match this new theme. Firecracker operated here until 1997. That year, Holiday World sold the ride to a man named John Hofeditz in preparation for a new addition called Holidog's FunTown, which opened in 1999.^[3]

Jolly Roger Amusement Park

After his purchase of Firecracker from Holiday World, John Hofeditz placed the ride at Jolly Roger Amusement Park in Ocean City, Maryland, USA. It operated here for only one year in 1998. Although still owned by Hofeditz, Firecracker was moved.^[4]

IX Indoor Amusement Park

While under the ownership of John Hofeditz, he rented the ride out to IX Indoor Amusement Park in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. At the time, the season for IX Indoor Amusement Park ran from mid-March to late April. The season for Jolly Roger Amusement Park did not start until late May. In turn, Hofeditz first placed Firecracker at the IX Indoor Amusement Park for their 1998 season before moving it to Jolly Roger Amusement Park for their 1998 season. In 1999 he moved the ride back to IX Indoor Amusement Park, where it remained until he sold the ride later that year to Amusements of America.^[4][5][6]

Amusements of America

In 1999, John Hofeditz sold Firecracker to Amusements of America, a traveling carnival operator that typically works with large-scale events such as state fairs. Before putting it into operation, the company gave Firecracker a new coat of paint and a new name, Avalanche. As of 2011^[update], Avalanche continues to operate under the control of Amusements of America. Although it sometimes makes appearances elsewhere, Avalanche is commonly found at the Ohio State Fair in Columbus, Ohio, USA.^[4]

Characteristics

Station

As with most portable roller coasters, the station on Avalanche is fairly simplistic in nature. Riders enter the station on the left and are loaded into the ride, which then exits the station to the left. When the car returns from the right, riders exit on the right side of the station. The floor on the near side of the station, from a potential rider's perspective, is made of aluminum plating. The floor on the opposite side of the tracks, where the ride operators stand, is made of wooden boards. There is a roof on the station to protect the people inside from weather as well as from anything that may fall from the track above.^[7]

Trains

Avalanche uses eight silver, 4-passenger trains. Each train is made up of a single car that holds four riders. Each car has two rows holding two riders each. In addition, each person has safety restraints that must be put into place before the ride can begin.^[4]

Track

The steel track on Avalanche is made of tubular steel with steel cross ties. The supports for the track itself are made out steel as well. The total length of the track is about 1,427 feet (435 m). The highest point on the track is 36 feet (11 m) tall, which is reached thanks to a chain lift hill. Avalanche uses fin brakes throughout the ride to allow the train to be stopped in the final brake run as well as the block sections.^[4]

Experience

The total ride experience on Avalanche lasts approximately one minute and thirty seconds.^[7]

The ride begins with riders looking out the left side of the station. After dispatch, the train makes a 180° right turn along the perimeter of the ride. After the turn, the train latches onto the lift hill chain which takes the train to the highest point on the ride. After disengaging from the chain, the train makes an approximately 225° turn to the right. Immediately following the turn, the train plunges down its initial drop. At the bottom of the drop, the train quickly returns uphill. At the top of the hill the train makes another 225° turn, this time to the left. The train then goes down a small dip over the station and returns uphill. At this point the riders are under the top level of the ride with the initial 225° right turn. The train then makes a dropping, left-turning helix of approximately 585°. At the conclusion of the helix the train goes up a slight incline before making another helix, this time a dropping, right-turning helix of approximately 630°. At the conclusion of the helix the train is near the ground. After a slight turn to the left and a small drop, the train turns around 180° to the right and enters the station, at which point riders unload.^[7]

Operation

Although there is no age limit, riders must be at least 42 inches (110 cm) tall to ride Avalanche when accompanied by an adult. To ride unaccompanied, riders must be at least 48 inches (120 cm) tall. Riders must also be able to latch the safety restraints to ride; due to this restriction, larger riders may not be permitted to ride.^[8]

References

External Links

• Official website for Avalanche at Amusements of America
• Official YouTube video of Avalanche posted by Amusements of America