Alpengeist

Alpengeist

Alpengeist's Immelmann
Busch Gardens Williamsburg
Park section Germany
Coordinates 37°13′58″N 76°38′51″W / 37.2328°N 76.6476°WCoordinates: 37°13′58″N 76°38′51″W / 37.2328°N 76.6476°W
Status Operating
Opening date March 22, 1997
Cost $20,000,000 USD
General statistics
Type Steel Inverted
Manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard
Model Inverted Coaster
Track layout Terrain
Lift/launch system Chain lift hill
Height 195 ft (59 m)
Drop 170 ft (52 m)
Length 3,828 ft (1,167 m)
Speed 67 mph (108 km/h)
Inversions 6
Duration 3:10
Max vertical angle 79°
Capacity 1820 riders per hour
G-force 3.7
Height restriction 54 in (137 cm)
Trains 3 trains with 8 cars. Riders are arranged 4 across in a single row for a total of 32 riders per train.
Quick Queue available
Alpengeist at RCDB
Pictures of Alpengeist at RCDB

Alpengeist is a Bolliger & Mabillard inverted roller coaster at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. Alpengeist has an Alpine mountain region theme. The name "Alpengeist" is German for "Ghost of the Alps" or "Alps Spirit" and the ride is themed to a runaway ski lift. Since it opened in 1997, Alpengeist has been the world's tallest complete circuit inverted coaster.[1][2]

Ride experience

Upon exiting the station, the floor drops beneath the riders feet and the train climbs the 195-foot-tall chain lift[3] after hearing the send-off recording "Thank you and enjoy your avalanche of adventure on Alpengeist!" The train drops to the right down a 170 foot drop, going past The Land of The Dragons, hitting 67 miles per hour.[3] Following the drop, the train rises through an Immelmann loop, followed by a 106-foot vertical loop. The train then races through a wooden tunnel, which until recent years, had cameras for an on-ride photo (it has since been removed due to the two inside seats not being clear in the photos). This is followed by a cobra roll over the Rhine River, adjacent to the Loch Ness Monster and Griffon. The train goes around a gradually rising turn, then hits the midcourse brake run. Off the midcourse brakes, the train drops and goes through a zero g roll alongside the Le Scoot log flume. There is a short section of straight track close to ground level before the train goes through a corkscrew. After a counterclockwise helix, the train hits the final brake run and returns to the station.

Ride elements

Awards

Golden Ticket Awards: Top steel Roller Coasters
Year200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013
Ranking 13[4]19[5]19[6]17[7]17[8]18[9]22[10]19[11]23[12]27[13]24[14]25[15]

References

  1. "RCDB - Inverted Height Record Holders". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 2013-03-05.
  2. "RCDB - Inverted Speed Record Holders". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 2013-03-05.
  3. 3.0 3.1 http://www.buschgardens.com/BGW/ar_alpengeist.aspx
  4. "Top 25 steel roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 7B. September 2002. Retrieved September 6, 2013.
  5. "Top 50 steel roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 1415B. September 2003. Retrieved September 6, 2013.
  6. "Top 50 steel roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 1819B. September 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 3, 2007. Retrieved September 6, 2013.
  7. "Top 50 steel roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 2627B. September 2005. Retrieved September 6, 2013.
  8. "Top 50 steel roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 2627B. September 2006. Retrieved September 6, 2013.
  9. "Top 50 steel roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today 11 (6.2): 3637. September 2007. Retrieved September 6, 2013.
  10. "Top 50 steel roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today 12 (6.2): 3637. September 2008. Retrieved September 6, 2013.
  11. "Top 50 steel roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today 13 (6.2): 3233. September 2009. Retrieved September 6, 2013.
  12. "Top 50 steel roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today 14 (6.2): 3435. September 2010. Retrieved September 6, 2013.
  13. "Top 50 steel roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today 15 (6.2): 3839. September 2011. Retrieved September 6, 2013.
  14. "Top 50 steel roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today 16 (6.2): 3637. September 2012. Retrieved September 6, 2013.
  15. "2013 Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today 17 (6.2): 3435. September 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 6, 2013.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Alpengeist.
Preceded by
Montu
World's tallest inverted roller coaster
March 1997May 2002
Succeeded by
Wicked Twister
Preceded by
Montu
World's fastest inverted roller coaster
March 1997August 1998
Succeeded by
Volcano, The Blast Coaster