Alpengeist

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Alpengeist
Alpengeist (Busch Gardens Europe) 02.JPG
Alpengeist's Immelmann
Busch Gardens Williamsburg
LocationBusch Gardens Williamsburg
Park sectionRhinefeld
Coordinates37°13′58″N 76°38′51″W / 37.2328°N 76.6476°W / 37.2328; -76.6476Coordinates: 37°13′58″N 76°38′51″W / 37.2328°N 76.6476°W / 37.2328; -76.6476
StatusOperating
Opening dateMarch 22, 1997
Cost$20 million
General statistics
TypeSteel – Inverted
ManufacturerBolliger & Mabillard
DesignerWerner Stengel
ModelInverted Coaster
Track layoutTerrain
Lift/launch systemChain lift hill
Height195 ft (59 m)
Drop170 ft (52 m)
Length3,828 ft (1,167 m)
Speed67 mph (108 km/h)
Inversions6
Duration3:10
Max vertical angle79°
Capacity1820 riders per hour
G-force3.7
Height restriction54 in (137 cm)
Trains2 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 /ˈælpənˈɡaɪst/ is an inverted roller coaster located at Busch Gardens Williamsburg in Williamsburg, Virginia. Manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard, Alpengeist has an Alpine mountain region theme and opened in 1997 as the tallest inverted coaster in the world. The name "Alpengeist" is German for "Ghost of the Alps" or "Alps Spirit", and the ride is themed to a runaway ski lift. As of 2021 it has the records of, the Tallest Complete Circuit Inverted Coaster in the World, Tallest Inverted Coaster in the USA, Longest Complete Circuit Coaster Drop in the World [1][2]

History[]

On August 30, 1996, Busch Gardens Williamsburg announced the addition of Alpengeist for the 1997 season. It would break the record for height and speed among inverted roller coasters, 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.[3]

Construction of Alpengeist began two months before the announcement in June 1996.[4] 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.[5]

Alpengeist officially opened on March 22, 1997.[6]

Trains[]

Alpengeist has 2 trains with 8 cars, riders are arranged 4 across in a single row for a total of 32 riders per train. The trains feature a zero car at the front of the train which contains 680 kg (1,499 lb) 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.

Ride experience[]

Upon exiting the station, the floor drops beneath the riders feet and the train climbs the 167 ft (51 m) tall chain lift[7] after hearing the send-off recording "Thank you and enjoy your avalanche of adventure on Alpengeist!" The top of the lift reaches 195 ft (59 m) above the river below. The track turns right while dropping down a 170 ft (52 m) spiral drop, going past The Land of The Dragons, with the train hitting 67 mph (108 km/h).[7] Following the drop, the train passes through a 120 ft (37 m) Immelmann loop, followed by a 106 ft (32 m) vertical loop.[8] The track 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), before passing through a cobra roll over the Rhine River, adjacent to the Loch Ness Monster. 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, alongside the Le Scoot log flume. After a short section of straight track close to ground level, the track goes through a corkscrew followed by a clockwise upward helix, before making a left turn to the final brake run.[9]

Awards[]

Golden Ticket Awards: Top steel Roller Coasters
Year 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2021
Ranking 2[10] 3[11] 8[12] 10[13] 13[14] 19[15] 19[16] 17[17] 17[18] 18[19] 22[20] 19[21] 23[22] 27[23] 24[24] 25[25] 23[26] 26[27] 30[28] 36[29] 32[30] 32[31] 21[32]

  • Alpengeist's loop

  • Alpengeist's cobra roll

  • Alpengeist's Heartline Spin (zero-g roll)

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. ^ "ALPENGEIST WILL THRILL AND CHILL".
  4. ^ "Alps (April 11, 1997)". Daily Press. April 11, 1997. Retrieved September 28, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ^ "End of the line at Busch Gardens". Daily Press. December 6, 1996. Retrieved September 28, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ^ Marden, Duane. "Alpengeist  (Busch Gardens Williamsburg)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
  7. ^ a b "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-01-21. Retrieved 2009-01-08.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. ^ "Alpengeist at Busch Gardens Williamsburg - COASTER-net".
  9. ^ "Alpengeist (On-Ride) Busch Gardens Williamsburg". Sharp Productions. June 4, 2012. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved July 5, 2019 – via YouTube.
  10. ^ "Top 25 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 7B. August 1998. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  11. ^ "Top 25 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 7B. August 1999. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  12. ^ "Top 25 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. August 2000. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  13. ^ "Top 25 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 7B. August 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  14. ^ "Top 25 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 7B. September 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  15. ^ "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 14–15B. September 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  16. ^ "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 18–19B. September 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 3, 2007. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  17. ^ "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 26–27B. September 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  18. ^ "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 26–27B. September 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  19. ^ "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 11 (6.2): 36–37. September 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  20. ^ "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 12 (6.2): 36–37. September 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  21. ^ "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 13 (6.2): 32–33. September 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  22. ^ "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 14 (6.2): 34–35. September 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  23. ^ "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 15 (6.2): 38–39. September 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  24. ^ "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 16 (6.2): 36–37. September 2012. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  25. ^ "2013 Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 17 (6.2): 34–35. September 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  26. ^ "2014 Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 18 (6.2): 46–47. September 2014. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  27. ^ "2015 Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 19 (6.2): 49–50. September 2015. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  28. ^ "2016 Top 50 Steel Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2016. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  29. ^ "2017 Top 50 Steel Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2017. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  30. ^ "2018 Top 50 Steel Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2018. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  31. ^ "2019 Top 50 Steel Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2019. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  32. ^ "2021 Golden Ticket Award Winners". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2021. Archived from the original on November 15, 2021. Retrieved September 14, 2015.

External links[]

Preceded by World's tallest inverted roller coaster
March 1997–May 2002 		Succeeded by
Preceded by World's fastest inverted roller coaster
March 1997–August 1998 		Succeeded by
Volcano, The Blast Coaster
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