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Rides
Need for Speed

We look at five multi-million-dollar rollercoasters that have recently embarked on their maiden rides


INTAMIN

Yukon Quad
Parc Le Pal
France

At the beginning of April, Parc Le Pal in Saint-Pourçain-sur-Besbre, France, launched its biggest ever attraction, Yukon Quad. Themed like a string of all-terrain vehicles, Intamin’s Family Launch Coaster covers a whole kilometre of track.

With ride theming creating a journey through a wild Canadian landscape, the quads launch at speeds of 65kph, with riders experiencing a G-force of up to 3G.
The rollercoaster travels up, drops down, and winds its way along close to the ground, intensifying the feeling of speed. The coaster’s second launch reaches almost 90kph, following a series of tight bends and hills and an S-hump before the ride comes to an end.

“We’ve invested 10 million euros in this new attraction, that is to say 50 per cent of our turnover from 2017,” Parc Le Pal CEO Arnaud Bennet told local press. “That’s 5 million euros more than Twist, our most expensive attraction, built in 2011. So, we hope for a nice return on investment. Thanks to Yukon, we are expecting 50,000 additional visitors this year.”

The ride uses Intamin’s cutting-edge friction wheel drive system and features an upright seating position. It’s one of only three coasters of its kind in the world.

 



North Canada’s wilderness inspired the ride theming
 


North Canada’s wilderness inspired the ride theming
 
MACK RIDES

TIME TRAVELLER
Silver Dollar City
Branson, Missouri

Time Traveller, billed as the world’s fastest, steepest and tallest spinning coaster, delivers 360-degree controlled spins as the vehicle moves, meaning every ride experience is different from the last.

The Herschend-owned and run theme park invested of $26m in the new double launch ride, and in return is able to boast an attraction with top speeds of 80kph, a 10-storey, 90-degree vertical drop, a top height of 30 metres; and a dive loop, vertical loop and a zero-G roll making up its three inversions. The 920-metre track crosses over itself 14 times in total.

“This coaster’s state-of-the-art controlled spin provides riders a unique thrill experience while still appealing to families,” says Brad Thomas, president of Silver Dollar City Attractions. “Time Traveller is a revolutionary coaster ahead of its time.”

 



Time Traveller starts with an immediate, out-of-the-station, gravity-driven 90-degree drop
 


Time Traveller starts with an immediate, out-of-the-station, gravity-driven 90-degree drop
 
 


Time Traveller starts with an immediate, out-of-the-station, gravity-driven 90-degree drop
 
GREAT COASTERS INT.

Wicker Man
Alton Towers
Alton, UK

Alton Towers’ highly anticipated Wicker Man ride opened in March, the theme park’s first wooden coaster, which boasts a six-storey flaming centrepiece and is the first such ride to combine wood and fire effects.

Operator Merlin Entertainments used Great Coasters International to build and install the £16m ride. Holovis created the pre-show and queue line, which feature extensive theming and elaborate projection mapping, while Picsolve supplied the photo-capture solution.

“We started to come up with themes that made the most of wood as a material,” says Bradley Wynne, creative lead at Merlin Magic Making. “We thought it was interesting that people really love that combination of wood and fire and so we began to think about how we could recreate that somehow in a safe way. That was the challenge – how to set a wooden coaster on fire and for it to be safe.”

The 618-metre wooden coaster features a blazing 20-metre-tall wicker man that bursts into flames on three occasions during the course of the ride. Featuring a lift hill and 22-metre drop, the ride lasts about three and a half minutes.

 



Wicker Man also has a themed area around the attraction, with a shop, games unit and kiosk
 


Wicker Man also has a themed area around the attraction, with a shop, games unit and kiosk
 
 


Wicker Man also has a themed area around the attraction, with a shop, games unit and kiosk
 
MACK
RIDES

ICON
Blackpool Pleasure Beach
Blackpool, UK

Mack Rides’ ICON – the UK’s first ever double launch rollercoaster – opened in May, marking a £16m investment for Blackpool Pleasure Beach in north England.

Riders board copper gold carriages, crafted from German steel, and are fired out of a tunnel, with the layout of the rollercoaster navigating in and out of the theme park’s other rides multiple times. The 1.14km grey steel track boasts a high point of 27 metres, with drops of up to 25 metres.

“We have been on an incredible journey building this rollercoaster, seeing its towering presence on the park and entwining with some of our most popular rides. It really has been epic,” says Amanda Thompson, the attraction’s managing director. “It’s a smooth but exhilarating ride like no other rollercoaster in the world.”

 



German steel is manufactured using cutting-edge engineering processes for a smoother ride
ZAMPERLA

Thunderchariot
Discovery Kingdom
Dalian, China

Italian ride maker Zamperla recently opened its third Thunderbolt coaster, at Haichang’s Dalian Discovery Kingdom in Liaoning province, China. The rollercoaster follows a fairytale theme inkeeping with the design of the area in park.

Named Thunderchariot by Dalian Discovery Kingdom, riders traverse the 675-metre track in one of four, nine-seater vehicles, reaching speeds of up to 85kph.
Zamperla has installed its Thunderbolt ride at Luna Park, New York, and OWA theme park in Foley, Alabama. A fourth is to open at Mason Robotland in South Korea.

 



Thunderchariot is the third of Zamperla’s Thunderbolt installations
 


Thunderchariot is the third of Zamperla’s Thunderbolt installations
 
COMPANY PROFILES
QubicaAMF UK

QubicaAMF is the largest and most innovative bowling equipment provider with 600 employees worldwi [more...]
Vekoma Rides Manufacturing B.V.

Vekoma Rides has a large variety of coasters and attractions. [more...]
Red Raion

Founded in 2014, Red Raion is the CGI studio for media-based attractions. [more...]
RMA Ltd

RMA Ltd is a one-stop global company that can design, build and produce from a greenfield site upw [more...]
+ More profiles  
CATALOGUE GALLERY
 

+ More catalogues  
DIRECTORY
+ More directory  
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08-08 May 2024

Hospitality Design Conference

Hotel Melià , Milano , Italy
10-12 May 2024

Asia Pool & Spa Expo

China Import & Export Fair Complex, Guangzhou, China
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Jobs    News   Products   Magazine   Subscribe
Rides
Need for Speed

We look at five multi-million-dollar rollercoasters that have recently embarked on their maiden rides


INTAMIN

Yukon Quad
Parc Le Pal
France

At the beginning of April, Parc Le Pal in Saint-Pourçain-sur-Besbre, France, launched its biggest ever attraction, Yukon Quad. Themed like a string of all-terrain vehicles, Intamin’s Family Launch Coaster covers a whole kilometre of track.

With ride theming creating a journey through a wild Canadian landscape, the quads launch at speeds of 65kph, with riders experiencing a G-force of up to 3G.
The rollercoaster travels up, drops down, and winds its way along close to the ground, intensifying the feeling of speed. The coaster’s second launch reaches almost 90kph, following a series of tight bends and hills and an S-hump before the ride comes to an end.

“We’ve invested 10 million euros in this new attraction, that is to say 50 per cent of our turnover from 2017,” Parc Le Pal CEO Arnaud Bennet told local press. “That’s 5 million euros more than Twist, our most expensive attraction, built in 2011. So, we hope for a nice return on investment. Thanks to Yukon, we are expecting 50,000 additional visitors this year.”

The ride uses Intamin’s cutting-edge friction wheel drive system and features an upright seating position. It’s one of only three coasters of its kind in the world.

 



North Canada’s wilderness inspired the ride theming
 


North Canada’s wilderness inspired the ride theming
 
MACK RIDES

TIME TRAVELLER
Silver Dollar City
Branson, Missouri

Time Traveller, billed as the world’s fastest, steepest and tallest spinning coaster, delivers 360-degree controlled spins as the vehicle moves, meaning every ride experience is different from the last.

The Herschend-owned and run theme park invested of $26m in the new double launch ride, and in return is able to boast an attraction with top speeds of 80kph, a 10-storey, 90-degree vertical drop, a top height of 30 metres; and a dive loop, vertical loop and a zero-G roll making up its three inversions. The 920-metre track crosses over itself 14 times in total.

“This coaster’s state-of-the-art controlled spin provides riders a unique thrill experience while still appealing to families,” says Brad Thomas, president of Silver Dollar City Attractions. “Time Traveller is a revolutionary coaster ahead of its time.”

 



Time Traveller starts with an immediate, out-of-the-station, gravity-driven 90-degree drop
 


Time Traveller starts with an immediate, out-of-the-station, gravity-driven 90-degree drop
 
 


Time Traveller starts with an immediate, out-of-the-station, gravity-driven 90-degree drop
 
GREAT COASTERS INT.

Wicker Man
Alton Towers
Alton, UK

Alton Towers’ highly anticipated Wicker Man ride opened in March, the theme park’s first wooden coaster, which boasts a six-storey flaming centrepiece and is the first such ride to combine wood and fire effects.

Operator Merlin Entertainments used Great Coasters International to build and install the £16m ride. Holovis created the pre-show and queue line, which feature extensive theming and elaborate projection mapping, while Picsolve supplied the photo-capture solution.

“We started to come up with themes that made the most of wood as a material,” says Bradley Wynne, creative lead at Merlin Magic Making. “We thought it was interesting that people really love that combination of wood and fire and so we began to think about how we could recreate that somehow in a safe way. That was the challenge – how to set a wooden coaster on fire and for it to be safe.”

The 618-metre wooden coaster features a blazing 20-metre-tall wicker man that bursts into flames on three occasions during the course of the ride. Featuring a lift hill and 22-metre drop, the ride lasts about three and a half minutes.

 



Wicker Man also has a themed area around the attraction, with a shop, games unit and kiosk
 


Wicker Man also has a themed area around the attraction, with a shop, games unit and kiosk
 
 


Wicker Man also has a themed area around the attraction, with a shop, games unit and kiosk
 
MACK
RIDES

ICON
Blackpool Pleasure Beach
Blackpool, UK

Mack Rides’ ICON – the UK’s first ever double launch rollercoaster – opened in May, marking a £16m investment for Blackpool Pleasure Beach in north England.

Riders board copper gold carriages, crafted from German steel, and are fired out of a tunnel, with the layout of the rollercoaster navigating in and out of the theme park’s other rides multiple times. The 1.14km grey steel track boasts a high point of 27 metres, with drops of up to 25 metres.

“We have been on an incredible journey building this rollercoaster, seeing its towering presence on the park and entwining with some of our most popular rides. It really has been epic,” says Amanda Thompson, the attraction’s managing director. “It’s a smooth but exhilarating ride like no other rollercoaster in the world.”

 



German steel is manufactured using cutting-edge engineering processes for a smoother ride
ZAMPERLA

Thunderchariot
Discovery Kingdom
Dalian, China

Italian ride maker Zamperla recently opened its third Thunderbolt coaster, at Haichang’s Dalian Discovery Kingdom in Liaoning province, China. The rollercoaster follows a fairytale theme inkeeping with the design of the area in park.

Named Thunderchariot by Dalian Discovery Kingdom, riders traverse the 675-metre track in one of four, nine-seater vehicles, reaching speeds of up to 85kph.
Zamperla has installed its Thunderbolt ride at Luna Park, New York, and OWA theme park in Foley, Alabama. A fourth is to open at Mason Robotland in South Korea.

 



Thunderchariot is the third of Zamperla’s Thunderbolt installations
 


Thunderchariot is the third of Zamperla’s Thunderbolt installations
 
LATEST NEWS
The Everyday Heritage initiative celebrates and preserves working class histories
Off the back of the success of the first round of Everyday Heritage Grants in 2022, Historic England is funding 56 creative projects that honour the heritage of working-class England.
Universal announces long-awaited details of its Epic Universe, set to open in 2025
Universal has revealed it will be adding new Harry Potter attractions, alongside Super Nintendo and How to Train Your Dragon worlds to its Florida resort.
Heartbreak for Swedish theme park, Liseberg, as fire breaks out
A fire has destroyed part of the new water world, Oceana, at Liseberg in Sweden, and a construction worker has been reported missing.
Museum director apologises after comparing the city of Florence to a sex worker
Museum director Cecilie Hollberg has come under fire for comparing the city to a sex worker due to uncontrolled mass tourism.
Populous reveals plans for major e-sports arena in Saudi Arabia
Populous have unveiled their plans for a state-of-the-art e-sports arena, designed to stand as a central landmark in Qiddaya City’s gaming and e-sports district, Saudi Arabia.
Raby Castle reveals ambitious plans to become a major visitor destination
Raby Castle, known as one of the finest medieval fortifications in England, is nearing the end of an ambitious two-year renovation project.
Wake The Tiger launches new 1,000sq m expansion
Wake the Tiger, the Bristol-based immersive art experience, is set to open its 1,000sq m expansion on Friday 2 February.
Merlin teams up with Hasbro and Lego to create Peppa Pig experiences
Merlin Entertainments, the LEGO Group and Hasbro have teamed up to create Peppa Pig experiences.
Tate Modern and Frame collaborate on a mind/body experience
London boutique operator, Frame, has teamed up with the Tate Modern to offer two yin and sound yoga classes, following by a tour of the art gallery.
Elvis Presley Live is rolling out globally
Immersive entertainment specialists, Layered Reality, is creating a tribute to Elvis Presley featuring a concert experience with a life-sized digital Elvis.
Carmel Lewis takes top spot at BRC
Carmel Lewis has been appointed president at global experiential planning and design firm, BRC Imagination Arts, heralding a new era for the company.
Perth Museum to launch at Easter with rare Jacobite objects
Opening over Easter weekend in March 2024 after a £26.5m redevelopment project, Perth Museum will tell the story of Perth – Scotland’s first capital.
+ More news   
 
COMPANY PROFILES
QubicaAMF UK

QubicaAMF is the largest and most innovative bowling equipment provider with 600 employees worldwi [more...]
Vekoma Rides Manufacturing B.V.

Vekoma Rides has a large variety of coasters and attractions. [more...]
Red Raion

Founded in 2014, Red Raion is the CGI studio for media-based attractions. [more...]
RMA Ltd

RMA Ltd is a one-stop global company that can design, build and produce from a greenfield site upw [more...]
+ More profiles  
CATALOGUE GALLERY
+ More catalogues  
DIRECTORY
+ More directory  
DIARY

 

08-08 May 2024

Hospitality Design Conference

Hotel Melià , Milano , Italy
10-12 May 2024

Asia Pool & Spa Expo

China Import & Export Fair Complex, Guangzhou, China
+ More diary  
 


ADVERTISE . CONTACT US

Leisure Media
Tel: +44 (0)1462 431385

©Cybertrek 2024

ABOUT LEISURE MEDIA
LEISURE MEDIA MAGAZINES
LEISURE MEDIA HANDBOOKS
LEISURE MEDIA WEBSITES
LEISURE MEDIA PRODUCT SEARCH
ATTRACTIONS MANAGEMENT NEWS
ATTRACTIONS HANDBOOK
PRINT SUBSCRIPTIONS
FREE DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTIONS