Verbolten
| Verbolten | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Busch Gardens Williamsburg | |
| Park section | Oktoberfest |
| Coordinates | 37°13′53″N 76°38′42″W / 37.231498°N 76.644919°WCoordinates: 37°13′53″N 76°38′42″W / 37.231498°N 76.644919°W |
| Status | Operating |
| Soft opening date | May 11, 2012 |
| Opening date | May 18, 2012[1] |
| Replaced | Big Bad Wolf |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Steel – Launched |
| Manufacturer | Zierer |
| Model |
Family Launched Coaster Elevated Seating Coaster |
| Track layout | Custom terrain design |
| Lift/launch system | 2 LSM Launches |
| Drop | 88 ft (27 m) |
| Length | 2,835 ft (864 m) |
| Speed | 53 mph (85 km/h) |
| Inversions | 0 |
| Duration | 3:25 |
| Height restriction | 48 in (122 cm) |
| Trains | 5 trains with 8 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in a single row for a total of 16 riders per train. |
| Theme | Car/Autobahn |
| Slogan | Brave the Black Forest |
.svg.png){kind=logo} Quick Queue http://seaworldparks.com/en/buschgardens-williamsburg available | |
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Verbolten at RCDB Pictures of Verbolten at RCDB | |
Verbolten is a Zierer multi-launching steel roller coaster that officially opened on May 18, 2012 at Busch Gardens Williamsburg in Williamsburg, Virginia after a soft opening began on Friday, May 11, 2012. The concept was jointly designed by the park's creative design team and by Zierer of Germany.[1] Details about the ride were released on September 17, 2011 including a teaser video, ride statistics, and more.[2][3] The new ride has replaced the Big Bad Wolf, an Arrow Dynamics suspended roller coaster that was retired in 2009.[2][4] "Verbolten" is a play on words of the German word "verboten," which translates to "forbidden" in English.[2] On 26 January 2013, the red train got stuck on the first launch, but no injuries were reported.
Announcement
The original announcement of Verbolten took place in September 2010, with the park only saying the ride would be a "Multi-launching roller coaster" featuring many "firsts."[5]
Slowly, fans began to find details of the ride until they were officially released to the first thousand season pass members to enter Das Festhaus, a popular restaurant at Busch Gardens. Guests also learned details about 2011's Howl-O-Scream, the park's Halloween event.[2][3]
During the September 17 announcement, the following details were released:[6]
- Name: Verbolten
- Manufacturer: Zierer
- Speed: 53 miles per hour (85 km/h)
- Drop: 88 feet (27 m)
- Length: 2,835 feet (864 m)
- Duration: 3:25
- Theme: Car/Autobahn
- Launches: 2
Theme
The ride was inspired by the Autobahn, the German highway system. As shown in the teaser video, a car takes a leisurely trip down the Autobahn, but suddenly lightning strikes the car and causes it to drive into the Black Forest, a "forbidden" forest in which the ride takes place. The dark forest encounters weather changes, such as lightning, as shown in the video.
The queue and station are themed as a motor tours agency owned and operated by the brother and sister team of Gerta and Gunter Schwartzwald. A portion of the queue is decorated as Gunter's office which houses such curious items as plant samples, monitors, and the luggage of the unlucky tourists who have come before.[7] The station house is themed as a garage where riders board trains that resemble stretched roadsters in one of 5 colors (Orange, Red, Green, Blue, and Yellow). The theme of the ride itself is the Black Forest and various legends associated with it.[8]
The ride features an indoor portion (Referred to as the "Event" or "Show building") which represents a ride through the Black Forest and features one of three alternating special effects driven story lines. The inside of the event building is decorated with painted drops and set pieces, as well as featuring unique sound and lighting effects.[6]
Currently, there are three randomized story lines inside the event building.
- The Spirit of the Forest - In this story the effects feature a peaceful sounding spirit who lures riders into the forest and then turns on them.
- Lightning Storm - In this story the effects feature a violent storm that threatens to destroy the riders and their vehicle.
- The Big Bad Wolf - In this story the effects feature a pair of glowing red eyes that stalk the train during its journey through the forest, a nod to the ride's predecessor.
The inclusion of multiple effects stories ensures that repeat riders will have a unique experience.[9]
Three other coasters in Europe, Th13teen at Alton Towers, DarkMare at Cinecittà World and Polar X-plorer at Legoland Billund, also feature a freefall drop, too.
Layout
The train departs the station and gently dips to the left into a leisurely winding S-curve. Exiting the S-curve, the train enters the first Linear Synchronous Motor (LSM) launch, which accelerates it into the event building. Inside the event building, the train crests an airtime hill and then dives into a series of high speed turns, followed by a helix that guides the train onto a brake run, while holographic leaves appear with critter sounds in the background. The train then dives into a curve and up a medium-sized hill onto a second brake run, while more holographic branches appear with rusting sounds. The train finally comes to a stop on a section of track, with blackness for a while, followed by various thematic elements (This segment of the ride changes depending on which theme the coaster is on), then the entire train drops 18 feet vertically. Once dropped, the train rolls forward and down a small dip onto the second LSM launch, which quickly accelerates it out of the event building, and through a series of curves up a hill. At the crest of the hill, is another brake run themed as a decaying bridge. The train then drops 88 ft off of the bridge into a hard left hand turn that follows the same path as the Big Bad Wolf. The train then enters a high speed S-curve, almost identical to path of the Big Bad Wolf and over a bunny hop into a turnaround onto the final brake run.[10]
Tributes to Big Bad Wolf
Multiple nods to Verbolten's predecessor, the Big Bad Wolf, can be found throughout the ride and queue.
- One of the five trains, the orange train, reads "WOLF X ING" on its license plate.
- One of the three stories played within the event building features glowing red wolf eyes that chase riders through the forest.
- The final drop itself and a few of turns that follow copy the original coaster's drop towards the river
See also
- 2012 in amusement parks
- Polar X-plorer, a ride at Legoland Billund with a similar ride system
- Th13teen, The first roller coaster to introduce this ride system
References
- 1 2 Bush Gardens Williamsburg (April 5, 2012). "The Wait Is Over For Busch Gardens' Verbolten". Blog. Sea World Parks Blog. Retrieved April 5, 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 Thrift, Sam (17 September 2011). "Busch's New Coaster: Fast, Furious and Family-Friendly". Williamsburg Yorktown Daily. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
- 1 2 "Verbolten is Busch Gardens' new roller coaster". The Virginia Gazette. 17 September 2011. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
- ↑ Marden, Duane. "Big Bad Wolf (Busch Gardens Williamsburg)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
- ↑ "Rides - 2012 Attraction". Busch Gardens Williamsburg. Archived from the original on 17 September 2011. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
- 1 2 Mike (17 September 2011). "Busch Gardens Williamsburg 2012 - Verbolten". NewsPlusNotes. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
- ↑ "Verbolten: Queue House [Official Video]". Sea World Parks. Retrieved 13 March 2012.
- ↑ "Verbolten: Cars Unveiled [Official Video]". Sea World Parks. Retrieved 16 March 2012.
- ↑ Levine, Arthur. "Verbolten Busch Gardens Williamsburg". About.com. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
- ↑ "Verbolten, Brave the Black Forest". Sea World Parks. Retrieved 10 May 2012.
External links
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