Alpengeist
Encyclopedia
Alpengeist is a full-circuit inverted roller coaster
, built by Bolliger & Mabillard
, in 1997 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
.
Williamsburg brewery and looking up on Griffon
and descend 170 feet, going past The Land of The Dragons, hitting 67 miles per hour. Following the drop, passengers go into an enormous Immelmann loop, which is a half loop with a twist at the top. After the Immelmann loop, riders go into a 106-foot vertical loop. The riders then enter a wooden tunnel where there was an on-ride photo (it has since been removed due to the two inside seats not being clear in the photos). A large cobra roll follows over the Rhine River, adjacent to the Loch Ness Monster
and Griffon
. The block brake
comes after a high-speed curve. Immediately after the block, a drop that goes right into a zero-G roll that gives airtime right beside the "Le Scoot
" log flume
. After a corkscrew and a helix, the train brings the riders into the station.
Inverted roller coaster
An inverted roller coaster is a roller coaster in which the train runs under the track with the seats directly attached to the wheel carriage. This latter attribute is what sets it apart from the older suspended coaster, which runs under the track, but "swings" via a pivoting bar attached to the...
, built by Bolliger & Mabillard
Bolliger & Mabillard
Bolliger & Mabillard Consulting Engineers is a roller coaster design consultancy based in Monthey, Switzerland. The company was founded in 1988 by Walter Bolliger and Claude Mabillard, with Bolliger acting as president and Mabillard as vice-president...
, in 1997 at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. Alpengeist has an Alpine
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
mountain region theme. The name "Alpengeist" is German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
for "Ghost
Ghost
In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
of the Alps" or "Alps Spirit
Spirit
The English word spirit has many differing meanings and connotations, most of them relating to a non-corporeal substance contrasted with the material body.The spirit of a living thing usually refers to or explains its consciousness.The notions of a person's "spirit" and "soul" often also overlap,...
" and the ride is themed to a runaway ski lift
Ski lift
The term ski lift generally refers to any transport device that carries skiers up a hill. A ski lift may fall into one of the following three main classes:-Lift systems and networks:...
.
Ride Experience
Upon exiting the station, the floor drops beneath the riders feet and the riders ascend the 195-foot-tall chain lift after hearing the send-off recording "Thank you and enjoy your avalanche of adventure on Alpengeist!". Then, riders are swept to the right after seeing a view of the Anheuser-BuschAnheuser-Busch
Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. , is an American brewing company. The company operates 12 breweries in the United States and 18 in other countries. It was, until December 2009, also one of America's largest theme park operators; operating ten theme parks across the United States through the...
Williamsburg brewery and looking up on Griffon
Griffon (roller coaster)
Griffon is a Bolliger & Mabillard diving machine roller coaster at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. On opening, it was the tallest of its kind in the world at . Griffon originally had two other potential names — "IronEagle" and "Voltare" — before Busch Gardens decided on the name "Griffon". Griffon has...
and descend 170 feet, going past The Land of The Dragons, hitting 67 miles per hour. Following the drop, passengers go into an enormous Immelmann loop, which is a half loop with a twist at the top. After the Immelmann loop, riders go into a 106-foot vertical loop. The riders then enter a wooden tunnel where there was an on-ride photo (it has since been removed due to the two inside seats not being clear in the photos). A large cobra roll follows over the Rhine River, adjacent to the Loch Ness Monster
Loch Ness Monster (roller coaster)
The Loch Ness Monster is a roller coaster located of Busch Gardens Williamsburg. Designed by Ron Toomer of Arrow Dynamics, the Loch Ness Monster was the world's tallest roller coaster when it opened in 1978. It was the first continuous circuit coaster and is a coaster to contain interlocking loops...
and Griffon
Griffon (roller coaster)
Griffon is a Bolliger & Mabillard diving machine roller coaster at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. On opening, it was the tallest of its kind in the world at . Griffon originally had two other potential names — "IronEagle" and "Voltare" — before Busch Gardens decided on the name "Griffon". Griffon has...
. The block brake
Brake run
A brake run on a roller coaster is any section of track meant to slow or stop a roller coaster train. Brake runs may be located anywhere along the circuit of a coaster and may be designed to bring the train to a complete halt or to simply adjust the train's speed...
comes after a high-speed curve. Immediately after the block, a drop that goes right into a zero-G roll that gives airtime right beside the "Le Scoot
Le Scoot Log Flume
Le Scoot is a log flume ride at Busch Gardens Williamsburg located in the New France area. It is themed after mountains and a saw mill.- Ride Experience :...
" log flume
Log flume (attraction)
Log flumes originally referred to a special construct used to transport lumber and logs down mountainous terrain to a sawmill by using flowing water. Today, however, the term is also used to refer to an amusement ride consisting of a water flume and artificial hollow logs or boats...
. After a corkscrew and a helix, the train brings the riders into the station.
Ride Elements
- Immelmann loop
- 106-foot Vertical loopLoop (roller coaster)The generic roller coaster vertical loop is the most basic of roller coaster inversions. Specifically, the loop refers to a continuously upward-sloping section of track that eventually results in a complete 360 degree circle. At the top-most piece of the loop, riders are completely inverted.-...
- Cobra roll
- Zero-g roll
- Corkscrew (commonly known as a flat spin or a wing over)
- HelixHelixA helix is a type of smooth space curve, i.e. a curve in three-dimensional space. It has the property that the tangent line at any point makes a constant angle with a fixed line called the axis. Examples of helixes are coil springs and the handrails of spiral staircases. A "filled-in" helix – for...
Awards
| Golden Ticket Awards: Best Steel Coaster | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 |
| Ranking | |||||||||