Alpengeist

Alpengeist /ˈælpənˈɡaɪst/ is an inverted steel roller coaster at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. Manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard, 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 (Wicked Twister at Cedar Point is taller, but is a shuttle coaster).[1][2]

Alpengeist
Alpengeist's Immelmann
Busch Gardens Williamsburg
Location	Busch Gardens Williamsburg
Park section	Rhinefeld
Coordinates	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
Designer	Werner Stengel
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	2 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

History

On August 30, 1996, Busch Gardens Williamsburg announced that they would be adding Alpengeist. The new ride would hold the record for being the tallest and fastest inverted coaster, as well as having the tallest vertical loop on an inverted coaster.[3]

The ride officially opened on March 22, 1997. It was one of the three Bolliger & Mabillard inverted roller coasters to open in the United States that year, with the others being The Great White at SeaWorld San Antonio and Batman: The Ride at Six Flags Over Georgia.[4][5]

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[6] 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).[6] Following the drop, the train passes through a 120 ft (37 m) Immelmann loop, followed by a 106 ft (32 m) vertical loop.[7] 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 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.[8]

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
Ranking	2[9]	3[10]	8[11]	10[12]	13[13]	19[14]	19[15]	17[16]	17[17]	18[18]	22[19]	19[20]	23[21]	27[22]	24[23]	25[24]	23[25]	26[26]	30[27]	36[28]	32[29]	32[30]

• 
  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. Marden, Duane. "Great White  (SeaWorld San Antonio)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
5. Marden, Duane. "Batman The Ride  (Six Flags Over Georgia)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
6. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-01-21. Retrieved 2009-01-08.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
7. "Alpengeist at Busch Gardens Williamsburg - COASTER-net".
8. "Alpengeist (On-Ride) Busch Gardens Williamsburg". Sharp Productions. June 4, 2012. Retrieved July 5, 2019 – via YouTube.
9. "Top 25 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 7B. August 1998. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
10. "Top 25 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 7B. August 1999. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
11. "Top 25 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. August 2000. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
12. "Top 25 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 7B. August 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
13. "Top 25 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 7B. September 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
14. "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.
15. "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.
16. "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.
17. "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.
18. "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.
19. "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.
20. "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.
21. "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.
22. "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.
23. "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 16 (6.2): 36–37. September 2012. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
24. "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.
25. "2014 Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 18 (6.2): 46–47. September 2014. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
26. "2015 Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 19 (6.2): 49–50. September 2015. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
27. "2016 top 50 steel roller coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2016. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
28. "2017 Top 50 Steel Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2017. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
29. "2018 Top 50 Steel Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2018. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
30. "2019 Top Steel". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2019. Retrieved September 14, 2015.

External links

• Alpengeist at the Roller Coaster DataBase