Half Pipe (roller coaster)
Half Pipe is a steel launched shuttle roller coaster located at Elitch Gardens in Denver, Colorado and formerly at Särkänniemi in Tampere, Finland. It is 100 feet (30 m) in height and consists of 230 feet (70 m) of track.[1] It is currently one of three rides of its type offered in the United States (the other being Avatar Airbender at Nickelodeon Universe in the Mall of America and Timmy's Half Pipe Havoc at Nickelodeon Universe at American Dream).
| Half Pipe | |
|---|---|
 Half Pipe at Elitch Gardens | |
| Särkänniemi | |
| Coordinates | 61.503832°N 23.740832°E |
| Status | Closed |
| Opening date | April 30, 2003 |
| Closing date | 2019 |
| Half Pipe at Särkänniemi at RCDB Pictures of Half Pipe at Särkänniemi at RCDB | |
| Elitch Gardens | |
| Coordinates | 39.748027°N 105.014654°W |
| Status | Operating |
| Opening date | May 27, 2004 |
| Half Pipe at Elitch Gardens at RCDB Pictures of Half Pipe at Elitch Gardens at RCDB | |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Steel – Launched – Shuttle |
| Manufacturer | Intamin |
| Designer | Werner Stengel |
| Model | Half Pipe Coaster (30m) |
| Track layout | Half pipe coaster |
| Lift/launch system | LIM |
| Height | 98.4 ft (30.0 m) |
| Drop | 80 ft (24 m) |
| Length | 229.7 ft (70.0 m) |
| Speed | 43.5 mph (70.0 km/h) |
| Inversions | 0 |
| Duration | 2:00 |
| Max vertical angle | 90° |
| Capacity | 460-1100 riders per hour |
| Acceleration | 43.5 |
| G-force | 4.5 |
| Height restriction | 52 in (132 cm) |
| Trains | Single train with 2 cars. Riders are arranged 8 across in a single row for a total of 16 riders per train. |
Riders are placed in one of two cars on the train which is made to resemble a giant skateboard. Each car is a free-spinning circle that holds eight people. The track is essentially a giant, upright "U" and trains are loaded at the bottom of it. LIM engines accelerate the train up both sides of the track. A typical ride consists of approximately five to six cycles of the train traveling through the track.
There is another Half Pipe, identical to the others, on top of the Don Quijote store in Roppongi, Tokyo. It was completed in December 2005, but it never opened, and remained standing until its removal in 2017-2018.[2]
On October 5, 2013, the Elitch Gardens version apparently derailed "and crashed" early in the morning. The ride was closed for the remainder of the 2013 season, but later reopened the following season.[3]
On November 13, 2019, the Särkänniemi version was reported as not reopening for the 2020 season. [4]
References
- "Half Pipe, Elitch Gardens". March 14, 2011.
- Marden, Duane. "Half Pipe (Don Quijote)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
- "Elitch Gardens". www.screamscape.com. Retrieved 2019-10-30.
- "Uutiset". www.yle.fi. Retrieved 2020-01-21.
- "Elitch Gardens - Review". August 23, 2004. Retrieved December 20, 2011.