Verbolten

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 May 11, 2012. The concept was jointly designed by the park's creative design team and by Zierer of Germany.[1] "Verbolten" is a play on words of the German word "verboten," which translates to "forbidden" in English.

Verbolten
Busch Gardens Williamsburg
LocationBusch Gardens Williamsburg
Park sectionOktoberfest
Coordinates37.231498°N 76.644919°W / 37.231498; -76.644919
StatusOperating
Soft opening dateMay 11, 2012
Opening dateMay 18, 2012 (2012-05-18)[1]
ReplacedBig Bad Wolf
General statistics
TypeSteel – Launched
ManufacturerZierer
ModelFamily Launched Coaster Elevated Seating Coaster
Track layoutCustom terrain design
Lift/launch system2 LSM Launches
Drop88 ft (27 m)
Length2,835 ft (864 m)
Speed53 mph (85 km/h)
Inversions0
Duration3:25
Height restriction48 in (122 cm)
Trains6 trains with 8 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in a single row for a total of 16 riders per train.
ThemeBlack Forest/Autobahn
SloganBrave the Black Forest
RestraintsLap Bar
Quick Queue available
Verbolten at RCDB
Pictures of Verbolten at RCDB

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.[2] The station house is themed as a garage where riders board trains that resemble stretched roadsters in one of five colors. The theme of the ride itself is the Black Forest and various legends associated with it.[3]

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, such as low whistles.[4]

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.[5]

Five other coasters, Th13teen at Alton Towers, DarkMare at Cinecittà World, Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure at Islands of Adventure, Wonder Mountain's Guardian at Canada's Wonderland, and Polar X-plorer at Legoland Billund, also feature a free-fall drop.

Layout
Verbolten tracks, August 2013

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 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 psychedelic leaves appear with blowing sounds. The train then dives into a curve and up a medium-sized hill onto a second brake run, while psychedelic branches appear with varying sounds depending on the theme. 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 also 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 an 'S' turn up a hill. At the crest of the hill, the track hits a brake run themed as a decaying bridge. The train then enters a section of track that recreates the Big Bad Wolf's finale as it drops 88 ft off of the bridge into a hard left hand turn along the river bank. The train then enters a high speed S-curve and goes over a bunny hop into a turnaround onto the final brake run.[6]

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 down to the riverbank as well as the turns that follow it copy the original coaster's drop towards the river and reuse the concrete footers.

Rankings

Verbolten was ranked in the Amusement Today's Golden Ticket Awards for best new ride of 2012 with 7% of the vote, to come in fourth place.[7]

Golden Ticket Awards: Best New Ride for 2012
Ranking
4[7]
Golden Ticket Awards: Top steel Roller Coasters
Year20182019
Ranking 36[8]38[9]

See also

References
  1. Bush Gardens Williamsburg (April 5, 2012). "The Wait Is Over For Busch Gardens' Verbolten". Blog. Sea World Parks Blog. Archived from the original on April 13, 2012. Retrieved April 5, 2012.
  2. "Verbolten: Queue House [Official Video]". Sea World Parks. Retrieved 13 March 2012.
  3. "Verbolten: Cars Unveiled [Official Video]". Sea World Parks. Retrieved 16 March 2012.
  4. Mike (17 September 2011). "Busch Gardens Williamsburg 2012 - Verbolten". NewsPlusNotes. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
  5. Levine, Arthur. "Verbolten Busch Gardens Williamsburg". About.com. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
  6. "Verbolten, Brave the Black Forest". Sea World Parks. Retrieved 10 May 2012.
  7. "Amusement Today — Golden Ticket Winners 2012" (PDF). Amusement Today. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 19, 2012. Retrieved December 30, 2012.
  8. "2018 Top 50 Steel Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2018. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  9. "2019 Top Steel". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2019. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
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