Eddie Sotto's take on the current state of the parks (Part II)

I

IlikeDW

Active Member
Eddie Sotto said:
Kevin Yee got me interested in finding some other examples of Alpine type gravity coasters. Here's a tamer looking one.

/www.parkcitymountain.com/summer/summer-activities/alpine-coaster
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When I was a kid this park in Germany had a half pipe style with a sled that ha a brake, looks like they replaced it with this:

http://www.youtube.com/watchv=8d8eFgNDN1Q&feature=youtube_gdata_player


This looks intense also, would never work in USA, we lack the personal responsibility...

http://www.youtube.com/watchv=nxSgJSYdb3Q&feature=youtube_gdata_player
 
Eddie Sotto

Eddie Sotto

Premium Member
ChrisFL said:
Eddie...its rare that I find an attraction video that rivals the ride tech of Disney or Universal, but I remembered one I saw from theme park review on their visit to Japan.

Luckily there's a better video of it on youtube now (although sadly the attraction is now closed)....

There's some rumor that this ride system was "planned for EPCOT Center" but never used although I doubt it.

Still, its one of the most incredible (and chock full of Japanese weirdness) rides I've ever seen:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3D4tK-Ci64
Click to expand...


Woah. I wish Charlton Heston would have ended "Planet of the Apes" by breaking into this ride instead of finding the Statue of Liberty..
 
Eddie Sotto

Eddie Sotto

Premium Member
IlikeDW said:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8d8eFgNDN1Q

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxSgJSYdb3Q&feature=related

Sorry
Click to expand...

You can certainly see in the first video that the track design and other considerations are taken for emergency access (walkways along the track) and safety on this coaster. Looks like lots of fun. I'd love to design one and kick it up a few notches.

The second Asian (literal slide) video seems truly scary, no off ramps or ways out. Forget the chicken out once you're started. The friction aspect and closeness of the guests seems scary especially if you collided, or the kid in your lap freaks out, you are really obese, or any of the above causes you to fall out of the sluice. All really cool to watch!

Thanks for posting these.
 
Eddie Sotto

Eddie Sotto

Premium Member
ob1thx1138 said:
With all these posts regarding Alpine Slides. I can't help but mention that there is one at the Ober Gatlinburg ski resort in Gatlinburg TN.

Not my video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jg8oyZ2JmWA

And I suggest braking I have seen someone come out of the track at speed and it is not pretty.....
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Very interesting and yet this is another ride system, more of a half pipe Toboggan. Very cool. Thanks for showing us that. :) This has turned out to be a fun "ride video" weekend!
 
david10225

david10225

Active Member
We were at Ober Gatlinburg a week a go specifically to ride the Alpine Slide. The slide was closed until sometime after noon. The reason was they have to walk some kind of dryer unit along the entire track in the morning. If the slide gets wet, they brakes don't work very well. In fact we noticed signs along the slide that said if it starts raining to stop your slide and get out and walk.
 
Eddie Sotto

Eddie Sotto

Premium Member
david10225 said:
We were at Ober Gatlinburg a week a go specifically to ride the Alpine Slide. The slide was closed until sometime after noon. The reason was they have to walk some kind of dryer unit along the entire track in the morning. If the slide gets wet, they brakes don't work very well. In fact we noticed signs along the slide that said if it starts raining to stop your slide and get out and walk.
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That's interesting. There are some iron rides that don't work well in the rain either. Eventually the states will probably start regulating these types of rides as they are user controlled and provide a lot less in the way of safety contingencies. They likely fall into the water slide type of criteria.
 
B

Bolna

Well-Known Member
Those "alpine coasters" are very common here in Germany and not necessarily only in the alps. This is a video of my "local" one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIp70XAV8EE

They are called Sommerrodelbahn (which means summer toboggan slide) and usually are a metal half pipe - as compared to the one in Gatlinburg which seemed to made out of concrete.
 
ob1thx1138

ob1thx1138

Member
Bolna said:
Those "alpine coasters" are very common here in Germany and not necessarily only in the alps. This is a video of my "local" one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIp70XAV8EE

They are called Sommerrodelbahn (which means summer toboggan slide) and usually are a metal half pipe - as compared to the one in Gatlinburg which seemed to made out of concrete.
Click to expand...

I am not sure if the current track at Gatlinburg is concrete, but I believe it used to be fiberglass or some other composite. This ride has been in place for decades. The sleds are very much like a creeper that an auto mechanic would use, but it has a brake lever between your legs. The last time I rode it there were no restraints or anything. It also looks like they have added more banking to the curves which is a good thing.... lol
 
Eddie Sotto

Eddie Sotto

Premium Member
ob1thx1138 said:
I am not sure if the current track at Gatlinburg is concrete, but I believe it used to be fiberglass or some other composite. This ride has been in place for decades. The sleds are very much like a creeper that an auto mechanic would use, but it has a brake lever between your legs. The last time I rode it there were no restraints or anything. It also looks like they have added more banking to the curves which is a good thing.... lol
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There is something very profound in low technology. It just works. I think when you don't set out to create a "womb of safety" where every possible bump, shimmy and exposed area is padded or designed out, people get the notion that they will have to manage their own well being to a degree, like climbing a tree. You feel more alive that way. I recall that Knott's used to run their giant Locomotive right across the open Square through the crowds with no railings and no one ever got hurt as far as I know. You respected this giant hissing thing and moved out of the way. We have those automated load gates now while the world's subways still have open trenches! I hope there will always be room for those Gatlinburg experiences.
 
Eddie Sotto

Eddie Sotto

Premium Member
If you could...

If you could bring back on small detail from WDW, not a whole ride just a detail, what would it be?

I'd like to see the Orange Bird.
 
I

IlikeDW

Active Member
Eddie Sotto said:
There is something very profound in low technology. It just works. I think when you don't set out to create a "womb of safety" where every possible bump, shimmy and exposed area is padded or designed out, people get the notion that they will have to manage their own well being to a degree, like climbing a tree. You feel more alive that way. I recall that Knott's used to run their giant Locomotive right across the open Square through the crowds with no railings and no one ever got hurt as far as I know. You respected this giant hissing thing and moved out of the way. We have those automated load gates now while the world's subways still have open trenches! I hope there will always be room for those Gatlinburg experiences.
Click to expand...

This brings up a question. At what point does Risk Management get involved in ride design, does the design get vetted by a team of lawyer/engineers/insurance company folks? I it early in the design during build? Is it even an established process or is a situational type thing? Tiggers bouncy place for the Winne the Pooh queue comes to mind.
 
Eddie Sotto

Eddie Sotto

Premium Member
In-Betweens

I asked that because it's really the cheapest or most insignificant things that we end up missing the most. A paper menu hat, a mouse head impressed in butter, what something is called, maybe a logo or a finishing touch that made something perfect to you is treasured and worse, sorely missed. WDW is a collection of little moments that are the glue that hold together the big ones, the E tickets. I like hearing about those smaller things, those "in-betweens" we used to call them, that make WDW truly magic. Having real antiques for sale in Liberty Square was something I missed.
 

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