Great Coasters is on tap for first wooden coaster in Czech Republic
AT: Tim Baldwin
tbaldwin@amusementtoday.com
CENTRAL BOHEMIAN, Czech Republic — With more than a century of history of wooden coasters populating the globe, it’s rare to find a country devoid of one. Pennsylvania's Great Coasters International Inc. is bringing the amusement staple to Czechia for the first time since 1946.
Park Mirakulum is an amusement center that features play structures, a hedge maze, a petting zoo, trampolines and water play. But now the park is venturing into rides — the first of which is a doozy.
Stats provided by GCII report that the wooden coaster will stand 107 feet tall, race 72 feet per second (approximately 50 mph) and feature a length of 3,335 feet. The steepest drop will be just beyond 50 degrees, and banking will astound onlookers with curves just under 80 degrees.
Skyline Attractions is responsible for the layout design.
“There were a few requests [for the layout] — a total track length, two tunnels and a desired site to fit the ride. Otherwise, it was a very open prompt,” said Dustin Sloane, director of creative process, Skyline Attractions. “The layout took influence from classic GCII rides such as Troy but also included some newer shapes and elements similar to those featured on Texas Stingray, and that initial layout proposal is nearly identical to the final ride design that the park settled on.”
“Foundations are about 95% completed,” said Joyce Stablewiski, director, GCII, in early February. “We were to start after the New Year, but the work visas are taking longer than they expected.”
Two Infinity Flyer trains, each with 12 cars (24 passengers total), will roar over the rails. Both structure and track will be made of wood.
“This was one of the easier sites to work with since the ground level is relatively even,” Sloane noted. “That said, there were still certain constraints — the ride had to stay clear of the adjacent roads by a decent margin. With the desired height and length of the ride, these boundary restrictions made for a very compact and twisted layout.”
One of the signature moments will be an elongated, underground tunnel that riders rush through twice. The first time happens immediately after a curve from the station. The second will be at high speed.
“The adjoining underground tunnels make this layout very unique, and I think that final underground dive will be a very exciting finale to the ride,” Sloane told Amusement Today. “Additionally, nearly the entire second half of this layout is spent weaving through and around the ride structure, which should make for many head-choppers and a great sense of speed.”
A specific target completion date has yet to be determined.
“The original date was in October. However, I am thinking more like after the New Year since we don’t have any firm date on the visas being issued,” said Stablewski.
