Front Seat POV©
Climb into the toboggan-style cars of the Alpine Coaster and get ready for the ride of your life. You'll enjoy the beautiful Wasatch mountain scenery as the automated lift system whisks you to the top of the track. Then, hold on tight as you go whizzing down the mountain on nearly 4,000 feet of curves, bends and loops. It's a ride you won't soon forget.
Mountain or alpine coasters are essentially gravity-powered roller-coasters that use the natural contours of a mountain to provide riders with a thrilling downhill ride experience.
Mountain coasters are a fantastic activity that the whole family can enjoy. However, given the nature of this ride, there are age and height restrictions that apply, these have been detailed below.
A great feature of mountain coasters is that they offer the option of two seats. This is great for parents with children that are too young to go on the ride alone.
In addition, mountain coasters are equipped with a manual brake which enables riders to adjust the speed of their descent. This unique feature of mountain coasters allows riders to have greater control of their experience. If things get a bit too fast for your liking you can apply the brake, if you’re more of the daredevil type then you can leave the brake untouched for maximum speed.
Another great feature of mountain coasters is that no prior experience or training is necessary. You can just jump in and enjoy the ride
Wiegand Sports GmbH, the inventor of the alpine coaster and leading manufacturer with over 270 installations around the world, built this alpine coaster. With this much experience, you know that you’re in good hands.
Height and Age Restrictions
The key height and age restrictions to participate in this ride are listed below:
Children must be at least 3 years old and 38″ (96cm) tall.
The minimum height for single riders is 54″ (137cm).
If there are two people riding together, the minimum height for the passenger is 38″ (96cm) and the driver must be at least 54″ (137cm) and 16 years or older.
The maximum weight per cart is 375lbs (170kg).
There are, in Europe, more than 80 "Alpine Coasters." There are, here in the United States, just two.
The second of the long-distance thrill rides opened last week on the slopes of Park City Mountain Resort.
It is best explained, said Krista Parry, new marketing director for the resort, as "a Disneyland-like thrill ride in an alpine setting."
The first of the mountain coasters was built in Glenwood Springs, Colo. A third is scheduled to open sometime before winter in Jimine Peak, Mass.
The new ride is a big brother to Park City's Alpine Slide. It is more than a mile long - 6,000 feet - and consists of a series of steep descents and circular curves on a track cut through rugged mountain terrain.
The cars used are similar to those on the slide, except once they start down they are held in place by a rail as opposed to sliding freely in a U-shaped track.
The cars can hold one or two people. The lower age limit for young passengers is 3.
"What makes this ride so appealing is, like the slide, the passenger can control the speed. Meaning, they can choose not to brake and go as fast as they want, similar to a roller coaster, or go slower and take more of a scenic-type ride," said Parry.
Passengers are loaded at the base and are pulled up to the top of the run by a cable. "The ride up takes six minutes and is nice because you go straight up through the trees. You can relax and enjoy the ride up," she said.
Once at the top, gravity pulls the car down the banked track. The ride down can take a few minutes or longer, all at the driver's discretion.
Summer Toboggan Info -
A summer toboggan is an amusement or recreational ride which uses a bobsled-like sled or cart to run down a track usually built on the side of a hill. There are two main types: an Alpine coaster or mountain coaster is a type of roller coaster where the sled runs on rails and is not able to leave the track, whereas with an Alpine slide the sled simply runs on a smooth concave track usually made of metal, concrete or fiberglass. Both of these types of ride are sometimes denoted with the German name Sommerrodelbahn.
They are often built by ski resorts in order to use existing winter infrastructure and provide additional summer income, although some installations are part of amusement parks or are standalone.