finally... germany gets its first B&M Inverted Coaster!

i can imaging that most of you are right now like "wtf is this guy talking about?!" ill tell you!

i think everyone of you has ever ridden a rollercoaster. some of you like it, some dont. i like it! no.. i love it! i am a "coaster enthusiast". for me, riding a coaster is more than just the pure fun riding it. though it is still the biggest part for sure, im also interested in how the different kind of coasters work, from what company they are, who is the designer of it etc.

As mentioned above, germany gets its first Inverted Rollercoaster by "Bollinger & Mabillard" (short: B&M) from Switzerland. They´re also responsible for rides like "SilverStar" (EuropaPark, Rust, Germany), "Incredible Hulk" (Universal Island of Adventures, Orlando, USA), "Superman Ultimate Flight" (Six Flags Great Adventure, NJ, USA), "Riddlers Revenge" (Six Flags Magic Mountain, CA, USA) or "Silver Bullet" (Knotts Berry Farm, CA, USA).

The last coaster mentioned is a so called "Inverted Coaster". There are different companies building such coasters beside B&M. For example Vekoma from the Netherlands.
But there are BIG differences between a coaster from B&M and a coaster from Vekoma. As a "normal" Park visitor you might not realize the differences. As a coaster enthusiast you do.

Just imagine you have to buy a new Computer and you have to choose between a PC from the local Supermarket, or a PC where you can choose every single part of it so it fits your needs.
In this case, a Vekoma-Coaster is the Supermarket-PC and a B&M Coaster is the other one.
Vekoma Coasters are much cheaper but they´re nearly all the same lenght, height and have the same inversions. And maybe the worst part of it: riding a vekoma coaster can really hurt. its rough as hell. when you arrive back at the station your ears feel like someone constantly slapped you for one minute.
A coaster by B&M is different. Though its much more expensive, you can choose your own track-design, no matter if its about height, lenght, number of inversions etc. And you can really enjoy your ride.

So... like i said before, germany gets its first B&M Coaster. Its gonna be located at Phantasialand (short: PHL) in Bruehl, just outside of cologne (my hometown). PHL is worldwide known for its great Themeing. Its not like at Six Flags parks where a coaster is built like "oh theres a parking lot lets build a coaster on it" (see "Scream" , Six Flags Magic Mountain, CA, USA) its more like "mhh lets build a coaster within a jungle with nice houses, wood-bridges, plants etc" . Its not gonna be that high, but it will have a lot of underground sections.
"Black Mamba" will be the name of this new monster and its gonna have five Inversions:
Loop
Immelman
Zero-G-Roll (Heartline Spin)
2x Corkscrew (Wing Over)

To see some pics how things are going at PHL, check this site (scroll down). The Lifthill is completed by now. Im so curious about how work will continue in the next few weeks and months until it opens in spring 2006. One thing is sure: Im gonna be at Phantasialand on the day it opens to the public just to ride this piece of art :)

so... i hope i could give you a little view about what rollercoasters mean to me and other enthusiasts :)
Now get your friends all together, visit a park, sit down in a coaster and enjoy your stay! and always remember: "First ride - first row!" (meaning when you ride a coaster for the first time you have to ride the front row) and throw your hands up in the air to get some nice airtime! :)

To find out more about ThemeParks, Rollercoaster etc visit
www.rcdb.com - world biggest rollercoaster database with LOTS of infos and fotos
www.coasterimage.com - nice articles, pics and videos
www.thrillnetwork.com - international coaster board

and last but not least, i have some POV onride-videos of B&M-Coasters for you (hostet by http://www.nogodforme.com/ )

"Montu" (23mb)
"Incredible Hulk" (30mb)
"Dueling Dragons - Ice" (22mb)
"Dueling Dragons - Fire" (23mb)
"Kumba" (29mb)
"Silver Bullet" (22mb)
"Kraken" (29mb)


rock on
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