Saturday was the Grand Opening of Untamed, the new Eurofighter at Canobie Lake Park & since CoasterForce was invited to attend the kid & I made the 5+ hour drive to Salem, New Hampshire. After two full weeks of glorious heat & sunshine, the weather changed to pouring rain that never let up throughout the entire day. That didn't keep the coaster enthusiasts from attending & a surprisingly good crowd showed up to be part of the event.
The park also went all out for the event with a ribbon cutting ceremony, free goodies for the first 2500 riders & auctioning off the seats in the first two trains to the highest bidders with the money raised going to charity organizations. The goodies included Very First rider t-shirts, cards & certificates, as well as free passes for the Halloween Screeemfest.
I also have to give credit to the park for going ahead with everything right on schedule in spite of the weather conditions, even though I'm sure the first riders wouldn't have minded waiting a bit to allow the rain to let up a little.
Our first view of the coaster...
...and the station.
The ribbon cutting.
The winning bidders raised $3800 for the charities & arrived in a Hummer stretch limo that that drove them through the park right up to the coaster. Here is the video I filmed of the ribbon cutting, the first riders arriving, the first two trains with the winning bidders, the opening of the queue line & the first "regular" train.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nAzyckdTLU[/youtube]
Although this might be considered an average Eurofighter, the park really went all out in designing the station, the landscaping & those awesome bear trains. I spoke with Carl Bernie, one of the owners & president of the park (who conducted the ceremony in the video) & he explained that it has been 21 years between coasters because of the very strict zoning laws for the park. They had actually been trying to get a new wooden coaster, but because of the close proximity to residential housing (just a few hundred yards away) the noise levels would have been too high & they would have had to build a $1 million sound barrier around the entire area. They started searching for another alternative & choose a Eurofighter due to the almost silent running, yet high thrill factor the coaster offers & the successful track record of Mystery Mine at Dollywood.
The only vertical lift hill in New England...
...the only 97 degree drop in New England....
...the Zero-G roll...
...and the only Immelman in New England are elements that most guests have never experienced, so the ride was getting rave reviews from everyone.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bu5PQmp-3K0[/youtube]
As for the ride itself, it can't compare with the themeing of Mystery Mine or Fluch von Novgorod, but it is less painful. It's also less painful than Huracan at Belantis & I would rate it second behind Dare Devil Dive for re-ride-ability.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blHhDaRbxH8[/youtube]
It's just a nice, fun coaster that flows very well & suits the park perfectly thanks to all the love & care that has gone into the station & surrounding area.
There are so many details that make this coaster blend in with the feeling of the park.
All the wood carvings.
Not just bears.
Although the bears...
...are just so cute.
I also really like the faux birch tree supports.
It might be a little overdone...
...especially here...
...but it adds to the theme.
The only spot without landscaping is the break run behind the station, but it will get the treatment soon.
The real showpiece is the station.
With those fantastic chandeliers...
...and the bear...
...that looks like he's going to jump right off the wall at you.
Check out this interview to see much more of the station & the work that went into it.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tm1jtlwHEYg[/youtube]
Of course, we can't forget about...
...those awesome trains!
<3
Grrrrowl!
Whole mess of track there.
Fun helix!
Bears & more bears!
One last look.
Before we left the park I managed to talk Siegfried Gerstlauer, the Managing Director of Gerstlauer Amusement Rides GMBH. He's really a great guy & very easy to talk to (at least for me in German), but a little camera shy & slightly hesitant to do a video interview because of his English.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqjQO2G_uog[/youtube]
The park also went all out for the event with a ribbon cutting ceremony, free goodies for the first 2500 riders & auctioning off the seats in the first two trains to the highest bidders with the money raised going to charity organizations. The goodies included Very First rider t-shirts, cards & certificates, as well as free passes for the Halloween Screeemfest.
I also have to give credit to the park for going ahead with everything right on schedule in spite of the weather conditions, even though I'm sure the first riders wouldn't have minded waiting a bit to allow the rain to let up a little.
Our first view of the coaster...
...and the station.
The ribbon cutting.
The winning bidders raised $3800 for the charities & arrived in a Hummer stretch limo that that drove them through the park right up to the coaster. Here is the video I filmed of the ribbon cutting, the first riders arriving, the first two trains with the winning bidders, the opening of the queue line & the first "regular" train.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nAzyckdTLU[/youtube]
Although this might be considered an average Eurofighter, the park really went all out in designing the station, the landscaping & those awesome bear trains. I spoke with Carl Bernie, one of the owners & president of the park (who conducted the ceremony in the video) & he explained that it has been 21 years between coasters because of the very strict zoning laws for the park. They had actually been trying to get a new wooden coaster, but because of the close proximity to residential housing (just a few hundred yards away) the noise levels would have been too high & they would have had to build a $1 million sound barrier around the entire area. They started searching for another alternative & choose a Eurofighter due to the almost silent running, yet high thrill factor the coaster offers & the successful track record of Mystery Mine at Dollywood.
The only vertical lift hill in New England...
...the only 97 degree drop in New England....
...the Zero-G roll...
...and the only Immelman in New England are elements that most guests have never experienced, so the ride was getting rave reviews from everyone.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bu5PQmp-3K0[/youtube]
As for the ride itself, it can't compare with the themeing of Mystery Mine or Fluch von Novgorod, but it is less painful. It's also less painful than Huracan at Belantis & I would rate it second behind Dare Devil Dive for re-ride-ability.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blHhDaRbxH8[/youtube]
It's just a nice, fun coaster that flows very well & suits the park perfectly thanks to all the love & care that has gone into the station & surrounding area.
There are so many details that make this coaster blend in with the feeling of the park.
All the wood carvings.
Not just bears.
Although the bears...
...are just so cute.
I also really like the faux birch tree supports.
It might be a little overdone...
...especially here...
...but it adds to the theme.
The only spot without landscaping is the break run behind the station, but it will get the treatment soon.
The real showpiece is the station.
With those fantastic chandeliers...
...and the bear...
...that looks like he's going to jump right off the wall at you.
Check out this interview to see much more of the station & the work that went into it.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tm1jtlwHEYg[/youtube]
Of course, we can't forget about...
...those awesome trains!
<3
Grrrrowl!
Whole mess of track there.
Fun helix!
Bears & more bears!
One last look.
Before we left the park I managed to talk Siegfried Gerstlauer, the Managing Director of Gerstlauer Amusement Rides GMBH. He's really a great guy & very easy to talk to (at least for me in German), but a little camera shy & slightly hesitant to do a video interview because of his English.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqjQO2G_uog[/youtube]
Certainly Gerstlauer come from that kind of background, having worked with Schawrtzkopf which had a number of travelling and base frame rides.
