Tag: Schwarzkopf

Testing the Sky Dragster at Skyline Park

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Preface

It has been a while since I last visited Bad Wörishofen and its local amusement park. Back then I did a small internship at Gerstlauer Amusement Rides in nearby Münsterhausen and stayed with a friend for a while. Since then, Skyline Park has almost doubled in size and some interesting rides have come and gone.

Skyline Park

As Skyline Park is one of the few theme parks where a ride on the Funtime Slingshot is included in the admission price, I started my day in this area of the park. However, due to strong winds, the Sky Shot was not open on the day of my visit.

The nearby Caripro Gyroflyer Sky Rider also had some problems during its test run and had to be towed back to the station. The unique suspended spinning coaster did not operate at all for the remainder of my visit.

Sky Spin

With the queue for the Bob Racing bobkart track barely moving, we set off for the Sky Spin spinning coaster. I rode this Maurer SC2000 twice on my only visit to the Oktoberfest in Munich. Back then the ride was known as Cyber Space and was operated by the Kaiser family. Between 2003 and 2012 the ride was known as Whirlwind at Camelot Theme Park in England. After the park closed, the ride moved to Skyline Park in 2013 and has been entertaining riders ever since. Unfortunately, the ride has become quite jerky over time, which is a bit of a surprise when you compare it to other rides of its kind.

Sky Dragster

Passing the Schwarzkopf Wild Cat Nostalgische Achterbahn, which I was not allowed to ride as a single rider (probably because of the Covid-19 rules), we now come to another coaster made by Maurer. Skyline Park has a good relationship with the Munich-based manufacturer, so you can find two of their prototypes at the park. The first one was the SkyWheel and the second one is the Spike Coaster Sky Dragster.

The Sky Dragster is currently the only Spike Coaster in operation. Its design is a cross between a classic steeplechase coaster and a powered coaster, although the rider’s position is quite close to the track. The cars are powered directly by a cogwheel running on a rack mounted on the side of the track. Because of this configuration, there is no rollback, so the track can be twisted into all sorts of crazy manoeuvres – it is even possible to accelerate the car along a vertical section of track, which is otherwise quite difficult to achieve on conventional track designs. Just like a Wiegand bobkart track, the rider can control the speed of the car and a control system adjusts the distance between the cars as needed. In addition, everything is monitored by the system, which on the one hand provides a remarkably high level of safety, but on the other hand has caused a lot of problems in the coaster’s early seasons.

On the day of my visit, the coaster was running smoothly. The track at Skyline Park has a long straight out of the station before entering a horseshoe turn. This is immediately followed by a 360° right turn. Two double-up hills follow immediately after. On the other side of the track you enter a strangely banked uphill spiral. After a descent back to station level, you run through a very tight s-bend before reaching the station. A second round follows.

I really like the acceleration of the Spike Coaster. The system is much less sluggish compared to conventional powered coasters. The only thing I did not like too much was the slow speed of most of the elements on the Sky Dragster. I know this is done to limit the forces on the rider, but it is kind of funny to allow a system to have a high degree of flexibility in track design when you have to regulate it massively to do so. However, if your design is mostly straight, then this system is fine. So I am not surprised that the Spike Coaster is most likely to be found exclusively on cruise ships like the Carnaval Mardi Gras. For a theme park, the low capacity of the ride is not justifiable at all, unless you are Mirabilandia and want to make some extra money with your fast pass system.

Sky Circle and Wildwasser 3

In the same corner as the Sky Dragster is the Zamperla Turbo Force Sky Circle and the large transportable log flume Wildwasser 3 by Mack Rides. This is the park owner’s second transportable log flume to make its way to Skyline Park. The first one was the Pirateninsel, which has now found a new home at the Eiffelpark in Rhineland-Palatinate. Wildwasser 3 was the largest log flume to be found at a German amusement park and as a result has three drops, the first of which is backwards.

Allgäuflieger

Close to Wildwasser 3 is the world’s largest Star Flyer. The chain swing Allgäuflieger offers a wide view of open fields, the mountains and of course Skyline Park just below. Due to strong winds I had to cancel the ride.

High Fly

One ride that I voluntarily skipped was the large inverting pendulum ride High Fly by SBF Visa, as I had already been punctured by their restraints the day before on the Papageienflug at Tatzmania Löffingen and did not want to risk it again. The High Fly is currently the largest inverting pendulum ride in Germany, but this record could easily be broken if a park is interested.

Sky Rafting

The next ride on our way through the park is Sky Rafting, formerly known as Wild ‘n Wet. The transportable water ride by ART Engineering starts with a vertical lift. Once at the top, a long slide section begins. Due to the curvy layout, the boats start to rotate strongly. A short drop at the end of the slide comes as a bit of a surprise as no one in the boat knows who is going to get wet.

Kids Spin

Not quite as unpredictable, but still a bit spiky, is the small spinning coaster Kids Spin. The small coaster from SBF Visa has the well known 3 loop layout, where the right leading curves always lead into a left leading curve. Due to the constant change of curvature, the cars can get into a good spin. After several loops the train comes to a halt in the station and the cars have to be turned back into position manually before you can exit the ride.

Geisterschlange

Passing the big SkyWheel coaster, we take a look at the Geisterschlange ghost train. The old ride from showman Lehmann has found its retirement home at Skyline Park. The ride is simply a beauty of a ghost train and it is nice to see it being preserved for the future in an amusement park like Skyline Park.

Zero Gravity

As the weather during my visit got worse and worse and heavy rain started to fall around lunch, let us now have a look into the only indoor attraction at Skyline Park. The hall opposite of the cute Baustellenfahrt once offered a motion simulator. It is now home to the Rotor Zero Gravity by SBF Visa. The Italian company gave the famous ride concept a new life by introducing translucent walls to the ride, where traditional rides feature a wooden barrel. To further increase the friction, the walls are also angled and feature a rather rough surface. The ride could therefore run slightly slower, but it does not. For minutes you are now pressed onto the wall, which becomes more and more exhausting over time. The light show is a plus, nevertheless, I was quite happy when the ride finally came to a stop.

Pictures Skyline Park

Closing Words

It was nice to return to Skyline Park after so many years. Unfortunately, due to the weather and the Covid-19 guidelines, I was not able to try every attraction I wanted to. However, I was very happy to have tried the new Sky Dragster coaster and to have spent some time on some of the classic rides before moving on earlier than expected.

 

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Skyline Park

Nessie and the Highlander

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Hansa Park’s Beautiful Britain

Nessie

The Superrollercoaster Nessie is one of the most famous roller coasters in Germany. This Schwarzkopf looping coaster was the first stationary roller coaster featuring a vertical loop and is more or less a product of its time. Once the definition of a thrill coaster, it later became a beloved family coaster and the first roller coaster to go upside down for many growing up nearby the Baltic sea. It has been a very fine roller coaster for the past 38 years, but starting from this year it just got better.

During the past decade Hansa Park was working hard to get rid of its late 70s look and became a very Hanseatic theme park. After most of the facades were finally transformed, the park decided to expand its overall theme and added Britain as the first trade partner to the park. Hence, Nessie got a theme and moved back to its home in Scotland. The new station building looks amazing and due to the location of the new entrance, the ride regained a lot of its former popularity. Well done, Hansa Park!

Highlander

Another addition for this year is the drop tower Highlander, the tallest one of its kind. Built by the Austrian company Funtime, the ride offers a new way to enjoy the view onto the Baltic Sea and the surroundings, as well as the already proven drop experiences known from various German funfairs and other theme parks worldwide – currently, there are two options: a non-tilting one in the morning and a tilting one in the afternoon. I don’t particularly understand why they wanted to introduce two options, as the drop in the tilted position just enhances the overall experience without increasing the fear factor. Many visitors would not even notice it when looking at the ride. Needless to say, the Highlander became a hit among visitors during its first year of operation.

Personally, I don’t rank the Highlander as high as others. Compared to other installations of the manufacturer, it has some flaws. Yes, it might be the tallest one of its kind, but it lacks the thrills and the capacity of Donjon de l’Extrême at Nigloland. At least, the ride is far better than the Power Tower Montezuma, which used to stand at the park till the year 2012.

Pictures Hansa Park

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Hansa Park

A short visit to a beautiful Tivoli

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Linnanmäki

The story of Linnanmäki begins in 1907. Children’s Day events were organised across Finland in order to collect funds for child welfare. At first, the events were arranged on a non-regular basis but in 1945 Children’s Day became a regular annual event. In 1950 six child welfare organisations joined forces in the Children’s Day Foundation and opened the amusement park Linnanmäki.

Ukko

When you approach Linnanmäki one of the first rides you see is the roller coaster Ukko – a Maurer Sky Wheel towering the entrance area of the park. This ride features a vertical lift which goes over into the sky loop element.

The Sky Wheel itself is a roller coaster experience that is quite difficult to describe. In the moment before you are relieved from the elevator upside down, there is a strange feeling in your stomach, which returns to normal within the first roll. This is followed by a descent with high centrifugal forces in the valley before you rush backwards through the valley again shortly afterwards in order to partially climb the sky loop element. After another pass through the station, the vehicle comes to an abrupt stop on the ride’s lift and is then lowered to the station again.

To be honest, I am not a big fan of Maurer’s Sky Wheels. The sensation is good, do not get me wrong, but they are not my kind of ride. The feeling of hanging upside down in 46m only hold by a lap bar is weird and not very enjoyable and the rest of the ride is just okay.

Raketi and Vuoristorata

Past the great S&S Space Shot drop tower Raketi, we now head towards the oldest roller coaster of Linnanmäki: Vuoristorata. The name translates to or better said defines the term roller coaster in Finnish. It is the last of the four scenic railways by Valdemar Lebesch, who also built the two Rutschebanen of Bakken and Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen.

Vuoristorata starts with a long curve leading to the left before the train engages with the cable lift. With a great view onto the roller coaster Ukko just in front, we quickly rise to the top to the lift. Another left curve follows before we dive towards the ground in a large drop. Now, we transverse the Figure-8 ride diagonally and climb a hill while doing so. On the front end of the ride, we now turn around in a curve leading to the right. We take off a bit on the double down, before racing over a large camelback. On the other side of the ride, we now take a left turn. This is followed by another double down leading into one more camelback. On the next hill we gently take another turn around. Parallel to the lift we now initiate the grand finale. Hereby we dive into a tunnel after another camelback. In darkness, we now pass the last curve before we reach the station of the ride and come to a halt.

Vuoristorata is a nice wooden roller coaster which offers a good amount of airtime, speed, and forces during its two-and-a-half-minute long ride. The scenic railway built in 1951 sure offers a great experience and should not be missed when visiting Helsinki.

Kirnu

One of the most interesting coasters of Linnanmäki is Kirnu. This Intamin Zac Spin is one of the earliest examples of a 4D coaster and resembles a large marble run. After the lift, the ride vehicle races towards the edge, plunges down, hits a high forced valley, and turns around on the next crest while the gondola can freely rotate around its own axis. Normally, a roll over is inescapable on the last hill of the ride.

Kirnu might just be a short ride, but also a very unpredictable and powerful one too, so you better not underestimate it.

Linnunrata eXtra

In the large water tower, situated right in the middle of the park, you can ride the Zierer family coaster Linnunrata eXtra which opened in the year 2000 as Space Express. Nowadays, the ride is not only named after the Finnish word for Milky Way, but also offers VR goggles, which makes it eXtra special. I rode the ride without the glasses, which I immediately regretted. The theme inside is dark and not longer visible. The ride itself is very gentle and therefore without any surprises. Unfortunately, I did not have the time to test the ride with the glasses, as it started to have a queue shortly after my ride.

Kieputin, Taikacircus and Mustekala

Back to the light, we quickly encounter the HUSS Top Spin Kieputin, which offered a short, but quite intense ride cycle. In the same corner of Linnanmäki, you can ride the dark ride Taikacircus, have a walk through the nearby funhouse or encounter a well-hidden Schwarzkopf ride called Mustekala at the end of a cul-de-sac.

Kingi

The 75m high drop tower Kingi does not have the best reputation among theme park enthusiasts. Albeit the ride on the Italian made ride offers a very intense drop, the experience itself sits on the uncomfortable side. The restraints by Moser Rides are very tight and the seats themselves are not made for Northern Europeans as they are simply not wide enough. Therefore, if you do not want to squeeze yourself into the seats for a rather long period of time, you should be either very slim and short or still a kid.

Magia

Passing the equally high observation tower, we now step down to another level where another Italian made ride awaits us. Here, however, we find ourselves in seats with a little bit too much room. The Technical Park fying pen Magia offers some heavy rotation and huge forces. It is a fun ride, which does not create a dizzy aftertaste.

Salama

The spinning coaster Salama at Linnanmäki is a great example for an efficient use of space as it is located right on top of the rapid river Hurjakuru. As one of the latest spinning coasters built in Europe, it still offers the excitement of previous Maurer installations like Tarantula at Parque de Atracciones de Madrid or Spinball Whizzer at Alton Towers.

Salama begins with a short curve into the lift. Once at the top, the descents start with a tight turn leading into a curvy drop. With a good spin, we now cross the first valley and enter the large Immelmann turn, the track’s main element. Shortly thereafter, we climb a hill and find ourselves in the first block section of the ride. Another drop follows, whereupon we swirl over an inclined hill. After another upwards leading curve, we enter the second block brake. From here on, the hills get a little bit gentler. In a zigzaggy style, we now make our way towards the next block section. The finale of the ride consists of a downwards leading curve, a small hill and curve with a dip leading into the last brake section of the ride.

Salama is a great spinning coaster with an excellent spin. The ride offers a cool layout and a great pacing. Although the ride is quite short, it gives you a good repeatability factor.

Hurjakuru

Something you could also say about Hurjakuru. The compact rapid river by Intamin offers a refreshing ride through a well themed tunnel, various rapids, and along numerous water effects. Moreover, it also gives you an excellent view onto the spinning coaster above the ride.

Pikajuna

Another ride which is located above the rapid river is the powered coaster Pikajuna by Mack Rides. Like many of the old-style powered coasters, the ride features a bunch of helices and curved sections in a rather compact layout. Unfortunately, the ride is quite slow.

Tulireki

The exit of the ride leads us directly to Tulireki: a Mack Rides E-Motion Coaster. The prototype coaster is a rocking sensation, as the ride vehicle can rock forwards and backwards, as well as sideways. Nowadays, only the sideways rocking remains.

The ride starts immediately after a short curve with the incline of the very steep lift. At the top, we can enjoy the view onto Helsinki during our race through the gentle serpentine curves. After the first block brake we quickly head downwards in the largest drop of the ride. The following incline leads us into a spiral before we change direction at a lofty height. A downward leading curve to the left quickly goes over into a curve to the right and then into the second brake section of the ride. We continue our journey on Tulireki with a shallow downward leading curve to the left into a upwards leading curve to the right. Shortly thereafter we find ourselves in the final brake of the ride.

Tulireki is a fun little coaster when you are sitting in the front row on the vehicle, otherwise the ride can be very bumpy and not as satisfying. The ride system was a good trial, but it did not work out as expected.

Taiga

Right next door, you could ride the water coaster Vonkaputous by Premier Rides till the end of the 2017 season. Nowadays, this space is used for Taiga, the large Intamin LSM launch coaster which dominates Linnanmäki since June 2019.

The ride on Taiga starts with a launch into the first inversion. This is basically an oversized corkscrew, whereby the entrance to the element is initiated by a twist to the right while climbing a hill. According to the roller coaster database (rcdb.com) this element is a Zero-G Winder. With a lot of momentum, we now race through the valley and swivel over hill and dale in a large curve to the right. On the crest of a hill, we quickly change direction and race along the ground. After another change of direction, the second launch section is reached, and we accelerate towards the next element: a 52m Top Hat.

With an awesome view onto the city of Helsinki we now dive down towards the powered coaster Pikajuna. In an inverted airtime hill, we now cross the roller coaster Tulireki and experience a moment of pure joy before turning towards the ground again. In the next valley, we reach our top speed of 106 kph. After flying over a bunny hop, we head upwards and change direction in an Immelmann. Hereafter, we climb a left-hand bend into an s-hill followed by a right-hand turn. At a lower speed, we now swivel a bit from left to right, before plunging down to the ground for one more time. In an airtime hill, we enter an inclining left-hand curve, which releases us into the final inversion of the ride: a heartline roll. One last right-hand bend then leads us into the brakes and shortly thereafter the ride comes to an end.

Taiga is awesome. This coaster is simply terrific, and the layout is just perfect. Intamin did an incredibly good job by giving its masterpiece from Phantasialand some new elements and include a bunch of outstanding inversion.

Pictures Linnanmäki

Conclusion Linnanmäki

Linnanmäki is a great amusement park and one of the best Tivoli, I visited so far. The atmosphere within the park is great and the attractions are amazing. You simply cannot have a better day in an amusement park while supporting a large child welfare foundation at the same time. You are doing something good while having fun and that is something you will not find that often.

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Linnanmäki