Avalanche
Specific Type: Bobsled
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Blackpool Pleasure Beach is home to one of nine operating bobsled coasters in the world today. Avalanche has been operating since 1988 at the popular amusement park in England. The wintery looking roller coaster is located almost in the dead center of the park, with three of the park's other coasters surrounding it: Big Dipper[/i] to the West, Pepsi Max Big One just South, and Irn-Bru Revolution to the East.
Avalanche does not have as compact of a layout as most other bobsled style coasters as it snakes its way left and right, and right to left throughout most of its course. Two helices exist, but not until the very end of the ride. The Mack Rides built Avalanche has three trains, each with seven cars with two rows. Riders are arranged inline and each train can occupy up to fourteen riders. This one minute and twenty-two second ride takes riders through a 1,490 foot course and the riders get to experience the United Kingdom's only bobsled roller coaster. Throughout the entire course the riders are twisted around left to right, right to left, and around 360 degrees, all while not being on actual roller coaster track, but within a trough where the trains move freely within based on their momentum. This is what a bobsled style roller coaster is, which makes them a lot more different and unusual compared to the traditional roller coasters that run on actual rails. This coaster is a very quick ride for a bobsled style from start to finish. There is no mid-course break run. Avalanche departs straight out of the station and up the lift hill to the south. Riders get a good view of the Irn-Bru Revolution to their left and Pepsi Max Big One's station almost directly below them. Once atop the lift and into the trough, the speed of the ride picks up quickly, and riders snake through a bunch of left and right banked turns . After five of these 180 degree alternating banked turns, riders are taken into a 360 degree downward helix to the left and then a 360 degree upward helix to the right. Immediately after the second helix, the ride is over already as it hits the break run and the trains go around a final 180 degree turn slowly back into the station. Avalanche has been thrilling riders for years at Blackpool Pleasure Beach and continues to do so. |
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