Ride Profile
parkworld-online.com
“I have ridden Guardian numerous times,” says “ We are
extremely proud to have designed and produced an interactive attraction that blends physical, virtual and multi-
sensorial elements. Feedback has been exceptional
Ernest Yale, Triotech
” 42
Pirtovshek. “Each time I have a different experience and a better score as well. I think the finale is still my favourite part of the ride. The public’s response has been very positive.” Pirtovshek believes the addition of Wonder Mountain’s Guardian adds a very unique experience that isn’t generally found in a regional theme park. He noted that it allows families to share in a fun experience from ages five and up, and provide thrills that are appealing to everyone.
Co-operative effort
Innovation like this always includes the risk of delay or failure, and in fact the ride opening was delayed by two weeks. “The task of creating a ride like Guardian is a cooperative venture,” muses Pirtovshek. “ART Engineering and Triotech worked very well together. The thing that we did not count on was the coldest winter we have seen here in 30 years. We had days that reached -45°C (-49°F). The extreme cold made it impossible to pull the electrical cable without heating it first to prevent breakage. When installing the screens, we had to heat the entire 60ft (18m) level of the mountain interior to keep the massive interactive screens from tearing during installation. Once installed, the timing and continuous tweaking of the ride system and interactive media took a number of weeks. This ensured that the ride experience was the best it could be.” “ART Engineering has already done similar size projects for the industry,” notes Pierling. “Working with the experienced, motivated and focused team at Canada’s Wonderland was a pleasure, especially Norm Pirtovshek and Peter Switzer [director of maintenance and construction]. We know each other since many years and there is a mutual trust; otherwise it would not be possible to develop and build such an amazing prototype ride within this short period of time.” Pierling explains the challenges of engineering the ride’s hidden drop: “The drop had to be integrated into an existing building. The structure of the building with its column grid and its structural stability had to be respected. The size of the elements and installation procedure had to be designed according to the available space and access in the building. The drop scene is surrounded by show screens but for the purposes of the show the mechanical equipment for the drop is not visible to the riders entering the area. As well as the drop, the ride also includes rotating cars
and interactive on-board laser blasters and sound effects synchronised to the show.”
Interactive experience Montreal-based Triotech designed multimedia content including 3D animation, projection, sound and special effects. The ride features the longest interactive screen in the world, measuring 500ft (152m) long and 13ft (4m) high. Pirtovshek recalls the brief to Triotech: “The question I asked owner Ernest Yale at the time was: ‘Can you provide interactive 3D media that moves with the ride at a speed of say 1.5m per second, along with a gaming feature that is accurate?’ and he said ‘Yes.’ Triotech did in fact deliver the experience.” “We are extremely proud to have designed and produced an interactive attraction that blends physical, virtual and multi-sensorial elements,” adds Yale, the company’s president and CEO. “This unique attraction is the result of the hard work of dozens of dedicated specialists at Triotech, Canada’s Wonderland and several other specialised firms. Feedback has been exceptional over the opening weekend with riders giving the attraction strong reviews.” Canada’s Wonderland is owned and operated by Cedar Fair, which boasts 10 other North American amusement parks, three waterparks and an indoor waterpark in its portfolio. It also operates Gilroy Gardens in California under a management contract. If successful, and the early signs are good, it appears only a matter of time before similar attractions to Wonder Mountain’s Guardian appear at other parks within the group. Mountain optional.
canadaswonderland.com artengineering.de trio-tech.com
JULY 2014
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