RIDES THE RIDE MAKERS
The charm of the wooden coaster is well known. The traditional look, the sheer size and the unmistakable sound of the ride make a special addition to any theme park
Alice Davis, managing editor, Attractions Management
GREAT COASTERS INTERNATIONAL ADAM HOUSE
LEAD DESIGN ENGINEER
What’s the appeal of a wooden coaster? Wooden rollercoasters hold a special place in the hearts of many. Many people have fond memories of a classic wooden coaster when they think back to their fi rst rollercoaster ride. At Great Coasters International Inc (GCII), we create today’s modern, yet classic, wooden coaster and keep this tradition alive. We want to create a ride that’s thrilling, but still family friendly. A wooden coaster can be an iconic centrepiece. People think of amusement parks and they think about carousels, cotton candy and wooden rollercoasters. At GCII, our rides’ signature elements include super twisted ride layouts and our own articulating Millennium Flyer trains.
What are you working on now? GCII is currently building the largest wooden rollercoaster in China, called Viper. Located at Wanda (Nanchang) Culture Tourism City, Viper is our largest undertaking for any coaster in our history. At 160 feet (49 metres) tall and 5,111 feet (1,558 metres) long, this ride is our golden standard in wooden rollercoasters.
What’s the diff erence between designing, building and installing a wooden coaster and a steel coaster? Wooden rollercoasters require a very specialised team on the building and installation side.
Adam House has been with GCII since 2007
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White Lightning, designed by GCII for Fun Spot America in Orlando, Florida, opened in 2013
The entire ride is built by our team on-site. Unlike steel coasters, we cannot fabricate everything prior to delivery and then assemble it. Each individual piece is cut, bolted and stood by our construction team. From the design aspect, we try to achieve two main objectives which are different from steel coasters. The fi rst one is that we want the ride to be a “work of art”. We want the ride to be an icon for generations to come, and one of the iconic staples of the park.
The second difference would be the feel of the ride. We know that the feel and the sound of a wooden coaster differs greatly from its steel coaster counterpart, so we play to this. We want the ride to shake you around – but not too much! We want guests to hear the sound of the coaster and for that to
cause some hesitation about riding. Again, this plays back to making the ride thrilling, but still family friendly.
Is it diffi cult to maintain a wooden rollercoaster? Wooden rollercoaster maintenance isn’t any more diffi cult than a steel rollercoaster, but it does take a very specialised team to maintain the ride. Many of our customers have an incredible group of maintenance personnel and carpenters who are extremely talented at what they do. One key advantage of wooden coasters is that they can literally last forever. Think of it like this: if one board or section on a wooden coaster goes bad, it’s fairly inexpensive to replace the board and keep the ride running. Compare this to a steel coaster, where if a section of the ride begins to deteriorate, it’s extremely costly to make the repairs. This is something that we’re currently seeing for steel rollercoasters from the 1980s and early 1990s. Some theme parks are removing the rides because of costly maintenance and upkeep.
AM 2 2015 ©CYBERTREK 2015
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