Already visible when parking
your car and walking to the ticket booths of the park, this giant has what
it takes to conquer its riders. Although it is some kind of a quest to
find the entrance to Goliath – the station is situated at a dead end –
the anxiety and anticipation to ride builds slowly but surely.
When you’re finally seated, the train
starts the long climb to the top, before a mid-lift acceleration throws
you straight into the first 70-degree drop. With 106 km/h, you are sent
for the skies once again and the second massive portion of airtime awaits
the riders. After this aggressive camelback hill, the train hugs the
ground, before executing the highly enjoyable ‘Stengel Dive’: this
never-seen-before element is graceful yet powerful, and it is a unique way
to change directions.
The horizontal loop and the following
so-called ‘buckel’ (or ‘corkscrew hill’) are still fairly
forceful, but the helix and the second ‘buckel’ are indeed a bit of a
let-down. They are not bad, but seen in context of the other elements,
they lack some speed and/or force. Regardless, the grande finale makes up
for this: three exciting and fun-inducing bunny-hops in a row highlight
the stretch of track back to the station and an unexpectedly ferocious
S-turn/U-turn-combination concludes the battle against the giant.
All in all, Goliath is a one-of-a-kind
airtime-machine and although this green and purple giant has a couple of
flaws, it’s easy to look past them and see Walibi World’s gem.
Unprecedented in the Netherlands, this coaster is the crown jewel of the
park and of coaster-loving Holland. And it deserves to be.
