Coaster Kingdom
http://www.ukrollercoasters.co.uk
Thunder Coaster (Tusenfryd)
Parabolic
isn’t a word I really appreciated until recently. Since then, I have learnt
how it can change a good ride into an incredible ride, a fun drop into a frenzy
of airtime and a so-so opinion into standing ovation – literally.
Subconsciously,
none of the 2001 European coasters opening interested me. Perhaps I haven’t
had time to trawl the almost infinite realms of the internet for construction
reports, pictures and information, perhaps I am just waiting for coasters to
open before I get excited.
It
wasn’t until the ride reports of these rides started filling my inbox that I
felt obliged to find out more, specifically of Thunder Coaster, Tusenfryds’
largest investment so far.
The
second drop is something of a contemporary phenomenon, which brings us back to
the word ‘parabolic’. Instead of the drop sharply turning downward into an
equally angled drop, it takes the path of natural descent following the
direction the train would fall if there were no track.
This
caused a lot of excitement; it means airtime, after all. When people talk of
Thunder Coaster, you would probably hear nothing of the ride other than drop
two. It would be interesting to see how one drop, however good, could make the
ride top so many peoples’ top-ten lists.
Thunder Coaster is beautiful. The mottled mix of sweeping turns envelope the towering peaks of the lift-hill and infamous second drop as the whole ride straddles the rocky hillside on which it is built. The pathway wraps around the ride, as it undulates up- and- over the dramatic landscape, dotted intermittently with evergreen trees, lumps of rock and grassy knolls.
The
queue takes you into the centre of the first drop as it spirals around you
before you're under the lift and into the heart of the ride. Many wooden
coasters don’t offer an opportunity to those snap-happy enthusiasts, Thunder
Coaster can keep you happy for hours.
Like
the majority of buildings in Norway, the station is a flamboyant concoction of
wooden architectural styles, open on the side with a wooden slat roof covering
the station track.
Once
let onto the platform and queued up behind the air-gates, riders leave as you
are allowed onto the train. Like the ones at Six Flags Holland and Belgium, the
Vekoma rolling stock is glorious.
The
comfortable seats are surprisingly wide and incredibly snug. With the amount of
legroom given to you, you may be surprised that someone doesn’t come along and
offer you peanuts and warm towels.
The
green and red trains are four cars long, each seating six riders. Each car is
fronted by a black railing, a refreshing change from the normal boxed front.
Although looking sympathetically apt for a wooden coaster, they still look sleek
and new – a clever balance that Vekoma have just right.
Strangely
the lap-bars vary from that of the Six Flags Holland and Six Flags Belgium
trains. Instead of a padded T-bar, you have a more normal inverted-U,
however, devoid of any padding.
Once
you pull down this bar and it is checked, the train smoothly advances out of the
station before engaging on the lift-hill. The lift is like most modern wooden
coasters – contentedly fast, reasonably quiet.
The
view is great, though. To your left, the sweeping first drop and the dramatic
landscaping of the park. Yet, to your right, the majority of the ride, dipping,
turning and intertwining almost endlessly.
You
slowly advance over the end of the lift before the train startlingly accelerates
into a leftwards lurch, spiraling down relentlessly towards the ground, pulling
you severely to the right.
As
you sweep past the rocky landscape below, you burst through the structure of the
lift hill, climbing sharply as you do. As you head towards the sky the track
sharply levels out before dropping.
As
you rise from your seat, the track gets steeper and steeper still. As you turn
towards the ground, the train is pulled from under you. You continue to levitate
from your bench, your thighs hit the lap-bar, your toes curl in fear as you
wonder just how much steeper, faster and intense this drop will get.
A
final lurch sends you further skywards towards an overhead stretch of track
crossing, before you are pulled back into your seat as the train levels out and
sweeps around a 180-degree right-hand turn.
In
one of the fastest stretches of track I have ever known on a wooden coaster you
absolutely pelt it round into a skyward climb up into a double bunny-hop, the
second jump of which throws you over the lift-hill.
Another
dramatic turn sends you towards the lift-hill structure, pulling you down in
another frenzied moment of airtime sending you airborne towards the overhead
wooden structure.
From
here, the track turns once more to the right banking outrageously to your right,
sweeping into another head-chopping drop under the return track from the second
drop and into a rather Megafobia’esque 180-degree turn, undulating
dramatically as it does.
From
here, you drop twice more in a rally of bunny hops, before listing to the left
and hitting another turn, heading you back towards the brake run. After another
drop, a camera catches your surprise as you are once again pulled away from
overhead structure as you climb into the sharp final brakes.
As
the train rolls slowly around the 180-degree turn back into the station, the
ride may now be under control, but your mind remains in overdrive. The ride is
simply superb.
The
bars spring up out of your way and you run down the ramp and past the photo
booth. As people wipe tears from their eyes, as people clap their hands in
astonishment and as people jump around like panicked rabbits, you soon realise
that we’re not the only ones who love wooden roller coasters.
The
first drop was a surprise. The intense laterals are unique and as soon as the
train is travelling fast enough, you are bodily hurled through the lift
structure into the second drop.
I
could write for ages about the second drop – whether any of it would make
sense is obviously up for question, but this parabolic
drop is perhaps one of the finest drops ever crafted out of wood.
As
soon as you think it has got to its’ steepest, it gets steeper. As you rise
from your seat, before you have a chance to recover, you continue to be pulled
from your seat with spectacularly powerful negative forces.
The
stretch following is incredibly fast, again with strong laterals. The ride then
morphs itself into Megafobia featuring undulating and swooping turns into
runs of bunny hops.
The
ride exceeds not only the expectations of the new rider, but also of the
designer, Robert Casey. On paper, the ride is down to last a minimum of 55
seconds. Even before it officially opened, it was happily doing 54, sometimes
52. Although a second here-and-there may perhaps appear to be insubstantial,
with the ride going that much faster over drops designed for slower speeds, you
can be assured of a good ride.
For
the first time since Tonnerre De Zeus, Thunder Coaster has got the fine balance
of airtime and laterals just right. Also well balanced, the ride is smooth
enough to give a potent and forceful ride, but throws you about enough to remind
you that you’re on a wooden coaster.
There
is very little wrong with the ride. A helix would have been nice, but that said,
the alternate offerings of lateral forces more than make up for this. A
wooden coaster is a very hard thing to pull off well, especially modern ones.
Thunder Coaster has a character of its’ own, a great selection of elements and
perhaps the most outrageous dose of airtime safely possible on a roller coaster.
It had a lot to live up to. And it did.
5/5 Marcus Sheen