originally posted on 8/17/2019
Photo: Courtesy Intamin. View full-sized image.
Ask an ACEer to name the steel coasters on his or her Top Ten list, and it is very likely that some projects from Intamin Amusement Rides will surface. Highly rated Intamin favorites include Millennium Force, Superman: The Ride, Expedition GeForce, Maverick … well, the list could go on for quite some time.
Apparently, Intamin isn’t resting on its laurels. Already in 2019, Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure and Dueling Dragons have wowed audiences with innovation and fresh ideas.
Another new coaster from Intamin has taken flight: Taiga. With trains themed to eagles, Taiga has taken a forest theme and twisted its latest tangled layout into a totally exhilarating experience at Finland’s oldest and most popular theme park, Linnanmäki (Helsinki).
“It was an easy choice to select Intamin as our ride provider, since they had the most creative layout suggestion for our challenging terrain,” said Anssi Tamminen, technical director, Linnanmäki, at the ride’s opening. “We are truly satisfied with our biggest ride acquisition ever.”
Photo: Courtesy Intamin. View full-sized image.
To attempt a ride description is somewhat of a challenge, as the layout is truly twisted. A slow crawl from the station puts trains on the first launch track, sending riders immediately into a zero G barrel roll. Then, radically banked turns intertwine with other sections of track and the support structure. A second launch propels riders to the top speed of 66 mph. From there, trains climb and crest the top hat element, remaining upright for the ride’s tallest point (which can be seen from across Helsinki). From its apex, riders plunge 105 feet back into the writhing madness. A dive loop, Immelmann inversion and inline twist are staggered into a winding tangle of wicked curves, airtime speed hills and twisted maneuvers. With much of the action relatively close to the ground, Taiga will be regarded for its fluid pacing and constant direction changes.
Photo: Courtesy Intamin. View full-sized image.
Photo: Courtesy Intamin. View full-sized image.
With a track length of 3,622 feet, Taiga delivers a good-sized ride, considering there is no lift hill. The coaster features four inversions combined with the two launches. Two trains carrying 16 passengers each have the ability to reach an hourly capacity of 860 passengers.
Photo: Courtesy Intamin. View full-sized image.
Intamin has upped its game, having noted some of the snappy banking and uncommon inversions on other companies’ rides. With original, custom installations, the manufacturer is far from letting coaster fans refer to their rides as being “all the same.” Hardly.
Taiga occupies land from the defunct Premier Rides water coaster, Vonkaputous.
Linnanmäki now has eight coasters in its count, including the wooden Vuoristorata, one of the few remaining scenic railways that employs a brakeman aboard each train.
— Tim Baldwin
ACE News Editor
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