originally posted on 12/9/2022 1:42:00 AM
Photo: Tim Baldwin. View full-sized image.
A trip to the IAAPA Expo means many things — miles and
miles of walking, stopping to marvel at new rides and technologies, meeting
with many wonderful people and an experience that will be hard to forget. The
2022 IAAPA Expo was no exception, and ACE was there to represent its passion
and share its story both at the show and over social media for those unable to
attend.
Photo: Keith Kastelic. View full-sized image.
The hub of coaster enthusiast activity at the Expo was the
revamped ACE booth, with a new, modern design that highlighted past ACE
gatherings including Coaster Con 44. A steady stream of enthusiasts and
industry leaders visited the booth, including representatives from Universal parks, Disney parks, Lakeside
Amusement Park, Uncle Bernie’s, Funplex, Fun Spot, Sluggers & Putters,
SeaWorld parks, Texas Winter Park, Indiana Beach, Vekoma, various IAAPA show
ambassadors, Ciero Encantoto, Proslide, Kings Dominion, Traders Village,
Funland of Fredericksburg, the Funplex and many more wonderful people from
around the industry.
Volunteers Cliff Herring and Cheri Armstrong welcomed visitors to the ACE booth, which had a new backdrop, giveaways and a PTCI coaster car.
Photo: Tim Baldwin. View full-sized image.
At the booth, a compilation video ran continuously while a
Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters, Inc. ride car provided the perfect place for
photo opportunities. This car was on display during the 2021 show and again
this year; it is to be auctioned off to a lucky ACE member after the show. This
year marked Elizabeth Ringas’ first IAAPA Expo as president of ACE. She
maintained a consistent presence throughout the week, both in the booth and on
the show floor.
All booth visitors were given ACE Safe Space pins as both a
thank you for visiting and a symbol of ACE’s commitment to be welcoming to all
coaster enthusiasts. ACE members represent a wide variety of people from all
walks of life, joined together by a love of coasters and theme parks; the
diversity pin tied that all together in a very elegant way. It was wonderful to
see so many booth visitors wearing their ACE pins throughout the show.
Vekoma and Dollywood officials board a car headed for Big Bear Mountain.
Photo: John Davidson. View full-sized image.
The openness of B&M’s new surf coaster vehicle was impressive.
Photo: Samantha Hewston. View full-sized image.
This snowmobile vehicle from Intamin is headed to SeaWorld San Diego.
Photo: Paul Daley. View full-sized image.
IAAPA Expo Day One quickly became all-train Tuesday, as
manufacturers unveiled the new trains for many exciting new or revamped
coasters. The first reveal on the show floor was the surf-themed train for the
in-progress SeaWorld Orlando (Florida) Bolliger & Mabillard Pipeline coaster, which is expected to open in 2023. This modern
stand-up coaster features cars that mimic surfing. Also on display (and
available for photo ops) was Vekoma’s jeep-themed train for Big Bear Mountain, Dollywood’s (Pigeon Forge, Tennessee)
2023 multilaunch family coaster, and Rocky
Mountain Construction’s eye-catching wildcat-emblazoned train for Hersheypark’s
(Hershey, Pennsylvania) updated Wildcat’s Revenge. But the trains didn’t
stop rolling out onto the show floor; they continued through the day with
Intamin’s jet ski-themed trains for Arctic Rescue, the 2023 roller coaster headed to SeaWorld San Diego
(California), and Great Coasters International, Inc.’s announcement of Worlds
of Fun’s (Kansas City, Missouri) new throwback coaster, Zambezi Zinger.
Zambezi Zinger’s lead car was one of the reveals of Day One.
Photo: Byron Stephenson. View full-sized image.
Cedar Point’s Tony Clark joined Adam Sandy from Zamperla to reveal a Wild Mouse car.
Photo: David Lipnicky. View full-sized image.
Vikings were on hand to announce Zamperla’s Draken Falls.
Photo: David Lipnicky. View full-sized image.
Zamperla led the day’s train tally with
three reveals: Draken Falls, a next-generation water ride headed to
Adventureland Resort (Altoona, Iowa), the
rather cheesy ride car for Cedar Point’s (Sandusky, Ohio) new Zamperla mouse
coaster and the Lightning
train for the as-yet-unnamed roller coaster going into Playland Amusement Park
(Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada).
Premier Rides surprised attendees with
the announcement of the relaunch of the famous Schwarzkopf Wildcat coasters,
just bigger and faster. Weiland Schwarzkopf, son of Anton Schwarzkopf, was even
on hand to sign autographs.
Ride With Us host John Davidson and documentarian Robert Ingle were helping cover the Expo.
Photos: David Lipnicky. View full-sized image.
Premier Rides’ Jim Seay and Wieland Schwarzkopf announced the reintroduction of the famous Schwarzkopf Wildcat; it will be marketed as Wildcat Retro 2.0.
View full-sized image.
Some of the crowd control madness of announcements at booths can be seen from this angle.
Photo: Tim Baldwin. View full-sized image.
The lead car of Hersheypark’s Wildcat’s Revenge was a crowd-pleaser.
Photo: Paul Daley. View full-sized image.
Day Two dawned a little slower than Day One but still
brought the consistent level of excitement that Expo attendees have come to
expect from the show. Chance
Rides showed off ride vehicles for Bone Shaker: The Ultimate Ride coming
to Mattel Adventure Park (Glendale, Arizona). Wisdom Rides and its new
division, Noble Rides, displayed the lead car for a new linear synchronous
motor roller coaster design. Although Expo attendees were not able to hop into
these roller coaster vehicles, on the other side of the showroom floor, SBF
Visa provided a rideable coaster experience for Expo visitors.
The Expo isn’t just about train cars and
free samples; it’s also a place for manufacturers to showcase new waterpark
technologies and experiences. WhiteWater debuted six new products, including
Blasterango Battle, Boomerango Squeeze, Walhalla, Aquafortress, Flowsurf and
Clarus, which is a clear fiberglass that will bring a new thrill to
waterslides.
This model of WhiteWater’s Slidewheel looked sharp.
Photo: Alex Salvo. View full-sized image.
Maurer Rides showcased its new Spike vehicle with “wheelie” controls.
Photo: Liz Tan. View full-sized image.
The waterpark announcements continued on
Day Three when Aquatic Development Group announced its new accessible, adaptive
wave machine: EpicSurf. EpicSurf bridges the gap between longing and
opportunity, providing an adaptable surfing experience for all who care to
catch a wave.
ICON Park announced a new customized
experience for the capsules on the giant wheel. Based on the iconic Florida
road trips that framed travel before flight became ubiquitous, the experience,
which opens in early 2023, adds a unique camera to each capsule. Riders create
their own travel journey as they experience the ride.
Although Chance Rides did not do a “reveal,” its Bone Shaker vehicle was one of the sharpest on the floor.
Photo: David Lipnicky. View full-sized image.
Another important announcement came from
IAAPA. Working in partnership with the American Society for Testing and Materials
(ASTM) and “European Norm” (EN) leaders, IAAPA shared some new, more cohesive,
globally accepted ride and safety standards.
Day Three wrapped up with a surprise
announcement from Premier Rides: Steel Pier (Atlantic City, New Jersey) is
adding two new coasters in 2024 and 2025. Plans include a spinning coaster and
a Skyrocket 2 coaster with an enhanced digital signage package.
Photo: Colin Miller. View full-sized image.
At the NRCMA booth, officials from Europa-Park delivered a nice piece of signage to go along with the park’s recent donation of a EuroSat car.
Photo: Tim Baldwin. View full-sized image.
The show’s final day included some
sobering news: an industry icon was lost when the second-generation president
of Zamperla Rides, Alberto Zamperla, unexpectedly passed away. The big screen
at the Zamperla booth, which had displayed the company’s new rides and projects
earlier, was changed to reflect this unfortunate event. ACE extends its deepest
condolences to the Zamperla family and Zamperla Group at this time.
A tribute to Alberto Zamperla, who passed away in Italy during the Expo, was seen on Zamperla’s promotional board.
Photo: Tim Baldwin. View full-sized image.
On this final day, Vekoma unveiled Circuit
Breaker, the first tilt coaster in North America, for Cotaland (Austin,
Texas). A tilt track, the defining feature of a “tilt” coaster, is a section of
track that rotates vertically, starting in an upright, flat position and
stopping in a vertical position — leaving riders facing straight down. Once the
brakes on Circuit Breaker’s tilt track release, riders are hurled down a
10-story vertical drop, followed by a dramatic layout with four upside-down
inversions and several moments of strong airtime. Circuit Breaker will
be under construction during 2023, along with the rest of the park. An opening
date for Cotaland has not been determined.
Skyline Attractions promoted TrailRunner with a beautiful model.
Photo: Jhace Louis. View full-sized image.
Skyline Attractions announced a slew of
fresh innovations leading up to the Expo. TrailRunner is a new,
single-rail family coaster, intended for larger-scale, more thrilling layouts
than the smaller P’Sghetti Bowl, but is still family friendly.
Meanwhile, Aurora is a lighting package that can be installed on Skyline’s
single-rail coasters. LED panels line the top and sides of the track, allowing
for animations. Examples at its booth included red arrow strips, flowing water,
moving words and advertisements. Two dual P’sghetti Bowls have been sold
for 2023, both with the eye-catching light package.
While many show visitors marked their
first IAAPA Expo experience, Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters, Inc. marked its
99th visit!
Soon it was time to break down the ACE booth.
Photo: Cheri Armstrong. View full-sized image.
The week ended with the ACE team
disassembling the booth in record time. Afterward the many volunteers headed
home or out for one last park visit before scattering to the four winds once
again.
— Liz Tran, ACE News
#ACENews