originally posted on 8/12/2022 1:20:00 AM
Image: Courtesy of Dollywood. View full-sized image.
Late summer is a time for the announcement of new coasters
for the next year. Enthusiasts eagerly await this time of year to help build
anticipation for the next operating season further on the horizon. This summer,
Dollywood kicks it off.
New for 2023 will be Big Bear Mountain. At just shy
of 4,000 feet, it will be Dollywood’s longest coaster. Placed in the Wildwood
Grove section, it will be the first expansion to the award-winning area. Built
by Vekoma, as is the neighboring Dragonflier, the ride should be a
spectacular hit with everyone. The decisions made going into the selection of
this attraction seem to check a lot of boxes. With Bolliger & Mabillard,
Arrow, Gerstlauer, Great Coasters International, Inc. and Rocky Mountain
Construction installations at the park, there is a nice selection of roller
coasters for thrill seekers. The park is quite aware that Firechaser Express
(Gerstlauer) ranks among the park’s most popular rides. Its height requirement
is only 39 inches (as is Dragonflier’s). Likewise, Big Bear Mountain
will offer the same great thrills to a wide demographic. It’s actually a
perspective many parks out there should pay attention to.
“The rides, including the Dragonflier coaster, all
have very reasonable height requirements, and that opens up the opportunity for
the whole family to experience these attractions and tell these stories to the
entire family. Certainly Big Bear Mountain is going to allow us to do
that with a 39-inch height requirement,” said Pete Owens, vice president of
marketing and public relations, The Dollywood Company.
View full-sized image.
Typically, a “family” coaster is something that isn’t too
fast, isn’t too long and has moderate thrills. Again, Dollywood blazes a trail
here with Big Bear Mountain. Not only is it the longest coaster in the
park, but it will reach 48 mph, the speed of many wooden coasters in the United
States. This also is not a contained ride in one small area, but a sprawling
coaster all along the back boundary of Wildwood Grove. It should offer several
exciting views as a dramatic backdrop.
“This is the largest attraction we’ve ever built,” noted
Owens. “It really does encompass all of Wildwood Grove. It wraps around all the
way from the north side of Adventure Base Camp and where Dragonflier is
and wraps all the way around to the waterfall, which is near to where Till and
Harvest Restaurant is. That covers the whole area. Considering Wildwood Grove
was the largest expansion we had ever done, and now we have an attraction that
virtually winds around that whole area — its big! We’re excited to get it open
next spring.”
The ride features three launches. The first is a simple
burst to dispatch it from the station. (Think Cheetah Hunt at Busch
Gardens Tampa Bay in Florida.) From there the ride is designed to be in two
acts. The first major launch places the coaster zipping behind the Wildwood
Tree, small flat rides and toward the entrance to Wildwood Grove. It is in this
section that the trains dive through tunnels and behind waterfalls — more
attributes that make it a signature ride. The second launch is parallel to the
other big launch, just aimed the opposite direction. This half is more twister
than the out-and-back-like opening act. The final launch will send trains to
the highest point of 66 feet.
“We wanted those quick changes of direction as you wind
around the course, plus going over the waterfall and under the waterfall.
Launches allow us to do inline acceleration that adds to the excitement,” said
Owens. “We wanted a family thrill coaster. The experience we have with Firechaser
Express — what a great ‘first-ride’ coaster with the forward and reverse
launches. Big Bear Mountain has three launches, and while it will be
quicker than Firechaser Express, it is going to be an adventure coaster
for families. Maybe not a ‘first ride’ but a ‘second ride’ for a lot of kids.”
The track is intertwined in the back portion of Wildwood
Grove near its sister Vekoma coaster.
This aerial rendering shows the placement — and length! — of Big Bear Mountain.
Image: Courtesy of Dollywood. View full-sized image.
Speaking of Vekoma, in the early years of ACE (that’s last
century, folks) the proliferation of boomerangs and suspended looping coasters
from “old” Vekoma led to a reputation of some aggressive trackwork and
inversions. “New” Vekoma is now a sought-after power player delivering solid
home runs. The United States needs more. The fact that this is the first family
coaster of its type in the nation makes it more of a destination ride for coaster
enthusiasts.
“Big Bear Mountain coaster is the best of both
worlds,” said Ricardo Tonding Etges, Vekoma. “With its low height requirement,
it accommodates younger riders while also providing a fun coaster experience
for the more adventurous with three launches, the longest track layout in the
park and reaching speeds of 48 mph. The track is also designed to provide two
different and complementary experiences: one being a terrain-following,
low-to-the-ground, high-speed experience; and two, offering more aggressive
direction changes with a twister-style layout. It is a coaster experience for
the entire family — all family members will have the chance to experience it
together, creating memories together.”
As with all great attractions, it comes with a backstory.
Ned Oakley is part of this storytelling.
“Ned was a character that was part of the Wildwood Grove
universe,” said Owens. “Ned is the ‘park ranger’ for this area. Ned’s story is
centered around bears, and this whole tale is that there is a Big Bear in the
Smokies that people have said they’ve seen or heard about, but it is kind of
like a mythical creature. No one has evidence that Big Bear actually exists.
Ned has made it his life’s work to prove that Big Bear actually exists. The
whole ride experience begins at Adventure Base Camp. You wind through the
queue, and you see various pieces of evidence that Ned has collected as you
make your way to the load station. Ned is part of your experience as you go
looking for Big Bear.”
One more thing, there is onboard sound. This has been
attempted before on coasters with mixed success. It should make the ride even
more fun, assuming it works as it is designed to do. What the soundtrack will include
has not been released. Video animation of the ride (see here: https://www.dollywood.com/themepark/rides/big-bear-mountain/
) features dramatic music with a country flair. Will that be what’s heard
onboard? Or will there be some voiceover narration?
“I think you’re going to hear a little bit of everything,”
said Owens. “This is the first installation of onboard audio we’ve ever done at
Dollywood. I think it’s going to be a big part of the ride experience.”
“The onboard audio will definitely add to the ride
experience, immersing riders in the story and creating memories through a
different sense now,” said Etges.
ACEers will be able to find out at Coaster Con 45, where Big
Bear Mountain is sure to be a hit.
— Tim Baldwin, ACE News Editor
#ACENews