originally posted on 7/21/2023
Photo: Jo Pools. View full-sized image.
As Coaster Con 45 was winding down in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and Charlotte, North Carolina, a group of ACE members were preparing to invade Scandinavia on the ACE Europe’s first Summerfest 10-day trip through Scandinavia. Upward of 66 ACEers participated at one time during a trip that included 10 different parks and 44 different coasters (two were unfortunately down during the visit) on what became known as “Viking Trip 2023.”
The trip started off in advance with a group WhatsApp chat board to get everyone up to speed and acquainted with one another. This proved extremely useful as a messaging tool and provided a way to share photos along the journey. For most, the trip began at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol on Saturday, June 24. From there it was an all-day motor coach ride to the first overnight stop in Billund, Denmark, and the first park of the trip, Legoland Billund. With ERT on Polar X-plorer during the first hour, ACEers proclaimed the start of the trip “super-duper,” which is the translation of “awesome” from “The Lego Movie.”
Viking Trip 2023 attendees enjoy Flying Eagle at Legoland Billund, a Zierer Force 281.
Photo: Robert Ulrich. View full-sized image.
The trip continued through Djurs Sommerland (Nimtofte, Midtylland, Denmark) and Fårup Sommerland (Blokhus, Nordjylland, Denmark) via motorcoach. Once in Sweden, a highlight of the trip awaited, Liseberg (Gothenburg, Västra Götaland, Sweden) and the new Grand Curiosa Hotel. The day at the park began with the opportunity for ACE members to leave their signatures on the wood structured turnaround of Balder and then ride it for an hour. Attendees proceeded to enjoy the rest of the park, including a group dinner, followed by ERT on Helix to end the night.
The group poses for a photo in front of Orkanen, a Vekoma Family Suspended Coaster and Falken, an S&S Sansei Technologies wood coaster at Fårup Sommerland.
Photo: Jo Pools. View full-sized image.
The next day found the group traveling to two smaller family parks, Tosselilla Sommarland (Tomelilla, Sweden) and Bakken (Klampenborg, Hovedstaden, Denmark), finally resting in Copenhagen at the Tivoli Hotel. The highlight of the trip followed the next day with the first ACE Roller Coaster Landmark presentation outside of North America to Rutschebanen at Tivoli Gardens (Copenhagen, Hovedstaden, Denmark). The ceremony included an extensive backstage tour that consisted of a climb of the lift hill and an hour of ERT. The park was overjoyed by the presentation, and all of the participants in matching ACE Viking Trip red polo shirts made the national Danish television and the newspapers.
ACE members enjoy a walk on the structure of Tivoli Gardens’ Rutschebanen – the park’s classic 1914 L.A. Thompson Scenic Railway Company side friction wood coaster, and first outside of North America to be declared an ACE Roller Coaster Landmark.
Photo: Robert Ulrich. View full-sized image.
The final two parks were given enough time despite gloomy Scandinavian weather. At Sommerland Sjælland (Nykøbing, Sjælland, Denmark) two firsts occurred: attendees experienced a rare human-powered coaster, and the first coaster to be out of service the entire trip: a crazy mouse. After lunch it was onto BonBon Land (Holme-Olstrup, Sjælland, Denmark) where the trip concluded with ERT on the park’s two Gerstlauer coasters, Han-Katten and Vild-Svinet.
Following BobBon Land, the group returned to Amsterdam and home unless independent plans for other parks and attractions in the area were planned. Thanks went to ACE Europe Regional Representative Jo Pools and Assistant Representative Dennis van Breukelen for their planning and tour assistance. Summerfest 2024 will take place in the United Kingdom.
A full ACE Viking Trip 2023 report will be included in a future issue of RollerCoaster!.
— Robert Ulrich
#ACENews