Alpengeist: The F-22 of Roller Coasters
From the first time I saw the ominous white lift high above the surrounding trees while on Loch Ness, I knew it would be a ride to remember. In my opinion, this is the king of the inverted roller coasters not just because of its height and speed, but because it delivers thrills with every ride. On inverted coasters riders are situated below the track in ski-lift style trains. I have to say I’ve grown to respect some of the more compact inverts out there, but Alpengeist is still the best.
First there’s the intimidating (almost 200′ tall) lift hill where you find yourself wondering when you’ll get to the top. The view past your dangling feet of the ground and even trees far below is
pretty unnerving. After the lift hill you fly down an enormous swooping drop that puts the train on its way to breaking the sound barrier (at least it feels like it). Then an Immelman inversion so tall and smooth you can just barely feel the inversion, followed by a tall vertical loop with some great g-forces. And now you’re on the way to meet Loch Ness down by the Rhine River where you hit an extreme, sometimes rough, cobra roll featuring two back to back inversions. Next, you move through a mid-course brake run, drop out of the run with a little pop of airtime through a short themed tunnel and into a sweet zero-g roll. The roll is followed by a nice corkscrew and helix combination. The sequence after the brakes is one of the best around in my opinion.
Where some rides tend to peter out towards the end, this one delivers right up until your
uproarious return to the station. So Alpengeist gets a rare 10 from me because: it’s a terrain ride (meaning it wasn’t just plopped down on a parking lot or some flat lot of land), it’s massive (over three minutes of ride time), it’s fast, it’s themed pretty well (with little touches many
won’t even notice), and it’s relatively smooth. You may experience an occasional headbang, but it’s far from a head-bang-athon like all of those Mind Eraser installations all over the country. On top of all that it delivers thrills and gives you a unique experience. That’s a 10 in my book! Final Rating – 10 (Superior)
Alpengeist is rated ‘IN’ for Intense. It’s a 4 out of 5 on my Thrill Scale for of its height, speed, and loops.
What’s Your Take?
What do you think about Alpengeist? Leave a comment below.
June 12, 2011 at 01:12
Alpie's now one of my favourite inverts. I don't remember being all too impressed on my last visit, but on my recent one I came off buzzing. Ties with Montu, in my opinion.
July 5, 2011 at 12:54
Alpengeist is the best inverted roller coaster, perhaps for me tied with volcano. Maybe c c should do a roller coaster showdown between volcano and alpengeist. Two highly themed and thrilling inverts. Alpengeist does have some head banging in the cobra roll like c c said and in the turn into the mid course break run. Also, it does put some pressure on my legs at such a high speed on an invert. But i can look past that for the incredible and thrilling ride it delivers. It is one of the best of the inverted roller coasters because it has great height, speed, and a good number of inversions and elements. Plus the themeing is excellent.
March 27, 2012 at 04:30
Two major Q's: First (Dad factor talking here) my son's eleven, is this one (Alpie) totally safe for those who are just making the height cut off by an inch or two? Namely slip out risk is a total Zero? Secondly, I have a back problem at the very base where lumbar meets sacrum (hip area) that I can sense really wouldn't like big compression forces so I'm wondering a bit about dangling legs / inversion aspect taking away any ability to somewhat control this. Anybody got any views on this or whether more traditional upright seated coasters would be better or just stay the heck off coasters entirely? Thanks.
April 4, 2012 at 07:07
This coaster is ridiculously intense! I have never been so clueless about what's coming next on a coaster before. Even in the 2nd row it's hard to tell what's happening. How about the special sound she makes. It's a weird whirring sound, So cool! Also I think she must have gained intensity with age. Yesterday was my first rides, and I can't imagine calling one moment of this ride "Forceless"
FYI… The furthest right seats seem to be more intense than the left.
Hey Mike, you may want to avoid it. It has a couple of rough jerks, Especially into the brake run. Also some very strong compression G's. Also avoid the loch ness she has a weird spot into the 2nd loop that tweeks my lower back a bit. Griffon and Apollo's Chariot are both super smooth, and super sweet! Griffon is best in the last row for airtime. The front is a must for the hang time. And I'm not sure about Verbolten yet. With that "vertical track drop" Section inside i'd be cautious. The rest of the ride will be no problem for you. the layout looks really smooth in person. I will be riding it when it opens and let you know. You may want to ask someone about the similar drop on Alton towers "th13teen"
Also..
No chance of slip out on Alpie. Very deep seats, high sides and crotch with a seatbelt connecting the bottom of the OTSR. (over the shoulder restraints) I saw some tiny kids riding her yesterday.
September 6, 2012 at 14:20
I loved Alpengeist, but I still have to give Montu the edge for inverted coasters. The batwing puts it over the top for me.