Alpengeist
- Thread starter Zachary
- Start date
Cheers, Alpie. I had your poster on the back of my bedroom door when I was little.
Some thoughts about Alpengeist on its 20th anniversary...
Wild Izzy (later Wild Maus) was new at the park when the fence and signs went up next to its queue with a "coming attraction for '97" message. This was in the area that is now the extended queue for Darkastle. It was pretty clearly going to be a big new ride with a station along the edge of the hillside, and a safe bet to be an inverted coaster because Tampa had just gotten one; there seemed to be a one-for-one thing going on between the parks' major rides at the time. I thought the lift would rise in the other direction, behind the Festhaus, before turning and swooping down by the log flume and into the ravine. Oops! As a result, the official announcement and accompanying layout drawing were stunning - it entered the ravine from the SIDE. What?!? The web being new and shiny at the time, I created what I still believe was Alpengeist's first fan website. I think it lasted a few months before disappearing forever. Free time is the third-most-underappreciated luxury of youth.
It's hard to describe how much the center section of Busch Gardens changed visually when Alpengeist was built -- not just because of what was added, but because of what went away. Construction required clearing out most of the trees in the hollow between the lower end of the log flume and the "Rhine River" across from the Loch Ness station, plus some of the hillside next to the log flume. These stands of foliage were previously sufficient to isolate Loch Ness, the log flume, Rhinefeld, and the Aquitaine car ride (Le Mans) from each other visually -- the visual separation making them seem much farther apart than they actually are. The log flume's final drop was very much in its own space atop the hill; the Loch Ness loop area had a feeling of complete separation from the rest of the park due to the unbroken mass of trees along the far bank; and even the open space of Le Mans felt like its own compartmentalized experience due to bordering the same wooded hollow. The advent of Alpengeist brought new sight lines across the park's middle grounds that were a bit shocking to a guest accustomed to the previously forested state of that area (Shocking to this guest, anyway). The "same park, different worlds" aspect of Busch Gardens frankly was diminished a bit. I remember Alpengeist being the first ride installation that made me think the park, for all of its obvious efforts to keep as many trees as possible during construction, had perhaps gone a bit too far with tree removal.
BUT.
The trade-off for that - and where the heck else were they going to put something like Alpengeist, by the way - was one monster of a ride. In an era when Loch Ness Monster was still regarded as a borderline-contemporary ride (it was about the same age Alp is now) rather than a notably aged classic, getting to the top of Alp's lift and looking so far DOWN at the top of the Loch Ness lift and drop was astonishing. Drachen Fire was 5 years into its problematic run and had seen multiple modifications by 1997; the newest major roller coaster before that had been BBW back in 1984. Alpengeist was the first really successful top-tier coaster added to the park in well over 10 years. And its size... you might have seen hints of Drachen Fire's lift hill here and there from certain locations outside of the park, but Alp was the first structure you could unmistakably, inevitably spot from afar during the drive up with no effort at all.
The ski lift idea always made sense... the use of concrete to approximate snow was very clever, and the entrance to the big inversion on the far side of the covered bridge did not feature any kind of net at the time, so you got an unobstructed view of riders flying up into the air on that side. The station's walls by the front-row boarding line had a bunch of ski equipment bolted to them, which was a nice touch while waiting for the full-visibility ride experience. And the sensation of speed at the base of the vertical loop, flying through that little shed just before entering the cobra roll, was unmatched anywhere in the park. And the mid-course brake didn't grab too terribly hard at that time, so the final third of the ride was absolutely more intense.
One semi-casualty of the park's new look was the fountain on the Rhinefeld side of the covered bridge. That fountain used to be really sequestered and quiet, located far from any major attraction on the quiet path to the bridge. BGW closed at 10pm through the heart of the summer during those years, and closed at midnight most summer Saturdays... so nighttime was a common time to wander the park and really notice how beautifully many park elements were lit. This fountain was just one great example. Despite being in a major walking thoroughfare, it was still idyllic and peaceful somehow - one of my favorite places in the park to slow down a bit in the evening air. It's still there today, but now it sits in the shadow of a massive coaster and is bordered by a soft drink shop, etc. The price of progress.
I have a lot more to share if anyone is interested, but enough for now... happy 20th, Alpengeist.
Wild Izzy (later Wild Maus) was new at the park when the fence and signs went up next to its queue with a "coming attraction for '97" message. This was in the area that is now the extended queue for Darkastle. It was pretty clearly going to be a big new ride with a station along the edge of the hillside, and a safe bet to be an inverted coaster because Tampa had just gotten one; there seemed to be a one-for-one thing going on between the parks' major rides at the time. I thought the lift would rise in the other direction, behind the Festhaus, before turning and swooping down by the log flume and into the ravine. Oops! As a result, the official announcement and accompanying layout drawing were stunning - it entered the ravine from the SIDE. What?!? The web being new and shiny at the time, I created what I still believe was Alpengeist's first fan website. I think it lasted a few months before disappearing forever. Free time is the third-most-underappreciated luxury of youth.
It's hard to describe how much the center section of Busch Gardens changed visually when Alpengeist was built -- not just because of what was added, but because of what went away. Construction required clearing out most of the trees in the hollow between the lower end of the log flume and the "Rhine River" across from the Loch Ness station, plus some of the hillside next to the log flume. These stands of foliage were previously sufficient to isolate Loch Ness, the log flume, Rhinefeld, and the Aquitaine car ride (Le Mans) from each other visually -- the visual separation making them seem much farther apart than they actually are. The log flume's final drop was very much in its own space atop the hill; the Loch Ness loop area had a feeling of complete separation from the rest of the park due to the unbroken mass of trees along the far bank; and even the open space of Le Mans felt like its own compartmentalized experience due to bordering the same wooded hollow. The advent of Alpengeist brought new sight lines across the park's middle grounds that were a bit shocking to a guest accustomed to the previously forested state of that area (Shocking to this guest, anyway). The "same park, different worlds" aspect of Busch Gardens frankly was diminished a bit. I remember Alpengeist being the first ride installation that made me think the park, for all of its obvious efforts to keep as many trees as possible during construction, had perhaps gone a bit too far with tree removal.
BUT.
The trade-off for that - and where the heck else were they going to put something like Alpengeist, by the way - was one monster of a ride. In an era when Loch Ness Monster was still regarded as a borderline-contemporary ride (it was about the same age Alp is now) rather than a notably aged classic, getting to the top of Alp's lift and looking so far DOWN at the top of the Loch Ness lift and drop was astonishing. Drachen Fire was 5 years into its problematic run and had seen multiple modifications by 1997; the newest major roller coaster before that had been BBW back in 1984. Alpengeist was the first really successful top-tier coaster added to the park in well over 10 years. And its size... you might have seen hints of Drachen Fire's lift hill here and there from certain locations outside of the park, but Alp was the first structure you could unmistakably, inevitably spot from afar during the drive up with no effort at all.
The ski lift idea always made sense... the use of concrete to approximate snow was very clever, and the entrance to the big inversion on the far side of the covered bridge did not feature any kind of net at the time, so you got an unobstructed view of riders flying up into the air on that side. The station's walls by the front-row boarding line had a bunch of ski equipment bolted to them, which was a nice touch while waiting for the full-visibility ride experience. And the sensation of speed at the base of the vertical loop, flying through that little shed just before entering the cobra roll, was unmatched anywhere in the park. And the mid-course brake didn't grab too terribly hard at that time, so the final third of the ride was absolutely more intense.
One semi-casualty of the park's new look was the fountain on the Rhinefeld side of the covered bridge. That fountain used to be really sequestered and quiet, located far from any major attraction on the quiet path to the bridge. BGW closed at 10pm through the heart of the summer during those years, and closed at midnight most summer Saturdays... so nighttime was a common time to wander the park and really notice how beautifully many park elements were lit. This fountain was just one great example. Despite being in a major walking thoroughfare, it was still idyllic and peaceful somehow - one of my favorite places in the park to slow down a bit in the evening air. It's still there today, but now it sits in the shadow of a massive coaster and is bordered by a soft drink shop, etc. The price of progress.
I have a lot more to share if anyone is interested, but enough for now... happy 20th, Alpengeist.
Yes! Please do share, I *love* hearing about people's personal impressions of the park. What you've described is largely the "magic" of BGW. If you've got more, let's hear it.
I'm surprised to hear that the park used to stay open until midnight! Why is this not a thing now? Is it too expensive? And it's so interesting to me to consider the park before Alpengeist, especially the way you described its sense of isolation between attractions. I bet that was really magical to go from one distinct area into another via wooded natural areas instead of each country sort of blending together at their borders. Oh to have known the park in those days...
I remember standing in line on a H O T day in the summer back in the late 90s or early 2000s when Alpengeist was still considered new and thus it always had quite a wait. Back then the rambling queue line was actually needed. Anyway, I was standing in line with my sister and just sort of absently staring at people and things when I noticed that someone had carved "IT'S AN OMEN" into the wood of the railing. I'm sure it's some long-forgotten inside joke for whoever did it but I've been saying it to my sister ever since. It's going to rain on Thursday? IT'S AN OMEN! Got a slight cough? IT'S AN OMEN! Your boyfriend spends a little too much alone time with his best bud? SERIOUSLY, THAT'S PROBABLY AN OMEN!
I'm surprised to hear that the park used to stay open until midnight! Why is this not a thing now? Is it too expensive? And it's so interesting to me to consider the park before Alpengeist, especially the way you described its sense of isolation between attractions. I bet that was really magical to go from one distinct area into another via wooded natural areas instead of each country sort of blending together at their borders. Oh to have known the park in those days...
I remember standing in line on a H O T day in the summer back in the late 90s or early 2000s when Alpengeist was still considered new and thus it always had quite a wait. Back then the rambling queue line was actually needed. Anyway, I was standing in line with my sister and just sort of absently staring at people and things when I noticed that someone had carved "IT'S AN OMEN" into the wood of the railing. I'm sure it's some long-forgotten inside joke for whoever did it but I've been saying it to my sister ever since. It's going to rain on Thursday? IT'S AN OMEN! Got a slight cough? IT'S AN OMEN! Your boyfriend spends a little too much alone time with his best bud? SERIOUSLY, THAT'S PROBABLY AN OMEN!
I remember how excited I was for Alpie and ultimately how disappointed I was. I did not know it then, but B&M Inverts are just not my thing. I was so relieved when Apollo was built.
Let's see, a few more Alpengeist (or related) memories...
I took a trip from DC to BG with a couple of friends in May '97, when Alpengeist didn't quite have all of its new-ride gremlins worked out yet. We spent a total of 3+ hours in line for the ride that day, and never got on once. Stand in the queue... learn the ride is down... leave the queue... come back later... rinse and repeat. Every other major ride seemed to have substantial downtime that day too, so we just bounced from queue to queue all day long without riding much. To top it off, an attendant at Drachen Fire, which uniquely did seem to run well that day, did not bother to do any pull-up checks on the harnesses for my side of the train before a dispatch. (Not surprisingly, we all lived.) At the end of the day I went to Guest Services to let them know about the harness thing, as honestly that seemed like an important piece of guest feedback for them to have. The poor guy behind the desk, surely weary from countless other complaints during a troublesome day, must have assumed I was there to complain about one or more of the many rides that weren't operating, and immediately offered me a voucher to return to the park for free. Confused about taking something I hadn't planned to request, I stammered, "I dunno, I'm here with a group..." whereupon he immediately offered vouchers to the entire group. That is some serious customer service - who knows whether it was the right move for the business to make so readily, but I have never forgotten it. I think about it each time my family and I pass the Guest Services window on our way into the park.
I did accept that voucher, and used it to return in June or July of that year with some other friends who wanted to visit. Alpengeist's loose article policy was very strictly enforced, and I wasn't sure whether my sandals would remain attached to my feet during the ride. (Think reef sandals, but with leather straps. 'Cuz it was the 90s.) Most folks with open toe shoes were removing them and tossing them waaaay over to the side under the watchful eyes of ride attendants. When we boarded I took mine off... slapped them right down on the seat... and sat on them. A ride attendant watched all of this, stared for a few seconds, and clearly was about to tell me "you can't do that"... but then told me they had never seen that done before, and complimented the idea. "Does it work?" It did work, and I repeated it a couple of times that day, garnering more or less the same reaction each time from a growing number of ride attendants. When I returned to BG a year or two later, I saw ride attendants explicitly telling riders to sit on their loose-fitting shoes. I'd like to think I started that, though it requires some (substantial) suspension of disbelief.
Truth be told, I had started sitting on my sandals during a trip to Cedar Point a couple of years earlier, and I doubt I was the first to do it. But again, the customer service angle seems in play... park management saw a reasonable idea and apparently went with it, instead of saying no just because it wasn't explicitly allowed under the original set of rider rules. I could name SEVERAL parks that failed the same kind of common-sense test at that time.
Around the time Alpengeist came along, a good friend invited me to come to BG with her family and a French foreign exchange student they were hosting. As we walked under Alpengeist and across the covered bridge, she noted that nothing in the park looked at all like the France she knew and grew up with. Walking through New France, same thing, of course. Entering Aquitaine, still the same -- didn't look like France to her. ...Until we came across the loaded clothesline that used to be strung overhead between a couple of the buildings in that area of the park. She stopped dead in the middle of the pathway, pointed up at it, and said, "Okay -- THAT looks EXACTLY like the France I know!"
I took a trip from DC to BG with a couple of friends in May '97, when Alpengeist didn't quite have all of its new-ride gremlins worked out yet. We spent a total of 3+ hours in line for the ride that day, and never got on once. Stand in the queue... learn the ride is down... leave the queue... come back later... rinse and repeat. Every other major ride seemed to have substantial downtime that day too, so we just bounced from queue to queue all day long without riding much. To top it off, an attendant at Drachen Fire, which uniquely did seem to run well that day, did not bother to do any pull-up checks on the harnesses for my side of the train before a dispatch. (Not surprisingly, we all lived.) At the end of the day I went to Guest Services to let them know about the harness thing, as honestly that seemed like an important piece of guest feedback for them to have. The poor guy behind the desk, surely weary from countless other complaints during a troublesome day, must have assumed I was there to complain about one or more of the many rides that weren't operating, and immediately offered me a voucher to return to the park for free. Confused about taking something I hadn't planned to request, I stammered, "I dunno, I'm here with a group..." whereupon he immediately offered vouchers to the entire group. That is some serious customer service - who knows whether it was the right move for the business to make so readily, but I have never forgotten it. I think about it each time my family and I pass the Guest Services window on our way into the park.
I did accept that voucher, and used it to return in June or July of that year with some other friends who wanted to visit. Alpengeist's loose article policy was very strictly enforced, and I wasn't sure whether my sandals would remain attached to my feet during the ride. (Think reef sandals, but with leather straps. 'Cuz it was the 90s.) Most folks with open toe shoes were removing them and tossing them waaaay over to the side under the watchful eyes of ride attendants. When we boarded I took mine off... slapped them right down on the seat... and sat on them. A ride attendant watched all of this, stared for a few seconds, and clearly was about to tell me "you can't do that"... but then told me they had never seen that done before, and complimented the idea. "Does it work?" It did work, and I repeated it a couple of times that day, garnering more or less the same reaction each time from a growing number of ride attendants. When I returned to BG a year or two later, I saw ride attendants explicitly telling riders to sit on their loose-fitting shoes. I'd like to think I started that, though it requires some (substantial) suspension of disbelief.
Truth be told, I had started sitting on my sandals during a trip to Cedar Point a couple of years earlier, and I doubt I was the first to do it. But again, the customer service angle seems in play... park management saw a reasonable idea and apparently went with it, instead of saying no just because it wasn't explicitly allowed under the original set of rider rules. I could name SEVERAL parks that failed the same kind of common-sense test at that time.
Around the time Alpengeist came along, a good friend invited me to come to BG with her family and a French foreign exchange student they were hosting. As we walked under Alpengeist and across the covered bridge, she noted that nothing in the park looked at all like the France she knew and grew up with. Walking through New France, same thing, of course. Entering Aquitaine, still the same -- didn't look like France to her. ...Until we came across the loaded clothesline that used to be strung overhead between a couple of the buildings in that area of the park. She stopped dead in the middle of the pathway, pointed up at it, and said, "Okay -- THAT looks EXACTLY like the France I know!"
Alpie has been running fast, or at least it seems really fast this year. The G forces feel like my shoes are going to fly off with my feet still inside.
I rode several times in early April and it did feel smoother to me, but I rode in the front row every time since there was no wait. I have always noticed that I have a much rougher ride the further back I ride. I'm going back in a week and will try the back to see if it is better or not this year.
I went yesterday afternoon and would agree. Alpie definitely feels different this year. I'm not sure if it has taken my #1 at the park yet or not, but I was pleasantly supprised with both rides I experienced. I'll be at the park tomorrow if anybody wants to marathon Alpie (Doing a row test) to determine how different each row feels.
Grant said:
Be sure you are riding in the same train for each row. Compare trains if you have time, I'm curious.
So, with the help from Quick Queue, I managed 23 rides throughout Sunday. I could have done a few more, but I was starting to form a headache of sorts (Not the rides fault).
My general conclusion before bridging into specifics, Train 1 experiance is significantly different from Train 3.
Only train 1 and 3 were on the tracks yesterday, I alternated trains as much as I could the first 10 rides, though the next 12 I tried to stay in train 3 for reasons to come.
Train 1:
Row 1 ~ Flawless. No shakiness, rides smooth as butter (Cobra Roll wasn't too much of a problem even with head back).
Row 2-4 ~ Shakiness is apparent, though it's certainly manageble. No headbanging throughout the course (If you lean you head forward on the Cobra Roll and MCBR like me).
Row 5-8 ~ Don't ride these rows. Don't. If it's your first time on Alpie these rows won't give you a great impression, and may lead you to skip the ride for the remainder of your visit. Alpie was pretty bouncy in the back rows on train 1, even with your head forward the Cobra Roll is just too much for me to handle. Is it bearable? Sure, considering it has over the shoulders, but you definately may get some jostling, and even head banging.
(If you must ride in the back half of the train 1, try and sit on the left 2 seats as I found them to deliver a better experiance)
Train 3:
Row 1 ~ Just like train 1, delivers a fantastic experiance. Cobra Roll will still get you if unexpected, but tilting your head into it a bit makes a perfect experience.
Row 2-4 ~ Also pretty good. I would say row 4 carried a small shake to it but was definately a good exoeriance as a whole.
Row 5-8 ~ Unlike train 1, I found these rows pretty enjoyable. There is a noticeable shake, but it's like a touch on the arm compared to train 1. I prefer back seats on most coasters, and train 3 allowed me to get a bit comfortable riding the back. Understand that the Cobra Roll is definately more felt in the back rows of both trains, so head forward! I didn't notice the left or right side of a car to give a different feel like it did in train 1, so sit where you like!
Understand I spread my rides throughout the day, though most of them were done twords the end of the day when the line was essentially nonexistent. I didn't think the ride experiance changed enough to say it's better to ride when it's warmer, or colder. For those curious, it was a fair 75° for most of the day.
Irrelvant in terms of seats, Busch Gardens has a policy which (i've never seen or heard of untill yesterday) won't allow riders to stay on a coaster for more than twice in a row, line vacant or not. I was told to exit, walk around to the entrance, and get back on to show my body could handle the force; I didn't believe the guy but guest relations later confirmed he was correct.
My general conclusion before bridging into specifics, Train 1 experiance is significantly different from Train 3.
Only train 1 and 3 were on the tracks yesterday, I alternated trains as much as I could the first 10 rides, though the next 12 I tried to stay in train 3 for reasons to come.
Train 1:
Row 1 ~ Flawless. No shakiness, rides smooth as butter (Cobra Roll wasn't too much of a problem even with head back).
Row 2-4 ~ Shakiness is apparent, though it's certainly manageble. No headbanging throughout the course (If you lean you head forward on the Cobra Roll and MCBR like me).
Row 5-8 ~ Don't ride these rows. Don't. If it's your first time on Alpie these rows won't give you a great impression, and may lead you to skip the ride for the remainder of your visit. Alpie was pretty bouncy in the back rows on train 1, even with your head forward the Cobra Roll is just too much for me to handle. Is it bearable? Sure, considering it has over the shoulders, but you definately may get some jostling, and even head banging.
(If you must ride in the back half of the train 1, try and sit on the left 2 seats as I found them to deliver a better experiance)
Train 3:
Row 1 ~ Just like train 1, delivers a fantastic experiance. Cobra Roll will still get you if unexpected, but tilting your head into it a bit makes a perfect experience.
Row 2-4 ~ Also pretty good. I would say row 4 carried a small shake to it but was definately a good exoeriance as a whole.
Row 5-8 ~ Unlike train 1, I found these rows pretty enjoyable. There is a noticeable shake, but it's like a touch on the arm compared to train 1. I prefer back seats on most coasters, and train 3 allowed me to get a bit comfortable riding the back. Understand that the Cobra Roll is definately more felt in the back rows of both trains, so head forward! I didn't notice the left or right side of a car to give a different feel like it did in train 1, so sit where you like!
Understand I spread my rides throughout the day, though most of them were done twords the end of the day when the line was essentially nonexistent. I didn't think the ride experiance changed enough to say it's better to ride when it's warmer, or colder. For those curious, it was a fair 75° for most of the day.
Irrelvant in terms of seats, Busch Gardens has a policy which (i've never seen or heard of untill yesterday) won't allow riders to stay on a coaster for more than twice in a row, line vacant or not. I was told to exit, walk around to the entrance, and get back on to show my body could handle the force; I didn't believe the guy but guest relations later confirmed he was correct.
Attachments
I've heard the claim about needing to limit consecutive rides to two on several coasters at other parks.
That's how Alpie got its zero-car.
Video suggestions like this always show up on YouTube, I hate them. I feel like its photoshop jobs like this that contribute to many people fears of coasters and amusement park rides in general.
Incidentally I've dreamed of that exact thing happening to me a number of times. Always and only on Alpengeist. WTF is that? And always when it's just about to take the first drop. I always fall off or fall out right then.
That said, Alpengeist is one of my favorite coasters ever.
That said, Alpengeist is one of my favorite coasters ever.
Maybe you have the power to see the future but only your own death.
I once had a dream that right when Alpie came off the lift hill it fell straight off the track. it was actually pretty horrifying, people were screaming and crying. I guess this ride just envokes the worst in peoples dreams haha