Verbolten

Manufacturer

ZIERER

Model

Elevated Seating Coaster w/ Vertical Drop Element

Hamlet

Oktoberfest (Germany)

Official Opening

May 18, 2012

Soft Opening

May 11, 2012

Tallest Drop

88ft

Top Speed

53mph

Inversion Count

0

Launch Segments

2

Riders Per Train

16

Number of Trains

5

Height Requirement

48in

Verbolten is an indoor/outdoor ZIERER Elevated Seating Coaster that features a Vertical Drop Element. It officially opened in mid-May 2012 on the site formally occupied by the Arrow Suspended Coaster, Big Bad Wolf.

Videos​

Development Documentary​

• From Dreams to Screams: Verbolten by Devin Olson

Ride Recordings​

On-Ride Videos​

• Opening Year POV (Storm Sequence)
• Opening Year POV (Spirit Sequence)
• Opening Year POV (Wolves Sequence)
• Spring 2019 Lights-On POV
• 2012/2019 Side-by-Side POV

Backstage Footage​

• Verbolten Control Booth Screens

 

[BGW Family]

They were on two weekends ago when we were there. We go so little now that we didn't realize no lights was a thing again. :-/ We certainly didn't bother riding it while there.

 

[warfelg]

As far as all the indoor stuff:
Last ride, I got this feeling that the black light paint needs a refresher, some black lights need to be updated, and some strobes need tuned back.

Really not that much to bring it back IMO.

 

[halfabee]

I agree that the strobes have become a bit much upon entering the show building. Disorientation accomplished... but without bright visuals in the moments immediately following, the initial drop and spiral are a lot less enjoyable.

 

[Youhow2]

So you're telling me that Verbolten's lighting on the interior is gone?

I can't imagine the interior lighting is that much to maintain, Other than that one moon thing it's all static pieces and timed flashes of lights. Wow.

 

[Cthru3]

The lights around the drop track also aren't always in working order including the "spirit face". I think they may turn some off sometimes to save money. I tend to go on the lightest days possible.

 

[wombat96]

I probably braved the Black Forest around a dozen times or so this year and the interior of the show building appears to be beginning to shed into a reduced version of the 2012 version and the turn by the Rhine is beginning to gain a vicious rattle.

Specifically, in the event building the setting of the strobes were supposedly changed for motion sickness, yet I already found it very disorienting being one of the few coasters I black out on now it feels very strange to describe. While sitting on the MCBR before the drop track some may notice that the giant wall of black light isn't lighting up. My biggest pet peeve at the moment is at the bottom of the turn before the drop track if you look to your left you can see the curtains and outside world killing the immersion.

I sincerely hope that this ride is refurbished within the next few years or I could see this turning into a DarKastle situation where a major refurbishment is needed. I think this ride also having been open for nearly ten months of the year is putting on some major wear and tear. Still a great ride, just hoping it doesn't fall even farther by the time March rolls around.

 

[warfelg]

The lights around the drop track also aren't always in working order including the "spirit face". I think they may turn some off sometimes to save money. I tend to go on the lightest days possible.

Aren't those effects triggered by the train you are on? Because you don't always get the face. You don't always get the wolf eyes. I think there's a 3rd one too.

Someone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong but I felt like they made a bid deal over different triggers in the drop track for different trains so your ride could be different.

---

So you're telling me that Verbolten's lighting on the interior is gone?

I can't imagine the interior lighting is that much to maintain, Other than that one moon thing it's all static pieces and timed flashes of lights. Wow.

It's not gone, but it's not as good as it was. They seem dimmer, and it's tough to tell if that was them or the ride.

 

[wombat96]

The lights around the drop track also aren't always in working order including the "spirit face". I think they may turn some off sometimes to save money. I tend to go on the lightest days possible.

Aren't those effects triggered by the train you are on?  Because you don't always get the face.  You don't always get the wolf eyes.  I think there's a 3rd one too.

Someone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong but I felt like they made a bid deal over different triggers in the drop track for different trains so your ride could be different.

The ride sequences on the drop track are entirely randomized according to Brian Morrow and several other park execs.

 

[BGjames]

Anyone know when and why they removed that large section of theming right after the moon box? The lit up forest section and walls are completely gone.

 

[halfabee]

I don't mean to suggest it's gone.  It really does seem notably reduced, though.

I would guess it's a combo of:

• Fluorescent paint on stationary scenery has faded, leaving a darker overall experience even under unchanged lighting
• Some existing lights have been removed or not fully maintained, leading to reduced amounts of available white and UV lighting
• Some stationary scenery has been removed
• Strobe lighting effect upon entering the show building has been turned up to 11, making it incrementally harder for a rider's eyes to adjust and see during the first 15-20 seconds of the show experience

Again, all guesses.

I don't know which of those is correct, if any, but I'd have a hard time believing it's none of them.

Edit to add: I find that the overall lighting changes, strobe + others, have made me feel much LESS comfortable on the ride.  I'll happily ride absolutely anything (as long as there are no stupid water blasters), but that floater entrance and then the tight helix leave me feeling "off" for several seconds.  IMO it's 100% due to the mega-strobes followed by heavy darkness.

I rode VB once after a session at the back of the Festhaus.  That's the one and only time I have ever felt anything remotely close to queasiness on a ride... and I once rode Great Adventure's Batman the Ride clone 60+ times in row without leaving the boarding platform.  It took about 2 solid hours.
That was easy.  VB tipsy was not.

 

[Cthru3]

Aren't those effects triggered by the train you are on?  Because you don't always get the face.  You don't always get the wolf eyes.  I think there's a 3rd one too.

Someone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong but I felt like they made a bid deal over different triggers in the drop track for different trains so your ride could be different.

There's the spirit of the forest the storm and the wolves. I know all of them I've experienced them all many times and all of the lights haven't always been working this past year. Some days they do some they don't. The worst seemed to be the passenger howl o scream preview day I rode it a few times before 6 but this wasn't the only time.

 

[CastleOSullivan]

The backdrops on Verbolten are painted on valuer and are not see-through. If you ride it and ignore the strobes at the start, you will see that the largest backdrop (first one seen on your left hand side) has been entirely removed. That is a huge problem because that same backdrop is connected to blackout curtains and other scenes of the same material. They also have some matting fabric which is a translucent material that they use in some blank spaces to let light shine through, without giving away other scenes.

In total, (not counting the moon box or the drop track envelope) there are approximately three conjoined backdrops in the show building. It is a huge difference when the largest of those is missing entirely. Now you can clearly see the track in most places, depending on the randomized scenario, because lights are leaking through from other scenes.

Why is this scenic backdrop missing? I am not sure, but it’s an interesting coincidence that the piece in question happens to be the one that blatantly copied the style of another art piece depicting the likeness of Sandra Bullock in poster art for Premonition. This is not to be confused with her second cameo at the end of the drop track segment. Earlier in the season I think only part was missing, but the set now looks more like that of Flight of Fear (ie; next to non-existent) aside from smaller, static pieces.

Here is a rendering of the backdrop (removed in part, or entirely)

and a photo to illustrate the use of the matting fabric that I was talking about.

 

[warfelg]

So then my question becomes:
1) Why was it never replaced with something else.
2) Why did they use fabric for the shows?

Why wouldn't you do a generic forest print on a built wall?

Unless the idea with the curtains was to be able to change them out from time to time.

 

[CastleOSullivan]

I have been wondering all season if they were going to do something special like that. The entire show is carried by the lighting, which alternates between flashing on the front and back sides of the matting. Fewer static/stagnant lights means that only about every other car will see anything in most sections. The matting adds dimension, but if the front side goes entirely dark, then people won't see anything during daylight hours.

Now people can only see the lights flashing on the floor, pointing at where the scenery used to be.

 

[Merboy]

That's really excellent and thorough info, CoS. Thanks! +rep

 

[TerrainHuggr]

Wow! And my biggest complaint with the ride experience was that there wasn't more of these backdrops and just more lighting in general in the event building. Other then the second half traversing the path of the great BBW, I think the terrain hugging drop and curves out of the station to the first launch is my favorite aspect of the ride now. If I could punch one roller coaster in the face.

 

[SLC Headache]

Wow! And my biggest complaint with the ride experience was that there wasn't more of these backdrops and just more lighting in general in the event building. Other then the second half traversing the path of the great BBW, I think the terrain hugging drop and curves out of the station to the first launch is my favorite aspect of the ride now. If I could punch one roller coaster in the face.

Thinking about it, that part may be my second favorite pre-lift (pre-launch in this case) on a roller coaster. Hydra's jojo roll is first, and GhostRider's landscaped pre-lift is now third.

Saying it again, but with a new insight, the launch up the big hill and then drop down is the element ruining this ride for me. It only serves to kill pacing, and is the source of the excessive intensity. They should have eased out of the show building, to parallel what it did going into the show building, and then done a launch straight into those turns.

 

[TerrainHuggr]

Yeh I'm a huge sucker for pre lift/launch elements in a ride. I guess Verbolten's event building is rather disappointing for me and can even be a bit nauseating. I agree that it would be better if it crested the big drop with more speed but I imagine they run it at a speed that the track was designed for.

 

[warfelg]

I would be confident in my guess that it slows down that much for blocking reasons.

In a 4 train operation:
2 in station
1 in event building
1 at bridge.

My "perfect Verbolten" would have more track between launch 2 and the Bridge TBH. A figure 8 helix and some meandering up the the bridge would be awesome.

 

[MAZ]

My 'perfect' Verbolten would be suspended from the track, meander through a charming German village, be clad in red and black, and have the intensity of being chased by a wolf.