SpeedCoaster Planned for Erlebnisberg Altenberg, Germany
The planned SpeedCoaster will look similar in its design to the Alpine Coaster 2.0 pictured here. Photo: Courtesy of Wiegand
With various leisure attractions such as a summer toboggan run, the MountainCarts & Monster Scooter vehicles, a climbing maze, a wooden ball track and much more, the Erlebnisberg Altenberg leisure destination (near Dresden in Saxony) offers visitors and vacationers fun for the whole family, especially in summer. Now, with the new “SpeedCoaster”, an additional offer is planned to be created in Altenberg to meet the annually increasing demand, especially in the peak season and on weekends. The proposed attraction, for which the granting of the building permit is still pending, is based on the Alpine Coaster 2.0 concept (see EAP 6/2019, p. 135) from the product range of the Josef Wiegand company with magnetic brake and automatic block system. Incidentally, the world‘s first SpeedCoaster installation was already opened in 2018 under the name “SpeedBob” in Riedenburg (Altmühltal, Bavaria).
After the passenger has been automatically pulled uphill in his SpeedCoaster sled on the track, he rushes down the hill over several airtime hills at a speed of up to 60 km/h, driven by gravity, just like tobogganing. Active braking, as on the original Alpine Coaster from Wiegand, is not possible on this attraction, of course. At the end of the track, a circular track element is passed through, slowing down the sled. According to current plans, the SpeedCoaster will run parallel to the uphill section of the existing summer toboggan run and the magic carpet. The currently existing station is also to be used as the entrance for this new attraction. In addition, the plans also envisage the creation of a slide tower.
Erlebnisberg Altenberg is operated by Wiegand Erlebnisberg GmbH, which offers excursion destinations for families with children at several locations in Germany (including the Black Forest, Thuringian Forest, Harz Mountains and Franconian Switzerland).
Read also our special on summer trends in mountain adventure worlds in the current July/August issue (find the reading sample here) of our magazine. ■
