Grizzly (roller coaster)
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| Grizzly | |
 A train about to bunny hop over the tunnel element |
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| Location | Kings Dominion |
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| Type | Wood - Terrain |
| Status | Opened |
| Opened | March 27, 1982 |
| Manufacturer | Kings Entertainment Company |
| Designer | Taft Attractions Group |
| Height | 200 ft (61 m) |
| Drop | 156 ft (48 m) |
| Length | 3,150 ft (960 m) |
| Duration | 2:30 |
| Max vertical angle | 67° |
| Capacity | 2500 riders per hour |
| Height restriction | 3 ft 6 in (110 cm) |
| Grizzly at RCDB Pictures of Grizzly at RCDB |
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Grizzly is a wooden roller coaster at Kings Dominion in Doswell, Virginia. The grounds of the ride are densely forested, with the intended thrills heightened from the illusion of inadequate clearance between the track and trees. The attraction opened in 1982, and the double-figure-eight layout is based closely on the defunct Coney Island Wildcat.[1]
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[edit] History
The announcement by Kings Dominion that Grizzly would be ready to open for the 1982 season was made in a press release[2] on March 15, 1982. The new coaster was intended to be the top thriller in the park, billed as "Taller than the park's most popular ride (Rebel Yell)" and "heaven for the real thrillseeker". Grizzly's design is very closely based on that of the Wildcat roller coaster at the now closed Coney Island park in Cincinnati, Ohio. The layout was able to be mimicked so faithfully because the media conglomerate Taft Broadcasting, at the time owned both parks. The layout would place the coaster in the Old Virginia section of the park, winding mostly through the existing forest for the first half, then entering a large infield (which also held an employee parking area) for the second. The ride opened on March 27, 1982, and has not closed for any major refurbishments/modifications since.[3]
[edit] Theming
The attraction is not definitively themed, attempting instead to immerse the riders in a setting that resembles the natural habitat of the grizzly bear. The entire attraction is deep in the woods, far from the nearest paths. This not only hides the coaster from the rest of the park, making it impossible for guests to visually gauge the thrill they are about to experience, but psychologically supports the idea of entering an isolated wilderness. The station and support building architecture is faux timber-framed cabin style, and the color scheme is exclusively brown and woodgrain. The roller coaster itself is stained a gray-brown natural woodtone, though the trains are red. At the entrance of the long queue, there is a large simulated stone carving of a grizzly bear, and originally a sign with the name and logo of the attraction.[4] Since the sign's removal some time prior to May 2008, the attraction's name is not publicly displayed anywhere near or on the grounds of the roller coaster.
[edit] External Links
- http://www.ultimaterollercoaster.com/coasters/yellowpages/coasters/grizzly_pkd.shtml UltimateRollerCoaster.com's Grizzly ID page
- http://database.thrillnetwork.com/dbgallery/index.php?rideid=539 ThrillNetwork.com's Grizzly Roller Coaster Photo Gallery
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8w7DwCdegC0&feature=related An onride video of the roller coaster
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.kingsdominion.com/attractions/category.cfm?ac_id=13|The Kings Dominion website's official Grizzly Page
- ^ http://www.rcdb.com/document90.htm|The official press release announcing the construction of Grizzly
- ^ http://www.rcdb.com/id90.htm|the Roller Coaster Database Page on Grizzly
- ^ http://cache.rcdb.com/pictures/picmax/p9765.jpg|The RCDB photograph of the Grizzly Bear statue and Attraction logo sign
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