Wildfire (Kolmården Wildlife Park)
Wooden roller coaster in Sweden
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Wildfire is a wooden roller coaster at Kolmården Wildlife Park located in Kolmården, Sweden. Manufactured by Rocky Mountain Construction, the roller coaster is both the fastest wooden coaster in Europe, and the joint-tallest wooden coaster in the world.[1][2][3] Throughout the 2-minute ride, trains travel through three inversions and twelve airtime hills, whilst reaching speeds of up to 115 kilometres per hour (71 mph).
| Wildfire | |
|---|---|
| |
| Kolmården Wildlife Park | |
| Location | Kolmården Wildlife Park |
| Coordinates | 58°39′55″N 16°27′59″E |
| Status | Operating |
| Opening date | 28 June 2016 |
| Cost | 110 million SEK ($11,990,000 USD as of August 2018) |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Wood |
| Manufacturer | Rocky Mountain Construction |
| Designer | Alan Schilke |
| Model | Topper Track - Custom |
| Track layout | Terrain |
Lift/launch system | Chain lift hill |
| Height | 56.02 m (183.8 ft) |
| Drop | 49 m (161 ft) |
| Length | 1,265 m (4,150 ft) |
| Speed | 115 km/h (71 mph) |
| Inversions | 3 |
| Duration | 2:00 |
Max vertical angle | 83° |
| Capacity | 960 riders per hour |
| G-force | 4 |
| Trains | 2 trains with 6 cars; riders arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 24 riders per train |
| Website | Official website |
| Wildfire at RCDB | |
History
In April 2014, Wildfire was revealed in a press release on Kolmården's official website. The roller coaster was Rocky Mountain Construction's first in Europe, and Vekoma manufactured the power and control systems of the ride.[3] On 28 October 2016, the coaster ceased operations after only one season when its permit was revoked by the government citing environmental concerns. Speculation ensued that the ride may be torn down as a result. On 28 January 2017, a report surfaced that Wildfire would be allowed to remain standing while a license to continue operation was being discussed. The zoning for the roller coaster was officially approved by the county's council in March 2017, and Wildfire reopened in June 2017.[4]
Ride experience
After the train is checked and dispatched, it makes a sharp right hand turn into the 187-foot (57 m) chain lift hill. Once at the crest, it enters a right hand banked turn before passing over another crest and into the first drop. The train then drops 160-foot (49 m), reaching an 83-degree angle and its maximum speed of 71 miles per hour (114 km/h); before banking up into its first element, an inverted Zero-G stall. From here the train twists through two airtime hills and two high banked turns before encountering its next inversion, a heartline roll. Following this, the track descends to ground level as it passes through several more strong airtime hills, prior to a second heartline roll. The ride finishes with a ski-slalom style right to left section before hitting the brakes and returning to the station.[5]
Awards
| Year | 1998 | 1999 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ranking | – | – | ||||||||
| Year | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
| Ranking | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Year | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
| Ranking | – | – | – | – | – | – | 28[6] | 29[7] | 17[8] | 16[9] |
| Year | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | ||||
| Ranking | N/A | 17 (tie)[10] | 15[11] | 13[12] | 19[13] | 12[14] |