Good old Walter and Claude

Has anybody out there actually met Walter Bolliger and/or Claude Mabillard?  If so, what did you say to them?  I would really like to go to Monthey and tour their offices.  Then head over to Giovanola and watch them fabricate the track and what have you.  It think that would be so cool.
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hopes you enjoyed the Dahlonega Mine Train.

A friend of mine actually got to ride Nitro with Claude M. during some sort of filming for Discovery.  I probably would've mumbled some gibberish about wanting a job with their company.
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Son of Drop Zone - PKI CoasterCamp I Champions!!!

Walter was operating Oblivion on the opening morning, I was so excited, like I'd won the lottery or something- my friends all took the pi$$!!!

I met and talked with Claude at the NITRO press release.  A few of us talked with him for an hour, asking all sorts of questions about the coasters, why certain things were done with the coasters and such.  He was really cool and answered all our questions.  However, he wouldn't answer the questions as to what was coming in the future, but oh well.  One of us said something about Arrow, and jokingly he said, "Arrow who?".  He was really cool.

Haha.  Arrow who.  That's great stuff.  The thing is, they KNOW that they are the best, but they don't show it too much.  This is the second example I've read about their confidence.  The other was when they were about to send the first train on nemesis out.  I would do almost anything to have a conversation with them.  That would be so awesome.
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hopes you enjoyed the Dahlonega Mine Train.

I didn't chat with them but I did meet them at IAAPA last year. They were busy chatting with some Universal Studios people at the time.

Most B&M track in the US, at least the eastern half of it, is manufactured in Southern Ohio.

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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com
"From the global village... in the age of communication!"
Watch the grass grow!

are they an item???!!

Really?  I'm pretty sure that it's done by Giovanola and shipped over here.
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hopes you enjoyed the Dahlonega Mine Train.

Do any manufactures give tours.  I would loove to see Arrows.
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Formerly Xtremerider86

I would love to sit down with either one of those guys and ask questions! B&M make the greatest coasters. I think it would be great to know what goes into the making of one.

DDFire19 said:
Really?  I'm pretty sure that it's done by Giovanola and shipped over here.

Nope... Southern Ohio. Dave (RideMan) could probably tell you the name of the company.
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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com
"From the global village... in the age of communication!"
Watch the grass grow!

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colin mcwilliam said:
are they an item???!!

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Ha! :D

All track comes from Southern Ohio Fabricators.  The rails, from what Im told, come from someplace in Italy I believe.
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And the controls for B&M as well as GCI are designed and programed by  Consign AG and and fabricated by Logical Systems, both here in Maryland.

So when let's say Alton Towers orders a coaster from B&M, is it produced by Giovanola because it's in Europe?  Because I do know that when they had a subsidiary with INTAMIN, Giovanola produced all of the track.  Then they broke off and I guess a couple of years later they got that company in Ohio.  Is that right? 
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hopes you enjoyed the Dahlonega Mine Train.

twack...

I rode Nitro next to Claude Mabillard on the official opening day.  It was my 2nd ride on it.  First ride was of course in fornt row.  My second ride, Claude was sitting in the third row, so I sat next to him.  It was great!  I asked him about any future coasters coming to SFGAdv from them, and he couldn't tell me anything.  I sure hoep there will be, though.
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Gone, a sense of confidence, I'm convinced that there's just too much pressure to take! - Linkin Park, Crawling

KoЯn still Яules!

how is Mabillard pronounced?

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Millennium Force
Millenniumforce3@aol.com

On TV they say Mal-bee-Ard
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Ricochet: Bouncing to you in 2002, Only at King's Dominion!

I met one of them during the media day for Top Gun at Carowinds.  I told him about the construction page and updates that I did for it.  He was really impressed and amused that somebody would do something like that.  We talked for a few minutes about general stuff and I left him alone to watch the coaster.  Really nice man.

 

Max