Balder update

I thought I would keep you a little bit updated with the construction of Balder, an Intamin woodie for Liseberg, Sweden. Lifthill is finished, just need to install the motor that has been delivered and then the chain of course. Currently they're working on the turnarounds and the third hill which has, nowa days, a typical intamin parabolic shape. Should give some airtime.

Some pics taken by a friend of mine can be seen at http://www.eurocoaster.com/balder/

Also if you're interesting in watching how the construction goes everyday you can check at this webcam http://www.cordes-row.de/3/6/4/f/1/INDEX.HTM

Would love to hear your opinion about how it looks so far... :)

What is a parabolic shape?

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"My friend who works there said.." In enthusiast talk is,"The Lemon Chill guy said.."

I think it is a camelback hill that will provide a substantial amount of floater airtime instead of ejector airtime felt on hills like the ones on magnum. (Parobolic EX: MF's 3rd hill)

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www.geocities.com/thrillworldonline

VISIT IT!

A curve created by a quadratic function (ie, x^2). Objects in freefall follow a parabolic shape, so theoretically, a well designed parabolic hill will give perfect floater air.

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A rollercoaster? What's that?

You'll learn about parabolas in Algebra 1. The shape should provide perfect airtime.

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84 coasters and counting

Actually i'm in Geometry, and we haven't learned about perabola.

Ok, I thought it was somethin like that because in my junior high they just changed the cirriculum(sp?) for math and we learn algebra and I think my teacher said somethin about that. Just wanted to make sure. Thanks guys!

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"My friend who works there said.." In enthusiast talk is,"The Lemon Chill guy said.."

a 70 degree drop on a woodie? is that correct info?

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Ride It said:
a 70 degree drop on a woodie? is that correct info?

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COLOSSOS has got a 62° drop. With the new Stengel track it could be possible. But BALDER is not so high, so i would guess the drop will be in the 60°+ range.

F_T

The stats on the site are official so yes the first drop will be a 70 degree drop.

That's not terribly surprising. Coney Cyclone reaches most of 60 with a <90ft drop.

When will we get a wild woodie like this in the USA? Never? A US park if they are smart enough to build one like this can market a mid sized woodie as the world's steepest wooden coaster!

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Wait, there are no wild woodies in America? I'm moving to Sweden!
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TOGO!
Vekoma!

i know 70 degrees is not surprising , i just wanted to know if it was correct.

PT300 you're always welcomed here but don't expect any more woodies than Balder :-P Allthough Thundercoaster isn't far from here...

(yes i know you were being sarcastic) :)

Oh and i almost forgot, First drop writes about a park in Denmark who is also getting an Intamin woodie with the new track type. I don't think it'll be as big as Balder or Colossos but more a junior coaster or something like that as the park is a family park.

No words about when it'll open though.

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ApolloAndy said:
Objects in freefall follow a parabolic shape
A rollercoaster? What's that?"

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Crikey, I always thought an object in freefall just went straight down

Freefall doesn't mean it goes straight down... If you throw a stone at a pretty steep gradient it will go up and then down in a parabolic shape and it's a freefall while it's going over the top and down.

it is not in freefall when it is going up and down, the whole time gravity is acting upon it and it comes no where near its terminal velocity. and yes, freefall does not mean it is neccarily going straight down, satelites like the one for XM radio are in "constant freefall" because they are circling around the earth at the same rate the earth is rotating, keeping them in oribit and a constant freefall

Under ideal conditions an object thrown up will make a parabolic path as it goes up comes back down. If the object is in a vacuum then the forces acting on it will not change as it goes up the stops and comes back down. Additionally an object projected to the side will also form half of a parabolic path.