Avalanche (Blackpool Pleasure Beach)

Avalanche
Pleasure Beach Resort
Location	Pleasure Beach Resort
Coordinates	53°47′24″N3°03′21″W / 53.79008°N 3.0559°W / 53.79008; -3.0559
Status	Operating
Opening date	22 June 1988
Cost	£2,500,000
General statistics
Type	Steel  – Bobsled
Manufacturer	Mack Rides
Model	Bobsleigh
Lift/launch system	Chain lift
Height	59 ft (18 m)
Length	1,161 ft (354 m)
Speed	45 mph (72 km/h)
Inversions	0
Duration	1:22
G-force	2.9
Height restriction	44 in (112 cm)
Trains	3 trains with 7 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in a single row for a total of 14 riders per train.
Avalanche at RCDB

Avalanche is a steel bobsled roller coaster at Pleasure Beach Resort (better known as Blackpool Pleasure Beach) in Blackpool, England. It was the first bobsled coaster in the United Kingdom, and remains the only one in the country. ^[1] It was designed and built by Mack Rides and opened in 1988.

History

Avalanche opened to the public on 22 June 1988 in a ceremony hosted by Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards. ^{[2] [3]} It was the first bobsled roller coaster to be constructed in the United Kingdom, ^[4] and the third bobsled coaster built by Mack Rides. ^[5] A visit to Mack Rides-owned Europa-Park, where the company's first bobsled coaster had already opened in 1985, inspired the creation of Avalanche. ^[2]

Pleasure Beach Resort sponsored the British bobsleigh team during the 1988 Winter Olympics, and supported them by donating a portion of Avalanche ticket sales to the team. ^[2]

In its first year of operation, Avalanche carried one million passengers. ^[6]

Ride experience

Upon dispatch, the train exits the station and enters the lift hill. At the top of the lift hill, the ride is released onto the main downhill track, which the ride is not physically held onto. It travels through various bobsled track style curves, picking up speed, before reaching the lowest curve and curving back up again. It then flattens out and travels into the first brake run, before the train travels around a bend and into the final brake run, after which it returns to the station.

The ride has 350 metres (1,160 ft) of track and the cars reach a top speed of around 72 km/h (45 mph). It has a maximum height of 18 metres (59 ft).

The ride has three trains consisting of seven cars each. Each car can hold two riders, for a total of 14 passengers per train. ^[5] A maximum of only two trains can be operated at any given time. The trains are painted the same colours as the 1988 British Bobsled team.

Theming

Avalanche is themed to an Alpine bobsled track. The station building was designed to look like an Alpine village lodge. The loading platform room is decorated with emblems of Swiss regions and pictures of famous Bobsled teams. Traditional Swiss music plays in the station and outside the station building. A bobsleigh used by the Great British team is displayed in the station building. ^[3]

Incidents

Main article: Incidents at European amusement parks

• On 29 August 1994, ten people were hospitalised after the train stopped abruptly on the block section outside of the station. ^[7]
• In 1997, the train jumped on the brakes, causing it to crash into itself. One boy was taken to hospital with bruised ribs. This incident was shown on the BBC television documentary about Pleasure Beach Resort in 1998. ^{[8] [9]}

In popular culture

Avalanche appears in the video game RollerCoaster Tycoon Deluxe in the Blackpool Pleasure Beach scenario.

References

1. "Avalanche". Blackpool Pleasure Beach. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
2. "An Avalanche is coming!". Theme Park Time Machine. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
3. "Olympic fever hits the Fylde". Blackpool Gazette. Archived from the original on 25 October 2014. Retrieved 26 February 2010.
4. The amusement park : history, culture and the heritage of pleasure. New York: Taylor & Francis. 2017. p. 260. ISBN   9781317045120 . Retrieved 18 June 2021.
5. "Roller Coaster Search Results". RCDB. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
6. "The beginnings of Blackpool Pleasure Beach and how it's changed in 125 years". Lancashire News. 10 April 2021. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
7. "Ten hurt in Blackpool funfair ride accident". The Independent . 30 August 1994.
8. "Episode 1". Pleasure Beach. 1998. BBC One.
9. "Blackpool Pleasure Beach - Avalanche Crash". ThemeParkArchives. 1998. YouTube.