Great Bear (roller coaster)
Great Bear | |
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Section of track before Great Bear's corkscrew element | |
Hersheypark | |
Coordinates | 40°17′13″N 76°39′11″W / 40.28694°N 76.65306°WCoordinates: 40°17′13″N 76°39′11″W / 40.28694°N 76.65306°W |
Status | Operating |
Opening date | May 23, 1998 |
Cost | US$13,000,000 |
General statistics | |
Type | Steel – Inverted |
Manufacturer | Bolliger & Mabillard |
Designer | Werner Stengel |
Model | Inverted Coaster |
Lift/launch system | Chain Lift |
Height | 90 ft (27 m) |
Drop | 124 ft (38 m) |
Length | 2,800 ft (850 m) |
Speed | 58 mph (93 km/h) |
Inversions | 4 |
Duration | 2:55 |
Capacity | 1300 riders per hour |
Height restriction | 54 in (137 cm) |
Great Bear at RCDB Pictures of Great Bear at RCDB |
Great Bear is an inverted roller coaster located at Hersheypark in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Designed by Werner Stengel, the roller coaster was built by Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M) and opened in 1998 in the Kissing Tower Hill section of the park. Due to surrounding terrain and proximity to other attractions, the coaster was one of B&M's most difficult installations. The supports weren't permitted to be built in nearby Spring Creek, and the limitation resulted in an unusual support structure design for a B&M coaster.
Ride experience
Riders exit the station and climb a 90-foot (27 m) hill. Unique to Great Bear, there is a helix immediately after the lift, swinging riders around into the 124-foot (38 m) drop into The Hollow. After the drop, the train enters a loop, followed immediately by an Immelmann loop, and then going into a zero-g roll. Riders continue through The Hollow over midway areas, making a sharp turn over Spring Creek. After a short straightaway, the train goes into a corkscrew, and then up a hill with two wide turns. For the 2014 season, the on-ride camera's location was changed to just after the corkscrew inversion, on the same pole that houses the on-ride camera for SooperDooperLooper. The train then enters a short brake run; after the brake-run, riders return to the station. Great Bear was the first inverted looping coaster in Pennsylvania.