"For those about to ride the Avalanche ..."
Name Avalanche Project Name Project 88 Official Opening 22 June 1988 Cost £2.5 million Manufacturer Mack Rides Model Bobsled
Hot on the heels of three large roller coasters opened during the previous decade (Steeplechase, Revolution & Space Invader), the park planned a new thrill ride for the 1988 season. It would replace the park’s first steel roller coaster, Cyclone.
In February 1988, the Winter Olympics took place in Calgary, Canada and it was this event, particularly the particpation of the team from Jamaica, that brought the sport of Bobsled to the attention of the world.
❓Did You Know❓
The Avalanche was the third such ride to debut after installations at Europa Park & Kings Dominion. Models were subsequently built at Kobe Portopialand, Heide Park and Parc Astérix.
Avalanche is a bobsled roller coaster, where the trains free run down a trough, riding higher up the sides on the curves.
Located on South Park, above the then new Veteran Cars ride, Avalanche was built by the Mack company who had built Schweizer Bobbahn at their own Europa Park, three years earlier.