Sarajevo Bobsled

Infobox roller coaster
name = Sarajevo Bobsled
location = Six Flags Great Adventure
type = Steel Bobsled
manufacturer = Intamin AG
designer =
model = Bobsled roller coaster
status = Relocated
opened = 1984
closed= 1988
height = 64
drop = 20
length = 1490
speed = 37
inversions = 0
duration= 1 min. 40 sec.
capacity =
restriction = 42
rcdb_number= 495

Sarajevo Bobsled was a steel roller coaster of bobsled design located at Six Flags Great Adventure from 1984 to 1988. It was known as Rolling Thunder and located at Six Flags Great America from 1989 to 1996. Its been operating at The Great Escape & Splashwater Kingdom in Lake George, New York as Alpine Bobsled since 1998.

Theming

The alpine theme of the coaster was partly inspired by the park's proximity to Lake Placid New York where the 1980 and 1932 Winter Olympics, both of which included bobsled races, were held. The ride had and still has at its present location six cars, all themed from different countries: the United States, Canada, Italy, Switzerland, Great Britain, and Jamaica.

Ride experience

Riders have been arranged two across in four rows per car. Since each car travels individually and contains only eight riders, the Alpine Bobsled's wait times can sometimes be long.

History

The coaster was built in 1984 and was located at Six Flags Great Adventure as the Sarajevo Bobsled. The ride was quite popular. Its purpose was to commemorate the 1984 Olympics. The area of the park was becoming dull and needed an overhaul. In the spring of 1988, it was determined that this area would have an Airplane/Space/Boardwalk theme. It was also decided that the park needed a larger roller coaster. It was also decided that the coaster would occupy the land that Sarajevo Bobsleds was occupying. The Bobsled was then closed mid season and dismantled. The coaster was replaced with a multiple steel looping roller coaster that was then state of the art and would for a month be the tallest coaster in the world. That coaster is known as Great American Scream Machine and still operates today.

After the ride was dismantled and removed, it was relocated to Six Flags Great America in 1989 and in 1990 open as as Rolling Thunder. At that park, it was replaced by Raging Bull a state of the art steel hyper twister non-looping coaster. The bobsled coaster was then sold to Premiere Parks and then moved to Great Escape in 1997. It reopened in 1998 as Alpine Bobsleds. Premiere Parks bought Six Flags in 1998 bringing Great Escape into and this coaster back to the Six Flags family.

References