Impulse is a
steel roller coaster
A steel roller coaster is a roller coaster that is defined by having a track made of steel. Steel coasters have earned immense popularity in the past 50 years throughout the world. Incorporating tubular steel track and polyurethane-coated whee ...
located at
Knoebels Amusement Resort in
Elysburg, Pennsylvania
Elysburg is a census-designated place (CDP) in Ralpho Township, Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is seventy miles north of Harrisburg. The population was 2,194 at the 2010 census. The area's biggest attraction is Knoebels Am ...
. It is manufactured by
Zierer and is the first major steel coaster located at Knoebels since
Whirlwind which closed in 2004. Impulse was the park's most expensive addition when completed in 2015.
History
The park had been looking for a new
roller coaster
A roller coaster, or rollercoaster, is a type of amusement ride that employs a form of elevated railroad track designed with tight turns, steep slopes, and sometimes inversions. Passengers ride along the track in open cars, and the rides are o ...
after Whirlwind (now
Bocaraca) was closed and shipped to
Parque de Diversiones
El Parque Diversiones Dr. Roberto Ortiz Brenes ( en, The Dr. Roberto Ortiz Brenes Amusement Park, also known as Parque Diversiones or “fun park”) is an amusement park located in San José, Costa Rica. The park's motto is "healthy children help ...
in
Costa Rica
Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...
in 2004.
The park hired German manufacturer
Zierer Rides to design the new ride. The actual design process did not start until 2009, due to the
financial crisis of 2007–2008. Construction of the parts began in July 2013 and was assembled at the park in late February 2015; the project was complete by April 2015.
Impulse replaced the Bumper Boats ride, which was purchased from
Rocky Glen Park in
Moosic, Pennsylvania in the 1980s.
Ride experience
Riders are restrained by a lap bar only which comes across the legs and the waist. The ride features small, 8 passenger trains, resulting in a low capacity.
The ride starts off by rounding a bend and then climbing the 98 ft (30m) lift hill. The train then proceeds to go straight down and into the first inversion, a cobra roll. The train then goes into a vertical loop followed by a series of twists and turns around the vertical lift hill until it enters the final inversion, a zero g roll. The train then goes into a short, but intense, helix before the brake run and into the station. The complete ride is one minute and twenty seconds.
Riders can also purchase a photograph of themselves on the roller coaster after the ride is through.
Elements
*
Vertical Lift Hill
A lift hill, or chain hill, is an upward-sloping section of track on a roller coaster on which the roller coaster train is mechanically lifted to an elevated point or peak in the track. Upon reaching the peak, the train is then propelled from th ...
*
Cobra Roll
Roller coaster elements are the individual parts of roller coaster design and operation, such as a track, hill, loop, or turn. Variations in normal track movement that add thrill or excitement to the ride are often called "thrill elements".
Comm ...
*
Loop
Loop or LOOP may refer to:
Brands and enterprises
* Loop (mobile), a Bulgarian virtual network operator and co-founder of Loop Live
* Loop, clothing, a company founded by Carlos Vasquez in the 1990s and worn by Digable Planets
* Loop Mobile, an ...
*
Inline Twist
Roller coaster elements are the individual parts of roller coaster design and operation, such as a track, hill, loop, or turn. Variations in normal track movement that add thrill or excitement to the ride are often called "thrill elements".
Comm ...
*540°
Helix
References
{{Amusement-ride-stub
Roller coasters in Pennsylvania
Knoebels Amusement Resort