ALPINE COASTERS

In the To-Do List of this lifetime, Alpine Coasters need to be on it. Alpine Coasters have been in existence since the mid-1990s in (of course) the European Alps (there is some debate about whether it was Austria or Germany who did it first). Since then, they have become popular throughout the Alpine nations and in a number of locations in the United States. Unlike modern roller coasters (which usually effort to simulate being grabbed, shaken, and thrown by King Kong), Alpine Coasters are you alone, in a single cart, on a single track, careening down a scenic forested Alpine mountainside at potentially ghastly speeds (you control the brake mechanism). My favorite videos of this are by David Jellis, because you get to enjoy the rides the way David Jellis (a huge fan of amusement park rides) enjoys them: laughing, chuckling, and wooting the whole way down the mountain. And he is a much braver man than me: he doesn't use brakes! Fasten your seatbelt, take a deep breath, and enjoy the ride!

The Mieders Alpine Coaster (Tyrolean Alps):


And the Imst Alpine Coaster (Austria):