Great Bear (roller coaster)


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 and opened in 1998 in the Kissing Tower Hill section of the park. Great Bear was the first inverted looping coaster in Pennsylvania, with four inversions, and cost $13 million to build.

History

Great Bear was announced in August 1997 as Hersheypark's sixth roller coaster, to be built by Swiss manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard. The coaster was named after the constellation Ursa Major. The coaster opened on May 23, 1998, at a cost of $13 million. At the time it was the most expensive roller coaster ever constructed in the park, as well as the first inverted looping coaster in Pennsylvania.
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 hill. There is a left-hand helix immediately after the lift, swinging riders around into the 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, skirting around SooperDooperLooper's vertical loop and the Coal Cracker flume ride. The train then enters a short brake run; after the brake-run, riders return to the station.
The top speed of Great Bear is. The ride is about 175 seconds long and can handle 1,300 riders an hour. Each of the two trains can accommodate 32 passengers, arranged in eight rows with four to a single row.

Gallery