Great Bear (roller coaster) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Great Bear
Section of track before Great Bear's corkscrew element
Hersheypark
Coordinates	40°17′13″N 76°39′11″W / 40.28694°N 76.65306°W / 40.28694; -76.65306
Status	Operating
Opening date	May 23, 1998 (1998-05-23)
Cost	US$13,000,000
General statistics
Type	Steel – Inverted
Manufacturer	Bolliger & Mabillard
Designer	Werner Stengel
Model	Inverted Coaster
Lift/launch system	Chain Lift
Height	90 ft (27 m)
Drop	124 ft (38 m)
Length	2,800 ft (850 m)
Speed	58 mph (93 km/h)
Inversions	4
Duration	2:55
Capacity	1300 riders per hour
Height restriction	54 in (137 cm)
Trains	2 trains with 8 cars. Riders are arranged 4 across in a single row for a total of 32 riders per train.
Great Bear at RCDB Pictures of Great Bear at RCDB

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 (B&M) 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 (B&M). 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 90-foot (27 m) hill. There is a left-hand helix immediately after the lift, swinging riders around into the 124-foot (38 m) drop into The Hollow. After the drop, the train enters a 100-foot (30 m) 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 58 miles per hour (93 km/h). 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

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  Great Bear's full layout from the air

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  Great Bear's pre-drop helix (360-degree turn)

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  Great Bear's first drop

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  Great Bear's first drop, loop, and Immelmann (second inversion)

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  Great Bear's loop (first inversion).

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  Great Bear's Immelmann

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  Great Bear's zero-g roll (third inversion)