Rocky Mountain Construction | Walibi Holland
Biddinghuizen, Flevoland, Netherlands
Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC) partnered with Walibi Holland to open the first hybrid coaster in Europe in the form of “Untamed.”
The ride marks a rebirth of the park’s only wood coaster, “Robin Hood,” which opened in 2000 and closed in 2018. Mascha van Till, director of Walibi Holland, explains the evaluation, anticipation, and decision to convert the traditional wood coaster into a hybrid.
“‘Robin Hood’ was built in 2000 and served us very well—a beautiful ride we kept in perfect condition. So, when Fred Grubb and his team from RMC came over to check the quality of the wood and construction in order to decide if they could rework the foundation and columns, they were positively surprised,” van Till recalls. “It meant transforming it into a hybrid was possible.”
As with all conversions of a wood coaster into an RMC hybrid, the company made some changes to the supporting structure and the ride’s elements and utilized its patented IBox steel track. The result is a coaster about 50 meters longer than its predecessor, 5 meters higher, and reaches a top speed of 92 kph, which is 12 kph faster.
One significant difference is that the ride now boasts five inversions. These include a barrel roll, a zero-G roll, and a 270-degree inverting corner stall. Also, the coaster’s first drop now reaches a steep 80 degrees. The ride has two trains seating 24 guests.
“‘Untamed’ has no less than 14 moments of airtime, five inversions, and at least one element—the double inverting 270-degree corner stall—that does not exist yet anywhere in the world,” says van Till. “It is a unique ride for Europe. Our guests are really excited, and so are we.”