Alpine Sleigh Ride
Encyclopedia
The Alpine Sleigh Ride was a dark ride
located in the Alpine Valley section of AstroWorld
in Houston, Texas
. It was one of the original attractions of the park and operated from 1968 until the end of the 1983 operating season. Featuring a ride control system and vehicles (ArrowGlide) designed by Arrow Dynamics
, the attraction's initial concept and design was by amusement park planner and architect Randall Duell. Duell’s company had been hired by Judge Roy Hofheinz
to plan AstroWorld. The attraction took riders through an alpine themed forest before reaching the show building which was designed to resemble a large mountain capped with snow.
The ride had elements of both a dark ride and a roller coaster. During the first part of the ride, the sleighs moved through a pine forest, past a towering waterfall, and into the “Der Hofheinzberg” mountain. The second half of the ride took riders through dark tunnels and icy caverns. A waterfall cascaded from atop the mountain and down into a catch pool below. After passing the waterfall, the sleigh themed vehicles entered the mountain's base and traveled through various chambers and tunnels inside. These included an echo-tunnel, an avalanche room with simulated snow, an appearance by an "abominable snowman" character, and a chamber themed with "Alpie" characters, among others. The avalanche room kept cooled down to approximately 10 degrees Fahrenheit and contained an elaborate snow machine. This system was developed for the park by Carrier
, the company responsible for Astroworld’s famous “outdoor air conditioning” in the park’s queues and other areas. In the Cold Room were two giant air curtains blowing down onto the track from above, one at the entrance of the room and one at the exit. After passing through the second level inside the mountain, the vehicles would exit and travel around the exterior of the mountain themed show building. Exterior features included the high bridge passing in front of the waterfall and a downhill canyon run. Vehicles were powered by an electrical bus bar along sections of track that ascended, and they were gravity powered along the descents which featured several surprise drops.
Closed due to high maintenance costs in 1983, the attraction became part of the Enchanted Kingdom children's area, and later part of the Batman: The Escape queue.
Dark ride
A dark ride or ghost train is an indoor amusement ride where riders in guided vehicles travel through specially lit scenes that typically contain animation, sound, music, and special effects....
located in the Alpine Valley section of AstroWorld
Six Flags Astroworld
AstroWorld was a seasonally operated theme park located on approximately of land between Kirby Drive and Fannin Avenue, directly south of Loop 610 in Houston, Texas, USA...
in Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
. It was one of the original attractions of the park and operated from 1968 until the end of the 1983 operating season. Featuring a ride control system and vehicles (ArrowGlide) designed by Arrow Dynamics
Arrow Dynamics
Arrow Dynamics was a roller coaster and amusement ride design company based in Clearfield, Utah, United States. In 2002, the company went bankrupt but was quickly bought by fellow amusement ride manufacturer S&S Power to form S&S Arrow. During its peak, Arrow Dynamics was responsible for some of...
, the attraction's initial concept and design was by amusement park planner and architect Randall Duell. Duell’s company had been hired by Judge Roy Hofheinz
Roy Hofheinz
Roy Mark Hofheinz , popularly known as Judge Hofheinz or "The Judge", was State Representative from 1934 to 1936, County Judge of Harris County, Texas from 1936 to 1944, and mayor of the city of Houston, Texas from 1953 to 1955.-Biography:A flamboyant and successful orator, broadcaster, developer...
to plan AstroWorld. The attraction took riders through an alpine themed forest before reaching the show building which was designed to resemble a large mountain capped with snow.
The ride had elements of both a dark ride and a roller coaster. During the first part of the ride, the sleighs moved through a pine forest, past a towering waterfall, and into the “Der Hofheinzberg” mountain. The second half of the ride took riders through dark tunnels and icy caverns. A waterfall cascaded from atop the mountain and down into a catch pool below. After passing the waterfall, the sleigh themed vehicles entered the mountain's base and traveled through various chambers and tunnels inside. These included an echo-tunnel, an avalanche room with simulated snow, an appearance by an "abominable snowman" character, and a chamber themed with "Alpie" characters, among others. The avalanche room kept cooled down to approximately 10 degrees Fahrenheit and contained an elaborate snow machine. This system was developed for the park by Carrier
Carrier Corporation
The Carrier Corporation is one of the world’s largest manufacturers and distributors of heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems, and a global leader in the commercial refrigeration and food service equipment industry...
, the company responsible for Astroworld’s famous “outdoor air conditioning” in the park’s queues and other areas. In the Cold Room were two giant air curtains blowing down onto the track from above, one at the entrance of the room and one at the exit. After passing through the second level inside the mountain, the vehicles would exit and travel around the exterior of the mountain themed show building. Exterior features included the high bridge passing in front of the waterfall and a downhill canyon run. Vehicles were powered by an electrical bus bar along sections of track that ascended, and they were gravity powered along the descents which featured several surprise drops.
Closed due to high maintenance costs in 1983, the attraction became part of the Enchanted Kingdom children's area, and later part of the Batman: The Escape queue.