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Grizzly (Kings Dominion)

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Coordinates: 37°50′15″N 77°26′50″W / 37.83748°N 77.44718°W / 37.83748; -77.44718
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Grizzly
Previously known as The Grizzly (1982-1996)
A train on Grizzly approaching the lift hill
Kings Dominion
LocationKings Dominion
Park sectionOld Virginia
Coordinates37°50′15″N 77°26′50″W / 37.83748°N 77.44718°W / 37.83748; -77.44718
StatusOperating
Opening dateMarch 27, 1982 (1982-03-27)
General statistics
TypeWood
Manufacturer Taft Attractions Group
DesignerCurtis D. Summers
Track layoutTerrain
Lift/launch systemChain Lift
Height87 ft (27 m)
Length3,162 ft (964 m)
Speed51 mph (82 km/h)
Inversions0
Duration2:30
Max vertical angle55°
Height restriction48 in (122 cm)
Trains2 trains with 7 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 28 riders per train.
Grizzly at RCDB

Grizzly is a wooden roller coaster at Kings Dominion in Doswell, Virginia. The grounds of the ride are densely forested, with the intended thrills heightened from the illusion of inadequate clearance between the track and trees. The attraction opened in 1982, and the double-figure-eight layout is based closely on the defunct Coney Island Wildcat.[1] A similar version of this ride operates at Canada's Wonderland as Wilde Beast.

History

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The announcement by Kings Dominion that Grizzly would be ready to open for the 1982 season was made in a press release on March 15, 1982.[2] The new coaster was intended to be the top thriller in the park, billed as "Taller than the park's most popular ride (Racer 75)" and "heaven for the real thrillseeker". Grizzly was designed by Curtis D. Summers, and is very similar to Wilde Beast at Canada's Wonderland, which he designed a year earlier.[3] Both coasters are based on the Wildcat roller coaster (demolished in 1964) at the early Coney Island park in Cincinnati, Ohio. Media conglomerate Taft Broadcasting owned Coney Island at the time.[4] The layout placed the coaster in the Old Virginia section of the park, winding mostly through the existing forest for the first half, then entering a large infield (which also held an employee parking area) for the second. The ride opened on March 27, 1982, and was closed for portions of the 2009 and 2011 seasons for retracking.

Grizzly was given a refurbishment in 2016. The first and second hills were entirely retracked with fresh new wood and brand new running rails. Moreover, the station floor was completely redone. The old floor made out of laminated plywood sheets was replaced with fresh, sturdy wooden planks.[5]

After Labor Day 2022, Grizzly closed for major refurbishment by The Gravity Group. 1,040 feet of the ride was retracked to provide a smoother ride experience. The first drop was increased from 45 to 55 degrees and the fan turn after the tunnel was reprofiled to include a smoother transition. The ride's overall length was slightly increased by 12 feet (3.6 m) to 3,162 feet (964 m) and reopened on the 13th of May, 2023.[6]

Theming

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The attraction is not definitively themed, attempting instead to immerse the riders in a setting that resembles the natural habitat of the grizzly bear. The entire attraction is deep in the woods, far from the nearest paths. This not only hides the coaster from the rest of the park, making it impossible for guests to visually gauge the thrill they are about to experience, but psychologically supports the idea of entering an isolated wilderness. The station and support building architecture is faux timber-framed cabin style, and the color scheme is exclusively brown and woodgrain. The roller coaster itself is stained a gray-brown natural woodtone, and the trains are orange and yellow. At the entrance of the long queue, there is a large simulated stone carving of a grizzly bear, and originally a sign with the name and logo of the attraction.[7] Since the sign's removal sometime prior to May 2008, the attraction's name was not publicly displayed anywhere near or on the grounds of the roller coaster until July 2009 when a new sign was posted near the queue entrance of the ride. In April 2019, the Grizzly Gulch themed gift shop was added along the path to the ride, replacing the Dinosaurs Alive gift shop,[8] acting as the entrance. Outside of the gift shops entrance, there's signs that act as theming, and say things such as "There's a Grizzly in the woods!" With the s being backwards [9]

Rankings

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Golden Ticket Awards: Top wood Roller Coasters
Year 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Ranking 14[10] 17[11] 25[12] 26[13] 29[14] 32[15] 36 (tie)[16] 37[17] 41 (tie)[18] -[19] 42[20] -[21] 45[22] -[23] -[24] -[25] -[26] -[27] -[28] 46[29] 40[30] 50[31]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ http://www.kingsdominion.com/attractions/category.cfm?ac_id=13%7CThe Archived 2011-10-03 at the Wayback Machine Kings Dominion website's official Grizzly Page
  2. ^ "New massive wooden rollercoaster to be ready for 1982 season". Kings Dominion. March 15, 1982. Archived from the original on March 5, 2007. Retrieved July 4, 2014.
  3. ^ Ruben, Paul (1990). "The Coasters of Curt Summers". RollerCoaster! Magazine. 9 (1): 18. ISSN 0896-7261.
  4. ^ Coney Island, archived from the original on August 6, 2012, retrieved January 23, 2012
  5. ^ "KD OPENING WEEKEND 2016 PHOTO UPDATE". 27 March 2016.
  6. ^ "The Grizzly Roars Again At Kings Dominion, Reopens Today!". 13 May 2023.
  7. ^ http://cache.rcdb.com/pictures/picmax/p9765.jpg%7CThe[permanent dead link‍] RCDB photograph of the Grizzly Bear statue and Attraction logo sign
  8. ^ "Dinosaurs Alive! Update". www.kingsdominion.com. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
  9. ^ "Bear Sightings and Gem Finds at Grizzly Gulch - Kings Dominion". www.kingsdominion.com. Kings Dominion. Retrieved 16 June 2019.
  10. ^ "Top 25 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 6B. August 1998. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  11. ^ "Top 25 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 6B. August 1999. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  12. ^ "Top 25 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. August 2000. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  13. ^ "Top 25 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 6B. August 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  14. ^ "Top 25 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 6B. September 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  15. ^ "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 10–11B. September 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  16. ^ "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 14–15B. September 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 3, 2007. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  17. ^ "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 22–23B. September 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  18. ^ "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 30–31B. September 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  19. ^ "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 11 (6.2): 42–43. September 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  20. ^ "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 12 (6.2): 42–43. September 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  21. ^ "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 13 (6.2): 38–39. September 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  22. ^ "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 14 (6.2): 38–39. September 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  23. ^ "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 15 (6.2): 46–47. September 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  24. ^ "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 16 (6.2): 46–47. September 2012. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  25. ^ "2013 Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 17 (6.2): 40–41. September 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  26. ^ "2014 Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 18 (6.2): 38–39. September 2014. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  27. ^ "2015 Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 19 (6.2): 45–46. September 2015. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  28. ^ "2016 Top 50 Wooden Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2016. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  29. ^ "2017 Top 50 Wooden Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2017. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  30. ^ "2018 Top 50 Wooden Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2018. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  31. ^ "2019 Top 50 Wood Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2019. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
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