Avalanche

Avalanche is a steel bobsled roller coaster at Blackpool Pleasure Beach in North West England. It was the first of its kind in the United Kingdom and remains the only one in the country. Designed and built by Mack Rides, it opened in 1988. The ride was inspired by a visit to Europa-Park, where Mack Rides had built their first bobsled coaster in 1985. Pleasure Beach Resort sponsored the British bobsleigh team during the 1988 Winter Olympics, donating part of Avalanche’s ticket sales to the team. In its first year, Avalanche carried one million passengers. The ride reaches a top speed of 72 km/h and has 350 metres of track. It has three trains, each with seven cars seating two riders, painted in the colours of the 1988 British Bobsled team. The station building resembles an Alpine village lodge, decorated with Swiss regional emblems and pictures of famous bobsled teams. Traditional Swiss music plays in and around the station, and a bobsleigh used by the Great British team is displayed inside. The ride begins with a lift hill, releasing the train onto a downhill track without physical restraints. It curves through bobsled-style turns, gaining speed before reaching a low curve and climbing back up. After flattening out, it enters the first brake run, then a bend leading to the final brake run before returning to the station. Avalanche appears in the video game RollerCoaster Tycoon Deluxe.