Return of an Icon: Colossos To Re-open at Heide Park
After a three-year hiatus, the iconic Colossos wooden roller coaster at the Heide Park returns this year promising to be better and more immersive than ever!
In early January 2018, Heide Park (located in Soltau, Lower Saxony, Germany) announced that Colossos, the giant Intamin wooden coaster at the park, would be renovated. Colossos, which has been closed since July 2016, will be renovated and reopen in 2019 after a 12 million Euro (approx 13.5 million US.) renovation, giving the park back a much missed iconic attraction.
Unlike traditional wooden coasters, Colossos was originally prefabricated in 2001. Its track was laser-cut in a factory to a high degree of precision, with sections designed to snap together similar to Lego pieces. Some of its planks were tightly bonded in multiple layers instead of traditionally nailed together by hand. The coaster’s “plug and play” design sped up construction and reduced labor costs. It was the first of four prefabricated wooden roller coasters ever built: Balder at Liseberg in Sweden, El Toro at Six Flags Great Adventure, and T Express at Everland in South Korea, are the others that followed. Colossos features a very fun layout with lots of airtime similar to El Toro at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey, USA.
In late 2018, the park announced Colossos will boast a new updated name when it reopens in 2019 as “Colossos Kampf Der Giganten” (German for “Colossos – Battle of the Giants”). The elements and colors of the new logo and promo art as well as the rides name, promised a new theme around an energetic play of contrasts between fire and wood.
The rides new apocalyptic story has been preparing fans for the ultimate battle of the giants over the last few months. Now, the park has revealed the secret to the opponent of Colossos – a second giant in the form of a dark, powerful creature!
The new headline feature of the ride is a giant creepy tree-monster structure that the coaster will travel through complete with fire and fog effects. (similar to the one Merlin incorporated into 2018’s Wicker Man coaster.
The gigantic creature, which stands 82 ft high and just as long, stands over the gigantic coaster with shining eyes and blazing flame effects. The new structure provides an already awesome coaster with an amazing grand finale.
The new giant creature features a hard rock surface created with shotcrete aka gunite or sprayed concrete. It was was designed by the Portuguese company Universal Rocks by Hand.
The rides existing track is being replaced entirely with new pieces, which will thus keep the coaster’s status intact as a true wooden coaster experience. The station and gift shop were also re-themed according to the new story to complete the picture. The logo emblazoned above the entrance along with a matching soundtrack, will really immerse guests into “the fight of the giants” story.
Before opening, there is still a lot to do: Prior to the ride being inspected by TÜV Süd, the track rework needs to be finished, landscape and scenery installed, as well as the ride needs to run a predetermined number of test cycles.
The park has released the following teasers which can be seen below.
Colossos is slated to open Spring of 2019 with no specific date as of yet. ARE YOU READY?
Heide Park opens for their 2019 season on Saturday, April 6. For more information including tickets,visit the official Heide Park website by clicking here.
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