Great Bear (roller coaster)

Great Bear
Hersheypark
Location	Hersheypark
Coordinates	40°17′13″N 76°39′11″W
Status	Operating
Opening date	May 23, 1998
Cost	$13,000,000 USD
General statistics
Type	Steel – Inverted
Manufacturer	Bolliger & Mabillard
Designer	Werner Stengel
Model	Inverted Coaster
Lift/launch system	Chain Lift
Height	90 ft (27 m)
Drop	124 ft (38 m)
Length	2,800 ft (850 m)
Speed	61 mph (98 km/h)
Inversions	4 (Vertical Loop, Immelmann Loop, Zero-G Roll, Corkscrew)
Duration	2:55
Capacity	1300 riders per hour
Great Bear at RCDB

Great Bear is a roller coaster located at Hersheypark, Hershey, Pennsylvania. It was built by Bolliger & Mabillard during the winter of 1997 and opened for the 1998 season. Because of the coaster's unique custom design, as well as other factors including the terrain, Spring Creek, and proximity of noted attractions such as the SooperDooperLooper, the coaster was one of B&M's most difficult installations. Also, due to the lack of sand in the supports, the coaster makes a loud roaring sound like a bear.

Hershey Park was not allowed to have supports built into Spring Creek, resulting in unusual support designs not often seen on Bolliger & Mabillard coasters.

In October, when Hersheypark is decorated in a Halloween theme (Hersheypark in the Dark), the Great Bear is dubbed the Great Scare.

Ride Experience

Hi I rode this and im doing a science project on it!!! :D Riders exit the station and climb a 90-foot (27 m) hill. Unique to Great Bear, there is a helix immediately after the lift, swinging riders around into the 124-foot (38 m) drop into Comet Hollow. After the drop, train enters a loop, followed immediately by an Immelmann loop, and then going into a zero-g roll. Riders continue through Comet Hollow over midway areas, making a sharp turn over Spring Creek. After a short straightaway, the train goes into a corkscrew, and then up a hill with two wide turns. Riders are then photographed by the on-ride cameras directly before the brake run. After the brake-run, riders return to the station. The Great Bear was the first inverted looping coaster in Pennsylvania.

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  Great Bear's full layout from the air
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  Great Bear's pre-drop helix (360-degree turn)
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  Great Bear's first drop
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  Great Bear's first drop, loop, and Immelmann (second inversion)
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  Great Bear's loop (first inversion).
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  Great Bear's Immelmann
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  Great Bear's zero-g roll (third inversion)
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  Great Bear's straight segment before its corkscrew

HI