Big Bear Today Magazine November 2020

Big Bear Today November 2020—Page 11
New coaster, old favorites at Slide
New coaster that’s the only one of its
kind in California. Longtime favorite Alpine
Slide and high-flying Soaring Eagle.
Plus longtime favorite snow play area.
There’s a plethora of ways to play at
Alpine Slide, which in the past couple
years has introduced new one-of-a-kind
rides to go along with its traditional standbys.
The hard part is choosing which adventure
to explore first!
Mineshaft Coaster is the latest attraction
drawing all the attention after opening
in summer. No wonder: riders on carts
they control encounter three complete 360°
corkscrew turns, steep descents, two 100-
foot tunnels, dips and drops galore, all during
a mile-long gravity-fueled adventure
that can reach speeds of up to 27 mph at
multiple points during the ride. Or slower,
if that’s what you prefer, because you’re
in control of the cart.
Two up tracks on a motorized
bullwheel pulley system provide the uphill
lift, including a long one out of a cool new
start house built at the bottom. The real fun
is on two downhill tracks, as carts cross
three 200-foot bridges, shoot through S-
turns and catch a few whoop-di-doos.
The entire ride is elevated above the
ground, at times two dozen feet up and a
minimum four feet, really giving riders a
sense of speed as surroundings blur by. It’s
a roughly nine minute ride—faster drivers
can get closer to seven minutes— that left
Liana Martinez breathless.
“It’s really fun, I wasn’t expecting it
to be really fast but it was,” the Bakersfield
resident said. “There were a ton of twists
and turns too. It’s like a roller coaster
except we were able to brake along the
way. We’re definitely going to go again.”
Guests are secured by multipoint
safety belts at the start house. Rider in back
controls the cart’s braking mechanism and
is required to keep at least 80 feet from the
sled in front. But Mineshaft Coaster
features “Smart Cart” technology with a
computer controlled, fail-safe magnetic
braking system that gently applies brakes
if a cart approaches too close to another.
Plus each ride is equipped with speed
governor and centrifugal brake to control
top speed.
Each cart features specially designed,
lockable seat belts and shoulder restraints
to assure rider comfort at all times. Plus
carts have energy absorbing front and rear
buffers. Mineshaft Coaster tickets are $20
per person, children $10. The ride is open
seven days a week, all year long. Cool
videos of your ride will soon be available.
Alpine Slide had already begun
making snow at press time and with
continued cold, dry weather will be
offering family inner tubing. The area’s ski
resort quality Lenko snowguns can blanket
the slopes in just a couple good nights,
providing winter when storms don’t arrive.
There’s an enclosed 210-foot long
Magic Carpet uphill lift to take guests and
their tubes to the top of all the snow—just
step on and step off! Nightly grooming just
like at the ski resorts ensures smooth tubing
on perfect corduroy snow.
Tubing under the stars was introduced
at Alpine Slide years ago and has become
wildly popular. Guests love sliding on
snow that gets another fresh groom after
the day session. There’s new glow lighting
and the snow gets faster and faster as
the evening progresses.
Tubing is offered daily from 10 a.m.-
4 p.m. with night sessions Fridays, Saturdays
and holidays from 5-9 p.m. Passes are
$35 and include inner tube rental.
The new Soaring Eagle is a ziplinelike
experience with a couple notable differences.
Riders sit instead of lie down and
ride up to the top tower backwards. Plus
guests don’t have to apply any brake or
use any skill set, since it’s an amusement
park ride rather than zipline, so they’re just
along for the ride.
What a ride it is! Between the two towers
riders soar 500 feet—close to two football
fields!—and reach speeds up to 26
mph, with a vertical drop of about 125 feet.
It’s the first ride of its kind in California
with the nearest other one atop the Rio
Hotel in Las Vegas. There’s no bulky shoulder
harness to wear so guests feel, well, as
free as birds while they fly.
Double seat belts secure up to two riders
and they shoot to the top tower facing
the ground, almost as fast as when they’re
coming down, in an experience that’s as
Watch the snow pile up at Alpine Slide for inner tubing thanks to snowmaking
A mile of drops, dips and turns await riders on Mineshaft Coaster
exhilarating as the descent. Soaring Eagle
costs $12 per rider.
Unleash your inner Olympian while
navigating sleds you control down two
quarter-mile long cement tracks on the famous
Alpine Slide, only one west of Utah..
The sleds sport ball-bearing wheels and
teflon runners so snow and ice aren’t necessary,
but otherwise the ride is the same
as drivers whip through turns and down
long straightaways. It’s a ride so real
bobsledders could train at Alpine Slide and
lets everyday folks get a taste of the Games’
exciting event.
Riders control how fast—or slow—
they go down the track in the most unique
ride around.
Year-Round
Christmas Room!
Our rooms are
filled with gifts
and treasures
from nearly
20 artists!
Come Up the Historic Staircase of the 1920's Navajo Hotel
• Bear-ly Used
Books
• Jerky
• Pottery
• Aprons
• Sports
Memorabilia
• Everything
Bears & More
Each sled carries one or two guests—
typically parent with a young child. Pulling
the control handle toward you applies
brake and slows the sled down; pushing
forward releases it and allows the sled to
roll freely. Far from an amusement park
attraction where there’s little or no guest
interaction, Alpine Slide offers an experience
that’s different every time down, since
riders control their own speed. Bobsled
rides cost $7 each, $30 for five-ride book.
Alpine Slide is at 800 Wildrose Ln.
Call (909) 866-4626, open daily.
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