Big Bear Today Magazine August 2022

Page 4—August 2022
Tunnels, dips star on Mineshaft Coaster
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coaster except we were able to brake along
T○
the way. We’re definitely going to do it
hree complete 360° corkscrew
turns. Steep descents, two 100-foot
tunnels, dips and drops galore, all
served up during a mile-long gravity-fueled
adventure.
It’s enough to have riders screaming
all the way around the track like they’re
on an amusement park ride. Except this is
Mineshaft Coaster at Alpine Slide, and
unlike any park ride guests control how
fast their carts go down the six-tube stainless
steel track. Which can be pretty fast,
as carts hit speeds of up to 27 mph at multiple
points along the way. Or slow, if that’s
what they prefer.
All of which is why the attraction, first
of its kind in California, has become the
must-try ride since it opened in 2020. Two
up tracks on a motorized bullwheel pulley
system provide the uphill lift, including a
long one out of a cool 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 whoopdi-doos.
The whole ride is elevated above
the ground, at times two dozen feet up and
at 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 kind of like a roller
"Still haunted by our Ghost George"
again.”
She rode with her husband Nico. Two
adults can ride Mineshaft Coaster together
if their combined weight is less than 375
lbs., making for a real thrill-filled shared
experience, though many carts go solo.
Front rider must be at least 38” tall and
three years old so kids can go, while rear
pilot 54” and age 18 or older.
“It’s kind of like the big brother of the
Alpine Slide,” said San Diego resident Sam
Gerdes. “The ride was a lot longer than I
thought it would be. I thought it was two
different rides instead of one long ride.”
His sons Isaiah, Micah and Noah took
turns too. “Really fun, you get to go as fast
as you want through lots of twists and
turns,” Isaiah said. “I only used the brake
where I was supposed to use it. I wasn’t
scared.”
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
Two tunnels, 3
bridges, twists and
turns await riders on
new Mineshaft
Coaster at Alpine
Slide
to assure rider comfort
at all times. Plus carts
have energy absorbing
front and rear buffers.
A lengthy up
track climb to the top
of Alpine Slide awaits
riders before they start
to descend and shoot
through the first rocklined
mining tunnel.
They wind their way
to the bottom before
ascending again on another up track back
to the top for the second tunnel and cool
corkscrew that leads to a quick drop; those
going fast enough get a little G-force on.
The track traverses Alpine Slide’s
entire property, around and under Alpine
Slide sleds, past the water side and above
the go-karts, dipping in and out of pine
trees. Even the entrance is awesome, built
from scratch with mining carts and rock
out front, plus Big Bear’s coolest sign.
Coaster tracks are popular in Europe
Big Bear Today
and are popping up in ski resort towns including
Snowbird in Utah. Mineshaft
Coaster is over 2,000 feet longer! Other
coasters are in Jackson Hole, Steamboat,
Bogus Basin and Heavenly’s Nevada side.
Plus entertainment hub Branson, MO.
Mineshaft Coaster tickets are $20 per
person, children $10.
Alpine Slide is at 800 Wildrose Ln. on
Big Bear Blvd. 1/4 mile west of the Village,
Call (909) 866-4626.
Riders control their own speed on Mineshaft Coaster,
hitting up to 27 mph in several sections
Fine Dining in a Rustic Stone & Log Retreatt
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