Attraction Review: Hals-über-Kopf

Whilst I didn't get to ride many new for 2020 attractions, I was lucky enough to be able to visit Erlebnispark Tripsdrill to check out their two new for 2020 roller coasters Volldampf and Hals-über-Kopf during my German road trip back in October. Whilst it was certainly a fabulous little family coaster, this review will not be discussing the Family Vekoma Boomerang coaster Volldampf and will instead focus on the park's new, larger coaster the first of its kind brand new Vekoma Suspended Thrill Coaster Hals-über-Kopf. 

Opening in June of this year, Hals-über-Kopf is Erlebnispark Tripsdrill's premier new thrill coaster, joining Gerstlauer Infinity Coaster Karacho and the park's wooden coaster Mammut. Standing at almost 100ft tall and reaching speeds of almost 50mph, Hals-über-Kopf sends riders soaring through an innovative and thrilling layout taking on three inversions including two zero-g rolls and an in-line twist as well as several other glorious swooping and gliding elements such as the fantastic Junior Immelmann turnaround and several airtime-filled plummets throughout (yes, you read that correctly!)



Although the coaster opened without its theming finished, it will eventually be housed in a gorgeous-looking building inspired by Swabian architecture, as per the rest of the park, which will transform those aforementioned swooping and gliding elements into high-octane near misses, which will only elevate the whole experience even further. The ride will be themed around a medieval folk tale called "Die Sieben Schwaben", a Brothers Grimm fairytale surrounding the mishaps of seven men who travel the world carrying one spear between them, often involving silly mishaps and foolishness. Thematically it fits perfectly into Tripsdrill which carries that German fairytale quirkiness throughout the entire park so I'd be keen to revisit the park in a few years once the theming is complete.

The coaster itself is just magnificent. I'll be honest, I didn't pay too much attention to the construction of this and as a result I thought it was just another Family Suspended Coaster from Vekoma - fun sure, but nothing groundbreaking. Imagine my surprise when casually browsing a construction update to be confronted with...an inversion?! It immediately made me sit up and pay attention to what would become yet another home-run in my opinion for what I like to call Nu_Vekoma, further distancing themselves from their painful past of head-juddering SLCs and spine-cracking corkscrew coasters. 






It's just so damn smooth, like gliding through the air on rails made of silk with freshly shaven legs. Smooth, smooth, smooth. If you're lucky enough to ride front row it's a fantastic flying sensation, especially with those incredible barely-there restraints that allow for plenty of freedom and movement leaving you open to really feel every force and sensation without ever feeling restricted or uncomfortable. Back row is where it's at though, in my opinion. Especially if you're an airtime fan (and hey, aren't we all?) From the first drop to the Zero-Gs to the Junior Immelmann and pretty much every dip, dive and turn on this thing you're floating. You're dragged so gracefully through the layout, hovering in your seat from the forces at play pretty much the entire way around. But not in a brutal B&M invert kind of way - it's actually its entirely own thing which is a marvel to see from Vekoma, a company who've been around for years at this point and not only who've managed to completely reinvent themselves they've managed to create something brand new too.

It's just really great fun - the kind of coaster you pull into the station and wish it would just immediately dispatch again for another go. It's really hard to liken it to anything else because it really isn't like anything else currently on the market - certainly not up there with the big beastie boys from RMC, B&M and Intamin but absolutely packs more of a punch than your standard family coaster. I'd go as far as to argue that with the Suspended Thrill Coaster Vekoma have invented an entirely new genre of attraction - a tween coaster if you will: more than a family coaster but not at the top end of the scale yet. A stepping stone for those who've grown out of the kiddie coasters but aren't quite ready for brute force just yet. 



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Hals-über-Kopf is an absolutely fantastic coaster and alongside Volldampf and once the theming is complete this is really going to be something special. It hits all the notes - great theming, engaging and interesting storyline, fun and rerideable yet forceful and thrilling too. It's an excellent, one of a kind coaster for now and I can't wait to see more of these built, hopefully sooner rather than later!

What do you think of Hal-über-Kopf? Were you lucky enough to ride it, or any other new for 2020 attraction this year? Let me know in the comments, I'd love to have a chat!

Talk later xoxo,

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