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Date Ridden: Summer of 2007 and 2008. Times Ridden: 2 with once on the front and once toward the back. OK, this thing is huge. Alpengeist is one of the top ranked inverted coasters in the world mainly due to its enormous size. It is an absolute must-ride on the front seat as the view dropping down the almost 200 foot first drop is spectacular. Everything about Alpengeist is big. The Cobra Roll is gigantic as is the vertical loop. The ride is themed very well like everything else at Busch Gardens. Along with Montu (another Busch Gardens coaster) there is probably more attention to detail paid than on any other invert I have ridden. Now, what does all this mean? First it means that despite some flaws, Aplengeist is a great coaster. The problem with the ride being so huge is that the inversions seem forceless at times. It is like the ride is crawling through them offering good hang time but little else. On most cobra rolls, the whipping action pins the rider to the seat. On this ride, there is actual hang time as the train meanders through the element. For the reasons listed above, this is a commonly criticized coaster. It does not in my opinion rank above Montu or Raptor, but is a unique attraction due to its enormous size and gigantic elements. I enjoyed the ride immensely although it does slow down significantly toward the end. It is still fun and is a can'.t miss attraction while at Busch Gardens. Thanks to the wonderful first drop, it grades around a 8 which I will bump up to a low 9.
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