TusenFryd | Storm | Gerstlauer Invert | 2023

[Pokemaniac]

(Østlandets Blad - paywall)

Tusenfryd forbereder seg til tidenes attraksjonsinvestering

Tusenfryd vil allerede neste år komme med en ny overraskelse, men direktøren i fornøyelsesparken gleder seg enda mer til 2021.

– Det blir noe nytt neste sesong, men vi jobber med noe veldig stort for 2021. Dette blir definitivt parkens største investering noensinne, for en enkelt attraksjon, sier Solli.

Internt i Tusenfryd jobbes det i disse dager på spreng med å ferdigstille prosjektet, slik at det til slutt kan godkjennes av styret i selskapet. Etter det ØB erfarer, er det allerede gitt grønt lys til den store investeringen. Nå gjenstår godkjenning av selve attraksjonen.

Som nevnt jobbes det iherdig med en ny attraksjon for 2020. Parken har i dag ingen tegninger, men lover mer informasjon i januar.

(the rest of the article is pretty scarce with information, so no need to copy it - also because we don't want copyright issues)

All right, that's all in Norwegian, so let's try a stunt translation into English:

Tusenfryd prepares for biggest attraction investment to date

Tusenfryd will present a new surprise already next year, but the director of the park [Bjørn Håvard Solli] is even more hyped for 2021.

- Something new will debut next season, but we're working on something really big for 2021. This will definitely be the biggest investment in the park ever, for a single attraction, Solli says.

As mentioned, work is also ongoing with a new attraction for 2020. The park has no drawings to show today, but more information is promised in January.

Presently, it's being worked hard on finishing the project internally in Tusenfryd, so it can be approved by the company board. As far as [the local newspaper] can tell, the investment itself is already greenlit, but final approval of the attraction itself remains.

Personally, I'm cautiously optimistic! The new attraction for 2020 probably won't amount to much, but even a leased flat ride will breathe some fresh air into a park that hasn't seen any construction since 2016. TusenFryd had a rather poor season this year (in fact, my sources suggest it was the second worst season this side of the millennium, after 2011 when a major terrorist attack badly affected attendance), so it's good to see they're putting in something new to draw guests even as they're waiting for the big new thing in 2021.

Rumours suggest the new thing will be a coaster, perhaps unsurprisingly given the amount of money involved. Interestingly, they give the caveat "biggest investment ever for a single attraction", but I can't think of any other investments in the past that were bigger or involved multiple attractions. I guess they are referring to the construction of the park itself, which cost 178 MNOK (~$18 million, not accounting for inflation) in 1988. The biggest single investment in one attraction until now was for SpeedMonster, 70 MNOK (~$7 million) in 2006. It makes sense for the cost of the next attraction to lie somewhere between the two figures.

So yeah, this thread probably won't have much in terms of substance until January, when they announce the new-for-2020 attraction, but I figured I might as well drop the news we already have right now.

 

[emoo]

Good sounding news though. This park really needs a reason to encourage revisits, and for me getting that missed water coaster splash cred isn't enough. I also suspect that having the best Vekoma woodie doesn't mean as much to Norway as it does me.

 

[CrashCoaster]

#RMCThundercoaster

In all seriousness, this is Parques Reunidos, it probably won't be anything super special. They've been liking their launch coasters recently, but there are lots of things that would work well here.

 

[Coaster Chall YouTube]

I think as much as a launch coaster is likely with the owner's past, I would like a B&M... I can dream aha

 

[Ben]

Oh god no I don’t want to have to go back.

 

[emoo]

What are the odds its a BnM and you no longer have the European set ?

But was it really that bad? The terrible looping Vekoma has gone.(oh no it hasn't, but it should)

 

[Hixee]

But was it really that bad? The terrible looping Vekoma has gone.

It. Was. ****ing. Dire.

Honestly one of the grimmest days at a park I've had in a long time. Made only better by a) @davidm and b) going to Liseberg after lunch.

At least 2021 is far enough away that PR may go into administration or decide not to bother with the project or something.

 

[Peet]

The terrible looping Vekoma has gone.

Has it? That's news to me, when did that happen?

I kind of liked it in a "so bad that it's good" sort of way!

 

[emoo]

I need to retract that statement. Still there, must have been a dream.

 

[HeartlineCoaster]

I need to go back cos they spited me, so good, more incentive.

#RMCThundercoaster

Leave it.

Made only better by going to Liseberg after lunch.

Also an excuse to go to Liseberg again.

 

[Pokemaniac]

Oh god no I don’t want to have to go back.

By 2021, I'll be living in or near Oslo. I'll meet you at the park. TusenFryd is not too bad if enough waffles are brought along.

People I've spoken to seem to believe the coaster will be located north of the log flume, in an area that's currently undeveloped (that is, a densely forested hill). This suggests a fair bit of ground works is required, which would send the costs soaring regardless of the coaster type.

And yeah, Loopen is still there, as horrible as ever, but they may boot it when the new coaster comes, so they don't have to increase the number of operating coasters (that need maintenance, inspections and crews to run it). I don't think it is very popular at the moment, but it's hard to tell. With TusenFryd's low visitor numbers, and the capacity of that coaster, it's nearly incapable of drawing a queue.

 

[TMCoasters]

#RMCThundercoaster

Ew gross, Thundercoaster is unbelievable as is and honestly I don't think RMC could improve it.

Also don't get all of this hate for TusenFryd! I think the park has a really nice vibe with the awesome escalator entrance. Thundercoaster is an elite coaster, Speed Monster is great, and they have plenty of good filler and flat rides! Really hope we're seeing a new coaster in 2021 as it will definitely give me even more reason to get back to this beautiful country!

 

[Hixee]

Also don't get all of this hate for TusenFryd! I think the park has a really nice vibe with the awesome escalator entrance. Thundercoaster is an elite coaster, Speed Monster is great, and they have plenty of good filler and flat rides! Really hope we're seeing a new coaster in 2021 as it will definitely give me even more reason to get back to this beautiful country!

For us it was a complete lack of any soul, coupled with some of the worst park operations I've seen in a loooooong time.

The setting of the park isn't awful, but it doesn't have the coaster selection to make up for how badly it was run.

 

[Matt N]

Very exciting! Some of Parques Reunidos' recent investments seem to have been very good, so I think this could be really promising news for TusenFryd! But the question is; what sort of coaster could it be? It's hard to determine, as Parques Reunidos have worked with many different manufacturers over the last couple of years; I'd say Mack, Gerstlauer and S&S are all in the running if their past manufacturers of choice are anything to go by!

 

[Kw6sTheater]

Very exciting! Some of Parques Reunidos' recent investments seem to have been very good, so I think this could be really promising news for TusenFryd! But the question is; what sort of coaster could it be? It's hard to determine, as Parques Reunidos have worked with many different manufacturers over the last couple of years; I'd say Mack, Gerstlauer and S&S are all in the running if their past manufacturers of choice are anything to go by!

I believe S&S was contacted by Palace Entertainment, a subsidiary of Parques Reunidos, who handles all of Parques' operations in the United States.

On this topic, I would expect a Gerstlauer Infinity coaster with a swing launch akin to Gold Rush at Slagharen or Fury at Bobbejaanland. I'd lean more towards the latter, as the $7-18 million price tag suggests something a bit more large-scale than Gold Rush. Or, as @Pokemaniac suggested, they could also be including the land preparation costs for the hilly area this coaster is rumored to be situated in - which would drive costs significantly up.

 

[Pokemaniac]

User per2012 on TPR seems to have found a map from a planning application:

This shows a coaster very similar to Gold Rush (lacking the extra turnaround before the final dive loop) situated at the very top of the hill, by the currently semi-abandoned plaza beyond the SkyCoaster.

I'm actually surprised that they got to build a new coaster in this part of the park, as it is very close to a neighbouring residential area. On the other hand, it's pretty much the only piece of flat ground left in the park, so I could see why they would want to build there. It's also a pretty dead area in the park, so a revitalization was sorely needed. I think it was, overall, a good idea to build an attraction there.

As for the coaster itself, it seems very short, but at least it's something. It has been 14 years since the last coaster with inversions was built in Norway, and 11 years since TusenFryd got their latest "extreme" ride, so it would be a welcome addition to the park. I hope it gets the green light.

Oh, and in a funny twist: From the plan it seems like the coaster will be named "Dragen" - the same name as the Zamperla portable coaster that was removed from the park a decade or so ago.

EDIT: Found a link to the source. It's from a local newspaper. Unfortunately, the article requires log-in: https://www.moss-avis.no/nyheter/tu...denes-investering-pa-tusenfryd/s/5-67-989934?

 

[CrashCoaster]

User per2012 on TPR seems to have found a map from a planning application:

This shows a coaster very similar to Gold Rush (lacking the extra turnaround before the final dive loop) situated at the very top of the hill, by the currently semi-abandoned plaza beyond the SkyCoaster.

I'm actually surprised that they got to build a new coaster in this part of the park, as it is very close to a neighbouring residential area. On the other hand, it's pretty much the only piece of flat ground left in the park, so I could see why they would want to build there. It's also a pretty dead area in the park, so a revitalization was sorely needed. I think it was, overall, a good idea to build an attraction there.

As for the coaster itself, it seems very short, but at least it's something. It has been 14 years since the last coaster with inversions was built in Norway, and 11 years since TusenFryd got their latest "extreme" ride, so it would be a welcome addition to the park. I hope it gets the green light.

I remember seeing this exact plan for a coaster in the style of GoldRush manufactured by Intamin, that's also an invert.

 

[Coaster Chall YouTube]

User per2012 on TPR seems to have found a map from a planning application:

This shows a coaster very similar to Gold Rush (lacking the extra turnaround before the final dive loop) situated at the very top of the hill, by the currently semi-abandoned plaza beyond the SkyCoaster.

I'm actually surprised that they got to build a new coaster in this part of the park, as it is very close to a neighbouring residential area. On the other hand, it's pretty much the only piece of flat ground left in the park, so I could see why they would want to build there. It's also a pretty dead area in the park, so a revitalization was sorely needed. I think it was, overall, a good idea to build an attraction there.

As for the coaster itself, it seems very short, but at least it's something. It has been 14 years since the last coaster with inversions was built in Norway, and 11 years since TusenFryd got their latest "extreme" ride, so it would be a welcome addition to the park. I hope it gets the green light.

Oh, and in a funny twist: From the plan it seems like the coaster will be named "Dragen" - the same name as the Zamperla portable coaster that was removed from the park a decade or so ago.

I completely agree. This is absolutely a coaster for the GP, but the enthusiasts will all be satisfied with this, especially with the success of Goldrush at Slagharen.

 

[Pokemaniac]

On closer inspection, I think this might not be a Gerstlauer after all, as was initially suspected by the guy on TPR. The station seems to depict a much longer train than has ever been put on a Gerstlauer Infinity. It seems more similar to the train of Star Trek: Operation Enterprise, another swing launch coaster also built by a Parques Reunidos park.

Then again, this is just a landscaping plan (I looked up Bar Bakke, the logo of which can be seen in the bottom right, it is a landscape architectural firm who's worked with TusenFryd before), so it might not be entirely accurate for the depiction of the coaster.

 

[JoshC.]

Seems like a nice coaster for the park, albeit short.

I expect we'll end up seeing plenty of parks going for Gold Rush style coasters (swing launch coasters with a short, compact layout) as time goes one. They very much have the possibility of becoming a modern day Vekoma Boomerang, but with the obvious added benefit of being customisable.