Coaster Information:

The Great Bear is a steel inverted roller coaster located in Hershey, Pennsylvania, United States. Hersheypark is the place you are going to have to go if you want to ride this beast! It was built and constructed by Bolliger & Mabillard during the winter of 1997 and opened for the 1998 season. The Great Bear was one of B&M’s most difficult roller coasters to install. This is because of the coasters unique custom design, as well as other factors, including theme and terrain. The reason why it is called Great Bear is because of the lack of sand inside the supports which gives it a growling roar like a bear, as it rushes past at fifty eight miles per hour on its dark structured tracks.

The Bear was designed by Ing-Buro Stengel and it cost $13,000,000 American dollars to make! The length on the ride isn’t a big as many other coasters but it still looks like a bad ass roller coaster that rides for 2800 feet , giving you a two minute and fifty five second run. There are two trains with 8 cars per train. Riders are arranged four across in a single row for a total of thirty two riders per train. This helps with those long annoying queues!

Here’s a little description of the ride

Riders exit the station and rise up a 90 foot hill. Unique to the Great Bear, there is a helix immediately after the lift, swaying riders round to the insane 124 foot drop into Comet Hollow. After the drop the train enters a loop, followed immediately by an awesome Immelmann loop, and then entering into a zero-g roll. Riders then continue through Comet Hollowover midway areas, making a sharp turn over Spring Creek. After a short straightaway, the train goes into a corkscrew and then up a hill with two wide turns. Riders are then photographed by the on ride cameras directly before the brake run. After the brake run, riders return to the station. The Great Bear was the first Inverted looping roller coaster in Pennsylvania.

This ride definitely can be said to be a high speed experience! It’s also not recommended for riders with physical, cognitive and/or medical limitations.

Would I like to ride it? Without a doubt!

Quick Info:

Current Coaster Name: Great Bear
Current Park Name: Hersheypark
Previous Ride Name(s): N/A
Location: Hershey, Pennsylvania, United States
Status: Operating
Links: http://www.hersheypark.com/index.php
Cost: $13,000,000 USD

Technical Info:

Type: Steel Inverted
Opened: Werner Stengel
Features: Bolliger and Mabillard
Height: 90 ft (27 m)
Max Drop: 124 ft (38 m)
Max Speed: 61 mph (98 km/h)
Length: 2800 feet
Acceleration: 
Inversions: 4
Duration: 2.15
Trains: 2
Capacity: 1300 per hour

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