Riding down the rolling Scottish hills with the wind blowing through your hair in an alpine coaster has now become a reality. The Pentland Hills Regional Park is the place chosen for the new attraction, situated at the Midlothian Snowsports Centre.
What is an alpine coaster?
Using mostly gravity, alpine coasters are mainly found in mountainous areas and are a type of rollercoaster spread around a hill or a mountain, going downwards.
The alpine coaster construction was completed in October of 2024, and is located in Midlothian, ready and open for the general public. The track is 3215 feet (around 980 metres) in length, with a 550ft vertical drop, and even a helix. A helix, meaning “twisted” or “curved” in Greek, is the kind of turn on rollercoasters which forms almost 360 degrees.
The alpine coaster at the Midlothian Snowsports Centre can reach speeds of up to 28 mph, but it does have a manual brake for riders to control their speeds.
Some video footage has already been published by people testing out the track, and it’s looking like so much fun! Scotland’s first alpine coaster is now open for bookings.
The Alpine Coaster is open on six days a week and is closed on Wednesdays, between 10am and 5:30pm. To use it, riders must be aged 9 and over and be at least 1 metre 40 centimetres tall. Those not meeting said requirements need to ride accompanied.
Tickets are £7 for a single ride, or £19 for three rides to be used by the same person.
Visitors can book up to two months in advance, with more dates added as time goes on. You can book your slot here. It books out pretty fast, so don’t snooze!