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 is now complete in Midlothian, and ready for the general public. The track is 3215 feet (around 980 metre) 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 form almost 360 degrees.
The alpine coaster at the Midlothian Snowsports Centre can reach speeds of up to 28 mph, but does have a manual break 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 Saturdays and Sundays 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 until December 22, 2024, with more dates added as time goes on. You can book your slot here. It books out pretty fast, so don’t snooze!