Fønix, which translates to Phoenix in Danish, is the major new addition at Fårup Sommerland this year in North Denmark.
This towering roller coaster would be a major installation for any theme park. The ride breaks a number of national records, being Denmark’s tallest and fastest coaster to date.
Fårup Sommerland, whose slogan is “The greatest experiences are the ones we share”, has teamed up with Vekoma, the Dutch roller coaster specialist for this project. The result is a record-breaking coaster designed to appeal to families and the thrill-seeker market.
Fønix in the forest
A short drive from the city, Fårup is set in the unique backdrop of the Danish forest. Its environment enables the park to deliver on its promise of a “fun and eventful day in the woods”.
The coaster will be a different experience from what the majority of its customers typically expect. Fårup Sommerland receives approximately 600,000 visitors each year, of which 80 per cent are Danish.
The other percentage consists mostly of German tourists travelling North to stay at their summerhouses, as well as those from adjacent Sweden.
“Significant imprint”
The park boasts an impressive 99% guest satisfaction rate across all demographics, a significant contributor to Fårup Sommerland’s lasting popularity.
CEO of Fårup Sommerland, Niels Jørgen Jensen was joyful ahead of the ride’s opening, saying:
“Last year, on the day we could disclose the news about Fønix, I called this a historic day. Indeed, with the official opening, I can truly say that I have even more butterflies in my stomach.
“Here in Fårup Sommerland, we take great pride in presenting a roller coaster that is without comparison the biggest in Denmark – a fact that will come to leave a significant imprint on both the Danish and the international amusement landscape.”
Safety first
Approaching the park from the West, Fønix towers over the treeline. This area of Denmark is extremely flat, being only 2km from the North Sea coastline. Without a doubt, the coaster has added a new scenic landmark, visible across this part of North Jutland.
The green-coloured coaster has a capacity of 900 people per hour, with two trains. The height requirement of 120 cm also provides some flexibility for families with smaller thrill-seekers.
Through a combination of the elements of the ride, riders will experience an impressive 9.2 seconds of airtime. Its G-Forces vary between -1.1 to +4.1. With such varying conditions, Vekoma has taken no risks and has added over the shoulder vest restraints to ensure the safety of passengers.
The Wildcat trains’ restraints are made from waterproof textile-based restraints to minimise headbanging and ensure comfort, particularly on inversions. As an extra safeguard, those wishing to board must be 1.4 metres to ride alone, or 1.2 metres accompanied.
The layout of the land
Fønix features fourteen airtime moments, as well as an upward zero-g roll. Its layout lasts roughly one and a half minutes from the station to the brake run. The Vekoma coaster is found at the back of the park, surrounded by trees and freshly plantations. The area cleared for the foundations is surrounded by saplings which will mature with the ride experience over time.
Fønix is a notable installation for many reasons, but one feature has been noticed by enthusiasts – it is the world’s first roller coaster to feature a stall loop. Vekoma explains: “We wanted to spice up the classic turn-around element, by turning its apex into an extended, parabolic arc. This causes the vehicle to ‘pause’ briefly while upside down, providing some negative forces before picking up speed again down a double vertical twist.”
Another landmark moment of the ride is a close-call corkscrew. The element powers through the top of the station building, inverting over onlooking passengers waiting to board the other train for the next ride.
Vekoma continues: “We first incorporated this element on the Lech Coaster in Poland, and was one of the elements that we definitely wanted to carry over to Fønix – it is one of the coaster’s key aesthetic signatures.
“For guests queueing in the station, seeing the train fly upside down through the building at high-speed amps up the anticipation. To guests on board, the element provides some awesome near-miss visuals. On Fønix we actually took this near-miss effect one step up by placing the flip-over approach at ground level. The train seems to fly up to the cut-out only just in time.”
Fønix: the ride
Airtime has been carefully crafted into the circuit, with swift unexpected turns and bunny hills providing ‘pops’ of airtime. The coaster’s designer has ensured no speed goes to waste. Rapid-succession direction changes and airtime-filled hills provide butterflies for riders right until the train reaches the end brakes.
Two metal-lined trenches allow Fønix to provide a short drop out of the station. This allows for a near-vertical decline of 80° to be delivered from the top of the lift hill. You can see our experience by clicking the video below:
Farup Sommerland traditionally steers away from theming. Instead, it leans on the natural environment for inspiration and allows the rides to speak for themselves.
Fønix, however, is a different beast entirely, with service areas carefully hidden between crafted timber buildings. The queue line is constructed from sustainably-sourced local wood. Meanwhile, the station features unique touches including an empty giant birdcage that hints at the upcoming flight-like experience.
Riders taking respite from the adrenaline-filled journey can decamp at the ride’s entrance area. This features dedicated retail and beverage amenities as well as a photo collection point.
Anticipation builds
News broke of the new addition in June 2021, with the announcement that Vekoma was going to create Denmark’s tallest rollercoaster.
The ride generated immediate interest from media and enthusiasts including European Coaster Club founder, Justin Garvanovic. He said: “A ride of this nature is simply wonderful news for us here in Europe. The days of looking jealously west at parks in the US are over; it is the rides like Fønix that are responsible for this.
“It is rare nowadays to find something new anywhere, let alone on a roller coaster. Fønix’s Stall Loop is just that – something new. It will combine both positive G-Forces and Zero G Force, a perfect combination. I cannot wait to try Fønix and the Stall Loop, it should be exquisite.”
Creating a plan
The coaster however has its origins long before this, as Vekoma’s sales manager Stefan Holtman explains: “We were discussing a new addition to the park already in 2018. After the success of our Suspended Family Coaster Orkanen in 2013, something else was needed.
“After a mutual trip to Legendia Park in Poland, the owners of the park fell immediately in love with the Lech coaster there. As Fårup Sommerland is a typical Family Park we were concerned that this ride would a bit too intense for their target group. Therefore, we had to work on a less intense version focusing more on airtime and less positive forces. This is how Fønix was born.
“As this design only existed as a concept, and all engineering work still had to be done, the earliest date of opening would be 2021. This would have been eight years after Orkanen, and we all felt that this was too long.
“We then came up with the solution of an intermediate ride in 2020, followed by a big thrill ride in 2022. This was the birth of Saven, the first out and back Family Boomerang in the world. This turned into a great success for the park and was the perfect step up to the launch of the record-breaking coaster.”
Reaching completion
When asked if the pandemic caused any delays, Fårup Sommerland states they have long planned to open the coaster this year. Rasmus Mortensen, Fårup Sommerland’s commercial manager said: “COVID-19 postponed the final decision if we should build Fønix or not, but it was never the plan to open Fønix before 2022.
“We had been working on Fønix for some years prior to the pandemic, and we had been through some iterations before we had a design that we thought was the right for our audience and fitted into Fårup.”
The coaster’s “top hat” was completed on 6 October 2021. With the ride’s tallest point (40m, 131.2ft) installed, the following week the entire track course was completed.
Huge investment
Fønix has cost the park approximately DKK 100m (EUR 13 million). That means it is the largest ride investment in the 47-year history of Fårup Sommerland. By way of comparison, this is more than double what the park invested with Orkanen, another headline coaster nearly a decade before.
Speaking at the inauguration, a marketing representative for the park said:
“We are very excited to be coming out of the pandemic and chaotic times from the last two seasons. Fårup Sommerland, now able to inaugurate our biggest ever investment in the park’s history, feels like a rebirth. Fønix – there has never been a more accurate description of what a roller coaster will do for a park.”
The ride officially opened on Saturday 9 April on the opening day of the season. Crowds of enthusiasts and the public reacted positively to the park’s latest addition. The coaster has also landed a position as one of this year’s top thrill coasters by Screamscape’s Lance Hart.
Farup hopes the investment will aid it in its vision “to be the epitome of unique family experiences in the Nordic region”.
Jensen is optimistic about the new Vekoma coaster. He adds: “Owing to this historic investment, we at Fårup Sommerland are now looking towards a tremendously exciting season. We trust that by such a substantial addition, we will attract both Danish and international guests. This will benefit Fårup Sommerland as well as the rest of the Danish tourist industry in general.”
Rise of the coasters
The concept of having a roller coaster is not new to Fårup. Fønix is the seventh addition to the Danish park. Its first, a Vekoma junior coaster, Mine Expressen, opened in 1992.
Flagermusen (translates as The Bat) followed, which is a spinning wild mouse coaster. Then a wooden roller coaster, Falken (Falcon) arrived, and Lynet (Lightning), a sit-down launched steel coaster by Gerstlauer. In 2012, the park added Pindsvinet, a Family Gravity Coaster by Zamperla, a leading Italian ride manufacturer.
The park has an established relationship with Vekoma, with its most recent additions being from the manufacturer. The waterside coaster Orkanen was built in 2013, suspended over the park’s picturesque lake and featuring a landmark underwater tunnel. The ride rises 20m high, half the height and length of Fønix, but no less impressive.
Quality and know-how
When it opened, Orkanen was the largest ride to open at Fårup. It was also the only coaster in Northern Europe to travel both under and over water. The speed of 75 km/h makes it an ideal family coaster for those testing the waters for a ride on Fønix. Under Vekoma CEO Har Kupers, another Vekoma installation followed in 2020 – Saven, a Family Boomerang which weaves through water features and scenery.
Fønix continues the trend, becoming the fourth Vekoma. The result is a park where half its roller coasters are fabricated by the same firm, catering for seasoned thrill-seekers and accompanied toddlers alike.
Mortensen comments: “We have had a long-lasting relationship with Vekoma and we know what quality, know-how and cooperation they bring to the table, so we were very confident that they could deliver a world-class coaster.
“We have great cooperation with their engineers, sales teams and project manager. We were confident that Fønix would open in time and the process would be good.”
The park story
Accessible from the nearby Aalborg Airport, Fårup Sommerland has been entertaining Danish families for generations.
It started as a small-scale “Summerland”, in 1975. The park introduced a concept that was new to its market, pay one price, and everything else is free.
When it opened, this would set you back four Danish Kroner. That’s less than a US dollar with a modern exchange rate.
Far from today’s portfolio of attractions, audiences were keen to experience trampolines, rowboats and horse riding – a park staple that guests can still enjoy today.
The park has continued to update the guest experience with new rides and attractions. It has also added a mobile app and digital marketing investments.
Fønix adds to an award-winning park
On the international stage, the park has received many awards, including the world’s third-best family park from IAAPA. The business has also been voted as Noth Jylland’s best workplace for young people by LO’s Jobpatrulje, as a major employer of seasonal staff.
The park started building its first on-site accommodation in the autumn of 2014. This was a realisation of a plan that was first dreamt of as far back as 1987. The result is Hotel Fårup, a four-star family hotel, which made its debut in May 2016.
The woodland-themed accommodation provides views of the park’s lake and Orkanen. Whilst not marketed as such, it retains a resort-like atmosphere. Its fifty-plus rooms are on the doorstep of the park, providing a convenient stopover point for international visitors.
The park is constantly evolving, however, is keeping tight-lipped as to exactly what the future may entail. Mortensen says: “Fønix brings Fårup to a new level and our hope is that it will help propel the park into an exciting future where we can build on our strong guest service and add even more exciting rides and events.
“Hopefully we will see an increase in guest numbers this season, and we can begin to lay plans for the coming seasons – but for now, we like to keep the plans for ourselves.”
Now open to guests
Fønix officially opened to the public on the same day that Fårup Sommerland opened its new season. Danish parks have a relatively short season compared to other European countries. This means its early April opening is the earliest in recent history.
The longer season gives guests more opportunities to experience the new ride, with queues already stretching to the coaster’s entrance. Staff were in a jovial mood as the ride opened to families looking to experience the fastest and tallest the country has to offer.
Jensen is excited to welcome guests from all over the continent with open arms. As the park’s CEO said on opening day:
“It has been a fabulous journey for us, this is by far the biggest project we’ve done in the park’s history. And here we are today – we are super, super excited.
“This is Denmark’s biggest coaster, with 40 metres of height, and 95 kilometres per hour. It’s fantastic, to be honest. Of course, visitors will have to judge themselves how they think it is – a warm welcome to all of you.”
Fårup Sommerland is now open to guests for the 2022 season, including Fønix. Tickets start from 210,00 DKK for spring and late summer visits.
