Vekoma Rides, the Dutch roller coaster specialist, will be working with Fårup Sommerland, one of the biggest amusement parks in Denmark, to bring a new coaster to audiences in 2022 – Fønix (Phoenix). Once open, this will be the largest and fastest roller coaster in the country, measuring 40 metres tall and reaching heights of up to 95 kilometres an hour.
It will also include the world’s first “stall loop” element and will have the most airtime of any ride in Scandinavia. The ride is expected to be in action from April 2022.
World’s first stall loop
“This is an historic day for us here at Fårup Sommerland,” says Niels Jørgen Jensen, CEO of Fårup Sommerland. “We are extremely proud to finally unveil our plans to develop and build Denmark’s largest and fastest roller coaster, which will be ready for our guests next year. We’ve been working on it for a long time, and I look forward to seeing our guests enjoying what it has to offer.”
The coaster will also feature a “stall loop”, bringing together the iconic loop with a new inverted stall element. The train will be forced into an overhead position by a half loop, followed by an inverted camelback. Here, guests will enjoy 2.5 seconds of weightlessness before going into the second half of the loop and a twist.
Justin Garvanovic, the founder of the European Coaster Club, says:
“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, and it is rides like Fønix that are responsible for this.
“It’s 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 can’t wait to try Fønix and the Stall Loop, it should be exquisite.”
Bringing tourists back to Denmark
As well as the stall loop, Vekoma’s Fønix also includes many other elements, like drops, loops and twists.
“This is one of the first times the world gets to see and experience a truly unique roller coaster design. We expect the stall loop, as well as all the other exciting Fønix elements, to become a magnet for many roller coaster lovers and enthusiasts all around the world,” adds Jørgen Jensen.
“At the same time, we also encourage Danish and international guests to come and experience Fønix. We promise it’ll be a breathtaking and fun ride you won’t forget.”
Vekoma Rides is responsible for the design and construction of the new coaster, which is the park’s largest-ever single investment at around DKK 100 million (EUR 13 million). This follows its second-largest investment of DKK 44 million (EUR 5.9 million) in 2013, for the Orkanen suspended family coaster. The park hopes this purchase will help bring tourists back to Denmark in the wake of COVID:
“The tourism industry has been hit hard by the pandemic,” says Jørgen Jensen. “It’s extremely important for big tourism players like ourselves to invest in new and exciting attractions. This will ultimately create long-term competitive advantages, which will ultimately push the industry back on to safer ground during and after the pandemic.”
Last month, Vekoma’s next-gen launch coaster, Top Gun, opened to the public at Fantawild Glorious Orient in Ganzhou, China.
