The Egyptian god Iris gives you the ultimate flying experience...
The Egyptian god Iris gives you the ultimate flying experience...
| Theme Park | Parc Astérix |
|---|---|
| Park Area | Egypt |
| Type | Rollercoaster |
| Audience | Thrillseekers |
| Opened | 7 April 2012 |
| Manufacturer | Bolliger & Mabillard |
| Model | Inverted Coaster |
| Height | 131 ft |
| Length | 3281 ft |
| Inversions | 5 |
| Max Speed | 56 mph |
| Duration | 2 minutes |
Bursting up out of the lake
B&M Inverted Coasters can be found at theme parks around the world and are well known for their intense G-forces, usually smooth rides, and general high quality rollercoaster thrills. Parc Astérix's OzIris stands out from the crowd as one of the best of them all.
The ride sits within the park's Egypt themed section which features various Egyptian monuments, a large lake, palm trees and a gigantic temple that dominates the area and acts as OzIris' station. The theming is outstanding, and the main queue for OzIris spends a time weaving around underneath the track to provide plenty of photo opportunities, before venturing deep into the temple itself through multiple rooms full of sarcophagi and other Egyptian artefacts.
As with many B&M Inverteds, the rollercoaster begins with a climb to the top of the 40 metre lift hill, which allows riders to get a good aerial overview of the track they are about to navigate. The first drop dives steeply down while twisting to the left, providing a superb start to the ride and a further preview of the thrills to come.
There are five inversions in total, beginning with a wonderful dive loop which has the benefit of a little hangtime. After a well paced gap, the vertical loop comes next followed immediately by an immelmann turn. At the midway point the train dives through the middle of the lake: something which looks spectacular to onlookers but sadly just looks like zooming through a concrete tunnel for those onboard the train. The second half of the ride is punctuated by two zero G rolls, with several swooping curves in between.
OzIris flows really well with just the right mix of elements taken at the right points, together with some powerful but not overwhelmingly intense forces and a couple of surprises which will catch new riders off-guard. The theming is amazing, both inside the impressive station and also throughout the land around which the coaster traverses. It truly is a wonderful ride.
Oziris entrance
The queueline weaves underneath the ride
Watching a train from the queue
Egyptian temple
Entering inside
Inside the temple
OzIris station
Preparing to depart
Climbing the lift hill
Top of the first drop
Skimming the ground
Entering the dive loop
First inversion
Rolling over
Vertical loop
Climbing
Over Egypt
Upside down
Racing past the temple
Inverted coaster
Passing the queue
Front row riders
Legs dangling
Speed turn
