Boomerang back again...
Boomerang back again...
| Theme Park | Walibi Rhône-Alpes |
|---|---|
| Type | Rollercoaster |
| Audience | Thrillseekers |
| Opened | 1988 |
| Manufacturer | Vekoma |
| Model | Boomerang |
| Height | 117 ft |
| Length | 935 ft |
| Inversions | 3 |
| Max Speed | 47 mph |
Generator
Vekoma Boomerangs are ten-a-penny at theme parks across the world, but Walibi Rhône-Alpes' version is a little different than most.
After originally being added to the park in 1988 as Boomerang, Generator - as it is now known - had a major overhaul in 2014. Amongst the changes were a new train to replace the original one from Vekoma, this time built by Sunkid Heege and featuring lapbar style restraints.
Boomerangs are notorious for attracting many complaints about their general roughness, with riders' heads regularly smashing into the hard overhead restraints. Swapping these out for lapbars should, in theory at least, make the ride more comfortable. For some reason though, the lapbars come without any padding: yes that's right, none at all - just the raw steel bars pressing into your stomach!
In practice it is more comfortable than you'd expect, although it is necessary to brace with your legs to prevent the full force of hard steel hitting you in the gut, especially through the inversions.
As long as you don't expect any wonders - it is still very much a clunky Vekoma Boomerang after all - Generator is not too bad and certainly more comfortable than some of the rougher Boomerangs. There's the usual lack of finesse and general banging about the track though, with the backwards return journey being equally as unpleasant as the outwards leg facing forwards.
In the station
Up the spike
About to be released
Vertical loop
Second spike
Going backwards
Cobra roll
Boomerang layout
