Vampires are flying through Montréal...
Vampires are flying through Montréal...
| Theme Park | La Ronde |
|---|---|
| Type | Rollercoaster |
| Audience | Thrillseekers |
| Opened | 18 May 2002 |
| Manufacturer | Bolliger & Mabillard |
| Model | Inverted Coaster - Batman |
| Height | 105 ft |
| Length | 2700 ft |
| Inversions | 5 |
| Max Speed | 50 mph |
One of Le Vampire's vertical loops
Swooping through the skies over Montréal like a blood-sucking bat, Le Vampire is the inverted rollercoaster at La Ronde.
The ride is manufactured by renowned Swiss rollercoaster manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard, and its layout is a mirror image of the Batman rides installed at various Six Flags parks around the United States (including at Six Flags Great America, Six Flags St Louis and Six Flags Over Georgia). However, it has a loose Vampire bat theme rather than using the DC Comics superhero character.
Le Vampire was the first major investment by Six Flags at La Ronde after they acquired the park in May 2001, with the rollercoaster opening at the theme park in May 2002. It was built on the site of La Ronde's Aqua Parc, a small water park which had operated for a few years prior. The pyramid shaped former changing room building still sits next to part of Le Vampire's track.
Le Vampire sits beside the St Lawrence River
The decision not to use the Batman theme was in large part down to the lack of the necessary licensing agreement since the park did not fall under the deal already in place for other Six Flags branded parks in the chain, but also due to doubts around how well the very US-centric Batman brand would sit with Canadian park-goers. This has allowed Le Vampire to be freed from the Batman shackles and take on its own personality. Whilst the general flow of the ride and inversions will be familiar to seasoned Batman riders, the mirror-image makes for a nice change as does the impactful yellow and purple colour scheme.
Le Vampire feels even more intense than many other B&M Inverted Coasters and really races around the track, hitting the final brakes at a substantial speed. The view down the St Lawrence River from the top of the lift hill is equally stunning.
The ride has an elevated station with open sides, giving it an airy feel similar to Goliath at Six Flags Fiesta Texas. With La Ronde sitting in Canada's Quebec region though, signage and announcements throughout the station and ride area are of course multi-lingual in both French and English.
Overall, Le Vampire is a fantastic ride and a real gem in La Ronde's coaster lineup. It has been popular since its early years of operation when it could sometimes attract three hour plus queues! Offering the usual mix of B&M smoothness and intensity, it remains one of the top rollercoasters in Canada.
Entrance gates
Queueline
Multilingual station signage
Climbing the lift hill
Vertical loop
A steam filled pit under the turnaround
Le Vampire's first vertical loop comes straight after the lift hill
The ride beside Montréal's St Lawrence River
Le Vampire seen from within the park
