Great Bear at Hersheypark
I rode the Great Bear for the first time about 4 years ago. I hadn't been on a a lot of B&M inverted roller coasters and I'm sure I was comparing it to its big brother Alpengeist. I rode it at night and the wait was ridiculously long. For some reason, I didn't really enjoy it.
After the sweet, smooth Immelmann you go right into a forceful zero-g roll. The roll is followed by Great Bear's finale is fun and memorable. It starts with a fighter jet-like manuever. There's a hard swooping turn by the Sooper Dooper Looper that feels like something right out of Top Gun (The Movie). Next, you go through a corkscrew inversion that B&M call a wingover. It flings riders over and again is pretty forceful.
Last, as an added bonus to all of the action, I was lucky enough to pass by a loaded train from the Sooper Dooper Looper flying through its loop. On the Great Bear you end up with a fairly
short ride, but every element is strong. The Bear has a chip on its shoulder or something, I got a lot of unexpected intensity, but never roughness. This bear wants blood, not picnic baskets. It's a great ride, with an interesting layout. I'm glad I re-rode it. Final Rating - 8.0 (Great)Picture courtesy of CoasterImage
Got a comment or question about Great Bear? Leave a comment below.
7 comments:
I live about 30 min. away from Hershey Park. I got on the Comet and it was awesome!!! But I am afraid of coasters with loops in it. What would you recommend I do to conquer my fear of BIG coasters?
As you can see in my profile, I used to be afraid of coasters too. Give Sooperdooperlooper a try. It's got one loop and after you ride it, you'll see that loops aren't all that scary.
Vertical loops like the one on Sooperdooperlooper just feel like a lot of pressure pushing down on you. It's the g-forces. Most loops are quick and you don't really feel like you're upside down or going to fall out.
Or try Sidewinder, because it's a shuttle coaster you'll actually be inverted six times (3 forward and 3 backward). But, you should feel more secure because of the overhead shoulder harnesses. It might be a bit rougher, but I remember Sidewinder being relatively smooth and well maintained compared to a lot of its clones.
I'd say just tackle which ever one of these is the least intimidating and see how you like it. You'll graduate to the big leagues in no time. Good luck! And let us know how you do.
I am a real thrill seeker and I am going to Hershey Park soon. If I go on Great Bear it will be my first floorless roller coaster. One of my friends says it is really scary. should I go on Great Bear?
Give it a try. Great Bear may look scary, but it's a lot of fun. You'll feel a lot more secure in an inverted roller coaster like Great Bear than you think. Just be ready to be turned upside down. Since you're a thrill seeker you should be fine. Big drops on seated coasters scared me a lot when I started riding coasters, but after a few rides you'll know what to expect and your body gets used to it.
Haha, the advice you gave the person afraid of inversions is coincidentally (sp?) the exact method I used to conquer my fears. o_o
I loved The Great Bear, and I am, needless to say, totally stoked to ride Alpengeist later this week.
Oh, and in case you're wondering why the heck this creepy girl is leaving so many comments, it's because I'm bored out of my mind, and your site is highly entertaining.
Have fun on Alpengeist Emma. It's a little intense/rough for some. That huge first drop generates some insane speed. I love it. Hopefully you'll like it to. Let me know what you think when you get back.
Thanks for reading!
THE GREAT BEAR is the coolest Roller Coaster in Hershey Park!! In my opinion, the Great Bear and the Lightning Race, feel like they have the highest heights!! I see how Hershey gave it this name, as hearing that the Roller coaster sounds like it's roaring as it travels! The Great Bear is smoothest roller coaster in Hershey! It is not rough on you at all! I just wish that Hershey would add more trains like they did with the new rollercoaster, Fahrenheit!
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