By David F. Rooney
Revelstoke Mountain Resort unveiled its latest attraction on Friday, May 20: The Mountain Coaster a kind of self-directed gravity ride.
The contraption opens to the public on Saturday, May 21, and could very well be a monster hit with locals and visitors.
It only has a top speed of 42 kilometres per hour and that is controlled by the rider with a joystick. But it nonetheless feels as though the single-rider vehicle is travelling faster than that, especially on some of the steeper pitches and corners. You may think you can be thrown from the vehicle but you are securely strapped in at the feet and waist so there is no chance of that happening.
You can get an impression of the ride by activating the YouTube player below. (Please be forewarned that I am not a speed freak of any kind, unless I am driving on the Deerfoot in Calgary.)
There is no age-restriction for riders but you cannot weigh more than 260 lbs and you cannot be shorter than four feet and one inch in height.
The ride costs $19 for adults and $13.60 for seniors and children between the ages of six and 12. You can purchase tickets from Visitor Services by the gondolas, which you have to ride up to the mid-mountain lodge where you can hop on one of the vehicles and ride it to the bottom.
