Maggie Valley, N.C. – The world’s only roller coaster that is literally located on the side of a mountain, the Cliffhanger, is now open at Ghost Town in the Sky, Western North Carolina’s mountain top theme park and family destination.
“There's no other coaster like it in the world. It’s the only coaster that starts downhill and located literally on the side of Buck Mountain with top speeds of 56 miles per hour!” exclaims Steve Shiver, President and CEO of Ghost Town.
The NC Department of Labor’s Elevator and Amusement Devise Bureau Chief Jonathon Brooks and Tommy Petty, also with the Bureau, have been onsite since Monday going through the final commissioning process and gave the “thumbs up” this afternoon.
Safety has been Ghost Town's first priority
The Cliffhanger has had several opening delays since the park’s new ownership group re-opened the park in May of 2007. Originally known as the Red Devil, the Cliffhanger is much improved since it was originally built over twenty years ago.
Former Bureau Chief of the Department of Labor’s Elevator and Amusement Device Bureau Clyde Wagner has been helping Ghost Town go through the inspection process for the past several months. “Safety is paramount,” explained Wagner. “Ghost Town has had a great safety record and they’ve wanted to keep it that way. There have been improvements in coaster’s safety standards, parts and materials.”
The Cliffhanger also boasts a magnetic brake system to assist the existing air brakes and to improve rider comfort.
The Cliffhanger is a One-Of-A-Kind Roller Coaster
Although there are trains (what is on the track that holds the guests) could have been purchased with standard seat configurations, Ghost Town’s roller coaster features all new components and a completely new, one-of-a-kind train that has open-air cars and custom seats. The new train does not use standard over-the-shoulder harnesses. The new seats have ergonomic padded lap bars and retractable seatbelts which were specially engineered and manufactured for the coaster. There is not a train on a roller coaster like it in the world.
Aside from the train, the Cliffhanger is so unique because the station (where guests enter and exit the ride) is built higher than the loop. Riders experience the loop within 7 seconds of beginning the ride.
Because many people who visited the park in the sixties, seventies, eighties and nineties now have children and grandchildren of their own, Ghost Town has a multi-generational appeal. People who visited the park as a child in the past want to relive childhood memories. Young children today like Ghost Town for the cowboys and rides. People who’ve never visited before enjoy the entertainment, rides and views. With the opening of the Cliffhanger, Ghost Town will now be more appealing to teenagers and thrill-seekers.
Ghost town in the Sky offers daily top-notch family entertainment, spectacular views of the Great Smoky Mountains and valley below, a variety of food and shopping, and the day starts at Ghost Town by taking a ride on one of North Carolina’s longest and steepest chairlifts that takes riders to the first level of the theme park.
Daily admission tickets and season passes are now available online at www.ghosttowninthesky.com.
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Contact
Julie Dion
(904) 249-9784
juliedion@comcast.net
