Montaña Rusa (Parque del Café)

For other uses, see Montaña Rusa.

Montaña Rusa is a roller coaster in Colombia. It has been in operation since 1973, except while being moved from 1997 to 1999, and has a capacity of 1,174 riders per hour.^[1]

Montaña Rusa
Parque del Café
Coordinates	4°32′10″N 75°46′05″W / 4.536°N 75.768°W / 4.536; -75.768
Status	Operating
Opening date	1999; 24 years ago (1999)
Worlds of Fun
Name	Zambezi Zinger
Park section	Africa
Coordinates	39°10′38.4″N 94°29′20.5″W / 39.177333°N 94.489028°W / 39.177333; -94.489028
Status	Removed
Opening date	May 26, 1973; 50 years ago (1973-05-26)
Closing date	1997; 26 years ago (1997)
Zambezi Zinger at Worlds of Fun at RCDB
General statistics
Type	Steel
Manufacturer	Anton Schwarzkopf
Designer	Werner Stengel
Model	Speed Racer / Extended Jumbo Jet
Lift/launch system	Electric Spiral Lift
Height	56.9 ft (17.3 m)
Length	2,583 ft (787 m)
Speed	41.2 mph (66.3 km/h)
Inversions	0
Duration	2:31
Max vertical angle	50°
Capacity	1,174 riders per hour
G-force	2.1
Montaña Rusa at RCDB

History

At Worlds of Fun (1973–1997)

The ride originally opened as Zambezi Zinger in 1973, and operated for 25 seasons at Worlds of Fun, in Kansas City, Missouri.^[1] At the time, it was the longest-standing coaster in the park's history (overtaken in 2014 by the Timber Wolf).^{[citation needed]}

At Parque del Café (1999–present)

Between 1997 and 1999, it was moved to Parque del Café in Montenegro, Quindio, Colombia and officially renamed Montaña Rusa (English: Russian Mountain) – however commonly called "La Broca" or "the drillbit". The name comes from the 1700s–1800s in St. Petersburg, Russia, where some of the earliest-known "roller coaster" experiences were called "Russian Mountains". After gaining popularity throughout Europe, French amusement parks would build their own versions, calling them "les montagnes russes".

Originally debuting in 1999 as Parque del Café's first roller coaster, this 1,050-metre long coaster became the longest in Colombia.^[2] It is one of only two Schwarzkopf Speed Racer models still in operation today—the other being Whizzer at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois.^{[citation needed]}

New version at Worlds of Fun

Main article: Zambezi Zinger (2023)

In 2022, Worlds of Fun announced a new hybrid roller coaster for the 2023 season, inspired by and also named Zambezi Zinger.^[3][4] However, construction delays prevented the replacement coaster from opening at the start of the park's season in April.^[5] The opening was announced to be on May 25, 2023, for season passholders, and on May 26, 2023, to the general public. However, Zambezi Zinger was delayed due to additional testing requirements. Instead, the coaster had a soft opening on June 10, 2023, the Big Slick First Rider event on June 16, 2023, the season passholder event on June 17 and 18, 2023, and fully opened on June 19, 2023.^[6]

See also

• List of closed rides and attractions § Worlds of Fun

References

1. "Montaña Rusa - Parque Del Café (Montenegro, Quindio, Colombia)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
2. Conrado, Angélica (12 September 2013). "Una maravilla en el eje cafetero, 'Parque del café'". El Heraldo. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
3. "Zambezi Zinger - Worlds of Fun (Kansas City, Missouri, United States)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
4. "Zambezi Zinger". WorldsOfFun.com. Cedar Fair. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
5. Schmidt, Heidi (30 March 2023). "Zambezi Zinger Will not Be Ready for Worlds of Fun Opening". Fox4KC.com. WDAF-TV. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
6. Savage, Sydnie (11 May 2023). "Worlds of Fun Announces Opening Date for New Zambezi Zinger Roller Coaster". Fox4KC.com. WDAF-TV. Retrieved 13 May 2023.

External links

• Video of Zambezi Zinger on YouTube
• Video of Montaña Rusa on YouTube