BY GABRIELLE
The final track section of the Ice Breaker ride at SeaWorld Orlando has been completed and is set to open to visitors in the spring. The Ice Breaker will be Orlando’s first ever launch roller coaster and will also feature Florida’s steepest beyond-vertical drop.
The exciting coaster course stretches over 2,700 feet with the trains reaching speeds of over 50mph. The new ride experience includes four launches with airtime and will accelerate guests forwards and backwards. Florida’s steepest beyond-vertical drop occurs a climb up a near ten-story spike at an angle of 100 degrees.
SeaWorld’s vice president of design and engineering, Brian Andrelczyk, offered some more details about the new ride, saying: “It can run not one, but two trains through the use of a unique, high-speed horizontal track switch.”
Ice Breaker’s launch track will also be extra special because it will have an airtime hill on both sides. “You’re going to get airtime on every hit of that launch,” Andrelczyk added. “That totals to 16 hits of airtime throughout the entire layout! It’s going to be a really exciting ride keeping you out of your seat almost as much as you’re in it.”
The Ice Breaker name is inspired by icy Arctic conditions, and the queue for the ride will offer guests an interactive and educational experience provided by the Alaska SeaLife Centre.