Mystic

Mystic is a steel roller coaster at Walibi Rhône-Alpes in Les Avenières, France. Manufactured by German ride builder Gerstlauer, it is an Infinity Coaster developed as the headline attraction for the park's 40th-anniversary season in 2019. The attraction formed part of a planned decade-long investment program valued at €25 million, following the opening of the Timber wooden coaster in 2016 and the development of the Festival City area. The project was agreed between Compagnie des Alpes, the owner of the Walibi parks, and Gerstlauer during the IAAPA Expo in November 2017. Walibi Rhône-Alpes announced the future attraction in December of that year, initially without disclosing its name. Construction began in September 2018 after the removal of the Bamba and QWUADS attractions. The name Mystic was confirmed on December 24, 2018. Track and supports arrived in early 2019, the two trains reached the park in April, and testing followed later that month. After a soft opening on May 25, Mystic officially opened on May 30, 2019. The ride has a physical track length of approximately 460 metres and reaches a maximum height of 31 metres and a top speed of 85 kilometres per hour. Because the train travels through a section of the layout in reverse, the advertised total ride distance is approximately 575 metres. Its layout includes a vertical lift hill, a curved 73-degree first drop, a top-hat element, a zero-gravity roll, a dive loop, a 90-degree banked airtime hill and a twisted rollback spike. The spike sends riders backward and upside down above park pathways, making it a distinctive feature of the attraction. Mystic operates as a shuttle coaster. It uses two trains, each consisting of three cars with one four-person row per car, for a capacity of 12 riders per train. One train can load while the other is on the course, and a switch track and turntable return the train to the station. The design drew on the concept of the Switchback wooden shuttle coaster at ZDT's Amusement Park in Texas, while the twisted rollback spike was also associated with the design language of The Flash: Vertical Velocity at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom. Gerstlauer classifies Mystic as an Infinity Coaster, a model related to the manufacturer's Euro-Fighter technology but adapted for longer trains and more elaborate layouts. The attraction is located in Festival City, an area with a New Orleans-inspired setting. Mystic's narrative and visual treatment use Louisiana voodoo imagery and center on the sinister fictional figure Dr. Mystic. Concept designer Fabien Manuel developed the attraction's theming and art direction, while the German production company IMAscore created its background soundtrack. Mystic therefore combines a compact high-intensity shuttle layout with a strong story environment, making it both a signature ride and a thematic anchor for Walibi Rhône-Alpes.

Mystic was conceived as a major capital project for Walibi Rhône-Alpes, a French amusement park operated within the Walibi group and owned by Compagnie des Alpes. The project was formalized during the IAAPA Expo in November 2017, when Compagnie des Alpes and Gerstlauer agreed on a new coaster concept. Walibi Rhône-Alpes announced the future attraction on December 8, 2017, presenting it as a key element of the park's 40th-anniversary celebrations in 2019. The ride was also part of a ten-year investment program for the park, reported at €25 million, which had begun with the Timber wooden coaster in 2016. The coaster was planned for the southwest portion of the park, within a new area named Festival City. Three Zamperla attractions had been scheduled for the area for 2018, while the new coaster would become its principal later addition. Site work and construction began around September 3, 2018. The project required the removal of the Bamba Mack Rides Calypso and the QWUADS electric go-kart attraction. Footers began to be drilled in December 2018, and the park progressively released artwork and animated views of the developing layout. The attraction's name, Mystic, was officially confirmed on December 24, 2018. Track and support installation proceeded through the winter and spring of 2019. Gerstlauer supplied two trains, which arrived at the park on April 12. Testing started later in April, followed by a soft opening on May 25 and the official public opening on May 30, 2019. Mystic is a Gerstlauer Infinity Coaster with a physical track length of approximately 460 metres, a maximum height of 31 metres and a top speed of 85 kilometres per hour. Its shuttle configuration means that the train traverses part of the course backward, producing an advertised total travel distance of about 575 metres. The ride begins with a vertical lift and a 73-degree curved drop, then proceeds through a top hat, zero-gravity roll and dive loop before entering a switch-track section. Its later elements include a heavily banked airtime hill and a twisted rollback spike that carries riders upside down before reversing the train through part of the layout. The design was influenced by the Switchback wooden shuttle coaster at ZDT's Amusement Park in Seguin, Texas. Gerstlauer also identified the twisted rollback spike as drawing on the type of element associated with The Flash: Vertical Velocity at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom. Mystic uses two three-car trains, each with a single four-person row per car. A switch track, brake run and turntable allow the ride system to return trains to the station while maintaining a two-train operating pattern. The experience is integrated into Festival City's New Orleans-inspired environment. Mystic uses Louisiana voodoo as its central theme, presenting riders with the fictional and sinister Dr. Mystic. Fabien Manuel designed the attraction's concept and visual direction, while IMAscore produced the background music. The finished attraction combines a technical shuttle-coaster format with a narrative setting intended to distinguish it from a conventional steel coaster.

• 2019

  Trains delivered and testing begins

  [1]Mystic (roller coaster)en.wikipedia.org

  The two ride trains arrived on April 12, with testing beginning later that month.

• 2019

  Official opening

  [1]Mystic (roller coaster)en.wikipedia.org

  Mystic soft-opened on May 25 and officially opened on May 30.

• 2018

  Construction begins

  [1]Mystic (roller coaster)en.wikipedia.org

  Site preparation and construction started in September, with existing attractions removed to accommodate the project.

• 2018

  Mystic name confirmed

  [1]Mystic (roller coaster)en.wikipedia.org

  The attraction's name was publicly confirmed on December 24.

• 2017

  Gerstlauer project agreement

  [1]Mystic (roller coaster)en.wikipedia.org

  Compagnie des Alpes and Gerstlauer agreed on a new Walibi Rhône-Alpes coaster project at the IAAPA Expo in November.

• 2017

  Project announced

  [1]Mystic (roller coaster)en.wikipedia.org

  Walibi Rhône-Alpes announced an unnamed coaster for its 40th anniversary season and linked it to the park's long-term investment program.

A signature, high-intensity themed shuttle coaster combining Gerstlauer Infinity Coaster technology with Louisiana voodoo-inspired storytelling and Festival City theming.

• Steel shuttle roller coaster · 2019

  Mystic

  A Gerstlauer Infinity Coaster at Walibi Rhône-Alpes. Mystic has a 31-metre maximum height, an 85-kilometre-per-hour top speed and a physical track length of approximately 460 metres. Its shuttle operation increases the advertised traveled distance to about 575 metres. The layout includes a vertical lift, curved first drop, top hat, zero-gravity roll, dive loop, banked airtime hill and twisted rollback spike. It operates with two 12-seat trains and is themed around Louisiana voodoo and the fictional Dr. Mystic.

• 2019

  Opening of MysticProduct launch

  Background

  The completed coaster was prepared for the park's 40th-anniversary season.

  Action taken

  Walibi Rhône-Alpes soft-opened Mystic on May 25 and officially opened it on May 30.

  Aftermath

  Mystic became a principal attraction in the park's Festival City area.

  Source

• 2017

  Commissioning of a new anniversary coasterProduct launch

  Background

  Walibi Rhône-Alpes sought a headline attraction for its 40th anniversary and as part of a broader ten-year park investment program.

  Action taken

  Compagnie des Alpes and Gerstlauer agreed to develop a new coaster, later named Mystic.

  Aftermath

  The project became the central attraction for the Festival City expansion and opened in 2019.

  Source

• 2019

  Mystic opens at Walibi Rhône-Alpes[1]Mystic (roller coaster)en.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  The coaster soft-opened on May 25 and held its official grand opening on May 30, becoming the headline ride for the park's 40th anniversary season.

• 2018

  Construction begins on the Mystic project[1]Mystic (roller coaster)en.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  Construction and site preparation began in September 2018, including the removal of existing attractions to make room for the new coaster in the park's southwest area.

• 2018

  The new coaster is named Mystic[1]Mystic (roller coaster)en.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  Walibi Rhône-Alpes confirmed the attraction's name, Mystic, on December 24 after months of construction updates and concept-art releases.

• 2017

  Walibi Rhône-Alpes announces a new coaster for its 40th anniversary[1]Mystic (roller coaster)en.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  Compagnie des Alpes and Walibi Rhône-Alpes announced plans for a major unnamed coaster to open in 2019 as part of the park's anniversary program and broader investment plan.

1. 1Mystic (roller coaster)en.wikipedia.org