Olympia Looping, also known as Munich Looping, is a portable steel roller coaster owned and operated by R. Barth und Sohn Schaustellerbetriebe KG.[1] The ride was designed by Anton Schwarzkopf and Werner Stengel, and built by BHS. It is the largest portable roller coaster in the world, and the only one with five inversions. It appears at many carnivals in Germany, most notably Oktoberfest, where it made its debut in 1989.

Olympia Looping
Full layout at night
Oktoberfest
LocationOktoberfest
Coordinates48°07′52″N 11°32′56″E / 48.131°N 11.549°E / 48.131; 11.549
StatusOperating
Opening dateSeptember 17, 1989
General statistics
TypeSteel
ManufacturerBHS
DesignerAnton Schwarzkopf, Werner Stengel
Lift/launch systemDrive tire lift hill
Height110 ft (34 m)
Drop99 ft (30 m)
Length4,101 ft (1,250 m)
Speed52 mph (84 km/h)
Inversions5
Duration1:45
Max vertical angle52°
G-force5.2
Height restriction130–195 cm (4 ft 3 in – 6 ft 5 in)
Trains5 trains with 7 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 28 riders per train.
Olympia Looping at RCDB

It is named for its five vertical loops, which resemble the Olympic rings. Although they are clothoid-shaped, their shape is closer to circular than the ones on most other roller coasters, so they exert unusually high g-forces on the passengers (up to 5.2 g[2]). The entire structure weighs 900 tons and requires a space 85 m wide by 36 m deep. The ride usually runs with five cars per train, though at events such as Oktoberfest and Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park, London, it runs with seven to increase throughput in busy periods.

Name

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The ride is almost always known as Olympia Looping in reference to its loops being painted to match those of the Olympic rings. However, there are two exceptions to this:

When being designed, the ride was known as Fünfer Looping (Five Loops), continuing a sequence of travelling Schwarzkopf rides that previously included Doppel Looping and Dreier Looping (Double Loop and Triple Loop). This name is occasionally used in trade literature.

Since 2016, the ride has appeared at London's Hyde Park Winter Wonderland event. In order to avoid reference to the Olympics (as the 2012 Summer Olympics was held in the city), and to fit in with the Bavarian theme of other sections of the event, the ride appears under the name Munich Looping although branding on the ride itself uses the German München Looping.[3]

Incidents

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On September 27, 2008, a driving motor failed on the ride, stranding over 20 Oktoberfest attendees at the top of the first hill. They were freed with the help of the Munich Fire Department.[4]

On the 20th December, 2021, whilst the Olympia Looping was stationed in Winter Wonderland, a power cut caused the ride to come to a halt on the first hill, with riders having to exit the rollercoaster by walking down the trusses.[5]

On the 29th March, 2022, while the Olympia Looping was stationed at the Wurstelprater in Vienna, Austria, an employee was killed in a collision with one of the trains while accessing a restricted area.[6]

On the 16th September, 2024, while the Olympia Looping was being commissioned at Oktoberfest, another employee was fatally struck by a train.[7]

Awards

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Olympia Looping's full layout

The ride was ranked in the Steel Roller Coasters Poll 11 Year Results Table awards from 1999 to 2010. Below is the table of the rankings of the traveling roller coaster.

Mitch Hawker's Best Roller Coaster Poll: Best Steel-Tracked Roller Coaster
Year 1999 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Ranking
14[8]
16[8]
43[8]
48[8]
68[8]
56[8]
37[8]
53[8]
46[8]
83[8]
57[8]

References

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  1. ^ "Olympia Looping – the worlds largest transportable rollercoaster".
  2. ^ "Olympia Looping homepage (in German)". Retrieved 2007-09-10.
  3. ^ "Rides and Games". Hyde Park Winter Wonderland. Retrieved 2018-12-08.
  4. ^ "Olympia-Looping: Noteinsatz in 30 Metern Höhe". tz-online.de. 14 February 2010.
  5. ^ "Winter Wonderland power cut shuts Looping Munich rollercoaster". BBC News. 20 December 2021.
  6. ^ "Achterbahnunfall: Tote in Gefahrenbereich". Wien-News (in German). 30 March 2022.
  7. ^ "Germany: Worker killed in Oktoberfest roller coaster test". www.dw.com. 16 September 2024.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Best Steel Roller Coaster Poll 11 year results table". BestRollerCoasterPoll.com. Retrieved October 1, 2012.