Monster is the Bolliger & Mabillard inverted roller coaster at Grona Lund. And I still
cannot believe this ride exists. Grona Lund is a small, fully developed amusement park
in Stockholm. Yet they somehow found a way to build a full-fledged invert that only
necessitated the removal of one ride, a flat ride no less. In this video, I’ll explain how
this coaster was even built and review the on-ride experience since it’s quite unique for the genre.
Grona Lund had been eying a B&M invert since the mid-2000s. They wanted to build one an adjacent
parking lot. In 2009, they presented plans to build one along with a 100 meter tall star flyer.
Their goal was to have this open by the 2013 season for the park’s 130th anniversary.
However, things did not go as planned. The approval process faced countless
obstacles and objections. It was clear this would take years to resolve. In fact, it took 13 years.
Grona Lund just got approval to build on that parking lot in July 2022.
Rather than delaying their plans, the park found a way to fit both rides in the pre-existing park.
The park placed an even bigger star flyer in Eclipse atop a building for the 2013 season.
Then they turned their focus to cramming the B&M invert inside the existing boundaries.
This was a bigger challenge. Grona Lund was no stranger to building rides above
existing structures. Gerstlauer built the Vilda Musen in 2003. This wild mouse was placed above
multiple buildings and interacts with the Jetline roller coaster, even sharing some supports!
Vekoma built Kvasten in 2007. This ride went above the midway. To minimize the number of supports
needed, the park built these giant columns with branched supports in each direction. So in a way,
they look like big metal trees. Then in 2011, Gravity Group built Twister. This wood coaster
is intertwined with multiple other coasters and also travels over the Bla Taget ghost train.
So they wanted to take a similar approach with a B&M invert. However,
these are not meant to be compact rides. They have wide track gauges and beefier supports than
the coasters Grona Lund had previously built. In the past, Grona Lund had always built up.
This time they decided to build down. They realized the most practical way to
fit a station and maintenance bay large enough for a B&M invert was to place it underground.
They then would need to mimic the support method of Kvasten to minimize supports.
When Grona Lund approached Bolliger & Mabillard, the Swiss company was skeptical and apprehensive.
It was unlike anything they had done before, but the park convinced them to take the project.
In 2017, the park unveiled their proposed layout. Two things changed from the original rendering.
First, the support structure was changed to the more minimalistic design seen today. Second, the
coaster was originally supposed to have a fourth inversion, a barrel roll above the brake run.
This was eventually changed into a bunny hill. And this ride would fill a major void at Grona
Lund. While the park already had 7 other coasters, none had any true
inversions. The only coaster that could take you upside-down was Insane if the vehicles flipped.
The park hadn’t had a traditional coaster with inversions since the 1990s. And the
park doesn’t have any inverting flats either, so Monster filled a much needed gap at this park.
Construction began in late 2018. The park started by digging the giant hole for the underground
station. There were three complications. First, multiple buildings to be demolished
and redesigned. But amazingly, only one ride had to be removed, the park’s adult bumper cars.
Second, the park is just 40 meters or 130 feet from the Baltic Sea. So the park had to
be very careful digging and blasting rock. But they eventually dug their cavern and fun fact,
they needed 3500 trucks to remove all the rubble since they couldn’t fit large construction
trucks on the narrow Stockholm streets. Third, since the park cares so much about
appearances, they masked the construction site during the 2019 season with a temporary area
themed to a carnival. And they even brought in a temporary ride in Snake.
This was a Funtime Chaos Pendle that now operates at Skara Sommarland, which is owned
by the same parent company as Grona Lund. The coaster was scheduled to open in 2020,
but it was delayed until 2021 due to the covid-19 pandemic.
All the park’s hard-work paid off. This coaster looks fantastic. Grona Lund’s midways already had
a ton of energy, and Monster is the icing on the cake. You’ll see this coaster flipping overhead
and spiraling above pathways. It’s surreal seeing an invert like this zipping between buildings.
It looks particularly sweet at night since the trains have lights affixed to the bottom.
Then you can also see the lift hill emerge from the cave at the start and the brake run heading
back underground. This seems like something you’d see in Planet Coaster, not real life.
And it’s also one of the first coasters you’ll see as you approach Grona Lund. If you arrive
by ferry, this ride’s drop goes right next to the dock. Then once you enter the park,
Monster’s entrance is directly in front of you. But you may not realize this is even the entrance
for a ride unless you’re aware of this coaster’s name. It looks more like the ornate front of a
fancy restaurant, especially since there’s a coffee window to the right of the entrance.
This ride’s queue line is a bit annoying to navigate. It is a lengthy queue spanning
multiple levels. But it is interesting at least. First you have this fancy hallway upstairs.
At the top, you have this oddly concrete room with some videos playing of the ride.
Then you head outdoors on the roof. This gives some sweet views of the coaster running by. Then
you head back indoors, and watch your step! There is a surprise drop off with no warning signs.
Then you have multiple flights of stairs underground into the station. And because
of how it’s set-up, there isn’t a way to skip any of it, even if there’s no one in line.
Since the park built an underground tunnel, they decided to theme the coaster to a subway
station haunted by a monster. And this ride had an incredible
commercial when it opened. It was filmed in the mold of Stranger Things with kids
investigating a closed Grona Lund, only to have a giant monster sprout upwards.
Based on that, I would have expected a decrepit or ravaged station.
Instead, it’s really fancy. You have tiled walls with all these posters hanging.
Then you have lightposts indicating the row you’re queueing for. There’s no theming in the
main portion of the coaster, which is fine since the visuals are plenty exciting on their own.
At least during my visits, Monster was a walk-on for most rows all-day. You just had to wait a
train or two if you wanted the front row. The front was my favorite seat on this coaster
mainly because of the visuals. It’s the spot to be to accentuate all those near-misses.
But definitely try the back as well. It may have a smidge more force and if you visit on
a quiet day like me, you have better odds of being able to stay on the train for a reride.
If you do visit on a busy day, this ride is included on the park’s Jetpass skip-the-line
system. You book a 10 minute window and are sent directly in the station when your time is ready.
Single shots for this coaster cost 120 Krona or roughly $11 US Dollars each.
If you buy your wristband online, the park gives you two complimentary Jetpasses.
I don’t know if these are offered if you buy your pass in person.
I also want to note that Grona Lund will close queues early so the last train goes
out right at park close. So plan accordingly if you want a night ride, which I do recommend.
The lessened light combined with the near-misses amplifies the sense of speed.
Monster runs two trains. Each train has 7 rows of 4, so it holds a max of 28 riders.
This gives it the highest throughput of any coaster at Grona Lund, which probably
contributed to it being a walk-on for me. The crew also checks the trains very quickly.
B&M inverts are easy to check. You have an over-the-shoulder
harness with a secondary but external seatbelt. And it’s interesting Monster has the older style
trains with the hard over-the-shoulder restraints, not the vest restraints seen on Banshee at Kings
Island. I believe this may be for two reasons. One, Grona Lund has been planning an invert for
over a decade. This pre-dates the vest trains that B&M developed for inverts.
Two, I believe the trains with vest restraints have a slightly larger
clearance envelope. That is not ideal when you have limited space to work with like Monster.
And I like the classic invert trains on Monster. While the restraints are hard,
this ride is extremely smooth so you won’t bash into it. There’s also no rattle here,
which can sometimes be an issue on other B&Ms. Once dispatched, you head into a dark tunnel and
slightly turn left. There, you encounter your lift hill. And this has some cool visuals. The
park planted some ivy at the base. Then it’s a fun reveal when you climb out of
that subterranean tunnel and find yourself facing towards the Baltic Sea. The view going over the
first drop is one of the best of any coaster as you have the water directly beneath you.
That drop is quite intense too. You are really pulled down it. It’s a steep twisting plunge
similar to the one found on the other new inverts like the aforementioned Banshee or OzIris at Parc
Asterix. You get a little floater airtime in the back row, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Since the twist doesn’t kick in until you’re halfway down the drop, the entire train is
abruptly turned 180 degrees. It was a much wilder turn than I expected. It’s pretty disorienting.
Your body is thrown sideways, getting solid laterals. Then the pullout piles on
the positive Gs, particularly in the rear rows. I’d start to greyout back there.
Next comes a big zero-G roll over a building. It doesn’t have the whip of an older B&M
invert. Rather, it is graceful and extremely floaty throughout the train, which is fine.
The pullout puts you in this alleyway and then you’re immediately pulled upwards for a junior
Immelmann. I know this technically isn’t an inversion, but it definitely feels like
one on-ride. If you’re riding up front, you are really pushed into it and get subjected
to strong positive Gs. The forces are much milder towards the back though.
This pullout goes over a building with grass on the roof no less…like I said
Grona Lund really cares about appearances. Then you have a corkscrew. The train navigates
it pretty slowly, but it still has an ok snap to it. It’s sort of hard to explain, but it kind
of feels like you’re moving in slow-motion. The following turn has some good force to it.
And your also whiz past a building. Your feet will be mere inches from the wall.
Then you rise upwards into this weird turnaround element. It has a shockingly tight 270 degree turn
at the top. I honestly didn’t know an invert could have a turning radius this tight. The front gets
decent force through the entire element. The back gets their positive Gs on the second half of it.
You then have another zero-G roll. This one takes you over the ride’s entrance.
This one has a bit more oomph than the first. The front gets some laterals as you rotate 360
degrees. The back gets pulled through it while also getting some faint lift.
Next is a forceful turn high above the midway. You narrowly avoid the rooftop biergarten,
charge through a tunnel, and fly over this elevated bunny hill.
While the airtime isn’t too crazy- it’s just weak floater- it’s really neat to
see an element like this on an invert. Usually they’re all about inversions and positive Gs.
The coaster then has one more turn. This one runs right up against the fun house and Jetline
while also offering solid positive Gs. You the hit the brakes, but don’t come to
a complete stop. Rather, you have a slow and controlled drop into the underground tunnel.
It looks really cool off-ride, but it doesn’t really have any sensations on-ride.
This is a controlled descent built purely for function, not thrills.
You then return to the station, ending the 2297 foot or 700 meter long coaster.
I already touched on the smoothness, but what about the pacing? I like the flow of this ride.
It has a really unique layout for an invert, and that’s a product of its weird setting.
The elements are all engaging, whether it be an enjoyable inversion or a forceful turn,
especially since they’re all paired with those near-misses that make the coaster
feel considerably faster than it really is. So what would I rate Monster? I would give
this invert an 8 out of 10. This is a really good coaster. While there are
B&M inverts with bigger and more forceful layouts, Monster does a lot of things well.
It has one of the best drops of any B&M looper. I love that sharp twist. Then the 3 inversions
are enjoyably graceful and the transitions hit you with nice positive Gs to contrast.
And most importantly, you have the incredible visuals start to finish.
These combined with the different layout allow it to standout compared to the other inverts.
I ultimately think this is towards the middle of the pack for B&M inverts. I do prefer quite a few
of the bigger ones with more power, but this ride was simply pure fun and infinitely rerideable.
That is why I think it’s my favorite coaster at Grona Lund.
And it was such a nice fit for this park. They finally have
a true looping coaster and if finally gives Scandinavia their own B&M invert.
So those are my thoughts on Monster at Grona Lund. What are your thoughts on this coaster?
This really is an amazing engineering achievement! Are you as impressed that B&M somehow fit this
ride into this park? Let me know down in the comments. If you enjoyed this review, I’d
appreciate it if you gave this video a like and you considered subscribing since there will be a
lot more roller coaster and amusement park videos here at Canobie Coaster. Thanks for watching!