- [Rob] There's a new way
to make your way down
the North Carolina mountains.
And this one doesn't involve skis,
snowboards or tires.
- [Eric] Our track is 3,160 feet long.
So a little over half a mile,
pretty fast and lots of twists and turns.
Even though it's a quick ride,
people have a great time doing it,
cause it's just,
it's thrilling.
- [Rob] "It" is the Wilderness Run Alpine Coaster
where sleds slide down a set of tracks
built into the side of a mountain
near Banner Elk.
Eric Bechard and his family
opened Wilderness Run in 2020.
- [Eric] We wanted to build something
that was good for the community.
Something that would be fun
to come to work to.
And it is, it's a joy.
It's fun.
It's awesome to hear people laughing
and kids having a great time.
- [Rob] The Alpine in the name
is a nod to where the idea
for the coaster came from.
Eric and his wife saw an Alpine coaster
during their travels in Europe
and dreamed of building
a version here in the states.
- By March 2019,
we were dragging steel up this hill
and putting concrete in
and started constructing
our Wilderness Run Alpine Coaster
here in the mountains of North Carolina.
- [Rob] The tracks are custom designed
for the specific terrain
where the coaster operates.
Accommodating the half mile of track
on the Wilderness Run course comes
with a real benefit.
- [Eric] To be able to squeeze
that amount of track on this
particular piece of property.
We had to put in the 540 circle
and that we have two 360's
and a whole bunch of twists and turns.
- [Rob] It all begins at the bottom
where a ski lift like cable
pulls each sled up more than 200 feet
to the top of the mountain.
- I liked the right at the very top,
the getting ready to go.
It's that build up,
the anticipation.
- [Rob] That was my experience also.
The trip up to the top
is not for the faint of heart,
but the views are incredible.
And I think it's gonna be
a pretty epic ride.
A ride powered by gravity,
which takes over when
the cable releases from each sled
at the top of the mountain.
Whooo!
- [Eric] The speed is,
we're set at around 26, 27 miles an hour.
Give or take.
- One of the nice things about this
is that you actually can
control your own coaster.
You push forward to go faster.
You pull back if you need
to pull the brakes up.
But you are in control
of your own ride.
And that is nice.
- [Eric] Being able to control your own speed,
allows the person to have
a whole different experience
than when you're on a roller coaster.
- [Rob] And that may include
a chance to take in both speed
and scenery.
- [Michael] I definitely like
the wilderness surrounding.
You're kind of in the woods,
off the beaten path.
It's like nothing I've ever done before.
It's not like your big theme park rides.
- [Eric] We ask people not to stop
unless there's an emergency
because there are people
coming around behind them.
There are safety mechanisms designed,
so people don't bump into each other.
- [Rob] A safety feature that helps
make it possible for young rider
to take to the tracks.
- [Anita] If you got a little one,
the little one can ride with the parent
or you know if you got older children,
they get to drive on their own,
enjoy it.
And be able to go to speed they want,
you know as fast as they want.
It's just a really good place for
the you know, a family to share
a time together and have fun.
- [Rob] To help spread crowds evenly,
Wilderness Run ask visitors
to sign up for a check-in time online
before they come to ride.
- [Eric] Most people will get
their three ride bundle
and ride all three rides consecutively.
They just stay on the sleds.
We don't make people get off the sleds
and get back in line.
They can just stay on the sled
and ride all three rides if they choose.
- [Rob] And when those rides are done,
there will soon be another activity available.
Wilderness Run is building
an adventure course next door
to the coaster.
- It's very fulfilling,
to know that we built something
that people will enjoy.
We want people, families,
individuals, couples
to come up here and enjoy
the mountains more than once.
There are a lot of wonderful things
to do in this part of North Carolina.
- [Deborah] The wilderness Run Alpine Coaster
is at 3265 Tynecastle Hwy in Banner Elk.
And it's open every day.
For more information,
visit their website at
wildernessrunalpinecoaster.com