OzIris is a steel roller coaster located at Parc Astérix, in France.
Like many of the attractions at park, the ride is themed around the adventures of the
popular comic book character Astérix.
In particular, the rides storyline directly derives from the animated film “The Twelve
Tasks of Astérix”, in which the lead character encounters Iris, an infamous Egyptian Sorcerer.
OzIris, as an attraction, opened to the public on the 7th of April, 2012.
The ride, which was manufactured by Swiss company Bolliger and Mabillard, is the well
known inverted roller coaster model.
To immerse guests within the rides storyline, a new area, named the Land of Egypt, was constructed
at the park alongside OzIris.
Together, the large investment greatly expanded Parc Asterix, attracting a multitude of new
visitors.
The new ride as a whole was built at the cost of 20 million euros; 8 million of which was
spent creating the new themed area.
As guests walk up to the ride, they are greeted by a multitude of Egyptian style theming.
An obelisk lies in the centre of the area, in front of the large temple of Iris.
Sand lies beneath the rides track, further adding to the immersive nature of the experience.
Guests enter queue line through an archway, located beneath the coasters singular vertical
loop.
Statues of the Egyptian gods are embedded within the walls of the archway, guiding riders
to the sandy oasis beneath the coaster’s layout.
After navigating part of the queue line, guests enter the temple building and traverse through
4 themed rooms.
The first of which is the impossible stair illusion, while the second depicts the various
spells Iris, the sorcerer, has created.
The 3rd room takes guests through Iris’ laboratory, full of various potions and equipment.
While the final room is the ride’s station.
By this point, guests are said to have become hypnotised by Iris, causing them to follow
his every command.
Once visitors board the trains, which seat a total of 32 riders, in 8 rows of 4; they
are cast with a spell.
Iris turns the riders into birds, allowing them to experience the sensation at flight.
At this point, the trains of the ride are dispatched, and guests begin to climb the
lift hill.
Riders reach the maximum height of 35m (115ft), before plummeting down a leftward banked drop.
Interestingly, OzIris became the first B&M inverted coaster to not feature the classic
pre-drop, instead opting for an instant steep descent.
After guests navigate the initial drop, they enter the ride’s first inversion, a dive
loop.
This is followed by a steep right hand overbanked turn, which leads riders into the 2nd inversion,
a vertical loop.
The trains quickly pass through a small tunnel, before navigating an Immelmann.
This is gracefully followed by a right hand turn, and a quick drop into a tunnel that
lies within the water, directly in front of the Egyptian temple.
Riders exit the tunnel directly into a Zero-G Roll, followed by an upwards helix.
The ride experience ends with a second Zero-G roll, as well as a series of gradual turns,
leading guests into the final brake run.
Throughout the graceful flight, riders navigate 1000m (3280ft) of track, reaching speeds of
up to 90kmh (56mph).
The full experience lasts for a total of 54 seconds, measured from the first drop, to
the ride’s final brake run.
OzIris, as a pure ride, is often stated to be one of the less intense Bolliger and Mabillard
inverted coasters.
However, the rides unique layout, and fantastic theme, provide guests with a overall experience
that surpasses most of its counterparts.
On top of this, the ride’s high throughput of 1600 riders per hour, drastically increased
overall capacity of Parc Asterix.
Would you like to see a similar, unique, large scale addition at your local park?
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