Wodan Timburcoaster, often referred to as just Wodan in English,
is a wooden roller coaster located at Europa Park in Rust, Germany.
The ride, which opened to the public as one of Europe's tallest and fastest wooden coasters,
was the first non-steel roller coaster to be built at the park.
On top of this, the attraction, manufactured by American company Great Coasters International,
became only the second roller coaster at the park not constructed by MACK Rides.
Wodan itself lies within the Iceland section of Europa Park,
nearby the likes of Blue Fire Megacoaster,
and Atlantica SuperSplash.
The ride, which opened to the public on the 31st of March, 2012,
was built at the cost of 10 million euros.
Like many of the attractions at the park,
Wodan is heavily themed.
The ride features a well-established theme of Norse mythology,
which can be seen from the structures around the attraction,
as well as in the detailed story told within its queue line,
and even its name.
The name Wodan is German for the Nordic deity Odin,
while Timbur naturally translates to timber, or wood in Icelandic.
Therefore, in English, the ride's full name reads
A ride on Wodan begins with guests navigating the attraction's plaza.
Riders pass through a large entrance gate flanked by two large vikings.
At this point, guests are said to be in the viking village of Midgard.
Riders then enter the queue line of the attraction,
and begin their journey through five areas of Norse mythology.
At first, guests see Yggdrasil, the world tree that connects the entire cosmos.
They then enter a tunnel,
and pass through the underground dwarf kingdom of Schwarzelfenheim.
Riders navigate back outdoors, to the territory of the goddess Hel,
who is both half dead and half alive.
A large statue of Hel, featuring a working hourglass,
can be found adjacent to the queue line.
Guests then pass through the icy kingdom of Niflheim to the north,
and into the fire realm of Muspelheim to the south.
At this point, riders encounter Níðhöggr,
the serpent-like dragon, which inhabits the world tree, Yggdrasil.
In the final scene, guests experience the giant Mimir,
guarding the Spring of Mimir, located at the foot of Yggdrasil.
Riders' queue line journey comes to and end
at the rainbow bridge, Bifröst,
allowing guests to opt for a front row experience if they desire.
Riders then board one of three Millennium Flyer trains,
each of which seat twenty-four guests arranged in twelve rows of two.
Moments later, they leave the station.
Riders slowly navigate several twists and turns leading to the coaster's lift hill.
Guests climb 40m (131ft), before undergoing a sharp right hand turn
into the attraction's first drop.
Riders plummet down the steep drop,
reaching speeds of up to 100kmh (62mph),
before climbing into an airtime hill.
Guests quickly pass underneath Blue Fire in a 180 degree turn,
then dive down into a short tunnel.
The trains then pass through the station building
and enter a second large airtime hill.
Several turns later, guests pass underneath, and then over the drop of Atlantica SuperSplash,
offering great interaction between the two rides.
The experience Wodan has to offer comes to an end with another brief tunnel,
several pops of floater airtime,
and a graceful turn into the ride's final brake run.
Like all GCI coasters,
guests travel through the attraction's maintenance shed,
before greeting the station building.
In total, the ride experience lasts for approximately forty-five seconds
from the moment the train is released from the chain,
to when it hits the final brake run.
During this time, guests navigate 1,050m (3,445ft) of track,
on what currently remains the tallest and fastest roller coaster
ever constructed by Great Coasters International.
To conclude, Wodan is considered by most to be a fantastic attraction.
The fast paced, fun, and airtime-filled nature of the ride is enjoyed by many,
while the higher-than-usual throughput of 1,250 riders per hour helps to keep queues moving.
On top of this, the detailed theming present throughout the ride area and queue line
helps to solidify the experience as a whole.
In the future, would you like to see a higher number of well-themed wooden coasters
be built around the world?
What's your opinion?
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