Lost Gravity at Walibi Holland is the prototype Mack Big Dipper coaster.
This coaster was Mack’s answer to the Gerstlauer Eurofighter. Lost Gravity feels like the cross
of a Eurofighter and Intamin’s Skyrush. It has both the good and bad elements of those rides.
Let me explain in this review. Gerstlauer debuted the Eurofighter
in 2003 with Vild-Svinet at BonBon-Land. This model became a popular option for smaller parks.
They loved how marketable and thrilling the attraction given its cost and compactness. Other
manufacturers such as Maurer and Zierer started to offer rides with similar characteristics.
Mack joined the party with the Big Dipper model. Compagnie des Alpes acquired Walibi Holland in
2006, yet they wouldn’t add a new coaster to this park for a decade. But they made an impressive and
daring addition with the first Big Dipper in 2016. Named Lost Gravity, the coaster looks striking.
For one, the elements speak for themselves. You have a demonically twisted drop and two
flashy inversions. Two, you have a unique paint scheme. The ride has an
alternating yellow and black paint scheme. The pattern reminds me of a venomous snake.
Third, the theming. This is where Lost Gravity really shines, especially for a thrill coaster.
The ride is themed to Earth’s gravity going haywire. This is a neat theme
that lends itself to creativity. The area feels like a secret military base with the
giant watchtowers and wrecked vehicles. And the coaster’s elements interact with these.
There are timed fire blasts and more impressively, there’s a water jet that shoots upwards towards
the train going through the zero-G roll. It’s one of the coolest effects on any coaster.
Then the queue line has plenty of optical effects too. The main queue passes through giant crates,
but the highlights are this vibrating staircase and a giant room of mirrors. Even those with
Speedy Pass get their own unique entrance. Those guests pass through a school bus. I can’t
say I’ve done that on any other ride before! And you can hear the ride’s custom soundtrack
all through the area. It’s a catchy beat from famous Dutch artist Mr. Polska.
It’s a good thing the queue is entertaining since may encounter a sizable wait for this coaster.
While the small trains are beneficial for maneuverability, they are a detriment to capacity.
Each seats just 8 riders. The ride has 4 cars, but I believe it has run 3 in each
of my visits. The crew dispatches them super quick, especially since there are separate
load and unload platforms, but they can only do so much with trains that seat this few people.
The standby queue can have a 45-60 minute wait most days. Thankfully,
there are two ways to beat the queue. The paid way is the Fast Lane skip-the-line pass.
The free way is the single rider line. As long as you don’t mind splitting up your party, this
has been a total walk-on in my visits. It’s the most efficient way to experience this coaster.
At the end of the line, the employees admit exactly 8 people into the station.
Bags and loose articles go in these clever two-sided lockers.
Each train has its own cubby. It opens and closes as the trains arrive and depart.
The system keeps your belongings safe and minimizes clutter on the load platform.
Seating is first-come, first-served. So if you don’t have any loose articles, you can pick your
row faster. You have two rows of 4. I don’t think front vs. back matters too much on this ride.
The back is slightly better for two elements. What does matter is if you’re on a wing seat.
The trains are set up like Skyrush. Each row has 2 seats in the center over the track and floor. Then
you have two wings on the edges. These seats leave you more exposed and accentuate the laterals. I
especially recommend sitting on the left side if possible. The drop is fantastic on that side.
The restraints are thankfully more comfortable than those on Skyrush. You have a snug,
but comfortable overhead lap bar. It leaves your entire upper-body free to experience
the airtime, hangtime, and laterals. Once dispatched, you turn out of the
station. You then ascend the 105 foot or 32 meter tall lift in a flash. This has to be
one of the fastest chain lifts out there. Lost Gravity wastes no time getting to the top.
And you are thrown over the first drop. It’s super steep and rapidly twists you 180 degrees. Everyone
gets good ejector airtime. If you’re on the left, that airtime is paired with crazy laterals. It
feels completely out-of-control on that side. On the right side, it feels more like the
floor drops out. Still thrilling, but your body isn’t completely tossed about like a ragdoll.
This is followed by a small speed hill. It’s over in an instant,
but it has a powerful burst of ejector airtime. It hits harder than the speed hills on RMCs.
Next is a top hat, which is weird to have this late in a ride.
Everyone gets some laterals from the banking. Everyone gets floater airtime as well,
but it’s more sustained in the back row since you levitate out of your seat going up and down.
This is followed by a large camelback. The apex is super sharp, so it delivers sweet airtime.
The front row gets floater, but those in back get ejector airtime on the descent.
It’s surprising the airtime can differ that much with just a 2 row train, but it does.
You then rise upwards into a turnaround. It gives everyone a great pop of airtime.
You then have a weirdly unbanked turn. You don’t usually see this on a steel coaster.
But you don’t have too much speed, so you only get a pinch of laterals.
You then hit a mid-course brake run and are fortunately trimmed. Wait,
a brake that’s good? In this case, yes. It makes the next element ever better- a dive drop
You crawl through the twist, so you get fantastic hangtime. It’s way better
than what you get on a B&M wing coaster, especially since you have just lap bars.
After being pulled towards the ground, you shoot up into a turnaround.
This gives everyone a solid burst of airtime. The train then twists 180 degrees towards the ground.
And this valley has some deceptively strong positive Gs that’ll glue you to your seat.
You then navigate the zero-G roll. You get another strong dose of hangtime.
And remember that geyser? It messes with your head to see water shoot towards you while inverted.
You lose all sense of direction. Next is another turnaround.
No airtime into this one, but the swooping descent reapplies the positive Gs.
This immediately leads into an s-hill. It’s not taken super quickly, but it
still gives some floater airtime for all. The bunny hill that follows is considerably
better. It delivers a good ejector pop. You then twist 180 degrees into the brake run,
ending the 2230 foot or 680 meter coaster. For a ride with that little track length,
it packs in a lot of elements. The ride feels far longer than that.
While it’s clear I love this coaster’s elements, there is an issue with this coaster.
The smoothness or lack thereof. I heard this coaster was smooth in its opening year,
but it is now a very shaky experience. The train will rattle in most valleys. Then there
are some elements that don’t seem to track quite right. The one that comes
to mind is the zero-G roll that feels jittery. Honestly, this ride’s tracking reminds me of
the Zamperla Thunderbolt coaster I’ve ridden. If you’ve seen my review of the one at Coney
Island, you know I actually like that ride more than most enthusiasts. But I can’t deny Lost
Gravity has a similar shuffle. It was enough to cause a headache after a few rides.
And it doesn’t seem to make much of a difference whether you’re on the
inside or outside. That matters on some rides with wing seats, but not this one.
Remember this was a prototype. I say that because their second Big Dipper coaster in
Dynamite at Freizeitpark Plohn is very smooth. So maybe Mack figured
something out? I hope so for the new one coming to Euorpa Park next year!
So what would I rate Lost Gravity? I would give this coaster an 8.5 out of 10. This layout is
excellent. It has a brilliant mix of airtime, hangtime, and laterals. It’s a dynamic experience
that keeps finding new ways to lift you out of your seat. And that’s paired with some really nice
theming for a ride of this caliber. The one flaw is the rattle. I still enjoy the coaster a lot,
but it does take a toll on me, and not in a good way. If this ride were glossy smooth, it
probably be the park’s second best coaster and a better experience than quite a few hyper coasters,
which is impressive for a ride of this scale. So those are my thoughts on Lost Gravity at
Walibi Holland. What are your thoughts on the original Big Dipper? Are you excited
for the future of this model? Let me know in the comments below. 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!