Great Bear

Great_Bear_(Drop).jpg
Great Bear is a roller coaster located at Hersheypark, Hershey, Pennsylvania. It was built by Bolliger & Mabillard during the winter of 1997 and opened for the 1998 season. Because of the coaster's unique custom design, as well as other factors including the terrain, Spring Creek, and proximity of noted attractions such as the SooperDooperLooper, the coaster was one of B&M's most difficult installations. Also, due to the lack of sand in the supports, the coaster makes a loud roaring sound like a bear.

Hershey Park was not allowed to have supports built into Spring Creek, resulting in unusual support designs not often seen on Bolliger & Mabillard coasters.

In October, when Hersheypark is decorated in a Halloween theme (Hersheypark in the Dark), the Great Bear is dubbed the Great Scare.

Ride Experience
Riders exit the station and climb a 90-foot (27 m) hill. Unique to Great Bear, there is a helix immediately after the lift, swinging riders around in

to the 124-foot (38 m) drop into Comet Hollow. After the drop, train enters a loop, followed immediately by an Immelmann loop, and then going into azero-g roll. Riders continue through Comet Hollow over midway areas, making a sharp turn over Spring Creek. After a short straightaway, the train goes into a corkscrew, and then



up a hill with two wide turns. Riders are then photographed by the on-ride cameras directly before the brake run. After the brake-run, riders return to the station. The Great Bear was the first inverted looping coaster in Pennsylvania.