Austria: Mieders alpine-coaster’s downhill descent without brakes
An Austrian alpine-coaster which is located in Mieders offers what is perhaps the most frighteningly fast – and seemingly dangerous – downhill descent.
The single-pipe ride usually provides tourists with a slow, open trek down the mountainside.
But one hardy adventurer recorded video footage of himself hurtling down the steep incline without applying the brakes.
The result is a terrifying downhill plunge in small, open-topped car that appears to teeter on the edge of flying off the rail as it rounds tight bends.
Earlier this year, the world’s steepest roller coaster opened in the shadow of Mount Fuji in Japan.
Riders on the Takabisha plummet 141 feet in a single vertical drop Fuji-Q Highland Amusement Park.
There is little time to enjoy the view of snow-capped mountain as the ride lasts just 112 seconds.
The ride’s designers even called in adjudicators from the Guinness Book of World Records, which ratified that the drop, involving a 121-degree freefall, is the steepest on any attraction anywhere in the world.
Takabisha (“dominant” in English) relies on a combination of gravity and a set of linear motors on the cars. These accelerate the coaster to speeds of 100 kmph.
[youtube JXnrBurYeqk]