Italy’s largest family coaster
A little bit of the Arctic has come to the banks of Lake Garda. At 1km and four-minutes-long, Mammut is indeed a mammoth ride. Supplied by Vekoma Rides Manufacturing, it is in fact it’s Italy’s largest family rollercoaster.
More than 500,000 kg of steel were used in the attraction, which covers a total area of 5,000 square metres.Riders experience 16 sudden direction changes as the train twists and turns through sharp curves, three steep climbs and many exhilarating descents.
The inspiration for the ride, which opened in April, is a 1940s excavation site hidden amongst glaciers. An expedition of scientists has come across a preserved frozen mammoth during its excavations at the North Pole and a special train has been constructed in order to transport materials to the discovery site. Now Gardaland guests can climb on board for the arduous but action-packed journey.
There’s also a twist in the tale. In a moment reminiscent of Everest at Disney’s Animal Kingdom (another Vekoma project), the hairy mammoth mysteriously starts to awake from its slumber during the ride.
Planned down to the finest detail, Mammut’s impressive and extensive theming was completed by Gardaland’s own team and features props such as a vintage plane and wartime vehicles, as well as an avalanche worth of fake snow.
Mammut is the anchor attraction of a new area at Gardaland called Polar World, meaning visitors to Italy’s number one park can now experience the thrills and chills of the Arctic along with established areas like Egypt, Old England, the Wild West and Atlantis.
Now part of the Merlin Entertainments group, the park remains open throughout the summer until September 30, and later this month will unveil a second gate in the shape of Italy’s first Sea Life aquarium.
