The Experience
Introduction
Lech coaster is a 2017 Sit Down Thrill coaster, previously referred to as a "Bermuda Blitz coaster" at Legendia in Poland. Apart from getting to experience the park for the first time, this was undoubtedly our main draw for coming to this slightly lesser known, regional themepark in Katowice.We had heard a lot about this coaster and it seemed to have a clear shot at getting a top rating but in the end, Lech Coaster never quite reached its full power and there might be several reasons for this
The New Legendia
One thing you will notice when at Legendia is that this park very much feel like two different sides of the same coin, one is old and tired, with some admittedly very interesting classics (like 'Dream Flight Airlines') but also rough looking and sometimes not even operating rides that just sit and rot away. On the other hand, some of the more recent areas and attractions like the indoor area which has their very modern darkride 'Bazyliszek' or the medieval area which houses 'Lech Coaster' are very well done and truly feels like the hope for Legendia's future.Lech coaster sits on the very edge of the central lake, opposite of the park entrance, eagerly tempting guests to traverse the park's oval layout to get to it, and you should because it really is the very best you can experience at Legendia.
Bermuda Blitz
It really is a shame they didn't stick with the Bermuda Blitz name for Lech Coaster's model, because it really does perfectly capture what it's all about: smooth tracking mixed with inversions, intensity and pace. Lech Coaster offers a very exciting layout, starting off with one of the best drops we've gotten to experience so far, perhaps ever so slightly limited by the vest restraints but still truly elite, nonetheless. Thereafter, an exciting layout, consisting of rapid transitions, airtime hills and whippy inversions follows. The ride even features a fun inversion through the station roof and it tracks perfectly smooth. Overall, from what the coaster is trying to do and the layout it sports, it is nearly perfect.
Almost never quite maybe
So with all of these positives, why isn't Lech Coaster topping the global Parkrating ladder as one of our personal favorites? Well, on our first visit and our accompanying rides, Lech Coaster was running uncharacteristically slow, dampening this otherwise elite coaster's strengths while amplifying its weaknesses. Even people who rate it as one of their favorites, agree that it does have some dead spots, unfortunately, on our visit the entire final (which is like a third of the ride) was one giant dead spot. While it did have some decent intensity, it was nowhere near the level we had hear people usher on community boards. Now, Lech Coaster still did have some truly standout moments, especially the first third of the ride, including the first drop, S-hill, airtime hill and corkscrew through the station, was a fantastic sequence of elements. But thereafter, the ride becomes decent and then the final really was a snooze.
The Legendia Woes
We contribute these disappointments more to external circumstances and conditions rather than the design of the ride itself. Lech coaster's layout is fantastic, packing an extremely exciting and thrilling layout into a compact and well realized package. However, due to the lack of people at Legendia, Lech coaster spends a lot of time sitting around in its station, never truly getting to warm up and when you do see it running around, it's often with close to empty trains. On our 4 rides, we were never more than 6 people on the train, and on two of our rides, we were only 3. And thanks to Legendia's frustrating "no direct re-ride" policy, you can't just sit in the train and keep riding, which leads to many people not riding it more than once, maybe twice in a row, despite it just sitting there, ready to ride. Add in the chilly October whether and it really is no surprise that Lech Coaster was running as sluggish as it was. We would love to come back on a warmer day, preferably one that manages to send full trains and actually allow the ride to warm up throughout the day, because there is no doubt that Lech Coaster has the potential to be one of the very best.
Conclusion
Lech Coaster is a great ride that on paper should deliver truly elite rides. However, due to the unfortunate circumstances around our visit, most notably the lack of people and cold weather, this otherwise promising coaster was running very sluggish and did not quite deliver the standout experience we had hoped for. However, it still had one of the best drops we've experienced and plenty of sharp transitions and great airtime moments. It still managed to be a very good coaster and it certainly is the standout attraction at Legendia but we do hope we can re-visit the park on a warmer, more populated day that would do this ride justice.
Gallery
Lech Coaster Gallery
Loading images...
Strengths & Weaknesses
| Insane first drop | |
| Fast paced ride | |
| Some strong whip and airtime | |
| Cold and half empty trains that day | |
| Some dead spots | |
| Sluggish ending |
Information
NameLech Coaster
Year2017
ParkLoading...
ManufacturerVekoma
ModelSit Down Thrill
ScaleHigh Thrill
Ride Count4
Technical Specs
Specifications
Sit DownMegaCustomStation Fly-by
TypeSteel
Length2979,0 ft
Height131,3 ft
Speed59,0 mph
Inversions3
Vert Angle105,0 °
G-Force4,8 G
Duration100 sec