Alpengeist vs Oblivion
card comparison
| Stat | Alpengeist | Oblivion | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Height | 195 ft | 65 ft | |
| Speed | 67 mph | 68 mph | |
| Inversions | 6 | 0 | |
| Throughputest. | 1820 rph | 1900 rph | |
| Build Costest. | 20 $m | 20 $m | |
| Vintage | 1997 | 1998 |
Vintage is the reversed stat — the older ride wins. Every number here is the same one printed on the card; see /methodology for how Build Cost and Throughput are sourced.
The verdict
Alpengeist shades it 3–2. Close enough that calling the wrong stat hands the round over.
Alpengeist is a steel Inverted Coaster coaster at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, US, built by Bolliger & Mabillard. Oblivion is a steel Dive Coaster coaster at Alton Towers, GB, built by Bolliger & Mabillard.
They come from the same drawing office: Bolliger & Mabillard. That makes the gaps below a question of brief and budget rather than engineering house style.
Both are steel-track, so nothing here is the usual steel-versus-wood argument in disguise.
They are near-contemporaries — 1997 and 1998 — so they were competing for the same riders when they opened.
Stat by stat
- Height goes to Alpengeist at 195 ft against 65 ft — more than double.
- Speed goes to Oblivion at 68 mph against 67 mph — all but dead level.
- Alpengeist inverts 6 times against nothing at all from Oblivion — the widest kind of gap there is on this stat.
- Throughput goes to Oblivion at 1,900 rph against 1,820 rph — ahead by a whisker.
- Build Cost splits them not at all: both read 20 $m.
- Alpengeist (1997) beats Oblivion (1998) to Vintage by a single season.