(Quality Note: This is imported MiniDV footage shot in 2008.)

Vertigo was the first, and only, Mountain Glider built by the Austrian ropeway giant Doppelmayr. Proposed as an attraction to revitalize Ski Resorts in the summer with tracks cascading down a mountain, the prototype was installed curiously on the (very flat) piece of land at Walibi Belgium, a relatively small theme park.

From a technical standpoint the ride was exceptionally fascinating and I was lucky enough that the day I visited, it ran flawlessly and the park was not busy at all. I think we rode it about 25 times, some times without getting off at all.

The lift is of particular interest; the arm on each of the two counterbalanced carriages can swing in and out thanks to a servomotor-driven linear actuator, and the track piece suspended at it's tip can rotate. This is pure magic to watch and the programming and safety in this area alone must have been very interesting to develop.

The Jean Michelle Jarre music playing in the loading station sure helped with the bizarre and futuristic atmosphere that the ride had. :) I feel very lucky to have ridden this one.

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