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A mountain coaster or alpine coaster is a gravity driven amusement ride with bobsled-like cars on tracks installed on a mountain. It is similar to alpine slides where a low-wheeled sled is used to navigate the track, but instead of running over a smooth concave tracks like the alpine slide, alpine coasters run on rails with up-stop wheels like roller coasters. Thus, an alpine coaster is safer and faster than an alpine slide, as it is prevented from overturning when going too fast on a curve. Tracks are tubular rails, like a steel roller coasters, while some have monorail-type tracks. Unlike a roller coaster, the rider has the capability to control the car's speed with its rider-controlled brake system. Alpine coasters can also operate year-round, even through light rain and snow.〔("Frequently asked Questions" ). Smoky Mountain Alpine Coaster. Retrieved on 2014-07-08.〕 Safety features, speed, tracks and layout vary by manufacturer. Leading makers of mountain coasters (with trade marks in parenthesis) include Wiegand (Alpine Coaster),〔("Alpine Coasters" ). Wiegand Sports USA. Retrieved on 2014-07-24.〕 Brandauer (Summer Toboggan),〔("Summer Toboganning System" ). Brandauer. Retrieved on 2014-07-20.〕 Alpine Products (Alpine Mountain Coaster),〔("Alpine Mountain Coaster" ). Aquatic Group. Retrieved on 2014-07-24.〕 and Erbschloe Fun Construct (Rolba Bob).〔("Rolba Bob" ). Fun Construct. Retrieved on 2014-07-24.〕 , the longest alpine coaster in the world is Tobotronc at Naturlandia in the tiny Principality of Andorra in the Pyrenees Mountains between France and Spain. It is 5.3 km long. The highest alpine coaster in the world is the ''Alpine Coaster'' of Glacier 3000 in Gstaad, Switzerland with the starting elevation of and a length of .〔("Alpine Coaster" ). Glacier 3000. Retrieved on 2014-07-08.〕 ==History== The predecessor to the mountain coaster is the alpine slide, which came out in the 1970s. Wiegand, a German company in Rasdorf, installed the first stainless steel tracks for the alpine slide in 1975 rather than the customary fiberglass or concrete tracks. The company later developed the first mountain coasters in 1997. Josef Wiegand, the owner, envisioned the idea of creating a roller coaster-type ride for ski resorts that would take advantage of the topography of the land, rather than building the structure to create the elevation changes that traditional roller coasters require. The company installed its first coaster under the "Alpine Coaster" trademark in 1997.〔 A contradicting account shows that Brandauer installed its first "Summer Toboggan" in 1996 at the Karkogel Resort in Abtenau, Austria.〔("Alpine Coasters" ). AceOnline. Retrieved on 2014-07-24.〕〔("Referenzen (tab) > 'Österreich' " ). Brandauer. Retrieved on 2014-08-17.〕 In 2007, Alpine Products, one of the largest manufacturer of alpine slides, entered the market with its "Alpine Mountain Coaster". The company is the first maker to add an anti-collision system that detects cars ahead, warns, and stops the cars when needed, among other safety features.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Mountain coaster」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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