Pigeon Forge in Tennessee is a very popular tourist destination in the Smokey Mountains. There are already five Wiegand Alpine Coasters here. Lisa and Mark Williford have also been running an Alpine Coaster in Rodwy Bear Mountain Adventure in neighbouring Gatlinburg since 2017. New since 2019 is the Rowdy Bear Ridge Adventure Park in the middle of Pigeon Forge - directly across from the TITANIC Museum. In addition to a tubing track, the first Wiegand Suspended Coaster in the US of the "Mystical Hex" type opened here with six TwinSeater gondolas on a 430m long track featuring an interactive laser game.

In mid-March the latest creation from Wiegand opened: the CoasterKart. We thank the Williford couple for their trust and are equally excited about this World Premiere. The riders can now conquer the 620m long, hilly route in the very first CoasterKart with up to 25 mph and determine the speed themselves. Up to 15% inclines and slopes are possible and the course of the route - directly under the "Mystical Hex" - offers not only tunnels but also a steep drop with real rollercoaster feeling as a highlight towards the end. The customer decided that the guests set the speed using a kind of joystick on the safety bar. The 12 vehicles for two people each accelerate using contactless LIM technology with electromagnets under each vehicle.

Not only the first guests were impressed. Owner Mark Williford says, "The CoasterKart brings a new type of interactive experience to the market. Almost like a 'turbo' throttle, the Kart can accelerate without the need for downhill gravity. The coaster is appealing to a wide demographic because the customer can control the speed and accelerate. And with the user control variable, the customers want to ride over and over. The throughput is great as the CoasterKarts accelerate as soon as they leave the station." The second worldwide edition of the new CoasterKart is currently under construction in Wales and will be almost twice as long as the prototype in the USA. More info on the CoasterKart: www.wiegandslide.com/coasterkart-en.html (2021/06/08)