With the nearest major amusement parks at more than six hours' drive away, the teeth-grinding terror, clavicle-crushing foam bars and 48-inch height requirements of roller coasters have been merely daydreams for most New Mexicans.
But that's about to change.
In June, Cliff's Amusement Park will take a first step towards shedding its kiddie-park image with the opening of the state's first custom roller coaster. The as yet unnamed wooden track coaster will whip riders along 2,750 feet of track, reaching speeds of nearly 50 miles per hour and heights of 69 feet. The single train's 24 passengers will also travel through a tunnel just before they are returned to the loading station at the end of the 75-second ride.
Cliff's co-owner Gary Hays said the $2 million coaster is intended to help lure an older audience to the Northeast Heights park.
"We've been kind of a kiddie, family park for years, and we've missed out on a particular segment - 18-35-year-old singles, as well as tourists," he said. "This will tap into that market."
Ohio-based coaster manufacturer Custom Coasters International, Inc. has been at work on the ride since last week. The company is known for building space-saving steel roller coasters with wooden tracks. Many coaster purists consider old-fashioned wooden coasters superior to their rigid, steel-tracked brethren. Hays says the new Cliff's ride will satisfy enthusiasts' needs, while saving space with a low-profile superstructure that sidesteps existing rides in the park.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
"The wood track gives you more of the old wood feel, it creates more thrill," he said, adding that weather and age will make each ride different.
According to Hays' wife, Linda, whose father, Clifford Hammond, opened the park in 1959, Custom Coasters has built eight of the top ten wooden track coasters in the world. One claim to fame is the world-renowned - though since outdone - "The Beast" coaster, built in 1979 at Paramount's King's Island, near Cincinnati, Ohio.
Cliff's new coaster won't break any records, but Hays says he hopes it will raise the profile of the small, 50-ride park.
"We're not after the highest, fastest, most gut-wrenching coaster in the world - there is a money issue - we just want enough thrill to get you back on it," he said, adding, "but I hope enthusiasts think it's a top-10er."
Hays said he and his wife had been thinking about building a large, custom coaster for about 10 years. The park's current roller coaster, "The Galaxy," was built in 1977.
"It's exciting enough for the little guys, but not a lot of thrill for the thrill-seekers," he said.
Cliff's added a water flume ride in 1985.
But this coaster, he says, will be a major change for the park.
"When you take this kind of leap, it always pushes you to the next level," he said. "You have to go by your market - they've been asking for years when we were going to get a big coaster."
He calls the process of putting together the plan, as well as operating the park around the construction when it opens in April, "a logistical nightmare."
"Mayor (Martin) Chavez played an important part in the coaster planning by helping Cliff's obtain proper permits so the new coaster could be built in time to help boost tourism in Albuquerque over the 2002 season," he said.
Hays says the park will begin marketing more aggressively to tourists. The city of Albuquerque's Web site recently added a link to the park.
He said the park's $16.95 admission will likely increase to help offset the cost of the coaster.
"Any time you have an investment of this size, you have to do that," he said. "We'll still be less than $20."
To celebrate the coaster's June 21 debut, the park is holding a contest to give the ride a name. Participating Wendy's restaurants will have contest entry forms and drop boxes, and participants can also mail entries on a postcard to Coaster Contest, in care of Cliff's Amusement Park, 4800 Osuna NE, Albuquerque, 87109. They can also e-mail suggestions to info@cliffsamusementpark.com.
The winner will receive a 2002 season pass to the park, and will be invited to the coaster's opening.
