Great Bear is probably the weakest of any inverted coaster that Ive ever ridden (that includes SLCs as well). First, the bad: Though it is not a bad coaster, perse, it meanders entirely too much. When this happens, the mind begins to drift as it has become content with the situation that is at hand; all stress has been released. This is how I felt riding GB. There was too much time to rest, so to speak, in between elements. When the initial advertising campaign stressed the "7 different elements", they meant exactly that. There are 7 elements, all of which are transition-less except for two: The first drop and the second before the corkscrew, in which the train banks to the left and quickly shifts into the inversion which flips right. Between each "element" there seemed to be a waiting period, so to speak. On-route back to the station, the train glides at a moderate speed over two quite lengthy (and quite empty) sections which, any way you look at it, are unnecessary and kill the pacing. This coaster is obviously not built for the thrill-seeker...Great Bear really is the "family B&M". Im not surprised, though, as this is, after all, Hersheypark, a park that caters primarily to that clientele. Even with knowing that, does Great Bear still warrant a wait of 1 1/2 to 2 hours like I did? God, No. Now the good: First of all, GB redeemed itself a bit by having an Immelman. This is the first time I have experienced the inversion and it has earned a place right behind the Zero-G roll as my favorite. The weightless feeling after inverting is amazing. I was completely off of my seat and it felt like I was falling out of the sky. Excellent. The beginning helix packed a surprising amount of positive Gs and the drop, though short, twisted to the right slightly and still retained the fall-out-of-the-harness feeling most curved drops have, both pluses. Thats about it for pros. The second half of Great Bear, after the Zero-G roll, was pathetic and anti-climactic. I realize that Hersheypark is crunched for space but after such an appealing start, it disappoints regardless. Ride only if the line is manageable. (Scoring: -1 for pacing, -1 for intensity, -1 for re-ridability)
*UPDATE 6/28/07: After visiting Hersheypark a second time, I left more impressed with Great Bear. Though I still dont believe its the best B&M out there, the elements that seemed like filler the first time helped me to conclude that Great Bear is actually one of B&M best positive-G machines. Every movement was forceful and even the slightest changes in direction seemed exciting (the small turning drop after the zero-g roll gets "Two Thumbs Up!&quot . I also warmed a bit more to the short length and modest size of Great Bear for it does help in maintaining the ride's speed until the bitter end. I can't *forget* that B&M chose to just throw away all that potential but I'll *forgive* after this second go-around. +1 for Great Bear!
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