Lakemont Park

Visited: July 22, 2023

Attending: Just Brian

As I’ve done in years past, I attended THAT Conference in Wisconsin in the summer. This year it was slightly earlier, late July instead of early August, but it still requires a two-day drive to get there. And because I’m more or less doing my own planning, and my employer doesn’t care, I fit in a lot of coastering. Lakemont Park is in Altoona, PA, which is close enough that I feel like I should have gone before now, but it’s also far enough away that it takes a dedicated trip to get there, which didn’t seem worth it for what the park is. But if I had to drive all the way west anyway, I could make it work, so I did. I left my house late enough to get to Lakemont around noon, which I knew would complicate any plans I had for the rest of the day, but more about that later.

I’m not really sure what I was expecting, maybe a run-down old park like West Point, or that place Carole’s company picnic has been held in the past, but this wasn’t that. It was quite nice, part of a complex with a minor-league baseball stadium and some other indoor venues. I had no trouble finding parking near the entrance, and there wasn’t much in the way of crowds. Most of the people there were using the picnic venues for birthday parties and such. There’s a couple of miniature golf courses, playing fields, some food venues, go-karts, and two roller coasters (plus one kiddie). It all looked surprisingly well maintained, and I get the feeling the park actually does OK as a community attraction. Unfortunately, I’d been warned by a Buzzed Bars member that the coasters weren’t open, but I tried anyway.

Leap the Dips

Once I got inside the park, it was fairly easy to spot Leap the Dips and the Skyliner, and equally clear that neither was running. I wandered over to Skyliner first, because it was closer, and it had a “closed for maintenance” sign and everything. So I walked down to where Leap the Dips is, intended to take some photos. I noticed a worker actively doing something on the track, so I figured that was that. A woman was there with her kids, and she was telling them about the history of the coaster, so it’s not like I was the only one being nerdy. We both looked around what I guess would be the queuing area, just off the platform. While we were doing that, the worker came over and said that if we’d give him half an hour, he’d probably have the coaster up and running. That was a very pleasant surprise, so I decided that I would hang around. The nearby burger place wasn’t half bad, if a bit slow, but it was cheap.

After a while, I went back and sat on a bench in the queuing area, and I saw several workers examining the ride, and they agreed it was OK to run. One-train ops, which on this means one-car ops, but since there wasn’t a line, that was no big deal. I purchased a ticket for all of $3, and it’s a nice commemorative ticket too. When I got back, the ride op was explaining to some pre-teens that the ride works better the more weight there is in the car. The kids saw me, and immediately asked if I would ride with them, which I found very amusing. I agreed, and sat in the back, pretty much at random. I immediately noticed that there’s not only no seat belts of any kind, the bar that I assumed was a rudimentary buzz bar is actually fixed in place, and just there to grab onto if you want.

As we went up the lift, I was amused by the anti-rollback devices to either side. It’s the same principle as modern anti-rollbacks, just much, much larger, more spread out, and made of wood. I suspect they’d work just fine, though. The ride is a series of figure-8s with a gradual slope, and a “dip” at each level where the track crosses over itself. The first thing I noticed is that the car took the first turnaround at a decent clip, surprising, given that there’s no safety measures at all. I was expecting to sit casually in the car with my arms draped on the side, but that first dip was no joke, and I found myself grabbing for the bar. Not that I necessarily thought I’d be thrown out, but I felt myself come off the seat, and I’m pretty sure I felt the wheels leave the track on the uphill. That’s not a feeling I associate with roller coasters, so it was certainly unique. The dip is the only element this thing has, unless you count the 180-degree turns, so it was fun that they were repeated several times, so you could really enjoy them. The last ground-level dip seems to be a bit larger than the rest, and it’s followed by a double-dip on the way back to the station. With the complete lack of restraints, I’d have to say it was a bit thrilling, much to my surprise.

The ride op seemed to think that the back seat was inferior, and offered to let me go around again, from the front. When I said I’d only paid for the one ride, he said it was fine, because I was providing a service by adding ballast to the cars. Not completely sure how I feel about that, but I’ll take it in the spirit it was intended. So I got to go around again, this time with some older teens. Amusingly, they reacted as though it were a newer, more thrilling coaster, which I thought was great. Some of my favorite coaster rides are the ones where I can’t help but laugh all the way through them, and this was definitely that. On top of everything, it was a gorgeous day for coaster riding, cooler than usual for late July. I’d hoped that Skyliner would be running so I could make Leap the Dips my #200 credit, but it didn’t work out. Still, I’m really glad I made the time. Not sure when I’d go back, but if the opportunity presents itself, I definitely will.