There aren’t many free admission parks in the United States. Knoebels is one of these few, and it’s quite the awesome park. With four roller coaster creds to obtain, it’s a thrill seekers fantasy. Their newest coaster, Impulse, is a fantastic addition to the lineup of rides.
I was able to get three rides on Impulse during my visit to Knoebles. And while I’m quite the coaster enthusiast, I literally got sick after riding it my third time. I’m not exactly sure what the reasoning was, possibly the humidity and my lack of water intake, but Impulse seemed to be quite the intense ride.
Manufactured by Zierer, Impulse kind of has the feel of a Eurofighter coaster. Or a better example is that of Fahrenheit at Hersheypark. The two both feature vertical lifts, and offer similar elements such as a Cobra Roll. While I’ve not gotten the chance to ride Fahrenheit, it appears the two have some in common.
Getting back to Impulse, the coaster itself is the first ride you’ll see upon entering Knoebels. It’s not intimidating at first glance, as the coaster is only 98 ft high, but you’ll definitely feel like it’s a lot taller once on the ride. The most intense part of the coaster is without question the 540-degree helix. I’m going to guess that’s where I started to become a tad disoriented.
The best part about Impulse is that the queue line was virtually non-existent. It was pretty much a station wait each time I went on. Knoebels itself was quite busy, but, for a Friday at 5:30 at night, the coasters weren’t at all full of people. Of course, didn’t make it over the Phoenix wooden coaster, so maybe that had a longer wait.
Overall, Impulse is a very enjoyable coaster. I’m not entirely sure how I grayed out or felt nauseous after my third ride, but I still did love the coaster. I’ve never been on a Zierer attraction before. I must say that was an experience, as I love trying out different coaster manufacturers.
Impulse is a fantastic attraction for Knoebels. It’s definitely worth a ride if you visit the park.