More theme parks than ever are offering Christmas events and opening for more days of the year. The reasons for this are obvious in that more operating days equals more potential revenue from the same capital. Most northern parks end with Halloween as the winter weather is generally too much for both people and rides, but even in Southern states like Georgia and Tennessee see temperatures of freezing and below in December. So what are some of the considerations for a park being open these months in terms of crowd comfort and ride operations/safety? Will your favorite roller coaster be running?

Certain things are obvious in that you’re not going to find things like water rides operating as they usually close for the season around Halloween with freezing water is not good for machinery or people. Parks also need to be on top of their game with regard to making sure walking areas are clear of ice and snow. You’ll also want to check the park’s website or social media before leaving home as an especially cold day or precipitation may close the park early or not have it open at all (similar to a rainy day in summer).

However, will your favorite roller coaster be operating? I guess that depends. The ride manufacturer will generally provide a minimum temperature for safe operations of their equipment. A ride has a minimum temperature for many reasons, but one of the main ones is being able to safely navigate and complete the circuit. As the weather gets colder things like oil and grease become thicker or more viscous. Think of how bacon grease is liquid at hot temperatures and solidifies to a solid as it cools. As grease cools and becomes more viscous the train can slow down. Given that things like lift hill heights are fixed, there comes a point where if the train is slowed too much it might “valley” and not be able to complete the course. You’ll see this principle in action where your favorite roller coaster might run slower on a cool summer morning and speed up throughout the day. The polyurethane or nylon wheels on modern steel coasters will also become harder/softer with temperature which can impact its rolling friction.

The other than to consider is rider comfort at speed. 30 degrees is pretty bearable if you’re dressed right, but at 60 miles/hour the “wind chill” will feel like 10 degrees. You’re in no danger of frostbite, especially with only a 2 minute ride, but no doubt it’ll be a cold and maybe uncomfortable ride for some.

One of the best parks I’ve seen handle cold weather is Dollywood. The park is great that rather than leave people guessing what will be open when, it clearly puts on its website the minimum operating temperatures for each ride. This way you know that if it’s a cool 37 degree morning, there’s no point in heading to the Mystery Mine or FireChaser Express. You can also look at a weather forecast and predict when things will open/close based on temperatures. Let’s hear it for DropLine being good all the way to 5 degrees!

Parks can take actions to “winterize” too and better prepare for cold weather. Stations and areas of the park can use outdoor heaters to improve patron comfort. Ride design can also be considered to select track layouts less likely to valley or manufacturers using components with lower operating temperatures. For example the new Ultra Surf at Six Flags Over Georgia can have riders go through a wall of water, a tunnel of water or have no water at all depending upon the season. I’ve even heard of some rides having heaters for the trains in the station to keep the grease and wheels warm before dispatch. No doubt we’ll see more parks open more days going forward (which is awesome) and hopefully ride manufacturers can continue to work to allow their rides to operate safely at even lower temperatures.