There is no ride more infamous than the Zipper. The Zipper, made by Chance (ironic name huh), is one of the most hellishly odd rides I have ever seen. I’ve seen someone describe it as a “science fair project gone wrong” which is pretty dead on.

Basically the Zipper is a huge oval frame that spins like a ferris wheel with free flipping cars attached to it which move around the frame via pulleys. The cars themselves have a seat sort of built into the shape of the car and a place to put your legs, they in effect look like zippers. This is also probably where they got the name because I’m sure they weren’t planning on calling it ‘The Zipper’ all the way through the design process! It’s almost impossible to theme this ride anyway, well…maybe “The Chainsaw”, but I think it’s better with the incredibly passive name of “Zipper.” It’s such a simple and nonthreatening name for possibly the most intense ride out there.

Also, in no way whatsoever has the ride been made aesthetically pleasing. It really does look more like an instrument of pain than an amusement ride. The only way to make it more threatening looking is to remove all the lights, which I’m sure some low rate carnival company has done already*. Another thing I have noticed about every Zipper I’ve been on is that the operator will only load one of the two cars that are present at loading; in other words, every other car is empty. I wonder why that is, and come to think of it, simply taking every other car off would make it look like the epitome of white trash and it would complete the look of a full blown torture device.

*In 2005 I saw this Zipper at the Meadowlands Fair. Notice the lack of center lights…

The Ride

After a lengthy loading process, the ride operator usually starts by just allowing the cars to move around the track. The cars travel around the track with an unmistakable scraping metal on metal clanking sound. The ride along the frame isn’t exactly fast, but when you get to the edge and change direction there is a sudden burst of speed which rocks the car pretty well. Once you add the movement of the frame, which moves considerably faster and in the same general direction as the cars, this turns into a flipping, rolling monster.

Riders generally have no idea when they’re about to race through the turn so sudden pushes of G force and unexplained flipping is usually the tell tale sign. There is no predictability on a Zipper either; I’ve been on this ride and had the car flip some 7 times in a row and I’ve even had the car stay upsidedown while traveling from one side of the frame to the other. Let me add, the only thing to hold you in on this contraption is a large padded lapbar that is attached to the door in front of you…very comforting. You also get 4 padded bars on the door to hold on to and keep yourself stable; not holding onto them will result in your face smashing into the door.

In the following quote, DoD3 reader Timberman describes the now dismantled Zipper at Coney Island Attractions in excruciating detail…

“The combination of its location, its condition, and the virtuosity of its motley collection of ride ops provided for an unsurpassed impression of peril. I’ve had several garden variety near-death experiences, including being hit by cars, attacked by dogs, mauled by farm equipment, and, once, grazed in the face by a bullet. Only two times, however, have I really considered myself to be on the threshold of a violent, ugly death. Once was on an airplane that appeared destined for a crash-landing. The other was during my first ride on the Coney Island Zipper. To feel, all at once, the fragility of the mortal coil is an intense, revealing experience. On the plane, I felt resigned to my fate and grateful that my brief life had in many respects exceeded my expectations. On Zipper, in the midst of a seemingly endless forward free-spin, I felt blind, animal panic; even though I knew the odds favored my survival, I could not bring logic to bear on the sensations I was experiencing. That’s something I probably won’t get to experience again from a $3.00 flat ride…”

Other Info

One Zipper ride worth noting was at a local fair; I was on it with my friend, who had never been on it before. He was screaming phrases like “we’re gonna die” and stuff like that when all the coins in his pocket fell out into the caged car. Every time we flipped some coins would hit us; this prompted my friend to scream out “there are coins in the car!” The tone he said this in sounded as if the car were full of lit firecrackers rather than coins. Just before exiting I noticed my wallet chain was stuck between the seat and the caged side of the car. I struggled to get it free but it wasn’t until the second I had to exit the ride that it came loose. The last thing I needed was to hold up the line and enrage the already angry looking carny guy. After exiting the ride my friend described the Zipper as a “total vertical assault,” that’s probably as accurate as you can get.

You may have heard of this ride before by just watching the news. Due to a design flaw the doors can, although rarely, be jostled open over the period of the ride. After a couple of accidents involving this design flaw, every Zipper is now closed using the normal latch, a redundant backup lock,  and a large bobby pin sort of thing that blocks the door from opening in case both latches fail. Any accidents that have happened since then have been due to the ride operator not using the pin at all or due to the use of another device that isn’t approved for the Zipper. Newer model Zippers have heavier cars to reduce spinning, causing less stress on the doors. Of course that also makes the ride suck! I think I’ll risk having the door fly open to get whipped and flipped around the frame at an incredible rate!

According to Ride Extravaganza, the first model Zipper rides ran nearly twice as fast as today’s counterparts. I had always thought that none of these models existed anymore or were all adjusted at some point, however it seems that there is at least one left, albeit not a true Chance model. This video (*required viewing*) shows an Australian built Zipper that seems to go much faster than any other I’ve seen.

Video

Here’s a video of a standard Chance Zipper traveling with Blue Sky Amusements.

The Zipper from The DoD3 on Vimeo.

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