Wildfire is one of the most extreme wooden coasters on the planet, and the numbers back it up: an 83-degree first drop, a top speed of 115 km/h, and a height that ties it for a world record. If you’re looking for the exact figures behind the hype, or wondering how Wildfire stacks up against other wooden coasters in Europe and beyond, every stat here is verified against official and ride-database sources.
Built by Rocky Mountain Construction and designed by engineer Alan Schilke, Wildfire opened at Kolmården Wildlife Park on June 28, 2016. It uses RMC’s Topper Track system, which bonds a steel rail to a wooden support structure so the ride can pull off tighter, more inverted elements than a traditional wood coaster while still feeling rough, fast, and organic underneath.
Quick Answer
Wildfire’s top speed is 115 km/h (71 mph), hit on an 83-degree first drop that measures 49 m (161 ft) out of the ride’s roughly 56 m (184 ft) total height. The full circuit runs 1,265 m (4,150 ft), a lap taking about two minutes, tying Wildfire with Everland’s T Express as the world’s tallest wooden coaster and making it the fastest wooden coaster in Europe.
Wildfire at a Glance
Park: Kolmården Wildlife Park, Norrköping, Sweden. Manufacturer: Rocky Mountain Construction. Designer: Alan Schilke. Opened: June 28, 2016 (closed October 2016 to June 2017 over a permit dispute). Track type: Topper Track (steel rail on a wooden structure). Height: about 56 m (184 ft). First drop: 49 m (161 ft) at 83 degrees. Top speed: about 115 km/h (71 mph). Length: 1,265 m (4,150 ft). Duration: about 2 minutes. Inversions: 3. Minimum height: 120 cm. Capacity: two trains of 24 riders each, roughly 960 riders per hour.
How Tall Is Wildfire — and What’s the Drop Height?
Wildfire stands roughly 56 meters (184 feet) tall, a figure that ties it with Everland’s T Express in South Korea for the title of tallest wooden roller coaster in the world. Of that height, the ride’s signature first drop accounts for 49 meters (161 feet), taken at a steep 83-degree angle that gives the wooden structure a steel-coaster-style plunge most classic wood coasters can’t match.
One source of confusion: Kolmården’s own park materials sometimes describe Wildfire’s location as “142 meters above sea level.” That number refers to the altitude of the hillside the ride is built on within the park, not the coaster’s own structural height. The figures ride-tracking databases and Rocky Mountain Construction use, and the ones that matter for comparing Wildfire to other coasters, are the roughly 56 m height and 49 m drop.
Wildfire’s Top Speed Explained
Wildfire’s top speed is about 115 km/h (71 mph), reached almost entirely on that first 49-meter drop as trains accelerate down the 83-degree incline. That’s the figure that makes it the fastest wooden coaster in Europe. Riders feel close to 4 g at the bottom of the drop and through the ride’s tightest transitions, a byproduct of RMC’s Topper Track system, which lets the train hold speed through sharper curves and inversions than a traditional wood-and-flat-steel-track coaster could handle without shaking itself apart.
How Long Is Wildfire? (Track Length)
Wildfire’s track measures 1,265 meters (4,150 feet), the figure listed on Kolmården’s own park guide and in ride databases. A handful of secondary sources round that up to about 1,300 m, but 1,265 m is the number consistently confirmed across official and independent sources. At that length, a full lap takes riders around two minutes from lift hill to brake run.
Is Wildfire Europe’s Largest Wooden Coaster?
“Largest” isn’t an official title Wildfire holds; its track isn’t the longest wooden coaster in Europe. But it wins on the two stats most people mean when they say “biggest”: height and speed. It’s tied for the tallest wooden coaster on Earth and it’s the fastest wooden coaster anywhere in Europe, a combination no other wood coaster on the continent matches, which is why it’s often referred to informally, including in translated searches, as Europe’s biggest or greatest wooden coaster even though that isn’t a formally tracked record category.
Part of what makes that scale possible is the Topper Track hybrid itself. Because a steel rail is bonded to the wooden structure, RMC can build taller, faster wood coasters than traditional plank-and-steel-wheel designs allow, which is exactly how Wildfire ended up tied for a world height record.
The Ride Experience
After a sweeping turn into the lift hill, which offers a view out over Bråviken bay, Wildfire crests its 56-meter peak and drops into the 83-degree first plunge. From there, riders hit a zero-G stall, a moment of inverted weightlessness, followed by a banked airtime hill and two heartline rolls, mirror-image inversions that spin riders around the train’s centerline rather than flipping them end over end. A short tunnel and a string of airtime-filled hills close out the layout before a slalom run into the brakes. In total, riders experience three inversions and around a dozen moments of airtime over the roughly two-minute ride. Much of Wildfire’s height comes from being built directly into the park’s hillside terrain rather than an artificial steel support structure, giving it a rougher, more terrain-hugging feel than most inverting coasters.
A Rocky Start
Wildfire’s opening season was short-lived. On October 28, 2016, Swedish authorities revoked the ride’s operating permit over environmental concerns tied to its construction on protected land. The coaster remained standing while the dispute played out, and after the county council approved the necessary zoning in March 2017, Wildfire reopened to guests in June 2017. It has operated normally each season since.
Wildfire Kolmården stats FAQs
What is Wildfire’s top speed?
Wildfire reaches about 115 km/h (71 mph), hit on its 83-degree first drop. That makes it the fastest wooden roller coaster in Europe.
How tall is Wildfire at Kolmården?
Wildfire stands roughly 56 meters (184 feet) tall, tying it with Everland’s T Express in South Korea as the tallest wooden coaster in the world.
What is Wildfire’s drop height?
The first drop measures 49 meters (161 feet) at an 83-degree angle, which is where the coaster hits its top speed.
How long is the Wildfire roller coaster (längd)?
Wildfire’s track is 1,265 meters (4,150 feet) long, giving a ride time of about two minutes.
Is Wildfire the largest wooden coaster in Europe?
It’s not officially the longest, but it is Europe’s fastest wooden coaster and, tied with T Express, the tallest wooden coaster in the world, which is why it’s often called Europe’s biggest wooden coaster informally.
Who built Wildfire?
Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC) built Wildfire using its Topper Track system, with the ride designed by engineer Alan Schilke.
Is Wildfire a wooden or steel coaster?
Wildfire is a wooden coaster built on RMC’s Topper Track, meaning a steel rail is bonded to a traditional wooden structure.
Why was Wildfire closed after opening?
The ride lost its operating permit in October 2016 during an environmental dispute over its construction, then reopened in June 2017 after the county council approved the zoning.
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