Zugspitz – Lagoon History Project

Opened: 31 Mar 1973
Closed: Pre-1977
Location: North Midway
Manufactured By: Mack – Waldkirch, Germany
Ride Model: Zugspitze
Cost: $150,000

Zugspitz in March 1973. Photo used in several local newspaper articles.

Before Musik Express opened on Lagoon’s South Midway in 1982, there was a similar ride on the North Midway. Zugspitz opened in 1973 and was removed after just a few seasons. The ride featured modern music and nearly 10,000 light bulbs. Gale force winds blew through Lagoon the day after it opened and many of the lights on the ride were damaged.

Zugspitz was housed in a round structure and decorated with an alpine theme. The ride had a partition across the middle of the ride with openings over the track, like Musik Express also used to have. A newspaper article from when the ride opened said the operator had a microphone to ask riders if they wanted to speed up or slow down. Most people who remember the ride tend to recall it spinning in both directions like today’s Jumping Dragon.

When it opened, it was said to be located in the original location of the park’s first Wild Mouse, which is where the north station of the Sky Ride is today. Some also remember it being where the Boomerang is now, which is where it appears to be in the photo below. Boomerang opened there in April 1977 so it’s assumed that Zugspitz closed some time before that.

Zugspitz, the yellow building in the background of this 1974 photo taken from the parking lot, appears to be in the present location of the Boomerang building. Photo: U of U Special Collections

German manufacturer, Mack Rides, named this ride after Germany’s highest peak, Zugspitze, with an “e” at the end. The original Bavarian spelling was Zugspitz, without the “e”. In the photo at the top of the page, there’s a space at the end of the sign where an “e” would’ve been. This photo was taken before the wind damage, so it’s possible that the ride operated in another location before coming to Lagoon where the “e” was lost – or Lagoon removed the “e” intentionally to use the original spelling of Zugspitz, which is how the ride was branded in ads.