Things have been extremely busy on the many Gravity Group designed projects currently underway around the world.  From Connecticut to Wisconsin and across the pond in Sweden, roller coaster structure is going up rapidly.  The massive racing coaster in Wuhan, China is also under construction, but is scheduled for a opening later in the year.  We should start seeing construction photos from China very soon as much of the concrete is in the ground for foundations.

With an airplane ride or just a couple of mouse clicks, one can see how beautiful the tangled Twister at Gröna Lund in Sweden is with its glistening white structure, red handrails, and its marvelous setting.  The park’s webcam keeps a steady eye on the construction site sharing this image with fans around the world.  At night, the structure takes on an eerie blue hue as seen in this photo.

Twister at night

See for yourself here, so depending in which time zone you are, it could be light or it could be night.   Our Facebook photo album covers the close-up shots of Twister and can be viewed at this link, and you don’t have to be a Facebook member to see the photos.  If you are on Facebook and are a fan, you probably got to see the photos the day they were posted.

So let’s leave the chilling climate of Sweden this time of year and go somewhere warmer.  Hmmm.  Well, it looks like the current projects are all shrouded in inclement weather with Green Bay, Wisconsin reporting in at a balmy 9°F/-13°C.  The official Zippin Pippin at Bay Beach Amusement Park page showcases some wonderful photos of the ride’s erection.  However, if you crave up to the minute progress, be sure to check out or even subscribe to local fan Tim Hornberger’s Zippin Pippin Roller Coaster Construction Blog.  One can see that all of the structure is now standing, and here’s a photo from his gallery to show that off.

Zippin Pippin panorama

The Zippin Pippin project is currently ahead of schedule, and the following months should bring excellent progress on the track construction provided that the Wisconsin snow doesn’t snarl the site.  They are all used to the cold up there anyway, right?

The relatively warmest project might end up being Wooden Warrior at Quassy Amusement Park in Connecticut, which is certainly not all that much warmer.  With 4 inches (10 cm) of snow on its way, the workers will have to get out their shovels before they pick up their hammers.  Fortunately, the entire structure for this ride is also standing.  For the updates from Quassy Amusement Park, the action is all on Facebook.  The Gravity Group page, again, has public construction photos as does the Quassy page.

Wooden Warrior sans snow

So get some coffee, hot chocolate or Glögg, sit back, stay warm, and let your browser guide you on a behind-the-scenes tour of the wooden masterpieces being built for the 2011 season.