Walking Around West Edmonton Mall, June 1986

[@francojames1820]

Thank you to whoever recorded this video and the uploader

[@BestEdmontonMall]

This was filmed in June of 1986... and on June 14, 1986 - The Mindbender Accident occurred. This might be the closest footage I've seen of the park prior to that date. This is really fantastic footage, thank you for sharing.

[@captaindick1389]

I love your content about wem

[@pukalo]

my dad was actually on the Mindbender on the ride cylce immediately before the accident

[@aquaman199]

pukalo was he really? He got lucky

[@domki366]

I was gonna comment "wait until the Best Edmonton Mall guy sees *this*" but I should've known you had already lol

[@citation9199]

I didn't see a date stamp on the footage but its crazy to think when you watch the Mindbender footage, that the accident occurred just days later. Or for all we know it happened that night. Crazy to think. Great vintage footage.

[@Gamma_B_Vods]

Something about old footage is both unsettling and nostalgic to a time that i was never around it...... how odd

[@Wmips]

Its crazy how the mindbender only had lap bars.... this was also probably super close to the accident a few days later..

[@Christeamer]

NeonRBLX i wish it still exclusively had them. The current restraints the ride has are uncomfortable and makes the ride feel a lot rougher.

[@Wmips]

Christeamer personally i’ve never been on it but i’ve heard its very uncomfortable, their just being more safe because they don’t want history to repeat itself

[@robertswrecks]

I dont remember the date but it for sure happened in the same year

[@AdamRoelofs]

@@robertswrecks the accident was June 14th so this very easily could have been only days before if not hours!

[@paigejohnson8481]

june 21 1986 is when it happened

[@bradvestby]

I miss these days so much!! I'd give anything to have the world be like this again.. This was an amazing video! Thanks for the upload!

[@yegmtb8377]

I wanted to cry because this is how i remember the mall even in the 90s. So sad knowing how much has changed

[@Maynke]

The video may seem blurry to those who hadn't been there but for those who had, it's clear as day. Indeed, brings a little nostalgic tear to the eye!

[@eShopbag]

Also you can cry because turns out one of the train would derail shortly after. Killing someone

[@yegmtb8377]

@@eShopbag its not about that but ok

[@vinhdavinci8556]

What change can you lmk I am planning to visit west Edmonton mall on Canada Day 2025 for my very first time ever . It was always on my bucket list . I heard a rumour from friends & people in general it’s take 3 days to walk around the whole mall including the parking lot

[@astral16]

Thank you for not replacing the audio

[@jond3929]

Anyone else hear the "mechanical rumbling" from the coaster around 3:35 while it passed through the helix? The original designer of the coaster (Werner Stengel) stated that the tracks in the turns needed to be slightly narrower to account for the geometry of the coaster cars. The initial contractor for the ride had this in the plans but was replaced by a cheaper contractor that made the distance between the rails consistent throughout the ride, causing extra stress on the wheel assemblies when the coaster went around corners. Werner tried to warn them about the corners but was ignored. In the court proceedings that followed after the accident, the judge found him innocent of any wrongdoing as he designed the coaster properly and did everything he could do to warn the new contractor of the design changes.

[@christinecauffman6529]

I did

[@aishlingpaigehanlon1571]

I did to

[@friencheetah]

Wow, that's crazy. Can you link to where you found this info? I've really been trying to get down the rabbit hole with this

[@jond3929]

@@friencheetah I think it was from a video I saw. Can't remember exactly but it was on youtube

[@InverseMidas666]

@@friencheetah "I'd like to add some correction regarding the cause of the accident. There's a bit of German information available in a book about Werner Stengel, who designed this coaster. Unfortunately that book has never been translated to English and costs several hundred dollars pre-owned nowadays. Being German, I can understand and repeat what was said there. Right after learning about the accident, both Werner Stengel and Anton Schwarzkopf flew to Edmonton to inspect the ride. Both were worried that they could be to blame for what happened, so they wanted to see it with their own eyes. It turned out that it wasn't a design flaw - but a manufacturing flaw. (I'll get to that in a second.) The way the wheel assemblies are mounted to the frame of each individual car makes it necessary that the distance between the two rails is slightly decreased in curves compared to straight sections of track. (I'm not a mechanical engineer, but it has something to do with the way they pivot.) With Mindbender not being the first coaster to use this wheel assembly design, the blueprints were correct and had that factored in. Anton Schwarzkopf had even built a test jig to measure each section of track and check that it is done correctly. Now the problems start - during the time this coaster was built, his company went bankrupt, and the people who took over didn't want him on site any longer and also didn't want to take his advice. (Which is pretty stupid if you ask me, he may not have been a good businessman, but for sure he was an expert when it came to building steel roller coasters. There were probably few if any people in the world by that time who knew as much about it as him.) So they built the tracks with a constant distance between the rails all over, ignored the test jig and Anton's warnings. This led to excessive stress to the wheel assemblies - every time the train went through a curve, the wheel assemblies were forced outwards. To really make the accident happen, you need to add improper maintenance to the mix. It is said that the coaster only came with instructions in German, which I personally find hard to believe. But even if that's true, the operator of that ride should have had plenty of opportunity to have it translated to English. German isn't that exotic, there should be plenty of translators available in Canada to do that. After all lots of Germans emigrated to Canada. Regardless, the wheel assemblies were not properly inspected, thus allowing cracks to form. Investigations after the accident showed that almost all of the bolts holding the wheel assemblies to the cars had cracks which were easy to spot, if inspected. However, nobody apparently did that until the first bolts completely broke, leading to the accident we know too well. The official investigation shows that neither Werner Stengel nor Anton Schwarzkopf were to blame for the accident, they had done their parts correctly. It was the people who eventually built the ride (on the former Schwarzkopf site) and the park's maintenance team. Why to I explain this? Well, first of all, Anton Schwarzkopf can't do that any more, having passed away almost 20 years ago. But my main reason is that I don't want for people to feel unsafe just because they see another Schwarzkopf coaster somewhere. Some of them are operating safely for 40 or even 50 years now. And for those who remember the accident in Mexico last year - this wasn't a design flaw either, it was a ride being operated outside its specifications (no enabled trim brakes leading to overspeed and excessive stress) and maintenance not doing their job right. The excessive wear mut have been noticeable before, if you look at footage of the ride operating, you see how much the loop sways back and forth, which is a clear indication that there is something wrong. They do move a little when a train passes through, but not that much. Unless there is either somethin broken or it's not set up on a stable surface." -Colaholiker kzbin.info/www/bejne/rWm7qqKnYpqskMU that's where I just read it.

[@dadnelson4008]

Watched this place grow from open fields where we used to dirt bike and hang around to what it was to what it is ...I'm getting old lol

[@kevintennant7701]

Thanks for transferring this video from Video8 to digital then to KZbin. It is a lot of work. Also, it was really nice (and nostalgic) to see normal people just enjoying a great indoor amusement and shopping experience.

[@connortroyt]

This must’ve been just days before the infamous Mindbender tragedy. Quite scary looking at the yellow trains with what was just ahead.

[@stephenbate933]

that's what i was thinking too!! it was the yellow train and back then there was 4 cars per train where there is only 3 today!

[@SpencEpix]

I wish it still had 4 cars, though I’ve never been. I want to though

[@Mettty1991]

@@SpencEpix the G's in the 4th car must have been damn high

[@Ulyssestnt]

Nothing says 80s like a massive water fountain in the middle of a shopping mall.

[@Glosoli4]

Full of nasty pennies

[@doug9778]

@@Glosoli4 pennies and penes

[@beringstraitrailway]

Is the fountain not there anymore?

[@Ulyssestnt]

@@Glosoli4haha excactly.

[@Ulyssestnt]

@@beringstraitrailwayIdk about Edmonton but they were ubiquitious still in the 90s when I was a kid .

[@lisabelle7553]

Amazing footage! I was about 15 and worked at the mall at the time. I would spend every spare minute going on rides in fantasy land as I had a yearly pass. I was on the coaster just days before the accident. Possibly the same day this was filmed. I half expected to see myself in this footage. Thanks for sharing

[@mpaulm]

I spent/spend so much time at this mall since it opened. I miss some of what the mall had: Playdium, the balls, the two older theaters.

[@longboardguy]

Me too and I miss those water falls and fountains all over the malls those were cool

[@NotStarRoblox681]

I really want the old rides back

[@89cgil]

Amazing footage, thanks for sharing

[@summertimedream5152]

I used to live close by.Amazing footage! Like a blast from the past.Thank you for sharing!

[@LakeNipissing]

Please, *_please_* re-upload this video in 480p or 720p. Even VHS or Beta tape recordings will look very good in 480p or 720p compared with 240p. Software can really restore colors, contrast and sharpness. You have amazing vintage footage here, and now that there is discussion of the Mindbender being removed, you have a true time capsule !

[@cassidypresley7154]

Wow!.......used to work there in the........mid to late 80s. Worked in Burbein St, in the lower mall.......restaurants. Got married in 93 and stayed at the Fantasy land Hotel in one of ...........The Hawaiian theme Rooms. What great memories !!!😊🎉❤

[@wolfeman7558]

June, 1986: In 3 months time. I would be born. It’s crazy how much has changed since the 80’s and 90’s. The mind bender has long been taken down since then. This is how I remembered the mall in the 90’s.

[@stvitalkid7981]

Cool footage and sound of the ball machine!

[@brandonwiebe8132]

Unreal! I was 2 months old at the time of this video, living downtown Edmonton before moving to Sherwood Park. Very nostalgic video, thanks for uploading!

[@cohengamertv6548]

Wasnt sherwood park hit by the 88 tornado

[@ramandeepsekhon8835]

@@cohengamertv6548yes

[@CourtxSchultz]

Great video. I’m surprised at how much looks the same as 2021.

[@cat441]

that coaster was the MOST FUN, so compact and SO fast... horrible that the accident happened in 86.

[@vinhdavinci8556]

How did it happen and changes did they made since then ?

[@kirbyl8310]

I was 8 months old when this footage was shot! This makes me feel so young again

[@aaronpeta]

OMG I remember the jumping snake water fountain! That was so deep in my memory I totally forgot it existed.

[@puffnpluky76]

This was clearly a few days before the crash... at @ I believe you can hear the "metallic rattling noise" that was under investigation just hours before the crash. That is the sound of the undercarriage in the last cart being lose... Listen closely each time it goes around the spiral closest to the camera.

[@4220E]

It actually was the yellow car that derailed in this video it shows the orange car the yellow car was sitting off 2 the side

[@puffnpluky76]

@@4220E later investigation showed that the wheel assemblies were loose on all the trains, not just the yellow. The other trains could be making the same sound as the yellow was.

[@alrightyru]

We were graduating and went to the movies when the rollercoaster accident happened. We had parked our car outside the Mindbender entrance... We saw a body covered with a sheet. It was shocking and sad, this brings back a lot of memories!

[@amangill3154]

My mom used to work at west Edmonton mall at LensCrafters in the 90s

[@neurodiverseboomer]

Great to see this video from a time when it was novel and only enjoyed by cutting-edge techies. I'll be back here often!

[@chonkeyshonkey]

1:56 That Mindbender horn is so much more different sounding from the modern iteration of the ride. It's kinda scary and surreal

[@sportsmaster1364]

Either horn is good enough to make one tremble... it's the signal to the start of a ride that'll turn your insides upside-down.

[@eShopbag]

Scary to think that one of those carts would end up causing death soon

[@user-pd1lt1ub6z]

Edmonton looked so nice back then. What happened

[@Oo-Pitbull-oO]

DEI...

[@user-pd1lt1ub6z]

@@Oo-Pitbull-oO hahah, true. I have noticed the last couple months that it seems like I’m a foreigner in comparison to those around me. Compared to even 2 years ago holy f.

[@canadiandeplorable2087]

That first drop on the Mindbender was insane. I was on it the day before the tragic accident

[@stvitalkid7981]

I was there the day of that accident, but had already left the mall four or five hours earlier.

[@azaz911c]

What a wonderful time for the mall and Edmonton

[@pjimmbojimmbo1990]

I remember the Mindbender, I didn't ride it until about a Year after the Accident. I recall riding it about 15 times on One Day. It was sad to see it shut down for good a year or 2 ago.

[@wonderwoman978]

Im glad Im not the only one who thought this must have been taken days before June 14th. Could have been shot on June 1st or even scarier....hours before the incident ON the 14th. Man thats wack.

[@sainters7]

4:36 I remember being amazed by that when I was a kid

[@derekgordillo3087]

Thank you for sharing. This footage is awesome🤙

[@rushbayou5230]

i had a summer pass and would go on the mind bender from the first available ride and stay with it till the last of the day. i tried to get the record but a staff member had it cuz no one could ride before opening or after closing. i do wanna say again and make very clear. i was on the yellow front car then got off the ride. i had been on several rides that day but a friend called down for my friend and i to go to the food court to eat. i argued with him but then caved in just before the ride locked up and left. by the time i got up stairs and looked back, i could hear the brake (or wheel ) screech ... then a *bang* impact. i could see things flying through the air and landing near the mirror round about. Looked like a woman's head rolling around. then nothing but an eerie silence. my friend and i looked at each other and silently derided to get the fk out of there. the cars were full when it hit but no one talks about the rest of the ppl. no one was without injury. but man,,, that last car got fkd up bad. (dude im in bc now too)

[@stephenbate933]

ya I heard that the woman got decapitated but didn't know her head came right off and was rolling round on the ground!

[@GoogsMindbent]

R.I.P. to the victims of the 1986 Mindbender accident and now... R.I.P. to the Mindbender itself 1985 - 2023

[@fishead1967]

Growing up in the 80s we would drive 2 hours to go to a mall and walk around....

[@kristineholcroft9163]

Wow i remember life was so different then miss it so sad seeing this

[@DrFiero]

I was on the coaster a few days before the 'incident'. And for good or bad, my cousin was one of the engineers that designed the submarine ride.

[@CaldoVerde1990]

The disco dynamo i remember riding it in 2003 Really Fun Ride

[@amangill3154]

Nice video it bring me memories of going there in the 90s

[@storethings7632]

gorgeous footage, super cool to see

[@darrinsemple3336]

Literally days before the triple fatal accident.

[@opinionshurt2905]

I still have faint memories of the submarine ride around the pirate ship. I would have been 4 or 5 at the time, probably same time you were here filming this.

[@markjeffels3327]

My cousins were on the roller coaster the ride before the big accident! In the fatal rear car!

[@thebenefactor6744]

Sitting in the drop of doom, and seeing a penny in your open palm as it floated up into the air while you dropped was always a mindf☆☆k.

[@jenfoster128]

I remember all of these! It is so creepy to see the footage of the yellow mindbender car though knowing what was going to happen.

[@cannonballballball]

I can’t believe that this is the mall I go to all the time

[@TheRicresch]

This name seems familiar. Ken Eckert did you go to Ross Sheppard, Scona, Camrose Lutheran College or Concordia High School in Edmonton? I believe I remember a Ken Eckert from my past

[@keneckert]

You do! Hello Rick. Good to hear from you. Yes, we were at Concordia together, and your parents taught me computer science classes. I remember Pat and Parke fondly. Best for now. If you're on Facebook, let me know. :

[@trevorwheeler3973]

Well, the Edmonton skyline has certainly changed. And was this before the Svotiabank theater?

[@azaz911c]

Before. That theater did not open until 1998

[@aggiesjc]

I can't help but get an eerie feeling seeing the Mindbender. Looks like there was another roller coaster, too -- what was the name of that other one?

[@ferrelli76]

I was there at the grand opening of the mall lived a block away man good times.

[@FryngeMinority]

3:52 “Kyrie” by Mister Mister playing in the background. It would’ve been a new song then

[@CourtxSchultz]

I was wondering what that was playing in the background.

[@brittanycarriere9423]

Super neat! This was the year I was born!

[@jadens_furry_productions]

May I use this footage for a video I will credit you and add a thank you in the beginning of my video😊!

[@keneckert]

Of course-- go ahead. Thank you.

[@jadens_furry_productions]

Ok thanks and your welcome 😊!

[@yourbestgamer6706]

This is good quality video from 1986!

[@mitchell.9632]

The content quality is (subjectively, depending on personally tastes is) good however this seems maybe even worse the SLP video if it was a cassette originally recorded on as far as the quality of video.

[@salzburgsirenen551]

So I am very interested in the whole history of the Mindbender. And so I did some research... I found out that this video is not the closest footage before the accident. There is footage from the day of the accident. Not the accident itself, but only a few hours before. Sadly, it is lost media, and only small parts are found.

[@mizunopearl]

Thanks for sharing this, so many beautiful memories it brings.

[@CMinorOp67]

1:20: I was legit thinking that was going to be a statue of the frozen tongue scene in A Christmas Story. Lol, it’s late where I live. I should be asleep.

[@aquaman199]

Haha cool upload,my first time in west ed mall was 1987

[@HawkEye3366]

2 months before I was born.

[@wandaborowy9400]

Saw the yellow cars, the ones in the accident.

[@rushbayou5230]

omg ... june 14 was the roller coaster accident that killed 3 ppl. i got off that ride just before it took off. seen the whole thing. This vid sure brings back the memories. i was 16 and aLL OVER this city. i think it was around this time they took out half the McDonald hotel. Just wanted to make a note about no one on cell phones and just look at the size of that crappy camera LMAO. i bet im in the vid u just cant tell ;) the on going joke was that WEM had more subs then the canadian navy...

[@princehumperdinck6700]

If you’re in your 50’s then why do you still type like you are 16

[@seanmalik6055]

5:01. Tacotime! We don't have that in most of Ontario and when I visiting the mall in early 86, I must have eaten there 3 times over the 4 days we stayed there. Great video overall of the feel of the mall in its heyday.

[@johnfairsgoldpanningschool.]

Hi Ken, I was there.I think we have met. I ran the ride called The Drop of Doom. Got a loonie if it stays on you hand you ride is free.

[@qstan1999]

I’m pretty sure there used to be a submarine where that boat is at that bridge You can still see the tracks under the water

[@vinhdavinci8556]

Since 1986 was there a hotel inside west Edmonton mall ? Or was it false information somebody inform me because I never been inside that mall ever but making it apart of my bucket list cuz I’ll visit there in 2025 Canada Day weekend

[@canadiancatgreen]

this was just after the waterpark opened too about 2 months after it opened

[@davoohm2779]

It's kinda sad to think that in 2024, the most popular ride is now the galaxy orbiter which wasn't even built until about 20 years after the park first opened.

[@tinotse2007]

Enjoy the video very much

[@danielvasquez6138]

Were there any shots of any of the Movie Theaters in the video?

[@dennisschnobrich9288]

I notice that video tape is not much better than 8mm movie film.

[@keneckert]

I am glad you made that comment. I have always thought 8mm film was underrated-- in my scanning projects, I've gotten up to about 1280x720 resolution out of well-shot 8mm. We forget how terrible in quality VHS was in comparison. I made this original recording on 8mm videotape and sadly saved only a VHS copy; but even that 8mm video was only a little better.

[@Zinji313]

Omg I remember when the mindbender had 4 carts

[@TrebleChild]

I wish I could play in circuit circus one more time

[@dylanschmidt5232]

This music sounds eery, kind of creepy

[@mysterycomment1553]

The 80’s...

[@grahamh8631]

That is when the mall was great.

[@aquaman199]

Cool video upload

[@glengamble526]

I have a similar video of myself and my bandmates walking around the same mall, on tour in 1989 (88?) but I can’t post it due to off-colour sex jokes and bad language 😂

[@stephenbate933]

post it anyways' youtube has lots of swearing and sex talk in video's!! post it!!

[@omarjunior4603]

was this the day the accident happened?

[@nolanschotanus2769]

I miss when everything was blue and pale yellow

[@GoWandererGo]

Looks less busy, the way I like it.

[@loganamurray64]

It's dead compared to now, can't imagine how nice it'd be to go to the waterpark when it's that empty

[@brandonvarela-carrillo8000]

I wasn't born in 1986, good thing I wasn't there, I hate when people getting injury or killed, they will ruined there Carrers, that accident happened on June 14th 1986

[@aquaman199]

Lol this is cool stuff,the drop of doom

[@Vpy2023]

It seems there were dolphins back then in the mall. We don't have dolphins anymore 😢

[@Zinji313]

This could have been the day the mindbender had the big accident

[@sjohnlouis1008]

Imagine no slavery no residential schools imagine the good life’s we could have and other bad stuff sorry if I don’t know I only know First Nation history

[@darrelldoran509]

Most of the mall was bullshit , got freaky with my X at the hotel and totally shit faced on Bourbon street back when impaired driving was legal .

[@adamzahariuk9496]

Cant believe they had dolphins in there so cruel