Press Release from Kings Island

MASON, OH – Kings Island’s world-famous roller coaster, The Beast, will break its own World Record in 2022. The coaster, which opened in 1979 as the World’s Longest Wooden Roller Coaster, has held that distinction ever since. When it opens for the season in May it will beat its own record by two feet, from 7,359 ft. to 7,361 ft. due to offseason retracking and reprofiling work, that also includes a steeper first drop.

“When you look at roller coaster records, they’re being beat all the time,” said Kings Island Vice President and General Manager Mike Koontz. “But there’s one record that no park in the world has been able to beat for more than 40 years, until now, and that’s the record for the longest wooden roller coaster.”

It’s no wonder that guests from all over the world travel to Kings Island to ride The Beast. Its record-breaking features include a 7,361-foot-long track (1.4 miles) and ride time of four minutes, 10 seconds; vertical drops of 137 feet (now at a 53-degree angle) and 141 feet (at an 18-degree angle); a 125-foot-long underground tunnel at the bottom of the 137-foot drop; eight banked turns, some to 45 degrees; a massive, 540-degree helix tunnel near the end and speeds up to 64.77 miles per hour.

A Beast of a Project
Last November crews began the massive project of refurbishing 2,000 feet of the coaster’s track. In addition, the first drop has been re-profiled from 45 degrees to 53 degrees so that it can come into the tunnel lower and deliver a buttery-smooth transition through the first tunnel and onto the second drop. The project is expected to be completed in May.

Kings Island’s 2022 Season
In addition to The Beast, and more than 100 other rides and attractions, Kings Island guests have a lot to look forward to during the 2022 season. View the full events lineup on Kings Island’s website, www.visitkingsisland.com/events. Guests can experience all of the fun and thrills this season, including unlimited visits to enjoy the 50th Anniversary season, Halloween Haunt and WinterFest, with a 2022 Platinum or Gold Season Pass.

About Kings Island
With more than 100 rides, shows and attractions, Kings Island offers the perfect combination of world-class thrills and family attractions. In 2022, the park will celebrate its 50th anniversary. Guests can experience 15 roller coasters, including Orion, voted “Best New Amusement Park Attraction” in 2020 in the USA Today 10Best Readers Poll; an award-winning kids’ area and 33-acre water park. For more information, go to visitkingsisland.com.