2019 – Year in Review

2019 is over and a new decade is upon us. It’s time for us to take a step back and review the new attractions that we covered this past year. Yes, there were indeed a lot of them! Without more introduction, here’s a brief rundown of what we got a chance to experience this past year.

Copperhead Strike at Carowinds

Copperhead Strike is a Mack launched coaster that is the first of its kind to arrive in the US, following up Time Traveler (Silver Dollar City) and Mako (Sea World San Diego). The ride is clearly influenced by Icon (Blackpool Pleasure Beach). The ride is non-stop fun starting with a roll out of the station, to a themed pre-launch building, to two launches and 5 inversions through its custom layout. The ride sets itself apart being a trendsetter for featuring a launched airtime hill. Check out more photos of Copperhead Strike here. Copperhead Strike is a Mack launched coaster that is the first of its kind to arrive in the US, following up Time Traveler (Silver Dollar City) and Mako (Sea World San Diego). The ride is clearly influenced by Icon (Blackpool Pleasure Beach). The ride is non-stop fun starting with a roll out of the station, to a themed pre-launch building, to two launches and 5 inversions through its custom layout. The ride sets itself apart being a trendsetter for featuring a launched airtime hill. Check out more photos of Copperhead Strike here.

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Cedar Point announces first rider opportunities for Steel Vengeance

Leading up to the release of Steel Vengeance, Cedar Point has announced two different preview events that all guests can take part in.

The Steel Vengeance First Rider Benefit will take place on April 27th from 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM.

Tickets to the event are $250 to be on the very first public train and $75 to attend.  All proceeds go to the LeBron James Family Foundation.  Tickets go on sale March 19, 2018 in the afternoon.  This event allows unlimited rides of Steel Vengeance.

The Passholder FrontierTown Hoedown will take place on April 30th – May 2nd.  Cedar Point Passholders and Cedar Fair Platinum Passholders can participate in this event for FREE!  The event will last each day from 4:00 PM – 10:00 PM.  Passholders must preregister (starting April 10th).  Admittance will be allowed only on one day (out of three) per person.  This event allows for ONE ride of Steel Vengeance.

It’s great to see Cedar Point offer these events leading up to the season.  All tickets can be obtained from http://www.cedarpoint.com

Cedar Point announces Steel Vengeance

Rocky Mountain Construction will transform the former Mean Streak into its tallest, longest, wildest project to date.  Steel Vengeance will feature a 200 foot drop and four inversions.  It claims to be the world’s first hyper-hybrid coaster.

 

Top 10 Launched Roller Coasters

Roller coasters these days are not always propelled by a lift hill.  Launches can provide a more thrilling way to start a ride.  They provide differentiation for the parks that have them.  Launches come in all different methods from using magnets (LIM or LSM) to hydraulic launch, to more primitive methods such as a winch, weight drop, or tires.

These are the launched roller coasters that we believe are the best in the business today:

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Top 10 Roller Coasters that drop over 200 feet

Since Cedar Point’s Magnum XL-200 roller coaster debuted in 1989 as the first roller coaster to drop from 200 feet, dozens of roller coasters have been built eclipsing that milestone.  Each hyper coaster (over 200 ft), giga coaster (over 300ft), or strata coaster (over 400ft) is typically its park’s signature ride.  Currently, Intamin and B&M are the most common manufacturers for this style of roller coaster. They build upon the legacy of Arrow Dynamics and Morgan.

These are the roller coasters that drop over 200 feet that we believe distinguish themselves from the rest:

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