Six Flags Magic Mountain to add insane Drop of Doom ride in 2012 originally appeared on Gadling on Sat, 24 Sep 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Last weekend, Busch Gardens Williamsburg confirmed their new 2012 roller coaster Verbolten. The multi-launch steel roller coaster will be built on the former site of the Big Bad Wolf. And, like that classic coaster, Verbolten will use the park's beautiful and hilly terrain. During its 2,835-foot course, the ride will dive to the Rhine River. The Zierer-designed roller coaster will include two launches, lap bars instead of over-the-shoulder restraints, and a top speed of 53 mph.

In a departure from fabled creatures from European folklore like the Loch Ness Monster and Griffon, Verbolten's theme will be more modern. The ride will feature what look to be trains themed as sports cars. Based on what little is known about the ride, we do know that it will include an exciting car ride through Germany's Black Forest that goes wrong. It's an appropriate theme considering it'll be in the park's recently revitalized Oktoberfest area in the Germany section. The most intriguing part of Verbolten may occur inside a building during the indoor portion of its layout. This indoor section is said to hold some surprises as it will incorporate darkness and changes in weather. Aside from these details, not much else is known as the park did not release a full animated POV or off-ride videos like parks do with most new ride announcements.

Continue reading Busch Gardens Williamsburg announces Verbolten for 2012

Busch Gardens Williamsburg announces Verbolten for 2012 originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 20 Sep 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Canada's Wonderland gets a giga roller coaster for 2012 in Leviathan

Canada's Wonderland gets a giga roller coaster for 2012 in Leviathan originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 09 Sep 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Six Flags Great America announces X-Flight for 2012 originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 07 Sep 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

After months of releasing coded clues and hints via a fictitious engineering website reminiscent of the Dharma Initiative from ABC's Lost, Hersheypark unveiled its highly anticipated 2012 roller coaster. Dubbed Skyrush, the steel roller coaster will dominate the park's skyline with a 200-foot tall peak. The ride will begin with an unusually speedy ascent to the top of the lift hill. Then, riders will be treated to a layout indicative of hyper coasters: high speeds, banked turns, and airtime hills. Loved by coaster fans, the airtime hills are designed to provide a weightless sensation at the crests.

Skyrush's most intriguing feature may be its floorless seats. Each wing-shaped row of four seats will have two floored seats in the middle and two floorless seats on the edges. I'd imagine thrill junkies like myself will be scrambling for those outer seats. Roller coasters with this kind of layout and these stats aren't rare, but the swift climb up the lift hill and the ride's first-of-its-kind trains do make Skyrush look interesting.

Here's an animated video that gives us a preview of what Hersheypark's Skyrush will look like.

Hersheypark to add new roller coaster, Skyrush for 2012 originally appeared on Gadling on Mon, 22 Aug 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

For weeks now Fuji Q Highlands' new roller coaster, Takabisha, has made international headlines. The steel Gerstlauer roller coaster has pushed the steepness envelope by setting a World record setting 121-degree drop. As I documented in my article, Five ways roller coasters have changed since you were a kid, roller coasters with beyond 90-degree drops are nothing new. Hersheypark's Fahrenheit boasts a 97-degree drop and Steel Hawg at Indiana Beach made history when it opened in 2008 with an 111-degree drop. Steel Hawg was dethroned by the UK's Mumbo Jumbo at Flamingoland which edged it out with a 112-degree drop.

There have also been a number of other roller coasters with these super steep drops, but the trend had seemed to go pretty much unnoticed to the media. Roller coaster fans like myself find them interesting, but the steepness record holder never got the kind of attention that the World's fastest roller coaster (Formula Rossa) or the World's tallest roller coaster (Kingda Ka) has received.

This is why I am so surprised by the enormous media attention that Takabisha, a roller coaster in Japan, has received here in the U.S. Many of my non-roller coaster loving friends and family have mentioned the ride to me, I've been contacted by the media to speak about it, it's been featured on morning radio shows, on a late night talk show, and it's been covered by national and international media outlets.

Continue reading Takabisha captivates the World with steepest roller coaster drop

Takabisha captivates the World with steepest roller coaster drop originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 22 Jul 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Buffalo-area theme park Darien Lake was the site of a tragedy on Friday when a man, former Iraq war vet Sgt. James Hackemer, died after falling from a roller coaster. Hackemer was a double leg amputee after losing his legs to a roadside bomb in Iraq three years ago.

The accident happened on the twenty story tall roller coaster called Ride of Steel. It has large hills, banked curves, and speeds in excess of 70 mph. The roller coaster's trains use a lap bar restraints (pictured here).

Hackemer's nephew Ashton Luffred, who rode with him, shared his account of the horrible accident in a New York Post article. According to Luffred, Hackemer asked guest services which rides were safe for him to ride and he was told that he could ride all of them. Hackemer was ejected on one of the smaller camel back-shaped hills on the trip back to the station.

In statements to the press and on Darien Lake's home page, the park says that they are investigating the accident with the local authorities and safety experts. The Ride of Steel roller coaster will remained closed until the investigation is complete while the rest of the park will be open.

[Photo Credit - Flickr User OliverN5]

Iraq War veteran dies from roller coaster accident at Darien Lake originally appeared on Gadling on Sun, 10 Jul 2011 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Extreme thrills on America's most intense roller coasters

Extreme thrills on America's most intense roller coasters originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 24 Jun 2011 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Cedar Point opens WindSeeker in the year of the tower ride originally appeared on Gadling on Sun, 19 Jun 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Six Flags America closes Skull Mountain originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 10 Jun 2011 07:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Mach Tower to open at Busch Gardens Williamsburg originally appeared on Gadling on Sat, 04 Jun 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Triple-launch roller coaster Cheetah Hunt opens at Busch Gardens Tampa originally appeared on Gadling on Mon, 30 May 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

SeaWorld San Antonio announces Aquatica Texas originally appeared on Gadling on Sat, 28 May 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"The high cost of maintenance and insurance, plus low ridership as the ride became rough," likely contributed to the Dania Beach coaster shutdown on April 26, Doppelt said. "I'd say they couldn't afford to redo it."

The company that owns the coaster has cited "business reasons" for the closure, but did not offer details.

The Dania Beach Hurricane may be demolished originally appeared on Gadling on Sun, 22 May 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

SkyScreamer opens at Six Flags St. Louis originally appeared on Gadling on Mon, 16 May 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

American Dream at Meadowlands to open in 2013 originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 13 May 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Morey's Piers plans a massive new wooden roller coaster originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 05 May 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

A review of the New Texas Giant at Six Flags Over Texas originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 29 Apr 2011 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading 4 U.S. cities that need a major theme park

4 U.S. cities that need a major theme park originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 14 Apr 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Theme Park Change puts a theme park twist on giving originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 08 Apr 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.