CoasterFanatic Posted June 21, 2005 Posted June 21, 2005 I was contacted about a month ago by the New York Daily News. They were looking to write an article on all thenew coasters in the US opening this year here is the result: A view to a thrillCoasters with the most Every continent except Antarctica has them; more than 700 are in North Amer ica alone. Most run on steel, others on wood; some in water. We’re talkin’ roller coasters. If you’ve been waiting all winter to be scared out of your wits — not to men tion get tumbled, rolled and pulled to harrowing heights, only to be dropped into an abyss at reckless speeds — you’ll be happy to know that 73 new roller coasters open this year. Here are the ins and outs of the most exciting new rides out there. Hydra: The Revenge Dorney Park, Allentown, Pa. Dorney Park, about 90 minutes outside New York City, just introduced the Swiss-manufactured, $13 million Hydra, one of only 11 floorless coasters worldwide, to its impressive roster. Weighing 684 tons, Hydra can thrill 1,245 people an hour in two 32-passenger trains. Riders sit suspended above 3,198 feet of tubular track with their legs hanging — and feel the like they’re floating in air. As it exits the station, Hydra twists upside down in a first-of-its-kind “JoJo Roll,” with “lots of hang time as you go through it,” said 25-year old Derek Ruth, a pharmacist from Reading, Pa., who recently took a ride. It climbs 95 feet, passes through seven inversions, does a tight cobra roll and performs a 62-foot dive loop, a zero-gravity roll and two flat spins with inversions, all in less than 3 minutes, 35 seconds. Hydra accelerates to 53 mph and drops 105 feet sideways, at an angle of 68 degrees. $36.95, must be at least 54 inches tall to ride. (610) 395-3724; www.dorneypark.com Hades Mt. Olympus Water and Theme Park, Wisconsin Dells, Wis. Known as “woodies,” old-fashioned wooden roller coasters still make debuts. This year, Hades — the longest, tallest and fastest wooden coaster in the upper Midwest — took its first passengers out for a spin, twisting and barreling along two underground tunnels. “Sitting in the last car, you get some really good air time,” said Brian logs around 300 rides annually, 20 so far on Hades. “The tunnel is hard to describe, but it is by far the best part of the ride. You really get tossed around in the seat.” $32. (608) 254-2490; www.mtolympusthemepark.com The Italian Job: Stunt Track Paramount’s Kings Island, Kings Island, Ohio Niki Kapsambellis, 36, a mother of Niki Kapsambellis, 36, a mother of two from Pittsburgh, tried her first roller coaster as a kid. “I was afraid to ride anything, and my mother paid me $5 to ride Space Mountain. She was kind of a coaster nut. So ever since then I’ve been hooked.” Kapsambellis recently sampled The Italian Job, a new indoor coaster. “It’s not a huge thrill ride,” she said. “If you really like going down steep hills, it’s not the type of ride that’s going to get you to go to the park just for that. But the cars are kind of cute. They’re Mini Coopers.” Must be 48 inches or taller. $26.99, ages 3-6. $34.99 adults. 1-800-288-0808; www.pki.com Powder Keg: A Blast in the Wilderness Silver Dollar City, Branson, Mo. Powder Keg, a $10 million, compressed-air launch coaster, zooms rom 0 to 53 mph in 2.8 seconds, shoots down a 110-foot drop into spiral and dragonfly-banked turns, and through a wave of floater hills with negative G forces, giving riders a feeling of weightlessness. One of only three roller coasters in the world to use compressed-air technology, it claims to be environmental-y friendly. $43.65. 1-800-475-9370; www.silverdollarcity.com SheiKra Busch Gardens, Tampa Bay Derek Ruth was amazed by SheiKra. It has two 90-degree drops, a loop and a splash-down ending which is just insane,” he said. “It’s insanely fun.” SheiKra, Florida’s tallest roller coaster and North America’s only dive coaster (which go underground), eeters atop a 200-foot tower (the world’s tallest dive coaster tower) before plunging 90 degrees and then again from 138 feet into an underground tunnel. It’s over in three minutes, but not before reaching 70 mph. Ted Cromwell, 29, a Web developer from outside Pittsburgh and founder of Coaster Fanatics.com, tackled Sheikra twice, calling it “excellent.” “It drops 90 degrees to the ground — unlike most coasters hat just drop at 60-odd degrees,” he said. Is it scary? “Yeah, actual-y that’s its big thing — the intim-dation factor,” he replied. $50.35 n advance, online. 1-888-800-5447; www.buschgardens.com Kingda Ka Six Flags Great Adventure, Jackson, N.J. An hour from New York City, Kingda Ka opened last month, but Great Adventure’s Web site reports that it will be closed for several weeks. That’s too bad, because the super-coaster shatters all previous height and speed records. A hydraulic launch, or “rocket” coaster, it blasts from 0 to 128 mph in 3.5 seconds, climbs to 456 feet (45 stories — yikes!) and plunges at 90 degrees before ascending a second, 129-foot hill, achieving free-floating air time. Steve McConnell, 46, of Horsham, Pa., already has ridden Kingda Ka 27 times. Of the lightning-fast adventure, he said: “It’s not a ride — it’s an experience; it’s incredibly short, but incredibly intense. “Your face is distorted; it’s insane how fast they get you going,” he said. “You don’t even hear yourself or anyone else screaming,” he reports. “You have no idea how high you are.” $38.99, online. (732) 928-1821; www.sixflags.com Sheila Callahan You can see the article online here: http://www.print2webcorp.com/news/nydailynews/travel/20050619/p06_07.asp
Guest Posted June 21, 2005 Posted June 21, 2005 Great Find Ted! Glad you made it in the paper. It was a great article. Thanks for sharing! Katie
Zingo! Posted June 21, 2005 Posted June 21, 2005 Look out Paul Reuben! Congrats on being a TPR Celeb! -scott
CoasterFanatic Posted June 21, 2005 Author Posted June 21, 2005 Paul Ruben doesn't have anything to worry about. At no time did I ever use the words "World-Class" or "Number 1".
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