1. Gatekeeper, Cedar Point- America's Roller Coast comes back on the scene with it's contribution to the 'new for 2013' club in the winged coaster Gatekeeper. Of course, since we're talking about Cedar Point here, they did make sure this broke all the records of normal winged coasters, including a lift of 170 ft, a top speed of 67 mph, and sporting over 4,100 ft of track, making it the tallest, fastest and longest of Bolliger and Mabillard's winged coasters. Along with those stats, the coaster features 6 inversions including a pair of barrel rolls, one through a keyhole structure for some close quarters maneuvering, right over Cedar Point's main gate. It's sure hard to miss as you walk up to begin your day.
2. Full Throttle, Six Flags Magic Mountain- The true roller coaster capital of the world also comes out with a new ride this year. With the variety Six Flags Magic Mountain already has, this comes off as quite the interesting specimen. A pretty standard launch coaster with a few things to up the ante, including the world's tallest vertical loop at 160 ft and a top speed of 70 mph to get through the loop. A second inversion flies over the top of the mountain before the ride comes to a tunnel. After a brief stop, the ride then takes a reverse launch up the very inversion that put riders in the tunnel. That gives the trains a head start before the magnetic launchers take it back up to 70 mph as the ride makes one final climb over the loop. A definite way to quench your need for speed.
3. Iron Rattler, Six Flags Fiesta Texas- This is among one of a few new trends going on with giving older, rougher wooden coasters a good refurbishment. The old Rattler at Six Flags Fiesta Texas was constantly labeled as one of the worst running wooden coasters on the planet. Then the Rocky Mountain Company was hired by Six Flags to give their coaster some new life. This is the second wooden coaster they've added their Iron Horse I-beam steel track to, the other being Six Flags Over Texas' New Texas Giant. Iron Rattler got a lot of the same treatments, such as raising the first drop considerably from 166 ft to 179 ft, even steepening it to 81 degrees. The steel track coils and twists much more than the wood track ever did, including a barrel roll about midway through the course. After a few 90 degree banked curves and hops above the quarry wall, the ride finishes the 3,266 ft course with a dramatic drop over the wall and into a LED lit tunnel.
4. Outlaw Run, Silver Dollar City- Another wooden coaster innovation courtesy of RMC, but this one keeps to the wood coaster style in using the laminated wooden layered track. However, this uses the newly created 'Topper Track' which replaces top 2 of the 7 layers with steel, making for a much smoother ride and with the ability to make increasingly twisted layouts. While RMC have used the Topper Track to rehab current tracks, this is their first custom layout using all Topper Track. Outlaw Run also happens to be one of the more intense wooden coasters out there, starting with a 162 ft first drop angled at 81 degrees. The ride is filled with bunny hops and high banked turns, and the for the first time since Son of Beast, inversions. Three as a matter of fact, a high overbanked turn which gets riders upside down, and 2 finishing barrel rolls.
5. Hades 360, Mount Olympus Water and Theme Park- So wood coasters seem to be a theme of this year's new rides. Hades 360 is another example of a rough wood coaster in need of a makeover, but this was pulled off in quite a different fashion. Gravity Group, who originally built the ride, kept the traditional wooden track, of which nearly all the layout was re-tracked with new wood and some reprofiling of a few turns, and new trains were added, their newly developed Timberliners, boasting smoother rides, less wear and tear on the track, and the ability to do inversions, which Mount Olympus took full advantage of, adding a corkscrew after coming out of the tunnel from the first drop.
6. Smiler, Alton Towers- It's been a while since a coaster broke the inversion record, the last being Thorpe Park's Colossus at 10. Alton Towers went to smash that record featuring a coaster with a grand total of 14 inversions. The ride comes from Gerstlauer, famous for their Eurofigher steel coaster design. Smiler differs slightly in that is uses 4 row trains compared to their usual 2 row cars found on most Eurofighters. Its particularly noteworthy as it does this only being 98 ft tall. For those unaware, Alton Towers has one of the strictest zoning restrictions out there, not being able to build above tree-top heights. Alton Towers gets by this in the simplest way, dig down. The park boasts some of the best thrill coasters in the world, and Smiler comes in to keep that notion alive. The ride would probably be more apt to be described as two 7 inversion coasters smashed into 1 as the ride sports 2 lifts. The ride uses this aspect well as the 2 parts allow the trains to duel, which combined with the symmetry of the layout, makes for some pretty wild visuals.
5. Hades 360, Mount Olympus Water and Theme Park- So wood coasters seem to be a theme of this year's new rides. Hades 360 is another example of a rough wood coaster in need of a makeover, but this was pulled off in quite a different fashion. Gravity Group, who originally built the ride, kept the traditional wooden track, of which nearly all the layout was re-tracked with new wood and some reprofiling of a few turns, and new trains were added, their newly developed Timberliners, boasting smoother rides, less wear and tear on the track, and the ability to do inversions, which Mount Olympus took full advantage of, adding a corkscrew after coming out of the tunnel from the first drop.
6. Smiler, Alton Towers- It's been a while since a coaster broke the inversion record, the last being Thorpe Park's Colossus at 10. Alton Towers went to smash that record featuring a coaster with a grand total of 14 inversions. The ride comes from Gerstlauer, famous for their Eurofigher steel coaster design. Smiler differs slightly in that is uses 4 row trains compared to their usual 2 row cars found on most Eurofighters. Its particularly noteworthy as it does this only being 98 ft tall. For those unaware, Alton Towers has one of the strictest zoning restrictions out there, not being able to build above tree-top heights. Alton Towers gets by this in the simplest way, dig down. The park boasts some of the best thrill coasters in the world, and Smiler comes in to keep that notion alive. The ride would probably be more apt to be described as two 7 inversion coasters smashed into 1 as the ride sports 2 lifts. The ride uses this aspect well as the 2 parts allow the trains to duel, which combined with the symmetry of the layout, makes for some pretty wild visuals.
5. Texas Sky Screamer, Six Flags Over Texas- These big swing rides have been popping up like flies, haven't they? Cedar Fair got in the groove with their Windseekers, and Six Flags has their Star Flyers. However, the Six Flags Over Texas' version of the Star Flyer plays to their long held standards of "everything is bigger in Texas". While it keeps the same mechanisms and seats as your average Star Flyer, this puppy hoists riders all the way up to a final altitude of 400 ft, only one of a handful of rides and coasters in the world at that hair raising height.
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