Copperhead Strike

Last updated
Copperhead Strike
Copperhead Strike Logo.png
Copperhead Strike 1.jpg
Carowinds
Location Carowinds
Park section Blue Ridge Junction
Coordinates 35°06′04″N80°56′33″W / 35.1011°N 80.9426°W / 35.1011; -80.9426
StatusOperating
Soft opening dateMarch 21, 2019
Opening dateMarch 23, 2019
Cost$26,000,000
ReplacedWhitewater Falls
Sand Dune Lagoon
General statistics
Type Steel  Launched
Manufacturer Mack Rides GmbH & Co KG
ModelLaunch Coaster
Lift/launch systemLSM launch
Height82 ft (25 m)
Length3,255 ft (992 m)
Speed50 mph (80 km/h)
Inversions 5
Duration2:24
Capacity1,200 riders per hour
Acceleration0 to 42 mph (0 to 68 km/h) in 2.5 seconds
Height restriction52 in (132 cm)
Trains3 trains with 4 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 16 riders per train.
Cedar Fair Fast Lane availability icon.svg Fast Lane available
Copperhead Strike at RCDB

Copperhead Strike is a double launched roller coaster at Carowinds in Charlotte, North Carolina. Manufactured by Mack Rides, the ride debuted to the public on March 23, 2019. [1] It opened as the headlining attraction of a new themed area, Blue Ridge Junction, which is located on the South Carolina side of the park. The ride is the first multi-launched roller coaster to open at the park, and the second launched coaster after White Lightnin' (now Golden Loop at Gold Reef City). [2] Carowinds held a private event for media and special guests on March 21, 2019. [3]

Contents

History

Whitewater Falls, a Hopkins Rides shoot-the-chutes water attraction opened in 1988, closed at the end of the 2016 season. [2] No official reasoning was given by the park for the closure of the ride, and the ride remained standing but not operating throughout the 2017 season until it was removed. In 2018, Carowinds began teasing a new attraction for the area formerly home to Whitewater Falls. [4] [5] On August 30, 2018, Carowinds officially announced Copperhead Strike, along with its accompanying area, becoming the largest investment in the park's history. [6] [7] On October 17, 2018, construction of the ride's vertical loop and queue area were taking shape. [8] [9] The roller coaster opened to the public on March 23, 2019. [1]

Ride experience

The ride starts with a slow heartline roll out of the station (an element sometimes referred to as a jojo roll [10] ) before a right hand turn into Granny Byrd's shed. After a show scene in the building, riders are launched from 0 to 42 mph (68 km/h) out of the shed into the first of two vertical loops. They then careen into an airtime hill and a fast-paced corkscrew, before hitting a turnaround and jumping into the next launch, which is situated over an airtime hill. The launch boosts the speed from 35 to 50 mph (56 to 80 km/h), [2] and sends riders into an elevated cutback. The ride then travels through the second vertical loop and navigates several low-to-the-ground turns. The train ascends one last airtime hill before hitting the final brake run and returning to the station.

Characteristics

Trains

Copperhead Strike features three trains, each possessing 4 cars that seat 4 riders in 2 rows, allowing 16 riders per train. [1] Each seat uses an individual lap bar that is pulled down from above the riders' heads as well as a seat belt that rests between their legs and buckles to the restraint. [2]

The front of each train is designed to look like a car, and bears striking resemblance to the 1939 Ford DeLuxe Convertible Coupe. [11] This design features silver text on the front car that reads "Copperhead Strike", and similar text on the trunk-like design of the rear car that reads "Carowinds".

Theme

Incorporated into the new area known as Blue Ridge Junction, [12] the ride places guests in the shoes of visitors to old Granny Byrd's farmhouse on the edge of town. Granny has been making her prize-winning jam for over 40 years, but the farm is filled with signs warning trespassers to leave the property and look out for snakes.

The queue has guests walk through pathways surrounded by antique cars and shipping crates that feature "Byrd's Farm" branding. As the ride begins, riders happen upon a secret moonshine still in Granny's shed and must flee when she threatens to come after them. [2]

Incidents

On August 18, 2019, a guest was taken to the hospital after receiving a hand injury while riding. The ride was temporarily shut down following an investigation. [13]

Reception

Copperhead Strike was ranked in the Amusement Today's Golden Ticket Awards for best new roller coaster of 2019 in third place. [14]

Golden Ticket Awards: Best New Roller Coaster for 2019
Ranking
3 [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Incredicoaster</span> Roller coaster in California

Incredicoaster is a steel launched roller coaster located at Disney California Adventure in Anaheim, California, United States. Manufactured by Intamin, the ride was originally opened to the public as California Screamin' in early 2001. It is the only roller coaster with an inversion at the Disneyland Resort and it is the fastest, reaching a maximum speed of 55 mph (89 km/h). With a track length of 6,072 feet (1,851 m), Incredicoaster is the sixth-longest steel roller coaster in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shuttle roller coaster</span> Type of roller coaster

A shuttle roller coaster is any roller coaster that ultimately does not make a complete circuit, but rather reverses at some point throughout its course and traverses the same track backwards. These are sometimes referred to as boomerang roller coasters, due to the ubiquity of Vekoma's Boomerang coaster model.

Carowinds is a 407-acre (165 ha) amusement park primarily located in Charlotte, North Carolina. Owned and operated by Six Flags Entertainment Corporation, the park first opened to the public on March 31, 1973. Carowinds straddles the state line between North and South Carolina, adjacent to Interstate 77, with a portion of the park located in Fort Mill, South Carolina. The park has a sign telling guests where the state line lies. It was constructed at a cost of $70 million following a four-year planning period led by Charlotte businessman Earl Patterson Hall. Carowinds also features Carolina Harbor, a 27-acre (11 ha) water park that is included with park admission. Annual events include the Halloween-themed S-Carowinds and the Christmas-themed WinterFest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Demon (roller coaster)</span> Roller coaster at Great America parks

Demon is a multi-looping roller coaster at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois and California's Great America in Santa Clara, California. Both coasters opened in 1976 as Turn of the Century, when both Great America parks were owned by Marriott Corporation. Following the 1979 season, they were slightly modified and renamed Demon, which introduced a new theme.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thunder Road (roller coaster)</span> Defunct wooden roller coaster at Carowinds

Thunder Road was a wooden roller coaster located at Carowinds amusement park on the border between Fort Mill, South Carolina, and Charlotte, North Carolina. Opened in 1976 and built by Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters, the racing roller coaster cost $1.6 million to construct and featured two identical tracks that paralleled each other. The design of the ride was based on Rebel Yell, a wooden racing coaster at Kings Dominion in Doswell, Virginia. Thunder Road was closed on July 26, 2015, to make room for expansion at the park. On August 27, 2015, Carowinds announced that the Boomerang Bay waterpark would be expanded and renamed Carolina Harbor. The expansion resulted in the removal of Thunder Road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nighthawk (roller coaster)</span> Steel roller coaster

Nighthawk is a steel flying roller coaster located at Carowinds. Constructed by Vekoma, it is located in the Thunder Road section of the park. The roller coaster originally opened as Stealth at California's Great America on April 1, 2000. In 2003, Paramount Parks decided to relocate the roller coaster to Carowinds. It reopened as Borg Assimilator – the first coaster in the world to be themed to Star Trek – on March 20, 2004. After Cedar Fair purchased Carowinds in 2006, Paramount themes were soon removed from the park, and the ride was renamed Nighthawk. It is one of only two Flying Dutchman models still in existence from Vekoma, the other being Batwing at Six Flags America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hurler (roller coaster)</span> Wooden coasters at Cedar Fair parks

Hurler is a wooden roller coaster located at Carowinds amusement park in Charlotte, North Carolina. A second identical installation of the ride was also built at Kings Dominion, and both locations opened to the public in 1994. The Hurler at Kings Dominion was closed following the 2015 season and was renovated by Rocky Mountain Construction, re-emerging as a hybrid coaster in 2018 named Twisted Timbers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roller Soaker</span> Amusement ride

Roller Soaker was a suspended roller coaster at Hersheypark in Hershey, Pennsylvania, United States. Manufactured by Setpoint Inc., the roller coaster was announced on August 8, 2001, and opened to the public on May 11, 2002. The Roller Soaker was located in the Boardwalk section at the park and cost $7.5 million to $8 million to construct. In December 2012, Hersheypark announced that the Roller Soaker would be removed to make way for new water attractions in 2013. The roller coaster's station was reused by Breakers Edge Water Coaster, a water coaster added in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Firehawk (roller coaster)</span> Former roller coaster at Kings Island

Firehawk was a flying roller coaster located at Kings Island in Mason, Ohio. Manufactured by Vekoma, it originally opened as X-Flight at Six Flags Worlds of Adventure on May 26, 2001, billed as the Midwest's first and only flying roller coaster. Cedar Fair purchased Worlds of Adventure in 2004 and began efforts to downsize the park. X-Flight was relocated to Kings Island following the 2006 season, where it reopened as Firehawk on May 26, 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ricochet (Carowinds)</span> Roller coaster in North Carolina, U.S.

Ricochet is a wild mouse roller coaster located at Carowinds in Charlotte, North Carolina. It opened for the 2002 season. The roller coaster is located in the Carolina Boardwalk section of the park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carolina Cyclone</span> Steel roller coaster at Carowinds

Carolina Cyclone is an Arrow Dynamics roller coaster located at Carowinds in Charlotte, North Carolina. The coaster is located in the Carolina Boardwalk area of the park. Built in 1980 by world-renowned coaster manufacturer Arrow Dynamics, it was the first roller coaster to have four inversions, two loops and two corkscrews.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vortex (Carowinds)</span> Steel roller coaster at Carowinds

Vortex is a stand-up roller coaster located at Carowinds amusement park in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. Manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M), the ride opened to the public on March 14, 1992. Vortex was built a year before Paramount Parks purchased Carowinds and is situated on the former site of the Carolina Speedway miniature car attraction. It was B&M's third coaster and features a loop and a corkscrew element in its relatively short track layout. Vortex represented a new era of stand-up coasters at the time, which were more advanced than the previous generation introduced in the 1980s.

Afterburn (roller coaster) Inverted roller coaster at Carowinds

Afterburn is an inverted roller coaster located at Carowinds amusement park in Charlotte, North Carolina. After more than two years of planning and construction, the roller coaster opened on March 20, 1999. The ride previously operated as Top Gun: The Jet Coaster, before it was renamed following Cedar Fair's purchase of Paramount Parks in 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Flying Cobras</span> Roller coaster at Carowinds

The Flying Cobras is a steel boomerang roller coaster manufactured by Vekoma. It is located at Carowinds in Charlotte, North Carolina, in the County Fair section of the park. The Flying Cobras was the first roller coaster addition to Carowinds following the park's purchase by Cedar Fair in 2006. It originally debuted in 1996 at Geauga Lake in Ohio as The Mind Eraser, and was later known as Head Spin from 2004 to 2007 after Geauga Lake was purchased by Cedar Fair. After Geauga Lake closed in 2007, the coaster was relocated to Carowinds in 2009 and renamed Carolina Cobra. Following the 2016 season, the roller coaster was refurbished and renamed again in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Project 305</span> Steel roller coaster at Kings Dominion

Project 305 is a steel roller coaster located at Kings Dominion in Doswell, Virginia, United States. Manufactured by Intamin, the ride opened to the public as Intimidator 305 on April 2, 2010. Themed to racing, the coaster was originally named after the late NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt, who was commonly known as "The Intimidator". It is located in the Jungle X-Pedition section of the park near Anaconda on the former site of the Safari Monorail ride. Standing at 305 feet (93 m) tall and reaching speeds up to 90 mph (145 km/h), it is the second giga coaster to be built in North America, following Millennium Force at Cedar Point. The $25-million investment was the most expensive of any ride in park history and the 14th coaster to debut at the park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thunder Striker</span> Steel roller coaster at Carowinds

Thunder Striker, formerly known as Intimidator, is a steel roller coaster located at Carowinds in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. Built by Bolliger & Mabillard and located in the Thunder Road section of the park, the ride opened to public on March 27, 2010. It features a 232-foot (71 m) lift hill, a top speed of 75 mph (121 km/h), and a track length of 5,316 feet (1,620 m).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fury 325</span> Steel roller coaster at Carowinds

Fury 325 is a steel roller coaster located at Carowinds amusement park in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. Designed by Bolliger & Mabillard, Fury 325 opened to the public on March 28, 2015. It features a 6,602-foot-long (2,012 m) track that reaches a maximum height of 325 feet (99 m), making it the fifth-tallest roller coaster in the world and the tallest overall among roller coasters that use a traditional chain lift hill. Riders experience speeds of up to 95 mph (153 km/h), winding through high-speed curves and passing over and under the park's main entrance. Beginning in 2016, Fury 325 has consistently ranked as the world's best steel coaster in the annual Golden Ticket Awards published by Amusement Today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twisted Timbers</span> Steel roller coaster at Kings Dominion

Twisted Timbers is a hybrid roller coaster located at Kings Dominion in Doswell, Virginia. It originally opened as a wooden coaster named Hurler in 1994, designed and manufactured by International Coasters, Inc. It is an exact clone of Hurler at Carowinds. The ride closed for "extensive maintenance" in 2015 according to the park, which later teased in 2016 that Hurler was being replaced.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Ride to Happiness</span> Steel spinning roller coaster at Plopsaland

The Ride to Happiness is a steel spinning roller coaster located at Plopsaland De Panne in Adinkerke, Belgium. It is Europe's first Mack Rides Xtreme Spinning Coaster, and holds the record for the most inversions on a spinning coaster. The attraction is themed to the world-famous Tomorrowland electronic dance music festival, annually held in Boom, Belgium.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Copperhead Strike - Carowinds (Charlotte, North Carolina, USA)". Roller Coaster DataBase . Retrieved October 23, 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Copperhead Strike, The Carolina's First Double Launch Coaster". Carowinds. August 30, 2018. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
  3. "Enter for a chance to ride Copperhead Strike at Carowinds". WCNC. 2019-02-19. Retrieved 2019-03-17.
  4. Andrew (June 30, 2018). "Carowinds' 2019 Teasers: What Do They All Mean?". Coaster101. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
  5. Bowen, Janine (August 11, 2018). "Carowinds teases 'biggest announcement' in park's history on social media". WRAL . Retrieved October 23, 2018.
  6. Marks, John (August 30, 2018). "Carowinds is adding another roller coaster. It will be fast". The Charlotte Observer . The McClatchy Company . Retrieved August 30, 2018.
  7. Elkins, Ken (August 30, 2018). "Carowinds touts bright future — but details of next expansion will have to wait". Charlotte Business Journal . American City Business Journals . Retrieved October 23, 2018.
  8. Harris, Amanda (October 17, 2018). "Construction underway on new rides at Carowinds, including Copperhead Strike". The Herald . The McClatchy Company . Retrieved October 23, 2018.
  9. Andrew (October 17, 2018). "Copperhead Strike Taking Shape at Carowinds (and the Gliders' Return!)". Coaster101. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
  10. Report, Morning Call | Staff (2004-09-15). "Wild roller coaster will be Dorney's newest ride ** While not the park's fastest or steepest, Hydra will have many twists and turns". The Morning Call. Retrieved 2024-06-24.
  11. "1939 Ford DeLuxe Convertible Coupe - The Henry Ford". www.thehenryford.org. Retrieved 2024-06-24.
  12. "Carowinds announces biggest park investment ever with 'Copperhead Strike'". WCYB . August 30, 2018. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
  13. "Copperhead Strike ride currently closed at Carowinds after injury". WCNC. 2019-08-19. Retrieved 2019-08-19.
  14. 1 2 "Amusement Today – Golden Ticket Awards 2019" (PDF). Amusement Today. 23 (6.2): 12. September 2019. Retrieved July 29, 2020.