Grizzly | |
---|---|
Previously known as The Grizzly (1982-1996) | |
![]() A train on Grizzly approaching the lift hill | |
Kings Dominion | |
Location | Kings Dominion |
Park section | Old Virginia |
Coordinates | 37°50′15.02″N77°26′49.63″W / 37.8375056°N 77.4471194°W |
Status | Operating |
Opening date | March 27, 1982 |
General statistics | |
Type | Wood |
Manufacturer | Taft Attractions Group |
Designer | Curtis D. Summers |
Track layout | Terrain |
Lift/launch system | Chain Lift |
Height | 87 ft (27 m) |
Length | 3,162 ft (964 m) |
Speed | 51 mph (82 km/h) |
Inversions | 0 |
Duration | 2:30 |
Max vertical angle | 55° |
Height restriction | 48 in (122 cm) |
Trains | 2 trains with 7 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 28 riders per train. |
Grizzly at RCDB |
Grizzly is a wooden roller coaster at Kings Dominion in Doswell, Virginia. The grounds of the ride are densely forested, with the intended thrills heightened from the illusion of inadequate clearance between the track and trees. The attraction opened in 1982, and the double-figure-eight layout is based closely on the defunct Coney Island Wildcat. [1] A similar version of this ride operates at Canada's Wonderland as Wilde Beast.
The announcement by Kings Dominion that Grizzly would be ready to open for the 1982 season was made in a press release on March 15, 1982. [2] The new coaster was intended to be the top thriller in the park, billed as "Taller than the park's most popular ride (Racer 75)" and "heaven for the real thrillseeker". Grizzly was designed by Curtis D. Summers, and is very similar to Wilde Beast at Canada's Wonderland, which he designed a year earlier. [3] Both coasters are based on the Wildcat roller coaster (demolished in 1964) at the early Coney Island park in Cincinnati, Ohio. Media conglomerate Taft Broadcasting owned Coney Island at the time. [4] The layout placed the coaster in the Old Virginia section of the park, winding mostly through the existing forest for the first half, then entering a large infield (which also held an employee parking area) for the second. The ride opened on March 27, 1982, and was closed for portions of the 2009 and 2011 seasons for retracking.
Grizzly was given a refurbishment in 2016. The first and second hills were entirely retracked with fresh new wood and brand new running rails. Moreover, the station floor was completely redone. The old floor made out of laminated plywood sheets was replaced with fresh, sturdy wooden planks. [5]
After Labor Day 2022, Grizzly closed for major refurbishment by The Gravity Group. 1,040 feet of the ride was retracked to provide a smoother ride experience. The first drop was increased from 45 to 55 degrees and the fan turn after the tunnel was reprofiled to include a smoother transition. The ride's overall length was slightly increased by 12 feet (3.6 m) to 3,162 feet (964 m) and reopened on the 13th of May, 2023. [6]
The attraction is not definitively themed, attempting instead to immerse the riders in a setting that resembles the natural habitat of the grizzly bear. The entire attraction is deep in the woods, far from the nearest paths. This not only hides the coaster from the rest of the park, making it impossible for guests to visually gauge the thrill they are about to experience, but psychologically supports the idea of entering an isolated wilderness. The station and support building architecture is faux timber-framed cabin style, and the color scheme is exclusively brown and woodgrain. The roller coaster itself is stained a gray-brown natural woodtone, and the trains are orange and yellow. At the entrance of the long queue, there is a large simulated stone carving of a grizzly bear, and originally a sign with the name and logo of the attraction. [7] Since the sign's removal sometime prior to May 2008, the attraction's name was not publicly displayed anywhere near or on the grounds of the roller coaster until July 2009 when a new sign was posted near the queue entrance of the ride. In April 2019, the Grizzly Gulch themed gift shop was added along the path to the ride, replacing the Dinosaurs Alive gift shop, [8] acting as the entrance. Outside of the gift shops entrance, there's signs that act as theming, and say things such as "There's a Grizzly in the woods!" With the s being backwards [9]
Year | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ranking | 14 [10] | 17 [11] | 25 [12] | 26 [13] | 29 [14] | 32 [15] | 36 (tie) [16] | 37 [17] | 41 (tie) [18] | - [19] | 42 [20] | - [21] | 45 [22] | - [23] | - [24] | - [25] | - [26] | - [27] | - [28] | 46 [29] | 40 [30] | 50 [31] |
Kings Island is a 364-acre (147 ha) amusement park located 24 miles (39 km) northeast of Cincinnati in Mason, Ohio, United States. Owned and operated by Six Flags Entertainment Corporation, the park was built by Taft Broadcasting and opened in 1972. It was part of a larger effort to move and expand Coney Island, a popular resort destination along the banks of the Ohio River that was prone to frequent flooding. After more than $300 million in capital investments over the years, the park has grown to feature over a hundred attractions including fifteen roller coasters and a 33-acre (13 ha) water park.
The Beast is a wooden roller coaster located at Kings Island amusement park in Mason, Ohio, United States. Designed and manufactured in-house for approximately $3 million, the ride opened in 1979 as the tallest, fastest, and longest wooden roller coaster in the world. Decades later, it is still the longest, spanning 7,361 feet (2,244 m) across 35 acres (14 ha) of hilly terrain. Two lift hills contribute to the ride's duration of more than four minutes, which also ranks as one of the longest among roller coasters. A refurbishment in 2022 increased the angle of the first drop and lengthened the ride by 2 feet (0.61 m).
The Cyclone, also called the Coney Island Cyclone, is a wooden roller coaster at Luna Park in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City. Designed by Vernon Keenan, it opened to the public on June 26, 1927. The roller coaster is on a plot of land at the intersection of Surf Avenue and West 10th Street. The Cyclone reaches a maximum speed of 60 miles per hour (97 km/h) and has a total track length of 2,640 feet (800 m), with a maximum height of 85 feet (26 m).
Thunderbolt, previously known as Pippin, is a wooden roller coaster located at Kennywood amusement park in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania. It was originally built and designed by John A. Miller and opened in 1924. It was later renovated for the 1968 season, which involved a major track expansion designed by Andy Vettel. It reopened to the public as Thunderbolt. It is partially known for being one of the few rides at Kennywood to require a partner.
Twisted Cyclone, formerly known as Georgia Cyclone, is a steel roller coaster located at Six Flags Over Georgia in Austell, Georgia. Manufactured by Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC), the ride opened to the public on May 25, 2018. It features RMC's patented I-Box Track technology and utilizes a significant portion of Georgia Cyclone's former support structure. Originally constructed by the Dinn Corporation, Georgia Cyclone first opened on March 3, 1990.
The Giant Dipper is a historic wooden roller coaster located at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, an amusement park in Santa Cruz, California. The Giant Dipper, which replaced the Thompson's Scenic Railway, took 47 days to build and opened on May 17, 1924, at a cost of $50,000. With a height of 70 feet (21 m) and a speed of 55 miles per hour (89 km/h), it is one of the most popular wooden roller coasters in the world. As of 2012, over 60 million people have ridden the Giant Dipper since its opening. The ride has received several awards such as being named a National Historic Landmark, a Golden Age Coaster award, and a Coaster Landmark award.
The Comet is a wooden roller coaster located at Six Flags Great Escape and Hurricane Harbor in Queensbury, New York, in the United States.
Blue Streak is a wooden roller coaster located at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, United States. Built by Philadelphia Toboggan Company, Blue Streak opened to the public on May 23, 1964. It is the oldest roller coaster operating at Cedar Point. In 2013, Blue Streak achieved its highest ranking in the annual Golden Ticket Awards publication by Amusement Today, ranking 27th among the world's top wooden roller coasters. In 2022, it was awarded a Coaster Landmark designation by American Coaster Enthusiasts.
The Boss is a wooden roller coaster located in the Britannia section of Six Flags St. Louis in Eureka, Missouri. It opened on April 29, 2000, and was manufactured by Custom Coasters International. It features a lift hill height of 122 feet (37 m) and a first drop of 150 feet (46 m). Prior to the 2018 season, it also featured a 570-degree helix.
Volcano: The Blast Coaster, or simply Volcano, was an inverted launched roller coaster located at Kings Dominion in Doswell, Virginia, United States. Designed by Werner Stengel, it was the first launched roller coaster manufactured by Intamin and the first of its kind in the world to be inverted. Its launch mechanism utilized linear induction motor (LIM) technology. After a series of delays, Volcano opened to the public on August 3, 1998. A portion of the ride was enclosed inside an artificial mountain, constructed in 1979, which previously housed other attractions. Following nearly two decades of operation, Volcano abruptly closed a few weeks into the 2018 season, and the closure became permanent during the following offseason.
Thunder Run is a wooden roller coaster at the Kentucky Kingdom amusement park in Louisville, Kentucky. The ride originally operated from August 1990 through to October 2009, when then-operators Six Flags abandoned the park. After remaining closed since 2009, Thunder Run reopened in May 2014 when Kentucky Kingdom reopened under new operators.
Viper is a wooden roller coaster located at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois, which opened in 1995. Viper is a mirrored replica of the Coney Island Cyclone and is the only roller coaster ever to be built directly by Six Flags. It was built by Rygiel Construction.
Megafobia is a wooden roller coaster located at Oakwood Theme Park, Pembrokeshire, Wales, United Kingdom. It opened on 30 April 1996 and was built by Custom Coasters International, who wanted a ride to showcase their company in Europe. Megafobia features a twister style layout.
Phoenix is a wooden roller coaster located at Knoebels Amusement Resort in Elysburg, Pennsylvania. It was moved to its current location in central Pennsylvania in 1985. Prior to its purchase and relocation to Knoebels, it operated under the name "The Rocket" at Playland Park in San Antonio, Texas.
Jack Rabbit is a wooden roller coaster located at Kennywood Park in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania. Designed and built by John A. Miller and Harry C. Baker, Jack Rabbit opened in 1920, making it one of the oldest roller coasters in the world still in operation. The ride's three trains were manufactured by Edward Vettel Sr. in 1951 and contain three cars of six seats each. Due to the use of a small lap bar in the cars, some young children are disallowed to enter the ride, as 42” is the minimum. A popular early feature of the ride was a tunnel which covered the turnaround section after the first drop, but this was removed in 1947. In 1991, the tunnel was restored at a slightly shorter length.
Boulder Dash is a wooden roller coaster located at Lake Compounce in Bristol, Connecticut. The coaster was built by Custom Coasters International using Southern Yellow Pine wood, while the track is made of Douglas Fir. Amusement Today's annual Golden Ticket Awards ranked Boulder Dash as the world's best wooden roller coaster in 2004 and from 2013 to 2016. The trains were built by Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters (PTC).
Cornball Express is a wooden roller coaster at Indiana Beach in Monticello, Indiana. The ride was designed and manufactured by Custom Coasters International. It opened on May 18, 2001. The Cornball Express had gained critical acclaim among enthusiasts, being named the #1 wooden roller coaster in the world by website ThemeParkCritic.com in 2002. Cornball Express, along with 2002's Lost Coaster of Superstition Mountain, were among Custom Coaster International's last roller coasters designed before closing their doors in 2002. It was their 48th roller coaster designed.
Shivering Timbers is a wooden roller coaster located at Michigan's Adventure in Muskegon County, Michigan. It was developed and built by Custom Coasters International. Opened in May 1998, Shivering Timbers debuted for the park's 32nd year in operation and was a success. Construction for the ride began in 1997. The trains were made by Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters. The ride's out and back layout is 5,383 feet (1,641 m) long, making it the fourth-longest wooden roller coaster in the world. The ride has been re-tracked by Martin & Vleminckx and Great Coasters International. Shivering Timbers is the tallest and fastest roller coaster in Michigan.
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.
The PNE Roller Coaster is a wooden roller coaster at Playland in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Opened in 1958, it is the oldest roller coaster in Canada. The ride is 2,840 ft (870 m) long—which established it as the largest roller coaster in Canada at the time it was completed—and has a height of 68 ft (21 m) and speeds of up to 76 km/h (47 mph). The coaster was awarded the Coaster Classic and Roller Coaster Landmark statuses by American Coaster Enthusiasts.