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Industry | Manufacturing |
---|---|
Founded | July 2002 |
Founder | Former Custom Coasters International employees |
Headquarters | , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Products | Roller coasters, roller coaster trains |
Divisions | Gravitykraft Corporation, Gravity Works, LLC |
Website | www |
The Gravity Group is a wooden roller coaster design firm based in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. The firm was founded in July 2002 out of the engineering team of the famed but now defunct Custom Coasters International. The core group of designers and engineers at The Gravity Group have backgrounds in civil, structural and mechanical engineering. Their experience comes from work on over 40 different wooden roller coasters around the world. The first coaster designed under the Gravity Group opened as Hades at Mount Olympus Theme Park in 2005. The Gravity Group also designed The Voyage at Holiday World in Santa Claus, Indiana, which opened in May 2006 and is the second-longest wooden roller coaster in the world. These first two accomplishments of the team have been received with great success by both the industry and coaster enthusiasts alike.
In 2007, The Gravity Group opened Boardwalk Bullet, an intense wooden roller coaster that was built at Kemah Boardwalk and opened as the only wooden coaster in the Greater Houston area. The Gravity Group designed Ravine Flyer II at Waldameer in Erie, Pennsylvania, which was opened at the start of the 2008 season. In 2009, Wooden Coaster - Fireball was opened at Happy Valley in China, becoming China's first wooden roller coaster. In 2011 Quassy Amusement Park opened Wooden Warrior, the company's sixth wooden roller coaster. The Gravity Group was also involved in the rebuilding of Libertyland's Zippin Pippin at Bay Beach Amusement Park in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
In 2008, members of The Gravity Group announced the development of their own wooden coaster trains called Timberliners. They are being produced by Gravitykraft Corporation, a sister company to The Gravity Group. The Gravity Group promotes their trains as the only wooden coaster trains capable of steering through curves, resulting in a more comfortable and maintenance-friendly ride. Timberliners were planned to debut on The Voyage at Holiday World for the 2010 season, but after four years of delays, Holiday World officially cancelled the project on August 16, 2013. However, in 2011, the Timberliners appeared on Wooden Warrior at Quassy Amusement Park in Connecticut and on Twister at Gröna Lund in Sweden, and in 2013 were added to Hades as part of its transformation to Hades 360.
As of 2019, The Gravity Group has built 28 roller coasters around the world. [1]
Name | Model | Park | Country | Opened | Status | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hades 360 Formerly Hades | Steel Support Structure | Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park | United States | 2005 | Operating | [2] |
The Voyage | Steel Support Structure | Holiday World | United States | 2006 | Operating | [3] |
Boardwalk Bullet | Wood Support Structure | Kemah Boardwalk | United States | 2007 | Operating | [4] |
Ravine Flyer II | Steel Support Structure | Waldameer & Water World | United States | 2008 | Operating | [5] |
Wooden Coaster - Fireball | Wood Support Structure | Happy Valley Shanghai | China | 2009 | Operating | [6] |
Wooden Warrior | Wood Support Structure | Quassy Amusement Park | United States | 2011 | Operating | [7] |
Twister | Steel Support Structure | Gröna Lund | Sweden | 2011 | Operating | [8] |
Zippin Pippin | Wood Support Structure | Bay Beach Amusement Park | United States | 2011 | Operating | [9] |
Dauling Dragon | Wood Support Structure | Happy Valley Wuhan | China | 2012 | Operating | [10] |
Fjord Flying Dragon | Wood Support Structure | Happy Valley Tianjin | China | 2013 | Operating | [11] |
Roar-o-Saurus | Wood Support Structure | Story Land | United States | 2014 | Operating | [12] |
Time Travel | Wood Support Structure | Hot Go Park | China | 2014 | Operating | [13] |
Cú Chulainn | Wood Support Structure | Emerald Park | Ireland | 2015 | Operating | [14] |
Switchback | Steel Support Structure | ZDT's Amusement Center | United States | 2015 | Operating | [15] |
Jungle Trailblazer | Wood Support Structure | Oriental Heritage Jinan | China | 2015 | Operating | [16] |
Jungle Trailblazer | Wood Support Structure | Fantawild Dreamland Zhengzhou | China | 2015 | Operating | [17] |
Jungle Trailblazer | Wood Support Structure | Oriental Heritage Wuhu | China | 2015 | Operating | [18] |
Timber | Wood Support Structure | Walibi Rhône-Alpes | France | 2016 | Operating | [19] |
Jungle Trailblazer | Wood Support Structure | Oriental Heritage Ningbo | China | 2016 | Operating | [20] |
Jungle Trailblazer | Wood Support Structure | Fantawild Dreamland Zhuzhou | China | 2016 | Operating | [21] |
Mine Blower | Steel Support Structure | Fun Spot America Kissimmee | United States | 2017 | Operating | [22] |
Jungle Trailblazer | Wood Support Structure | Oriental Heritage Xiamen | China | 2017 | Operating | [23] |
Oscar's Wacky Taxi | Steel Support Structure | Sesame Place | United States | 2018 | Operating | [24] |
Wood Express | Steel Support Structure | Parc Saint Paul | France | 2018 | Operating | [25] |
Jungle Trailblazer | Wood Support Structure | Fantawild Asian Legend | China | 2018 | Operating | [26] |
Kentucky Flyer | Steel Support Structure | Kentucky Kingdom | United States | 2019 | Operating | [27] |
Wooden Dragon | Wood Support Structure | Sunac Jinan | China | 2021 | Operating | [28] |
Leviathan | Wood Support Structure | Sea World | Australia | 2022 | Operating | [29] |
The Bobcat | Wood Support Structure | Six Flags Great Escape | United States | 2024 | Operating | [30] |
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Hades 360 is a hybrid roller coaster at Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. When it opened in 2005, the coaster was known as Hades; it was renamed in 2013 when the 360 degree roll was installed. It is the largest roller coaster in the park. Hades 360 is a rarity among wooden roller coasters due to its 360 degree roll, 110-degree over banked turn, and steep 65-degree drop as well as its 90-degree banked turn, as drops and angles this steep are generally not included on wooden roller coasters due to structural limitations. The ride was designed by The Gravity Group.
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Maurer AG, formerly known as Maurer Söhne GmbH & Co. KG, is a steel construction company and roller coaster manufacturer. Founded in 1876 in Munich, Germany, the company has built many styles of steel buildings, ranging from bridges, industrial buildings, and even art structures. While known for building a variety of wild mouse coasters, its subsidiary Maurer Rides GmbH has branched out into spinning, looping, and launching coasters. The company also produces a free-fall tower ride. On December 15, 2014, the company changed its name to Maurer AG.
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