A hypercoaster is a roller coaster with a height or drop measuring at least 200 feet (61 m).[1][2] The term was first coined by Arrow Dynamics and Cedar Point in 1989 with the opening of the world's first hypercoaster, Magnum XL-200, which features a height of 205 feet (62 meters). The next hypercoaster, Pepsi Max Big One, opened five years later at Blackpool Pleasure Beach featuring a height of 213 feet (65 m).
Other roller coaster manufacturers may or may not recognize the term hypercoaster when naming their models. Intamin calls their hypercoaster model a Mega Coaster, and Bolliger & Mabillard labels theirs a Hyper Coaster. The competition between amusement parks to build increasingly taller roller coasters eventually led to the next height classification for roller coasters known as giga coasters, which have a height or drop measuring at least 300 feet (91 m). This was soon followed by the world's first strata coasters – exceeding 400 feet (120 m) – with the release of Top Thrill Dragster in 2003.
History
The world's first hypercoaster was Magnum XL-200 at Cedar Point, which cost $8 million to construct. Cedar Point hired Arrow Dynamics for the design and construction began in 1988. Since its debut on May 6, 1989, Magnum XL-200 has accommodated over 36 million riders.[3] Cedar Point's official blog states that after building the ride, "...discussion was focused on just what a roller coaster such as Magnum should be called. After all, it had no loops like most of the other large steel coasters of the time and was so much bigger and faster than its non-looping brethren. After a couple of years, the name everyone agreed upon was hypercoaster."[4]
Description
Hypercoasters were originally built for speed and airtime, to counter the trend of constructing bigger and bigger looping coasters. To accomplish this the elements of a hypercoaster often include a large first drop, several additional drops of declining height, a large turn or helix, and then many airtime-inducing hills. Hypercoasters are commonly designed with an out and back layout, although there are occasionally hypercoasters that use a twister layout, such as Raging Bull at Six Flags Great America, and others that combine both, such as Diamondback at Kings Island.
Hypercoasters are highly-ranked in the annual Amusement Today Golden Ticket Awards. In 2006, Six Flags New England's Superman: Ride of Steel (later named Bizarro and Superman The Ride) was ranked first place. Others such as Magnum XL-200 (third), Nitro (fourth), and Apollo's Chariot (fifth) followed closely behind in the top five, with hypercoasters making up the majority of the Top 10 Steel Coasters.[5] By 2010, hypercoasters completely filled the top 10, as well as 16 of the top 20.[6]
Though hypercoasters are typically steel roller coasters, Son of Beast at Kings Island was the first and only wooden hypercoaster. Due to a number of issues, the ride was eventually demolished in 2012.[7][8]
Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M) has produced 18 models over 21 years of production of hyper coasters, making it one of the more successful models manufactured by the company.[11]
The first installation of the hyper coaster was Apollo's Chariot located in Busch Gardens Williamsburg.[12][13] It was one of the two models released in 1999, the other being the Floorless Coaster. It was made in a similar style to the TOGO, D. H. Morgan Manufacturing, and Arrow Dynamics hypercoasters. In 2012, B&M produced its first giga coaster, Leviathan at Canada's Wonderland, exceeding 300 feet in height. Bolliger & Mabillard do not use the term giga, but have continued to produce roller coasters in this class.[14]
The typical design of B&M's hyper coaster model includes a large lift hill then a large drop with a steep angle of descent, and typically includes airtime hills. One exception, Raging Bull at Six Flags Great America does not have this standard "out-and-back" layout, but rather features a "twister" layout.[15]
The trains feature seven to nine cars of one row with four seats, resulting in each train seating 28 to 36 riders. Depending on the dispatch time and the number of trains, the coasters typically have a capacity of 1,200 to 1,500 riders per hour. Each seat features a unique clamshell restraint. Some trains used on B&M Hyper Coasters feature staggered seats, where the two outer seats are located farther back than the two center seats, creating a more open experience. Currently, this staggered seating arrangement is only featured on four coasters: Behemoth at Canada's Wonderland, Diamondback at Kings Island, Thunder Striker at Carowinds, and Shambhala at PortAventura Park.
Golden Ticket Awards
The B&M Hyper Coaster has been the most successful model in the Golden Ticket Awards.[citation needed]
List of hypercoasters
The following is a list of roller coasters with a height of at least 200 feet (61 m). Shuttle roller coasters are typically not classified as hypercoasters and are therefore listed separately.[27]
Complete circuit
Shuttle
^ a b cThis is a hypercoaster that is not taller than 200 ft (61 m), but has a drop of over 200 ft (61 m).
^ a b c d e f gThis is a hypercoaster that is also a giga coaster, a roller coaster that exceeds 300 ft (91 m) in height.
^ a b cThis is a hypercoaster that is also a strata coaster, a roller coaster that exceeds 400 ft (120 m) in height.
^This is a giga coaster that is not taller than 300 ft (91 m), but has a drop of over 300 ft (91 m).
^This is a hypercoaster that is also an exa coaster, a roller coaster that exceeds 600 ft in height
^"When Brain Trauma Is at the Other End Of the Thrill Ride". The New York Times. Retrieved 2022-10-01.
^"Millennium Force: The Hypercoaster Rules No More". Thrillride.com. Archived from the original on 2013-05-10. Retrieved 2011-05-12.
^"CP Mobile". Cedarpoint.com. Archived from the original on 2010-12-26. Retrieved 2011-03-01.
^"More Thoughts on Magnum". Cedarpoint.com. Archived from the original on 2011-09-28. Retrieved 2011-05-12.
^"The List: 2006 Top 50 Steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. September 2006. p. 26. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 14 May 2011.
^"The List: 2010 Top 50 Steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. September 11, 2010. p. 34. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 24, 2011. Retrieved 14 May 2011.
^"What's next for Son of Beast? Future of Kings Island roller coaster unclear". Cincinnati.com. 2011-04-23. Archived from the original on 2011-04-27. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
^"Son of Beast roller coaster to be removed to make room for future park expansion". Kings Island. July 27, 2012. Archived from the original on July 29, 2012. Retrieved July 27, 2012.
^"Steel Vengeance is Cedar Point's record-breaking replacement for Mean Streak roller coaster (Video) | cleveland.com". 16 August 2017. Archived from the original on 2017-08-16. Retrieved 2017-08-16.
^Marden, Duane. "Goliath (Six Flags Over Georgia)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
^"B&M Hyper Coaster". 14 August 2012.
^Deacle, Robin (September 5, 1998). "New Ride Not For Mere Mortals". Daily Press. Archived from the original on May 31, 2014. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
^"Bolliger & Mabillard – Products". Archived from the original on 21 June 2012. Retrieved 13 February 2012.
^Backmann, Dave (October 22, 1998). "Six Flags' new ride will offer 'hyper-twister' thrills". Kenosha News. Retrieved July 8, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
^"2009 Golden Ticket Awards" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-10-19.
^"2010 Golden Ticket Awards" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-10-19.
^"2011 Golden Ticket Awards" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-10-19.
^"2012 Golden Ticket Awards" (PDF).
^"2013 Golden Ticket Awards" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-10-19.
^"2014 Golden Ticket Awards" (PDF).
^"2015 Golden Ticket Awards" (PDF).
^"2016 Golden Ticket Awards". 11 September 2016.
^"2017 Golden Ticket Awards". 11 September 2017.
^"2018 Golden Ticket Awards". 8 September 2018.
^"2019 Golden Ticket Awards". 7 September 2019.
^"Watch the plunge from this new 325-foot roller coaster". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2024-01-17.