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).

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The world's first hypercoaster, Magnum XL-200 at Cedar Point

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]

Hypercoasters were first manufactured by Arrow Dynamics in the late 1980s to early 1990s. Since then, a number of companies, including Bolliger & Mabillard, Intamin, D. H. Morgan Manufacturing, and Giovanola have designed and constructed hypercoasters.

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]

In 2018, Cedar Point opened the first hybrid hypercoaster, Steel Vengeance. Steel Vengeance is the first hypercoaster manufactured by Rocky Mountain Construction.[9]

Bolliger & Mabillard

Quick Facts Hyper Coaster, Status ...
Hyper Coaster
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StatusIn production
First manufactured1999
No. of installations20
ManufacturerBolliger & Mabillard
Rows8
Riders per row4
Restraint StyleClamshell restraints
Hyper Coaster at RCDB
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A train passes through Diamondback's splashdown element.

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]

More information Coaster, Nitro ...
B&M Hyper Coasters in the Top 15 Steel Coasters at the Golden Ticket Awards
Coaster 2009[16] 2010[17] 2011[18] 2012[19] 2013[20] 2014[21] 2015[22] 2016[23] 2017[24] 2018[25] 2019[26]
Nitro 3rd 3rd 3rd 3rd 4th 5th 5th 5th 7th 11th 10th
Apollo's Chariot 5th 4th 7th 4th 5th 7th 6th 6th 11th 6th 8th
Goliath (SFOG) 4th 5th 4th 9th 7th 9th 12th 14th
Diamondback 7th 11th 10th 14th 4th 11th 9th 8th 10th 14th
Behemoth 12th 13th 15th 15th
Raging Bull 14th
Thunder Striker 7th 8th 10th 7th 8th
Leviathan 15th 6th 8th 7th 6th 8th 9th
Fury 325 4th 1st 1st 1st 1st
Mako 15th
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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]

More information Manufacturer, Number ...
Manufacturer Number Production
Intamin 23 (5 Shuttle) 1999–present
Bolliger & Mabillard 20 1999–present
Arrow Dynamics 5 1989–2001
D. H. Morgan Manufacturing 5 1996–2001
Premier Rides 4 (All Shuttle) 1997–2000
S&S Worldwide 4 2006–2012
Mack Rides 5 2017–present
Rocky Mountain Construction 3 2018–present
Giovanola 2 2000–2001
TOGO 2 1996–1997
Gerstlauer 1 2015
Chance Morgan 1 2004
Lagoon Amusement Park 1 2015
Meisho Amusement Machines 1 (All Shuttle) 1983
Roller Coaster Corporation of America 1 2000
S&S Sansei 1 2019–present
Vekoma 2 (1 Shuttle) 2010-present
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Complete circuit

More information Name, Park ...
Name Park Country Manufacturer Height Opened Status Ref
Magnum XL-200 Cedar Point  United States Arrow Dynamics 205 ft (62 m) May 1989 Operating [28]
The Big One Blackpool Pleasure Beach  United Kingdom Arrow Dynamics 213 ft (65 m) May 1994 Operating [29]
Desperado Buffalo Bill's  United States Arrow Dynamics 209 ft (64 m) August 1994 Closed [30]
Wild Thing Valleyfair  United States D. H. Morgan Manufacturing 207 ft (63 m) May 1996 Operating [31]
Fujiyama Fuji-Q Highland  Japan TOGO 259 ft (79 m) July 1996 Operating [32]
Big Apple Coaster New York-New York Hotel & Casino  United States TOGO 203 ft (62 m)[note 1] January 1997 Operating [33]
Steel Force Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom  United States D. H. Morgan Manufacturing 200 ft (61 m)[note 2] May 1997 Operating [34]
Mamba Worlds of Fun  United States D. H. Morgan Manufacturing 205 ft (62 m) April 1998 Operating [35]
Apollo's Chariot[a] Busch Gardens Williamsburg  United States Bolliger & Mabillard 170 ft (52 m)[note 3] March 1999 Operating [36]
Raging Bull Six Flags Great America  United States Bolliger & Mabillard 202 ft (62 m)[note 4] May 1999 Operating [37]
Ride of Steel Six Flags Darien Lake  United States Intamin 208 ft (63 m) May 1999 Operating [38]
Goliath Six Flags Magic Mountain  United States Giovanola 235 ft (72 m) February 2000 Operating [39]
Superman The Ride Six Flags New England  United States Intamin 208 ft (63 m) May 2000 Operating [40]
Superman – Ride of Steel Six Flags America  United States Intamin 208 ft

(63 m)

May 2000 Operating [41]
Millennium Force[b] Cedar Point  United States Intamin 310 ft (94 m) May 2000 Operating [42]
Son of Beast Kings Island  United States Roller Coaster Corporation of America 218 ft (66 m) May 2000 Defunct [43]
Steel Dragon 2000[b] Nagashima Spa Land  Japan D. H. Morgan Manufacturing 318.3 ft (97.0 m) August 2000 Operating [44]
Nitro Six Flags Great Adventure  United States Bolliger & Mabillard 230 ft (70 m) April 2001 Operating [45]
Titan Six Flags Over Texas  United States Giovanola 245 ft (75 m) April 2001 Operating [46]
Phantom's Revenge Kennywood  United States D. H. Morgan Manufacturing/Arrow Dynamics 160 ft (49 m)[note 5] May 2001 Operating [47]
X2 Six Flags Magic Mountain  United States Arrow Dynamics 175 ft (53 m)[note 6] January 2002 Operating [48]
Silver Star Europa-Park  Germany Bolliger & Mabillard 239.5 ft (73.0 m) March 2002 Operating [49]
Xcelerator Knott's Berry Farm  United States Intamin 205 ft (62 m) June 2002 Operating [50]
Thunder Dolphin Tokyo Dome City Attractions  Japan Intamin 262.5 ft (80.0 m) May 2003 Operating [51]
Top Thrill Dragster[c] Cedar Point  United States Intamin 420 ft (130 m) May 2003 Closed [52]
Superman el Último Escape Six Flags México  Mexico Chance Morgan 219.8 ft (67.0 m) November 2004 Operating [53]
SheiKra Busch Gardens Tampa  United States Bolliger & Mabillard 200 ft (61 m) May 2005 Operating [54]
Kingda Ka[c] Six Flags Great Adventure  United States Intamin 456 ft (139 m) May 2005 Operating [55]
Stealth Thorpe Park  United Kingdom Intamin 205.1 ft (62.5 m) March 2006 Operating [56]
Goliath Six Flags Over Georgia  United States Bolliger & Mabillard 200 ft (61 m) April 2006 Operating [57]
Zaturn Space World  Japan Intamin 205 ft (62 m) April 2006 Defunct [58]
Eejanaika Fuji-Q Highland  Japan S&S Worldwide 249 ft (76 m) July 2006 Operating [59]
Griffon Busch Gardens Williamsburg  United States Bolliger & Mabillard 205 ft (62 m) May 2007 Operating [60]
Behemoth Canada's Wonderland  Canada Bolliger & Mabillard 230 ft (70 m) May 2008 Operating [61]
Diamondback Kings Island  United States Bolliger & Mabillard 230 ft (70 m) April 2009 Operating [62]
Diving Coaster Happy Valley Shanghai  China Bolliger & Mabillard 213.3 ft (65.0 m) August 2009 Operating [63]
Thunder Striker Carowinds  United States Bolliger & Mabillard 232 ft (71 m) March 2010 Operating [64]
Project 305[b] Kings Dominion  United States Intamin 305 ft (93 m) April 2010 Operating [65]
Wild Eagle Dollywood  United States Bolliger & Mabillard 210 ft (64 m) March 2012 Operating [66]
Leviathan[b] Canada's Wonderland  Canada Bolliger & Mabillard 306 ft (93 m) April 2012 Operating [67]
Dinoconda China Dinosaurs Park  China S&S Worldwide 226.4 ft (69.0 m) April 2012 Operating [68]
Shambhala PortAventura Park  Spain Bolliger & Mabillard 249.3 ft (76.0 m) May 2012 Operating [69]
Skyrush Hersheypark  United States Intamin 200 ft (61 m) May 2012 Operating [70]
Bullet Coaster[a] Happy Valley Shenzhen  China S&S Worldwide 196.8 ft (60.0 m)[note 7] July 2012 Operating [71]
OCT Thrust SSC1000[a] Happy Valley Wuhan  China S&S Worldwide 196.8 ft (60.0 m)[note 8] March 2014 Operating [72]
Fury 325[b] Carowinds  United States Bolliger & Mabillard 325 ft (99 m) March 2015 Operating [73]
The Oath of Kärnan Hansa Park  Germany Gerstlauer 239.5 ft (73.0 m) July 2015 Operating [74]
Cannibal Lagoon Amusement Park  United States Lagoon Amusement Park 208 ft (63 m) July 2015 Operating [75]
Flash Lewa Adventure  China Mack Rides 200.2 ft (61.0 m) January 2016 Operating [76]
Flying Aces Ferrari World Abu Dhabi  United Arab Emirates Intamin 206.7 ft (63.0 m) February 2016 Operating [77]
Valravn Cedar Point  United States Bolliger & Mabillard 223 ft (68 m) May 2016 Operating [78]
Coaster Through the Clouds Nanchang Wanda Park  China Intamin 242.8 ft (74.0 m) May 2016 Operating [79]
Mako SeaWorld Orlando  United States Bolliger & Mabillard 200 ft (61 m) June 2016 Operating [80]
Red Force[b] Ferrari Land  Spain Intamin 367 ft (112 m) April 2017 Operating [81]
DC Rivals HyperCoaster Warner Brothers Movie World  Australia Mack Rides 202.1 ft (61.6 m) September 2017 Operating [82]
Steel Vengeance Cedar Point  United States Rocky Mountain Construction 205 ft (62 m) May 2018 Operating [83]
Draken Gyeongju World  South Korea Bolliger & Mabillard 206.7 ft (63.0 m) May 2018 Operating [84]
Hyperion Energylandia  Poland Intamin 252 ft (77 m)[note 9] July 2018 Operating [85]
Hyper Coaster Land Of Legends Park  Turkey Mack Rides 200.2 ft (61.0 m) 2018 Operating [86]
Yukon Striker Canada's Wonderland  Canada Bolliger & Mabillard 223 ft (68 m)[note 10] May 2019 Operating [87]
Steel Curtain Kennywood  United States S&S Sansei 220 ft (67 m) July 2019 Operating [88]
Zadra Energylandia  Poland Rocky Mountain Construction 206 ft (63 m) August 2019 Operating [89]
Orion[d] Kings Island  United States Bolliger & Mabillard 287 ft (87 m)[note 11] July 2020 Operating [90]
Candymonium Hersheypark  United States Bolliger & Mabillard 210 ft (64 m) July 2020 Operating [91]
Iron Gwazi Busch Gardens Tampa  United States Rocky Mountain Construction 206 ft (63 m) March 2022 Operating [92]
Beyond the Cloud Suzhou Amusement Land Forest World  China Mack Rides 203.4 ft (62.0 m) July 2022 Operating [93]
Hyperia Thorpe Park  United Kingdom Mack Rides 236 ft (72 m) May 2024 Operating [94]
Falcons Flight[e] Six Flags Qiddiya  Saudi Arabia Intamin 619 ft (189 m) TBD Under construction [95]
Iron Rattler Six Flags Qiddiya  Saudi Arabia Vekoma 208 ft (63 m) TBD Under construction [96]
Spitfire Six Flags Qiddiya  Saudi Arabia Intamin 239 ft (73 m) TBD Under construction [97]
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Shuttle

More information Name, Park ...
Name Park Country Manufacturer Height Opened Status Ref
Moonsault Scramble Fuji-Q Highland  Japan Meisho Amusement Machines 229.7 ft (70.0 m) June 1983 Defunct [98]
Tower of Terror II[b] Dreamworld  Australia Intamin 377.3 ft (115.0 m) January 1997 Defunct [99]
Superman: Escape from Krypton[c] Six Flags Magic Mountain  United States Intamin 415 ft (126 m) March 1997 Operating [100]
Batman & Robin: The Chiller Six Flags Great Adventure  United States Premier Rides 200 ft (61 m) June 1997 Defunct [101]
Mr. Freeze Six Flags Over Texas  United States Premier Rides 218 ft (66 m) March 1998 Operating [102]
Mr. Freeze Reverse Blast Six Flags St. Louis  United States Premier Rides 218 ft (66 m) April 1998 Operating [103]
Speed – The Ride NASCAR Café  United States Premier Rides 224 ft (68 m) April 2000 Defunct [104]
Wicked Twister Cedar Point  United States Intamin 215 ft (66 m) May 2002 Defunct [105]
Big Air E-DA Theme Park  Taiwan Vekoma 209.3 ft (63.8 m) December 2010 Operating [106]
Turbo Track Ferrari World Abu Dhabi  United Arab Emirates Intamin 210 ft (64 m) March 2017 Operating [107]
Legendary Twin Dragon / 传奇双龙 Chongqing Sunac Land  China Intamin 229.6 ft (70.0 m) February 2021 Operating [108]
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  1. This is a hypercoaster that is not taller than 200 ft (61 m), but has a drop of over 200 ft (61 m).
  2. This is a hypercoaster that is also a giga coaster, a roller coaster that exceeds 300 ft (91 m) in height.
  3. This is a hypercoaster that is also a strata coaster, a roller coaster that exceeds 400 ft (120 m) in height.
  4. This is a giga coaster that is not taller than 300 ft (91 m), but has a drop of over 300 ft (91 m).
  5. This is a hypercoaster that is also an exa coaster, a roller coaster that exceeds 600 ft in height

B&M

Other manufacturers

Notes

  1. Drop height is 144 ft (44 m)
  2. Drop height is 205 ft (62 m)
  3. Drop height is 210 ft (64 m)
  4. Drop height is 208 ft (63 m)
  5. Drop height is 228 ft (69 m)
  6. Drop height is 215 ft (66 m)
  7. Drop height is 221.2 ft (67.4 m)
  8. Drop height is 221.2 ft (67.4 m)
  9. Drop height is 269 ft (82 m)
  10. Drop height is 245 ft (75 m)
  11. Drop height is 300 ft (91 m)

References

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