Valravn (roller coaster)
| Valravn | |
|---|---|
| File:Valravn Layout.jpg Artist's rendering of Valravn | |
| Cedar Point | |
| Location | Cedar Point |
| Status | Under construction |
| Opening date | Spring 2016 |
| Replaced | Good Time Theatre Turnpike Cars[1] |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Steel – Dive Coaster |
| Manufacturer | Bolliger & Mabillard |
| Model | Dive Coaster |
| Height | 223 ft (68 m) |
| Drop | 214 ft (65 m) |
| Length | 3,415 ft (1,041 m) |
| Speed | 75 mph (121 km/h) |
| Inversions | 3 |
| Duration | 3:23 |
| Max vertical angle | 90° |
| Capacity | 1200 riders per hour |
| Height restriction | 54 in (137 cm) |
| Trains | 3 trains with 3 cars. Riders are arranged 8 across in a single row for a total of 24 riders per train. |
| Valravn at RCDB | |
Valravn is an upcoming steel roller coaster under construction at Cedar Point. Designed by Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M), it will be the third Dive Coaster to be built in the United States. The ride is themed to the valravn, a supernatural bird from Danish folklore. Touted as the tallest, longest and fastest roller coaster of its kind in the world, Valravn is scheduled to open in 2016.
History
In January 2015, the Sandusky Register received a memo that stated a record breaking Dive Coaster would be coming to Cedar Point in 2016. The memo stated that the ride could be installed on land formally occupied by the Good Time theatre, which was demolished a couple months prior.[2] The park's spokesman, Bryan Edwards, confirmed the Dive Coaster as one of many possibilities the park is looking at for 2016.[2] Site preparation for Valravn started before the 2015 season when the Dodgems and Calypso were relocated to the Wicked Twister midway. The Good Time Theatre and the Turnpike Cars were demolished and removed as well.[3][4] Interest grew in May when Cedar Point trademarked Valravn, which is Danish for "raven of the slain."[5] In early August, images for the roller coaster appeared in the amusement park's smartphone app.[6] At the time, the app was made unavailable and the park responded to the leak by saying all details would be revealed on August 18, 2015. However, after an incident in which a park visitor entered a restricted area underneath Raptor and was killed, park officials chose to postpone the announcement.[7] Soon after, visitors spotted pieces of roller coaster track on the park's property.[8] On September 9, 2015, Cedar Point officially unveiled Valravn.[6]
Valravn is based on the Dive Coaster developed by Bolliger & Mabillard and represents the 100th roller coaster design from the company.[6] The trains will be the first for this model to use a new over-the-shoulder restraint system similar to those used on Cedar Point's GateKeeper, another B&M design.[6] Each train will have three cars, each with a single row holding eight passengers, for a total of 24 riders per train.[6]
Ride experience
Cedar Point revealed the final design of Valravn during its press announcement, including the ride's official colors—copper and silver—and a computer-generated rendering of the ride experience. Upon completion, Valravn will claim records as the longest (3,415 feet or 1,041 metres), tallest (223 feet or 68 metres) and fastest (75 miles per hour or 121 kilometres per hour) dive coaster in the world.[6]
The ride is located near Raptor and Blue Streak. Leaving the station, the train turns to the left and ascends its 223-foot-tall (68 m) lift hill. At the top, the train turns right, facing east, and pauses at the top of the first drop. The train then drops 214 feet (65 m) toward the ground before pulling into a 165 feet (50 m) Immelmann loop before rising into a midcourse brake run. Off the midcourse brakes, the train goes down a 125 feet (38 m) vertical drop. Out of the drop, the train enters a dive loop that leads into its third and final inversion, a 270-degree corkscrew-like roll. The train encounters an airtime hill before turning left and entering the final brake run.[6]
Characteristics
Location
Valravn's entrance and located will be located on a new midway stretching from the Blue Streak area to near Celebration Plaza. It will be the centerpiece of a redesigned Marina entrance.[9]
Manufacturer
Valravn is a Dive Coaster model manufactured by Swiss roller coaster firm Bolliger & Mabillard. Notably, it is the 100th roller coaster produced by B&M and the fourth to be built at Cedar Point, following Raptor, GateKeeper and Rougarou.[9] It will be the 10th Dive Coaster to be built in the world and the third in the United States with the only two being at Busch Garden's parks.
Trains
Valravn will operate with three tiered seating, open-air steel and fiberglass trains, each with three cars of eight seats each. Each train holds 24 riders and the ride has a capacity of about 1,200 riders per hour. Riders are restrained by flexible over-the-shoulder restraints and interlocking seat belts and riders are required to be 54 inches (130 cm) to ride. Valravn's trains are the widest in the park and they are also the first Dive Coaster in the world to use B&M's new restraint system, which can also be found on the park's GateKeeper roller coaster. [10][11]
Track
The steel tubular track is 3,415 feet (1,041 m) long and the lift is approximately 223 feet (68 m) high. The track is copper and silver with the supports being regal blue. There will be 103 track pieces with the heaviest weighing 17,000 pounds (7,700 kg). The width of the track is 6.5 feet wide, making it the widest track in the park.[12][11] The track and supports were manufactured by Clermont Steel Fabricators in Batavia in southwest Ohio.[13]
Records
When Valravn opens in 2016, it will have broken six Dive Coaster records and helped to break four amusement park records.
Dive Coaster records
Valravn will hold records for the following:[6]
- Tallest Dive Coaster (223 feet (68 m))
- Fastest Dive Coaster (93 miles per hour (150 km/h))
- Longest Dive Coaster (3,415 feet (1,041 m))
- Longest drop on a Dive Coaster (214 feet (65 m))
- Most inversions on a Dive Coaster (3)
- Highest inversion on a Dive Coaster (165 feet (50 m))
Park records
Cedar Point will hold records for the following:[6]
- Most roller coasters taller than (200 feet (61 m)) at a park (5)
- Most rides at one park (72)
- Most steel roller coaster track at one park (52,125 feet (15,888 m))
- Most roller coaster track at one park (60,110 feet (18,320 m))
References
- ^ Pevos, Edward (September 9, 2015). "Cedar Point unveils record dive coaster for 2016 called Valravn". MLive. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
- ^ a b Topey, Melissa (January 13, 2015). "Cedar Point diving in to 2016?". Sandusky Register. Retrieved August 16, 2015.
- ^ McDonald, Kendrick (June 18, 2015). "Guessing the new Cedar Point plans amusing to many". Toledo Blade. Retrieved August 16, 2015.
- ^ Ouriel, Andy (August 14, 2015). "Cedar Point postpones 2016 announcement". Sandusky Register. Retrieved August 16, 2015.
- ^ Topey, Melissa (May 5, 2015). "Cedar Point new ride's name?". Retrieved August 16, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Melissa Topey (September 9, 2015). "Valravn is Cedar Point's new coaster in 2016". sanduskyregister.com. Sandusky Newspaper, Inc. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
- ^ Andy Ouriel (August 14, 2015). "Cedar Point postpones 2016 announcement". sanduskyregister.com. Sandusky Newspaper, Inc. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
- ^ Luke Wark (August 19, 2015). "Coaster Tracks in Sandusky". sanduskyregister.com. Sandusky Newspaper, Inc. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
- ^ a b Morona, Joey (September 9, 2015). "Cedar Point's Valravn will be tallest, fastest, longest dive coaster in the world". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
- ^ "Ride Vehicles". Cedar Point. September 17, 2015. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
- ^ a b Cedar Point (September 9, 2015). "Cedar Point Unleashes Valravn" (Press release). Cedar Fair. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
{{cite press release}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Babic, Pete (September 14, 2015). "By The Numbers". PointBuzz. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
- ^ Glaser, Susan (September 9, 2015). "Cedar Point to announce new coaster this morning; live coverage". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved September 17, 2015.