Ride Profile
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work with. Although it has been 17 years since they’ve built a coaster at Cedar Point (Mantis in 1996), they have built many very successful rides at several of our sister parks. Their rides are beautifully engineered and their service and follow-through are top notch.” One of 16 coasters at Cedar Point, a record beaten only by the 18 at Six Flags Magic Mountain in California, GateKeeper forever transforms the Ohio park’s skyline. Flying directly over the new main gate, making a powerful impression on the three million guests who visit the park each year. Riders sit suspended from one of three 32-passenger sunset gold-coloured trains as if on the wings of a plane. A ride on GateKeeper lasts approximately two minutes and 40 seconds, nearly 70 seconds of it at high speed. Once riders crest the top of the 170ft-tall (52m) lift hill, the train rotates 180° to the right, turning riders upside down before plummeting a record 164ft (50m) toward the ground at speeds reaching 67 mph (108mph). Then the train enters a half loop, goes through a half twist and curves out in the opposite direction from which it came. A towering 105ft (32m) camelback hill awaits just before riders glide through a 360° giant flat spin. Riders soar through the two signature keyhole towers, twisting just in time to miss them. The coaster then makes a tight, 180° turnaround which pushes riders through an over- banked turn and rockets them back towards the
The making of
GateKeeper •Total track length: 4,164ft/1.26km
•Track weight: 7,500 pounds/3,400kg per piece
•Track shipments: 100 •Steel supports: nearly 200 •Steel support bolts: 1,050+ •Concrete footers: 200
•Concrete:12 million pounds/5.5 million kg •Total ride bolts: 10,000
•Construction workers: over 100, working more than 153,600 man hours
•Total construction time: approximately eight-and-a-half months, from initial site preparation to scheduled opening
The first drop – or should that be “swoop”?
AUGUST 2013
23
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