Park News
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Wind Seeker
Mondial rides fly high over more US parks RIGHT: Steel Hawk at Worlds of Fun
BELOW LEFT: StormChaser at Adventureland
This season Worlds of Fun in Kansas City, Missouri, became the fifth park in the Cedar Fair group to open a Wind Seeker ride from the Dutch manufacturer Mondial. Named SteelHawk, the tower ride stands 301ft (91m) tall and spreads its steel “wings” at a 45° angle as it turns at 8rpm. Approximately 100ft taller than the park’s Rip Cord, Mamba and Detonator rides, it provides an exhilarating experience for its 32 passengers. Each flight lasts 60 seconds. On a clear day visitors can see stunning views across Kansas City.
With its unique LED light display mounted on the arms, SteelHawk also looks beautiful at night and can be seen for miles. The ride is located in the Americana section of the park. Over in Iowa, a 250ft-tall Wind Seeker has been thrilling guests – both on the ground and in the sky – since it opened this summer at Adventureland in Des Moines. Storm Chaser, built at a total cost of $5 million, is located in the Fair section of the park near the Log Flume. It too is a 32-passenger ride, featuring 16 twin seats. “When we opened the Storm Chaser in early June,” recalls park
spokesperson Molly Vincent, “we expected it would be a draw for the thrill- seeker. We were pleasantly surprised that the Storm Chaser appealed to many more of our guests than we anticipated. The ride is extremely smooth and quiet, which makes it a very scenic experience – especially at 250 feet in the air! It has been a terrific addition to Adventureland Park.” “Mondial was excellent to work with,” continues Vincent, “and the representatives they sent to assist in the construction were unparalleled. They have continued to assist us with small programming tweaks and have been extremely responsive to post-installation questions. We really cannot say enough good things about them.”
Pray for Mantis
It’s the “last stand” for one of Cedar Point’s (many) steel scream machines. The Ohio park has announced that the Mantis rollercoaster will soon give its final rides.
Billed as the tallest, fastest and steepest stand-up rollercoaster in the world when it opened on 11 May 1996, it provides passengers with a unique ride experience. The Bolliger and Mabillard (B&M) ride has given more than 22 million thrilling ride in its 18-year history. Guests still
have time to give Mantis a “standing ovation” before it shuts down permanently on Sunday 19 October – so get to Cedar Point quick! “It’s time to say goodbye to one of the park’s coasters, and it’s certainly been a different kind of ride for our guests,” says Jason McClure, the park’s vice-president and general manager. “But we’re extremely excited about what the future holds here at the Roller Coaster Capital of the World.”
Plans for the 2015 season will be announced at a later date.
12
SEPTEMBER 2014
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