| |
| Millennium Force, the first giga coaster | |
| Description | A complete-circuit roller coaster that is 300 to 399 feet tall. |
| First | Millennium Force - 2000 |
| Oldest in operation | Millennium Force - 2000 |
| Newest | Orion - 2020 |
| Manufacturers | Bolliger & Mabillard - Intamin - Morgan |
A giga roller coaster is a complete circuit roller coaster between 300 feet and 399 feet in height or with a drop within those boundaries. The term "Giga coaster" was invented by Cedar Fair in order to advertise Millennium Force.[1] The same applies for hyper coasters and strata coasters. There are currently seven giga roller coasters in operation.
History
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The first roller coaster taller than 300 feet was Tower of Terror at Dreamworld in Australia, later renamed Tower of Terror II. Opening in January 1997, it is 390 feet tall, but is not a giga roller coaster as it is a shuttle roller coaster, which means the track does not form a circuit. Three years later, the first giga roller coaster was introduced. Millennium Force, located at Cedar Point in Ohio, United States opened on May 13, 2000 and is 310 feet tall. The same year, Steel Dragon 2000 opened on August 1. It is 8 feet taller than Millennium Force and is also the longest roller coaster, with a track length of 8,133.2 feet. It was during the announcement of Millennium Force on July 22, 1999 that the term "giga coaster" was coined.[2]
Ten years passed before the third giga coaster, Intimidator 305, opened. Meanwhile in 2003, Top Thrill Dragster opened at a height of 420 feet. It was the first strata roller coaster (i.e. the first complete-circuit roller coaster over 400 feet tall).
The first giga coaster from Bolliger & Mabillard was Leviathan at Canada's Wonderland, opened in 2012. Their second giga coaster, Fury 325, opened at Carowinds in 2015.
Red Force became the tallest giga coaster and the first to have a launch as opposed to a lift hill when it opened in 2017. It has a single top hat element, similarly to the strata coasters Top Thrill 2 and the defunct Kingda Ka.
The most recently opened is Orion, which premiered at Kings Island in Mason, Ohio on July 12, 2020. Despite its lift hill only being 287 feet tall, it has a 300 feet drop, and therefore is classified as a giga coaster. No giga roller coasters to date have had inversions.
List of giga roller coasters
| Name | Park | Country | Opened | Manufacturer | Height | Drop |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Millennium Force | Cedar Point |  |
May 13, 2000 | Intamin | 310 feet | 300 feet |
| Steel Dragon 2000 | Nagashima Spa Land |  |
August 1, 2000 | Morgan | 318 feet | 307 feet |
| Pantherian | Kings Dominion | |
April 2, 2010 | Intamin | 305 feet | 300 feet |
| Leviathan | Canada's Wonderland |  |
May 6, 2012 | Bolliger & Mabillard | 306 feet | 306 feet |
| Fury 325 | Carowinds | |
March 28, 2015 | Bolliger & Mabillard | 325 feet | 320 feet |
| Red Force | Ferrari Land |  |
April 7, 2017 | Intamin | 367.3 feet | Unknown |
| Orion | Kings Island | |
July 12, 2020 | Bolliger & Mabillard | 287 feet | 300 feet |
References
- ↑ "What is With Giga Roller Coasters and Their Big Brake Runs?". ElToroRyan.
- ↑ "Cedar Point To Build The World's Tallest Roller Coaster". Ultimate Rollercoaster. 22 July 1999. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
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