ROLY COASTERS:
MAPPING AMERICAN ROLLER COASTERS
Bigger and Badder: 1990-Present
Coming into the present day, roller coasters have certainly evolved into one of the most iconic symbols of amusement parks. Advancing technology in manufacturing and design has led countless kinds of roller coasters to appear all over the world.
One of the most striking developments of the past two decades has been growing height of roller coasters. With these barriers broken, new coaster classifications also appeared. Megacoasters are taller and/or faster than other coasters. Hypercoasters stand taller than 200 feet high. Gigacoasters are higher than 300 feet. The conventions of coasters are being rewritten, with Cedar Point in Ohio's Top Thrill Dragster coaster standing a whopping 420 feet!
Pictured: Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, one of the tallest coasters in the world today
Pictured: Dueling Dragons at Universal Studios Orlando, an inverted coaster where riders sit underneath the track rather than above.
Pictured: Gemini at Cedar Point, Ohio, a coaster with wooden supports but tubular steel tracks.
Pictured: X at Six Flags Magic Mountain, California, a so-called "4th-demension" coaster where riders rotate freely on the sides of the track, allowing new degrees of freedom not previously explored
Pictured: Superman: Ultimate Flight at Six Flags over Georgia in Atlanta, a "flying" coaster where riders lay down during the ride, like a superhero!
Pictured: Twisted Colossus at Six Flags Magic Mountain, built by Rocky Mountain Construction. RMC is known for using box-shaped steel tracks on top of wood, a new and exciting construction method
Pictured: Millenium Force at Cedar Point, the world's first 300-foot-tall coaster, built by Intamin Amusement Rides
The Nitty-Gritty: Further Insights
Today, wooden coasters are seen as a rare commodity. They have not experienced much growth since the Golden Age, and they are typically far enough apart that many people will not get an opportunity to ride a true wooden coaster. Companies such as Rocky Mountain Construction are helping to bring back the idea of wooden coasters, but their steel "IBox" and "topper" tracks often cause debate among coaster enthusiasts as to their classification!
Steel coasters have grown considerably in the past couple of decades. The advent of computer-aided design and innovative manufacturing methods has sparked a sort of revolution in steel coasters, but a different kind than that of the Golden Age. Now, many designers and manufacturers are trying to go bigger and badder, rather than push the limits of their long-term enjoyment.
