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The Extinction of Looping Coasters Ever since Magnum XL-200 was built at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, the rollercoaster industry has been going mad, or insane rather, with the construction of hypercoasters all over the world. Now if you are unfamiliar with this term, a hypercoaster is considered one of the "breeds" of coasters, that inlcudes many special features. Most notably are the high drops, steep drops, and the speed. These coasters include no inversions whatsoever, which has become an additional characteristic to their make-up. Many riders love the feeling that these rides produce, with their smooth circuit around the track and the design of their cars. The design of the cars is very important to the nature of hypercoasters, as with no shoulder harnesses, people are allowed to move their hands freely and have a sensation of feeling like they're not even strapped in. Many coaster enthusiasts prefer this to the "clamped down" restraints that are used on coasters with inversions. Coasters with inversions have been very popular in the industry with companys like Arrow Dynamics of Clearfield, Utah building these awe inspiring structures. I feel that the most influential coasters of the past few decades have been Viper (Six Flags Magic Mountain), Shockwave (Six Flags Great America), Vortex (Paramount's Kings Island), and Kumba (Busch Gardens Tampa Bay), Drachen Fire (Busch Gardens Willamsburg). In my humple opinion, Viper made the impact on the world of steel-looping coasters more than any other in its nature. Viper is one of the tallest steel-looping coasters, at 188 ft. and it includes numerous inversions with three vertical loops, an unusual "cobra-roll-like double inversion", and a traditional double corckscrew. This coaster has set the stage for many other rides of the same nature, and most notably, it is one of the notorious "Arrow loopers". Why has a rule been set in the industry that everytime a park wants to build a ride over 200 ft. they must go in the route of a hypercoaster? The only exception to the rule that I can think of is the Steel Phantom (Kennywood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania). Boasting a drop of over 225 ft. and a handful of inversions, this coaster has been the only answer to looping coaster fans' cries. With coasters like Desperado (Buffalo Bill's Hotel & Casino), Raging Bull (Six Flags Great America), Apollo's Chariot (Busch Gardens Williamsburg), and Superman: Ride of Steel (Darien Lake), who needs those loopers around. Well, I think it's sad because they are becoming extinct faster than the dinosaurs did. These kinds of rollercoasters have been very important in the development of the other genres that we see today. We shouldn't let them fade out of the world of coasters. Because I love to ride them, and so do you. Feel free to comment on this article.
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