Banshee (roller coaster)

Banshee is an inverted roller coaster located at Kings Island amusement park in Mason, Ohio. Designed and built by Bolliger & Mabillard, it was the biggest investment in park history at the time, costing $24 million to construct.[1] With 4,124 feet (1,257 m) of track, Banshee opened to the public on April 18, 2014, as the longest inverted roller coaster in the world. It was also well-received, ranking every year in the top 50 of Amusement Today's Golden Ticket Awards since its opening.

Banshee
Banshee’s Logo (Top) Banshee’s Lift Hill, First Drop, Dive Loop, First Vertical Loop, and Zero-G Roll (Bottom)
Kings Island
LocationKings Island
Park sectionAction Zone
Coordinates39°20′44.39″N 84°15′55.70″W
StatusOperating
Opening dateApril 18, 2014 (2014-04-18)
CostUS$24,000,000
ReplacedSon of Beast
Thunder Alley
General statistics
TypeSteel – Inverted
ManufacturerBolliger & Mabillard
ModelInverted Coaster
Track layoutTerrain
Lift/launch systemChain lift hill
Height167 ft (51 m)
Drop150 ft (46 m)
Length4,124 ft (1,257 m)
Speed68 mph (109 km/h)
Inversions7
Duration2:40
Capacity1,650 riders per hour
Height restriction52–78 in (132–198 cm)
Trains3 trains with 8 cars. Riders are arranged 4 across in a single row for a total of 32 riders per train.
Fast Lane available
Banshee at RCDB
Pictures of Banshee at RCDB

History
Banshee replaced Son of Beast (pictured), which closed in 2009 before being demolished three years later

Banshee was built at the former location of Son of Beast, a wooden roller coaster plagued with issues and demolished in 2012, and the Thunder Alley go-kart attraction that was removed the same year. A memorial for Son of Beast is in the queue line of Banshee. Following their removal, it was not immediately clear what would replace the attractions.[2] Construction on a new attraction began, however, on April 22, 2013.[3] A trademark for the name "Banshee" was filed on April 24, 2013.[4][5] Owner Cedar Fair had previously considered using the name for a roller coaster at Cedar Point, though Cedar Point's coaster was ultimately named Mantis.[6][7]

Kings Island began teasing the new attraction on the first day of the 2013 season. Along the perimeter of the former Thunder Alley go-kart track, a fence was set up with a sign that read, "Due to the increasing occurrence of mysterious and bone-chilling screams, it has become necessary to close this section of the park until the cause of this evil phenomenon can be identified." During the course of the summer, several clues about the attraction were set up around the construction site.[8] On June 10, 2013, the park launched their social media campaign by posting a photo showing the construction site with the caption, "Field of Dreams".[9] The campaign continued with five scarecrows around the construction site and several Twitter posts about the future attraction.[10][11] Then, at the beginning of July 2013, recordings of someone screaming could be heard by park guests near the construction area.[12] Two weeks later, farm owls were placed in nearby trees.[13] On July 31, 2013, Kings Island detailed plans to reveal a new world record-breaking attraction at 10pm on August 8, 2013. Media packages containing a silver comb, artificial hair and a tag were sent out to media outlets to notify them of the upcoming announcement.[14][15] A limited number of tickets were also made available to the public giving access to a tour of the construction site prior to the revealing and reserved seats at the event, with net proceeds being donated to breast cancer research.[16][17] Blueprints for the project were leaked to the public on August 1, 2013.[18]

On August 8, 2013, Kings Island officially unveiled Banshee, the world's longest inverted roller coaster.[19] At a cost of $24 million, the ride was the single biggest investment in Kings Island's history at the time.[20] Banshee is the second Bolliger & Mabillard roller coaster at Kings Island following the installation of Diamondback in 2009.[21] It is also the park's 14th roller coaster.[22]

The foundation work for the supports was done by R.E. Middleton, and the rest of the ride's construction was performed by Adena Corporation.[23] The first pieces of track and supports were delivered to the park from Clermont Steel Fabricators on August 16, 2013;[7][24] the first track piece was erected on August 27, 2013.[25] The lift hill was completed on September 29, 2013, and by the end of October, other elements such as the first drop, dive loop, and vertical loop were installed.[26][27] A construction update on November 20, 2013, showed that the zero-g-roll was completed. The final piece of track was installed on January 23, 2014,[28][29] and testing began on March 15, 2014.[30][31] The ride officially opened to the public on April 18, 2014.[32] On July 10, 2014, less than three months after opening, Kings Island celebrated Banshee's 1 millionth rider, who received a gift package and a commemorative sign.[33]

Ride experience
The station of Banshee

Banshee stands 167 feet (51 m) tall and features a first drop of 150 feet (46 m).[34] With a length of 4,124 feet (1,257 m), the ride is the world's longest inverted roller coaster.[35] The ride includes seven inversions including two vertical loops, a dive loop, a zero-g roll, a pretzel knot and an inline twist. Riders experience speeds of up to 68 miles per hour (109 km/h) on the 2 minute and 40 second ride.[34]

After departing from the station, the train makes a left turn towards the 167-foot (51 m) chain lift hill. After reaching the top, the sound of a banshee screaming is played as the train drops 150 feet (46 m) into a heavily-banked right turn. After reaching the bottom of the drop, riders enter a dive loop immediately followed by a vertical loop around the lift hill. Continuing down the valley, the train enters the third inversion, a zero-gravity roll, where riders experience the feeling of weightlessness. Next, the train makes an upward left-hand turn into a "pretzel knot" (an element where the train enters a dive loop, followed by an Immelmann loop). Upon exiting the pretzel knot, the train enters a second vertical loop before making a right turn into an inline twist. Following a downward left hand helix, the train makes a final banked right turn into the final brake run leading back to the station.[34][36] At night, Banshee employs state-of-the-art lighting and fog effects to enhance the riding experience.[37]

Ride characteristics

Location

The ride has a number of features which are unlike many roller coasters. Due to the terrain underneath Banshee, the highest point of the ride – the 167-foot-tall (51 m) lift hill – is 208 feet (63 m) higher than the lowest point of the ride, at the bottom of the pretzel knot. As a result of this elevation change, Banshee reaches its maximum speed of 68 miles per hour (109 km/h) approximately halfway through the layout, rather than after the first drop as evidenced in most roller coasters.[3]

Trains
A view of Banshee from the Eiffel Tower

Banshee operates with three trains made of steel and fiberglass, containing eight cars that seat four riders each in a single row, for a total of 32 riders per train. This configuration allows for a theoretical 1,650 riders per hour.[34] Riders are restrained by flexible, over-the-shoulder restraints and interlocking seat belts, similar to those used on Bolliger & Mabillard's Wing Coaster models but a first among their inverted coasters.[38] Each train is painted a different color – blue, green and purple.[23]

Track

Banshee's tubular steel track is 4,124 feet (1,257 m) long and the lift is approximately 167 feet (51 m) high. The track was manufactured by Clermont Steel Fabricators located in Batavia, Ohio.[39] Additionally, the first vertical loop featured on Banshee wraps around the lift hill.

Layout
Elements
● Chain lift hill
● Dive loop
● Vertical loop
● Zero-g roll
● Pretzel knot
● Vertical loop
● Inline twist
● Final Brake run

Theme

As the name suggests, the ride is themed after the mythological female spirit of the same name. The ride's backstory details sightings and screams of the banshee dating back to when the construction of Kings Island began in 1970.[40] The ride features its own plaza area, with its station being themed appropriately.[41]

Reception

Following the announcement of Banshee, Screamscape amusement park enthusiast Lance Hart called the new roller coaster "The perfect addition to an already great coaster line-up" at Kings Island.[42] Also, Brian Krosnick from Theme Park Tourist said that though he is excited for Banshee, he questions why the park did not choose to add additional theming throughout the layout of the ride.[43]

Golden Ticket Awards: Best New Ride for 2014
Ranking
2[44]
Golden Ticket Awards: Top steel Roller Coasters
Year201420152016201720182019
Ranking 16[45]20[46]13[47]22[48]29[49]33[50]
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gollark: You can program them to set which atoms they contain and in which arrangement.
gollark: Oh, you could just buy our reconfigurable universe areas™.
gollark: I don't know what they are, but surely you could buy GTech™ hardware instead of those.
gollark: I'm sure I have an outdated example configuration file somewhere.

References
  1. Marden, Duane. "List of Inverted Coasters". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
  2. McClelland, Justin (July 27, 2012). "Kings Island to tear down Son of Beast". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved April 27, 2013.
  3. Tan, Lot (August 8, 2013). "Kings Island to offer new coaster for 2014". WHIO-TV. Cox Media Group. Archived from the original on August 9, 2013. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
  4. "Banshee". United States Patent and Trademark Office. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
  5. Richardson, Rachel (August 2, 2013). "Kings Island wants record breaker to replace Son of Beast". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved August 2, 2013.
  6. "Cedar Point changes coaster's name". The Bryan Times. September 14, 1995. Retrieved October 19, 2012.
  7. Haidet, Ryan (November 3, 2013). "Kings Island: Banshee roller coaster rises". WKYC. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
  8. "Kings Island to announce 'record-breaking' attraction next week". WLWT. July 31, 2013. Archived from the original on August 24, 2013. Retrieved August 2, 2013.
  9. "Field of Dreams". Kings Island. June 10, 2013. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
  10. "You Want Me On That Wall". Kings Island. June 14, 2013. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
  11. "Nothing To See From Up There". Kings Island. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
  12. "Shhh! … Did you hear that?". Kings Island. July 1, 2013. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
  13. "Owl Pacino". Kings Island. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
  14. "Kings Island to announce "world record-breaking" attraction". Mason Buzz. July 31, 2013. Retrieved July 31, 2013.
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  17. "KI For The Cure". Kings Island. Archived from the original on August 8, 2013. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
  18. Jackie, Congedo (August 1, 2013). "Kings Island new attraction appears to be a coaster". WLWT. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved August 2, 2013.
  19. "Kings Island unleashes Banshee, world's longest inverted coaster". Amusement Today. April 17, 2014. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
  20. Drury, Jill (August 8, 2013). "Kings Island unveils the Banshee". WDTN. LIN Media. Archived from the original on August 11, 2013. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
  21. "Kings Island unveils Banshee roller coaster". The Advocate. Gannett Company. August 8, 2013. Archived from the original on January 1, 2014. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
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  23. Helbig, Don (December 3, 2013). "Don Speaks Live" (Interview). Interviewed by Christopher.
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  25. "First Piece of Track Installed on Banshee". Kings Island. August 28, 2013. Retrieved August 31, 2013.
  26. "Lift hill columns and track up on Banshee". Kings Island. September 29, 2013. Retrieved November 3, 2013.
  27. "Banshee construction progress". Kings Island. October 31, 2013. Retrieved November 3, 2013.
  28. Kings Island [@KingsIslandPR] (23 January 2014). "Track work has been completed on Banshee with the last piece of track lowered into place this morning" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  29. "Banshee Track Completed". YouTube. January 23, 2014. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
  30. Haidet, Ryan (March 17, 2014). "Kings Island begins testing Banshee". WKYC. Archived from the original on March 17, 2014. Retrieved March 19, 2014.
  31. "Banshee Passes First Test Run". ABC 22. March 17, 2014. Archived from the original on March 19, 2014. Retrieved March 19, 2014.
  32. "Banshee makes first test run at Kings Island". WHIO. March 15, 2014. Retrieved April 8, 2014.
  33. Richardson, Rachel (August 1, 2014). "Kings Island: Racer coaster tallies its 100 millionth rider". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved May 27, 2016.
  34. Marden, Duane. "Banshee  (Kings Island)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
  35. Marden, Duane. "Record Holders  (Statistic: Length; Design: Inverted)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
  36. "KI Banshee POV". Kings Island. YouTube. August 8, 2013. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
  37. Schwartzberg, Eric (April 18, 2014). "Record-breaking Banshee roller coaster debuts at Kings Island". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved April 21, 2014.
  38. "The one with Banshee". The Coaster Crew. August 12, 2013. Archived from the original on December 25, 2013. Retrieved August 16, 2013.
  39. Dailey, Alyssa (August 9, 2013). "Coaster war? Is King's Island competing with Cedar Point for the most coasters?". WEWS-TV. Archived from the original on August 10, 2013. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
  40. "Legend of the Banshee". Kings Island. August 8, 2013. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
  41. "Ride Renderings". Kings Island. August 8, 2013. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
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  48. "2017 Top 50 Steel Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2017. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  49. "2018 Top 50 Steel Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2018. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  50. "2019 Top Steel". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2019. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
Preceded by
Pyrenees		 World's longest inverted roller coaster
April 2014–present		 Current holder
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