Cannibal (roller coaster)
Cannibal is a steel roller coaster located at Lagoon amusement park in Farmington, Utah. The $22-million ride was built and designed mostly in-house, a rare move for an amusement park, and opened to the public on July 2, 2015. It features the tallest beyond-vertical drop in the world among roller coasters.
Cannibal | |
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Aerial view of Cannibal | |
Lagoon | |
Location | Lagoon |
Park section | North Midway |
Coordinates | 40.987396°N 111.895546°W |
Status | Operating |
Opening date | July 2, 2015 |
Cost | $22 million |
General statistics | |
Manufacturer | Lagoon Corporation |
Designer | Dal Freeman (Lagoon) |
Height | 208 ft (63 m) |
Length | 2,735 ft (834 m) |
Speed | 70 mph (110 km/h) |
Inversions | 4 |
Duration | 2:30 |
Max vertical angle | 116° |
G-force | 4.2 |
Height restriction | 48 in (122 cm) |
Trains | 7[1] trains with a single car. Riders are arranged 4 across in 3 rows for a total of 12 riders per train. |
Website | www |
Cannibal at RCDB Pictures of Cannibal at RCDB |
History
Nearly 75% of Cannibal was designed, engineered, and manufactured in-house by Lagoon amusement park with the help of multiple firms located in Utah. The lead designer was Lagoon's Dal Freeman. In an era when most amusement parks outsource the work to companies in Germany, Switzerland, and the Netherlands, the decision to build in-house is rare in the industry. The roller coaster features a 208-foot-tall (63 m) enclosed tower, a beyond-vertical drop of 116 degrees, a themed underground tunnel, and a 360-degree helix situated above a man-made waterfall.[2] It also features four inversions that include a 140-foot-tall (43 m) Immelman loop, a dive loop, and a unique inversion the park calls the "Lagoon roll," which consists of a counter-clockwise heartline roll immediately followed by a clockwise heartline roll. The trains, which use only lap bar restraints, travel up to 70 miles per hour (110 km/h) and pull as much as 4.2 G's.[2]
The ride had been in the planning stages for more than five years and required more than two years to build.[3] Prior to its planned opening in the spring of 2015, Lagoon announced that the roller coaster's debut would be postponed for additional testing and inspections.[2] The ride officially opened on July 2, 2015.[4][5]
Ride experience
The roller coaster features a 208 feet (63 m) elevator lift, enclosed in a huge tower structure; a 116° beyond vertical drop; inversions, including an Immelman-like loop, as well as an inversion unique to the park consisting of two consecutive heart line rolls in opposite directions; a water feature; and a tunnel 20 feet (6.1 m) underground.[3] It is the tallest roller coaster in the state and the longest ride in the park.[3] The ride cars accommodate 12 passengers (3 rows of 4), and the duration of the ride lasts approximately two and a half minutes.[3]
Reception
The ride appeared in Amusement Today's Golden Ticket Awards for the first time in 2016, ranking 42nd among steel roller coasters.[6]
Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
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Ranking | 42[6] | 32[7] | 44[8] | 41[9] |
References
- "Cannibal – Lagoon". Ultimate Rollercoaster. Retrieved 24 Apr 2016.
- MacDonald, Brady (1 Apr 2015). "Utah's Cannibal coaster promises to 'eat' the competition". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles: Davan Maharaj. Retrieved 4 Apr 2015.
- Edwards, Ashton (4 Sep 2014). "Lagoon's new roller coaster is out for blood, Cannibal coming soon". fox13now.com. Salt Lake City: Tribune Broadcasting. Retrieved 5 Sep 2014.
- Hansen, Cassidy (July 2, 2015). "Lagoon's Cannibal coaster finally opens". ksl.com. Salt Lake City: Deseret Digital Media. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
- Wharton, Tom (8 Jul 2015). "$22M, 'beyond vertical' Cannibal coaster finally opens at Utah's Lagoon amusement park". The Salt Lake Tribune. Salt Lake City: Paul Huntsman. Retrieved 21 Jul 2015.
- "2016 top 50 steel roller coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2016. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
- "2017 Top 50 Steel Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2017. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
- "2018 Top 50 Steel Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2018. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
- "2019 Top Steel". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2019. Retrieved September 11, 2019.