Hurler (roller coaster)

Hurler is a wooden roller coaster located at Carowinds in Charlotte, North Carolina. Built by International Coasters Inc., the ride opened to the public in 1994. An identical copy of the ride opened at Kings Dominion the same year, which was later converted into a steel roller coaster called Twisted Timbers in 2018.[2]

For the roller coaster previously known by the same name at Kings Dominion, see Twisted Timbers.
Hurler
Hurler's first drop at Carowinds
Carowinds
Park sectionThrill Zone
Coordinates35°06′18.88″N 80°56′37.39″W
StatusOperating
Opening dateJune 4, 1994 (1994-06-04)[1]
Kings Dominion
Park sectionCandy Apple Grove
Coordinates37°50′10.81″N 77°26′44.29″W
StatusRemoved
Opening dateApril 28, 1994 (1994-04-28)
Closing dateNovember 1, 2015 (2015-11-01)
Replaced byTwisted Timbers
General statistics
TypeWood
ManufacturerInternational Coasters, Inc.
Track layoutTriple out and back
Lift/launch systemChain lift hill
Height83 ft (25 m)
Drop80 ft (24 m)
Length3,157 ft (962 m)
Speed50 mph (80 km/h)
Inversions0
Duration2:00
Capacity1100 riders per hour
G-force4.1
Height restriction48 in (122 cm)
Trains2 trains with 7 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 28 riders per train.
Fast Lane available
Hurler at RCDB
Pictures of Hurler at RCDB

History

The Hurler installations opened at both parks in 1994. The coasters originally borrowed their theme from the 1992 Paramount motion picture Wayne's World, whose main characters frequently used the word "hurl." Paramount sold both parks in 2006, and new owner Cedar Fair retained the name but removed references to Wayne's World.

The Kings Dominion roller coaster was closed for part of the 2006 season to be re-tracked. In 2010, a new trim brake was installed immediately after the first hill prior to the season opening. Hurler closed again for part of the 2014 season for regular maintenance. In March 2016, Kings Dominion posted a notice on their website that Hurler would be closed for the season while undergoing extensive maintenance, and that it would likely reopen in 2017.[3] However, in October 2016, Kings Dominion released a video on social media confirming the ride's permanent closure and teasing a new attraction in 2018.[4][5]

Ride layout
Hurler's first drop at Kings Dominion

Riders are hoisted up a 83-foot (25 m) lift hill and make a wide turn before reaching the initial drop. During the drop, an on-ride camera automatically takes photographs of passengers. The ride continues with a wide, heavily banked, flat turn, then a series of hills and drops which jerk and shake passengers. The overall layout is a standard paperclip arrangement with two out-and-back style runs[6] (at Kings Dominion this extended into the courtyard adjacent to Grizzly).

The Hurler is also a mirror image of Thunder Run at Kentucky Kingdom.

Theming

Originally, the queue wound underneath the coaster through a "hot set" on location filming scenes from Wayne's World. Upon entering the station building, park guests passed through a full-scale set of the iconic basement hideout of Wayne and Garth. Since removal of the Paramount references, the queue and station building are loosely themed with the remains of the original theming. Movie-making paraphernalia including stage lights, cameras, props and signs are scattered sparsely about. At Carowinds, some of the original props (notably baby doll pieces) were recycled into the SCarowinds Maze of Madness. Although the Wayne's World theme has been removed from the coaster at Kings Dominion, many signs of the theme were still present until the ride's closure, including many stickers and stamps of the Wayne's World logo around the Hurler station, such as the columns by the exit.

gollark: What? I guess you could blame them for various religious wars. But generally if that sort of thing happens there are underlying tensions anyway.
gollark: Anyway, it's very mean so the frog person should not do that.
gollark: It's quite easy to not know that from a small picture of someone in a robe and hammer standing in front of a wall or whatever.
gollark: Who are they shooting at?
gollark: Except that's a tiny amount and that varies with environmental conditions a ton.

References
  1. "Party on! Wayne's World exhibit opens at Paramount's Carowinds".
  2. "Twisted Timbers | New Wooden Coaster | Kings Dominion". www.kingsdominion.com. Retrieved 2017-08-16.
  3. "The Hurler - Thrilling Wooden Roller Coaster | Kings Dominion". www.kingsdominion.com. Retrieved 2016-03-25.
  4. "Kings Dominion - Timeline - Facebook".
  5. "Twisted Timbers | New Wooden Coaster | Kings Dominion". www.kingsdominion.com. Retrieved 2017-08-16.
  6. "Carowinds Hurler Wooden Roller Coaster POV". TheCoasterViews. July 14, 2015. Retrieved September 16, 2019 – via YouTube.
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