VertiGo (ride)
VertiGo was a thrill ride located at Cedar Point and Knott's Berry Farm. Both the rides opened in 2001 and both were designed by S&S Worldwide. After an incident at Cedar Point, both rides were demolished for the 2002 season.[1]
| VertiGo | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Cedar Point | |
| Area | Challenge Park |
| Status | Removed |
| Opening date | August 2001 |
| Closing date | October 2001 |
| Knott's Berry Farm | |
| Status | Removed |
| Opening date | Fall 2001 |
| Closing date | March 2002 |
| General statistics | |
| Manufacturer | S&S Worldwide |
| Model | Sky Sling |
| Height | 265 ft (81 m) |
| Drop | 300 ft (91 m) |
| Speed | 50 mph (80 km/h) |
| Vehicle type | Triangular car |
| Vehicles | 1 |
| Participants per group | 6 |
 | |
Ride experience
The ride structure consisted of three 265-foot-tall towers (81 m) placed in a triangular arrangement. Several high-strength cables ran down from the top of the tower and attached to the ride vehicle, which would sit on the ground when not operating. The three towers were able to sway up to 8 feet (2.4 m) in high winds, or when the cables were stretched during ride operation.
Riders of VertiGo would first be strapped into a triangular car. Two people sat on each side of the car, letting six people to ride at one time. The restraints' design made guests feel insecure as there were few places to hold on. The car rose a few feet off the ground, and then pneumatic air pressure would rocket the riders up at 50 miles/hour, over the three 265-foot-tall towers, 300 feet (91 m) in the air.[2] VertiGo operated in three modes: Hot Rocket, where riders remained in the upright position throughout the entire ride; Cosmic Flip, where they began in the upright position, then as the ride reached its climax, rotated forward 150 degrees to provide a "nose-dive" sensation as the ride vehicle descended toward the ground; and Big Bang, where shortly after launch, riders were flipped forward 150 degrees and travelled through the apex and a majority of the return to the ground in the upside-down position.
During the descent, depending on which seat rotation mode riders chose, the seats would rotate, causing the riders to face the ground until the ride reached the bottom and back up again. On this descent, the riders would be turned completely upside-down. All riders paid a fee of $10 to ride.
Incident
As a part of Cedar Point's preventative maintenance program, the VertiGo vehicle was removed from the ride and stored. However, the vehicle was an important stabilizer of the towers. Due to the loss of stability, the towers were allowed to sway beyond the 8 feet (2.4 m) limits normally allowed. On January 14, 2002, one of the 265-foot-tall towers collapsed, approximately 60 feet (18 m) above the ground. The tower caused minimal damage, and nobody was injured. The ride was not operating at the time, as Cedar Point is closed during the winter.
Demolition
Soon after the incident, Cedar Fair announced that the attraction at both parks would be demolished, because the ride was likely to face popularity issues after the incident. However, some models of the ride continued to exist elsewhere. A model of the ride known as "Eruption" existed at Frontier City until closing in 2012: it was demolished in 2014. A similar ride also remained open at Six Flags Magic Mountain.
References
- "Cedar Fair Removing Vertigo Thrill Rides From Parks". Ultimaterollercoaster.com. 2002-03-07. Retrieved 2013-01-24.
- "VertiGo | Thrill Rides". Ultimaterollercoaster.com. Retrieved 2013-01-24.