With all of the buzz around Fury 325, I’ve been getting a lot of questions about the World’s Tallest and Fastest Giga Coaster. Many have asked exactly what the “giga” refers to.
What is a giga coaster?
A giga coaster is a roller coaster that’s between 300 and 399 feet tall and completes a full circuit. The first giga coaster was Millennium Force which opened at Cedar Point in 2000. Today, there are six in operation around the World.
Below is a list of the giga coasters that are currently operating:
| Name | Height | Theme Park | Location | Year Opened |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red Force | 367.3 feet | Ferrari Land | Salou, Spain | 2017 |
| Fury 325 | 325 feet | Carowinds | Charlotte, NC | 2015 |
| Steel Dragon 2000 | 318.3 feet | Nagashima Spa Land | Nagashima, Japan | 2000 |
| Millennium Force | 310 feet | Cedar Point | Ohio, USA | 2000 |
| Leviathan | 306 feet | Canada's Wonderland | Ontario, Canada | 2012 |
| Intimidator 305 | 305 feet | Kings Dominion | Virginia, USA | 2010 |
Ride Experience: Giga Coasters are Tall and Fast!
Giga coasters are incredibly tall and fast roller coasters. They’re skyscraper-like lift hills help them generate intense speeds of 90 mph or more. Instead of using loops to turn riders upside-down, they use all that speed to thrill riders by climbing large hills and then diving back to the ground. Some also provide high-speed twists and turns.
Kings Dominion’s Intimidator 305 focuses most of its insane course on heavily banked track and twisted transitions from side-to-side. Fury 325 has a mix of twist, turns, and a few hills.
Currently, all giga coasters are steel roller coasters. In terms of height and speed, they are only surpassed by strata coasters that use powerful launch systems to rocket higher than 400 feet tall. Ferrari Land’s Red Force fits the definition of a giga coaster, but like the strata coasters (Kingda Ka and Top Thrill Dragster) it uses a launch rather than a lift hill.
To give you an idea of what giga coasters are like, here’s video of Fury 325 at Carowinds:
To learn more about other roller coasters terms and see lists of record holders my Coasterology posts.
Also, see which ride won in this giga-sized Roller Coaster Showdown: Fury 325 vs Intimidator 305
What’s Your Take?
Have you ridden a giga coaster? Leave a comment below. Image courtesy of CoasterImage.