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.
Ethan
Actually, by the strictest defintion, a launched coaster between 300-399 feet tall cannot be considered a giga coaster. Otherwise, Tower of Tower Dreamworld would be the tallest and fastest giga coaster. The same applies with Xcelerator and why it’s not true hyper coaster.
Bobbie Butterfield
A sucker for long drops, I enjoy giga coasters more than most. I’ve ridden four of the five and rank them as follows: 1) Fury 325; 2) Leviathan; 3) Intimidator 305; and 4) Millennium Force. Fury 325 gets the top spot due to the intensity and insane speed, although Leviathan isn’t far behind. I liked I-305 more than MF because of the numerous twists in the track, giving the feeling of being snapped back and forth, which made for a novel ride experience. And although I’ve always preferred Intamin rides to B&M, for this group B&M comes out ahead. B/c I prefer the cable lifts on Intamin to chain lifts, I was afraid that the ascent to the top on the two B&M models would be agonizingly slow but in fact it’s surprisingly fast.
Alex
Ethan that coaster doesn’t complete a full circuit
Joel
Thanks Alex. It’s right there in the definition, but I guess he missed it.
Eric Cruz
The Fury’s drop is ETERNAL lol…. The drop is a little too long but that’s just me because I’m sure most people enjoyed it… By the time you’re halfway through the coaster, you’ve already forgotten how intense the drop is because the speed and adrenaline gets to you. It’s so fun and it sucks that I could only ride it once because of the length of the line. Best coaster I’ve ever ridden
Claudette Melanson
Hi, I live in Kitchener Ontario and we visit Wonderland many times a year. We’ve ridden Leviathan so many times. That first drop is unbelievable and the camel humps are huge too. I almost chickened out the first time but so glad I didn’t. Best ride ever!
Michael
I think I will like all of them. However I will like Fur325 much much much much much much better than all of them except for Steel Dragon 2000.
As they say in Japan こんにちは
Kon’nichiwa
Danny Tipton
I have rode the fury 325 – 21 times so far this year and want more. i have season passes so i know i will be riding it more, my goal is to ride it 50 times this year.
Lana
I have never experienced anything like this ride. The Fury 325 is insanely thrilling. The drop takes your breathe away and the speed is purely adrenal rush. I loved all of it, all 3 minutes and 25 seconds. My first giga ride and ready for the next.
shane cheek
i hope busch gardens williamsburg gets a giga coaster
Theodore
Can’t wait for Orion at KI to open in 2020!