Earlier this week, I joined a construction tour of Carowinds new roller coaster Copperhead Strike. The track is complete, but the station, launch barn, and area around the ride are still far from complete. Steve Jackson, Director of Maintenance and Construction led the tour and did a great job answering questions.
Seeing the ride’s orange track, even from a distance I could tell that this is going to be an action-packed ride. It looks low to the ground, with tons of twists and turns. One of the elements that I’m most interested in is that Jojo Roll right out of the station. I could just see it over a barrier. Also, I hadn’t realized from the ride animation that the station would be elevated.
Here are a few interesting take-aways from the construction tour:
- Even though it’s considerably shorter, Copperhead Strike has more footers than Fury 325 and Intimidator.
- The first train has arrived in the U.S. in a port in Charleston, SC.
- Steve Jackson pointed to the airtime hill after the second launch as a spot that should produce a nice pop of air taking people by surprise.
- They didn’t give details, but it sounds like we can expect some cool theming elements around the ride’s twisted layout. Elements that remind you of an old, neglected farm in the Blue Ridge.
- They’re going to test two roller coaster photo capture locations before deciding where it’ll be.
Thanks to Carowinds for the invitation to the construction tour. It was great to see the progress on not only the ride, but the surround area. I also enjoyed learning more about the process of getting roller coasters ready for opening day.
What’s Your Take?
How do you think Copperhead Strike looks? Leave a comment below.