Steel Curtain: Review
Overview Located at Kennywood Park in West Mifflin, PA, Steel Curtain is one of two record-breaking steel roller coasters from S&S – Sansei Technologies to open in the USA during 2019. (The other is Maxx Force at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, IL.) It sets a record for tallest inversion (197 feet), tallest looping coaster, tallest coaster in Pennsylvania (220 feet) and most inversions of...[Read More]
Project 412 Revealed: 9 Inversion S&S Coaster Coming to Kennywood in 2019
Kennywood’s ‘Project 412’ teasing game has come to a conclusion with the unveiling of their new for 2019 attraction — a massive and record-breaking coaster from S&S Worldwide. The coaster, dubbed ‘The Steel Curtain’ in homage to the nearby Pittsburgh Steelers football team, will break the United States record for inversions with 9. The Campaign The park̵...[Read More]
Defunct Coasters We Wish We Could Have Ridden
Defunct Roller Coasters That Were Gone Too Soon Over the years there have been some great-looking roller coasters that we just never got a chance to ride. Some of them have become legendary within the coaster enthusiast community. Some had record-setting or one-of-a-kind elements. And some were just roller coasters that we kick ourselves for not riding, because they’re gone and now we’...[Read More]
CoasterCritics’ Picks: Our 15 Worst Roller Coaster Experiences
Our Most Regrettable Roller Coaster Experiences Like other hobbies, riding roller coasters has its mountaintop experiences. Those unforgettable, glorious, mind-blowing rides that make other rides pale in comparison. As a group, we came up with our picks for these rides. In case you missed it, see what we consider the 10 best roller coasters in America. What makes those rides so special is that we ...[Read More]
The 10 Oldest Roller Coasters in America
For all of the modern thrill rides we’re spoiled with this days, there’s still something really enjoyable about riding the few classic, nearly century old roller coasters. They paved the way for our favorite rides today and give you a glimpse of what the biggest and baddest coasters were many, many years ago. Some still have traditional lap bars and are stopped with huge a game-show li...[Read More]
Featured Photo #29 – Respect for Elderly Coasters
I took this shot back in 1999 in the pre-digital camera era. Well, it was well before I had my own digital camera at least. It was on this trip to Kennywood early in my theme park travel adventures that I gained a newfound respect for woodies. Before Kennywood’s still electrifying Thunderbolt, I only had woodies from Kings Dominion and Adventure World (the precursor to Six Flags America) und...[Read More]
Sky Rocket @ Kennywood | Roller Coaster Reviews
I’m a big fan of launched coasters, they’re still new enough that almost all of them offer unique elements, and certainly all of this new generation of launched coasters have something to offer enthusiasts. If there is a gripe to be had with launched coasters, it’s that too often they under perform when compared to their like brethren, the traditional chain or cable lift rides. True, the idea of a...[Read More]
Sky Rocket Test Video
Kennywood’s Sky Rocket looks to be about ready to open. As you can see from the video below the coaster has had test runs: As I said in my previous posts, I think Sky Rocket will be a strong addition to Kennywood’s loopless lineup. It will boast all of the ingredients of a solid modern looper. Elements include a launch, two vertical drops, a corkscrew and a barrell roll. The twisting b...[Read More]
Top 10 New Roller Coasters for 2010 Part 2
This the conclusion of my annual New Roller Coasters List. In case you missed it, here’s Part 1. This year was tougher than usual as there weren’t many new coasters opening in the States. Also, there were a few attractions with very little information for me to go on. Here are my top five picks for 2010. Thirteen | Alton Towers – Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom Alton Towers̵...[Read More]
Kennywood Couldn’t Save Adventureland Movie
When I saw trailers for Adventureland last year I was interested as soon as I saw that it was filmed at Kennywood. The amusement park in the movie is referred to by the fictional name “Adventureland”, but long shots with Phantom’s Revenge looming in the background are dead giveaways. I got my wife to buy in when I told her that her favorite actor Ryan Reynolds was in it. It looke...[Read More]
Sky Rocket Construction Photos & Kennywood in the Snow
Longtime reader Judy sent in these great shots of Kennywood. There are a number of cool images of the Pittsburgh area park after a recent snow storm. She also sent a few images that show the construction site for the park’s 2010 roller coaster, Sky Rocket. Although, it doesn’t appear like too much actual construction has taken place. They were taken on 2/27. Sky Rocket Construction As ...[Read More]
2009 Theme Park Year in Review
Happy New Year! It’s time once again to recap the biggest theme park news stories of 2009. The Roller Coaster Class of 2009 The two huge roller coasters that opened in Orlando had very different fates. SeaWorld’s Manta opened early to rave reviews while Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit opened several months late with mixed reviews. To be fair, Rockit is a one-of-a-kind ride with several techn...[Read More]
- 1
- 2