originally posted on 10/1/2019
Photo: Tim Baldwin. View full-sized image.
After 33 seasons, Vortex at Kings Island (Mason, Ohio) is bidding farewell. The record-setting, multi-inversion coaster from Arrow Dynamics, which opened in 1987, will be removed following the close of the 2019 season. For the remainder of the season, both 2019 and 2020 Gold and Platinum season passholders will be given the opportunity for exclusive Vortex early ride time on Saturdays and Sundays before the park opens to the public.
To place the ride in a historical context, Vortex was erected during the middle of the coaster wars of the 1980s. Arrow was the principal supplier of what could be termed the “looping craze” of the time. In marketing plays, numerous parks engaged in one-upsmanship, continuing to add additional inversions to top the previous record. Carolina Cyclone at Carowinds (Charlotte, North Carolina) was the first four-inversion coaster to debut. That same year, Worlds of Fun (Kansas City, Missouri) was the first to introduce the element eventually to be called the boomerang in Arrow’s terminology with Orient Express. In 1982, Darien Lake (Darien Center, New York) introduced Viper, the first roller coaster to feature five inversions, which was a big claim for such a fledgling park. It wasn’t until five years later, that Kings Island upped the count to six with Vortex. Six Flags entered the game in the years following with its seven-inversion triplets. As the 1990s arrived, the looping niche — or simply inversions on their own — had run its course. The industry was finding new innovations to market.
Photo: Allan Reid. View full-sized image.
It would be easy to say Vortex is simply a series of inversions strung together. However, a little more recognition should be given to its fantastic first drop, which has delighted coaster fans for decades, as well as its commanding presence in the park. Its placement, particularly the boomerang element alongside the walkway, captivated spectators in a huge way. Its records helped Kings Island maintain a reputation for innovative roller coasters following on the heels of The Racer, The Beast, The Bat and King Cobra. Of note, Vortex utilizes the same station and same real estate as the (original) Bat.
A statement from Kings Island says the ride has reached the end of its service life. With 33 seasons to its credit, Vortex has outlasted many of its cousins: Orient Express; Shockwave, Six Flags Great America (Gurnee, Illinois); Great American Scream Machine, Six Flags Great Adventure (Jackson, New Jersey); and the short-lived Drachen Fire, Busch Gardens Williamsburg (Williamsburg, Virginia).
— Tim Baldwin
ACE News Editor
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