originally posted on 1/7/2022 1:05:30 AM
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By simply facing facts, the last two years have been … well,
there’s no end to adjectives to be inserted. 2020 was historic. It was a piece
of history to be lived through … and survived. 2021 saw improvement, but there
is no denying that it too had its own challenges.
In terms of roller coasters and amusement parks and all the
fun that ACE entails, this past year saw virtually all parks opening back up,
even if there were struggles to go along with that. Fortunately, fans were able
to enjoy a handful of new coasters. Numerous coasters opened around the world,
but the United States welcomed only a minimal number.
While there are no absolutes on what might happen in the
months ahead, enthusiasts have good reason to be optimistic about 2022, at
least in terms of roller coasters. 2022 has the potential to be one of the
greatest years for roller coasters in recent memory.
Take a look.
It’s easy to acknowledge that this bumper crop is in part
owed to delayed roller coasters from (!) 2020. The SeaWorld chain will finally
debut four holdovers — and they look good. Four rides from as many different
manufacturers are now poised to debut in mere weeks. Ice Breaker is
queued to be first. The Premier Rides multilaunch coaster is a superb fit for
SeaWorld Orlando (Florida). The rest of the SeaWorld complement will open
shortly thereafter in early spring. Iron Gwazi at Busch Gardens Tampa
Bay (Florida) is the long-awaited hypercoaster from Rocky Mountain Construction
(RMC). The coaster’s purple siren song has transfixed visitors for two years
now. Luckily for ACEers, both of these new coasters will be featured in the
upcoming ACE Spring Conference, May 6 – 8. Rounding out the chain’s
installations are Emperor at SeaWorld San Diego (California) and Pantheon
at Busch Gardens Williamsburg (Virginia). The Bolliger & Mabillard
(B&M) dive coaster on the West Coast should help further establish that
park as a coaster destination, and the Intamin multilaunch coaster on the
Atlantic side of the country will thankfully continue the steady trickle of
significant installations from the highly regarded manufacturer.
Throwing in a fifth manufacturer, Mack Rides is supplying Aquaman
Power Dive at Six Flags Over Texas (Arlington), also a holdover from 2020.
But with this delay comes more theming, more capacity and a better ride
experience, which is a good thing.
If those five postponed rides were the year’s major
additions, that would be a nice collection, but those are only the beginning.
Gerstlauer is offering some fascinating new designs for
2022. Defiance at Glenwood Caverns (Glenwood Springs, Colorado) and Palindrome
at COTALAND (Austin, Texas) have very specific signature attributes. Both
should do wonders for these small parks.
RMC has new installations in addition to the Busch holdover.
Wonder Woman Flight of Courage, the (slightly) longest single-rail track
style to date, will debut at Six Flags Magic Mountain (Valencia, California).
Even more captivating is ArieForce One, which truly puts Fun Spot
America Atlanta (Fayetteville, Georgia) on the map. It looks like it will have
some wild and rollicking maneuvers.
Dr. Diabolical’s Cliffhanger is B&M’s only
installation (worldwide!) this year. Six Flags Fiesta Texas (San Antonio)
promises a more intense design to the manufacturer’s dive coaster, and ACEers
are eagerly waiting to put the results to the test.
Tumbili has its own niche. While an S&S 4D
FreeSpin coaster has been seen before (numerous times), this smaller-generation
production model is the only new coaster going into a Cedar Fair park (Kings
Dominion, Doswell, Virginia) this season (which is a head scratcher). One can
only hope this indicates big things for 2023 in that theme park chain.
Zamperla has a coaster/flume going into Luna Park (Brooklyn,
New York) with more on the way.
Chance Rides is bringing two new coasters — Hot Wheels
and Bone Shaker — late in 2022 to the new Mattel Adventure Park (Glendale,
Arizona).
Ride Engineers of Switzerland is providing North America’s
first Roller Ball coaster to Adventureland in Farmingdale, New York. It should
be a curiosity that will intrigue many coaster fans.
And while not delayed by the pandemic, one of the longest
“under construction” rides everyone has been anticipating is Guardians of
the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. Supplied by Vekoma and themed to the hilt by
Walt Disney World (Lake Buena Vista, Florida), this unique coaster with
rotating cars will finally give EPCOT its first roller coaster, 40 years after
the park opened. The building is so massive, four Spaceship Earths could fit
inside.
With no fewer than 15 coasters listed above, 2022 will be
epic. This doesn’t even touch the smaller installations and other “credits.” In
addition to brand new rides, some relocated coasters have enthusiasts
celebrating too. COTALAND opened its Schwarzkopf Texas Wildcat for
previews during its Christmas event. And Prairie Screamer, the E&F
Miler coaster formerly of Ontario, California, is now vertically rising at
Traders Village in Grand Prairie, Texas. The Schwarzkopf triple loop, now
dubbed American Drier Looping, is seeing great progress at Indiana Beach
(Monticello). Alabama Adventure (Bessemer) will receive a relocated Wild Mouse
from Lake Winnepesaukah (Rossville, Georgia). This will help beef up the park’s
coaster lineup and should serve its audience well.
Coasters aren’t the only thing new. Big new thrill rides and
dark rides are going in. So are new parks! In addition to the aforementioned
COTALAND and Mattel Adventure Park, Lost Island Theme Park in Waterloo, Iowa,
will be bringing new life to relocated coasters from across the globe,
including the Intamin launched coaster formerly known as Kanonen from
Liseberg (Gothenburg, Sweden).
So with all this in the world of coasters — launched,
spinning, looping, dive, record-setting — it would seem there is just a little
bit of everything.
But no. Like 2021, 2022 looks to be one more year with no
new wooden coasters in North America. Both The Gravity Group and Great Coasters
International, Inc. are busy with projects elsewhere in the world, not to
mention refurbishing projects. That said, it would sure be nice to see a new
woodie grace a park in the United States soon. ACE remains hopeful, if not forcibly
patient.
With all this going in, the view ahead — assuming the world
situation gives visitors a break — looks spectacular for amusement park and
roller coaster fans in 2022. Start building checklists now.
— Tim Baldwin, ACE News Editor
#ACENews