VertiGo (ride)
VertiGo was an S&S 'Sky Sling' thrill ride located at Cedar Point and Knott's Berry Farm. Both the rides opened in 2001 and both were designed by S&S Worldwide. After an incident at Cedar Point, both rides were demolished for the 2002 season.[1]
| VertiGo | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Cedar Point | |
| Area | Challenge Park |
| Status | Removed |
| Opening date | August 2001 |
| Closing date | October 2001 |
| Knott's Berry Farm | |
| Status | Removed |
| Opening date | Fall 2001 |
| Closing date | March 2002 |
| General statistics | |
| Manufacturer | S&S Worldwide |
| Model | Sky Sling |
| Height | 265 ft (81 m) |
| Drop | 300 ft (91 m) |
| Speed | 50 mph (80 km/h) |
| Vehicle type | Triangular car |
| Vehicles | 1 |
| Participants per group | 6 |
 This is a pay-per-use attraction | |
Ride experience
The ride structure consisted of three 265-foot-tall towers (81 m) placed in a triangular arrangement. Several high-strength cables ran down from the top of the tower and attached to the ride vehicle, which would sit on the ground when not operating. The three towers were able to sway up to 8 feet (2.4 m) in high winds, or when the cables were stretched during ride operation.
Riders of VertiGo would first be strapped into a triangular car. Two people sat on each side of the car, letting six people to ride at one time. The restraints' design made guests feel insecure as there were few places to hold on. The car rose a few feet off the ground, and then pneumatic air pressure would rocket the riders up at 50 miles/hour, over the three 265-foot-tall towers, 300 feet (91 m) in the air.[2] VertiGo operated in three modes: Hot Rocket, where riders remained in the upright position throughout the entire ride; Cosmic Flip, where they began in the upright position, then as the ride reached its climax, rotated forward 150 degrees to provide a "nose-dive" sensation as the ride vehicle descended toward the ground; and Big Bang, where shortly after launch, riders were flipped forward 150 degrees and travelled through the apex and a majority of the return to the ground in the upside-down position.
During the descent, depending on which seat rotation mode riders chose, the seats would rotate, causing the riders to face the ground until the ride reached the bottom and back up again. On this descent, the riders would be turned completely upside-down. All riders paid a fee of $10 to ride.
Incident
As a part of Cedar Point's preventative maintenance program, the VertiGo vehicle was removed from the ride and stored. However, the vehicle was an important stabilizer of the towers. Due to the loss of stability, the towers were allowed to sway beyond the 8 feet (2.4 m) limits normally allowed. On January 14, 2002, one of the 265-foot-tall towers collapsed, approximately 60 feet (18 m) above the ground. The tower caused minimal damage, and nobody was injured. The ride was not operating at the time, as Cedar Point is closed during the winter.
Demolition
Soon after the incident, Cedar Fair announced that the attraction at both parks would be demolished, because the ride was likely to face popularity issues after the incident.
Similar Rides
Despite the incident at Cedar Point taking place and both rides being closed and removed, some models of the ride continued to exist elsewhere. A similar ride opened in 2001 as 'Thrill Shot' at Six Flags Magic Mountain, the ride closed for maintenance in 2009, and the ride was dismantled and removed from the park in early 2012 due to high maintenance costs. A model of the ride (Sky Sling) known as 'Eruption' stylized as 'ErUPtion!' opened in April 2003 and existed at Frontier City until closing in 2012. It was left standing but not operating until it was dismantled in December 2013. A ride of the same name and model opened in the spring of 2003 at Six Flags Great Adventure. It closed permanently in 2010. The ride was dismantled by early Spring 2011 and was replaced by the now common Funtime 'Sling Shot' ride in 2011. In April 2004, Fantasy Island received an S&S Sky Sling named as 'Absolutely Insane'. Until the end of the 2007 season, it was left standing but not operating, was dismantled and removed from the park in March 2010. S&S opened their own theme park Celebration Centre in 2006, and included the 'Sky Sling' ride as one of their attractions. The facility was later sold to Renegade Sports of Logan, UT. One of the three towers were removed and was converted into a Skycoaster.
References
- "Cedar Fair Removing Vertigo Thrill Rides From Parks". Ultimaterollercoaster.com. 2002-03-07. Retrieved 2013-01-24.
- "VertiGo | Thrill Rides". Ultimaterollercoaster.com. Retrieved 2013-01-24.