Think you’ve experienced the most extreme theme park rides in the world? Think again, because 2014 will see a host of new, world record-breaking rides make their debuts.
Theme parks are always eager to grab attention and media coverage when they add a new attraction. That’s why every year sees a host of “world first” and “record shattering” rides introduced, and 2014 promises to be no different. Here’s a look at six new attractions due to open this year that will either be the first of a kind or will set a new landmark.
6. World’s tallest spinning tower ride: New England SkyScreamer (Six Flags New England)
Spinning tower rides have become increasingly popular over the last few years, offering a vertigo-inducing variation on the traditional “Chair-O-Plane” ride experience. Guests are seated in chairs that dangle from a circular gondola, which spin as they rise to the top of the tower.
Six Flags New England will install the world’s tallest version of the attraction in 2014, with its New England SkyScreamer set to stand at an incredible 400-feet-tall. It will be just two feet taller than the Funtime Star Flyer ride at Austria’s Prater Park, which is currently the tallest ride of its type.
5. World’s first face-down drop ride: Falcon’s Fury (Busch Gardens Tampa, Florida)
Falcon’s Fury, the new drop tower at Busch Gardens Tampa, will break two records when it makes its debut. It will become the tallest freestanding drop tower in North America, standing at 335-feet-tall. Riders will plummet towards the ground at 60 miles per hour.
The ride’s chief gimmick, though, will be that it twists guests by 90 degrees so that they are facing directly downwards before they freefall down to the bottom – making it the world’s first “face-down” drop tower.
4. Longest inverted roller coaster in the word: Banshee (Kings Island, Ohio)
Inverted roller coasters have been around for some time, but Kings Island’s new addition will be on a different scale to those seen before. Banshee will be the longest coaster of its type, featuring a 4,124-foot circuit. This will include a total of seven inversions.
Banshee will also be the most expensive ride ever built by Kings Island, costing some $24 million.
3. World’s fastest wooden roller coaster: Goliath (Six Flags Great America, Illinois)
Six Flags Great America will claim three world records with the introduction of Goliath. The 180-foot, 85-degree first drop will be the longest and steepest on a wooden roller coaster. As it plummets downwards, the train will hit a top speed of up to 72 miles per hour, making this monstrous creation the fastest wooden coaster, too. Look out for three inversions in its circuit, including a 180-degree zero-g roll, an inverted drop and a zero-g stall.
2. World’s tallest water slide: Verrückt (Schlitterbahn Kansas City)
“Verrückt” is the German word for “insane”, and that’s an appropriate moniker for the new water slide at Schlitterbahn Kansas City. Standing at 170-feet-tall, it will shatter the world record for the tallest water slide. Riders will hit an estimated speed of 65 miles per hour. They’ll then be blasted to the top of a second hill, standing at “just” 50-feet-tall.
You may be tired when you reach the top, though – you’ll have to climb 264 steps to get there.
1. World’s tallest drop tower: Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom (Six Flags Great Adventure, New Jersey)
Six Flags Great Adventure is no stranger to world records, billing itself as “the world’s largest theme park” and hosting the tallest roller coaster on the planet, Kingda Ka.
Now, it plans to break the record for the world’s tallest drop tower, with the introduction of Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom. Mounted to Kingda Ka’s tower, the attraction will lift riders some 415 feet in the air, before sending them plummeting back towards the ground below at 90 miles per hour.
You can keep up to date with the latest confirmed and rumored opening dates for new attractions through Theme Park Tourist’s “New Attraction Watch” section, and by signing up for our weekly newsletter.
