Storm Chaser
D12 · RMC Hybrids
D12 · № 56/150
Storm Chaser
Kentucky Kingdom · US · Rocky Mountain Construction IBox Track (Twisted Twins conversion)
“Kentucky kept the bones and taught the old Twins to chase storms.”
UNOFFICIAL · NOT PARK-ENDORSED
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Fast facts
- Opened to the public on April 30, 2016. ultimaterollercoaster.com
- Built by Rocky Mountain Construction as an IBox conversion of the former Twisted Twins coaster. coaster101.com
- Stands 100 feet tall. ultimaterollercoaster.com
- Reaches 52 miles per hour. ultimaterollercoaster.com
- Includes three inverting elements. ultimaterollercoaster.com
- The conversion was reported at a cost of $10 million. latimes.com
- Kentucky Kingdom described it as America’s first coaster with a barrel-roll drop from a ten-story lift hill. kentuckykingdom.com
The story of Storm Chaser
Before Storm Chaser, this corner of Louisville belonged to Twisted Twins, a dueling wooden coaster whose old structure would not be simply cleared away. Kentucky Kingdom chose instead to make use of what remained, inviting Rocky Mountain Construction to bring new steel track to the former Twins’ place in the park. coaster101.com
The plan was announced in July 2015, with demolition and construction already under way. The new ride was to rise to 100 feet, use RMC’s IBox system, and trade the old dueling arrangement for a single, tightly drawn course beginning with a 78-degree first drop. coaster101.com· latimes.com
For Kentucky Kingdom, the work carried the air of civic renewal. The park had reopened in 2014, and Storm Chaser became part of that rebuilt procession of rides, a $10 million undertaking that preserved portions of the old steel support structure while giving the fairground a fresh storm of its own. latimes.com· coaster101.com
When it opened on April 30, 2016, visitors found the finished coaster at the back of the park, near the broad Louisville airport approach. Contemporary riders noted the new plaza, the quick climb to the 100-foot crest, and the strange pleasure of meeting a jetliner and a barrel roll in the same Kentucky afternoon. coaster101.com
Sources
- ultimaterollercoaster.com Acceptable source
- coaster101.com Acceptable source
- latimes.com Acceptable source
- kentuckykingdom.com Acceptable source
- coaster101.com Acceptable source