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22 Aug 2014
Carowinds kicks off revamp with boundary-pushing giga coaster
By Alice Davis
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Carowinds says it is building the new rollercoaster, the Fury 325, as well as a new park entrance. It is also reinventing its dining and live show offerings.
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Thrillseekers will be heartened by an announcement from Carowinds that the amusement park is building the world’s tallest, fastest giga coaster. The North Carolina park, owned and run by Cedar Fair, expects to open the new ride in Spring 2015.
The steel coaster will be christened Fury 325 and it’s being built by leading coaster company Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M).
The heart-pounding ride marks the beginning of a period of change for the park, which is getting a major makeover thanks to a US$50m (£30m, €38m) investment over the coming years. “Starting with Fury 325, we plan to make Carowinds a destination for thrillseekers to celebrate the Carolinas,” said Carowinds vice president and general manager Mike Fehnel. “It’s long overdue that we gave our fans a new energy surrounding Carowinds.”
Once aboard the 32-seat train of the hornet-inspired Fury 325, passengers ascend to a height of 325 feet (99 metres) – equivalent to around 30 stories – before plunging the decline at an 81-degree angle. It’s not over yet for the riders, who’ll face a barrel turn, S-curve, double helix and camel back hills at speeds of up to 95 mph (153kph). The total ride time is three and a half minutes.
The peak of the 6,602-foot-long (2,012-metre-long) giga coaster – the name for coasters between 300 feet and 399 feet (92 metres and 122 metres) high – will allegedly be visible from parts of the city of Charlotte.
The Fury 325 isn’t the first time Carowinds and B&M have done business. The park’s Vortex, Afterburn and Intimidator rollercoasters were all designed and made by the Swiss firm. |
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