Wind Chaser
Wind Chaser is a steel roller coaster located at Kentucky Kingdom in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. Designed by Alan Schilke and manufactured by Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC) at an estimated cost of $10 million, the ride opened to the public on April 30, 2016. It features three inversions, a 78-degree drop, and a maximum speed of 52 mph (84 km/h) utilizing RMC's patented I-Box track technology. Originally manufactured by Custom Coasters International, the ride first opened as a wooden dueling coaster named Twisted Sisters in 1998. After American heavy metal band Twisted Sister threatened to sue the park, the name was changed to Twisted Twins in 2002. It closed indefinitely in 2007, and its future became uncertain after Kentucky Kingdom ceased operations after the 2009 season. RMC was hired to refurbish the ride as Storm Chaser for the 2016 season, two years after the park reopened in 2014. As a budgetary measure, some of the supports from Twisted Twins were reused. It was nominated for "Best New Ride For 2016", an Amusement Today Golden Ticket Award, placing second behind Dollywood's Lightning Rod. For the 2025 season, the area around Storm Chaser was converted into a new themed area, Discovery Meadow, prompting the ride's renaming to Wind Chaser.
| Wind Chaser | |
|---|---|
| Previously known as Twisted Sisters (1998–2001), Twisted Twins (2002–2007) and Storm Chaser (2016–2024) | |
 Ride entrance | |
| Kentucky Kingdom | |
| Location | Kentucky Kingdom |
| Park section | Discovery Meadow |
| Coordinates | 38°11′45″N 85°45′01″W / 38.1958°N 85.7503°W |
| Status | Operating |
| Soft opening date | April 28, 2016 |
| Opening date | April 30, 2016 |
| Cost | $10 million |
| Replaced | Twisted Twins |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Steel |
| Manufacturer | Rocky Mountain Construction |
| Designer | Alan Schilke |
| Model | I-Box – Custom |
| Lift/launch system | Chain lift hill |
| Height | 100 ft (30 m) |
| Length | 2,744 ft (836 m) |
| Speed | 52 mph (84 km/h) |
| Inversions | 3 |
| Duration | 1:40 |
| Max vertical angle | 78° |
| Capacity | 960 riders per hour |
| G-force | 3.8 |
| Height restriction | 48 in (122 cm) |
| Trains | 2 trains with 6 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 24 riders per train. |
| Wind Chaser at RCDB | |
Wind Chaser is a steel roller coaster located at Kentucky Kingdom in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. Designed by Alan Schilke and manufactured by Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC) at an estimated cost of $10 million, the ride opened to the public on April 30, 2016. It features three inversions, a 78-degree drop, and a maximum speed of 52 mph (84 km/h) utilizing RMC's patented I-Box track technology.
Originally manufactured by Custom Coasters International, the ride first opened as a wooden dueling coaster named Twisted Sisters in 1998. After American heavy metal band Twisted Sister threatened to sue the park, the name was changed to Twisted Twins in 2002. It closed indefinitely in 2007, and its future became uncertain after Kentucky Kingdom ceased operations after the 2009 season.
RMC was hired to refurbish the ride as Storm Chaser for the 2016 season, two years after the park reopened in 2014. As a budgetary measure, some of the supports from Twisted Twins were reused. It was nominated for "Best New Ride For 2016", an Amusement Today Golden Ticket Award, placing second behind Dollywood's Lightning Rod.[1]
For the 2025 season, the area around Storm Chaser was converted into a new themed area, Discovery Meadow, prompting the ride's renaming to Wind Chaser.
History
[edit]In September 1997, operation rights for Kentucky Kingdom were sold by Themeparks LLC to Premier Parks for $64 million.[2] Weeks after the deal was finalized in November 1997, the new operators announced plans to build a $5-million dueling roller coaster, called Double Trouble, in time to open during the 1998 season.[3] The name was later changed to Twisted Sisters prior to the ride's opening.[4][5] Following the purchase of Six Flags by Premier Parks in June 1998, the park was rebranded as Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom.[2][6]
In 2002, the heavy metal band Twisted Sister threatened the park with legal action regarding the name of the roller coaster. To avoid a lawsuit, the park changed the ride's name to Twisted Twins.[4][7] It operated under that name until the end of the 2007 season when the park closed the ride indefinitely,[4] and the Gerstlauer trains were relocated to Six Flags St. Louis to be used as spare parts for The Boss, another Custom Coasters International ride with Gerstlauer trains.[8]
Amid corporate bankruptcy on February 4, 2010, Six Flags announced that the park would cease operations immediately following the rejection of an amended lease by the Kentucky State Fair Board.[9] Former operator of Kentucky Kingdom, Ed Hart, along with several other investors formed the Kentucky Kingdom Redevelopment Company with the aim of reopening the park quickly.[10][11][12] However, plans were abandoned after sixteen months of negotiations.[13][14][15][16] On February 23, 2012, the Kentucky Fair Board approved a lease agreement which would see the park operate as Bluegrass Boardwalk.[17][18] The plans called for the removal of Twisted Twins and T2 as a result of safety concerns.[citation needed]
On June 27, 2013, Ed Hart's group negotiated an agreement to spend $36 million to reopen the park in May 2014. They also announced plans to transform Twisted Twins into "a much superior ride" and hoped to reopen it in 2016.[19][20] Rocky Mountain Construction was eventually hired to refurbish the roller coaster with their patented IBox track design. In July 2015, Kentucky Kingdom announced plans to name the renovated ride Storm Chaser and open it during the 2016 season.[21] The estimated cost for the new ride was $10 million.[22]
After acquiring Kentucky Kingdom in 2021,[23] Herschend Family Entertainment announced an $11 million investment into creating the Discovery Meadow land at the park for the 2025 season.[24] This area would incorporate Storm Chaser, renaming it to Wind Chaser.[25] After a ribbon-cutting ceremony on May 8, 2025,[26] Discovery Meadow debuted alongside the newly renamed Wind Chaser as the park opened for the 2025 season on May 10.[27]
Characteristics
[edit]Twisted Twins
[edit]
In its original form, Twisted Twins was a dueling roller coaster, which featured two roller coaster tracks that departed from opposite ends of a single station. The two tracks followed different paths, passing by each other four times.[28] Despite this, both tracks measured 3,000 feet (910 m) in length, stood 80 feet (24 m) tall, and featured top speeds of 55 miles per hour (89 km/h).[4] The ride was the only dueling roller coaster manufactured by Custom Coasters International, and was one of only two dual-tracked roller coasters manufactured by the company (Stampida at PortAventura Park is a racing roller coaster).[29][30] The ride was designed by Dennis McNulty and Larry Bill, a duo responsible for many of the company's roller coasters.[4][31][32] Construction of Twisted Twins was completed by Martin & Vleminckx.[4]
A single train, manufactured by Gerstlauer, ran on each of the tracks. These two trains were named Stella and Lola, respectively.[33] Each train seated 28 riders across seven cars configured in two rows of two.[4] These trains required riders to be of a minimum height of 48 inches (120 cm).[34]
Wind Chaser
[edit]According to park officials, Wind Chaser utilized some components of Twisted Twins' structure as a budgetary feature, but is otherwise a completely new experience.[21] Wind Chaser utilized Rocky Mountain's IBox steel track system to create a ride experience that has the smoothness of a steel coaster with the faster pace of a wooden coaster.[21] The new track also allows the train to perform inversions, something not normally seen on wooden roller coasters.[21]
Comparison
[edit]| Statistic | Twisted Twins (Twisted Sisters)[35] | Wind Chaser (Storm Chaser)[36] |
|---|---|---|
| Years | 1998-2007 | 2016– |
| Manufacturer | Custom Coasters International | Rocky Mountain Construction |
| Designer | Dennis McNulty, Larry Bill | Alan Schilke |
| Track Type | Wood | Steel |
| Track Layout | Dueling | Out and back |
| Height | 80 ft or 24 m | 100 ft or 30 m |
| Drop | Unknown | Unknown |
| Length | 3,000 ft or 910 m | 2,744 ft or 836 m |
| Speed | 55 mph or 89 km/h | 52 mph or 84 km/h |
| Max vertical angle | Unknown | 78° |
| G-force | 3.2 | 3.8 |
| Capacity | Unknown | 960 riders per hour |
| Duration | 2:12 | 1:40 |
| Inversions | 0 | 2 |
| Trains | Gerstlauer | Rocky Mountain Construction |
Ride experience
[edit]
Wind Chaser departs the station and makes a U-turn to the right to start up its lift hill. After cresting the top of the lift, the train banks left and enters a barrel-roll drop back down to ground level, followed by an airtime hill and an overbanked left-hand turn that leaves the train partially upside down for a short time. Wind Chaser then climbs another hill and banks right before turning to the left and heading back in the opposite direction and rounding an overbanked turn to the right.
The train crests another airtime hill before banking right and entering the final inversion, a corkscrew. Exiting the corkscrew and banking to the left, Wind Chaser passes over a series of camelback hills where the banking varies from side to side. The train then enters a 270-degree banked helix to the right, then rises to the left before entering the final brake run and returning to the station.
Reception
[edit]1998–2007: Wood
[edit]The ride did not earn any placements in the Golden Ticket Awards' Top 50 wooden coasters during this time.
2016–present: Steel
[edit]| Golden Ticket Awards: Best New Ride for 2016 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Ranking | 2[37]
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| Year | 1998 | 1999 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ranking | – | – | ||||||||
| Year | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
| Ranking | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Year | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
| Ranking | – | – | – | – | – | – | 28[38] | 33[39] | 47[40] | – |
| Year | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | ||||
| Ranking | N/A | – | – | – | – | – |
References
[edit]- ^ "Cedar Point welcomes 2016 Golden Ticket Awards" (PDF). Amusement Today. September 2016. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
- ^ a b Kleber, John E. (2000). The Encyclopedia of Louisville. University Press of Kentucky. p. 32. ISBN 0-8131-2100-0.
- ^ "Whew! What a wild ride for Kentucky Kingdom". Louisville Morning Call. Advance Publications. November 24, 1997. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g Marden, Duane. "Twisted Twins (Kentucky Kingdom)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
- ^ Guido, Anna (February 28, 1998). "Dueling coasters offer a twist". The Enquirer. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
- ^ O'Brien, Tim (November 2, 1998). "Premier Converts More To Six Flags". Amusement Business. 110 (44): 3, 44.
- ^ MacDonald, Brady (March 11, 2016). "Kentucky Kingdom plans to turn a defunct coaster into a jaw-dropping marvel". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Boss (Six Flags St. Louis)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
- ^ "Kentucky Kingdom Rejects Lease Park to Close". RCDB. February 4, 2010. Archived from the original on September 8, 2011. Retrieved November 15, 2010.
- ^ "Kentucky Kingdom will not re-open until 2012". WDRB. October 28, 2010. Archived from the original on April 15, 2012. Retrieved November 4, 2010.
- ^ "Kentucky Kingdom gets a new boss". Fox 41. May 28, 2010. Archived from the original on October 26, 2017. Retrieved November 15, 2010.
- ^ "New Owner Approved For Kentucky Kingdom". News Channel 5. Associated Press. May 28, 2010. Archived from the original on March 24, 2012. Retrieved November 15, 2010.
- ^ Karman, John R. (July 26, 2010). "Fair board strikes deal for Kentucky Kingdom property". Business First. Retrieved November 15, 2010.
- ^ Shafer, Sheldon S. (July 25, 2010). "Kentucky fair board OKs deal to get Six Flags land, rides". Courier Journal. Retrieved November 15, 2010.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ Shafer, Sheldon (August 24, 2011). "Kentucky Kingdom gets boost". Courier-Journal. Retrieved September 1, 2011.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ Karman, John (November 4, 2011). "Company sues state to recoup Kentucky Kingdom investment". Business First. Retrieved November 4, 2011.
- ^ Brown, Joey (February 23, 2012). "Kentucky Kingdom reopening as Bluegrass Boardwalk in May 2013". Wave 3 News. Retrieved February 23, 2012.
- ^ Gazaway, Charles. "Tentative opening date for Bluegrass Boardwalk". Wave3.com. Retrieved October 29, 2012.
- ^ "Kentucky Kingdom operators announce expansion plans for amusement park reopening in 2014". Washington Post. Associated Press. June 28, 2013. Archived from the original on December 3, 2018. Retrieved June 28, 2013.
- ^ Shafer, Sheldon S. (June 27, 2013). "Kentucky Kingdom operator promises 'bigger, better, wetter' park in 2014". The Courier-Journal. Gannett Company. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
- ^ a b c d Roberto Roldan (July 20, 2015). "Ky. Kingdom unveils steel-wood hybrid coaster". courier-journal.com. Gannett Newspapers. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
- ^ MacDonald, Brady (March 11, 2016). "Kentucky Kingdom plans to turn a defunct coaster into a jaw-dropping marvel". Retrieved November 11, 2017.
- ^ Aulbach, Lucas (February 23, 2021). "'An international destination': Hopes high as Dollywood owner takes over Kentucky Kingdom". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved March 16, 2025.
- ^ Mitchell, Bea (February 14, 2025). "Kentucky Kingdom unveils new Discovery Meadow land". Blooloop. Retrieved March 16, 2025.
- ^ Weisenberger, Nick (February 12, 2025). "Discover Kentucky Kingdom's New Land - Coaster101". Retrieved March 16, 2025.
- ^ McHugh, Blakely (May 8, 2025). "Kentucky Kingdom unveils 'Discovery Meadow' featuring new rides". WLKY. Retrieved May 18, 2025.
- ^ Flowers, Destinee (May 11, 2025). "Kentucky Kingdom debuts Discovery Meadow on opening weekend". spectrumlocalnews.com. Retrieved May 18, 2025.
- ^ O'Brien, Tim (May 4, 1998). "Park preview '98". Amusement Business. 110 (18): 17–18, 20.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Roller Coaster Search Results". Roller Coaster DataBase.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Stampida (PortAventura Park)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Roller Coaster Search Results (Dennis McNulty)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Roller Coaster Search Results (Larry Bill)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
- ^ "Twisted Twins". Ultimate Rollercoaster. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
- ^ "Twisted Twins". Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom. Archived from the original on November 18, 2007. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Twisted Twins (Kentucky Kingdom)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Storm Chaser (Kentucky Kingdom)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
- ^ "Amusement Today – Golden Ticket Awards 2016" (PDF). Amusement Today. 20 (6.2): 8. September 2016. Retrieved July 16, 2017.
- ^ "2016 top 50 steel roller coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2016. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
- ^ "2017 Top 50 Steel Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2017. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
- ^ "2018 Top 50 Steel Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2018. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
External links
[edit]- Official website
- Wind Chaser at the Roller Coaster DataBase
- Twisted Twins at the Roller Coaster DataBase
- Storm Chaser at Rocky Mountain Construction
Media related to Twisted Twins at Wikimedia Commons
