--Coaster Countdown to #400, part 1--
A snake in the grass.
Kings Island's only hypercoaster (200+ feet tall) is a seriously slick piece of engineering and one of the park's best rides, without question.
Built in 2009, this silky smooth out-and-backer dishes out a terrific portion of airtime and has all the signature moves you'd expect from a Bolliger & Mabillard steel runner.
~Special ride elements~
*230 foot lift height
*215 foot initial drop
*hammerhead turnaround
*splashdown finale
So what exactly is a 'splashdown' finale? Well besides being the first of its kind on a hypercoaster, it does two things: 1) it creates quite the impressive spectacle for guests waiting in line, and 2) it helps to slow down the train as it heads into the brake run. The distinctive effect is achieved by attaching scoops underneath the last row of each train....as it passes over the lake, water rushes through the scoops (resulting in friction which acts as an impeding force) and jettisons out the back, giving us the fun 'geyser' visual and reducing the train's momentum by something like 5-10%. Also, anyone sitting in the very back row WILL GET WET. Not drenched, but a few rogue water droplets are unavoidable.
Diamondback has a unique train configuration, setup in a 'V' shape. That's to say, instead of being seated 4 across in 8 rows, it's more akin to 2 across in 16 rows, with each row alternating between 2 in the center/middle and 2 on the outside. The truly daring should sit in either of the exterior seats, since they are located directly above the roller coaster's rails which makes for a much more extreme ride.
I was lucky enough to have ridden it at night (9:30pm) in the very front left (row '1B'), and Diamondback did not disappoint. Those familiar with 'Raging Bull' at SFGAm will find this to be a far superior coaster (probably) with a better layout that's way more conducive to negative G's. Both the front and back rows deliver glorious rides, so Eric S has no preference or seat recommendations. My advice is to try both at different times of day (say, back row in the morning, and front row at night).
Be warned: this one bites back! read more