Friday, August 9, 2013

Scott And Carol Present - At Last Banshee Revealed


 Finally the truth can be revealed, Kings island's 2014 new attraction will be:


Banshee is a wailing witch foretelling of doom, but the only doom in 2014 at Kings Island will be for those who don't meet the height limit or are too afraid to ride.


This overhead view of the smoke filled construction site from the Eiffel Tower shows lots of activity for the new coaster. Within the next month we should see columns bolted on top of the multiple footers.


We were to late to attend the construction tour but Kings Island kindly provided this photo of the scarecrows on site to deter the evil spirits.


The park invited all the guests to Banshee's coming out party.


A view featuring the graveyard showed the demolition of Son of Beast and then blue coaster supports burst from the ground.


A large crowd of park guests gathered as darkness fell. Every so often, after the Banshee screeched and Public Relations director Don Helbig teased the crowd with how much longer until everyone's questions were answered.


Banshee will be Bolliger and Mabillard's first inverted coaster with these new restraints featuring a lap bar and a vest.

Banshee begins with the lift taking riders up to the maximum height of 167 feet.  After plunging down 150 feet, riders will go through a dive loop, followed by a vertical loop, zero gravity roll, two batwing inversions, a second vertical loop and a 170-foot long heartline finale.
Two of the most unique features about Banshee are the massive size of every loop, and unlike other roller coasters, the top speed isn’t reached until halfway through the ride’s course.

Here is a look at the station that Banshee will use.


Greg Scheid, park vice president and general manager, stated" We asked B&M to provide us with a world record ride that families can enjoy." Like any park general manager he feels like Christmas has come early, with another dependable roller coaster. He continued, "We expect 1650 per hour to enjoy Banshee."
Our thanks to Don, Greg and the rest of the Kings Island associates for a wonderful event. Is it April of 2014 yet?


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