Europa Park Gives Eurosat Coaster a Festive French Makeover + VR Option

© Europa Park

Europa Park's famous Eurosat roller coaster, which takes place indoors in a giant globe much like what can be seen at Epcot, is receiving a heavy refurbishment during this winter.  In fact, the park is totally replacing the roller coaster's track, which has been in operation since 1989.  The track will be very similar to the original layout, according to the park.

The popular German park is taking advantage of replacing the track to also give the ride a new French theme, now calling the attraction Eurosat - The CanCan Coaster.  The theme evokes the famous Moulin Rouge theater in Paris, with which the park has signed an official licensing agreement.  The entire outside of the attraction (on the French themed side of the building) will be totally redone, complete with support structures that mimic those of the Eiffel Tower.

Once inside the appropriately Moulin Rouge themed queue, guests will board new trains that send them off on a thrilling journey through the nighttime sights of Paris.

© Europa Park

Europa Park is also exploring the virtual reality option that has become popular at many parks.  They are going to feature a virtual reality experience on Eurosat Coastiality, a second version of the new ride.  While the same track layout will be utilized, the VR version will features its own station and theme (seen above) to keep it separate from the CanCan Coaster version.  This will allow for trains with virtual reality riders to not interrupt the normal operations of the ride, which is very smart of the park.

Kings Dominion Teasing Images of New Twisted Timbers Trains

© Kings Dominion

The trains for several recent Rocky Mountain Construction coasters have turned out to be beautiful, nicely themed rolling stock and as these new photos show, Kings Dominion's Twisted Timbers is no exception to that trend.

The theme park shared some teaser images of the first train that arrived at the park on their official blog, and boy do they look nice!

© Kings Dominion

These photos really speak for themselves, but it is worth noting that the trains are as highly themed as they looked to be in the ride's renderings.  Themed as a 1950's truck that takes riders on a tour through Hanover Hill Orchard, you can see that story line is continued on the decals of the train.  That advertisement for Hanover Hill Orchard & Market looks like it's been around a looong time.

© Kings Dominion

Naturally, inside the external theming the trains contain the snug but comfortable lap bar restraints that make Rocky Mountain Construction IBox tracked rides so appealing.  They maneuver through extremely twisted layouts but do not sacrifice views or rider experience by needing over the shoulder restraints.  It won't be long now until this train is cycling through the Twisted Timbers layout, and I can't wait to see it!

Hersheypark's Large Waterpark Expansion Nearly Complete

© Hersheypark

Hersheypark is working on a major expansion to The Boardwalk for 2018, the park's full water park experience.  The expansion contains two new attractions - Breakers Edge, a water roller coaster, and Whitecap Racer, a large multi-lane mat racing slide.  Both are being placed at the far edge of The Boardwalk, partially over existing attractions and also in some unused space.

The theme park has already installed most of the Breakers Edge slide, seen above, which now serves as a nice background for the wave pool.

© Hersheypark

This aerial of the expansion area shows how the park was able to fit two very large water park attractions in limited space.  When the photo was taken most of Breakers Edge was installed, the purple and blue slide that can be seen.  That will utilize the old station from Roller Soaker, an inverted family coaster that was removed after 2012.

If you look closely you can also see the support structure for Whitecap Racer standing in the very bottom left of the image.  That tower is going up in previously undeveloped space, a rather smart way to use a thin strip of free land.

© Hersheypark

Most recently, the slide pieces for Whitecap Racer have started to be installed.  The colorful pieces will make up a long layout for a mat racer, in fact the longest in the world according to the park.  There will be a total of six lanes, with each path moving through two large horizontal "looping tunnels" with a series of downward hills in between.

The expansion of The Boardwalk will really help in the capacity department, something that will be warmly welcomed by guests as the water park at Hersheypark is extremely popular during the summer months.

Six Flags Over Georgia's Twisted Cyclone Reaches Major Construction Milestone

Working steadily through the winter months, Six Flags Over Georgia recently hit a major milestone in the construction of Twisted Cyclone.  The renovation of the wooden Georgia Cyclone into the steel-tracked Twisted Cyclone features a maximum height of 100 feet, and last week those track pieces were installed.

The park released this video of the occasion:

CONSTRUCTION VIDEO: We've crowned-off the #TwistedCyclone track. Climb 100 feet into the air with us to check it all out! #SixFlagsOverGeorgia #RideItOut pic.twitter.com/9Ubwl23cy0

— Six Flags Over GA (@sfovergeorgia) January 24, 2018

From the views available in the video it appears as though most of the coaster's supports have been modified to fit the new layout.

© Six Flags Over Georgia

Originally I thought that Twisted Cyclone's supports were going to be painted a bright white, but in this photo it appears as though it might actually be a light gray color.  Either way, the blue track looks great atop it.

© Six Flags Over Georgia

Twisted Cyclone will feature 2,400 feet of track and maximum speeds of 50 miles per hour, fully inverting riders three times during the course.  Two of those inversions will take place right after the first drop, back to back barrel rolls that will sit on top of the structure that can be see in the above photo.  There will also be a horizontal wave turn and a heartline roll during the ride.

As a refresher, here is an animated ride on the coaster:

Curse of DarKastle has Closed for Good at Busch Gardens Williamsburg

© NewsPlusNotes

Sad news from Busch Gardens Williamsburg this week, as the theme park has announced that their unique dark ride attraction, Curse of DarKastle, has been permanently closed.

The ride, which is located in a large building, will be turned into a "special events venue" starting this season.  It will be utilized for events such as Howl-O-Scream, Christmas Town and other festivities.

The Curse of DarKastle opened at Busch Gardens Williamsburg in 2005, meaning it operated for 13 years - perhaps an unlucky number in the end.  The ride featured a combination of modern technologies that created an immsersive attraction for visitors.  The ride vehicles were motion based and were synchronized with 3-D films as they moved through the building.  Combined with physical sets and special effects such as in-car air blasts, water and more, the ride was impressive for a regional theme park.

The storyline of the ride was unique and did not utilized any popular intellectual properties.  You can read more of what took place in the ride on its Wiki page, which is very detailed and full of great information.

Busch Gardens Williamsburg shared a video of the attraction for fans to take one last "virtual" ride on, it is embedded below.

Six Flags Great Adventures Moving Forward on Becoming First Solar Powered Theme Park

Six Flags Great Adventure has announced that they, along with their partner KDC Solar, will soon begin construction on the park's property to make it the world's first solar-powered theme park.

“This is a proud day for our company. This project represents a giant step toward becoming a net-zero carbon facility,” said Six Flags Great Adventure Park President John Winkler. “We are pleased that we were able to come to a satisfactory agreement with all parties involved. Clean energy is right for the environment and our future, and we look forward to decades of environmental stewardship with our partner, KDC Solar.”

The expansive Six Flags Great Adventure © Google Maps

To create the energy needed to run the theme park, the "23.5-megawatt solar project will include solar carports over select parking lots and 40 acres of ground-mounted solar panels."  Six Flags Great Adventure has a long history of conservation, including caring for more than 70 species of animals, including some endangered and extinct in the wild, along with recycling 60 percent of its annual waste such a paper, plastic, wood and mixed garbage.

A part of the solar plan also includes the park preserving more than 200 acres of forest, wetlands and wetlands transition areas.  “We are continually searching for new ways to operate more efficiently and enhance our role as good stewards of the environment,” Winkler said.

The construction of the project is scheduled to start this March, and the facility should be operational by the end of 2019.  The development will also benefit the community as KDC Solar will use more than 99,000 hours of union labor during construction.

This is an amazing step forward for the amusement industry!  While several parks have started to adapt solar panels into areas like parking lots, this is the largest development of its kind to date.  Kudos to Six Flags Great Adventure on the partnership and development.

PortAventura Expanding Ferrari Land in 2018 with New Kids' Section

© PA Space via Facebook

Ferrari Land, located adjacent to PortAventura theme park in Spain, just opened at the Spring of 2017, and has already announced a major expansion for the 2018 season.  The standalone theme park was the second on the planet to be themed to the Ferrari brand, and features a selection of thrilling rides and attractions for visitors.

However, those big thrills may be a bit too much for some of the park's smaller visitors, so the park is building an all-new children's area for the 2018 season.  Seen above, the land will sit alongside of Red Force, the park's 367 foot tall launched Intamin coaster, in an open area that featured only a stage in its opening year.

© Ferrari Land

In total the expansion will contain five new rides, which kids and their families can experience together.  Red Force is one of the more extreme coasters around, so this small family ride, named "Junior Red Force," will be much more their speed.  The area will also have the Champions Race, a small circular flat ride, and Crazy Pistons, where riders rotate up and down on giant piston themed arms.

© Ferrari Land

The final two attractions will be the Kids' Tower (seen above and perhaps with a name lost in translation) which is a gentle free-fall that stands around 30 feet tall, and the Red Baron, which features fighter planes soaring in a circle.  The new land will certainly balance out the offerings for guests who bring the whole family, something that was needed for sure.

Knott's Berry Farm Places Final Pieces of HangTime Track

© Brad Jashinsky

It was an exciting time at Knott's Berry Farm on Friday night, when the final pieces of HangTime were lifted into place.  The park's Digital Marketing Manager was sure to be on site that night, to take these photos and share them so the world knows that the 2,198 feet of HangTime's track are now complete.

The final pieces appear to have been saved for the top of the ride's first big element after the beyond vertical plunge.  The trains will rise up, then invert and dive into a quick drop, followed by an elongated corkscrew of sorts.

© Brad Jashinsky

The rest of HangTime (a Gerstlauer Infinity design) includes several additional inversions, including a negative-g stall loop and a cobra roll.  The action packed layout includes speeds of up to 57 miles per hour and a maximum height of 150 feet over Knott's Boardwalk themed area.

These photos were from a few days before the ride was completed, but for some additional recent views of HangTime from inside the theme park, check out Park Journey.

Canada's Wonderland Planning Major New Roller Coaster

This has been a rumor for quite a while now, but the first concrete evidence of Canada's Wonderland's plan to construct a new roller coaster has finally surfaced.

The park has applied with the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority to "alter a waterway to
construct in the Regional Storm Floodplain of the Don River in order to facilitate the construction of a by-pass channel and a new roller coaster at Canada's Wonderland."

Yes, that said new roller coaster!  The permit for the work will be valid from this month, all the way through January of 2020.  To me, that would imply a ride opening of 2019, as permit usually includes plenty of extra padding time at the end.

© Toronto and Region Conservation Authority

This map, included in the permit filing, shows the location of the waterway work.  That will help us narrow down where in the park in a moment.  But the filing also has an interesting passage that further describes the work as "a low flow by pass channel is proposed around a current on line pond to facilitate the construction of a ride tunnel within the pond."  So it sounds like the coaster will actually have a tunnel that goes underneath a pond within the park.  Interesting!

© Google Maps

The location of the work can be centered to this part of the park using the map in the permit filings, plus there is a large pond located here which further makes sense.  This image is a bit outdated as the park's stand-up coaster, SkyRider, was removed before the 2015 season.

The permit also includes that there will be 9 supports within the pond area, in addition to the tunnel going under it.  So if you use the empty SkyRider plot, the pond that Vortex swings over, and the large open area at the top of the image, there's plenty of room for a nice-sized new roller coaster.

Now, as to what kind of roller coaster this will be, that remains unclear for now.  Canada's Wonderland is a busy park, so something with solid capacity would appear to be a requirement.  They already have a hyper and a giga, so cross those off the list.  The park's only big inverted ride is in the form of an SLC, so that's a possibility, but maybe a wing coaster would fit that bill.  Or, what about a dive coaster, like Valravyn?  Then again Cedar Fair is installing a large, good capacity, Gerstlauer 'dive' coaster at Knott's, so maybe that's the key?  The list could go on, it is simply too early to tell without more information.

California's Great America Debuts New Food Offerings Ahead of Park Expansion

New Starbucks exterior © California's Great America

California's Great America has some big plans on the horizon for the next few seasons, and while this year is already seeing the opening of RailBlazer, a first of its kind roller coaster, it has also announced a very significant investment in its food and beverage offerings for 2018.

Four new establishments will open this year, along with some heavily renovated existing outlets.  To start there will be a new full service Starbucks in Hometown Square, near the Celebration Swings, where the park's candy shop formerly was.  It will feature all of Starbucks' famous beverage options, along with a food menu that ranges from snacks to sandwiches.  The Starbucks will have both indoor seating that looks out onto the park, along with a large outdoor patio.

 New Starbucks interior © California's Great America

Since Starbucks will take over the old candy shop, the theme park is opening the Orleans Candy Kitchen where the Trending Now store was.  It will feature a "station where guests will order specialty caramel apples, choose their personalized toppings and have the delectable favorites made right before their eyes."  Another highlight of the outlet will be hand made fudge in a wide variety of flavors and an extensive offering of Jelly Belly flavors.

Not a new outlet, but heavily renovated this year is Maggie Brown's Smokehouse & Fried Chicken, which was already upgraded in 2017.  For this year it will see modern ordering kiosks installed, along with "a giant rotisserie and smoker visible to guests, an expanded outdoor patio, and interior design renovations."

Sierra Creek Lodge © California's Great America

Located in what was the Joe Cool Cafe in Planet Snoopy, the all-new Sierra Creek Lodge will have a mountain lodge feel from top to bottom.  Between murals of wild animals on the walls and intricate exterior woodwork, the furnishings will portray the Sierra atmosphere.  Food offerings include "a Panini bar featuring fresh vegetables, lean meats and savory sauces. A new Coca-Cola Barrilitos™ station will feature agua fresca (juice and water blends) such as pear cucumber, mango lime, strawberry hibiscus, and pineapple. Kid favorites like chicken tenders, mac and cheese, and pizza will still be available."

Finally, the fourth new location will be the French Quarter Funnel Cake & Churro Factor, expanding the park's ability to create fresh funnel cakes significantly.  There will be a "myriad of flavor combinations" available to visitors as the treats are created right in front of them.  The churro selections will have such unique flavors as "Campout (s'mores), key lime pie, strawberry shortcake, creamsicle, cookies and cream, tropical (coconut, pineapple and rum flavor), macha (white chocolate and Bavarian cream), cotton candy, apple pie and many more flavors."

Elsewhere in the park, catering abilities will be improved with a new 500 person covered outdoor event space next to the existing 18,000 sq foot Great America Pavilion.  It will offer the same upscale catering available inside, but offer open-air views of the park and adjacent stadium.

Last but not least, the private Consulate chambers, offering a beautiful park view from the top of Orleans Place, is being updated with modern amenities for intimate private meetings. Hosting up to 50 attendees, the historic Consulate was originally constructed as an apartment for the Marriott family while the park and neighboring hotel were being built.

SeaWorld San Diego Finishes Electric Eel Construction in a Flash

© SeaWorld San Diego

In what seemed like a flash, SeaWorld San Diego has completed major construction of the track and supports for Electric Eel, their new-for-2018 launched roller coaster.

This photos are actually out of date, since the track is now complete, but I figured were still worth sharing.  Originally I was under the impression that the higher track on the ride was to have a lighter color, but I guess that isn't so.

© SeaWorld San Diego

The Electric Eel is designed by Premier Rides, and features multiple launches and a maximum speed of 62 miles per hour.  This shot shows the ride at its full height, though there was still plenty of track and supports left to go up when it was taken.  The ride certainly has a large presence over the theme park!

This video was just released by SeaWorld San Diego showing off the complete Electric Eel construction in just a matter of seconds.  Now the park will work on the ride's station, landscaping, theming and all the other details that have to come into place before it can open.

Mountain Monster - New Stan Checketts Designed Ride Opening in Pigeon Forge

© Mountain Mile

A brand new thrill ride, designed by Stan Checketts of S&S fame, has started construction as the centerpiece of the Mountain Mile & Tower Shops in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.  Named the Mountain Monster, it will rise to nearly 200 feet above the shopping, retail, dining and entertainment center.

The development is located just minutes from Dollywood, set among the many hotels and attractions that Piegon Forge offers visitors.

© Mountain Mile

There are not a lot of details about the Mountain Monster yet, but all the concept art for the development shows that the ride will tower over the area, giving excellent views from the top.  The website for Mountain Mile & Tower Shops just featured a post about the creation, which says that it will be designed, built and operated by Stan Checketts, who is known for creating the popular Space Shot, Turbo Drop and other tower rides found around the globe (among others).

The new post on the website says that ride structure will hit 200 feet, though another page on the website references 189 feet.  It also says that the tower will contain three rides, which is puzzling when you look at the concept art above, which looks like a normal freefall ride.

© Mountain Mile

However if you dig a bit deeper and download the master plan document, this concept art can be found on it.  Now there is no way to tell if this is updated or old, but this looks more like a tower that could have three thrill rides coming off of it.  It looks like there is a freefall, a bungee launch type ride, and maybe also zip lines coming off of it.  That certainly makes more sense than the freefall tower in the other concept art!  We will have to wait a bit longer to see which design is the final product.

Enjoy Rocky Mountain's New Twisted Timbers Photos

© Rocky Mountain Construction

Twisted Timbers is nearly complete, with only a couple track pieces left to install, and Rocky Mountain Construction is proudly showing off their creation.  The renovation of Kings Dominion's former Hurler wooden roller coaster into a low-to-the-ground twisted masterpiece is looking great, as seen in the aerial shot above.

It's also neat to look at all the new structure versus the old structure, which is noticeable in this photo from the difference in color.  The new supports that hold the steel track are a lighter brown than the old supports, which are dark.

© Rocky Mountain Construction

Twisted Timbers' barrel roll first drop is certainly going to be one of the coaster's most exciting elements, and we've seen plenty of photos of the drop from afar, but this is the first one I've seen taken inside the structure looking down.  The 109 foot drop will completely invert riders as they dive, giving this view for a brief moment as they go.

© Rocky Mountain Construction

Winters can be harsh at times, but they can also make some beautiful photos of snow covered rides.  Rocky Mountain snapped this photo of Twisted Timbers' zero-g roll patiently waiting for riders as the snow collected on its tracks.  Hard to believe that in just a few months the coaster's trains will be roaring through this element!

For more photos, check out Rocky Mountain Construction on Facebook.

California's Great America Tops Off RailBlazer

© California's Great America

Having already completed nearly of the ride's track and supports, California's Great America placed the highest piece of RailBlazer yesterday.  The very top of the lift was installed, naturally the highest piece as it is all downhill from there.

The above photo is from the park's webcam (may I say I'm jealous of what looks like a beautiful California day?), and actually shows that the park kept up the pace after installing the top of the lift, with the 180 degree turn after it, and some lift track before it, now installed.  That means there are only a few lift pieces left to go in before RailBlazer is full circuit.

© California's Great America

For those of us who were not able to watch the highest piece of track be installed via the park's webcam, California's Great America has shared a video of the process on Facebook.  So now you didn't have to miss a thing!

© California's Great America

This photo is also worth sharing, it was put out by the theme park to advertise that the topping off could be watched on Facebook.  It is the first really good, clear look at the ride's first drop since it has been installed.  That looks amazing!  The colors of the ride really pop in this photo too.  Visitors are going to have a real treat next year with RailBlazer opens!

New Projection Mapping Show Headed to Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando

© Universal Orlando

Coming off the success of the first nighttime show to be held within the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Islands of Adventure in Florida, the Universal Orlando resort has now announced a second show to premier at the end of this month.

The first show celebrated Christmas within the Wizarding World, but the new show, titled The Nighttime Lights at Hogwarts Castle, seems to be meant for more year-round entertaining.  Per the resort's blog, the new show will "celebrate the four houses of Hogwarts by transforming the castle in a dazzling display of lights, special effects and music."

© Universal Orlando

Each of the four houses (Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff) will be represented during the performance, as the spirit of each house "wraps itself around the castle... showcasing its pride in its own unique way."

The Nighttime Lights at Hogwarts Castle will officially premier on January 31st, but a special preview of the show will take place during A Celebration of Harry Potter, the special fan event that takes place on January 26th through the 28th.  The show will continue to run on select dates in February with more performances to be detailed at a later date.

Knott's Berry Farm to Party this Winter with All-New Peanuts Celebration

Knott's Berry Farm will soon present a brand new event that is set to honor the Peanuts characters and their creator, Charles M. Schulz, by having the entire gang take over the theme park.  Called Knott's Peanuts Celebration, the event will start on January 27th and run on weekends through February 25th.

Filled with special events, the party will feature new ways for visitors to interact with the Peanuts gang, including "Peanuts inspired décor, new social media worthy comic strip photo ops, new character experiences, live shows, exclusive merchandise and deliciously themed treats to complete this whimsical celebration."

One feature of the event will be an all-new show at the Camp Snoopy Theater called Lucy and Charlie's Balancing Act, where the characters will have their talents put to the test.  The Calico Mine Stage will also have two big new shows, during the day Sally and Schroder will host The Music Goes Round and Round, a fun retrospect of music, and at night Woodstock's Musical Festival will come to life.  It will have the whole gang joined by family-friendly performers The Jelly of the Month Club, performing a rock concert that will have everyone up and dancing.

© Knott's Berry Farm

Elsewhere in the park, live entertainment will include the Peanuts Cowboy Jamboree at Calico Park, where Franklin and Linus, dressed as cowboys, challenge visitors with some of the "rootinest, tootinest games in Calico."  Pig Pen, a fan favorite, will also make his debut at Knott's Berry Farm when he hosts a special meetup at the Livery Stables with his animal friends.

There's almost too many special events to detail here, but other attractions include photo opportunities for guests to enter life-sized comic strips, an overlay to the Grand Sierra Railroad in Camp Snoopy that takes visitors on a trip to the Beagle Bonanza and drawing lessons for Peanuts characters at the Peanuts Sketch School in the Birdcage Theatre.

Special decorations will also be all over the park, including the large comic strip props and other notable additions like the giant kite eating trees.  For more information on Knott's Peanuts Celebration, check out the park's official website.

Alton Towers Announces Wicker Man - New for 2018 Wooden Coaster

© Alton Towers

While it is no surprise that Alton Towers is building a new wooden roller coaster, the theme park has finally released details on the ride and its official name - Wicker Man.

Built by Great Coasters International, Wicker Man will feature 2,028 feet of traditional wooden track and be the UK's first new wooden roller coaster is 21 years.  Featuring an elaborate theme, the park is marketing the coaster as the first to combine "wood and fire" throughout the experience.

© Alton Towers

As the trains roar around the course they will pass through a giant 57 and a half foot tall Wicker Man statue three separate times.  This statue is the main feature of the ride's theming, and can be seen prominently in this concept art.  The park's materials for the ride state that the statue will "appear to burst into flames" as the trains pass through it.  No other statistics for the coaster were released at this point.

The theming of the ride centers around "The Beornen, a shadowy group living in the woods surrounding the theme park."  This video, featuring the park's Creative Lead on the project, explains more:

  While these images are a couple months old, this update from Towers Times shows Wicker Man in a nearly complete construction status.  The coaster has a twisted layout that is built into the side of a hill, and has a unique covered section after the lift and before the ride's largest drop.

Quassy Amusement Park Completes Work on New Triple-Slide Tower

© Quassy Amusement Park

Quassy Amusement Park is proud to show off their 2018 park map, seen above, which features their brand new water slide tower as the main addition to the ever-growing park.  Settled on the edge of Splash Away Bay, the new slides are collectively known as the Category 5 Rapids Raft Rides.

© Quassy Amusement Park

The new slide tower was manufactured and designed by Proslide, and represents the largest expansion of the water park since it was opened.  The thrilling water slides are designed to be a bit bolder than some of the smaller ones previously added, and combined feature over 1,000 feet of slide.

The graphic above shows the completed Category 5 Rapids slide tower from behind - it gives an imposing view from outside of Splash Away Bay!  It will certainly draw people into the water park next season.

© Quassy Amusement Park

Quassy was also keeping up with the construction of the tower up until the last pieces went in just before the holidays.  This view, shared on Facebook, shows the ending of the slides, which feature two different styles of ride but all utilize tubes on the way down.  Seen here, the pink and white slide along with the blue and teal slide are traditional tube slides that twist and spiral during the ride.

© Quassy Amusement Park

This last photo shows the third slide, in red and yellow, which has two mini-funnels located along the path in addition to a large helix in the middle.  When tubes enter these mini-funnels they will briefly slide up and down the sides of it before continuing on their way to the splash area at the end.

Splash Away Bay will also be building a brand new cafe and large deck seating area adjacent to the lake. 

Worlds of Fun Reveals Ride Profile Changes for Timber Wolf Wood Coaster

© Worlds of Fun

Worlds of Fun has been giving some love to Timber Wolf over the past few seasons, replacing older track and aiming to make the wood coaster more enjoyable for guests.  Built in 1989, the ride was designed by Dinn Corporation and is one of only a handful of their designs that still operates.

For the 2018 season, the theme park just announced that they will be removing the ride's 560 degree helix and replacing it with a new, thrilling element.  That will be a high-speed 70 degree banked turn, seen in the upper left of the concept art above.

© Worlds of Fun

The approach to and from the new element appear to be staying the same, but the entire helix, which trains rattled through somewhat slowly, will be gone.  This new turn will bank at 70 degrees while only elevating slightly off the ground to preserve speed, and is being designed and constructed by Great Coasters International.

© Worlds of Fun

The original helix had trains moving upward through it, which made for a slow and bumpy ride up to the top.  Obviously the park had to decide whether trying to preserve the helix was worth it, and in the end this new highly banked speed turn looks like an awesome replacement choice.

© Worlds of Fun

Many have noted that the Timber Wolf looked like a great potential ride for a Rocky Mountain Construction conversion, like we've seen with many other wooden coasters, but at least for now it appears as though Worlds of Fun is willing to spend considerable money to improve the wooden track.

© Google Maps

For comparison purposes, here is an aerial of Timber Wolf from Google, showing the helix that will be removed on the lower left.  The turn that will replace it will of course shorten the length of the ride a bit, but in this case it seems totally worth it.