Darien Lake Prepping for a new Lake Monster?

This is the time of year when attentions slowly start to turn toward next season as we park fans are an eager bunch.  The latest big rumor/news is coming out of Darien Lake, which appears to be getting ready to put the Predator out of its misery in favor of a new Lake Monster extreme wooden coaster.

The park sent out a survey that in a very bold way made it clear they are thinking of creating Lake Monster (called that for now, at least) a new wooden ride that would appear to be in the style of Silver Dollar City's Outlaw Run.

It sounds like the plan would be to use a part of the Predator and then trash the rest, creating a brand new ride in the end.  The survey mentions 3,190 feet of track including the first ever "wing over drop" which to me sounds like how GateKeeper and X-Flight start out.  A "zero g camelback, hop reversal, & suspended corkscrew" round out the other intense sounding elements that are mentioned.

In the aerial of the ride above you can see just how close Predator sits to the actual lake, so if the new ride was able to go out over it that would add another layer of thrill.  Screamscape reports that the survey mentioned a 2014 opening date, meaning that if true Predator's days are very numbered at this point.

While no manufacturer is confirmed, the fact that Herschend Family Entertainment also manages Darien lake makes it seem like Rocky Mountain would be a natural fit.  However, the images the park used to demonstrate the Lake Monster also included one of Hades 360 at Mt. Olympus, a Gravity Group creation.

Sounds like everyone might have a very good reason to visit Western New York next year!