Vortex (Kings Island)

This article is about a roller coaster at Kings Island. For other roller coasters called Vortex, see Vortex (disambiguation).

Vortex
This corkscrew element passes in between the two vertical loops.
Location	Kings Island
Park section	Coney Mall
Coordinates	39.3407242°N 84.2642194°W / 39.3407242; -84.2642194
Status	Operating
Opened	April 11, 1987
Cost	$4,000,000 USD
Type	Steel
Manufacturer	Arrow Dynamics
Model	Custom Looping Coaster
Lift/launch system	Chain lift hill
Height	148 ft (45 m)
Drop	138 ft (42 m)
Length	3,800 ft (1,200 m)
Max speed	55 mph (89 km/h)
Inversions	6 (Loop, Loop, Double Corkscrew, Batwing)
Duration	2:30
Max vertical angle	55°
Capacity	1,600 riders per hour
Max G force	3.9
Height restriction	4 ft 0 in (122 cm)
Fast Lane available
Must transfer from wheelchair
Vortex at RCDB
Pictures of Vortex at RCDB
Amusement Parks Portal

Vortex is a steel roller coaster built by Arrow Dynamics and officially opened on April 11, 1987 and located at Kings Island in Mason, Ohio. When it opened, it held the record for most inversions (6). It held this record for one year before being surpassed by Shockwave at Six Flags Great America. It was also briefly the tallest roller coaster in the world. It is located on the site formerly occupied by The Bat, another Arrow-created coaster, and reused The Bat's station building for loading and unloading. Some components of The Bat remain, including some of the original ride's concrete footers. The ride itself runs three trains, each seating up to 28 riders. The track and supports are dark blue and the rails are orange. During the 2008-2009 off season, the rails were repainted. During the July 4th, 2011 weekend, a train stopped before it reached the lift hill because the system computer detected a broken link in the lift hill chain. All guests were safely evacuated from the train. Kings Island placed an order for the part and the coaster re-opened on July 29, 2011. As of August 1, 2011 the ride is back open. This is one of the more popular rides in the park and second tallest operating roller coaster in the park.

Ride elements

• 2 Loops
• Boomerang turn
• Double Corkscrew
• Batwing (2 Inversions)
• Helix Finale
• Photo section

Aerial view of Vortex

External links

• Kings Island Central information - Alternate source of details and stats.
• Youtube - Onride POV

Preceded by The Viper

First coaster with 6 inversions April 1987–June 1988

Succeeded by Shockwave