Diamondback Slithers Through Kings Island Amusement Park

The Western Diamondback is the king of rattlesnakes, with a reputation for being big, mean and terrifying. Will the Diamondback hypercoaster at Kings Island be every bit as formidable? Can the Diamondback strike fear into the hearts of all who dare to ride? Only time will tell. But if the stats for this new thrill ride are any indication of what's to come, it does seem to be one of the best new roller coasters that will open in 2009.

The 230-foot-tall Diamondback is a steel hypercoaster located at Kings Island Amusement Park near Cincinnati, Ohio. A hypercoaster is one that was built for speed and airtime, with a large first drop (over 200 feet) followed by several airtime-inducing hills and speed bumps. A hypercoaster has no inversions and is typically designed with an out-and-back layout, although some hypercoasters have a twisted track.

The Diamondback hypercoaster is Kings Island's tallest, fastest and most intense ride to date, offering 10 heart-pounding vertical drops, two helixes, speeds in excess of 80 mph and a spectacular splashdown finish. Lasting more than three minutes, Diamondback slithers over one mile of rugged natural terrain with enough twists and turns to please even the most die-hard roller coaster fan.

Diamondback is a Bolliger & Mabillard (B & M) design. Bolliger & Mabillard is a Swiss company whose steel roller coasters are known for their glass smooth ride, comfortable seats and impeccable safety record. Diamondback is 5,282 feet long with a first drop of 215 feet at a 74 degree angle. According to Greg Scheid, vice president and general manager at Kings Island Amusement Park, "The name Diamondback accurately conveys the image of the characteristics of the coaster as it resembles that of a coiled snake ready to strike."

The Diamondback trains feature unique open-air, stadium-style seating that allows riders to get an unobstructed view of their surroundings. Kings Island is said to be the first amusement park in the United States to have trains of this style on a new roller coaster. Diamondback's trains feature a menacing yellow snake head in the front, and the rest of the color scheme is red, yellow and black.

The Diamondback hypercoaster is the 15^th roller coaster at Kings Island Amusement Park, joining the legendary Beast (the world's longest wooden roller coaster), the equally fun Son of Beast wooden roller coaster, and the steel Firehawk, Ohio's only flying coaster. Diamondback slithers over flat land, woods, water and rocks in the western themed Rivertown area of Kings Island.

All new roller coasters are eagerly anticipated by amusement park junkies like me. I always hope they live up to the hype, and most of the time, they do. Although Diamondback has yet to open at Kings Island Amusement Park, I've already ridden it dozens of times at their virtual website, kidiamondback.com. The site also has Diamondback updates, detailed ride statistics, blog entries, photographs, a webcam and more.

I'll have to wait until I take my first "real" ride to say for sure, but I'm betting that the Diamondback hypercoaster lands high on my list of best new roller coasters.

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