Banshee Media Day - 4/17/2014
Today Kings Island gave us coaster geeks a preview of its newest steel monster, Banshee. The park invited the roller coaster club members
to join the media for the preview. Tomorrow the public will be introduced to the world’s longest inverted roller coaster.
The park opened the gates around 5:00am with the ride starting at 5:30. I had no intention of freezing my butt off so I planned my morning
so I left the house around 5:00 and arrived at the park by 8:00. The sun was out and it looked like to may warm up nicely, but the morning
was just down right cold.
I checked in at the front gate where they gave me a T-shirt, crystal paper-weight and my lanyard. I returned to my car to put the gifts
away and to change into a warmer jacket because it was just too cold still.
I made my way to the coaster I found myself in line with Billy Olsen. This is the first time I have met this online friend
face-to-face.
My first ride on Banshee was amazing. You hear the Banshee scream at the top of the lift and dive down the twisting first drop that is
more of a surprise that I had expected. The coaster races through its inversions quickly. There is not a pause between the elements
and the g-forces are intense and sustained. This continues as the ride drops into the valley for the second half of the ride. For a
change of pace the final inversion is a barrel-roll high off the ground where you briefly hang upside-down from your seat. You then hit a
tight helix for more g-forces just before the brakes for the return to the station. Best invert ever.
The theming around the queue and the design and details of the station are great additions to this ride.
After my first lap I met with David and his mom and dad. We got some more laps together. By noon the sun had warmed things up and it had
turned into a beautiful spring day. We took advantage of the parks free lunch.
As a bonus the park opened Delirium, Skycoaster and the Bat. I got a few laps on Bat which was repainted and renamed from its previous
Flight Deck name and colors. The new orange paint looks great. Bat’s new name harkens back the the parks original Bat which ran a few
years in the 1980’s. It was the world’s first suspended coaster and ended its brief run as an engineering failure.
While I was in the vicinity of the Bat I ran into Jeff Putz. It was good to see him again as we had a nice little chat.
David and I got our final laps on Banshee. I return to my car and got my camera to get some photos of this great B&M invert.
My day at the park ended mid afternoon as I was needed to return home and to Athens for tonight’s performance of West Side Story.
Banshee, best invert ever.
Click here to see my Banshee photos.
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