The inventors of the Hyper Coaster, Arrow Dynamics, ironically produce some of the least impressive examples. While Magnum XL-200 is legendary, follow-up rides, such as The Big One at Blackpool Pleasure Beach in the UK and Desperado in Nevada, USA, were poor and lacked intensity and/or airtime. Arrow has since merged with S&S Worldwide following their bankruptcy, and it is unlikely S&S will resurrect these old dogs in the future.
Bolliger & Mabillard‘s Hyper Coaster is a much-loved experience wherever it is installed. Whether it be the tallest coaster in Europe, Shambhala at PortAventura Park in Spain, or the twister-styled Raging Bull at Six Flags Great America in Illinois, USA, B&M Hyper Coasters thrill millions with their signature floating feel, distinct sound, and silky smoothness, all combined with the thrills of original hyper coasters.
Like the B&M Hypers, not every single Intamin Mega Coaster is above the 200-foot (61m) mark. They’re also all widely regarded as the best coasters money can buy, pleasing the masses with their speed, airtime, and smoothness. The restraints are perfect, the trains are gorgeous, and the track layout is unique. Any park that gets an Intamin Mega Coaster instantly shoots to the top of most thrill seekers’ to-do lists.
Bizarro at Six Flags New England, USA Expedition GeForce at Holiday Park, Germany Goliath at Walibi Holland, Netherlands Superman: Ride Of Steel at Six Flags America, USA
Only two Hyper Coasters were built by B&M’s European track designer, Giovanola, now G-Tec. Giovanola, however, delivered Hyper Coasters that were far more intense than B&M’s. Giovanola’s Hyper Coasters are recognizable with their massive first drops, hammerhead-style turnarounds, and airtime hill, leading up to a mass of twisted and tangled track. The finale of these rides is their 4G helices, considered by many to be the most intense helixes in the world. The track layouts of the two Giovanola Hypers are identical, except for the second (Titan at Six Flags Over Texas) featuring an extra helix.
An often overlooked Hyper Coaster manufacturer is the former D.H Morgan, now Chance-Morgan, who built the then world’s tallest and current world’s longest coaster, Steel Dragon 2000 in Japan (officially a Giga Coaster). Morgan Hyper Coasters are very similar to Arrow’s; however, Morgan’s are known to be a lot smoother and usually have better layouts.
While S&S is unlikely to resurrect anything like the original Arrow behemoths they acquired, that doesn’t mean that they have come up with a “Hyper Coaster” of their own. Known for their custom coasters, it came as no surprise that the company jumped on the chance to create a new type of coaster when Kennywood in Pennsylvania asked if they could create a multi-looping coaster unlike anything seen before. Named Steel Curtain and themed after the famous NFL football team, the coaster stands 220 feet (67m) tall and features no fewer than eight inversions.
People often forget that long before B&M’s Raging Bull or Giovanola’s Goliath/Titan duo, Togo had invented the twisting hyper coaster in 1996. Fujiyama, at Fuji-Q Highlands in Japan, features a compact design that twists back into itself many times. Togo Hyper Coasters are much-appreciated due to their rarity, despite their roughness.
