Cannibal (roller coaster)


Cannibal is a steel roller coaster located at Lagoon amusement park in Farmington, Utah. The $22-million ride was built and designed mostly in-house, a rare move for an amusement park, and opened to the public on July 2, 2015. It features the tallest beyond-vertical drop in the world among roller coasters.

History

Nearly 75% of Cannibal was designed, engineered, and manufactured in-house by Lagoon amusement park with the help of multiple firms located in Utah. The lead designer was Lagoon's Dal Freeman. In an era when most amusement parks outsource the work to companies in Germany, Switzerland, and the Netherlands, the decision to build in-house is rare in the industry. The roller coaster features a enclosed tower, a beyond-vertical drop of 116 degrees, a themed underground tunnel, and a 360-degree helix situated above a man-made waterfall. It also features four inversions that include a Immelman loop, a dive loop, and a unique inversion the park calls the "Lagoon roll," which consists of a counter-clockwise heartline roll immediately followed by a clockwise heartline roll. The trains, which use only lap bar restraints, travel up to and pull as much as 4.2 G's.
The ride had been in the planning stages for more than five years and required more than two years to build. Prior to its planned opening in the spring of 2015, Lagoon announced that the roller coaster's debut would be postponed for additional testing and inspections. The ride officially opened on July 2, 2015.

Ride experience

The roller coaster features a elevator lift, enclosed in a huge tower structure; a 116° beyond vertical drop; inversions, including an Immelman-like loop, as well as an inversion unique to the park consisting of two consecutive heart line rolls in opposite directions; a water feature; and a tunnel underground. It is the tallest roller coaster in the state and the longest ride in the park. The ride cars accommodate 12 passengers, and the duration of the ride lasts approximately two and a half minutes.

Reception

The ride appeared in Amusement Today's Golden Ticket Awards for the first time in 2016, ranking 42nd among steel roller coasters.