Steel Venom (Valleyfair)


Steel Venom is a steel Inverted Impulse roller coaster located at Valleyfair in Minnesota. It reaches a maximum height of 185 feet and a top speed of 68 mph. It is similar to the Wicked Twister roller coaster at Cedar Point, but has only one vertical spiral, as opposed to Wicked Twister with two vertical spirals, but it is identical to Possessed at Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom excepting to be shorter and it is similar to Vertical Velocity at Six Flags Great America.

The ride

The coaster's single seven-car train runs along a 200 m U-shaped track, incorporating two vertical spikes. The forward spike incorporates a twisted spiral, and the rearward spike provides a straight freefall. The 20 m train, propelled by linear induction motors is accelerated in less than four seconds to toward the forward tower before dropping back down through the station house and up the rearward tower. A holding brake is incorporated on the rear straight tower and is able to suspend the train momentarily before dropping it back down to the station house.
As of 2019, Steel Venom is the only Intamin Impulse roller coaster that still has a functional holding brake. Steel Venom is also the only launched coaster at Valleyfair.