In 1998, Knoebels began a new wooden roller coaster project. Seeking to preserve another classic ride, the park looked into acquiring the defunct "Mister Twister", which had been abandoned when the entire Elitch Gardensamusement park was relocated in Denver, Colorado. This time, when space constraints made physically relocating the ride impossible, Knoebels purchased the blueprints and set out to rebuild the roller coasterfrom scratch, modifying the design to fit the space available. For the new Twister, ride designer John Fetterman created a modified mirror image of the original "Mister Twister" layout, compacting the ride but preserving the highlights of the old design and Allen's original mathematical model. These highlights included the large double helix, which now wraps around the ride's curved station, and a large swoop curve at the top of the lift hill. To keep the swoop curve in the new design, Fetterman created a split lift hill. To achieve this, the train climbs halfway up the structure on one lift hill, makes a 180-degree turn and finishes the climb on the second lift, stacked directly above the first one. While several roller coasters use more than one lift hill in their layout, Twister's zig-zag lift is unique. Twister opened on July 24, 1999. The first rides were auctioned off to raise just over $8,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Taller and more intense than the "Phoenix" the coaster enjoys steady ridership and good rankings in roller coaster polls both formal and informal.
Ride experience
Out of the curved station, the track descends a slight left hand turn through the structure, then makes a sweeping right hand turn and hits the lower section of the lift hill, which is stacked underneath the second lift. After climbing halfway up, the track leaves the first lift hill, and makes a left turn out of the structure, then a 180 degree turn passing under the exit from the double helix, and climbs the upper section of the lift hill. At the top of the lift hill, the track passes through the swoop curve before diving down a 89.6 foot first drop, then rising up a second hill for the first turnaround. Going through the turnaround, the track goes through its second drop, and rises into the double helix, which takes trains for two circles around the station. After the helix, trains pass over an airtime hill with trim brake and make a right turn inside the structure of the second hill. The track descends another drop, tunneling through the structure, exiting through a banked right turn into an underground tunnel. Out of the tunnel, the track makes another right turn, then a small bunny drop, before rising up and hitting the curved final brake run. Because of the space limitations caused by fitting the station into the middle of the helix, the station and brake run use conventional skid brakes instead of pinch or magnetic brakes.
Image gallery
Statistics
Trains - 2 PTC, 24 passengers each
Design - 1964 original and 1965 modifications - John C. Allen; 1999 modifications - John Fetterman
