The last Kings Island roller coaster to attract such a following from the get-go was Vortex, which opened in 1987 with an hourly capacity of nearly 1,500 riders, and amassed 2,183,642 riders in its debut year.
Diamondback, with an hourly capacity of 1,600 riders, has delivered 15,000 more rides than Vortex’s opening season through the same number of operating dates and is on pace to top Vortex’s first-year total, Helbig said.
Hurtling over the midway at a breakneck speed, Diamondback’s 32 riders per car shriek with glee, eyes flying open in disbelief, wide-eyed wonder and, in some cases, sheer terror.
Steve Kallick of Trenton experienced Diamondback with his wife and daughter on Monday, July 6, and rated it a 9.5 on a scale of 1 to 10.
“It doesn’t jerk you around from side to side,” Kallick said. “It’s real smooth, has a lot of hills and turns and there’s nothing slow about it.”
Rett Watters said experiencing the ride’s “sheer speed and weightlessness” was worth the 3-hour drive from Huntington, W.V.
“Going over those hills is killer,” he said, smiling from ear to ear as he disembarked.
Helbig said Diamondback is doing what The Beast did 30 years ago – attracting guests beyond the regional level and building a national and international fan-base.
Darlene Bell of Dayton, the self-proclaimed “Roller Coaster Mama,” said she plans to visit Kings Island this weekend to boost her Diamondback-ride totals from 495 to 500.
Helbig said roller coaster enthusiasts like Bell relish the ride because it offers unobstructed views from each seat and features all the qualities people look for in a great roller coaster.
“It’s got height, it has speed reaching 80 miles an hour, it has the twists and turns, it’s got incredible air time and it ends with a splashdown ending,” he said. “When you look at this ride from start to finish, it’s almost like the perfect story: It’s got a great beginning, a great middle and a great ending."
About the Author
