Jet fighter-inspired dive coaster drops into Ohio’s Cedar Point

A record-setting floorless dive coaster coming this summer to Ohio’s Cedar Point amusement park will plummet down a pair of 90-degree drops before navigating a series of loops inspired by fighter jet maneuvers.

Set to debut on May 7, the 3,400-foot-long Valravn roller coaster built by Swiss-based Bolliger & Mabillard will back up to the Cedar Point marina along a spit of land stretching into Lake Erie.

Located next to the 1964 Blue Streak, the park’s oldest coaster, Valravn replaces the Good Time theater and Autopia-like Turnpike Cars and forces the relocation of the Dodgem bumper cars and Scrambler-like Calypso ride. Valravn will zip back and forth across a midway that cuts underneath the new coaster.

“You are totally engulfed by the action of this ride,” said Rob Decker, who worked with the ride maker to design Valravn. “The whole visual is intoxicating. Everyone walking around it is going to get energized just by the sheer physical energy of the ride powering around these big, majestic turns.”

Decker, who is responsible for planning and design for Cedar Fair, the parent company of Cedar Point, has worked on 38 coasters in his 27-year career — from Fury 325 at Carowinds to Leviathan at Canada’s Wonderland to Intimidator 305 at Kings Dominion.

What sets Valravn apart from other Cedar Point coasters is the ride’s massive structure. To support its wide trains, the track rails are spaced 6 feet apart — compared with the 3- to 4-feet-wide tracks of most coasters.

“In terms of its stoutness, it stands out,” Decker said. “There’s nothing else like it at Cedar Point. There’s no other structure that’s that big.”

The dive coaster remains a relatively rare beast in the United States, with versions of the ride found at Busch Gardens Williamsburg (Griffon) and Busch Gardens Tampa (Sheikra).

Like all floorless dive coasters, Valravn will dangle riders over a precipice for a few heart-pounding seconds before the train descends straight down a vertical drop. The new ride lays claim to 10 world records, including the tallest, fastest and longest dive coaster.

“Cedar Point has a dominating roller coaster history,” Decker said. “We really have to challenge ourselves when we develop rides for Cedar Point.”

The Valravn experience begins before riders even sit down in the three-row trains with eight seats across.

“Do you want to be in the front row because it’s all visceral or the back row because the dynamic is that much more intense?” Decker said. “Then it’s do you sit over the rail or way out on the wing? If you’re a daring person, you’re going to be out on the edge.”

The train ascends the 47-degree lift hill, tipping riders back so they’re gazing at the sky. Off to the left is the tranquility of Sandusky Bay and to the right is the craziness of Cedar Point’s 70-plus rides.

“There’s no going back at this point,” Decker said. “There’s no one that’s going to save you. In reality, of course, you’re perfectly safe.”

Valravn begins with its marquee element: a 90-degree drop. After climbing to the top of the lift hill, the train hangs for four seconds over the first drop. The train’s tiered seats offer every rider an unobstructed view of the ground below.

“You’re pointing downward, but the train doesn’t drop,” Decker said. “It just freezes in place. For anyone with height problems, this is going to be sheer terror.”

Then the brakes release and the train hurtles down a 214-foot vertical descent at 75 mph.

“You have this feeling of almost coming apart from the ride because you’re in free-fall,” Decker said. “Your stomach is going to leave your body on this one.”

At the bottom of the first drop, G forces push riders down into their seats as the track makes a 90-degree transition at the very last moment.

“You almost glance right off the ground,” Decker said.

The first drop leads directly into a 165-foot-tall Immelmann element, a fighter jet-like maneuver that takes riders through a half loop and half roll that reverses the train’s direction.

“You’re getting all these physical sensations, all in the matter of maybe 10 seconds,” Decker said. “It’s out of control in the free-fall, and then the ride grabs hold of you and holds on tight before it releases you again. You’re freaking out. You’re not sure what to expect next.”

After a brief mid-course brake run, Valravn rolls directly into a second 125-foot vertical drop — this time without stopping at the top.

“You’re expecting it might stop or hesitate,” Decker said. “But it’s just going to roll through and take you right over the edge.”

After a dive loop and a 270-degree corkscrew-like roll, Valravn navigates an airtime hill designed to disperse the last of the train’s energy before heading back into the station.

“Now it’s time to breath,” Decker said. “You’re going to exhale if you’ve held your breath or catch your first breath. After 2 1/2 minutes of maneuvering this way, that way, up, down and over, you come back into the station hooting and hollering. The excitement just kind of builds anticipation for the next riders.”

Valravn derives its name from the supernatural predatory birds of Danish folklore who increase their power by consuming slain knights killed in battle.

Cedar Point proclaims Valravn its 18th coaster, although Roller Coaster Database sets the number at 17. The discrepancy lies with Pipe Scream, a Zamperla Disk’O that Cedar Point calls a coaster and RCDB classifies as a flat ride.

In either case, Valravn moves Cedar Point ahead of Canada’s Wonderland into sole possession of second place in the chase for the coveted title of Roller Coaster Capital of the World. Much to the dismay of Cedar Point fans, the Sandusky park remains stubbornly behind Six Flags Magic Mountain’s 19 coasters, regardless of creative mathematics. For now, Cedar Point will have to make do with the title of Roller Coaster Runner-Up of the World.

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