Rip Roaring Rampage Returns

It is with great happiness I get to post this blog topic today. In this blog I am going to report on a trip I recently took to my home park Alabama Splash Adventure. The reason for this trip was because the park was holding an enthusiast event Rip Roaring Rampage Returns. The reason the event was even possible was because of the Koch family. I will go into a little background here about how this event came to be, as well as how the event was, and where the park is headed in the future.

Awesome Entrance

 
The Rampage roller coaster was closed after the 2011 park season. The previous owners of Alabama Adventure sold all of the amusement park rides and opened just the waterpark for the previous two seasons in 2012 and 2013. The Koch family bought Alabama Splash Adventure in the spring of 2014. They then began to completely renovate the park to the tune of ten million dollars because it was in bad shape when they took over. I spoke with Dan Koch (parks owner) regarding this and he said the park was in such awful shape they had to spend most of their money fixing everything that was broken. When I heard him say that I was sad because I can’t imagine any management team neglecting a park like that. It made me realize that they didn’t have any care for my home park and that didn’t make me happy.

You know where I am

 

Well the good news is that the Koch family is now in charge and I can assure you they will care about this park. When I had heard the Koch family bought the park back in March of this year I was so happy and excited for what was to come. For those of you who don’t know who the Koch family is I will explain them to you. They come from a long history in the amusement park industry. Their family started the highly successful Holiday World amusement park (see previous blog post about Holiday World) in Santa Claus, IN in 1946.

Holiday World is now a thriving amusement park with over one million visitors a year. Most of you, who have followed my blog, know how much I love Holiday World so the new owners bring a lot of promise to my hometown amusement park.

Dan Koch speaking to the group

Pat Koch speaking to the group

  

Dan Koch bought Alabama Splash Adventure and his mother Pat Koch came down with him. They have laid out a 5-year plan for the park and bringing back the Rampage roller coaster was in that plan. Dan Koch said that plenty of man hours were spent re-tracking Rampage. He stated that they would work 60 hour weeks fixing the coaster. They re-tracked the entire ride, put in new brakes, re-furbished the train, and put in a new lift hill chain. Dan said he wanted the ride to be ready by August of this year but a delay in some parts delaying the opening. Once the part came in and the ride was ready the Koch family graciously set up a coaster enthusiast event with ACE so that coaster enthusiasts would get the first chance to ride! When I saw that there was going to be an event for the re-opening of the coaster I just knew I had to go. I mean a coaster enthusiast event right in my home town. This was a no brainer! It was like I had just received an incredible gift.

Welcome ACE to Alabama Splash Adventure!

 

The Rip Roaring Rampage Returns event took place on October 25, 2014. It was held from 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm. I arrived at the park around 4:30 pm to check into the event. I noticed that there were already a decent amount of people parked and checking in for the event too. They gave us a ticket to get in, a “surprise” ticket, and a lanyard with the event itinerary. I noticed right away Mrs. Pat Koch smiling and greeting enthusiasts as they were signing in for the event. I also noticed Mr. Dan Koch in his awesome purple suit, purple top hat, and black and white cane. It was like he was summoning the inner Willy Wonka or something. I could instantly tell that both Dan Koch and Pat Koch were happy and excited to have us enthusiasts in their park.

Willy Wonka or Dan Koch?

 

After I entered the park I went to redeem my “surprise” ticket. The actual surprise was a Halloween bag with candy, a Rampage key chain, Alabama Adventure cup, and an Alabama Adventure photo ID holder. They also gave everyone a chance to pick out a nice short sleeved polo shirt with park logo with varying colors. Again, I knew that the Koch’s were grateful to have us in the park. After I grabbed the surprises I met and talked with Dan Koch briefly. He said he liked my “This Guy Loves Roller Coasters” shirt. He also talked to me as well as a few others about purchasing the park and the shape it was in when he bought it. He was very honest and you could just see the passion he had for the place.

Cool free stuff!

 

I then made my way to the building they were serving dinner. Before the dinner they showed us a video about the park that they had put together. It was a mix of aerial shots of the park, park employees, and humorous moments thrown in. Dan Koch then said a few words to the group introducing his entire management team to everyone. Pat Koch also said a few words as well as said a blessing on the dinner which was a nice touch. They had BBQ and Turkey with beans, green beans, mashed potatoes, and corn. They also had Rampage cake and Dippin’ Dots for dessert. It was all delicious!

Food was Great!

 

Coaster Cake!

 

 

They had a ribbon cutting ceremony before we all made our way up to the coaster. I was on the first full Rampage train out in row two. I was really impressed with the ride. I could tell that the re-track work was a success. The ride was running very smooth and fast. The 120 foot lift hill was nice followed by the 102 foot air time drop. After reaching maximum speeds of 56 mph you hit a nice air time hill followed by a lateral turnaround then air time drop into another air time hill. At this point you hit a hard lateral turn and wind your way into another air time drop followed by a nice air time hill. The coaster then makes another lateral turnaround followed by my favorite part of the ride. The next drop is really intense with great air time followed by a smaller yet extreme air time hill. The rest of the ride just flies through the course with a little small air time moment followed by a nice sized air time drop with air time up into the brake run.

Rampage

 

Phew! What a ride! If you lost count I typed the word “air time” 11 times in that description. That’s what makes this coaster a success. It has air time and some extreme lateral turnaround action. What I love about the air time on this coaster is that you get soft floater air time to extreme ejector air time. It was a good mix. There are also moments, especially if ridden at night, which surprise you. The end of the ride features a unique dip and then drop into the station.

Dan Koch showing off the coaster

 

I was lucky enough to ride Rampage 18 times with some people riding it as much as 27 times over the course of the 3 hour ERT session. From the looks of it everyone was having a blast. As the train left the station people were giving high fives as well as when the train returned to the station. Pat Koch (who is 83 years old mind you) was checking restraints with a smile on her face. Dan Koch was talking to everyone and riding along with everyone. It was an incredible sight. Let me also give a shout out to coaster credit #163 the Centi-Speed kids coaster. It is new to the park this year and they let us crazy enthusiasts ride.  

I love this ride!

 

The event finally came to an end and Dan and Pat Koch gave out autographed pictures taken of them on the Rampage (see below). I saw Pat Koch giving hugs to people so I decided to get one as well. It was a remarkable time and I feel extremely grateful that the Koch family has taken over ownership of Alabama Splash Adventure. I know that the park is headed in the right direction. They have already implemented free parking, free sunscreen, free WIFI, and free tubes (in the waterpark). They announced to the group that they will have free soft drinks for the next season as well! That was a huge surprise and something that I thought they might implement in the future but not this soon. The free soda perk has been a great success at Holiday World so I am sure it will do the same here.  

Thank-you Koch Family!

 

The Koch family are so genuine and passionate about the amusement industry. I cannot thank them enough for this event and the years to come for this park. For those of you that are close to this park I urge you to visit and give Alabama Splash Adventure a chance. I trust in the Koch family and know that Alabama Splash Adventure is headed in the right direction.

This guy paid $80 for the first ride with Dan

 

"We are not in this for the money but to make families happy. We want Alabama Splash Adventure to be the #1 family amusement park destination in the Southeast." - Dan Koch 

Banshee

I know that this blog is going to be a few days late from Halloween but I had already written most of it so I am going forward with it anyway. I hope you enjoy it. In honor of Halloween this year I figured I would dedicate this blog post to an aptly named and themed roller coaster: Banshee.

Awesome Sign!

 
When I was thinking about a Halloween centered blog post dealing with amusement parks and roller coasters this ride instantly came to mind. This may come as a shock to those of you who read this blog but I have never been to an amusement park when the park was hosting their Halloween events. I have just never had the opportunity to go to an amusement park during the fall time frame. Also, most parks are only open on Saturdays and Sundays at this point of the year and as some of you may know I do not like going to amusement parks on weekends. That being said, unfortunately I won’t be able to bring you a report of a Halloween event at an amusement park yet. Hopefully there will come a day in the future when I will be able to visit a park during their Halloween event.

Awesome Theming!

 

Banshee is located at Kings Island just outside of Cincinnati Ohio. Before Banshee came to fruition though there used to be another roller coaster named Son of Beast (pic Below) that donned the huge area of land that Banshee now sits on. This coaster (Son of Beast or SOB) was a HUGE 218 foot tall wooden roller coaster with a 214 foot drop reaching speeds of 78 mph. Can anyone see where I am going with this? If not think of this question. Do you think a wooden coaster built over 200 feet tall going almost 80 mph will work in the long run? The answer is clearly no! I am not sure who the engineer was that designed SOB but they sure did fail miserably. As you can imagine a wooden coaster that tall and that fast did not make for a smooth ride and because of this there were a few serious injuries including law suits and other problems. Did I mention SOB also cost $25 million to build?! I think it is safe to say it may be one of the highest priced coasters to fail.

Then...

 

...Now!

 

I had visited the park in 2001 and SOB was closed. I was upset because I really wanted to ride a ride most people called crazy and bad. Why you might ask? Well because I had to see for myself if people’s opinions of the ride were true (yup, they were true). I visited again in 2006 and wouldn’t you know it their huge 200 foot wooden coaster sit SBNO (standing but not operating). I mean really? So I decided to try one last time in 2009 to ride SOB. Finally it was open and I got to ride it with my Dad. The first part of the ride was really cool. There was about a fifty foot drop right out of the station with a turn into the very long loud lift hill. In what seemed like an eternity to reach the top of the 218 foot wooden structure, when you finally made it to the top it was a rush. I mean there are just some things that shouldn’t be done and that is reach heights of over 200 feet on a wooden coaster. I can assure you it hasn’t been done since.

Proof I survived SOB! Dad wasn't so lucky

 

The best part of the ride was the 214 foot drop. I mean the drop was incredibly long, fast, and fun. Then after that the ride was nothing but rough, rough, rough, and more rough. The layout of the ride wasn’t very exciting either. It was essentially a helix here, helix there, with a hill or two thrown in. Oh, and the ride was 7,000 feet long! Yikes! So, about a week or so after my Dad and I rode SOB there was an accident with injuries. That was the final straw and SOB was closed. Again, the ride was a design failure and because of this had to be shut down. Son of Beast was finally torn down in 2012 over three years later. I have to say I am glad that I finally got to ride SOB but it is one coaster that I wasn’t sad to see go.

Banshee is here to take you away Son of Beast!

 

This is where Banshee comes in. First, what the heck is a Banshee anyway? According to Wikipedia the Banshee is "a female spirit in Irish mythology, usually seen as an omen of death and a messenger from the underworld. In legend, a banshee is a fairy woman who begins to wail if someone is about to die." So basically Banshee is the female version of the Grim Reaper. This would in turn explain where the idea of roller coaster Banshee came from involving the Son of Beast demise. Kudos to Kings Island for aptly naming and theming this roller coaster to replace Son of Beast.

RIP SOB

 

Banshee is a huge steel inverted roller coaster. It holds the record for longest inverted coaster in the world at 4,124 feet of track. The ride is 167 feet tall with a 150 foot drop reaching speeds of 68 mph. The coaster also showcases seven mind blowing inversions (yup, they are mind blowing). Banshee is a coaster that really utilizes the terrain that it is built on. There is a huge dip in elevation from the top of the ride to the back of the ride. This allows the ride to naturally pick up speed throughout the course.

4,124 Feet of Awesomeness! photo credit Rik Engelen

 

As you leave the station on Banshee you go up the 167 foot lift hill quickly. When you are at the top you see the drop you are about to go down and realize, “wow, that’s a steep drop!” Steep it is indeed and very thrilling. As you crest the top of the lift hill there is a speaker that blasts the Banshee wail right as you go over (awesome effect). After reaching 68 mph you hit a huge loop followed by another loop that goes around the lift hill (cool design). From there you go up high into an in-line-twist inversion followed by huge drop down the ravine. This is where the coaster continues to pick up speed as you hit another inversion followed by two more inversions (told you, mind blowing).

LOOP!!!

  

Ok, phew, the ride is finally over. Nope. Banshee decides to kick it up a notch, in the finale, by sending you through a zero-g roll (cool element) then into a downward helix into the brake run. It is one of the coolest finishes to a roller coaster out there. The whole ride from start to finish is one of sheer speed and intensity. Seriously every element you take feels like you are 100’s of feet in the air and that is a good thing. The coaster is so intense it was hard for me to ride it more than 3-4 times in a row. You ride it a few times in a row and then you take a seat to catch your breath. That seemed to be the trend with most of the other people I saw too. Oh, and I am not complaining.

Every element feels so high

 

I am screaming like a Banshee

 

Kings Island spent $24 million on this coaster and I would say it was worth every penny. I am sure they will see a huge increase in attendance because of this ride as well as the sale of the great merchandise they had in the gift shop. I was able to visit the park back in May of this year (see previous blog post on Kings Island) and I was really blown away by the ride. It was very intense yet still smooth and fun. The theming was also top notch and created an eerie gothic vibe which I thought was great. There was even a cemetery as part of the queue with a huge monument, with flame, to the now “dead” Son of Beast (see above - nice touch Kings Island). The station was really cool as well, being built to look like a church cathedral. While I cannot say whether or not Banshee will take your spirit if you ride, I can say you miss a great opportunity if you don’t. If you do ride though, Banshee will take your breath away. Muhaha ha ha ha, Happy Halloween!

Theming = Amazing

Love the Station

The Lights are Cool

 

“In legend, a banshee wails nearby when someone is about to die. There are Irish families who are believed to have banshees attached to them, and whose cries herald the death of a member of that family.” - Irish Legend