I’m going to just say it. I was a little disappointed when I heard that Cedar Point’s new coaster, Rougarou, is Mantis (view Mantis POV video below) with a new set of trains. I had desperately hoped that the Mantis’ last stand this October would mean that the ride was going to be dismantled and delivered to a different Cedar Fair park. I wishfully imagined that it would be Kings Island which just so happens to be the nearest amusement park to me. I had dreamed of it being a wonderful throw-back to the days of King Cobra at Kings Island.
I find myself pleasantly relieved that “Mantis” will actually remain at Cedar Point. It will receive a new name and a new set of trains that will give it a new experience. Joey, my 7-year-old, is thrilled as this means he will be able to still ride the track that he wasn’t tall enough for this past Summer. It won’t be quite the same experience – but he’s excited.
Cedar Point, The Roller Coaster Capital of the World!®, will introduce a dynamically new riding experience when it unleashes Rougarou™ in the spring of 2015!
Named after a terrifying werewolf-like creature in French folklore, Rougarou [roo-guh-roo] feeds on screams and lurks in and around the swampy lagoon at the center of the park, shared with other coasters like Iron Dragon and Top Thrill Dragster.
Rougarou’s floorless trains will take riders on an epic journey at speeds reaching 60 mph as their feet dangle just inches above the track and the murky waters below. The trains will be manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard, Monthey, Switzerland, the same team behind rides like Raptor and GateKeeper, and will transform the ride experience dramatically while utilizing the structure and track of the former Mantis roller coaster.
The ride begins with a climb to the top of the 145-foot-tall first hill, providing amazing views of the Cedar Point skyline. After reaching the apex, the trains will make a 180-degree turn to the right and plummet 137 feet, at a 52-degree angle, to within inches above the water. Thrill-seekers caught in Rougarou’s grasp will then be flipped upside-down by a 119-foot-tall vertical loop, spun around a 103-foot-tall dive loop, whipped around a highly-banked 360-degree turn and then twisted upside-down again by the world’s only inclined loop on a floorless coaster, angled at a wicked 45 degrees. Just when guests think the ride is over, the steel beast will take them through a 360-degree flat spin, tight and twisty turns and a figure-eight finale. Riders must be 54” tall to ride Rougarou.
“Rougarou is going to be a fantastic addition to our coaster lineup and our guests are going to love it,” said Jason McClure, vice president, and general manager of Cedar Point. “With the swampy waters below, the vibrant colors of the supports and track, lighting and other effects, it will be a ride like no other at the park.”
Even though my hopes were dashed – I’m excited to see the ride revamped. I’ll miss the experience that a stand-up coaster offers – and I hope Cedar Fair will once again offer it in the area in the near future.
