Rougarou will replace Mantis' stand-up trains with new floorless cars. Themed to a werewolf-like creature from French folklore, the refurbished coaster will have a top speed of 60 miles per hour.
"Rougarou is going to be a fantastic addition to our coaster lineup and our guests are going to love it," Cedar Point vice president and general manager Jason McClure said in a statement. "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."
The track stats? A 145-foot-tall first hill, a 180-degree turn to the right, then a 137-foot drop toward the water at a 52-degree angle. Then a 119-foot-tall vertical loop, a 103-foot-tall dive loop, a highly-banked 360-degree turn and the world's first inclined loop on a floorless coaster, angled at 45 degrees. The ride wraps up with a 360-degree flat spin, several turns, and a figure-eight finale. Here's the concept POV:
Rougarou will open next spring.
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Question for the Coaster Boys and Girls out there: if you've already ridden Mantis does a ride on Rougarou count as a coaster credit?
Other news with this announcement was that the re-styled, re-imagined, and re-freshed Hotel Breakers will finally be complete for next season. During my visit this past summer, I was very impressed with what Cedar Fair was attempting to accomplish with this hotel in making it the destination for guests visiting this grand old amusement park. When and if the Rao Family makes another trek to The Point, I am almost positive a stop at Hotel Breakers will be in the cards.
This announcement was not exactly a surprise. A floorless coaster was something that Cedar Point was lacking and refurbishing Mantis fits the bill. I even like the paint job. Name...not as much. I guess it will fit in with Halloweekends but thats about all I can think of.
Next up...tear out the Corkscrew. I doubt it will ever happen just because of nostalgia but the thing is looooong past its prime and ready to be replaced.
I gotta think it's only a matter of time before the Corkscrew hits the pile. Yes the visual of it looping over the midway is neat, but how long can you really hang on to a 1st generation Arrow before the operating costs become not worth it? I suppose if you weren't paying too much for parts to keep it going and decked the loops out in lights, it might be worth it.
Hoping also to see that iron horse treatment for Mean Streak. Also a good move to do a dark ride, although I would submit that it's better to do one right than to do one just because. Case in point, the now defunct Disaster Transport, featuring mannequins and cardboard boxes with blacklight paint. They would have been better off leaving it a bobsled.
As a coaster, Corkscrew doesn't have a lot going for it, but I was amazed that the track went over an area where people could walk underneath it. Normally the track areas are completely closed off from pedestrian traffic. Corkscrew was neat because you felt you could almost give someone a high five as they passed by on the track (if you're tall).
"Rougagrou" sounds like something Scooby Doo would say. I don't know what it would mean though.
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