Cedar Point Announces GateKeeper for 2013

cedar point 2013 gatekeeper

Cedar Point will open Gatekeeper, a Bolliger & Mabillard wing coaster, in 2013.  With a height of 170 feet and a length of over 4,000 feet, GateKeeper is expected to become the largest wing coaster in existence when it opens next spring.

Take a ride on GateKeeper in the video above.

A press release from the park reads: “GateKeeper, will forever change the landscape of the Cedar Point Peninsula, as the track will dramatically fly above the main entrance to the park, passing over arriving guests with rolling flyover maneuvers. Riders will twice narrowly slot through new front gate portals and slide by buildings for near miss excitement. GateKeeper will feature Sunset Gold trains with coaches that extend out sideways from the track, exposing riders to nothing above or below them, simulating the feeling of flight.”

GateKeeper Layout. Image © Cedar Point

The 2-minute and 40-second ride will feature a plethora of elements:

Image © Cedar Point.

“Once riders crest the top of the 170-foot-tall lift hill, the coaster train will rotate 180 degrees to the right, turning riders upside down before plummeting a record 164 feet toward the ground at speeds reaching 67 mph! Then the train will enter a half loop, go through a half twist and curve out in the opposite direction from which it came. A towering 105-foot-tall camelback hill awaits just before riders glide through a 360-degree giant flat spin.”

GateKeeper will fly over the new Cedar Point entrance. Image © Cedar Point.

“The train will then fly through the middle of two support towers that will dominate Cedar Point’s new Main Entrance. The coaster will then make a tight, 180-degree turnaround which pushes riders through an overbanked turn and rockets them back towards the station. A 360-degree in-line roll, camelback drop and spiral round out the amazing elements that GateKeeper will treat its passengers to next summer.”

GateKeeper stands at a staggering 170 feet. Image © Cedar Point.

“GateKeeper will feature three 32-passenger trains and will be able to accommodate approximately 1,710 riders per hour. Riders will be secured with over-the-shoulder restraints and interlocking seat belts. With the addition of GateKeeper and the redesign to the park’s main entrance, Cedar Point will invest approximately $30 million on improvements for the 2013 season.”

Image © Cedar Point.

Check out the below video for some great off ride Gatekeeper animation:

You can follow GateKeeper’s progress on Cedar Point’s website. And no, the GateKeeper at Cedar Point does not go backwards, that is just an effect used in the video animation.

Cedar Point always pushes the envelope with their coasters, and it looks like GateKeeper is no exception. We can’t wait to take a spin on it.

Are you excited about GateKeeper? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!

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