The Corkscrew roller coaster is one of the most picturesque Cedar Point roller coasters. Its two corkscrews wind over the Cedar Point midway, and visitors experience the sound of the coaster rolling by and the screams from its riders.
When it opened in 1976, it was the first roller coaster with three inversions, which was a world record.
It remained the only coaster to go upside down until The Raptor opened.
History of the Corkscrew
The Corkscrew was built in 1976 to honor our nation’s bicentennial but has been overshadowed in recent years with the additions of much larger coasters. This does bring advantages for the rider, though.
The Corkscrew rarely has a wait over 20 minutes, making it a quick stop while walking through the park.
Riders leave the station when the ride operator releases the pneumatic station brakes. The slight decline of the station allows the car to roll out down a small drop and around a declining 180-degree curve until the train reaches the chain lift.
The lift operates at or near a speed of 5 mph and ascends, at a 30-degree angle, an 85-foot lift hill; then, riders are dropped 65 feet at a 45-degree angle, gaining speed up to 48 m.p.h.
The next element is a bunny hop, named for the quick rise and fall. The end of this hill is lower than the beginning. It then goes through a vertical loop.
It then coasts up an incline. After a piece of flat track, the train curves around a 180-degree descending turn, heading into the twin corkscrews over the midway of the park.
In the “eye” of the corkscrew, it is traveling at 38 mph. It completes these two corkscrew loops, comes through trim and block brakes, and coasts back into the station.
Conclusion
While the Corkscrew roller coaster was not the first coaster that I rode, it was the first coaster I rode in which I was actually terrified rather than excited. I rode it with my cousin, who was younger than me, and when I was going up the first hill, I was terrified. Once we began to descend, my mind quickly went from terrified to excited.
Before I knew it, we flew down the hill through the 3 inversions and back to the train. My cousin and I raised our hands in excitement.
These days, that seems like a small feet, especially when my 10-year-old rode the Raptor for her first ride.
The Corkscrew’s heyday has come and gone, and it is a walk-on ride pretty much all the time.
It is still a fun ride to ride, even if it is just something you do while walking to the back of the park.