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HangTime (roller coaster)

HangTime is a steel roller coaster at Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, California, United States. The Infinity Coaster was manufactured by Gerstlauer on the former location of attractions Boomerang and RipTide. It was announced on August 16, 2017 and opened to the public on May 18, 2018. The 2198 ft long roller coaster is themed after 1960s surf culture in California. It features a vertical lift hill taking riders 150 ft high and a beyond vertical drop of 96 degrees, making it the steepest roller coaster in California.

History

Knott's Berry Farm officially announced the addition of HangTime on August 16, 2017.[1] It would be built on the former site of RipTide, a Top Spin ride that closed in 2016,[2] and Boomerang, a shuttle roller coaster that closed on April 23, 2017.[3] It would be the second Gerstlauer Infinity Coaster in the United States, with the first being The Monster at Adventureland in Altoona, Iowa.[4]

Construction of HangTime began in late 2017, with the first pieces of track and supports installed in early November.[5] The track layout was completed on January 20th, 2018.[6] The ride conducted its first test runs two months later in March 2018.[7]

HangTime first opened to season passholders on May 11, 2018, and to the general public a week later on May 18, 2018.[8] Upon opening, it became the steepest roller coaster in California.[9] The ride was also marketed by the park as the first Dive Coaster in California.[10]

Ride experience

HangTime is located in the Boardwalk section of Knott's Berry Farm,[10] next to Coast Rider and the Sky Cabin.[11] Guest must be between the heights of 48 in and 77 in to ride.[10]

Queue

The outdoor queue area and HangTime itself are based on 1960s Californian surf culture. The entrance to the queue features a display of surfboards and a "surf conditions" sign indicating the ride's current wait time.[12] The queue includes sand and plants native to coastal environments. The ride's maintenance shop, designed to resemble a surfboard shop, and a mural depicting a sunset beach are also visible from the queue.[13][14]

Layout

The train leaves the station and starts climbing the 150 ft vertical lift hill. Upon reaching the top, the train is held for five seconds before plunging at a 96-degree angle. The train reaches a max speed of 57 mph and heads through a negative-g stall loop, a one-of-a-kind inversion.[15] This inversion is similar to a Norwegian loop, except the train enters a non-inverted dive loop followed by a sidewinder before exiting in the opposite direction. The train moves through a corkscrew and a cutback. Following the cutback, the train goes through a small camelback hill. The train then enters a cobra roll located in front of the negative-g stall loop. After exiting the cobra roll, the train passes the on-ride camera, which takes photos of the riders. The train slows down on the brake run, turns right and heads back into the station.[16][17]

Characteristics

Trains

HangTime operates with a maximum of three trains. The trains are arranged in four cars with four rows to accommodate a total of 16 riders, giving it a theoretical capacity of 800 riders per hour.[16] Cars contain blue seats with surfboard-themed headrests. Riders are secured by lap bar restraints and an additional seatbelt.[18]

Track

The track is 2198 ft long and reaches a maximum height of approximately 150 ft. Its steel structure was fabricated by OCEM Structural Steelwork.[16] The track is colored light teal with tan supports.[19] The track contains a lighting installation by KCL Engineering, which illuminates the track blue, pink, and purple colors at night.[20] The color scheme is periodically adjusted to correspond with park events, such as to red and green for Knott's Merry Farm or deep purple for the Boysenberry Festival.[19] A lighting controller lets the Knott's entertainment team manage both pre-programmed and custom lighting sequences, including live music synchronization.[21]

Reception

HangTime has been generally well-received by critics. Arthur Levine of USA Today praised the ride's stall at the top of its lift hill, stating that it "bumps up already racing pulses, increased respiration rates, and surging adrenaline".[19] Eric Wooley of Coaster101 described the ride as thrilling, labeling the vertical lift hill "the most intense part of the ride". He noted that the last row of the train appeared to give a unique feeling of ejector airtime.[21] Both reviewers described the ride to be relatively smooth and complimented its restraints and lighting installment.[19][21]

Gallery

External links

References

  1. Brian Whitehead. Knott's Berry Farm announces new roller coaster, HangTime, where riders will reach 57 mph Orange County Register, August 16, 2017, retrieved August 19, 2017^
  2. Joseph Pimentel. Knott’s Berry Farm wraps up Rip Tide ride Orange County Register, February 22, 2016, retrieved March 4, 2026^
  3. Mark Eades. Knott’s closing its Boomerang coaster for good Orange County Register, March 18, 2017, retrieved March 4, 2026^
  4. retrieved December 25, 2020^
  5. Knott's HangTime Goes Vertical + New Animation Video Released NewsPlusNotes, November 9, 2017^
  6. Knott's Berry Farm Places Final Pieces of HangTime Track NewsPlusNotes, January 21, 2018^
  7. Knott's Unveils HangTime's Trains During Construction Update + Testing Footage NewsPlusNotes, March 7, 2018^
  8. Mills Michelle. Knott's Berry Farm's new roller coaster HangTime is now open: Here's what it's like May 14, 2018^
  9. Michelle Mills. Everything you need to know about HangTime, the new roller coaster coming to Knott's Orange County Register, August 18, 2017, retrieved August 19, 2017^
  10. HangTime Knott's Berry Farm, retrieved March 4, 2026^
  11. Directions & Park Map Knott's Berry Farm, retrieved March 4, 2026^
  12. HangTime eatlife.net, May 2022, retrieved March 3, 2026^
  13. Michelle Mills. This is what Knott’s new roller coaster HangTime looks like right now Orange County Register, March 2, 2018, retrieved March 2, 2026^
  14. Brian Pinsky. Knott's Berry Farm: Hang Loose For HangTime MiceChat, June 8, 2018, retrieved March 3, 2026^
  15. retrieved March 4, 2026^
  16. retrieved March 25, 2018^
  17. August 2022 HangTime Roller Coaster On Ride 4K POV Knott's Berry Farm Theme Park POV, September 21, 2022, retrieved March 4, 2026^
  18. Melanie Walsh. HangTime at Knott’s Berry Farm: California’s First Dive-Coaster Thrill Rid May 21, 2018, retrieved March 2, 2026^
  19. Arthur Levine. HangTime coaster review: Knott's Berry Farm leaves you hanging USA TODAY, July 25, 2018, retrieved March 2, 2026^
  20. Theme & Thrill KCL Engineering, retrieved March 2, 2026^
  21. Eric Wooley. HangTime at Knotts Berry Farm Review - Coaster101 May 19, 2018, retrieved March 3, 2026^