An inverted roller coaster is a type of steel roller coaster in which the train runs under the track with the seats directly attached to the wheel carriage. Riders are seated in open cars, letting their feet swing freely. The inverted coaster was pioneered by Swiss roller coaster manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard in the early 1990s with the development of Batman: The Ride, which opened at Six Flags Great America on May 9, 1992.

left|thumb|200px|B&M style inverted roller coaster car.Versions of inverted coasters have since been produced by other major coaster manufacturers such as Vekoma and Intamin. Intamin has few designs classified as inverted coasters, although they do install inverted coaster trains on some of their launched designs. Vekoma, however, predominantly mass-produced the same design (Suspended Looping Coaster) with 41 identical coasters installed around the world, though Vekoma now markets a newer style of inverted coaster, the Suspended Thrill Coaster, which utilises lap-bar restraints instead of the traditional over-the-shoulder restraints. Vekoma was also the first manufacturer to install a family-friendly inverted roller coaster with the opening of Flying Ace Aerial Chase at Kings Island in 2001. Giovanola also has a single inverted coaster operating, which uses the box-track design, also used by Bolliger & Mabillard.

The inverted coaster differs from the older suspended coaster, which runs under the track, but features cars that enclose the rider's legs and lower body and are attached to the track above by a pivoting bar, whereas the trains on inverted coasters are directly attached to the track. This direct attachment facilitates inversions, which aren't possible on suspended coasters. Inversions typically featured on inverted coasters include vertical loops, zero-g rolls, Immelmann loops, cobra rolls, and corkscrews, though Vekoma's suspended loopers typically feature sidewinder and in-line twist elements.

History

The inverted coaster was developed in the early 1990s by engineers Walter Bolliger and Claude Mabillard of the Swiss roller coaster manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard in cooperation with engineer Robert Mampe and Jim Wintrode, at the time the general manager of Six Flags Great America, who first envisioned a suspended coaster capable of inversions. The result of this partnership, Batman: The Ride, soft opened at Six Flags Great America as the first inverted coaster in the world on May 2, 1992, officially opening on May 9, 1992. Six Flags has since gone on to construct five additional duplicates of the ride.

The second unique inverted coaster was Flight Deck which opened in 1993 at California's Great America as Top Gun. Nemesis, now Nemesis Reborn, was the first inverted coaster constructed outside the United States when it opened at Alton Towers in Staffordshire, England in 1994. That same year, Raptor opened at Cedar Point. With a 3,790-foot (1,160 m) track layout, Raptor was far larger and featured a less compact layout than its predecessors. It also featured the first cobra roll on an inverted coaster.

Installations

231 inverted roller coasters have been installed at various theme parks, some of which have been relocated. The following list is not exhaustive and only shows the most notable installations.

{| class= "wikitable sortable"

|-

! Name !! Park !! Opened !! Manufacturer !! Status

|-

| Batman: The Ride || Six Flags Great America || 1992 || Bolliger & Mabillard || Operating

|-

| Batman: The Ride || Six Flags Great Adventure || 1993 || Bolliger & Mabillard || Operating

|-

| Flight Deck || California's Great America || 1993 || Bolliger & Mabillard || Operating

|-

|Nemesis Reborn

|Alton Towers

|1994 (original), 2024 (refurbished)

|Bolliger & Mabillard

|Operating

|-

| Batman: The Ride || Six Flags Magic Mountain || 1994 || Bolliger & Mabillard || Operating

|-

| Raptor || Cedar Point || 1994 || Bolliger & Mabillard || Operating

|-

| Condor || Walibi Holland || 1994 || Vekoma || Operating

|-

| Diavlo || Himeji Central Park || 1994 || Bolliger & Mabillard || Operating

|-

| Batman: The Ride || Six Flags St. Louis || 1995 || Bolliger & Mabillard || Operating

|-

| T3 || Kentucky Kingdom || 1995 || Vekoma || Closed

|-

| Eurostar || German Traveling Fairs || 1995 || Intamin/Giovanola || Operating

|-

| Flight Deck || Canada's Wonderland || 1995 || Vekoma || Operating

|-

| Arkham Asylum - Shock Therapy<br><small>Lethal Weapon - The Ride</small> || Warner Bros. Movie World || 1995 || Vekoma || Closed 2019

|-

| The Great Nor'easter || Morey's Piers || 1995 || Vekoma || Operating

|-

| Professor Screamore's Skywinder || Six Flags America || 1995 || Vekoma || SBNO

|-

| Montu || Busch Gardens Tampa Bay || 1996 || Bolliger & Mabillard || Operating

|-

| Batman: The Ride || Six Flags Over Georgia || 1997 || Bolliger & Mabillard || Operating

|-

| The Great White || SeaWorld San Antonio || 1997 || Bolliger & Mabillard || Operating

|-

| Mind Eraser || Six Flags Darien Lake || 1997 || Vekoma || Operating

|-

| The Riddler Revenge || Six Flags New England || 1997 || Vekoma || Operating

|-

| Mind Eraser || Elitch Gardens || 1997 || Vekoma || Operating

|-

| Pyrenees ||Parque Espana-Shima Spain Village || 1997 || Bolliger & Mabillard || Operating

|-

| Alpengeist || Busch Gardens Williamsburg || 1997 || Bolliger & Mabillard || Operating

|-

| Great Bear || Hersheypark || 1998 || Bolliger & Mabillard || Operating

|-

| Linear Gale || Tokyo Dome City || 1998 || Intamin || Closed 2010

|-

| Volcano: The Blast Coaster || Kings Dominion || 1998 || Intamin || Closed 2018

|-

| Blue Tornado || Gardaland || 1998 || Vekoma || Operating

|-

| Kong<br /><small>Formerly The Hangman</small> || Six Flags Discovery Kingdom<br /><small>Opryland</small> || 1998<br /><small>1995</small> || Vekoma

|| Operating<br /><small>Closed 1997</small>

|-

|Anaconda

|Gold Reef City

|1999

|Giovanola

|Operating

|-

| Tornado ||Parque de Atracciones de Madrid || 1999 || Intamin || Operating

|-

| Batman: The Ride || Six Flags Over Texas || 1999 || Bolliger & Mabillard || Operating

|-

| Dragon Challenge || Islands of Adventure || 1999 || Bolliger & Mabillard || Closed 2017

|-

| Afterburn || Carowinds || 1999 || Bolliger & Mabillard || Operating

|-

|Twisted Typhoon||Wild Adventures || 1999 || Vekoma || Operating

|-

| Invertigo || Kings Island || 1999 || Vekoma || Operating

|-

| Katun || Mirabilandia || 2000 || Bolliger & Mabillard || Operating

|-

| Batman: The Ride || Six Flags Mexico || 2000 || Vekoma || Operating

|-

| MP Xpress || Movie Park Germany || 2001 || Vekoma || Operating

|-

| Talon || Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom || 2001 || Bolliger & Mabillard || Operating

|-

| Tornado || Särkänniemi || 2001 || Intamin || Operating

|-

| The Flash: Vertical Velocity <br>|| Six Flags Great America || 2001 || Intamin || Operating

|-

| Batman: Arkham Asylum || Parque Warner Madrid || 2002 || Bolliger & Mabillard || Operating

|-

| Stunt Fall || Parque Warner Madrid || 2002 || Vekoma || Operating

|-

| Wicked Twister || Cedar Point || 2002 || Intamin || Closed 2021

|-

| Le Vampire || La Ronde || 2002 || Bolliger & Mabillard || Operating

|-

| The Flash: Vertical Velocity<br>|| Six Flags Discovery Kingdom || 2002 || Intamin || Operating

|-

| Sky Rocket || Dreamworld || 2002 || Vekoma || Operating

|-

| Jubilee Odyssey || Fantasy Island || 2002 || Vekoma || Operating

|-

| Nemesis Inferno || Thorpe Park || 2003 || Bolliger & Mabillard || Operating

|-

| Swamp Thing || Wild Adventures || 2003 || Vekoma || Operating

|-

| Kiddy Hawk || Carowinds || 2003 || Vekoma || Operating

|-

| Steel Venom || Valleyfair || 2003 || Intamin || Operating

|-

| Unknown <br /><small>Formerly Lightning</small> || Wonderla Amusement Park Chennai <br /><small>Kuwait Entertainment City</small> || 2025 <br /><small>2004</small> || Bolliger & Mabillard || Under construction <br /><small>Closed 2016</small>

|-

| Silver Bullet || Knott's Berry Farm || 2004 || Bolliger & Mabillard || Operating

|-

| Bat || Lagoon || 2005 || Vekoma || Operating

|-

| Patriot || Worlds of Fun || 2006 || Bolliger & Mabillard || Operating

|-

| Black Mamba || Phantasialand || 2006 || Bolliger & Mabillard || Operating

|-

| Kumali || Flamingo Land Resort || 2006 || Vekoma || Operating

|-

| Infusion<br /><small>Formerly Traumatizer</small> || Pleasure Beach Blackpool<br /><small>Pleasureland Southport</small> || 2007<br /><small>1999</small> || Vekoma

|| Operating<br /><small>Closed 2006</small>

|-

| Jimmy Neutron's Atomic Flyer || Movie Park Germany || 2007 || Vekoma || Operating

|-

| Kvasten || Gröna Lund || 2007 || Vekoma || Operating

|-

| Phaethon || Gyeongju World || 2007 || Bolliger & Mabillard || Operating

|-

| Chupacabra<br /><small>Formerly Goliath</small><br /><small>Formerly Batman: The Ride</small><br /><small>Formerly Gambit</small> || Six Flags Fiesta Texas<br /><small>Six Flags New Orleans<br />Thrill Valley</small> || 2008<br /><small>2003<br />1995</small> || Bolliger & Mabillard

|| Operating<br /><small>Closed 2005<br />Closed 2002</small>

|-

| Thunderhawk || Michigan's Adventure<br /><small>Geauga Lake</small> || 2008<br /><small>1998</small> || Vekoma

|| Operating<br /><small>Closed 2007</small>

|-

| Possessed<br /><small>Formerly Steel Venom</small> || Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom<br /><small>Geauga Lake</small> || 2008<br /><small>2000</small> || Intamin

|| Operating<br /><small>Closed 2006</small>

|-

| Aftershock<br /><small>Formerly Déjà Vu</small>

||Silverwood Theme Park<br /><small> Six Flags Great America</small> || 2008<br /><small>2001</small> || Vekoma || Operating <br /><small>Closed 2007</small>

|-

| Steel Lasso || Frontier City || 2008 || Vekoma || Operating

|-

| The Monster<br /><small>Formerly Orochi</small> || Walygator Parc<br /><small>Expoland</small> || 2010<br /><small>1996</small> || Bolliger & Mabillard

|| Operating<br /><small>Closed 2007</small>

|-

|Ednör - L'Attaque<br /><small>Formerly Serial Thriller</small> || La Ronde<br /><small>Six Flags Astroworld</small> || 2010<br /><small>1999</small> || Vekoma

|| Operating <br /><small>Closed 2005</small>

|-

| Battlestar Galactica: Cylon || Universal Studios Singapore || 2010 || Vekoma || Operating

|-

| Sky Mountain<br /><small>Formerly Déjà Vu</small>

||Mirabilandia<br /><small> Six Flags Over Georgia</small> || 2011<br /><small>2001</small> || Vekoma || Operating <br /><small>Closed 2007</small>

|-

| Mountain Peak||Jinjiang Action Park|| 2011|| Vekoma || Operating

|-

| Goliath<br /><small>Formerly Déjà Vu</small>||Six Flags New England<br /><small> Six Flags Magic Mountain</small> || 2012<br /><small>2001</small>|| Vekoma || Closed 2019-2021 <br /><small>Closed 2011</small>

|-

| OzIris || Parc Astérix || 2012 || Bolliger & Mabillard || Operating

|-

| Banshee || Kings Island || 2014 || Bolliger & Mabillard || Operating

|-

| Family Inverted Coaster || Happy Valley || 2014 || Bolliger & Mabillard || Operating

|-

| Arthur - The Ride || Europa-Park || 2014 || Mack Rides || Operating

|-

| Hals-über-Kopf || Erlebnispark Tripsdrill || 2020 || Vekoma || Operating

|-

| Monster || Gröna Lund || 2021 || Bolliger & Mabillard || Operating

|-

|Storm - The Dragon Legend

|Tusenfryd

|2023

|Gerstlauer

|Operating

|-

| Phoenix Rising|| Busch Gardens Tampa || 2024 || Bolliger & Mabillard || Operating

|-

|Infinity Inverted Coaster

|Parque del Café

|2025

|Gerstlauer

|Under construction

|-

|Fianna Force

|Emerald Park

|2024

|Vekoma

|Operating

|-

|Big Bad Wolf: The Wolf's Revenge

|Busch Gardens Williamsburg

|2025

|Bolliger & Mabillard

|Operating

|-

|Big Lego Coaster

|Legoland Shanghai

|2025

|Bolliger & Mabillard

|Operating

|-

| Barracuda Strike || SeaWorld San Antonio || 2026 || Bolliger & Mabillard || Operating

|}

<gallery>

File:Nemesis Inferno (Thorpe Park) 01.JPG|A Bolliger & Mabillard inverted roller coaster, Nemesis Inferno at Thorpe Park

File:Kumali.jpg|A Vekoma built inverted coaster, Kumali at Flamingo Land Resort

File:NemesisAlton.JPG|A Bolliger & Mabillard inverted coaster, Nemesis at Alton Towers

File:PCW-Top Gun.jpg|A Bolliger & Mabillard inverted coaster, Afterburn at Carowinds

File:Black mamba first drop.jpg|A Bolliger & Mabillard inverted coaster, Black Mamba at Phantasialand

File:Rollercoaster limit heide park germany.jpg|A Vekoma inverted coaster, Limit at Heide Park

File:DuelingDragonsCS.jpg|The only Bolliger & Mabillard dueling inverted coaster, Dragon Challenge at Islands of Adventure

File:Great Bear Helix.jpg|A Bolliger & Mabillard inverted coaster, Great Bear at Hershey Park

File:Traumatizer.jpg|A former Vekoma inverted coaster, Traumatizer at Pleasureland Southport

File:Cedar point raptor1.jpg|A Bolliger & Mabillard inverted coaster, Raptor at Cedar Point

File:PKI-Rugrat's Runaway Reptar.jpg|A Vekoma family inverted coaster, Flying Ace Aerial Chase at Kings Island

File:The Flash Vertical Velocity SFGAm Front Tower.jpg|An Intamin launched shuttle inverted coaster, The Flash: Vertical Velocity at Six Flags Great America

File:SFA-Two Face.jpg|A former Vekoma shuttle inverted coaster, Two Face: The Flip Side at Six Flags America

File:Thunderhawk06.png|A Vekoma inverted coaster, Thunderhawk while at Geauga Lake

File:Storm the Dragon Legend.jpg|A Gerstlauer infinity inverted coaster, Storm - The Dragon Legend at Tusenfryd

</gallery>

See also

  • Wing Coaster
  • Suspended roller coaster
  • Pipeline roller coaster

References

  • Bolliger & Mabillard official site
  • Intamin official site
  • Vekoma official site