Corkscrew (Valleyfair) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Corkscrew |
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Corkscrew's current color scheme
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| Valleyfair | |
| Location | Valleyfair |
| Coordinates | 44°47′59″N 93°27′23″W / 44.799611°N 93.456272°W |
| Status | Open |
| Opening date | 1980 |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Steel |
| Manufacturer | Arrow Dynamics |
| Track layout | Out and Back |
| Lift/launch system | Chain-lift |
| Height | 85 ft (26 m) |
| Length | 1,950 ft (590 m) |
| Speed | 50 mph (80 km/h) |
| Inversions | 3 |
| Capacity | 1300 riders per hour |
| G-force | 3.5 |
| Height restriction | 48 in (122 cm) |
| Trains | 2 trains with 6 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 24 riders per train. |
 Fast Lane available |
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| Corkscrew at RCDB | |
The Corkscrew is an exciting roller coaster located at Valleyfair amusement park. You can find it in Shakopee, Minnesota. This ride is famous for its three upside-down sections: one vertical loop and two corkscrews.
Built in 1980, Corkscrew was designed to be similar to another roller coaster called Corkscrew at Cedar Point park. It was one of the first roller coasters ever to have both a double corkscrew and a vertical loop. The Corkscrew at Valleyfair has a special ending section called a helix. It also doesn't have a camelback hill before its loop, which is different from its sister coaster.
For many years, Corkscrew was the only outdoor all-steel roller coaster in Minnesota. This changed when the hypercoaster Wild Thing opened in 1996. Today, Corkscrew is still the only roller coaster at Valleyfair that takes you upside down. When it first opened in 1980, the track was blue. In 2011, it was repainted orange and yellow.
Riding the Corkscrew
Let's imagine you're on the Corkscrew! After leaving the station, your train turns right in a big half-circle. Then, it starts climbing the lift hill, taking you 85 feet (about 26 meters) into the air.
Once you reach the top, the ride drops straight down into a thrilling vertical loop. This loop turns you completely upside down! After the loop, you go over a small hill. Next, the track rises and turns right on a banked curve. This leads you into the double-corkscrew part of the ride.
The double-corkscrew twists you around twice, like a corkscrew. After the second corkscrew, you go over another small hill that's banked to the right. Then, the ride goes into an upward helix, which is a spiral shape. Finally, the ride makes a short left turn to line up with the station and slows down using the brakes.
Corkscrew's Sister Ride
The Corkscrew at Valleyfair has an older "sister" coaster at Cedar Point in Ohio. This other Corkscrew is the same height and has the same upside-down parts in the same order. However, the way the track is laid out is a bit different.
At Cedar Point, their Corkscrew drops off the lift hill into a regular hill before going into the loop. Instead of a small hill leading to a banked turn like Valleyfair's, the Cedar Point Corkscrew goes up a tall, flat-topped hill. This hill swoops over the park's midway before leading into its double corkscrews. The Valleyfair version has a smaller hill that comes after the loop, not before it. Also, the Cedar Point Corkscrew does not have the helix ending that the Valleyfair one does.
