Goliath (La Ronde) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Goliath
Most of Goliath's layout
La Ronde
Location	La Ronde
Coordinates	45°31′40″N 73°32′11″W / 45.527812°N 73.536299°W / 45.527812; -73.536299
Status	Open
Opening date	May 13, 2006; 19 years ago (May 13, 2006)
Cost	$18,700,000
General statistics
Type	Steel
Manufacturer	Bolliger & Mabillard
Model	Hyper Coaster
Track layout	Out and back
Lift/launch system	Chain lift hill
Height	174.8 ft (53.3 m)
Drop	170.6 ft (52.0 m)
Length	4,038.8 ft (1,231.0 m)
Speed	68.4 mph (110.1 km/h)
Inversions	0
Duration	3:00
Max vertical angle	70°
Height restriction	54 in (137 cm)
Trains	2 trains with 9 cars. Riders are arranged 4 across in a single row for a total of 36 riders per train.
Flash Pass Available
Goliath at RCDB

Goliath is a huge steel roller coaster found at La Ronde amusement park. La Ronde is located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. This exciting ride was designed by a company called Bolliger & Mabillard.

Goliath is super tall, reaching about 175 feet (53 meters) high. It also goes very fast, up to 68 miles per hour (110 km/h)! The track is over 4,000 feet (1,200 meters) long. Building Goliath started in September 2005, and it opened to riders on May 13, 2006.

When it first opened, Goliath was the tallest and fastest roller coaster in all of Canada. But in 2008, another roller coaster called Behemoth opened at Canada's Wonderland. Behemoth was also made by Bolliger & Mabillard, and it took Goliath's records. For a short time in 2016, Goliath even offered a special Virtual Reality (VR) experience, which was a new idea for roller coasters.

History of Goliath

People started guessing that La Ronde would build a new roller coaster in 2004. By September 2005, rumors spread that it would be built by Bolliger & Mabillard. Construction for Goliath began that same month. Workers started clearing the land and pouring the foundations.

On October 26, 2005, La Ronde officially announced the new roller coaster, Goliath. It cost about $18.7 million Canadian dollars to build. The tallest part of the ride, the lift hill, was finished by December 21. The first big drop was ready by mid-January 2006.

The rest of the track, including all the hills and turns, was put in place by the end of March 2006. The roller coaster trains also arrived around that time. After the trains were put on the track in April, they started testing the ride. Once everything was safe and ready, Goliath opened to the public on May 13, 2006.

As mentioned, when Goliath first opened, it held the records for being the tallest and fastest roller coaster in Canada. However, these records were broken two years later. This happened when the Behemoth roller coaster opened at Canada's Wonderland in 2008.

Your Ride on Goliath

When you get on Goliath, your train leaves the station and immediately starts climbing. You'll go up the huge 175-foot (53-meter) tall lift hill. Once you reach the very top, get ready!

The train then drops down 171 feet (52 meters) at a steep 70-degree angle. After this thrilling drop, the train makes a banked right turn. This leads into the first of three big "camelback" hills. These hills give you a feeling of floating out of your seat! Each camelback hill is a bit smaller than the last.

After the third camelback hill, the train enters a big left turn that's 75 feet (23 meters) high. This turn makes the train face the opposite way it came from. Then, you drop back down towards the ground. You'll go over three more camelback hills, each one getting smaller.

Next, the train makes an upward right turn, followed quickly by a downward left turn. After another left turn, the train goes up a small bump. Finally, it enters the brake run, where the ride slows down. The train then makes a 180-degree right turn to bring you back to the station. One complete ride on Goliath lasts about three minutes.

About Goliath's Design

The Track

The track for Goliath is made of steel and is about 4,039 feet (1,231 meters) long. The lift hill, which pulls the train to the top, is 175 feet (53 meters) high. The roller coaster is built on 150 foundations and uses 106 supports.

Goliath does not have any inversions, meaning it doesn't go upside down. But it does have seven exciting camelback hills! The track itself is painted bright red with yellow rails. The tall supports that hold up the track are painted blue. The track parts were made by Clermont Steel Fabricators in Ohio.

Even though Goliath is called a "B&M Hyper Coaster" (which is the model name), it's not technically a true Hypercoaster. A Hypercoaster is usually any roller coaster that is taller than 200 feet (61 meters). Since Goliath is about 175 feet (53 meters) tall, it's just a bit too short to be called a Hypercoaster by that definition.

The Trains

Goliath uses two trains, which are made of steel and fiberglass. Each train has nine cars. Four riders can sit in a single row in each car. This means a total of 36 people can ride on one train at a time. Each seat has its own special lap-bar restraint to keep you safe. The trains are colored yellow, red, and blue. The seats are blue, and the restraints are yellow.

Awards and Recognition

In the year Goliath opened, 2006, it was voted the 37th best steel roller coaster. This was in the Amusement Today magazine's Golden Ticket Awards. These awards are like the "Oscars" for amusement parks and rides.

Goliath's highest ranking in these awards was in 2011, when it reached position 23. It has consistently been ranked among the top steel roller coasters over the years.