Cannibal is a

steel roller coaster A steel roller coaster is a roller coaster that is defined by having a track made of steel. Steel coasters have earned immense popularity in the past 50 years throughout the world. Incorporating tubular steel track and polyurethane-coated whee ...

located at

Lagoon amusement park Lagoon is a privately owned amusement park in Farmington, Utah, United States, located about 18 miles north of Salt Lake City. It has ten roller coasters, five of which are unique; '' Colossus the Fire Dragon'', the last Schwarzkopf Double Lo ...

Farmington, Utah Farmington is a city in Davis County, Utah, United States. The population was 24,531 at the 2020 census. The Lagoon Amusement Park and Station Park transit-oriented retail center (which includes a FrontRunner train station) are located in Farmi ...

. It opened with the tallest beyond-vertical drop in the world on July 2, 2015, and its drop angle of 116 degrees was the steepest in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

for a brief time. A large portion of the $22-million ride was built and designed in-house, a rare move for an amusement park. Since its debut, Cannibal has also consistently ranked in the top 50 among steel roller coasters worldwide in the annual

Golden Ticket Awards ''Amusement Today'' is a monthly periodical that features articles, news, pictures and reviews about all things relating to the amusement park industry, including parks, rides, and ride manufacturers. The trade newspaper, which is based in Arli ...

publication from ''

Amusement Today ''Amusement Today'' is a monthly periodical that features articles, news, pictures and reviews about all things relating to the amusement park industry, including parks, rides, and ride manufacturers. The trade newspaper, which is based in Arli ...

''.

History

Nearly 75% of Cannibal was designed, engineered, and manufactured in-house by Lagoon amusement park with the help of multiple firms located in Utah. The lead designer was Lagoon's Dal Freeman. In an era when most amusement parks outsource the work to a select few established roller coaster manufacturers, the decision to build in-house is rare in the industry. The roller coaster features a enclosed elevator lift, a beyond-vertical drop of 116 degrees, a themed underground tunnel, and a 360-degree helix situated above a man-made waterfall. It also features four inversions that include a Immelman loop, a dive loop, and a unique inversion the park calls the "Lagoon roll," which consists of a counter-clockwise

heartline roll Roller coaster elements are the individual parts of roller coaster design and operation, such as a track, hill, loop, or turn. Variations in normal track movement that add thrill or excitement to the ride are often called "thrill elements". Com ...

immediately followed by a clockwise heartline roll. The trains, which use only lap bar restraints, travel up to and pull as much as 4.2

G's The gravitational force equivalent, or, more commonly, g-force, is a measurement of the type of force per unit mass – typically acceleration – that causes a perception of weight, with a g-force of 1 g (not gram in mass measure ...

. The ride had been in the planning stages for more than five years and required more than two years to construct. Prior to its planned opening in the spring of 2015, Lagoon announced that the roller coaster's debut would be postponed for additional testing and inspections. The ride officially opened on July 2, 2015. At the time of opening, Cannibal set a world record for having the tallest beyond-vertical drop among roller coasters, and became the steepest in the United States. Its drop angle record in the US was surpassed by

TMNT Shellraiser The TMNT Shellraiser is a steel indoor roller coaster at Nickelodeon Universe amusement park, within the American Dream Meadowlands shopping and entertainment complex, at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, East Ruther ...

, which opened at

Nickelodeon Universe Nickelodeon Universe is the name of two indoor amusement parks located at Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota and American Dream in East Rutherford, New Jersey, with a third location under construction at the Mall of China in Chongqing ...

in 2019.

Ride experience

The roller coaster features a elevator lift, enclosed in a huge tower structure; a 116° beyond vertical drop; inversions, including an Immelman-like loop, as well as an inversion unique to the park consisting of two consecutive heart line rolls (commonly referred to as a "Lagoon Roll") in opposite directions; a water feature; and a tunnel underground. It is the tallest roller coaster in the state and the longest ride in the park. The ride cars accommodate 12 passengers (3 rows of 4), and the duration of the ride lasts approximately two and a half minutes.

Reception

The ride appeared in ''

's''

for the first time in 2016, ranking 42nd among steel roller coasters.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Lagoon (amusement park) Roller coasters introduced in 2015 2015 establishments in Utah