Steel Venom is an inverted
launched roller coaster
The launched roller coaster is a modern form of roller coaster. A launched coaster initiates a ride with high amounts of acceleration via one or a series of linear induction motors (LIM), linear synchronous motors (LSM), catapults, tires, chains ...
located at
Valleyfair
Valleyfair is a amusement park in Shakopee, Minnesota, United States. Owned by Cedar Fair, the park opened in 1976 and now features over 75 rides and attractions including eight roller coasters. Valleyfair also has a water park called Soak Cit ...
amusement park in
Shakopee, Minnesota
Shakopee ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Scott County, Minnesota, United States. It is located southwest of Minneapolis. Sited on the south bank bend of the Minnesota River, Shakopee and nearby suburbs comprise the southwest portion of ...
, United States. The
Impulse Coaster model from
Intamin
Intamin Amusement Rides is a design and manufacturing company in Schaan, Liechtenstein. It is best known for creating thrill rides and roller coasters worldwide. The Intamin brand name is a syllabic abbreviation for "international amusement ins ...
, which opened in 2003, reaches a height of and a maximum speed of .
History
Valleyfair unveiled Steel Venom in September 2002, a new roller coaster for the 2003 season manufactured by
Intamin
Intamin Amusement Rides is a design and manufacturing company in Schaan, Liechtenstein. It is best known for creating thrill rides and roller coasters worldwide. The Intamin brand name is a syllabic abbreviation for "international amusement ins ...
. It is an
Impulse Coaster model, compact by design, and Valleyfair's first inverted
launch coaster. Steel Venom opened to the public on May 17, 2003.
Ride description
![Steel Venom VF Spike](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e8/Steel_Venom_VF_Spike.jpg)
The coaster's single seven-car (28-passenger) train runs along a 200 m (656 ft) U-shaped track, incorporating two vertical spikes. The forward spike incorporates a twisted spiral, and the rearward spike provides a straight freefall. The 20 m (65 ft) train, propelled by
linear induction motors
A linear induction motor (LIM) is an alternating current (AC), asynchronous linear motor that works by the same general principles as other induction motors but is typically designed to directly produce motion in a straight line. Characteristica ...
(LIMs,) is accelerated in less than four seconds to toward the forward tower before dropping back down through the station house and up the rearward tower. A holding brake is incorporated on the rear straight tower and is able to suspend the train momentarily (usually on the final ascent during each ride) before dropping it back down to the station house.
References
External links
Official page
Roller coasters operated by Cedar Fair
Roller coasters in Minnesota
Valleyfair
{{Amusement-ride-stub