Ultra Twister was 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

Six Flags Great Adventure Six Flags Great Adventure is an amusement park located in Jackson, New Jersey. Owned and operated by Six Flags, the park complex is situated between New York City and Philadelphia and includes a water park named Hurricane Harbor. It first o ...

from 1986 to 1988 and then at

Six Flags AstroWorld Six Flags AstroWorld, also known simply as AstroWorld, was a seasonally operated amusement park in Houston, Texas. Owned and operated by Six Flags, the park was situated between Kirby Drive and Fannin Street, directly south of Interstate 610 (Te ...

from 1990 until that park was closed and demolished by

Six Flags Six Flags Entertainment Corporation is an American amusement park corporation, headquartered in Arlington, Texas. It has properties in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Six Flags owns the most theme parks and waterparks combined of any a ...

in 2005. The

ultratwister The Pipeline Coaster is a roller coaster model where the trains ride between the tracks as opposed to a traditional roller coaster where they ride above them. The concept was first developed by Japanese ride company TOGO, and was known as the Ul ...

-design is that of a

pipeline roller coaster The Pipeline Coaster is a roller coaster model where the trains ride between the tracks as opposed to a traditional roller coaster where they ride above them. The concept was first developed by Japanese ride company TOGO, and was known as the Ul ...

, created by Japanese company

TOGO Togo (), officially the Togolese Republic (french: République togolaise), is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, where its c ...

History

Six Flags Great Adventure (1986-1988)

Ultra Twister was previously located at

under the same name. It was located at Six Flags Great Adventure's "Frontier Adventures" section along a path going from Rolling Thunder down to Runaway Mine Train. Construction of the ride began in November 1985. On June 6, 1986, Ultra Twister opened to the public. Upon its opening, it was the first heartline roll coaster 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 Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

, as well as the coaster with the steepest ascent. There was also a "chicken exit" in the queue for guests who refused to ride. Despite the positive reception and unique ride experience, Ultra Twister was plagued with an assortment of issues during its time at Great Adventure. Reoccurring stress fractures required constant rewelding of the track, which led to frequent downtime. Evacuating passengers from trains that became stuck on the vertical lift hill was a difficult and dangerous task. A small elevator was installed behind it, but it was limited to evacuating one guest at a time. The ride's hourly capacity was also limited, making it unsuitable for long lines. Ultra Twister was disassembled in 1989 and moved to a smaller Six Flags property,

, where the small footprint of the ride would be more advantageous. This was also selected in accordance with Six Flags' ride rotation program, which often shuffles rides from park to park as their novelty wears off. A new roller coaster called Great American Scream Machine opened the same year at Great Adventure, and six years later in 1995, Viper was built in Ultra Twister's former location.

Six Flags AstroWorld (1990-2005)

Ultra Twister reopened under the same name at AstroWorld in 1990. Its lift hill was modified from a 90-degree vertical ascent to an angle of 45 degrees. The coaster was changed from its bluish-white color scheme to green and blue in 2004. The ride continued to operate until AstroWorld closed permanently on October 30, 2005. Subsequently, the coaster was dismantled and brought to

Six Flags America Six Flags America is a theme park located in the Woodmore CDP of Prince George's County, Maryland,

Largo, Maryland Largo, located within greater Upper Marlboro, Maryland, is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 11,605 at the 2020 census. Largo is located just east of the ...

, where it was placed in storage until its removal in 2010.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ultra Twister Six Flags Great Adventure Six Flags AstroWorld Roller coasters operated by Six Flags Roller coasters introduced in 1986 Former roller coasters in Texas Former roller coasters in New Jersey