Prowler Coaster to Roam Around Worlds of Fun in 2009

Preview of Prowler, the Roller Coaster Debuting at Worlds of Fun in 2009

Two years ago, Worlds of Fun celebrated mom, apple pie, and thrills with its all-American inverted coaster, Patriot. For 2009, the Kansas, City, Missouri amusement park looks to something more sinister to inspire its new wooden coaster. Tell mom she'd better hide the apple pies and lock the doors; there'll be a Prowler on the loose.

Prowler Stats

• Type of ride: Wooden Out-and-Back Terrain Coaster
• First drop: 85 feet
• Top speed: 51 mph
• Track length: 3074 feet
• Ride time: 2:30 minutes

More Prowler Info

• Prowler Preview Photo Gallery
• Prowler Preview Videos
• Prowler Onboard Point-of-View Video
• Prowler Photos

Prowling through the Woods

Prowler will be the seventh roller coaster at Worlds of Fun and will be slightly smaller and slower than its other wooden thrill machine, Timber Wolf. It may feel a lot faster, however, because Prowler will be built into a ravine and fly past trees as it hugs the ground.

More traditional woodies like Timber Wolf feature a mass of lumber rising into the air. Prowler's lift hill will rise high above the tree line, but then disappear as its cars take a spiraling 85-foot drop into the woods of the park's Africa section. Although it won't have much of a wooden structure, riders will nonetheless experience a 102-foot elevation change as the terrain coaster follows the topography of the ravine.

Unlike a cyclone or twister coaster, which is generally built on a compact footprint and twists and turns into itself, Prowler will follow an out-and-back layout. Nestled in a dense canopy of trees, riders won't know what's coming next. In addition to its 85-foot first drop, Prowler will offer some highly banked turns, including an S-curve and some bunny hiils. The latter should deliver some nice bursts of airtime, that free-floating, out-of-your-seat sensation that coaster lovers crave.

According to Worlds of Fun, Prowler will cost a $8 million and will be built by Great Coasters International. Among a number of well-regarded coasters, the Pennsylvania-based manufacturer built Thunderhead at Dollywood, which has been garnering tremendous reviews. In 2007, Great Coasters International also was responsible for Renegade at Valleyfair, another fan favorite. Prowler will use sleek-looking metallic green, copper, and blue Millennium Flyer-model trains. The ride is scheduled to open when the park opens for its 2009 season in the spring.