Ride 'em Cowboy--New Coaster Coming to Valleyfair in 2007

The Old West comes to Minnesota? You betcha. Valleyfair theme park will be rolling out the new cowboy-themed Renegade wood coaster in 2007. It won't break any records, nor will it feature anything particularly groundbreaking. In fact, apart from the pressure-treated bare wood (as opposed to the white-painted wood on classic coasters), Renegade will be a fairly old-school ride. But it looks like it will have a wild layout with some great features and should be a fun addition to Valleyfair's coaster arsenal.

Renegade Stats

• Type of coaster: Wood
• Height: 104 feet
• First drop: 91 feet
• Top speed: 52 mph
• Track length: 3113 feet
• Ride time: 2:00 minutes

More Renegade Info

• Renegade Preview Photo Gallery
• Renegade Point-of-View Preview Video
• Renegade Off-Ride Preview Video
• Renegade Aerial View Preview Video

Westward Whoa!

The new coaster, to be built by Great Coasters International, will use 24-passenger trains manufactured by Millennium Flyer. The company has been getting rave reviews for its sleek, smooth-riding wood coaster trains, so Renegade riders should be in for a treat. The Old West-themed ride will chug out of the station and climb a 104-foot lift hill. Instead of heading straight down, the first drop will twist sharply in one direction, then the other. That should create some potent lateral G-forces (pushing riders side to side), but will likely place a bit of a damper on acceleration and speed. Valleyfair estimates Renegade will reach a respectable--but not bugs-in-your-teeth--speed of 52 mph.

It will then climb a second hill and deliver a burst of airtime before entering an out-and-back-style turnaround. Borrowing elements from a twister-style coaster, Renegade will next veer into and under its track for a low-to-the-ground S-turn. Renegade will offer some more airtime hills, turn and twist into itself a couple more times, and roar past the queue with a station fly-by before turning back one last time into the station.

Sister park, Ohio's Cedar Point, will debut a new coaster next season, Maverick that will also feature ground-hugging maneuvers (which make relative speeds, with the terrain rushing past, seem faster than elements delivered at higher elevations) as well as an Old-West theme.

To view pictures of Valleyfair's new coaster, go to the Renegade Preview Photo Gallery. Animated preview videos of the ride include an aerial view, a point-of-view perspective, and a mixed-perspective off-ride sequence.