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Anything new about Son Of Beast's reopening?

Kings Island: Anyone heard anything?

From Noah Meeteer
Posted October 3, 2009 at 3:05 PM
I was just wondering if anybody has heard anything new about Son Of Beast at Kings Island. I really hope to ride it...


Comments in chronological order. Most recent at the bottom. Scroll down to respond.

From Scott Williamson
Posted October 3, 2009 at 3:08 PM
What is Son of Beasts anyways. A ride at Universal or something. Oh wait I just saw the name on the top screen it's some ride at Kings Island (still haven't heard of it).

From Brandon S
Posted October 3, 2009 at 3:12 PM
You've never heard of Son of Beast? Well it's the world's only wooden hyper coaster. It once had a loop, but that was removed after an accident in which people were injured. This year it closed after a woman claimed to have been injured on a ride.

Ok, as for the original question, it is definetly not opening this year. I would think that it would either open next year, or be torn down. Only the park knows for sure.

From Erin B
Posted October 3, 2009 at 3:40 PM
Brandon about covered it. Some testing has been done on the ride recently, but the ride will not reopen this year.
I suspect it'll be done for and torn down in the next year or so, but that's only my opinion and nothing more.

From Andrew Holden
Posted October 3, 2009 at 4:00 PM
From what I hear, it has caused nothing but headaches and injury. I say good riddance!

From Adam Nodjomian
Posted October 3, 2009 at 5:57 PM
I visited Labor Day weekend and the entire site looked dead. No trains running, no employees anywhere near it. It was just sitting there awaiting its fate. I really hoped to ride it, but if they do tear it down, hopefully they'll replace it with something nice. That a rea of the park needs something new, it had a very aged feel to it.

From Derek Potter
Posted October 3, 2009 at 7:24 PM
I will be surprised if it ever reopens.

From Eli Katzman
Posted October 3, 2009 at 7:28 PM
My friend who lives in Cincinnati told me that they closed the ride for good. I have no clue who his sources are.... but yeah, that's all I have to say.

From Rhys Evans
Posted October 3, 2009 at 7:36 PM
I sure liked it a few years ago (when it still had the loop). Just that there's some "good riddance" type stuff in this string, so I thought I should at least post ONE positive comment about SOB...

From Steve Pint
Posted October 4, 2009 at 1:40 PM
I rode it early on in the season this year, I really didn't think it was all that rough or painful as most described it.
If the ride dose get torn down (Which seems very likely with all the injuries it's had) I hope KI will put a good Intamin woody in there, maybe even with a loop. :-)

From Eli Katzman
Posted October 4, 2009 at 2:38 PM
yeah, steve, maybe a HYPER woodie with a loop! ;)

From Noah Meeteer
Posted October 4, 2009 at 4:45 PM
I have actually never ridden it... But I really really want to.

From Derek Potter
Posted October 4, 2009 at 6:25 PM
I liked the ride with the new trains and without the loop. It was a lot more bearable for a taller person to ride, yet still intense. I'll be sad to see it go if it does, because it was running the best it ever had last year.

I don't blame Kings Island if they trash it. It's been nothing but a problem for them since the first footer was poured. There were problems with design and construction, lawsuits with designer and builder, they've retracked it twice and reprofiled it once due to roughness in addition to numerous structure fixes. They had a significant accident due to support problems, had to buy new trains for it, have had it closed more than open for the past 4 years, and most recently had another rider injury. That's a lot of headache and a lot of money for a ride that's less than 10 years old.

From Brandon S
Posted October 5, 2009 at 12:34 PM
I don't think Son of Beast was bad, in fact Mean Streak up here at Cedar Point is a lot worse.

From Beth Olliges
Posted October 5, 2009 at 7:42 PM
SOB gave me an instant headache the one and only time I ever rode it (with the loop, too). But Holiday World's Voyage did the same thing to me, and I don't see anyone talking about tearing that one down. (Personally, if I could tear down any coaster at Kings Island, it would be Vortex -- that thing always batters me practically black & blue!)

From Noah Meeteer
Posted November 1, 2009 at 5:10 PM
Any new info about Son of Beast?

From Eli Katzman
Posted November 1, 2009 at 8:52 PM
Last I heard, they were going to reopen it, but don't take my info into much consideration...

From Erin B
Posted November 2, 2009 at 6:42 AM
Where did that come from Eli? Last I heard it's closed for the season & nothing further has been decided. On top of that, the trains are sitting on gravel under the ride. I'm not saying that really means anything, but just throwing that out there too.

From Eli Katzman
Posted November 2, 2009 at 8:31 AM
Erin, almost all trains on coasters at amusement parks (Cedar fair, that I know of at least) are taken off the track during the offseason. I don't really know why.

As for SoB, whenever my friend in Cinci sees something about Kings Island on the news, he tells me. :D

From Erin B
Posted November 2, 2009 at 7:34 PM
I realize they're removed from the track, but they're usually put on something [pallets, or something] but last I heard the SOB trains were on gravel.
I'm not saying that means anything one way or the other, but I think it's worth noting that they're not being stored as usual.

From steve lee
Posted November 2, 2009 at 8:42 PM
Considering those trains came from the Myrtle Beach Pavilion's Hurricane coaster, I'd imagine the gravel is a more hospitable environment.

(Hurricane was REALLY bad)

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