Photo: Kings Dominion
With a whirlwind of fanfare, local connections and a holly jolly visitor, Kings Dominion presented details on its exciting new roller coaster and ride for 2018. Fans of thrills and seasonal events will have a lot to look forward to in the KD 2018 season.
Roller coaster fans have been speculating for months about what the park is doing with the current Hurler roller coaster, which has been closed all season and is slowing being taken apart and “re-done.” All speculations were verified, or put to rest, with the park’s announcement on August 16, which just so happened to be National Roller Coaster Day.
Twisted Timbers
Scheduled to open in spring of 2018, Twisted Timbers is an innovative wood and steel hybrid coaster featuring twisting barrel roll drops, intense inversions and gravity-defying weightlessness. The latest technology combines wood supports with a steel track to give riders the exhilarating experience of maneuvers not normally possible with traditional wooden coasters.
Twister Timbers features and facts
- 109 foot tall barrel roll drop
- Three loops
- Three overbanked turns
- 20 airtime moments
- Top speeds of 54 mph
- 3351 feet of track
- Manufactured by Rocky Mountain Construction
Twisted Timbers will be located in Candy Apple Grove in the current Hurler location. The ride’s theme is an abandoned apple orchard on the edge of town. As the story goes, an unknown force – either natural or supernatural – destroyed the harvest years ago and froze the orchard in time. This previously off-limits site has just reopened for tours, and the twisted ride is its highlight. The orchard and farm theming pays homage to the Doswell park’s Hanover County location.
Per the press release …
“2018 is going to be an amazing year for our guests,” said Cary Chadwick, vice president and general manager of Kings Dominion. “Twisted Timbers raises the bar for Kings Dominion’s high thrill level, and adrenaline junkies everywhere will crave expiring its astonishing twists and revolutions over and over again. This, added to the immersive Winterfest seasonal event, will let our guests experience the park in an entirely different way, creating new family traditions. These investments demonstrate our continued commitment to position Kings Dominion as a dynamic world class destination.”
Photo: Kings Dominion
WinterFest 2018
Speaking of Winterfest, here is the scoop on that. WinterFest is an immersive holiday experience where the park gets all gussied up in its most sparkling and glittering winter décor. Kings Dominion’s sister parks in Ohio and North Carolina, Kings Island and Carowinds, have been celebrating WinterFest for a couple of years.
Kings Dominion will become transformed into a wintry wonderland complete with themed areas, lots of Christmas trees, millions of lights, food, crafts, entertainment and even ice-skating. A nightly tree lighting ceremony will kick off each evening’s activities.
The park’s fountain on International Street will become Snowflake Laker, an area where guests can ice skate beneath the Eiffel Tower. The tower itself will be converted into a 300-foot tall Christmas tree with a light show and show falling over the midway.
Check out the Media Day announcement and presentation for Twisted Timbers and WinterFest.
WinterFest admission is included in the purchase of a 2018 Gold Season Pass, which is available now, as well as the free Kings Dominion Pre-K Pass for children between ages three and five.
Visit kingsdominion.com for more information or to purchase tickets and season passes. Follow Kings Dominion or Instagram or Facebook for news and updates.
