Vertigo (Cedar Point)
Encyclopedia
Vertigo was a thrill ride at Cedar Point Amusement Park
in Sandusky
, Ohio
. It opened in August 2001, and was open for only four months. The ride was designed by S&S Power
.
Riders of Vertigo would first be strapped into a triangular
car. Two people could sit on each side of the triangle, letting six people to ride at one time. The restraints were designed to make you feel very insecure, and had few places to hold on. The car would rise a few feet off the ground, and then pneumatic air pressure would rocket the riders up at 50 miles/hour, over the three 265-foot-tall towers, almost 300 feet (91.4 m) in the air.
During the descent, depending on which seat rotation mode you chose, the seats would rotate, causing the riders to face the ground until the ride reached the bottom, and went back up again. On this descent, the riders would be turned completely upside-down. All riders paid a fee of $10 to ride, and reservations were recommended.
is closed in the winter.
Cedar Point
Cedar Point is a 364 acre amusement park located in Sandusky, Ohio, United States on a narrow peninsula jutting into Lake Erie. Cedar Point is the only amusement park with four roller coasters that are taller than...
in Sandusky
Sandusky, Ohio
Sandusky is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Erie County. It is located in northern Ohio and is situated on the shores of Lake Erie, almost exactly half-way between Toledo to the west and Cleveland to the east....
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. It opened in August 2001, and was open for only four months. The ride was designed by S&S Power
S&S Power
S&S Worldwide is a company known for its pneumatically powered amusement rides and roller coaster designing.-History:S&S Worldwide was founded by Stan Checketts as S&S Sports, Inc. S&S Sports manufactures bungee jumping and trampoline equipment. S&S Sports was sold in 1996...
.
The Ride
The ride structure consisted of three 265 feet (80.8 m) placed in a triangular arrangement. Several high-strength cables ran down from the top of the tower and attached to the ride vehicle, which would sit on the ground when not operating. The three towers were able to sway up to 8 feet (2.4 m) in high winds, or when the cables were stretched during ride operation.Riders of Vertigo would first be strapped into a triangular
Triangle
A triangle is one of the basic shapes of geometry: a polygon with three corners or vertices and three sides or edges which are line segments. A triangle with vertices A, B, and C is denoted ....
car. Two people could sit on each side of the triangle, letting six people to ride at one time. The restraints were designed to make you feel very insecure, and had few places to hold on. The car would rise a few feet off the ground, and then pneumatic air pressure would rocket the riders up at 50 miles/hour, over the three 265-foot-tall towers, almost 300 feet (91.4 m) in the air.
During the descent, depending on which seat rotation mode you chose, the seats would rotate, causing the riders to face the ground until the ride reached the bottom, and went back up again. On this descent, the riders would be turned completely upside-down. All riders paid a fee of $10 to ride, and reservations were recommended.
Incident
As a part of Cedar Point's preventative maintenance program, the Vertigo vehicle was removed from the ride and stored. However, the vehicle was an important stabilizer of the towers. Due to the loss of stability, the towers were allowed to sway beyond the 8 feet (2.4 m) that they would normally be allowed to sway. In January 2002, one of the 265-foot-tall towers collapsed, approximately 60 feet (18.3 m) above the ground. The tower caused minimal damage, and nobody was injured. The ride was not operating at the time, as Cedar PointCedar Point
Cedar Point is a 364 acre amusement park located in Sandusky, Ohio, United States on a narrow peninsula jutting into Lake Erie. Cedar Point is the only amusement park with four roller coasters that are taller than...
is closed in the winter.