Wicked Twister

Defunct roller coaster

Wicked Twister was an inverted roller coaster located at Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio, United States. Designed by Werner Stengel, it was a second generation, double twisting Impulse model manufactured by Intamin. Wicked Twister opened as the tallest and fastest inverted coaster in the world on May 5, 2002. It was retired by the park on September 6, 2021, closed on September 7, and gave over 16 million rides during its lifetime.

Construction on Wicked Twister began on October 15, 2001, shortly after Stadium Games, formerly known as the Aquarium, was razed. The new coaster was officially announced the following month, and its media day was held on May 2, 2002. Wicked Twister actually opened as the tallest and fastest inverted coaster in the world on May 5, 2002. It held both records until the opening of Legendary Twin Dragon at Chongqing Sunac Land in China in 2021. Additional supports were added to the ride's structure for the 2003 season. In May 2021, park official Tony Clark implied in a series of tweets that Wicked Twister was going to be retired. This was confirmed on August 6, 2021, when Cedar Point officially announced the closure of Wicked Twister, scheduled for September 6, 2021. The ride then closed September 7, and on its last day of operation, park employees handed out "last launch" buttons to riders, sold limited edition commemorative t shirts, and gave away 16 "golden tickets" granting winners a spot on the last public train. Wicked Twister had accumulated over 16 million rides in 20 seasons of operation. On November 3, 2021, Cedar Point announced that Wicked Twister would be demolished. Demolition and removal was completed on February 8, 2022. After the closure of Wicked Twister, Cedar Point lost the record for most rollercoasters at any amusement park in the Cedar Fair chain to sister park Canada's Wonderland in Vaughan, Ontario.

Wicked Twister consisted of two 215 feet (66 m) tall spikes. Both ends of the track were designed with 450 degree vertical twists, referred to as the front and rear towers, which differentiated Wicked Twister from other Impulse Coaster models from Intamin. The loading platform and linear induction motor (LIM) propulsion system sat between the two towers along a horizontal track section. The ride was built directly on Cedar Point Beach, and its entrance plaza was located in the former Aquarium location. The track was painted yellow with teal supports.