Valravn to Premiere at Cedar Point

By: Aaron Yerian & Nathan Zangmeister

Thrill seekers have a new attraction to strap into at the roller coaster capital of the world this season.

In Danish folklore, the Valravn is heralded as a supernatural being who feasts on the bodies of the vanquished, but that’s just the inspiration behind the new ride at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio.

"Valravn is a dive coaster, so it’s all about this drop, and we take people over the edge and we hold them there and they freeze and they look straight down a 90 degree drop; 214 feet is what we’re going to drop through there," said Rob Decker, Senior Vice President of Planning and Design. "When you’re going 90 and you’re dropping like that everything inside of you kind of gets rearranged it’s a really weird sensation."

If that’s still not enough to get your pulse pounding… "There’s a moment on the ride called a 270 degree Zero G-Roll, and you come up through this movement and you’re suspended out of your seat. It’s weightless and it extends further and further," Decker said.

Designing a record breaker isn’t as simple as you may think, as it took three years of planning and another eight months to build Cedar Point’s 18th roller coaster.

Speaking of record breaking, Valravn holds 10 world records for tallest, fastest, and longest dive coaster.

If you want to experience Valravn’s glory from the front seat, it’s best to get there early.

"The best way to be here earlier than anyone is stay on property with us or have a platinum pass because you get in an hour early before the general public," said Kristy Bacni, Cedar Point Communication’s Manager.  "So, you have an hour to ride Valravn, record-breaking millennium force as many times as you like before 10 o’clock when everyone else can come in."

Valravn debuts at Cedar Point of May 7.