Behemoth (roller coaster)

Behemoth is a steel roller coaster at Canada's Wonderland in Vaughan, Ontario, Canada. It is a Hypercoaster designed and developed by Swiss manufacturer, Bolliger & Mabillard. Behemoth was the tallest and fastest roller coaster in Canada until 2012 when Leviathan, a roller coaster also manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard, was built at the opposite side of Canada's Wonderland, claiming these titles. Behemoth is similar to Diamondback (Kings Island), Goliath (La Ronde) and Nitro (Six Flags Great Adventure).

After a year and a half of preparation and development, Behemoth premiered in May 2008. With its high speeds, tall heights and rapid changes in both direction and elevation, the attraction is one of the most aggressive thrill rides in the park. Behemoth also has a high hourly passenger throughput – making it one of the most efficient rides in the park.

The ride features a prototype seating arrangement to ensure an unobstructed view for every rider – a first for a roller coaster of this type. The Behemoth experience lasts for approximately three minutes and subjects the rider to a maximum speed of 124 km/h achieved in less than 3.9 seconds followed by five air-time hills, a hammerhead turn and two helixes.

History
Behemoth was announced on 27 August 2007. The estimated C$26 million ride represented the single biggest investment in the 27-year history of Canada's Wonderland. When completed, Behemoth became the 15th roller coaster at the park.

After 17.5 months of planning and construction, steel construction of the track and supports was completed on 22 January 2008. The ride was officially opened on 24 April 2008 for Media Day. On Season Pass Preview Night, the ride was open to season pass holders on 25 April 2008. Behemoth opened to the public on 4 May 2008.

For the 2014 season, seat belts were added to the trains.

Characteristics


Height, speed, airtime characterize the Hyper Coaster.

Behemoth is rated a five out of five (double black diamond) according to Wonderland's Attraction Rating System. This rating specifies that the ride will have "high speeds and/or heights, aggressive and unexpected forces and rapid directional or elevation change." Passengers of any age must be 137 cm tall to ride.

Behemoth has a high throughput and will accommodate approximately 1,545 passengers an hour, making it one of the most efficient roller coasters in the park.

Train
"Behemoth's three open-air steel and fiberglass trains feature a prototype v-shaped staggered seating arrangement to ensure an unobstructed view for every rider." This prototype design is a first for Bolliger & Mabillard roller coasters which was later reproduced for Diamondback at Kings Island, Intimidator at Carowinds and Shambhala: Expedición al Himalaya at PortAventura. The trains are named Red Train, Orange Train, and Yellow Train, after their coloured fronts. Each of the trains comprise eight cars, seating four guests each for a total capacity of 32. Each passenger is seated in a bucket seat restrained by a lapbar harness; and a seatbelt. Some persons over a certain weight/waist size cannot be accommodated by this arrangement.

Track
The steel track is 1620.9 m in length and the height of the lift is approximately 70 m. The angle of the first descent is approximately 75 degrees. The track includes trim brakes and magnetic brakes for smoothness.

Station
A two-story sheltered station house contains the ride loading and unloading area. The ground floor of the station contains the maintenance area for the trains, equipped with Radiant Heaters.

At the boarding area, the station features three colour-coded cabinets for loose belongings – one designated for each of the three trains. The operator's booth is also located on this platform.

Gift shop
Unlike most of the park's other attractions, Behemoth has its own gift shop at the exit. The shop sells ride memorabilia and displays the photos taken during the ride.

Experience


The ride features a prototype seating arrangement to ensure an unobstructed view for every rider – a first for a roller coaster of this type. The Behemoth experience lasts for approximately three minutes and subjects the rider to a maximum speed of 124 km/h achieved in less than 3.9 seconds followed by five air-time hills, a hammerhead turn and two helixes.

First drop
After departing the station, the train turns right and begins to slowly climb the lift hill through the use of a chain lift, taking riders to the coaster's maximum height of 70 m. From the top, a passenger can clearly see the iconic CN Tower to the left and overlook the entire park to the right. The train drops from its peak at a 75-degree angle and reaches a maximum speed of 125 km/h in 3.9 seconds.

Air-time hills
At the base of the first drop, the train banks a few degrees to the right and climbs the first air-time hill and descends. Following this, the train climbs up to a hairpin 180-degree hammerhead turn to the left. The train descends from the height of the turn to travel up and over three more air-time hills. After the hills, the train climbs up a steep slope into the mid-course brake run.

Helix pair
After the momentary reduction in speed, the train turns to the right and descends into a downward 540-degree helix. Immediately following the first helix, the train climbs into an upward 270-degree helix to the left. Following the climb is a small descent and a final hill. The train climbs up from the final hill into the terminal brake run.



Disembarkment
The train waits at the terminal brake run until it is cleared for return by the station. The train proceeds forward and turns 180-degrees to the left to return to the station.

Reception
Behemoth is one of the most popular attractions at Canada's Wonderland and it has enjoyed a great deal of success since its establishment. The ride appeals to a wide demographic with park staff noting that both young children and senior citizens line up for the attraction.

"With the addition of Behemoth, we wanted to compliment our already impressive line-up of more than 200 rides, shows and attractions with a world class roller coaster that will showcase Wonderland as one of the premier amusement parks in our industry."

- Raffi Kaprelyan, Vice President and General Manager, Canada’s Wonderland

Awards
The Golden Ticket Awards is an annual set of awards given out by Amusement Today, a newspaper published for the amusement industry. The rankings are selected by an international poll conducted by the newspaper. When Behemoth debuted in 2008, it ranked third as the Best New Ride of the year.