Banshee at Kings Island in Mason, Ohio, is the longest inverted roller coaster in the world — 4,124 feet of ski-lift-style track where the trains hang beneath the rails and riders’ legs dangle free. Built by Bolliger & Mabillard and opened on April 18, 2014, it screams through seven inversions at up to 68 mph.
At $24 million, Banshee was the most expensive project in Kings Island’s history when it was announced, and it earned its keep fast: more than one million riders in under three months. Its seven-inversion count also ties Montu at Busch Gardens Tampa for the most on any inverted coaster, placing it on our list of the roller coasters with the most inversions in the world.
Key Stats
| Height | 167 ft (51 m) |
| Drop | 150 ft (46 m) |
| Speed | 68 mph (109 km/h) |
| Length | 4,124 ft (1,257 m) — world’s longest inverted coaster |
| Inversions | 7 |
| Duration | 2:40 |
| Capacity | 1,650 riders per hour |
| Manufacturer | Bolliger & Mabillard |
| Model | Inverted Coaster |
| Cost | $24 million |
| Opened | April 18, 2014 |
A Record-Holding Layout
Banshee’s seven inversions read like a B&M greatest-hits album: two vertical loops, a dive loop, a zero-g roll, a pretzel knot, and an inline twist. The most striking visual is the first vertical loop, which wraps around the lift hill itself — trains climbing to the 167-foot peak watch other trains loop right around them.
The terrain-hugging course drops 150 feet out of the gate and never really lets up, stretching the ride to a generous two minutes and forty seconds. Three trains of eight cars keep the line moving at up to 1,650 riders per hour.
Built on the Grave of Son of Beast
Banshee occupies the former site of Son of Beast, the ill-fated wooden hypercoaster that closed in 2009 and was demolished in 2012. Kings Island embraced the haunted lineage — a Son of Beast memorial headstone sits in Banshee’s queue, and the ride’s wailing-spirit theme fits a coaster named for the Irish omen of death.
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The announcement itself was a slow-burn haunting: through summer 2013 the park teased guests with scarecrows around the construction site, hidden screams near the fences, and owls placed in nearby trees before revealing the world’s longest inverted coaster on August 8, 2013.
How Banshee Stacks Up
More than a decade after opening, Banshee still holds the inverted-coaster length record it claimed in 2014, and it consistently ranks among the top steel coasters in Amusement Today’s Golden Ticket Awards. For inverted-coaster fans it’s a bucket-list ride: the length of a hyper, the inversion count of a looper, and B&M’s signature sure-footed smoothness.
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Visiting tip: Banshee sits in the Action Zone near the front-left of the park, and its three-train operation keeps waits reasonable for a headliner. The back row delivers the wildest whip through the pretzel knot, while the front gives an unobstructed view of the loop wrapping the lift hill.
FAQ
Is Banshee the longest inverted roller coaster in the world?
Yes. At 4,124 feet (1,257 m), Banshee has held the record for the world’s longest inverted coaster since it opened in April 2014.
How many inversions does Banshee have?
Seven: two vertical loops, a dive loop, a zero-g roll, a pretzel knot, and an inline twist — tied with Montu for the most on any inverted coaster.
What was at Banshee’s site before?
Son of Beast, a record-breaking wooden coaster demolished in 2012. A memorial to it stands in Banshee’s queue line.
Photo: Jeremy Thompson via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)