Medusa Steel Coaster is a steel hybrid roller coaster at Six Flags México in Mexico City, built by Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC) and designed by Alan Schilke. It opened on June 14, 2014, reaching speeds of about 58 mph while sending riders through three inversions across roughly 3,000 feet of track.
The ride holds a notable distinction in coaster history: it was the first RMC coaster ever built outside the United States, and its signature barrel-roll first drop was the first of its kind for the manufacturer. Riders board two 24-passenger RMC trains held in place only by lap bars, a hallmark of the I-Box track that allows for smoother, more aggressive maneuvers than traditional steel coasters.
Stats at a Glance
- Park: Six Flags México, Mexico City, Mexico
- Manufacturer: Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC), I-Box track
- Opened: June 14, 2014
- Height: about 98 ft (30 m)
- Top speed: 58 mph (93 km/h)
- Length: about 3,000 ft (910 m)
- Inversions: 3
The Ride Experience
After the lift hill, Medusa Steel Coaster launches into RMC’s first-ever barrel-roll drop, twisting riders upside down before they’ve even finished falling. From there the layout weaves through the compact footprint of the original wooden structure, adding two zero-g rolls that combine airtime with inversion in RMC’s signature style.
The whole circuit covers about 3,000 feet in under two minutes, with the I-Box steel track allowing tighter transitions and smoother forces than the wooden coaster it replaced ever could deliver. Each of the two trains has six cars, with two rows of two riders per car for 24 passengers total, restrained only by lap bars, keeping the ride’s forces on full, unobstructed display.
From Wood to Steel: A Coaster Reborn
Before it became Medusa Steel Coaster, the ride existed as a traditional wooden coaster named Medusa, built by Custom Coasters International and opened on June 2, 2000. That original layout stood about 105 feet tall, topped out near 55 mph, and had no inversions.
By 2013 the wooden structure was aging, and Six Flags México closed it on August 13 of that year for a top-to-bottom conversion. RMC stripped the wooden track and replaced it with its steel I-Box system, reusing the original support structure but redesigning the layout to add three inversions. The rebuilt coaster reopened in 2014 under its new name, part of the same wood-to-steel conversion trend RMC pioneered at parks across the U.S.
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Medusa Steel Coaster FAQs
Is Medusa Steel Coaster a wooden or steel coaster?
It’s a hybrid: the ride keeps the footprint and much of the support structure of the original wooden coaster, but runs on Rocky Mountain Construction’s steel I-Box track after a 2014 conversion.
How many inversions does Medusa Steel Coaster have?
Three, starting with RMC’s first-ever barrel-roll drop and followed by two zero-g rolls.
What was Medusa Steel Coaster called before the conversion?
It operated as the wooden coaster “Medusa,” built by Custom Coasters International, from June 2000 until its closure in August 2013.
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Photo: Martin Lewison from Forest Hills, NY, U.S.A. / CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.