Son of Beast was a towering wooden roller coaster at Kings Island in Mason, Ohio, that opened on April 28, 2000, as the tallest and fastest wooden coaster in the world. Built by the Roller Coaster Corporation of America with track design by Werner Stengel’s engineering firm, it stood 218 feet tall and became the first coaster of its era to earn the label ‘wooden hypercoaster,’ a height class reserved for rides topping 200 feet.
For its first several seasons, Son of Beast was also notable as the first modern wooden coaster to include a vertical loop, a rare feat for a wood-track ride. That distinction, along with its steep drop and high speed, made it one of the most talked-about coasters in the country before structural and safety concerns ultimately led to its permanent closure and removal.
Stats at a Glance
- Park: Kings Island, Mason, Ohio
- Manufacturer: Roller Coaster Corporation of America
- Opened: April 28, 2000
- Closed: 2009 (dismantled 2012)
- Height: 218 feet
- Top speed: about 78 mph
- Length: about 7,032 feet
- Inversions: 1 loop (2000–2006), removed 2007
The Ride Experience
Riders climbed a 218-foot lift hill before plunging down a 214-foot drop, reaching speeds of around 78 mph, remarkable numbers for an all-wood structure. The nearly 7,032-foot layout gave the ride a run time of about two and a half minutes, packing in the aggressive airtime and rough, powerful pacing that wooden hypercoasters were known for.
From 2000 through 2006, the ride’s signature feature was a 118-foot vertical loop, an engineering rarity for a wooden coaster. The loop was removed after the 2006 season following a structural incident, and the ride continued operating as a non-inverting wooden coaster for its final seasons.
Closure and Demolition
In July 2006, a structural failure in the ride’s track caused a rough jolt that sent more than two dozen riders to area hospitals, prompting the loop’s removal the following off-season. A separate injury claim in 2009 led Kings Island to shut the coaster down for the remainder of that year, and it never reopened despite inspections finding no mechanical irregularities.
After sitting idle for three years, Kings Island announced in July 2012 that Son of Beast would be permanently removed. Demolition began later that year, clearing the way for the steel coaster Banshee, which opened on the site in 2014.
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Son of Beast FAQs
Is Son of Beast still open at Kings Island?
No. Son of Beast last operated in 2009 and was permanently closed and dismantled starting in 2012.
Why did Son of Beast close?
The coaster was shut down in 2009 following an injury claim, and after remaining idle for three years, Kings Island opted to remove it rather than reopen it.
What replaced Son of Beast at Kings Island?
The steel roller coaster Banshee was built on the former Son of Beast site and opened at Kings Island in 2014.
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Photo: Chris Hagerman / CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.