SpeedMonster is a launched roller coaster at TusenFryd, a theme park near Oslo, Norway. Built by Swiss manufacturer Intamin and designed by Stengel Engineering, the ride opened on April 23, 2006, and was described at the time as the biggest single investment in the park’s history, costing around 60 million Norwegian kroner (about €7.5 million).
The coaster’s signature feature is the “Norwegian Loop,” billed as the first of its kind: an inversion element that wraps riders around the park’s distinctive entrance escalators. Built partly on a steep rock slope and threading through surrounding trees, SpeedMonster uses TusenFryd’s rugged terrain as part of the ride layout rather than flattening the land for it.
Stats at a Glance
- Park: TusenFryd, Vinterbro, Norway
- Manufacturer: Intamin
- Opened: April 23, 2006
- Height: about 102 ft (31 m)
- Top speed: 55.9 mph (90 km/h)
- Length: about 2,264 ft (690 m)
- Inversions: 3
The Ride Experience
Riders board one of two racing car-themed trains, each holding 12 people, before a hydraulic launch fires the train from 0 to 55.9 mph in just 2.2 seconds. That burst of acceleration generates forces of around 4 G, one of the more intense launches found on a European coaster of its era.
After the launch, the layout heads straight into the Norwegian Loop, then continues through a course that uses the site’s natural rock slope for drops and banked turns. The full ride lasts roughly a minute and covers about 690 meters of track before returning to the station.
Built Into the Landscape
Unlike coasters built on flat, cleared land, SpeedMonster was engineered around TusenFryd’s existing hillside and tree cover, which shaped both its construction cost and its unusual look from the park’s entrance plaza.
Since its debut, the ride has carried sponsorship branding, and it remains one of the park’s headline attractions alongside other coasters at the site.
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SpeedMonster FAQs
Who manufactures SpeedMonster?
SpeedMonster was built by Intamin, the Swiss ride manufacturer, with design work by Stengel Engineering.
How fast does SpeedMonster go?
The coaster launches riders to a top speed of about 55.9 mph (90 km/h), reaching that speed in roughly 2.2 seconds from a standing start.
What is the Norwegian Loop?
It’s the ride’s signature inversion element, described as the first of its kind, which wraps the track around TusenFryd’s entrance escalators.
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Photo: KJetil Bjørnsrud / CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.