Twisted Timbers is a hybrid roller coaster at Kings Dominion in Doswell, Virginia, built by Rocky Mountain Construction using their I-Box steel track technology. It opened on March 24, 2018, standing 111 feet tall across 3,351 feet of track, after RMC transformed the park’s aging wooden Hurler coaster into one of the most dynamic hybrid rides on the East Coast.
Where Hurler was a rough, repetitive out-and-back wooden coaster, Twisted Timbers emerged with 20 distinct airtime moments, 3 inversions—a barrel roll, a cutback, and a zero-g roll—and 3 overbanked turns, all with the silky smoothness RMC’s steel rail is known for. The coaster ranked third among new rides in the 2018 Golden Ticket Awards and quickly cemented itself as a must-ride at Kings Dominion.
Stats at a Glance
- Park: Kings Dominion, Doswell, Virginia
- Manufacturer: Rocky Mountain Construction
- Opened: March 24, 2018
- Height: 111 ft (34 m)
- Drop: 109 ft (33 m)
- Top Speed: 54 mph (87 km/h)
- Length: 3,351 ft (1,021 m)
- Inversions: 3
The Ride Experience
Twisted Timbers crests its chain lift and immediately plunges riders into a 109-foot drop before launching into a relentless sequence of twists, airtime hills, and overbanked turns. The three inversions—a barrel roll near the first drop, a cutback, and a zero-g roll—are woven between 20 moments of ejector and floater airtime, keeping riders weightless far more often than grounded.
At a top speed of 54 mph the pacing never meaningfully lets up across the 3,351-foot layout. The I-Box track delivers a smoothness that stood in sharp contrast to the wooden Hurler it replaced, earning praise from enthusiasts and earning Amusement Today a 38th-place ranking on its 2018 top-50 steel coasters list.
From Hurler to Twisted Timbers
The original Hurler opened at Kings Dominion in 1994 as a near-clone of the Hurler at Carowinds, both designed by International Coasters Inc. By 2015 the ride had grown rough enough that Kings Dominion closed it permanently. Rocky Mountain Construction was contracted to rebuild the track using their patented I-Box steel rail system, which sits atop the original wooden support structure.
The conversion took roughly two years and resulted in a coaster that shares almost nothing with its predecessor beyond the wooden skeleton. Twisted Timbers stands as a prime example of RMC’s ability to resurrect aging wooden coasters, and the transformation was dramatic enough to draw national attention when the ride debuted in spring 2018.
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Twisted Timbers FAQs
What type of coaster is Twisted Timbers?
Twisted Timbers is a hybrid roller coaster. Rocky Mountain Construction kept the original wooden support structure from Hurler but replaced all of the track with their I-Box steel rail system, producing a ride that looks like a wooden coaster but handles inversions and aggressive elements like a steel one.
How tall is Twisted Timbers and how fast does it go?
The coaster stands 111 feet tall and reaches a top speed of 54 mph (87 km/h) on a drop of 109 feet.
What replaced Hurler to become Twisted Timbers?
Hurler was a wooden roller coaster that operated at Kings Dominion from 1994 to 2015. Rocky Mountain Construction converted it into Twisted Timbers using I-Box steel track technology, and it reopened on March 24, 2018.
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Photo by Susanne Koppert on Pexels.