Wicked Twister was a launched steel coaster that towered over the shoreline at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, from 2002 to 2021. Built by Intamin and designed by Werner Stengel, it used linear induction motors to fire a single train back and forth between two 215-foot spikes, each capped with a dramatic 450-degree twist.
When it opened on May 5, 2002, Wicked Twister claimed the title of tallest and fastest inverted coaster in the world, a record it held until 2021. Riders faced backward on one launch and forward on the next as the train rocketed up each spike, hung briefly at the top, and fell back through the station for another run. The ride closed in September 2021 to make way for park development and was demolished the following February, ending a 19-season run that delivered more than 16 million rides.
Stats at a Glance
- Park: Cedar Point
- Manufacturer: Intamin
- Opened: May 5, 2002
- Closed: September 7, 2021
- Height: 215 feet
- Top Speed: 72 mph
- Length: 675 feet
- Inversions: 0
The Ride Experience
Wicked Twister’s single eight-car train launched riders through a horizontal station using linear induction motors, building speed across four successive launches that topped out around 72 mph. Rather than a traditional loop-filled layout, the coaster relied on two towering 215-foot spikes at either end of the track, each twisted 450 degrees, so trains alternated running forward and backward as they rocketed skyward before free-falling back toward the station.
The out-and-back launch cycle repeated as the train lost momentum on each pass, giving riders a brief moment of near-weightlessness at the top of each spike before plunging back down. With no inversions in the conventional sense, the twisting spikes themselves delivered the disorientation, flipping riders’ orientation relative to the ground at the peak of each launch.
Records and Legacy
Upon its 2002 debut, Wicked Twister set the world record as the tallest and fastest inverted coaster, a distinction it held for nearly two decades until Legendary Twin Dragon surpassed it in China in 2021. The ride became one of Cedar Point’s signature attractions along the Lake Erie shoreline for its unusual twisting-spike layout, distinct from the park’s more traditional hypercoasters.
Cedar Point closed Wicked Twister on September 7, 2021, citing planned park development, and the structure was demolished in February 2022. The site later became home to the Grand Pavilion Restaurant & Bar, closing out a run that had carried more than 16 million riders since 2002.
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Wicked Twister Photo Archive: 2002 Opening Season & 2003
These are original ThrillZing photos of Wicked Twister taken on May 5, 2002, its opening weekend, and July 16, 2003, restored and upscaled from the original camera files. They show the Intamin Impulse coaster in its first two seasons: the twisted front spike, trains hanging inverted at the top, the station and the original sign. Wicked Twister closed after the 2021 season. All photos are free to reuse under a CC BY 4.0 license with credit to ThrillZing and a link to this page.
Wicked Twister FAQs
Is Wicked Twister still open at Cedar Point?
No. Wicked Twister closed on September 7, 2021, after 19 seasons, and was demolished in February 2022 to make way for park development.
How fast did Wicked Twister go?
Wicked Twister reached a top speed of about 72 mph, launched by linear induction motors through a series of four increasingly powerful launches.
Did Wicked Twister have any inversions?
It had no traditional inversions. Instead, its two 215-foot spikes each featured a 450-degree twist that riders experienced during the launch and freefall sequences.
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Photo: Stratosphere at en.wikipedia / CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons.