Kings Island Beast roller coaster will break its own record in 2022

Kings Island’s world-famous roller coaster, The Beast, will break its own World Record in 2022. The ride, which opened in 1979 as the World’s Longest Wooden Roller Coaster, has held that distinction ever since. When it opens for the season in May it will break its own record by two feet, from 7,359 feet to 7,361 feet due to offseason retracking and reprofiling work, that also includes a steeper first drop.

“When you look at roller coaster records, they’re being beat all the time,” said Kings island Vice President and General Manager Mike Koontz. “But there’s one record that no park in the world has been able to beat for more than 40 years, until now, and that’s the record for the longest wooden roller coaster.”

It’s no wonder guests from all over the world travel to Kings Island to ride The Beast. Its record-breaking features include a 7,361-foot-long track (1.4 miles) and ride time of four minutes, 10 seconds; vertical drops of 137 feet (Now at a 53-degree angle) and a 141-feet (at an 18-degree angle); a 125-foot-long underground tunnel at the bottom of the 137-foot drop; eight banked turns, some to 45 degrees; a massive, 540-degree helix tunnel near the end and speeds up to 64.77 miles per hour.

A Beast of a Project

Last November crews began the massive project of refurbishing more than 2,000 feet of the coaster’s track. In addition, the first drop has been re-profiled from 45 degrees to 53 degrees so that it can come into the tunnel lower and deliver a buttery-smooth transition through the first tunnel and onto the second drop. The project is expected to be completed in May.

Kings Island’s 2022 Season

In addition to The Beast, and more than 100 other rides, shows and attractions, Kings Island guests have a lot to look forward to during the 2022 season. View the full events lineup on Kings Island’s website. Guests can experience all of the fun and thrills this season, including unlimited visits to enjoy the 50th Anniversary season, Halloween Haunt and WinterFest, with a  2022 Gold or Platinum Season Pass.