In 1992, Swiss designers Bolliger & Mabillard introduced one of the most revolutionary roller coaster forms in the world. When Batman: The Ride opened at Six Flags Great America in May 1992, it was considered the most innovative new coaster of its time. As enthusiasts and park guests, we can still observe today that the “inverted” coaster is still among the most popular rides at an amusement park. We’ve all heard it. Guests describe their favorite coasters as “Batman, is that the one where your feet dangle? I love that ride!” It’s really started a revolution, and gone on to inspire the newest and latest thrills of our time, including the newest fourth dimension coaster, X.

This month we’re going to take a look at where it all started, Batman, and continue along the countdown with some of the enthusiast’s picks for the greatest inverted coasters of all time. So strap on once again, we’re counting it down, one inverted coaster at a time!

#10: Batman: The Ride| Six Flags Great America
Like we said in our introduction, Batman is the one that started it all. What a coincidence too, I mean, Batman just fits the inverted theme perfectly. The dark knight is among the most deviant from other superheroes, he can swing across Gotham City’s rooftops faster than a bird, and his own character started a revolution of its own. The Six Flags company contracted B&M in November, 1991 to design a revolutionary new ride that would sweep guests off their feet- literally! Bolliger and Mabillard had been working on some designs for a while, and they felt it was about time to introduce the new concept. Without delay, the new inverted coaster was opened to anxious guests in 1992 as the first coaster to turn the track upside-down, consisting of loops, corkscrews, and other inversions.

Now, let’s not give all the credit to B&M, as they were not among the first to design the coaster with track above the train. In 1981, Arrow Dynamics introduced the “Bat” coaster at Paramount’s Kings Island in Cincinnati, Ohio as the first hanging coaster. Unfortunately, due to its design, the trains were only able to swing back and forth, and were not able to execute complex inversions like Batman could. B&M’s new ride was definitely able to do this, and Arrow’s suspended coaster production was literally put to a stop. Again, as you might smirk because of its replication, don’t be fooled. Batman is what started it all, and it deserves all the credit and recognition to be on the top 10 countdown. Now over 12 years old, the ride still remains one of the most popular coasters at Great America each year.

#9: Great Bear| Hershey Park
Great Bear is among one of the most unique B&M Inverted coasters. Its layout is very original, as well as different from many other coasters of its kind. Situated on the green hills and white-water rivers of Hershey Park’s exclusive atmosphere, the coaster’s design was essentially dependent on the terrain below it. B&M struggled to pull off Hershey’s request- a staggering 3 minute-long ride with 4 inversions. To top it off, Hershey picked a spot that was almost out of the question- right next to Scooperdooperlooper, the park’s Schwarzkopf terrain coaster (similar to Revolution at Six Flags Magic Mountain). Sure enough, however, the coaster began its construction in the summer of 1997. Supports went up over Scooperdooperlooper’s tallest hill, which at one point was the tallest ride in the park.

Great Bear consists of a small 90 ft. height, but its drop is 125 feet, as it dives down over a water passage to execute its inversions. The first teardrop loop is a staggering 100 ft. tall, then the ride is almost turned into an out-and-back coaster, mocking the original designs of the early 20’s. It goes into an immelman element straight over a bridge, secondly, a zero-gravity roll, and then a series of turns before it hits the final corkscrew, and back to the station. For its unique design, and comprehensive use of terrain to execute a more thrilling experience based on Hershey Parks’ requests, Great Bear goes down as inverted coaster number 9.

#8: Talon | Dorney Park
We’ve never been able to get over how much hype this coaster had when it first debuted in 2001. I mean, come on, it’s just an inverted coaster, right? Well, some like to treat it like just any other coaster, but it truly is an incredible experience- once you actually get to experience it. Talon really does deserve its hype, because it really does pack a punch. Space was a problem when designing the 140 ft. thrill machine in mid 2000, but B&M was already experienced with compact coasters (Iron Wolf, Batman: The Ride, & Vortex), so this was no problem. Another unique thing that is still rarely seen in today’s B&M coasters was the extra turns and non-inversion elements the company pumped into Talon’s layout. It only has four inversions, yet still somehow has over 3,000 feet of track. How is this possible? The ride has a helix, another turn-around, and several twisting pieces of track to give the g-seeking thrillers their punch, as well as a bit of something new, for the enthusiasts who ride so many inverted coasters. For this coaster, the speed and height were not paid as much attention to as the unique design was, and for that, it gets our vote as the number 8 on our top 10 countdown.



#7: Nemesis Inferno| Thorpe Park
The newest, most recent coaster to open on our Top 10 list is Thorpe Park’s Nemesis Inferno. Not to be confused with another top 10 coaster, Nemesis in Alton, England, this new baby coaster opened in 2003 to raise the competition between other English parks. Among one of the most unique elements of Nemesis Inferno, and Nemesis (which we’ll talk about later), is the theming.

Nemesis Inferno blasts you out of a hidden volcano to erupt into 4 intense inversions, including a heartline spin, vertical loop, and interlocking corkscrews- a rarity among B&M’s inverted coasters. The coaster dives in and out of a molten pit inside the crater where the station is located. It even has a few over-water elements as well. For its theming, creativity, and unique sense of style, Nemesis Inferno gets our vote for number 7 on the top 10 list.

#6: Top Gun| Paramount's Great America
Top Gun at Paramount’s Great America was another one of the “pioneer” inverted coasters of the early 90’s that brought new meaning to a feet-dangling experience. The park was taken over by the Paramount Parks company just at the moment that Top Gun was installed, a coaster in recognition of the hit Paramount movie starring Tom Cruise that stormed theaters in 1986. The coaster only features a 102 ft. lift hill, similar to that of our #9 coaster, Great Bear. Great America’s Top Gun dives down a drop straight into a teardrop loop, pulling nearly 3 g’s at over 50 mph.

The next element is quite different from B&M’s normal set of sequential elements. A short high-g turn-around element brings riders back heading toward the station into a zero-g-roll right over onlookers on the pathway below, and then a short turn over the station lets riders wave to guests in the station waiting apprehensively to get on for a ride of their own. The best part, and one of the main reasons we chose Top Gun is the next element. Here, guests are taken down towards the lagoon below and thrown straight into a corkscrew. Finally, the train makes an immediate turn into the 360 degree helix, straight over the water, where riders can look to the right and see slight waves of wind as their feet barely touch its surface. Top Gun truly was unique, as most of our other choices, but its great use of natural environment earned its spot on our #6 slot.