Montezooma's Revenge (with a new working name of MonteZOOMa: The Forbidden Fortress) is a shuttle loop coaster currently under renovation in the Fiesta Village area of Knott's Berry Farm.
History[]
The ride was originally manufactured by Schwarzkopf and opened on May 21, 1978 as the park's second roller coaster (after Corkscrew). At the time, Montezooma's Revenge became the tallest roller coaster in the world. In 1995, its signature loop was interwined with the tracks of Jaguar! passing through it.[1][2]
Incident[]
On August 31, 2001, 25-year-old Justine Dedele Bolia, a tourist from the Republic of Congo, suffered a seizure while riding Montezooma's Revenge. The ride was temporarily closed as she was taken to the West Anaheim Medical Center, where she died in the following morning. An autopsy determined that her death was caused by a pre-existing aneurysm. Her family filed a lawsuit against the park and Cedar Fair, but it was dismissed in state court.[3][4]
Closure and renovation[]
Montezooma's Revenge was closed on February 7, 2022 to undergo extensive renovation into "MonteZOOMa: The Forbidden Fortress". Kumbak was brought aboard to re-imagine the ride with new trains and a more modern electromagnetic launch system to coincide with the overall renovation of the Fiesta Village area. The process began in July 2022 with the removal of its famous 7.6-ton flywheel launch mechanism (one of the last in the world) and loop. However, controversy erupted when the ride's signature loop was found to have been cut apart into pieces instead of being carefully disassembled like other former coasters in the park (Corkscrew and Boomerang) had been during removal. This brought up the question of whether the project was a renovation or a near-complete replacement (including retracking) of the original ride.[5][6][7] Work on the ride failed to be completed in time for the re-opening of the Fiesta Village area in May 2023.[8]
In early 2024, the renovation work was delayed and the ride was removed from the Knott's Berry Farm's mobile app.[9] The park announced in March that work had "re-zoomed" on MonteZOOMa: The Forbidden Fortress with a 2025 target date.[10][11] In late 2024, the remaining tracks of the ride were enclosed in tarps as work progressed.[12]
Ride experience[]
The ride would start with the train being launched by a flywheel that catapulted the train to 55 mph. After going through the vertical loop, it would hit a 148-foot near-vertical spike, and then fall backwards into the vertical loop again. The train would zoom backwards through the station, until it went up an another vertical spike. Finally, the train would be braked for its final return to the station.[13]
Videos[]
References[]
- ↑ Knott's Berry Farm Historic Timeline, Knott's Berry Farm. 2023-01-01.
- ↑ 50 Years of the World's Tallest Roller Coasters by Coaster101.com, YouTube. 2025-01-23.
- ↑ Knott's Roller Coaster Closed After Female Dies, Ultimate Rollercoaster. 2001-09-02.
- ↑ Court upholds dismissal of coaster lawsuit, Orange County Register. 2006-02-24. Archived 2012-10-17.
- ↑ Flywheel Launch Mechanism on [Montezooma's Revenge] removed by CoasterHour, Reddit. 2022-07-21.
- ↑ [Montazooma’s Revenge]’s loop is lost?[sic] by coastercomic, Reddit. 2023-11-19.
- ↑ LOOP CUT UP & FLYWHEEL REMOVED on Montezooma's Revenge at Knott's Berry Farm! | Vlog #1 by America's Coaster Network, YouTube. 2022-07-21.
- ↑ Knott’s Berry Farm reopens Fiesta Village without the star attraction: Montezooma coaster by Brady MacDonald, Orange County Register. 2023-05-26.
- ↑ Is it Officially the End of Montezooma’s Revenge? by Andrew Stilwell, Coaster101. 2024-02-18.
- ↑ Knott’s Berry Farm delays Montezooma coaster makeover again — until 2025 by Brady MacDonald, Orange County Register. 2024-03-07.
- ↑ Knott’s Berry Farm Announces “MonteZOOMa: The Forbidden Fortress” for 2025 by Andrew Stilwell, Coaster101. 2024-03-01.
- ↑ [Montezooma] under wraps at Knott's? by Pippinitis, Reddit. 2025-01-27.
- ↑ Montezooma's Revenge, The Last Flywheel Shuttle Looper in America POV by MagnusTheGreat, YouTube. 2022-01-19.
External links[]
- Montezooma's Revenge official webpage at Knott's Berry Farm
- Montezooma's Revenge (archived 2016-05-11, 2012-01-24)
MonteZOOMa: The Forbidden Fortress at Coasterpedia- Montezooma's Revenge at Knott's Wiki Farm
- Montezooma's Revenge at the Roller Coaster DataBase
- Montezooma's Revenge at the Roller Coaster Wiki
- Montezooma's Revenge at Ultimate Rollercoaster
- Montezooma's Revenge at Wikipedia
