Knott's Berry Farm literally leaped back into the new thrill ride market, virtually overnight, in the summer of 1998.
This popular Southern California theme park had been operating without a major new thrill ride since the opening of the Boomerang eight years earlier.
Fortunately for thrill ride fans, this was to be the year of many changes for Knott's commencing with the start of construction of GhostRider, followed by the sale of the theme park to Cedar Fair L.P.
Backed by the new resources of Cedar Fair, Knott's management quickly proposed plans to build an incredible new thrill ride in time for the approaching summer season. Following the lead of it's new sister park Cedar Point, Knott's built the Supreme Scream, a triple-tower Turbo Drop freefall ride designed by S&S Sports Power, Inc.
Type of Attraction:
Turbo Drop Freefall
Tower height: 325 feet
Number of Towers: 3
Each Tower: 312 feet
Max. Drop: 254 feet
Top Speed: 40 mph
G-Force: 4 G's
Ride Time: 45 seconds
Vehicle Capacity:
12 passengers
Freefall:
3 seconds of zero gravity
Opening Date:
July 3, 1998
Ride Designer:
S&S Sports Power, Inc.
Location:
Knott's Berry Farm
Buena Park, California
Supreme Scream is not for the faint hearted. This is an extreme thrill ride for the experienced thrillseeker.
Standing 325-feet the Supreme Scream is the largest structure in Orange County, topping Knott's own landmark sky tower by 75 feet! Supreme Scream also become the world record holder for the tallest vertical thrill ride, quietly stealing away the title from the Power Tower that opened only two months earlier at sister park Cedar Point.
Passengers are seated in one of twelve outward facing seats on board one of three "scream vehicles" which will rise to a height of 254-feet. From the ground up it may not look that intimidating, but from the top it is a different story.
Seated with your feet dangling beneath you, your vehicle will come to a momentary halt upon reaching the top. A momentary hault may feel like an eternity, but with a quick blast of compressed air your suddenly launched down the tower at a speed of 50 mph! Passengers quickly grap the restraints as they loose their stomach and the negative g's lift their rear ends up out of the seat.
Unlike a traditional freefall which ends after the drop. Supreme Scream takes this the thrills to a new dimension by rebounding the vehicles back up the tower for a second drop. The sudden upward rebound results in a postive g-force of up to 4 G's, which is followed by a second freefall. The ride concludes with several smaller bounces back up and down until the vehicle comes to rest at the base of the tower.
Supreme Scream offers thrill-seekers first class thrills and plenty of screams and it's a welcome addition to the lineup of exciting attractions at Knott's Berry Farm.
Photos by Eric Gieszl. Copyright © 1998 Ultimate Rollercoaster.
Supreme Scream is a service mark of Knott's Berry Farm. All rights reserved.
