Silver Dollar City Announces New Wooden Roller Coaster for 2013

BRANSON, Mo. -- What is being billed as the world's steepest drop on a wooden roller coaster was unveiled Thursday at Silver Dollar City.

The theme park took the wraps off Outlaw Run, a new $10 million wooden coaster that will be more than half a mile in length when completed.

"This ride is like no other coaster in America," said Pete Hershend, founder of Silver Dollar City.

"It's on the outskirts of town where there's outlaws running and lawmen are trying to catch the outlaws," said Brad Thomas, the park's general manager, about the themed ride.

Silver Dollar City officials say the coaster will reach top speeds of 68 miles per hour, making it the fastest wooden coaster in the world, and the only one to twist upside down with a 162 foot nearly vertical drop at 81 degrees (see fact sheet below).

"There's a nice, we're going to call it 'airtime thrill' by roller coaster enthusiasts," said Duane Marden with Roller Coaster DataBase. "It's going to be that floating feeling. You're going fast and you'll start to drop and it's going to lift you out of your seat. Then you go on a double barrel roll."

The coaster is scheduled to open in spring 2013. It's expected to draw 65,000 people.

"We worked very hard to find an attraction that would have significant marketing appeal so we could say this is the only place you can find it," added Thomas.

More information: http://www.silverdollarcity2013.com