A 90 year old rode, Diamondback in 2012

I'm not sure if she rode last year or not!

I like to hope I'll be able to ride coasters at that age. I'm not totally sure The Beast will make it to 100, purely because the odds are not in its favor.

Currently, there are three operating coasters in the WORLD that are 100 years old or more, and only one in this country.

With that said, Beast has a solid reputation and is loved by millions, so it stands to reason that unless something catastrophic happens, the park will do whatever is necessary to maintain it. But in the words of the 1980s rock band Asia, only time will tell.

Big Dipper would be close to 100...Built 1925, but again has been SBNO since 07..

I miss that ride, such a beautiful simple coaster.

Big Dipper would be close to 100...Built 1925, but again has been SBNO since 07..

I miss that ride, such a beautiful simple coaster.

Second that motion. Rode it 10x in a row the last year in operation with my oldest son. Great ride!

@KingsIslandPR on Twitter:

Tweet : Don Helbig / Kings Island via Twitter

Rebuilt?

Will somebody tell me what he means by that?

I strongly doubt I'll be around in 2079, since I would be 106. GatorGirl would be 74 though, and hopefully still able to ride!

Rebuilt?

Will somebody tell me what he means by that?

In previous years, that has included replacing all hardware (bolts, washers, nuts) on the trains. I don't know whether or not there can be more to it than that. It's something they do every off-season.

Orange cars!

Hopeful BB1

I'll be 96 or 97 in 2079. Hopefully if I'm still alive then I'll still be riding coasters

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S3 with Tapatalk 4

Your just a young one. I would be 132.

When they say rebuilt, they mean rebuilt. They take the trains all the way apart, do the necessary maintenance, then put them back together.

And in 2079, not a single smidgen of the 1979 version may still be in place--not unlike a Model T where every part has been replaced six times.

And in 2079, not a single smidgen of the 1979 version may still be in place--not unlike a Model T where every part has been replaced six times.

Kind of like Bruce Jenner?

@KingsIslandPR on Twitter :

"The Beast is ready for its 35th anniversary season. Are you?"

Photo : Don Helbig / Kings Island via Twitter

Looks to be still snuggling under the covers!

The Beast is still in hibernation, but will awaken from its winter slumber before you know it!

So when will the anniversary T-shirts be available!

From Kings Islands Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=10152589877088368&set=a.226729858367.174830.155893938367&type=1

The Beast celebrates its 35th anniversary this year. "Like" this post if you are among the more than 40 million park visitors that have taken a ride on the longest wooden roller coaster in the world since its debut in 1979.

Can I be the first to say how much I love that graphic? Cool, thanks.

I love that graphic!

That's so cool I may have to make that my profile pic.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yep, love that graphic.

Actually....I enjoy anything with The Beast logo since it's my favorite in the park.

I remember my first ride on The Beast the year it opened. It was back in the days of the Running of the Bulls. I was with my family and freinds and met up with this guy who said he rode it lots and to ride with him. We waited for the front seat and I remember looking down the first hill and seeing that small opening way down there......It was a fantastic ride and still is today. I remember they were still building the helix cover and you would have wood slats sticking up as you flew past them. Oh yeah, the guy's name was Carl Eichelman, who held the most rides record on The Beast.

Kings Island on Facebook :

"On July 10, 1978, this concept drawing of The Beast was unveiled at a press conference at Kings Island to announce the park was building a roller coaster that would break all existing records as the longest and fastest with the two longest vertical drops. The Beast celebrates its 35th anniversary season this year."

Photo : Don Helbig / Kings Island via Facebook

Figured I posted this elsewhere, probably fitting here, great video.

Any of you folks here for this event?

Some of us were...

Wow...that was an awesome video, with some interesting info regarding The Beast (and even to a lesser extent, Son of Beast). Some stuff I found noteworthy (not in order of appearance):

-When asked "Beast or Son of Beast", the crowd nearly unanimously went "BEAST!"...well, looking at which one's still around in 2014, we can safely see why.

-So the designers of The Beast wanted no "less" than 0.2g's, as they felt going any lower would be dangerous...I have to wonder if this is the same number B&M goes for with their steel hypercoasters like Diamondback...I'd assume Intamin is willing to go beyond true 0g, though...hence why I'm guessing many of their rides now need those more restrictive lapbars and OTSR's versus what B&M does.

-The Beast's track banking was limited by the era it was built in...yeah, it sure seems that way. Also makes modern wooden coasters, such as Holiday World's Voyage, look even crazier with those 90 degree banked turns.

-Son of Beast used an all-bolts structure system, and was not Paramount's idea, but RCCA/RCCO apparently approached the park wanting to build a looping wooden coaster...hmm.

-Before Paramount bought the park, there were already plans for a 4th wooden coaster at Kings Island, but Paramount apparently wanted to push their properties as much as possible, thus TOP GUN (now The Bat). But wasn't TOP GUN already in the planning stages as well before Paramount came in under another name? Were there multiple ideas, and that one (TOP GUN) just "won out"? I also have to wonder, if they did go with the woodie, what would it have been like? Who would have built it, Dinn Corp.?

-When he mentioned wooden coaster PTC trains with fixed axles, I thought of Timberliners in comparison, and "Wonder what Beast would ride like with Timberliner trains?".

-So, at least in 2004, most of Beast's structure was still original...interesting.

-An explaination on how skid brakes worked versus fin brakes...good stuff.

-'Dat Racer safety system back in 1972. A bell was all that prevented disaster.

Yep...Great video, Deviarouseffect!

Don't thank me, thank a good friend of mine, he has alot of interesting videos, and quite an interesting discussion. Could ride rides and converse with him for hours.

OK...thanks Dave Althoff (If that is his real name) for making this video and posting it. I had actually been on his Vimeo page the other day and somehow missed this video...

That is his name. See also Rideman at pointbuzz. He used to post here on occasion. It's been a long time ago.