VF's High Roller

I was talking to a lady who is not an enthusiast, but she is a native Minnesotan and a reasonably intelligent person, and she insisted that High Roller was moved to VF from a local fair or park in the area. I don't recall what place she said it was at before, but she claims to have ridden it in its previous location. Does anyone know about this? All the info I can find seems to indicate it was built new at VF.

http://www.rcdb.com/id117.htm

Doesn't look like it was moved. Maybe she was thinking of a similar ride?

I thought it was moved from another former nearbye park. I heard the same thing from a friend who lives around The Cities, but had already heard it somewhere else before that.

I believe VF's High Roller is heavily based on the Excelsior Park Cyclone, but it's obviously not the same ride.

-Nate

High Roller was not moved from Excelsior and is not close to the Cyclone in any way. I had a very old pic of the Cyclone and its layout somewhat reminded me of Big Dipper at GL. The only ride that came over from Excelsior to VF was the carousel.

I've heard that rumor many times, I think people mistake it for another ride in the area that inspired the design. Not sure what coaster that was but I imagine it closed around the same time that High Roller opened, hence the confusion.

Thats like saying the chicago riverview park bobs was moved to GL and renamed Raging Wolf Bobs. *** Edited 2/11/2005 4:49:39 PM UTC by lakecrystal***

It didn't? ;)

I think this has a lot of it has to do with it:

1) VF opened a few years after Excelsior closed
2) VF has Excelsior's PTC carousel

-'Playa

I didn't know that Valleyfair had a classic PTC carousel... interesting. I've never seen pictures of Excelsior's coaster- are there any similarities between that and High Roller?

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CoasterTim said:
High Roller was not moved from Excelsior and is not close to the Cyclone in any way.

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Uh, yes it was.

-The were both L-shaped out and back wooden coasters
-They were both white, and similar in size and height
-They both started with a drop, large hill and curving second drop, large flat 180, and a series of bunny hops back to the station

In fact, the only differences between the two are:
-The Excelsior ride made a 90* turn at the top of the lift while the VF ride makes a 90* turn before the lift
-The Excelsior ride ended with a helix while the VF ride ends with a 180* turn

The fact that the rides were so similar, that Excelsior Park closed just three years before VF opened, and the fact that VF has the Excelsior Carousel are all reasons why this is a common misconception.

-Nate
*** Edited 2/11/2005 6:37:16 PM UTC by coasterdude318***

I never knew that High Roller was L-shaped... shows how much I know about the coaster. I always imagined it to be a straight out-and-back but I'll admit that I've seen very few pictures of the park.

Does no one talk about the park and coaster because it's out of the way for most people or because there is really nothing to talk about?

VF is my home park and I talk about it. HR is somewhat okay but not that great...especially when the trims are on which is almost all the time. If VF ran Wild Thing without the midcourse breaks all the time like they did at Coaster Craze, you would hear a lot more about the park because WT would be one of the best steel coasters anywhere. But they don't.

Rob [and anyone else interested] -- This photo clearly shows High Roller's L-shaped layout.

How the heck did I miss that photo? I love aerial shots like that... thanks Moosh.

Where is Steel Venom fit into that picture? How about the Mad Mouse? Maybe it's there but I just can't seem to find it.

Rob...that pic was from before Steel Venom. But you can see the Mad Mouse (pink) just to the upper left of the Imax theater.

Ahhh now I see it. Looks like a neat little park. So where was Steel Venom built?

SV was built right when you walk into the park, when you enter you would take a left, that is the first thing you see when you are driving by the park (at least that is the 1st thing I saw)

And where in that picture do you enter? Are you talking about the strip of land between Excaliber and the highway?

Nope, that's the employee entrance.

If you can make out the thin, A-shaped outline of the Skycoaster near the parking lot, SV would be to the left of it.

-'Playa