The History Of The Beast - The World's Longest Wooden Rollercoaster | Expedition Theme Park
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- Опубліковано 29 тра 2024
- Join us on a brand new Expedition Theme Park with a look at the iconic World's Longest Rollercoaster located at Kings Island - The Beast. Opened in 1979 this groundbreaking ride changed the industry to make bigger and faster coasters and it all started when John Allen designed The Racer... it ended however with a different kind of beast. A Son.
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Dedicated to Carl Eichelman and John C. Allen
Special thanks to Sean Flaharty - Take a look at some of his great footage.
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This video is perhaps the best, comprehensive and visually complete documentary about The Beast. I've watched many, being a charter-rider on the day it opened. I'm 65 now, and still enjoy riding; albeit the occasional bruises. It has gotten rougher through the years, but it's still the best terrain coaster I've ever ridden. Thanks for creating this video! It's stunning!!!
Thank you
I’d love to know if you’re 68 and still ride the beast? That’s awesome!
@@jeremiahrobinson4156 - I'm almost 68, and am still a serious coaster enthusiast. My current fav is "Velocicoaster" at Universal Orlando. The Beast lost some of its roar with its recent retrack, but I guess it was needed.
With the recent retrace it’s gotten a lot smoother.
I will second, or third, that the retrack work really improved the ride, and you can tell by how long the lines for it can get, while for a while it was decidedly unpopular.
I never get tired of hearing the story of The Beast and Son of Beast.
It is a great story!
I live 5 minutes from Kings Island and was 10 years old when the Beast opened. This was a HUGE deal for Cincinnati! All the news stations were there, people coming from all over the world to ride it. Made us very proud. I have ridden this every year since 1979. It's a little rougher now ( but maybe that's because I'm 50 now) but still a great ride. This ride is worth keeping original and running forever!
cincyman321 I thought that was the chili capital of the world?
cincyman321 OMG it must be amazing to love so close, its my dream to visit the park
Nothing beats the Beast at night. If you time it correctly, when the do the fireworks at the end of the night, they stop the train mid ride.
Matt wow!!!!
Nothing beats riding at night after the rides closed and the mechanics would lower the breaks and we’d ride. You’d come off the first hill around 80 mph.
Typical first hill speeds maxed out about 59 mph.
The benefits of working on Beast crew back in the early 1990’s.
I would've loved that
I worked at Kings Island and was part of The Beast crew back in the early 1990’s. Back before the crappy restraints were added.
Nothing beats riding all by yourself in the morning with fog hovering around the track. Well, nothing besides the “night rides” after the park closed when the mechanics would “drop the brakes” on the hills and Beast would hit about 80 mph coming down the first hill. Beat the living crap out of us but, man, it was awesome.
Grew up in Kings Island, my Grandpa helped move/build it and my mom and dad (and siblings at different points) worked there from '76 to '06 and as a result I've spent hundreds of hours in the park over my life. Great video, info and footage. Gonna share this with my Cincinnati buds.
Thank you Chris
The sounds The Beast makes screaming through the tunnels after the second lift hill are unlike any other ride and, especially at night, it's in a league all of its own.
Agreed
this is my home park! the beast is my fathers and my favorite ride to go on together , he doesn't do many rollercoasters but he doesn't hesitate to ride this one .. this one never disapoints ( if your not from cincy i 10/10 recommend this ride)
For sure!
And it's *STILL* one of the best wooden coasters ever built. Definitely still the best night ride.
I have always credited The Beast as being THE coaster to break my fear of coasters. Love it or hate it, you can't deny it's importance in the coaster world. Great video, once again!
the Beast is the CITIZEN KANE of roller coasters. it did things a roller coaster had never done before. it used technology in a way it had never been used before in the design and building of a roller coaster. a roller coaster had never looked like THE BEAST before-the stained wood, the simplicity of the structure, the way it blended in with the surroundings. The Beast had its own marketing campaign and PR machine. It was given a character, as it were, and it was marketed as an experience one needed to have. I was lucky enough to ride the Beast in 1979 less than a month after it opened, and I have never forgotten that first ride. all the roller coasters of today, and the roller coaster enthusiasts owe the Beast and Kings Island a big debt of gratitude, as well as total respect. modern roller coasters would not be where they are today if it had not been for the Beast. wonderful video! a lovely tribute. I love your channel. thanks for posting.
I rode the Beast at night, front row and it is the BEST roller coaster experience of my life. Less rough than many recent rides.The lack of lighting along the track just makes so wild and unexpected.
My favorite wooden roller coaster even if it isn't airtime fillied.
I am a big fan also!
It's cool to see footage of the helix before it was enclosed. Great video, excited to see the next one! I actually enjoyed Son of Beast when I rode it (2004).
Thank you
And after retracting work it's going to be 2 feet longer. The Beast keeps growing!
it is determined to keep its record as longest wooden coaster
The Beast is the best night ride! Very front seat or very back seat late at night, full moon out, last few rides of the night--nothing better!
The best
Imagine if one of the designers / builders of this coaster came across this video, and saw that to this day their work is still appreciated and impacting the modern coaster world that they helped pioneer.
I would be honored!
There's really nothing that compares to a night ride on The Beast!
Amazing video
Thank you!
Just rode this mother 5 times in a row the other day, felt like I'd been in a car crash the next morning, EPIC
Anytime I visit KI, I purposely wait until night to ride beast. KI was my home park growing up in the 90s so I've ridden it hundreds of times. Each night ride feels like a new experience. So awesome!
Night rides are the best!
I operated GASM in 2005. I will always appreciate John Allen for paving the way for me to live one of my childhood dreams. Rest in peace sir.
I have to get out to Kings Island one day so I can experience this machine!
Ive ridden The Beast many times. you will not be disappointed :)
The beast is my all time favorite rollercoaster. It's got the perfect amount of roughness for a woodie.
The Beast is a very unique coaster. Cresting the first lift you are treated to this frightening vista of the helix. Instead of giving it to you right away, you turn away and fly through the woods for another 2 minutes before it finally gives you that shattering helix.
KI is my home park. I was there a few years ago for Haunt and happened to be on one of the last few trains of the night. It was absolutely magical in those valleys that the evening fog was just right. Even if you don't think The Beast is a good ride, it is worth a night ride.
I agree 100%. Out of every park and coaster I've riden in the past 40 years, the Beast is still my favorite night ride period! Nothing tops it IMO.
My mother use to drive my sister and I up from Alabama to Pennsylvania to see our Grandmother who live in Pennsylvania. We drive through Ohio and finally in 1979, we got mom to stop and let us go to King Island . We rode the Beast , three times that day and wanted to ride it again at night but Mom wanted to go to the Motel and get some sleep.
After that , our trips to see Grandma always included a stop at King Island and as many rides on the Beast as we could fit in. It was the second or third time at King Island that I got that night ride.
I still love the Beast to this day and have taken my own kids on it.
Props to those ride engineers who were literally the first people to test these coasters! No computer simulators or test dummies, just faith in your math and workmen to not kill you.
The classics !
Damn that hand drawn ad they made for the beast is so cool
The Beast is to roller coasters as Black Sabbath is to metal.
I love this ride. I know it’s not technically great, but for me, it’s wonderful. Riding this at night in the cool fall air with my friends in my early teens.. no rollercoaster will ever recreate that.
I rode The Beast last year, and it’s a well deserved reputation, it’s still fun. And one of my favorite roller coaster ever.
The trim brakes took the bite out of this beauty, but it's still a top tier coaster. Especially if you're a nostalgia junkie and love when coasters have a history. It's such a rugged ride, which is exactly what you want from a wooden coaster, and it contrasts so well with some of the smoother metal coasters like diamondback. My advice? Ride at night, in the back.
The slide brakes weren’t as bad as the fin brakes. When it rained, the slide brakes didn’t do much good and Beast went insanely fast.
When I worked at KI in the early 90’s on The Beast, if it was raining and we had to go “2-9 weather”, we’d sometimes keep cycling empty trains and put on cleaning goggles and rain gear and ride in the pouring rain. It was bonkers how fast it went with no one but a few people in it. Rain drops felt like pebbles hitting us in the face but it was awesome.
@@Jivolt dude, that sounds amazing! I’m happy for you that you got that experience. Must’ve been crazy
Ive had so many crazy experiences doing LOROTNOB. (Last ride of the night on Beast) The only coaster I've ever had such a relationship with. The real deal!
Yesss
The Beast is basically the only backyard roller coaster built in an amusement park and huge! Built by head of maintenance with John Allens equatiions written on napkins,,it was longest,tallest,fastest wooden coaster when it opened! It's like a bullet train through the woods! I love the janky lift chain,smell of wood and oil! Nightrides are epic! Its my home park,so I'm a little biased! But it still is very unique and beloved by many!!
I've been riding it for years and is still my favorite coaster! If you ride in the second seat of each car it's less rough in my opinion. But those night rides, especially during Halloween with the fog machines, can't be beat!!
I always loved that it was built in the woods and you didn’t know what was coming up!!!! I remember riding it with my dad when I was a little kid, I remember the 1st drop being higher but I guess after riding Magnum, Millennium Force, and Top Thrill Dragster would make other coasters look small in comparison!!!!
Night rides on the Beast are awesome.
My favorite amusement park memories are of riding the Beast in the dark as a teen. The best.
I just rode the beast last weekend and Oh. My. God. it is soooooooooo good~ I even got a coveted NIGHT RIDE on the beast, it was one of the best experiences I had on a Roller coaster
Who
I remember being fascinated by a picture of The Beast in the Guinness Book of Records (1983). I think the most unique aspect of the rollercoaster is the helix.
The beast is truly greater than the sum of its parts, as you point out in the video. It really is a one-of-a-kind ride.
I’ve done all the rides in the park, and the beast continues to be my number 1 spot!
Can not wait for S.O.B. Good video of the Beast.
son of beast, yea i got bruised a long time ago on that ride, its gone
Kings Island is my home park! I love that you do stories on the rides there. It's such a great park with so much history and personality.
I agree!
I was about 7 years old when saw it in the theater in National Lampoons vacation. I didn't know roller coasters existed and still remember by excitement and asking my mom all about it.
This is such a magnificent ride. Young whipper-snappers just don't understand. This was THE MONSTER ride. Still love it. Nothing else like it.
This ride is 17 days younger than me, having opened shortly after I was born. I remember when I was growing up, at first I was terrified of The Beast, preferring to ride The Beastie (now Woodstock Express) but ultimately I was coerced into riding the roller coaster. And I loved it. The last time I rode the Beast was in 2005, and I came away from it with a headache but I had also put on weight and it just shook me too much. But the ride is a classic, the standard that so many have been set to and it’s beloved.
This year, the Gravity Group is set to begin work on refining the legendary Beast, smoothing out many of the major bumpier parts of the ride. But sacrifice nothing that has made this ride so legendary.
Update: I returned to Kings Island in 2023 and took my first ride in 18 years and I was happy to be on it, although those PTC trains are just torture. I’m going back in 2024 and I intend on not only ride it once more but this time, at night for the first time in decades. Fast lane included. The Beast is a legendary rollercoaster and the fact is, it remains one of the best rollercoasters ever made, as well as remains the longest wooden rollercoaster ever built. Its story is a very humble one, thank you for telling it for us, Sam.
I haven't ridden this yet. But it's very high on my bucket list. I LOVE older attractions. Especially roller coasters. Even if it's relatively forceless, the ride looks phenomenal. The size, the speed, and the forest that it runs through make it look to be a really memorable and unique experience. I think some roller coaster enthusiasts focus too much on certain elements as opposed to the overall experience that such an attraction offers. Plus I love the history of it too. I've seen a bunch of videos on The Beast and this one by far is the most informative of the bunch.
The Beast is great, Especially at night!
yes do it!
Make sure to do it while change in temperature is occurring, like the coaster warming up in the morning or the coaster cooling down at night. If you can, ride it during/after the rain or when it is foggy/ misty. I also recommend you either sit in the front seat or you don't sit in the wheel seat. The back few cars can give an awesome ride too. Most importantly, if you get a bad ride on The Beast, don't give up on it. The Beast is very temperamental and you can get an awfully dull ride (instead of feeling the rides speed and intensity, the ride will feel like it's meandering and stale at some spots) and then hop back on an hour later or in a different seat and get an awesome ride. Have a nice day at Kings Island when you finally go, and good luck with taming The Beast.
Good to hear that you love and appreciate the Beast as well. Not only are it's night rides unlike anything else, but I really enjoy it during the day as well. I don't understand how many view it as boring and completely tame. It's not incredibly intense, but does feel wild and out of control. I am a big fan of the Beast 😎
Me too!
If you ride The Beast at the wrong time of the day at the wrong time of the season, The Beast can feel boring and forceless. I got a bad ride on it last season and sadly had to leave before I could ride it again. I did also sit in a wheel seat and I hear that can take away the coasters intense feeling too. Still my favorite ride though! The last ride I got during the 2018 was a front row ride on a breezy day, it was awesome and I've gotten awesome night rides during the fireworks and rain rides in the mist.
@@elizabethwaterman7793 weird. I'd think a wheel seat would make it more intense. I've rode in wheel and non wheel seats. One ride was also during rain. As with any other ride I'm sure it can be very temperamental, but even still, it is great 😎
My favorite coaster in my favorite park! This made my Monday!!
Have a good Monday!
The Beast was the first “real” roller coaster I ever rode, I was 10 and scarred for life. But now I love roller coasters and ride the beast every summer that I go ❤️
A good first!
10:25 Just a casual stroll, 150 feet in the air with no harness....
I rode The Beast for the first time in 1980 and have ridden it an uncountable number of times since. Today it's a rough ride, but still is world class. I'll probably never stop riding this coaster.
Kings Island is my home and I love it. The beast was my very first ride as a kid. The Beast will always hold a special place in my heart and also my 8 year old son 🥰
The Beast at night was so dark going through the woods is a good ride!!! It kind of beats you up but it’s worth it!!!!
I’m so glad this is my home park
Now this is one theme park that’s been on my bucket list, and the BEAST looks like a great ride. Because you don’t see alot of of coaster’s that are have a layout through the woods and a long ride like this one has and I definitely want to get up to King’s Island 🏝 either this year or next year and the BEAST is definitely on my bucket list,thanks for a great video.!!🇺🇸💪💥🍾
Been going to ki since I was 2 it's amazing and I would definitely recommend Orion, the diamond back, or flight of fear those are all my favorite coasters there
Yay! A UK guy recognise a mid west coaster. Cheers!!
The Beast is fantastic and especially at night.
Very nice comprehensive look at such a classic ride.
I started on The Beastie aka Scooby-Doo Roller Coaster, moved onto The Beast, and then got to enjoy Son of Beast. Loved all 3, as well as many other coasters at KI. The Bat, Vortex, Screamin Demon, Racer, King Kobra, Top Gun etc etc. Great memories.
I grew up riding this roller coaster! I still love it when I go to King's Island!
my dad used to live in Ohio for work and we used to go to Kings Island all the time. My dad actually went there as a child and tells me he remembers when The Beast opened. it’s a really fun ride, it definitely lives up to the name.
The beast melted faces in 1979.. It remains a legend even to this day..
Agreed
I rode the beast on it's anniversary last year. Definitely one of my favorite coasters I've ever went on.
Top 10 coaster with that epic night ride!! That helix is BRUTAL! 👌🏼
Never knew this amazing coaster had such an interesting history! Thank you for making this video, now I appreciate this coaster a lot more.
Thank you!
As much I'd love to live near Anaheim or Toledo, I'm so proud and happy to call King's Island home. So much history.
I still can't believe that before I even got into roller coasters, I bought the Beast promotional goosebumps book, now it's a prize in my collection 😂
The Beast at night is undefeated
Yessss
Agreed, best night ride ever.
Vortex will always remain my favorite coaster at Kings Island, even if it is gone, but the Beast will always be that special coaster that holds so much history, has so many stories and will always be a special ride. Unmatched by anything else
It's iconic for sure
the vortex was the smoothest ride K.I. ever had in my opinion. i loved it
@@autobotdiva9268 alright even though vortex was my #1 coaster, it was definitely not the smoothest in the park, banshee diamondback, the bat etc are all smoother
@@BD97lol diamondback came after. It use to be a thrill ride lol
@@autobotdiva9268 vortex bruised my entire jawline from how rough it was. Not only that but my friend wore earrings on it (which is dumb already) but it was rough enough to make the backs of her earrings pierce her skin and make her bleed.
It had a great lay out, but it was the roughest ride at Kings Island... I wish it was smoother, it would have been a great ride if it was in my opinion. But I nicknamed it the brain splitter because it always gave me migraines.
It was also pretty uncomfortable, I was happy to see it go, it isn’t one I’ll personally miss at all.
You can still have your opinion about it being an amazing ride, but it is certainly far from smooth... It’s rougher than the racers, and the beast.
Another ride I’d be happy to see Go is wind seeker, it’s a maintenance nightmare.
I rode the beast in 1984 as my very first coaster ever. Got me hooked for life.
Awe the beast was my first "big kid" coaster I was 4. Rode the son of beast several times I miss that ride.
I was 7 - rode the first year - I cried going up the first hill, never cried on a Coaster again, it's great!
Yay Sam's back!! This makes me want to ride this so much - let's go!!!!
I am back!
The Beast is my fav woody in the US, I have a fav in UK called The Ultimate which is another long woody.. I'm in Blackpool and we had The Beast simulator ride just to show you how popular that ride was in the 80s.... erm and yes I did ride SOB without the loop, I still bought a SOB tshirt lol
That's awesome! I made a video on the ultimate a few weeks back
I'm so excited to see this video! The Beast remains my favorite roller coaster since I first rode it on its 30th anniversary, and I've ridden Fury 325 and Steel Veangence. On paper the Beast seems like a dull ride(and sometimes it is if you ride it at the wrong time), but if you ride it at the right time, in the right wheather, or in the right spot it gives a ride like no other. I still remember the first time a rode it while it rained and when I rode it with my niece(It was her first time) in the front seat. And the last night ride I got on it was during the fireworks.
Love the video and all the old footage in it. Keep up the good work.
Thank you
I first rode it back in 1983. Its still just as thrilling today. Its tunnels and being low to the ground give the sensation of greater speed.
Definitely a coaster before its time. Voyage is really a good modern version of this
amazing video, watched the whole thing already!
Randomguy 101 no you didn’t
No you didn’t
The video is 18 minutes long this has only been out for 3
@@BradyPetway where's your proof?
@@tpad8403 I have fast listening
The greatest of all time.
I absolutely love this coaster. Being at my second closest home park (since the closure of Geauga Lake, Cedar Point is one hour and KI is second) I visit it annually. The late Summer and early Fall night rides are exceptional. Nothing beats a coaster flying through the dark, cool mist of the valleys in southern Ohio. I've ridden some impressive wooden coasters, but this one is still my favorite. Even after a freak incident that happened last year (2019) on it's 40th anniversary year when my hand was severely severed open during the ride due to something being in the path of the train on the right side before entering the back run in the "shed" tunnel. The park played stupid, and Cedar Fair management didn't take it nearly as seriously as I feel they should have. They were quick to get me out of the general visitor area and push me off on the closest local ER. It caused a deep, yet perfect 3 corner tear in my hand that required 14 sutures and some nerve damage. Likely a piece of angle iron or something that had become loose and moved near the track due to vibration. The irony being Carowinds had also had a significant injury the same exact week as I but it got news coverage due to it being on Copperhead. I can only joke now that I got "bit" by Beast as a reminder of it's 4 decade anniversary but the park's poor readiness to address what actually happen still disappoints me to this day and probably will for quite some time. I still love the park and it's collection but heed the warning about freak injuries. They will wash their hands of it and you'll be lucky if you get as much as medical bill coverage.
First rode it in 81 when I was 7 yrs old at night nonetheless. Have been riding it ever since, and my son who's 14 shares the same nostalgia for this amazing one of a kind coaster!
There will never be a ride that haunts my dreams like the beast. 🤘
I rode The Beast the first year it opened in 1979 and I loved it. Riding it a number of years later I noted it seemed rougher than I remembered but I rode in the last car which gives the best sensation on the lift hill but generally tends to be violent for the rest of the ride. I hope to visit again sometime soon and choose the front car. Though I’m sure there are better coasters now, this one will always have a place in my heart and I hope Kings Island keeps this around. It is one of a kind and truly irreplaceable!
I agree!
My family and I used to drive to Cincinnati every year from Indiana to go to KI. This still remains my favorite coaster to this day
This is now one of my all time favorite Kings Island rides. It's history and it's records just add to the awesomeness of this ride
Easily my favorite. And that second drop into the helix just.....*kiss*mwah. Just constant acceleration. Really feels like you're an out-of-control beast tearing through the woods.
Welcome to the Beast remain seated throughout the entire ride please keep hands and feet inside the car at all times THANK YOU.
The words I love to hear every ride.
I have never actually ridden The Beast. I found out about it in the early 90s because my local mall had simulator. It was the longest most thrilling roller coaster I had ever seen at 11. MALLS SIMULATED THIS EXPERIENCE.
The original Coney Island in Cincinnati just closed all of their rides last season. Pretty sad. They had a Ferris Wheel, Bumper Cars, as well as numerous portable carnival style attractions. They even had a small steel coaster as well. Coney Island is now just a water park. They still have the worlds largest recirculating swimming pool and a series of waterslides.
I saw that!
AWESOME VIDEO BRO.
THE BEAST WILL ALWAYS BE IN MY TOP 10.
IF SON OF BEAST WAS STILL OPEN IT WOULD OF BEEN IN MY TOP 5. BEST WODDEN COASTER EVER BUILT
As a yearly visitor to King’s Island as a kid in the 70’s, the Racer was my first ‘big’ coaster {my dad bribed me and I was terrified... tho soon the Racer became a favorite} I experienced the Beast the first year it opened as well at age 12. No other ride in my 53 years has yet to thrill me the same way that coaster did. It was and is sheer awesomeness! Thanks for the video... brought back super fun memories! {found you via super enthused who is just THE CUTEST.}
I can’t wait to eventually ride this in the future.
It is a great ride! Hope you get out to ride it.
make sure to ride it at night, and, if you can, after it has rained or the temperature has gone down. The Beast is very temperamental and can sometimes give an awesome experience and sometimes give a dull and slow feeling ride depending on where and when you ride it. The front seat is amazing. It gives you a good view of the woods. But the back row is also great cause it feels like the ride is dragging you insanely through the course.
Good luck on getting a good ride and have a nice trip to kings island when you finally go!
Elizabeth Waterman, thank you for the advice.
@@Amythest no problem. I just feel bad when people get bad rides on The Beast. Its such a good ride when you know how to ride it.
Rode this in June 2019 and it still runs great very underrated
Agreed
Rode it 1980.... rode it 2020. Still the best....beast.
Just had 5 night rides on the front...ABSOLUTELY INSANE
I always thought you got more speed around the corners in the last car on the Beast!!!!!
Yes but you run the risk of death O.O
back is best
Gotta love a woody!
it's kind of rough, so if you want to ride it, ride it early in the day before it gets too hot. also, make sure you drink lots of water to keep from dehydration headaches, because they will worsen on this ride. it's a great credit to have, considering it's a monster of a coaster and an amazing ride.
Almost nothing beats yhis night ride
Aesthetically speaking, the best! Cedar Point may have technically better coasters but none of them have the drama, mystery, and beauty of this ride.
The just redid the track and the Beast is smooth now. I live really close to Kings Island so I go often. The Beast how lost some allure for me just because it was getting rough and uncomfortable. However after last season, it’s a completely different ride and it’s amazing!
My new favourite video on your channel!
Thank you!
Ive been going to kings island since i was a little kid and i always loved the Beast!!! 6 night rides in a row was dope!