Kings Island announced the demolition of Son of Beast on July 27, 2012. Son of Beast opened in 2000 as the world’s tallest, fastest, only-modern-looping wooden rollercoaster. It was Standing But Not Operating (SBNO) after from 2009 until it’s demolition in 2012.

Hear what Don Helbig and Ryan Suhr have to say about it on Tower Topics. Don managed the park’s PR during this time.

 

My kids are fascinated by Son of Beast, mostly in how people got injured, but also the whole scale of the thing as well.

I rode SoB with the loop! That thing was rough in a good way! The loop was the only smooth part.

I always thought of an alternate reality where KI waited a few years to build SOB as an Intamin a la El Toro, but from what I've heard about El Toro aging (plus my own experience riding it), I'm not so sure that would have gone well either (would have at least been a better ride and lasted longer).  

Such a boring layout, and a 200 ft wooden coaster with no airtime wasn't a good thing either. 

I'm glad they didn't go with the original Son of Beast concept which was to break The Beasts length record I'm glad they changed it especially because of the coasters eventually fate.

I'm still super nostalgic for that time period. I guess because that was when I truly caught the coaster bug. And Son of Beast was at the helm of the park. I still am happy to say that I have piece #20/250 of the limited run track slices. Regardless of this coaster's reputation, love it or hate it, people still talk about it today much in the way folks still talk about the original Bat. 

Every time I rode Son of Beast, I always was impressed by the structure itself and the loop, by far the smoothest part of the ride. It was a jarring and somewhat boring layout for such an impressive structure. I always wanted to like it more than I did. I rode it with the loop and without, so in my opinion it was much better with the loop. It was one intense coaster with the jackhammering though those giant helixes. It was headache inducing and you had to ride it defensively. Some people love that, and I get it, but it just wasn't all that for me. As much as I anticipated it from the announcement and that giant SOB box shaking and rattling on the site before it was built, I just could not love that ride. As much as I wanted to.

As far as comparing to the original Bat, which I was lucky enough to ride several times...yeah, getting old , I know...ha! But, The Bat, for all its flaws it was an exciting ride at the time and very groundbreaking. ( SOB was too). And it provided for alot smoother ride than Son of Beast from my memory. I absolutely loved every ride on the original Bat...cannot say that for Son of Beast unfortunately.

On 1/20/2024 at 1:39 PM, silver2005 said:

I always thought of an alternate reality where KI waited a few years to build SOB as an Intamin a la El Toro, but from what I've heard about El Toro aging (plus my own experience riding it), I'm not so sure that would have gone well either (would have at least been a better ride and lasted longer).  

Such a boring layout, and a 200 ft wooden coaster with no airtime wasn't a good thing either. 

El Toro isn't that rough IMHO. Did you ride it before or after the structure repair???

^Before in 2018.  The entire figure 8 section was jackhammer city (I rode on a center of the car row).  Weather also affected it as it didn't have the ejector air that it supossedly has and felt sluggish.   Its at 16 out of 37 wooden coaster I've ridden.  

I feel so cheated, having been unable to ride the thing all three times I went in the 2000s.

• Too short in 2001
• Was out of commission in 2006
• Was out of commission in 2009

I wanted to ride it so badly.