Diamondback is a steel coaster located in the Rivertown section of Kings Island. It opened in 2009 as the second coaster built under the park's ownership of Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, and is the second tallest coaster in the park. It is also the third most expensive project the park has built at $22 million, surpassed only by Banshee, and Orion.
History[]
Construction began on Diamondback towards the end of the 2007 season, and was teased throughout the 2008 season. The ride opened in 2009 and instantly became a popular choice with fans of the park. As of 2022, Diamondback is the second tallest coaster in the park, and is also notable for being the first hypercoaster with a splashdown effect. just like the other rides at Rivertown, the ride's theme is related to a dark force that roams this mysterious town.
Story and Ride Experience[]
For decades, Rivertown residents have lived in fear of a dark and mysterious sentient unidentified that takes the form of a titanic diamondback rattlesnake it's rumored to attack people who go into the abandoned parts of Rivertown. some say it lives on the old lumber company perimeter, some say it lives in the abandoned mining company with The Beast, some even say it lives on the canyon. but the most common belief is that it lives in the old asphalt factory, and you where foolish to go looking for it there. if this thing catches you...look, you still have a chance if you run for the hills and take refuge in Swan Lake, there's enough branching paths there that you could throw it off, now go!
Ride Experience[]
The cars immediately begin to ascend the lift hill as soon as they leave the loading station. They travel up the second tallest lift hill in the park, and descend with a steep drop, going up and down numerous hills before turning around near the building that formerly housed The Crypt. After circling around near the Rivertown Arcade, the cars then splashdown at Swan Lake, before preparing to reenter the loading station.
Trivia[]
- The ride cars of Diamondback respectively resemble a snake.
- Much of Diamondback's track can be seen in the back areas of Rivertown, especially near the entrance to White Water Canyon and the Rivertown Potato Works food stand, as well as part of the ride experience on the Kings Island and Miami Valley Railroad.
- It's possible that the ride's name and theme are a tribute to King Cobra, a defunct coaster that originally operated in the Action Zone area that was also themed to a specific species of snake.
- Further supporting this theory is the design of the ride cars. While Diamondback is not a stand-up coaster like King Cobra was, the cars do not feature any surrounding structures like walls that similar coasters have. Stand-up coaster cars also tend to lack walls that surround the passengers.
- It is worth noting that the ride opened just one year after the area's local MLB team, the Cincinnati Reds, traded a popular player, Adam Dunn, to the Arizona Diamondbacks. This is most likely a coincidence, and has not been given as the official reason of the rides' name.
- The Diamondback appears both in Mystic Timbers as one of the shed monsters, and appears in the story of White Water Canyon.
- This creature is believed to be a highly advanced snake predator controlled by The Mystic Timber as a bodyguard, explaining why it's in the shed, and why it attacks some fishermen on White Water Canyon, very close to where the shed is. the Mystic Timber tells it to attack people who come to close to The Shed, or to the growth of the vines.
