Moonsault Scramble

Moonsault Scramble
Moonsault Scramble's pretzel knot inversions
Location	Fuji-Q Highland
Status	Defunct
Opened	June 24, 1983 (1983-06-24)
Closed	2000
Type	Steel - Shuttle
Manufacturer	Sanoyas Hishino Meisho Corporation
Designer	Vekoma
Height	229.67 ft (70.00 m)
Length	1,509.17 ft (460.00 m)
Max speed	55.9 mph (90.0 km/h)
Inversions	2
Max G force	6.2
Moonsault Scramble at RCDB
Pictures of Moonsault Scramble at RCDB
Amusement Parks Portal

Moonsault Scramble was a steel shuttle roller coaster that operated from 1983 until 2000 at Fuji-Q Highland amusement park in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, Japan. According to the Guinness Book of Records, Moonsault Scramble was the tallest roller coaster in the world^[1] until 1996 when its record height was surpassed by the roller coaster Fujiyama, which reached 259 feet in height—also at Fuji-Q Highland. Moonsault Scramble was the first roller coaster to surpass 200 feet in height,^[2] and it remains the third tallest shuttle roller coaster ever built, behind Superman: The Escape at Six Flags Magic Mountain (tallest) and Tower of Terror at Dreamworld (second tallest).^[3] The coaster was removed from the park to make way for the construction of Dodonpa in 2001.

Moonsault Scramble was known for producing extremely high g-forces on its riders. As of 1998, it was cited by some to exert up to 6.5 gs on its riders. It was one of only three roller coasters outside the United States to exert such extreme forces on its riders (the others being Mindbender and Dreier Looping Coaster).^[4] The pretzel knot element (compromising two inversions) that produced these high g-forces was the only such pretzel knot inversion ever implemented in a roller coaster.^[5] The pretzel knot element is different from the much more common pretzel loop element.

Considerable debate exists within the roller coaster enthusiast community whether the height record of Moonsault Scramble was, in fact, legitimate (and if it should, consequently, be given the hypercoaster designation). As shuttle roller coasters—by definition—do not make a complete circuit, the tallest points of these coasters typically have very few (if any) riders who experience these heights. For this reason, many roller coaster enthusiasts reserve height records for complete circuit roller coasters.^[6] If these definitions are taken, the world's tallest roller coasters from 1983 until 1996 were Dragon Mountain, Magnum XL-200, Desperado, Pepsi Max Big One and finally Fujiyama.

References

1. ^ Russell, Alan; McWhirter, Norris D. (1987). Guinness book of records (1988 ed.). Guinness World Records Limited. pp. 320. ISBN 0851128688. 
2. ^ RCDB listing of roller coasters by height
3. ^ RCDB listing of shuttle roller coasters by height
4. ^ Cook, Nick (1998). Roller coasters, or, I had so much fun, I almost puked. Carolrhoda Books. p. 34. ISBN 1575050714. http://books.google.com/books?id=6uDyERmZxb8C&pg=PA34&dq=%22Moonsault+Scramble&hl=en&ei=Mn0dTLrHOMWAlAflq8iaDQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=book-preview-link&resnum=2&ved=0CDAQuwUwAQ#v=onepage&q=%22Moonsault%20Scramble&f=false. Retrieved 19 June 2010. 
5. ^ RCDB listing of roller coasters using a pretzel element
6. ^ Chase, Nan K. (7 August 1994). "STEEP THRILLS; Fast, Fast, FAST Relief on the Roller Coasters of Ohio's Cedar Point". Washington Post. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost/access/72265210.html?dids=72265210:72265210&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Aug+07%2C+1994&author=Nan+K.+Chase&pub=The+Washington+Post+%28pre-1997+Fulltext%29&desc=STEEP+THRILLS%3B+Fast%2C+Fast%2C+FAST+Relief+on+the+Roller+Coasters+of+Ohio%27s+Cedar+Point&pqatl=google.