Magnum XL-200

Call it Cedar Point's crown jewel. Call it the world's greatest coaster.  Call it anything but tame.  This is the Magnum XL-200, the so-called "first shot" of the coaster wars when it opened as the first coaster over 200 feet in 1989. Magnum, at one time, had been ranked the world's best steel roller coaster for several years in a row, and still occupies a spot in the top five. The experience is unexplainable, traveling up a 205 foot hill with the park on your left and the expanses of Lake Erie on your right. The view is nice, but there isn't anything nice about the hill. It plummets riders down the hill at 72 miles per hour, and before they have a chance to catch their breath, up another hill, still over 100 feet tall. The ride eventually makes it out to the tip of the peninsula, where a "pretzel" is made by a series of turns, and the train starts back towards its home. Don't think the ride is over, for many this is where it begins. The train travels over a series of bunny hills and tunnels, with each hill producing every coaster enthusiast's dream: massive airtime. Airtime is the feeling that comes from being thrown upwards from your seat, the "negative g sensation". Eventually, the train does pull into the station, but only after almost a mile of magical track. Magnum should be a priority for every coaster lover who visits Cedar Point.

Javascript Menu by Deluxe-Menu.com