Roller coaster engineer Korey Kiepert joins WIRED to answer the internet’s burning questions about roller coasters and the people who design them. How do roller coasters work? Who invented the first roller coaster? How are roller coasters tested? What the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the world? How do they stay on the rails while looping and speeding down the track? Engineer Korey Kiepert answers each of these questions plus plenty more on Roller Coaster Support.
0:00 Roller Coaster Support
0:12 Kingda Ka, the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the world
0:36 Who invented the roller coaster?
1:19 That sinking feeling
2:34 The best seat on a roller coaster
3:17 How are roller coasters tested?
4:35 Wooden coasters vs. Metal
5:38 How roller coasters stay on the tracks
6:34 The art and science of roller coaster design
7:35 Let’s hear it for engineers
8:24 Chat, is it easy to design roller coasters?
9:03 Why do all inverts have a curved first drop?
9:46 How many roller coasters does one person design?
10:28 How do roller coasters work?
11:00 Are carnival rides safe?
11:48 Why are the rides so short?
12:34 Does the USA have the best roller coasters?
13:16 What roller coasters will be like in 40 years
14:03 Why hit the brakes?
14:31 Why do roller coasters make me tired?
14:44 Why do roller coasters break down?
15:23 The line between wooden and metal roller coasters
Director: Jackie Phillips
Director of Photography: AJ Young
Editor: Richard Trammell
Talent: Korey Kiepert
Line Producer: Joseph Buscemi
Associate Producer: Paul Gulyas
Production Manager: Peter Brunette
Production Coordinator: Rhyan Lark
Casting Producer: Nicholas Sawyer
Camera Operator: Lucas Vilicich
Sound Mixer: Paul Cornett
Production Assistant: Lauren Boucher
Post Production Supervisor: Christian Olguin
Post Production Coordinator: Ian Bryant
Supervising Editor: Doug Larsen
Additional Editor: Jason Malizia; JC Scruggs
Assistant Editor: Billy Ward
The photo of Gold Reef City was taken by NOLWEEN and used under the Creative Commons 3.0 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
The photo of the Wildcat Coaster was taken by WILDCAT1 and has been released into the public domain by the author.
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36 comments
This guy didn't answer anything, always both sides are good
Disappointed you were only able to get this guy and not an actual roller coaster.
i say who cares it could be the back seat to me just get on the ride or dont
are there any closed-cockpit roller coasters? what would be the pros and cons?
Very cool and interesting video. My first roller coaster was The Beast, when I was about 12 years old. It was fun, but the first drop scared me half to death because it felt like I was going to fall out of it.
Since everyone here is probably a bit of a rollercoaster nut, this is the perfect forum to ask……….. What is the most intense ride all of you have been on? (asking so I can go check them out!)
I'll start….
winner: El Toro in Six Flags New Jersey
runner up: Hyperia in Thorpe Park UK
What a brilliant idea for a q&a! Very interesting guy! Thank you Wired.
Just been on my first roller coaster ride couple days ago at The Land of Legends. I must admit, I always feared these beasts and I had to overcome that fear and I am glad I did it! No more fear now, only excitement 😅
The back for the speed and g forces
.
The front for the view
.
The middle for the smoothest floaty feelings in the loops etc 👍
Was looking for a mention about the Q at 13:18 but I guess I have to say it.. Many have closed down/changed/moved/deteriorated over the ages.. Such as 6Flags New Orleans, The Wizard of Oz "amusement" park, Discovery Kingdom, Great America, Magic, "Horrorland" (LOL jk about that last one😜) And it was probs rt after this vid came out that Coney Island announced it's Cyclone closure. Maybe the easiest answer could've been, the world's always changing and so are parks/coasters, whether positive or negative…. G's
Topher Grace got really cool after That 70's Show.
I'm glad he's good at his job, he has a personality, and he can explain very well. He truly made an interesting video. Thanks editiors as well
Wrong. At top of hill the centripetal force is NOT upward. It is downward. And being supplied at least in part by your weight, making you feel like you weigh less or not at all.
6:09 😂😂😂
Nerd
Great video!
I almost thought this was Topher Grace wearing a disguise. lol
The best seat is at the nearest restauraunt.
Thank you for ravine flyer..we love it…please get cedar point to stop using the boring designers of b&m and intamin. At least they gave vekoma a chance… Zamperla kinda proved their worth
Man for a moment i thought that was George Lucas by the thumbnail 😂
10:12 I love the Thunderbolt at Kennywood!!! My favorite coaster of all time
Ayee kingda ka, jackson nj. Lived there for 15 years
I love coasters but get motion sickness. Just went to Hershey. Got sick after just 4 coasters.
I never really thought about the fact that almost no coasters with inversions start with a straight drop, its so true. 2 exceptions I can think of are Twisted Colossus and (the recently removed) Vortex at Kings Island
I wonder if I scroll for long enough if I can find Grant O’Brien here
You always have about 1 g on earth … you feel weightless because nothing is holding you back … what an engineer you are 👀
He doesn’t explain it properly in simple terms, can we have someone else
To call me jealous would be a serious understatement, as I hate to say it, a failed aerospace engineer, this makes me want to go back in time to UF and try it again with this as my end goal
Oof, bringing up Kingda Ka as something that will last didn't age well. Next year (2025) is the last year for Kingda Ka and Zumanjaro unfortunately. 😒
The best indoor coaster I’ve ever ridden was the Mindbender at West Edmonton Mall. It was a great Schwarzkopf coaster sadly it got taken out.
Fun video. I love roller coasters. I wish there was a six flags or other big roller coaster park within a few hours of Seattle. But sadly the Pacific Northwest just doesn’t have many/any options. I guess maybe it’s due to the weather?
I’d say the LA area has the best selection: we have Tatsu, X2, Twisted Colossus, Goliath, Full Throttle and Ninja at Magic Mountain; Xcelerator, Hang Time, Silver Bullet and Ghost Rider at Knotts; Disneyland even has space mountain and Incredicoaster. By far the best selection
4:50 idk i went to Paris this past summer and i went to Disney and this other local park called Asterix and I gotta say, the Iron man ride was insane but Tonnerre 2 Zeus at asterix was insanely crazy, and its wooden, really recommend it
After playing Rollercoaster Tycoon for a few days, I realized I must have a problem… because I kept building rollercoasters that were lethal to the riders. After they kept refusing to ride them, I tried to lock them inside the park at the entrances to the rides. But they still chose not to ride them. Alas.
I refuse to make the rides safer out of principle.
Reopen Desperado!
The most iconic roller coaster:
Revolution (classic), Six Flags Magic Mountain, Valencia, California, U.S.A..
I love it!
I would recommend The Voyage any day of the week. The very best. Back-seating on that thing is SICK–nearly 30 seconds of airtime.
Comments are closed.