Montezooma lives!
Knott’s Berry Farm has announced plans to “reimagine” one of its most famous and historic roller coasters.
“Work is ‘re-zooming’ on our reimagination of Montezooma’s Revenge,” the Buena Park theme park posted on social media Friday. “Get ready to launch into new thrills when MonteZOOMa: The Forbidden Fortress opens in 2025.”
Work on the coaster will begin on March 4.
“California’s Original Theme Park” also shared a short video on YouTube of what the coaster will look like when it reopens next year.
The flywheel-launched shuttle coaster has been closed since 2022 after Knott’s announced that the thrill ride will undergo a “major renovation,” according to the Orange County Register.
The coaster is a favorite among many thrill seekers and has been an American Coaster Enthusiasts designated landmark since 2019.
The organization recognizes Montezooma’s Revenge as the last operating ride of its kind in the United States and the longest-standing in its original location. Only 45 other roller coasters worldwide have been designated as ACE landmarks. The attraction originally opened at Knott’s in 1978.
The coaster accelerates to 55 mph in 4.5 seconds.
The thrill ride “catapults passengers out of the station at 55 miles per hour, up through a 76-foot, 360° loop, and then to the top of a 148-foot tower. After a moment of weightlessness, the train zooms down the tower, backward, goes through the loop, and passes through the station up a second 112-foot tower, then down the tower into the station,” according to the Knott’s website.
Knott’s Berry Farm reopened Xcelerator after a two-year hiatus in 2023.