{{Short description|Steel roller coaster at Carowinds}} {{Infobox roller coaster |name=Vortex |image=PCW-Vortex.jpg |caption=Vortex's vertical loop. |location=Carowinds |section=Carousel Park |type=Steel |type2=Stand-up |status=Operating |opened={{Start date|1992|03|14}} |manufacturer=Bolliger & Mabillard |designer=[[Werner Stengel]] |model=Stand-Up Coaster |track= |lift=Chain [[lift hill]] |height_ft=90 |drop_ft= |length_ft=2040 |speed_mph=50 |inversions=2 |duration=2:19 |angle= |capacity= |cost=$5.5 million<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1992-05-10-9202110640-story.html|title=A GUIDE TO WHAT'S NEW IN THEME PARKS}}</ref> |acceleration= |gforce= |restriction_in=54 |virtual_queue_name=[[Fast Lane (Cedar Fair)|Fast Lane]] |virtual_queue_image=Cedar_Fair_Fast_Lane_availability_icon.svg |virtual_queue_status=available |rcdb_number=86 |coordinates={{coord|35.1036|N|80.9416|W|source:kolossus-dewiki|display=title,inline}} }}
'''Vortex''' is a [[stand-up roller coaster]] located at [[Carowinds]] amusement park in [[Charlotte, North Carolina]], United States. Manufactured by [[Bolliger & Mabillard]] (B&M), the ride opened to the public on March 14, 1992.<ref name="RCDB">{{Cite RCDB|coaster_name=Vortex|location=Carowinds|url=https://rcdb.com/86.htm|accessdate=2020-01-28}}</ref> Vortex was built a year before [[Paramount Parks]] (now [[Six Flags]]) purchased Carowinds and is situated on the former site of the Carolina Speedway miniature car attraction. It was B&M's third coaster and features a [[Loop (roller coaster)|loop]] and a [[Corkscrew (roller coaster element)|corkscrew]] element in its relatively short track layout. Vortex represented a new era of stand-up coasters at the time, which were more advanced than the previous generation introduced in the 1980s.
==History== On August 15, 1991, Carowinds announced that a new [[stand-up roller coaster]] would be added to the park in 1992 called Vortex.<ref name="CharlotteObserver" /> It was the first coaster built at Carowinds since [[Carolina Cyclone]] in 1980, and also became the park's most expensive ride to date at $5.5 million.<ref name="CharlotteObserver" /> Built by [[Bolliger & Mabillard]], Vortex was the sixth stand-up coaster to open in the [[United States]].<ref name="CharlotteObserver">{{cite news |last=Brown |first=Tony |date=August 16, 1991 |title=All rise for new roller coaster|work=[[The Charlotte Observer]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/53917207/all-rise-for-new-roller-coaster/|access-date=July 14, 2021 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> Construction began in September 1991, and officials believed it would be completed by January 1992.<ref>{{cite news |last=Limbacher |first=Patty |date=December 27, 1991 |title=Stand-up idea brings thrills to Vortex ride|work=[[The Charlotte Observer]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/92042059/stand-up-idea-brings-thrills-to-vortex/|access-date=January 10, 2022 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>
Vortex officially opened on March 14, 1992. It was repainted for the 2011 season with red track and gray supports, similar to [[Intimidator (roller coaster)|Thunder Striker]].{{citation needed|date=July 2021}}
==Ride Layout== Riders depart from the station in a standing position, then ascend a small {{convert|90|ft|m|sing=on}} lift. A pre-drop, characteristic of early [[Bolliger & Mabillard]] coasters, follows the lift hill, preceding the curved right drop. A [[vertical loop]] follows the drop and is followed-up by an upward right and downward banked turn. An upward helix follows the downward turn and is followed by a corkscrew to the right. After another upward helix and a wide turnaround, the train enters the final brake run before entering the station.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ckRDIAwfcE |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/4ckRDIAwfcE |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|title=4K Vortex POV Carowinds|date=July 19, 2015|website=TheCoasterViews|via=[[YouTube]]|access-date=September 16, 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
==Construction Data== * 109 columns and foundations * 411,000 pounds of steel * 931 cubic yards of concrete
==Ride Elements== * [[Loop (roller coaster)|Loop]] * Corkscrew * Banked Turn
<gallery> Image:Vortex (Carowinds) 01.JPG|Vortex's drop Image:Vortex (Carowinds) 02.JPG|Vortex's loop Image:Vortex (Carowinds) 03.JPG|Vortex's drop directly before the corkscrew Image:Vortex (Carowinds) 04.JPG|Vortex's corkscrew </gallery>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{commons category}} * [http://www.carowinds.com/rides/Thrill-Rides/Vortex Official Page]
{{PCW Coasters}}
[[Category:Steel roller coasters]] [[Category:Roller coasters manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard]] [[Category:Roller coasters in North Carolina]] [[Category:Roller coasters in South Carolina]] [[Category:Roller coasters operated by Six Flags]] [[Category:Roller coasters opened in 1992]] [[Category:Carowinds]] [[Category:Stand-up roller coasters manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard]]