S&S – Sansei has developed a new and unusual roller coaster, Axis, and built a working prototype at its Logan, Utah, headquarters. According to Josh Hays, S&S’s executive director of sales and marketing, “work on it began after S&S went to some of its customers and asked them what they wanted in a new ride. They all asked for something that would pry their guests off the couch, away from their smart phones and into the park. It had to be something eye-catching and thrilling all at the same time. Three years later, our prototype has proved to do just that.”
Hays reports that everyone who sees their videos immediately recognises that this is not like any ride they have ever seen. S&S is giving the rider a very unpredictable, yet smooth and comfortable ride experience. Most coasters give the rider the ability to anticipate what is coming next. With Axis, riders could end up above the track, below the track, swinging to either side or even inverted with a simple variation in track geometry. And it all happens very smoothly. S&S is very excited by the attention it has already received and hasn’t really done much to market it yet. Hays believes that this ride has a wide variety of applications. It can use a traditional chain lift or be launched using compressed air or LSMs. It can also be customised to be a more family friendly attraction or design it to be a challenging high-thrill experience.
Depending on its customers’ needs, Hays anticipates the first opening to be in the mid-2021 or early-2022.
