Vortex
Website: Carowinds Homepage
Ride Type: Standing Steel Coaster
Ride Status: Running
Average Rating: 3.1765
TPC Overall Rank: Rides need more than 25 reviews to be ranked.
Reviews: 22
Last Review: 7/27/2010 7:21:00 PM
In User Top 10: 6 times.
User Tracker Count: 83 times.
 

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3 Rating
0 Rating Rate Down Rate Up SamJane on 7/27/2010 7:21:00 PM
Vortex is a stand-up roller coaster. Its restraints are designed like a normal looping coaster's except you will be standing up. The inversions feel pretty sweet while standing. Actually, everything on this coaster gives a unique sensation because of the fact you're standing! After you get off, though, your legs may feel like jelly. The queue line is LONG. I mean LONG. Do not, whatever you do, absolutely do not go on a hot, sunny Saturday. Carowinds, ever heard of fans? Maybe a roof here or there? The line is exhausting underneath the boiling sun with very few sections covered with fabric roofing and every once in a while a water fountain with boiling water. The loading was crazy slow, with a train running once every 5 minutes. After one train finished, it took minutes for the next to start up the lift hill. I don't know if this will change every time, all I do know is that if the line looks long, wait a little while because chances are it'll get much shorter. Eh, nothing truly special about it except for the standing up factor. Some nice inversions, an average lift hill, a decent swooping drop, and a relatively calm ride.

3 Rating
0 Rating Rate Down Rate Up T-Rex on 12/14/2007 11:37:00 AM
This pales in comparison to other B&Ms. The first drop was small, but deceivingly quick and steep. Following that was a very intense and powerful vertical loop. After that the ride was rather boring, but still smooth. The helixes were forceless in my opinion and the corkscrew was rather boring.

3 Rating
0 Rating Rate Down Rate Up razor12 on 6/15/2007 3:33:00 AM
The ride is fun, but the worst stand-up coaster. One, the ride is very short. It ends in about thirty seconds. Two, the height isnt at all spectacular. Three, the loading is slow. The ride is boring. However, the forces are great!

5 Rating
0 Rating Rate Down Rate Up coasterwom on 3/16/2006 6:28:00 AM
The Vortex is a steel sit down roller coaster. (Stand Up) It was built in 1992 by B&M. It has 2 inversions. It is 90' tall, it is 2,040' long. It is fast, fun,rerideable, it has a large capacity, and a long duration.

3 Rating
+1 Rating Rate Down Rate Up WAR2174 on 5/26/2005 1:05:00 PM
Apparently the name "Vortex" is cursed for B&M, because this one and the one at Paramounts Great America in California are not very good. They are arguably the worst two B&Ms ever. Vortex is painted in a nice red paint and stands in a ver pretty location. The station is really boring, a plain building with very steep stairs. Vortex starts out up the lift hill, it doesnt take very long to get to the top since this one isnt tall. You bank to the right and down increasing with speed into a pretty tight veritcal loop and then into a little helix. You then head into a pretty rough corkscrew(brace yourself heading into it). You then make a couple of turns and you are back in the station. Very short, a little rough, and pretty boring. I really like stand-ups, but B&M seems to be hit-or-miss with them. They have made beauties like Riddlers Revenge and Mantis, but then they have junk like Vortex. This was probably a starting point for the type and you can tell. If you ride it, be prepared to brace yourself and protect yourself from hitting your head. This is about an average ride.

3 Rating
0 Rating Rate Down Rate Up fergusonat on 5/3/2005 8:21:00 PM
A really rough ride, but hey, it was pretty much a walk-on and there wasnt any killer head-banging really. Just make sure you ride towards the front and keep your head out pretty far. The Corkscrew is where the head-bangin can get pretty bad, though

3 Rating
+1 Rating Rate Down Rate Up BobFunland on 3/22/2005 8:10:00 PM
Vortex is the most dissapointing B&M I have ever been on, the only one to get a score as low as a 6 so far. The ride is ok, looking at the layout before my trip, I figured that I was in store for a fun little stand-up like the Georgia Scorcher, but that was not the case. The first half is actually quite enjoyable. I liked all three B&M standups that I had been on previous to Vortex, with their intensity being a major reason why. Vortexs first loop presented a very intense element, much smaller and tighter than other B&M loops, which lack really strong forces for the most part with their typical 80 or greater diameter. At least Vortexs loop seemed more intense to me. The second half is where problems arise, from the helixes and turns which were far to wide and open to produce great forces, to a bit of headbanging in the corkscrew, which was tolerable as far as I was concerned, even though it is something that is uncharateristic of a B&M. I also didnt like the restraints all too much, it seemed as if they were different than the more recent models like the Scorcher and Riddlers. Overall, it was still fun, and worth riding multiple times, but not the best in a category which I enjoy unlike some folks, that same category which is packed with stiff competition. Unfortunately for Vortex, it is hard to live up to it, but at least it can say it is better than TOGO standups.

4 Rating
0 Rating Rate Down Rate Up RaptorFan on 3/21/2005 12:56:00 PM
A lot of people put this coaster down, I found the compact layout and intense inversions to be fun. I would not suggest wearing sunglasses, as I fell victim to the ear vs. frame problem, but it was still an awesome ride.

3 Rating
0 Rating Rate Down Rate Up larrygator on 7/9/2004 2:11:00 AM
I still enjoy most stand-ups. In the front row there is mild headbanging in the corkscrew. The elements include a loop, helix, corkscrew and helix. both helixes are tight and the back is not any rougher than the front

2 Rating
0 Rating Rate Down Rate Up CeffectX on 1/29/2004 12:30:00 AM
Ok, I will stick with my adage that the only attraction worth deeming a one at Carowinds was the Sternwheeler, but the Vortex makes me want to totally go back on that(I guess with its removal, I could, but I wont). The bicycle seats are still by far the most uncomfortable for the male rider. Since the rides invention, I have invested in stock of Tylenol as it is much needed after this short, uninspired ride. Of course, nothing compares to the hurtyness of the Shockwave. After riding Shockwave, I give Vortex a mercy point..thus giving it its three score.

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