JACKSON, NJ – May 15, 2014 – Thrill-seekers eagerly anticipating the opening of this year’s most extreme new ride, Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom, will have to wait a few more weeks thanks to Mother Nature.
Zumanjaro was originally slated for a Memorial Day weekend opening, but the combination of high wind, snow and cold challenged construction at the top of the world’s tallest and fastest drop ride.
“We battled through one of the harshest winters in history and high wind challenged the construction crew atop Zumanjaro’s massive towers this Spring,” said Six Flags Great Adventure President John Fitzgerald. “Our teams have done an incredible job staying very close to schedule despite Mother Nature’s wrath. It is even more amazing considering the dizzying heights of this project.”
Fitzgerald expects to announce an early June opening date for Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom in the coming weeks.
Connected to the iconic Kingda Ka roller coaster—the 45-story monster that ranks as the world’s tallest and fastest coaster—Zumanjaro will hoist riders 41 stories into the sky and rocket them back to Earth at speeds up to 90 miles per hour.
Three soaring Zumanjaro towers have been built on the face of the massive Kingda Ka coaster. Each drop tower features a gondola with eight riders. The gondolas rise to the top of the tower in approximately 30 seconds. Riders pause for a few terrifying moments, 415 feet in the air—even higher than London’s Big Ben and twice as high as the Statue of Liberty—allowing them to catch a glimpse of the skyscrapers in Philadelphia 52 miles to the south before gravity plunges them back to ground level in less than 10 seconds.
Six Flags Great Adventure and Safari is currently open weekends for the 2014 season, and will begin daily operation May 22. For more information, visit www.sixflags.com/greatadventure.
