Corkscrew is the lone inverting coaster at Valleyfair. I can’t believe that statement is
still accurate as of 2022, but that’s the reality. But does this Arrow looper still ride well?
Find out in this review of Corkscrew. Cedar Point opened their own coaster
named Corkscrew in 1976. This Arrow looper was the first in the world to take riders
upside-down three times and it adds a lot of energy to Cedar Point’s midway.
Valleyfair was the second Cedar Fair park and when it was time to add a new roller coaster in 1980,
they took inspiration from Cedar Point’s Corkscrew.
Valleyfair’s Corkscrew would have a nearly identical layout.
Both rides stand 85 feet or 26 meters tall and feature three inversions. The only difference
between the two layouts is that Cedar Point’s Corkscrew has a bunny hill after the first drop
while Valleyfair instead has a helix before the final brake run.
Originally, Valleyfair’s Corkscrew had the same blue paint scheme as its sister in Sandusky.
It was only over the past decade that the coaster has sported the orange and yellow paint job.
I prefer the blue paint scheme myself, but I still love this ride’s placement. I like how
the pathways circle around this attraction and parts of the ride were placed above the water.
Corkscrew is one of the closest coasters to Valleyfair’s main entrance, so unsurprisingly,
it tends to be one of the first rides people flock to. But by the mid-afternoon, it usually has one
of the shortest waits at Valleyfair and it has been a station wait in my two visits to the park.
Both times I visited Valleyfair, Corkscrew has operated with both trains.
Each train has 6 cars, seating up to 24 riders per train. The restraints are your familiar Arrow
over-the-shoulder restraints. Fortunately, I’m tall enough that my ears clear the top of the
restraint. Smaller guests will have their head trapped in between the harness, which can make
them more susceptible to headbanging during the ride’s transitions. As for where to sit,
I don’t have much of a preference on this coaster. It rides identically throughout the train.
Once dispatched, you turn out of the station and ascend the lift hill to the tune of those
glorious Arrow anti-rollbacks. At the top, you head down the ride’s first drop. Most Arrow
looper drops give good ejector pops in back, but this Corkscrew’s drop is too shallow to do so.
Next is the highlight of the ride, the forceful vertical loop.
You get good positive Gs throughout this teardrop shaped loop.
You then slightly rise upwards. I thought this transition may give airtime, but it’s too drawn
out to do so. You then turn 180 degrees towards the ride’s back-to-back corkscrews.
These aren’t the fastest Arrow corkscrews, so you get a faint bit of hangtime on each of them.
You then navigate a relatively sterile upwards helix into the final brake run.
This element is pretty slow and it lacks the positives or laterals I look for in a helix.
It just feels like it exists to pad the ride’s length. You then hit the brakes,
ending the 1950 foot or 590 meter long coaster.
So what would I rate Valleyfair’s Corkscrew? I would give this coaster a 4 out of 10.
What was once a cutting-edge coaster in the early 1980s is unfortunately dated. The transitions
aren’t fluid like newer loopers and the layout is pretty basic. However, this isn’t as rough as some
other Arrows and I do enjoy the 3 inversions, particularly the strong vertical loop. I just
wish this ride had some of the airtime pops you can find on other Arrow loopers for variety.
I still find it hard to believe this is the only coaster at Valleyfair to take guests upside-down.
It really is baffling a nearly 50 year-old Cedar Fair park hasn’t added another inversion-based
coaster over the years. Hopefully the park can address this issue in the future!
So those are my thoughts on Corkscrew at Valleyfair. What are your thoughts on this
classic looper? Are you as surprised Valleyfair doesn’t have another coaster that inverts guests?
Let me know your thoughts down below. If you enjoyed this review, I’d appreciate it if you
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more roller coaster and amusement park videos here at Canobie Coaster. Thanks for watching!