The oft-delayed makeover of Montezooma’s Revenge at Knott’s Berry Farm has been postponed again as the timeline for updating the historic flywheel launch coaster with a new randomized launch sequence stretches to more than three years.
Knott’s will relaunch the Montezooma’s Revenge coaster as the reimagined Montezooma: The Forbidden Fortress in 2025.
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Work resumed this week on the ride that has sat partially disassembled since 2022.
The Montezooma makeover has been marked by fits and starts right from the beginning.
Knott’s Berry Farm closed Montezooma’s Revenge in January 2022 with little notice or fanfare only to be forced to reopen the ride the next day so fans could get one more ride on the classic coaster. At the time, the remade ride was expected to return in 2023.
The updated Monty was supposed to be the centerpiece of the refreshed Fiesta Village, but the Knott’s themed land returned in May 2023 without the star of the show. Construction delays were blamed for the ride remaining unready for the reopening of Fiesta Village. During the festivities, a construction wall stood at the entrance to the Montezooma coaster that was missing large segments of track including the signature loop.
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By late 2023, Knott’s parent company Cedar Fair was looking over proposals from five ride manufacturers for ways to restart the Montezooma’s Revenge project, according to Screamscape.
Fans grew worried in February when Knott’s released an updated mobile app that removed any trace of Montezooma’s Revenge from the park map. Hopes grew grim when eagle-eyed coaster enthusiasts noticed mention of a “terminated project” at Knott’s buried deep in Cedar Fair’s year-end financial report.
The latest news of another delay rather than Monty’s demise brought some relief to fans of the historic coaster.
Montezooma’s Revenge was built by Germany-based roller coaster manufacturer Anton Schwarzkopf based on plans developed by renowned coaster designer Werner Stengel.
The 1978 Schwarzkopf flywheel-launch shuttle loop coaster has been designated a historic landmark as the last operating ride of its kind in the United States and the longest standing in its original location.
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The extensive renovation of Montezooma’s Revenge at Knott’s Berry Farm will introduce a backstory about doomed treasure hunters along with Aztec-themed trains, randomized launch sequences and new rider restraints.
A new coaster train for Montezooma: The Forbidden Fortress has been designed to look like a mythical creature made from rocks with fang-like teeth, reptilian scales, spiked armor and glowing red eyes.
The redesigned Montezooma coaster train will depart from a re-themed station that has been reimagined as an architectural cousin of the Mayan stone temple housing the Jaguar coaster next door. Montezooma riders will pass through a fanged mouth-like portal with smoke and lighting effects, according to a new teaser video.
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The updated Montezooma coaster train will replace the historic ride’s lap bar with new over-the-shoulder restraints — much to the displeasure of ride enthusiasts.
Knott’s is moving away from Montezooma’s lap bar-only restraints and switching to over-the-shoulder restraints to meet current requirements by American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), according to Knott’s officials.
The first flywheel-launched roller coaster in the world will offer riders a new twist as Montezooma: The Forbidden Fortress. The new version of the coaster is expected to cycle through three randomized multi-launch sequences with a fourth launch profile taking place on every 100th ride, according to Screamscape.
“Imagine the surprise in store for riders while they wait for the launch, not knowing if the coaster will launch forward or backwards at first,” according to Screamscape. “Talk about adding a re-rideability factor.”
A new station and queue experience will take riders through the exploration camp of Montezuma’s hidden Aztec fortress filled with boobytraps and the remains of treasure hunters.
The nearby Jaguar coaster next to Montezooma is set amid an archeological dig in a Mayan temple. The rides are already connected with Jaguar’s track passing through Montezooma’s loop.
The theming of the reimagined Montezooma coaster will be separate from the Jaguar coaster and will tell the story of Montezuma’s hidden treasure and those who have tried to find Aztec emperor’s riches over the years.
Hired in 2022, Netherlands-based ride renovator Kumbak continues to work on the Montezooma renovation project. Kumbak has previously teamed with European theme parks Efteling, Walibi and Bakken.
