20 Year Anniversary for Talon: The Grip of Fear

It's a big year for our orange and blue roller coaster. Talon: The Grip of Fear has been giving guests thrilling rides for 20 years! Talon opened to the public on May 5, 2001, the first operating day of that season. It has since become a favorite ride amongst several park goers.  

The name, Talon: The Grip of Fear, comes from the way the car is situated on the track. When you ride, the seats are hung from the track, almost like the track is “gripping” the ride vehicle. While you are gripped from above, your feet dangle below. A talon typically belongs to a bird of prey, which leads to the tagline: The Grip of Fear. 

At its peak height Talon is 135 feet tall with a 120-foot drop. This B&M Coaster has a thrilling top speed of 58 mph and a total of 4 inversions. Those inversions include a corkscrew, a zero-g roll, a 98-foot-tall vertical loop, and an Immelmann loop. If you’re not a big coaster person and don’t know what those inversions are, let me break all that down for you.  

A B&M Coaster means it was manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard. Each of the 4 inversions are unique in their own ways. A corkscrew inversion acts like the corkscrew tool, it rotates the ride car 360 degrees while keeping the riders facing forward. A zero-gravity roll does almost the same thing as the corkscrew inversion, with a little something extra. This type of inversion gives riders a sense of weightlessness as the roll occurs at the crest of a hill. Then there is a vertical loop. This type of inversion is typical for many B&M roller coasters, but on Talon this inversion is 98 feet tall. It takes riders up 98 feet, turns them upside down at the top of the loop, and brings them back down after a 360 degree turn. The fourth inversion is called an Immelmann inversion. It starts as a vertical loop, inverts you, and then exists through a corkscrew like fashion. The move comes from a German pilot’s maneuver, which is also how it got its name.  

Photos of the 4 inversions in order of appearance: corkscrew, zero-gravity roll, vertical loop, and Immelmann loop

Photo of Immelmann loop captured by Joel W Styer in 2001

One of the ways you can celebrate this anniversary is with exclusive merchandise! There are an array of different merch offers, that will be a great addition to anyone’s Talon collection. For clothing options there are t-shirts in multiple designs and colors, sweatshirts, and hats. Who doesn’t need more t-shirts? Then for drinkware options, there are a bunch of different choices including cups, coffee mugs, travel mugs, drink tumblers, and shot glasses. There must be room for another mug in your cabinet! For anyone who loves stuffed animal plushies there is a special Talon Squishmallow. It is an adorable bird named Grin with the Talon logo. Grin loves the outdoors and hunting for unique gifts for his friends and family. Lastly for any coaster fanatics, we have a brand-new nano coaster! Now you can take Talon home, rebuild it, and take in the insane aerial view.

Talon: The Grip of Fear 20th Anniversary merchandise can be found inside Good Time Gifts gift shop

The BEST way for any thrill seeker to celebrate the anniversary of this ride is... by riding it! While you ride, try to figure out when the 4 different inversions happen. See if you can distinguish which inversion is which. It’s up to you to figure out which order these inversions happen while going on the ride! Go test your sense of adventure by riding Talon: The Grip of Fear. It’s the first roller coaster you’ll see as you walk into the park, so you can’t miss it. 

Photos from construction of Talon in 2000 and 2001 captured by Joel W Styer