Diamondback Lift Hill Topped Off!

It was heard on Thursday that the giant 215 foot lift hill of Diamondback was topped off at 9:00 a.m. The ride was originally going to be topped off Wednesday, but according to high winds, the ride got delayed. New Pictures were sent in.


Meanwhile, it was heard that the construction of Diamondback has been going well. The park claimed, on the media report on August 6th that Diamondback will finish their construction by Christmas, but the park has set a new date around Thanksgiving. The KI Portal Staff will hear more the weekend. Also, this weekend is Kings Island's last weekend so try to fit a short visit into your schedule because we heard that the park will be very busy. KI Portal will send a report on Sunday concluding this year's season. Happy Haloween!

Behind the Scenes: Diamondback Rattlesnake

Although many of us know that the new B&M HyperCoaster Diamondback is set for release in 2009, many of us don't know what is a Diamondback Rattlesnake. KI Portal takes an exclusive behind the scenes look at the Western Diamondback Rattlesnake.
The Western Diamondback Rattlesnake, or Crotalus atrox, a member of the family Viperidae, the subfamily Crotalinae, and the genus Crotalus, has such a hold on the human psyche that it has been a symbol of the American Southwest from prehistoric into historic times. It figures in ancient mythology, ceramics and rock art and in modern story and media. The Western Diamondback, which can exceed seven feet in length, is the king of our twenty odd species and sub-species of Southwestern desert rattlers, not only in terms of size, but also in terms of its fearsome reputation.

Malevolently handsome, its basic color ranges from brown to gray to pinkish, depending on the shade of its habitat. Its back is lined with dark diamond-shaped blotches outlined by lighter-colored scales. Its head is distinguished by two dark stripes, one on each side of its face, which run diagonally, like Zorro’s mask, from its eyes back to its jaws. Its tail is circled by several alternating black and white bands, like the pattern of a raccoon’s tail. Its patterns are most distinctive when the snake is young and are more faded, blurred and camouflaged when it is older.

Like its brethren – a clan of some 100 species of poisonous snakes generally called "pit vipers" – the Western Diamondback comes equipped with a spade-shaped head, a fiendish fang and venom system, elliptical pupils and heat-sensing facial pits. It has reserve fangs to replace any which break off in a victim. The venom causes extensive tissue damage, bleeding and swelling in humans. The pits, in effect, infrared detectors, guide the snake swiftly and surely to warm blooded prey such as rodents, even in the total darkness of the animals’ burrows. Its rattles – a distinguishing feature it shares only with other rattlesnakes – grows segment by segment, each rattle the keratin remnant of a shed skin. It can add two or three rattles each year, with each molt, although it may also break off some of its rattles in the course of a year.

Unlike the Black Tailed Rattler, which tends to be lethargic, or the Rock Rattler, which tends to be excitable but non-aggressive, the Western Diamondback will coil, rattle fearsomely, and stand its ground when threatened. It bites hundreds of people a year, more than any other venomous snake in the United States. It hunts from late evening to early morning, crawling either sinuously like other snakes or rectilinearly like a caterpillar.

A look into history: Brady Bunch

The KI Portal Staff has found an excellent video of the Brady Bunch when they came to Kings Island.

The Brady Bunch filmed an episode of their hit show at Kings Island, in the summer of 1973 (Kings Island`s second season). The episode is #106 and is titled "The Cincinnati Kids." It aired in the fifth season of The Brady Bunch on Friday November 23, 1973. The video below is the 1973 episode that aired during King's Island's second operating season. The video is split into 3 parts of approximately 8 minutes. The second video is not provided. The 2 videos shows great video footage of defunct attractions including Gullivers-Rub-A-Dub, Scrappy's Farm, The old SkyRide chailift from nearby Coney Island, a historical glimpse at the Racer, and the "Shawnee Landing"- a canoe type boat ride that the Beast replaced in 1979. Enjoy!

THE FIRST VIDEO


The second video has not been uploaded.

THE THIRD VIDEO

The staff also found a great video of the Brady Bunch when they paid a revisit to Kings Island during Labor Day Weekend.

Kings Island Weekend Update 8/27

Kings Island Haloween Haunt has concluded it's second-to-last week of operation and several new attachments of Diamondback have been spotted. Also, construction of Diamondback can be seen from the back of the park (Parking Lot)
KI Central just recently posted a new video of Urgent Scare. KI Portal Staff had a chance to also take behind-the-scenes footage of the Halloween Haunt which is yet to be uploaded.

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2 Weeks Left!

With just 2 weeks left of the Kings Island operating season, we round down to end of 2008. If you haven't been to the halloween haunt yet, high time you do!

You can e-mail us at our guest e-mail kiportalstaff@usa.com.

Haven't Visited Hallowen Haunt? High Time You Do!!!

The Halloween Haunt at Kings Island is bigger and better than ever. I heard that the park has many new attractions. The most popular attraction however, was Club Blood.


Diamondback is going well. The chainlift has reached almost 200 feet and can be seen from the back of the park. You can read General Manager's Don Helbig's Blog from KI Diamondback.

Diamondback Lives On!

Diamondback has reached a chain lift of 200 feet! You can check out more photos at KI Extreme

Welcome to KI Portal

Welcome to KI Portal! This blog talks about the latest in our beloved Kings Island!