Carowinds · Operating · 1992

Vortex

90 ft · 50 mph

Photo: See Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

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Thrill rideCarowinds Official park siteCelebration Plaza

Bolliger & Mabillard90 ft · 50 mph

Vortex opened in 1992 as only the third roller coaster Bolliger & Mabillard ever built and the South's first stand-up coaster, locking riders upright rather than seated through a vertical loop, an oblique diving loop, a carousel turn, and a closing flat spin. At $5.5 million it was the most expensive ride Carowinds had built to that point, and it remains one of the few B&M stand-up models still operating anywhere. The ride closed for most of 2023 for a structural refurbishment, then returned for 2024 repainted in its original red-and-black 1992 livery.

Specifications

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Ride profile

Scaled against Carowinds's operating coasters

Steel

Park intensity

Height

90 ft

#6 of 14 at Carowinds

Height90 ft

Speed50 mph

Length2,040 ft

Inversions2

Ride experience

Stand Up
Steel

Ride details

Min height

4'6"

Specs from sixflags.com

Learn more

All guides

Dive coasters

A held moment on a vertical edge, then a steep release — signature B&M dive machines.

Floorless coasters

No floor panel under your feet — open views and a different sense of exposure.

Flying coasters

You start seated, then tilt face-down into a flying position for much of the circuit.

Inverted coasters

Trains hang beneath the track so your feet dangle — B&M made the style famous.

History

Sourced timeline and background for Vortex.

Timeline

1992
Vortex opens
B&M's third coaster ever built debuts as the South's first stand-up roller coaster and the sixth stand-up coaster in the United States.
Source
2023
Closed for extended refurbishment
Vortex sits closed for most of the 2023 season for structural and cosmetic refurbishment.
Source
2024
Reopens in original 1992 color scheme
Track and supports are repainted red and black to match the ride's original 1992 livery for the 2024 season.
Source

Background

Vortex opened on March 14, 1992, as only the third roller coaster Bolliger & Mabillard ever built and the first B&M coaster on the East Coast. At $5.5 million it was the most expensive ride Carowinds had built to that point, and it introduced the region to stand-up trains — riders locked upright rather than seated, feeling every element from the knees up.

The layout is short but eventful: a 90-foot lift hill leads into a curved first drop, a large vertical loop, an oblique "diving" loop, a carousel-style flat turn, and a closing flat spin, all built on the former site of the Carolina Speedway kart attraction near Celebration Plaza. It was the sixth stand-up coaster built in the United States and remains one of the few B&M stand-up models still operating anywhere.

Vortex closed for most of the 2023 season for a structural and cosmetic refurbishment, then returned for 2024 repainted in its original 1992 red-and-black livery — a deliberate throwback for a ride that has become something of an elder statesman among B&M's early stand-up designs.