Diamondback

Diamondback is a steel roller coaster located at Kings Island in Mason, Ohio, United States. Manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M), the ride opened in 2009 as the first hypercoaster to feature a splashdown effect and the first B&M roller coaster at Kings Island. It is located in Rivertown just behind International Street and the Eiffel Tower. Diamondback was the biggest investment in Kings Island’s history at the time, costing $22 million to build, but that figure was surpassed in 2014 by Banshee. The coaster features a lift hill with a drop and a maximum speed of . It is similar to Behemoth at Canada's Wonderland in statistics, layout, and seating. History Construction of Diamondback began on October 11, 2007, with the removal of a tree. Swan Lake was drained and filled with concrete before opening day in 2008; this would become the location of Diamondback's splashdown element. Kings Island started teasing visitors during the Fourth of July weekend in 2008 with signs saying, "Ride Sally ride" and "Steep incline ahead." Diamondback was announced on August 6, 2008 as the largest investment in Kings Island history. The ride was topped off with the lift hill on October 30. The last piece of track was installed on January 26, 2009. Testing began the following month. Diamondback officially opened on April 18, 2009. Diamondback reached a milestone of one million riders in July 2009, and another milestone of ten million riders in July 2014. First rider auction On February 3, 2009, Kings Island announced they would hold an auction for the first riders on Diamondback. The winners of the auction would be given a commemorative first rider ticket, a special gift from the park, and an admission ticket. All proceeds from the auction would go to A Kid Again non-profit organization, formerly known as Adventures for Wish Kids. The first rider auction raised $102,000. The first eight trains, or the first 256 seats were auctioned off. The average bid was $398 per seat.