{"id":462743,"date":"2026-09-13T18:50:13","date_gmt":"2026-09-13T18:50:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/462743\/"},"modified":"2026-09-13T18:50:13","modified_gmt":"2026-09-13T18:50:13","slug":"a-classic-reimagined-montezoomas-revenge-returns-to-knotts-berry-farm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/462743\/","title":{"rendered":"A classic reimagined: Montezooma’s Revenge returns to Knott’s Berry Farm"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Christopher Higgins first rode Montezooma\u2019s Revenge on Jan. 17, 1994 at age 12 \u2014 the same day as the Northridge earthquake.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe quake was in the morning before park opening, but we called Knott\u2019s and they were gonna open that morning,\u201d said Higgins, who now lives in Los Angeles but grew up in Mission Viejo and is owner of America\u2019s Coaster Network, a forum for roller coaster enthusiasts. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt was just me and a friend, a year older. He wanted me to ride Montezooma\u2019s Revenge, but I was too scared. Then I saw kids younger than me getting in line and felt pressured to ride. And so I did. It was a blast.\u201d<\/p>\n

Montezooma\u2019s became one of Higgins\u2019 favorite rides at Knott\u2019s Berry Farm, a sentiment shared by many other roller coaster fans. On Aug. 6, Montezooma\u2019s Revenge officially reopened as MonteZOOMa: The Forbidden Fortress \u2014 after a four-year closure \u2014 with improvements including a new launch system and updated theming while still preserving the ride\u2019s history.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe track is the same track as far as the layout,\u201d said Raffi Kaprelyan, park president of Knott\u2019s Berry Farm. \u201cWe wanted to make sure that all the elements were the same as the one before. So we had to take it and measure the old one, to be precise with it, and make sure that it was like-for-like replacement in everything except for the train and the launch system.\u201d<\/p>\n

Upgrades include new trains, a new motorized launch system, an updated station experience, refurbished track and supports, and a reimagined story and theming involving a mysterious forbidden temple and the legendary lost treasure of Montezooma.<\/p>\n

Built by German roller coaster manufacturer Anton Schwarzkopf and designed by German engineer Werner Stengel, the original coaster opened on May 25, 1978. The original ride was the first, and one of only eight flywheel-launched coasters in the world. It accelerates to more than 55 miles per hour in less than four seconds, speeding through a 76-foot, 360-degree vertical loop, climbing the 148-foot front tower, reversing through the loop and up the 112-foot back tower.<\/p>\n

\"Members <\/p>\n

Members of the Knott family are all smiles as they ride Montezooma\u2019s Revenge when it opened in 1978.<\/p>\n

(Courtesy of Knott\u2019s Berry Farm)<\/p>\n

The nonprofit American Coaster Enthusiasts designated the ride \u2014 the last operating Schwarzkopf shuttle loop in the United States and the longest standing in its original location \u2014 an ACE Roller Coaster Landmark in 2019.<\/p>\n

Derek Perry, president elect of American Coaster Enthusiasts, said he first rode Montezooma\u2019s Revenge as a child with his family during a vacation to California from Rhode Island, where he grew up.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had heard about this wild shuttle loop coaster that sent riders forward and backward through a massive loop and up two spikes, but I could never have imagined how much of an impact it would have on me,\u201d Perry said. \u201cMy first visit to Knott\u2019s Berry Farm and my first ride on Montezooma\u2019s Revenge stand out as some of my favorite childhood memories.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Upgrades <\/p>\n

Upgrades of the Montezooma ride at Knott\u2019s Berry Farm include new trains and new motorized launch system.<\/p>\n

(Courtesy of Knott\u2019s Berry Farm)<\/p>\n

He said he\u2019s grateful that the park restored the iconic attraction rather than scrapping it \u2014 especially since there are few of these classic coasters left in the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know it can be difficult to keep older rides operating, and Knott\u2019s Berry Farm does such a fantastic job of maintaining the historic charm of the park while also meeting modern safety standards,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He rode the renovated ride on the first day it opened to the public on Aug. 6.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been on it more than a dozen times now, and I\u2019m ready to ride it dozens more,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The first thing he noticed in the renovated ride was the updated theming and he was impressed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe entrance sign and archway look terrific and fit perfectly into the Fiesta Village section of the park,\u201d Perry said. \u201cThe queue is full of booby-trap theming that builds the excitement as you make your way to the station. The audio design is also top-notch and helps tell the story, getting you ready to venture further into the Forbidden Fortress.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said the renovations exceeded his expectations.<\/p>\n

\"Riders <\/p>\n

Riders can still expect the loops they love in the revamped Montezooma coaster at Knott\u2019s Berry Farm.<\/p>\n

(Courtesy of Knott\u2019s Berry Farm)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe smoothness of the ride really stands out, as do the powerful launch and the lighting and audio show that sets you off right before you\u2019re launched out of the station,\u201d Perry said. \u201cThe new version seems to pack more of a punch. The loop feels more intense, and the design of the train looks fantastic. Overall, it feels like a new experience while still retaining the spirit of the original Montezooma\u2019s Revenge.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Christopher Higgins first rode Montezooma\u2019s Revenge on Jan. 17, 1994 at age 12 \u2014 the same day as…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":462744,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[163,165,164,43649,182269,182268,182265,182272,43648,135146,182263,182270,182267,182264,182271,182266,2829,22238],"class_list":["post-462743","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-anaheim","tag-anaheim","tag-anaheim-headlines","tag-anaheim-news","tag-berry-farm","tag-christopher-higgins","tag-derek-perry","tag-favorite-ride","tag-forbidden-fortress","tag-knott","tag-loop","tag-montezooma","tag-new-launch-system","tag-park-opening","tag-revenge-return","tag-station-experience","tag-theming","tag-track","tag-train"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/462743","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=462743"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/462743\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/462744"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=462743"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=462743"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=462743"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}