Shooting for the stars! Drone show shines a spotlight on the Defiance Roller Coaster, the thrill ride’s first full summer season at Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park.
Up, up and away! With every launch—Defiance—the Adventure Park’s newest thrill ride is taking visitors to the outer limits of excitement.
Defiance Ready for Summer Thrill Seekers
Defiance roller coaster debuted at Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park in the fall of 2022. The first riders included adrenaline junkies and coaster enthusiasts who traveled from far and wide for the chance to “defy gravity.” Because of the late fall start, it was a short operational window before snow closed the ride for winter. With summer now in full swing, Defiance is making the most of the new season—swooping up, down, sideways—and making its mark as the Park’s showstopper ride.
Drone Show Shines Spotlight on Defiance
Recently, on a clear summer evening with stars in the background, a drone light show paid tribute to the ride’s stellar status at the highest-elevation roller coaster in North America. Crowds gathered on the Iron Mountain Trail overlooking the Main Plaza to watch as 125 drones flew in formation to sky-write words and form designs high over the mountaintop theme park.
At twilight, what looked like a flock of birds ascended skyward from the plaza and on cue burst into a shower of light. A colorful drone fireworks display kicked off the evening. Next up, the number 7132 was written on the heavens—the base elevation of Defiance—with an arrow pointing up and then suddenly switching directions, signaling the straight up and down trajectory of the ride. Other drone show highlights included a depiction of coaster cars descending a lighted track. Drones then reconfigured themselves to spell out “Ride Defiance,” “#GetUpHere,” and “Glenwood Caverns.” The finale was a giant winking smiley face indicating the theme park’s main mission—to make visitors smile. Cheers and applause from the crowd indicated they were happy indeed!
All the Thrills in Under a Minute
Defiance
is surging as the park’s most exhilarating thrill ride of the summer. In its first full season, it is hitting its stride as more visitors than ever experience the rush of riding it. The coaster is compact and ideal for a mountaintop location, but what it lacks in real estate on the ground, it more than makes up for in the air! Brace yourself for heart-pumping moments as you hurtle through twists and turns on this high-speed coaster that reaches speeds of 57 miles per hour in less than a minute!
A big part of the fun is the array of full and partial inversions guaranteed to leave even the most daring riders on the edge of their seats. From gravity-defying loops to high-banked turns, every element is meticulously designed for a hair-raising experience like no other.
#GetUpHere
Now it’s your turn. Are you ready to defy gravity? Find out what all the chatter is about with #GetUpHere. Better yet, make plans ride Defiance and launch your summer into the stratosphere today at Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park!
