Canada's Wonderland to Build Leviathan, a B&M Giga, in 2012

A monster of Biblical proportions is rising in Vaughan, Ontario. In May of 2012, Leviathan will begin taking guests on a hair raising ride through a whopping 5,486 feet of terrifyingly twisted track, at speeds of up to 92 miles per hour.

Powering the coaster through this tremendous course is a 306 ft tall lift hill. That's right, B&M is finally breaking the 300 ft barrier. Few thought this day would and many pondered that when it did, the ride would come in the form of a Dive Machine. But this is no simple dive machine, though the first drop will reach a precipitous 80 degrees. With a layout filled with overbanks, high speed turns, and airtime inducing hills, this is no one trick sea pony.

The name Leviathan comes from an Old Testament scripture in Job which refers to it as a monstrous sea creature whose combination of strength and grace no man could control. Certainly the name sounds fitting for what Canada's Wonderland is about to unleash.

For those brave souls who do decide to challenge the mighty Leviathan, they will be boarding into one of three classic style B&M hyper trains. With eight rows of four passengers each, 32 people at a time will be dispatched from the station, embarking on a nearly three and a half minute adventure, as they attempt to conquer the great sea beast. Along the route they will encounter a 164 ft high "Barrel Roll" element (does not invert), a 183 ft high camel back hill, a 147 ft high hammerhead turnaround banked at an amazing 115 degrees, another camel back hill topping out at 124 ft, as well as many high speed turns along the way.

This $28 million investment very well become a landmark in the coaster universe when it opens next spring. For sure it already has the the entire theme park community talking. B&M is breaking through the walls of its pre-proscribed box and taking Canada to new heights with only the 4th Giga coaster in history. Is it worth all the hype? Only time will tell.