Vertical Lift Explained – Theme Park Definition

A vertical lift replaces the usual 30-to-45-degree chain incline with a section of track that rises at a right angle to the ground. Because a conventional chain and anti-rollback dog cannot hold a train reliably on a vertical face, these lifts use a cable, a catch-car, or a chain with a positive-lock carriage instead. Riders end up lying on their backs looking straight at the sky for the length of the climb, which is exactly the effect the ride is buying.

The vertical lift is a signature of Gerstlauer’s Euro-Fighter and Infinity Coaster models, where it feeds directly into a beyond-vertical drop: Takabisha at Fuji-Q Highland climbs vertically then drops at 121 degrees, the steepest drop on any steel coaster. Hansa-Park’s Oath of Kärnan uses a 73-metre vertical lift inside a closed tower, so riders climb in the dark. Not to be confused with an elevator lift, where the whole piece of track rises with the train on it.