After being closed for over two years, the “Sidewinder” roller coaster is looping again at Elitch Gardens Theme & Water Park, meaning Denver is home to an amusement park relic among the last of its type left operating in the world.

Sidewinder, the park’s old launched loop roller coaster, manufactured by the defunct Arrow Dynamics, reopened on Saturday as a line of riders stretched all the way up the 50-foot tall staircase to the station platform.

“Elitch Gardens’ iconic looping coaster is officially back in action,” a park spokesperson told The Denver Gazette in a statement.

“After being closed since 2023, this fan-favorite thrill ride has reopened,” officials said.

Instead of using a standard chain lift, Sidewinder was among the first-ever launched roller coasters in the world. It is also one of the first to feature a vertical loop. 

Out of many launched loops built across the world decades ago, only three remain. One is in Oklahoma City, while the second is across the pond in Blackpool, England.

First opening in 1980 as “Roaring Tornado” at Magic Springs in Arkansas, the coaster arrived at the original Elitch Gardens at West 38th Avenue and Tennyson Street in 1990 and was renamed “Sidewinder”, according to theme park databases.

Sidewinder moved along with Elitch Gardens when the park relocated to its current downtown location at Central Platte River Valley in 1995.

For the past two years, maintenance crews have addressed issues with Sidewinder, along with the popular wooden coaster “Twister lll: Storm Chaser”, which remains closed for now and was last open during the 2024 season.

Elitch Gardens crews determined that Sidewinder required a replacement drive motor and control system, requiring hard-to-find parts from a manufacturer that no longer exists, according to Operations Director Andrew Miller.

The shuttle loop utilizes an electric winch launch, a pully system that attaches a catch car to the coaster train, then is released to launch the train into a 47-foot drop and vertical loop. A duplicate launch system is then used to launch the train backwards from the other side.

Amid recent talks of relocating Elitch Gardens for future land development, park officials appear focused on maintaining its current lineup of attractions.

Most recently, Kroenke Sports & Entertainment became the sole owner of several properties along the proposed River Mile development that includes Meow Wolf and Elitch Gardens.