Big Bad Wolf

Carrie M. said:
...or anyone else for that matter. :)

And especially not you :)

Speak for yourself, phoenixphan. I'm kindly not hoping for same the high-tech thrill ride that you are, although I believe that's exactly what they will build there. I want a simple mine ride or a midsized woody.

Cedar Point losing Corkscrew would not be anywhere close to the same level of loss as BG losing the Big Bad Wolf. Corkscrews are a dime-a-dozen. Gemini would definitely be more significant, but it's still just a racing coaster like many others. The Big Bad Wolf is special. Yes, there are more suspended coasters, but nothing in the U.S. on the level of this one.

Now, Loch Ness Monster... that would be more of a sentimental loss, along the lines of CP's Corkscrew, but definitely a superior ride to CP's.

In the case of Corkscrew, I don't think the quality of the ride means anything. I doubt anyone thinks it's impressive to ride, but it has defined the very essence of the midway for more than three decades.

Not only does Corkscrew "define" the main midway of Cedar Point, it also holds significance in that it was the new ride/attraction that first pushed Cedar Point over the 3 million attendance mark, started the "bigger, taller, faster" coaster rennaissance at CP, is the first triple inversion Arrow coaster featuring their first "loop" and is known throughout the world as the most photographed coaster ever due to its placement over the midway. Up until Raptor was built in 94 it remained king of the upside-down looping coaster experience at the Point.

While irrelevant to this topic, I also recall Corkscrew and Gemini were the "happening" female ride crews in the park up until the year Magnum was constructed. Segregated ride crews seems like such on odd concept today but seemed to work for many, many years at the Point.

That's my point. Corkscrew is nothing without its midway presence and historical significance. The Big Bad Wolf doesn't need any of those factors to be considered the great ride it is. That said, it certainly makes for some great photo-ops and atmosphere along the Rhine River.

As much as I am for coaster preservation, I don't really care if mediocre rides are retired despite their historical significance. I only care about the great ones (like the Wolf) regardless of their historical significance. I can't imagine CP's Corkscrew will be there forever. The time will come when they need to replace it and it would be silly to duplicate a coaster virtually no one thinks is anything special. Perhaps they will come up with a completely different ride that features a corkscrew element in the same spot just to maintain that "presence" on the midway.

Am I the only one who is glad that BBW is going away? I never liked that ride or any of the old Arrow suspended coasters. They're rough and not that exciting, and I have having two lift hills. I'm glad they took it out so now they have a lot of room for new rides and a new area maybe. I'm hoping they build a good sized woodie there. They really need a good woodie to round out their coaster collection. Plus it would be cool to have it go through the woods.

I can't say whether you are the only one here or not, but based on the murmurs I was overhearing when I was at the park (the weekend they announced BBW's removal), no you are not the only one who is glad to see it go. The reactions I overheard were mixed at best.

Just curious...which Arrow suspended coasters have you ridden? (I'm betting it's Iron Dragon & Wolf) As critical of BBW as I was after my recent experience I certainly wouldn't call the ride "not that exciting." I also wouldn't consider Ninja, Flight Deck, Vortex, of even the old Bat "not that exciting" either.

There was one suspended that was truly boring. As much as I rag on Draggin' Iron, it really isn't that lame. The sign out front of the CP ride has even been changed, it now reads "at least it was ranked higher than Astroworld's XLR8". ;)

I thought BBW was fun back in the day (it's been like six years), but I don't think it's that enormous of a loss. Obviously I don't have a long history with the park as some locals might, but it seems to me that the only "essential" ride in the park, in terms of its character, is Loch Ness Monster.

I've ridden BBW, Flight Deck, and Iron Dragon. I just don't enjoy that type of ride. Maybe I'm just biased against Arrow since I really don't enjoy many of their rides.

I think Top Flight Gun Deck is a sweet ride. The terrain is obviously a factor, but wow did they get it right. It doesn't have all the violent bogey shaking and it's quite smooth. It's a shame that was the last one they did.

^It's also a shame the park installed the SOB monstrosity right next to Top Gun, meaning a lot of the "charm" of the suspended was lost to land-clearing efforts...

Acoustic Viscosity said:
That's my point. Corkscrew is nothing without its midway presence and historical significance. The Big Bad Wolf doesn't need any of those factors to be considered the great ride it is. That said, it certainly makes for some great photo-ops and atmosphere along the Rhine River.

Not sure I agree here. I don't have the sentimental feelings towards Corkscrew's history since I've only been to CP twice, the first in '97. Conversely, I've been going to Busch Gardens since Loch Ness and the Wolf were the only coasters there, so I have much more of an attachment to BBW. While it may be a great ride regardless of environment (certainly more enjoyable than CP's Corkscrew), I'm not sure I can say that if you plop it down on a flat piece of concrete it would be as well-received as it is...er, was. To me, the terrain makes BBW as CP's midway makes Corkscrew.

Found a video of the final hours of the ride, including the last ride.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axbj0Tfj8aw

crazy horse said:
Found a video of the final hours of the ride, including the last ride.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axbj0Tfj8aw

So sweet n sad. Too bad they don't try to save the ride, maybe get new trains (hopefully ones that actually grip the track). Makes me glad I got to ride it and I also cherish the Whizzer at my home park that much more. It seems to get better every year (especially with the standard 'feeling' B&M's at Great America).

Upon looking at that last train load, I bet she really flew!

New trains wouldn't solve the maintenance issues with the ride.

Who is the goof in the front seat wearing that awful shirt?

The last run felt great! Weird mixed emotions of excited and sad.. But definitely an amazing last run.

oh and thats my wife Jeff :)

::gets severe beating for that joke redirection::