Are we in a dead period for coasters or what?

That may change next season though, so how do you like that? haha.

What about more rides like Expedition GeForce and the numer 1 Superman Ride of Steel, they didnt break any records but they are just good rides because they combined good elements of coasters well. An example is airtime.

I really enjoyed Tony Hawk at SFFT, I wouldnt mind more of them showing up all over the SF chain because they are fun rides and have a decent theming to them.

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Hatham and his Freedom Falafels said:
Jeff is right. How many major parks don't have either a Vekoma SLC or B&M Invert?

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An invert is a good design. It doesn't break that much, and it's something different from just having a sitdown type of coaster. You wonder why there aren't that many floorless coasters out there. I think the reason is because it's not that unique and that it's really attracting a lot of people. Whoopee, there's no floor. I think the layout is more important.

I truly believe that there will be more flying coasters coming out in the years to come that aren't made by Vekoma. Superman Ultimate Flight is a HUGE success. Yes, it does have some difficulty, but oh my goodness, people LOVE that ride except for the enthusiasts.

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Chitown said:
Is that a jab at me saying my life is boring?

Try again matt.

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No, not in the least.

The point was telling someone "it's time to get a new hobby" is a bit snooty based on how much someone goes to whatever park.

I live 20 mins from SFNE and hardly ever go, and I've never had a season pass. Other people who post here would be there multiple times a week if they lived that close.

Some people would rather wait to go ride a new coaster then ride the same ones over and over. That doesn't mean they should get a new hobby, that just means they're into parks for different reasons than you are.

We're not in a "dead period." If anything we're back to "normal." It was the early-2000s when Six Flags went on a shopping spree and CCI was offering woodies-at-a-discount that was the anamoly.

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I truly believe that there will be more flying coasters coming out in the years to come that aren't made by Vekoma. Superman Ultimate Flight is a HUGE success. Yes, it does have some difficulty, but oh my goodness, people LOVE that ride except for the enthusiasts.

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I say just the opposite. Flyers are the new stand-ups. A few notable installations, but a novelty that wears off quickly. I wouldn't doubt a few more will pop-up before they're done, but just a few.

Stand-ups popped up here and there, done by different companies for 15 or 20 years - but a new one hasn't been built since 1999.

I think that's exactly the path the Flying Coaster will take over the next decade or so.

I agree with Moosh. The "Millennium" brought a coaster boom, but now we're just getting back to more "normal" activity.

Jeff's comment hinted at the point of my original post. SFGAm has basically every "type" of coaster, where can they go next?

I will say this: I went to King's Island for the first time in July (my only amusement park this year--I happened to be in Cincinnati on business), and my favorite coaster was The Italian Job. I enjoyed the variety and the theming. It was creative and different, not just a g-force machine. Nothing like that at my home park. Maybe parks will start building smaller coasters that include a variety of elements like indoor/outdoor, water, theming, etc. For the record, I also really liked the Beast with its tunnels and use of terrain. I almost didn't go on it because I read some negative comments about it on this board, but I had a great time on it.

I think parks are still building a lot of new roller coasters as compared ot past years. I remember when i was little in the early 90s and the TV shows came on there would be one or two coasters that they alked about but now there are to many coasters to keep up with ....almost. I think it is better for a park to expand slowly and get quality roller coasters compared to quantity, come have the best of both worlds like Cedar Point, but in general quality is better. I think designers will always be thinking of new ways to thrill people so don't think that everything out there is as good as it is going to get.

I would like to se a resurgence of the suspended coaster.

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Lord Gonchar said:

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I truly believe that there will be more flying coasters coming out in the years to come that aren't made by Vekoma. Superman Ultimate Flight is a HUGE success. Yes, it does have some difficulty, but oh my goodness, people LOVE that ride except for the enthusiasts.

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I say just the opposite. Flyers are the new stand-ups. A few notable installations, but a novelty that wears off quickly. I wouldn't doubt a few more will pop-up before they're done, but just a few.

Stand-ups popped up here and there, done by different companies for 15 or 20 years - but a new one hasn't been built since 1999.

I think that's exactly the path the Flying Coaster will take over the next decade or so.

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I can see this happening, but I think that it will last a while longer than the standup thing did, just because it is flying and not just standing up, but I think if they are going to continue with flying I think it is going to have to be B&M with a model other than the SUF design or at least fix that design with one where it doesnt break down every five minutes.

Don't blame B&M for the fact that there are more SUF clones than unique layouts. The parks order what they want...not the other way around. If more parks wanted unique flyers there be some.

Yeah, Tatsu is a stunning ride. While I'm sure most enthusiasts would say Air is boring, I think it is what flying coasters should be. If it weren't for Tatsu's amazing location, Air would still be my favorite flyer. I may be one of the few enthusiasts who love flyers though. The tilting mechanism alone gets me all excited. I love when a ride makes people "oohhhh and ahhhh" before it even leaves the station.

We're definitely not in a dead period for coasters. El Toro and The Voyage showed there were new tricks to be done with the wood coaster, and GCI is still pumping out the twisters.

Maverick completely came out of left field. And as someone mentioned earlier, The Italian Jobs are just plain fun--imagine that.

Have you checked out Premier's new concept debuting at the Hard Rock Park next year? It uses a Ferris Wheel to lift the cars up to the top. That hasn't been tried before.

There are several companies offering variations of the motorcyle as the ride-vehicle-theme (Vekoma, Zamperla, Intamin).

Then there are the spinning mice, the Euro-fighters, the hybrids like Aquatrax, the Zacspin, the Furious Baco prototype in Spain, the Kumbak water coaster, the X-Car-Coaster, etc, etc.

Just remember, just because it's not coming to your park, that doesn't make it a dead period.

Dont forget the new Intamin pre fab woody going up in China, 5000+ feet of track and 184 ft. tall, not to mention Ravine Flyer II.

Not at all. I've been on both Maverick and Mystery Mine---both new this year. First class hoots all the way. Not the tallest, fastest, or mostest of anything.

Well, except maybe mostest fun.

4th demension. Wooden coasters cars with no sides, and Floorless trains. The tracks them selfs arnt really changing. Cars are being stipped down to just seats and are really soft. 95+ degree drops and new inversions.

I believe that if park managers/companies are finally developing a shrewder buisness sense then we will be looking at a multitude of rides like "Maverick" & "Mystery Mine" which in my opinion will be a long due welcome to quality ride experiences and exactly what the industry needs at this point. Like someone stated earlier on in this topic you can never go wrong with a wood coaster.

Unless they build another Mean Streak or Son of Beast. :)

Waldameer is constructing a Gravity Group coaster of magnitude that they haven't had in 60 years, to be completed for the opening of the 2008 season, and will twice travel across a bridge above the peninsula road that takes you to Presque Isle State Park and Lake Erie shoreline!

All this coming from the $4 million of investment by the sole owner of Waldameer Park & Waterworld, Paul Nelson.

Beyond that, I would like to see the spinning coaster designs of Waldameer's Steel Dragon and Kennywood's Exterminator more utilized in other parks, and possibly modified/themed more.