Big Chief doesn't care about your safety / my trip

I don't believe you can operate an amusement ride in this country without proof of liabilty insurance. The "Ride At Your Own Risk" signs are just that, signs,intended to make the GP think twice about calling an attorney after scraping their knees. It sounds from what I have read here that what is needed is a concise, factual letter to the Madison office. If nobody tells them what's going on, they are not likely to find out untill an accident happens. Like most state agencies they have not enough inspectors and way too much pig iron to look at. I am aquainted with an inspector working out of the Milwaukee office. From around Easter on he's seldom at his desk due to all the shows that play his jurisdiction.

Ok first of all, I strongly suggest to people considering going to the Dells to go, but not for roller coasters.

Sure the place has coasters but the Dells is really a place built on water parks. This is where the hotel water park combination was born and some of the places (my favorite is Great Wolf Lodge but Kalahari, Treasure Island, and Wilderness are also good) blow the mind away.

The Dells also has Noah's Ark, America's Largest Waterpark (and #10 best water park according to the Travel Channel). I cant go into detail about this park without sprouting out into a huge spiel so let me just tell you that this place is huge and if you want more info check out my Trip Report.

Also, while this idea has been copyed by many, the Dells are home to the Original Wisconsin Ducks. By Ducks I mean the amphibious vehicles used by the US Army during WWII. The Ducks take you on a land and water tour of the Dells (a special rock formation that is only found in a handful of places) of the Wisconsin River. Every Duck in the fleet is an original Army Duck so history buffs will be enthused as well.

To experience the Dells I suggest a two day stay at one of the larger hotel/waterparks with one day for Noah's Ark and another for the Ducks and enjoying your hotel. Your nights can be filled by playing a round of mini-golf (there is a rediculous amount of them here) or at Big Chiefs. Do not miss out on the Dells, they are way too much fun.

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Summer 03-CP, HP, SFDL, SFNE, SFWOA, and SFGAm.

While I don't agree with Joe's own self ride inspection at the expense of his own safety. If you take that aspect away from his post, you are left with an amusement park that has a safety issues. Joe you probably should write the park and include a cc: to the state. At least when that death occurs (and it will occur) you can say to the family you tried to prevent the death of their loved one. I just hope it isn't you.

Can anyone link to an accident suffered at Big Chief's? Chitown's link seemed to have nothing about this particular park.

Bottom line: Even half a coaster enthusiast is out of their mind to drive past these well-maintained CCIs. They represent everything great about their genre and to date 'Clops is still my #1 wood. While the park won't necessarily stand in for your mommy, they will definitely make you scream uncle.

-CO

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The CPlaya 100--6 days, 9 parks, 47 coasters, 2037 miles and a winner.....LoCoSuMo.

If you go to the Dells, don't miss Terminal Velocity (SCAD tower) right across the street from Big Chief. It's expensive, but it's a big thrill.

-Nate (who just happens to live two blocks from the aforementioned Madison office)

I think it is completly un-safe that they do not check the restraints for you. I understand that we all know(or at least should know) how to close our own restraints and check to make sure they are in proper working order. But not all people do know how to do that.

What if there is a small child who is just barely tall enough to make the height requirement(if they even check that.) If he this is his first coaster and he only puts the restraint one click down and doesn't even know there is a seat belt, he could easily fall out.

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"Here's my ten cence, my two cence is free"-Eminem

They do *visual* checks. A ride-op is sure to notice a very small child riding with one click.

For what it's worth, I've been to Big Chief many, many times and have *never* gotten away with a one-click ride, or even a loose seatbelt. Well, I guess I have on one day but that was an extremely different circumstance that is not applicable to day-to-day operations. My point is that the ops have usually been quite strict on the overwhelming majority of my visits.

-Nate

If you have never been there, I would still go. They a great coasters...CCI forever ! :)

Just be sure to double check your restraints yourself, and don't give those lazy, greedy bastards more money than you have to. Ride them once and move on.

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Current favorite coasters:
Wooden: 1) Beast 2) Raven 3) Son of Beast 4) The Boss 5) Timber Wolf
Steel: 1) Raging Bull 2) Millennium Force 3) V2 4) Wild Thing 5) Deja Vu / Mr. Freeze (tie)

A visual check is not enough, I don't think that can be debated.

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"Here's my ten cence, my two cence is free"-Eminem

Cedar Point uses visual checks on Gemini and Avalanche Run.

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UnfrigginbelievablyIncredible

I've only ridden Gemini twice, but both times they pulled up on the lapbar.

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Current favorite coasters:
Wooden: 1) Beast 2) Raven 3) Son of Beast 4) The Boss 5) Timber Wolf
Steel: 1) Raging Bull 2) Millennium Force 3) V2 4) Wild Thing 5) Deja Vu / Mr. Freeze (tie)

slfake- 3 days at CP? What do you do there for that long? We were just there for a day and were ready to go.
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In my CD player: Centaur - In Streams
Queens of the Stone Age - Songs for the Deaf
Fu Manchu - California Crossing

On Gemini the lapbar is only checked if you sit in an outside seat, they do not pull up on the lapbar if you sit on an inside seat.

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UnfrigginbelievablyIncredible

RubberDucky said:
A visual check is not enough, I don't think that can be debated.

I completely disagree. I think a visual check is fine, especially at a small park like this. Do you think checking lapbars has ever really prevented an accident? When is the last time a ride attendant pulled up on a lapbar, only to find it wasn't locked in place?

-Nate
*** This post was edited by coasterdude318 6/30/2003 2:18:13 AM ***

The size of the park doesn't matter at all. It's still a roller coaster. And I think most of us have been at the end of a ride and everybody elses lapbar goes up, and yours is stuck closed. Lap bars do not always work properly, they malfunction all the time.

And heres a situation. What if there is an overweight person that gets in the ride, and puts the restraint down as far as he can but it still doesn't click, but it looks like it has clicked. A visual check is not enough.

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"Here's my ten cence, my two cence is free"-Eminem

The ride has return springs (ie, if it doesn't click, it springs back up). Your example doesn't work. Neither does your other one, for that matter, because if lapbars "don't always work" then what's to stop them from popping open *during* the ride (which does happen far more often than you'd think)??

Visual checks are fine for a small park with *much fewer* guests than a larger park.

-Nate

Im not talking specifically about Big Chiefs. The size of the park has nothing to do with this.

And as far as my example goes, what if the person was resting his or hers arms on the restraint, so it didn't pop back up, but didn't click down either. Then when they put their hands up on the first drop, ooops.

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"Here's my ten cence, my two cence is free"-Eminem

I think it's a big stretch to think someone would pull down on the lapbar, then quickly rest their arms on it and not realize that it hasn't locked somehow when the rest of the train is. I still don't have a problem with visual checks at smaller parks because they have fewer guests, cranking people through the ride quickly is of utmost importance, and the mindset at smaller parks is just different, and I think that makes visual checks okay.

It's just like the track crossing policy. Most (if not all) corporate parks strictly enforce a "no track crossing" policy, yet you'll see employees crossing the tracks left and right at small park like Holiday World and Knoebels. Do you have a problem with that? Why do you think it's okay at small parks but not at large ones?

-Nate

First off, track crossing has nothing to do with this. Second off, employees are a different situation.

Safety is number one, and then putting people through the line quickly comes next.
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"Here's my ten cence, my two cence is free"-Eminem

Nate, why the hell are you arguing over it? ZERO machines are fail proof, if their walking by, the can take the extra two seconds to pull on the bar, it's simple, their walking by anyway, your argument does not make sense at all. It's not like that two seconds is going to slow down their capacity, there is never a line for those coasters.

I would like nothing more than to see the owner of that poorly run park forced to leave and have a person who wants to see the park a family destination take over. The odds may be EXTREMELY slim that the lap bar would come up and may only happen with several speculations playing each other out, but if there is a chance, don't take it in such a risky business.

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Warning: I do not think like the average person. My remarks have plenty of thought behind them. Take it for what it's worth, if you disagree, please, feel free to express it, but don't put me down because of it.