Colossus Backwards at Magic Mountain!

If you haven't yet done it - you have only one more week to ride Colossus backwards!

Colossus at Six Flags Magic Mountain does something unique for "Fright Fest." They grab two of the trains from Psyclone and load them on the Colossus track backwards. They use these because of the high head-rests on the Psyclone trains.

This year they are running both tracks! So you can ride it forward and backwards. If you're lucky (like I was) you'll get to race down the hill or at least pass the other train on one of the opposite sides.

It is even more of a rush in the dark! I would even go so far as say as good as X!

I got some video of our second run of the day when the forward facing train on the other track caught us going up the lift hill!

Check it out at http://www.popcoaster.com

Thanks,
Kris

For what it's worth, I checked your site out. Your t-shirts are actually kinda funny. However, be careful about advertising your website on here.

Welcome to the buzz. ;)

With any luck, the MM maintenance crew will get lazy and leave the backwards trains on there for a couple weeks after Fright Fest, it happens often...better than X? I think you went a little too far with that, but hey, I say tomato, you say tahmahtoe.

For what it's worth, I prefer Revolution over X, but I've only had one ride on X, so...
I'd love to try Colossus backwards. It's great on American Eagle. That curve in Colossus' first drop should make for an added thrill. Now if only the double dip was still in use. :)

ziggy,

I said the rush was -as- good. :)
The two are completely different concepts. The only thing I was trying to compare was the feeling of euphoria I had wash over me after the second drop, and that it took me the same amount of time to stop shaking! :D

I hope you're right about them leaving it operational. I'm planning another trip for mid-November and I'd go on it a dozen more times if I could.

- Kris
http://www.popcoaster.com

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Matt Scott said:
Now if only the double dip was still in use.

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What do you mean, Matt Scott? I've never been to MM, but I do believe I know the section of Colossus' track you speak about. Did it get reprofiled?

Also, do they put trains from Colossus on Psyclone, or just close the ride?

Rollerhammer - Colossus' double dip was removed for a mid-course brake run in the mid-90s. And Psyclone has three trains, so they use two backwards on Colossus and leave one on Psyclone.

I did submit the site last week...
- and to quote the Terms of Service.

"It's OK to put your site's URL there provided it is not used with promotional language."

I wasn't talking aboout any sort of promotion. I'm talking about Colossus Backwards. The video is free to download and you don't have to register for anything, or agree with my terms of service. :)

Thanks!
- Kris

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It's OK to put your site's URL there provided it is not used with promotional language."

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The site URL bit refers to your signature, don't take it out of context.

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The video is free to download and you don't have to register for anything, or agree with my terms of service.

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That right there is 'promotional language' :)

With that said, I'm not killing this (I'll leave it up to the other guys) because I'm not sure it is promotional.

It's very grey right now. I'm don't think this is really a newsworthy item, so I wouldn't suggest submitting it as such - a link directly to the vid would probably be better.

Eh, I'm leaving it open. Don't be surprised if it gets killed by someone else.

*** Edited 10/25/2004 6:56:53 PM UTC by Lord Gonchar***

Okay.
Let's get back on topic then!

Matt mentioned that American Eagle goes backwards. Are there any other wooden coasters that do this on occasion (or all the time for that matter?)

I think that MM should leave it like this all the time!

- Kris

I wasn't very impressed with Colossus- forwards or backwards.

In forwards mode, its quite boring, taking those long turnarounds at speeds where I could outrun the train. The Morgan trains don't really help anything.

Backwards, the ride is so horribly rough and painful, its nearly unbearable. Every bit of airtime (and there is a fair amount when its backwards) is like a swift punch in the groin. Then again, some people like Magnum. ;) I would try it again, but I was far from impressed by the downright brutal ride of Colossus backwards.

Colossus fowards = having the crap beaten out of you.

Colossus backwards = having the crap beaten in to you?

Isn't that how you operate? =^o

+Danny ;)

Um, no.

I very much enjoy Colossus Backwards, and I don't really have any issue with the roughness. Colossus is nowhere near as rough as plenty of other woodies I have been on. In fact, there are only 3 places where it's really bad. (the turn right before the lifthill, the double-up, and the valleys of the last 2 hills)

The feeling of being yanked down those drops off the turnarounds is insane, MUCH better than going foreward.

Yeah, the maintaince staff will leave the Psyclone trains on Colossus for a month or two or more, but that side of Colossus will not be open.

I was just being a smart@ss, Soggy. I don't find Colossus all that rough either.

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webkris said:
Matt mentioned that American Eagle goes backwards. Are there any other wooden coasters that do this on occasion (or all the time for that matter?)

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PCar's Thunder Road, PKI's Racer, Rebel Yell at PKD all go *sdrawkcab*...I know I'm missing at least one or two, but can't come up with any others right now...

The best use of backwards travel OVERALL, however, was probably XLR8 at SFAW....that thing must be an absolute SNOOZEFEST when facing forward....at least by riding the other way, it only gave me a short nap, about five winks' worth...still, VERY good idea for that ride....let's have THAT option on other suspendeds..;)

gator, noted advocate of frequent napping...:)

Ain't rough when you look to the right on that first turn and realize that you're looking at the roughest hunk of metal this side of a wadded up piece of tin foil.

Meh, roughness doesn't bother me as much, as a matter of fact, i'd say it used to be worse about 5 years ago, but its a woodie, kinda comes with the territory...it'd definitly be nice if the train zipped a little faster around the first turnaround, have a dip or something, like Ghostrider...but put it this way...back in the day when the ride opened, I think most people were happy to have that 20 seconds of a break after that first drop, this thing was one of the top coasters when it opened, and that first drop is pretty extreme.

I'm all for bringing the double dips back...What really kills me is you can still see them under the brake run...just kinda makes me want them to have them more and more...they're so close, yet so far. I thought they installed them for 3 train operation...no?

At least there is padding in the Psyclone trains. That alone is a plus.