Greyouts / Blackouts?

So during my Cedar Point trip this summer, I experienced some pretty intense greyouts on some rides. These rides include: Millennium Force (This was the worst one, I couldn't see anything but black), Gatekeeper, Rougarou, and a little bit on Maverick. The only time I started to grey-out was when going through intense turns (I'm guessing lateral G's).

I figured this out when I didn't black out on the Dragster.

I've never had any experiences before with grey-outs (Except Wild Eagle in Dollywood, I greyed out a bit), so this whole scenario is sort of scaring me away from coasters.

Now, I did only get one hour of sleep the night before, so that might be the issue.

It wasn't because I was dehydrated... I had a water bottle with me all day (I had like 3 during the entire trip).

So, does anyone know why this happened to me?

Positive G-forces pull the blood from your head, causing you to gray or black out. It's probably normal. I gray out on Millennium Force sometimes, but rarely on anything else.

You could ask your doctor. I wonder it is a sign of high blood pressure or something?

I remember on some old TV show a hundred years ago the good guy was in a NASA centrifuge, and the bad guy turned it up really fast. The good guy passed out. Old TV shows are funny like that.

I'm going to preface by saying I've never had any clue what a gray-out is. Anyway, if you're experiencing these things on these rides, it's most likely a personal problem. I suggest you see a doctor, it might be part of a larger problem with your health.

I haven't experienced it on all of the rides that you have, but it's pretty common on a few. Intimidator 305 in particular is known for this.

I always grey out on I305 and Goliath at SFMM. I did grey out once on an Invertigo. And occasionally on other rides, but only when I'm tired and it's hot and really humid.

Very much the same as Tek, actually. I will occasionally experience some graying on rides with high Gs, especially if I'm tired, dehydrated, end of a long day, etc. Otherwise, the only ride I've experienced it 100% of the time is I305 at the base of the first drop.

I experience the gray out on Millennium Force on the pullout from the first drop every time, unless I do the fighter pilot thing and clench my butt and leg muscles.

Really? I've never felt it on MF. I did get it in Titan as well. I don't mind it myself. It's a neat experience.

I've experienced it to a mild degree on Titan, but never to the point that it was disorienting or uncomfortable.

When I worked at SFOT, there were employees at Shockwave that would swear that you could hold your breath and clinch different muscles at a certain time from the top of the first drop to the bottom of the first loop to make yourself gray out. I've slept since then and don't remember the exact process and I also could never make it happen myself.

Interesting that several people mention I305. That's the only coaster on which I ever came close to greying out. B/c I had ridden it a number of times without experiencing anything similar, I attribute it to a combination G-forces, exhaustion and dehydration, as I'd been walking around Kings Dominion in the heat and humidity all day. However, the fact that others mention greying out on it offers a possible explanation as to why it's currently no. 31 on the CB list and Intimidator is no. 13. I still don't get it, however. When I finally made it to Carowinds last May, my reaction to Intimidator was ho hum. Sure, it's a good ride but after awhile all of these B&M hypers tend to blend into one another. I didn't feel any inclination to ride it more than once, whereas I can't get enough of I305 and put it at no. 4 on my favorite steel coaster list - only behind Cannibal, Leviathan and Fury 325.

The only coaster this consistently happens to me on is I305. The strangest coaster it ever happened to me on was Nitro, if you can believe it. It was only one time and it was during the helix before the mid-course brake. Like others have said, though, it was the end of a hot, humid day and I wasn't taking good care of myself with hydration, etc. That one just sticks out in my memory because I wasn't expecting it, obviously.

You aren't crazy... I had the same thing on the Nitro helix. Didn't expect it at all.

I've also greyed out on Millennium and I-305. I've never had it happen on any other ride.

I consistently get that greyout feeling on MForce, Raptor's helix, Goliath and Titans helix and I305. The older I've gotten, the more it happens and lack of food seems to make it worse. Like Jeff, I use the fighter pilot technique to fight it off. I've never completely blacked out but I've have a friend blackout on El Toro. Totally limp, her daughter had to hold onto her the last part of the ride so she didn't flop around like a rag doll. Scary then, but she can laugh about it now. Don't think she'll ever ride it again though.

Put me in the Nitro club. First and only time ever, and as we went through the helix it started to get dark and I said to myself "Oh, here we go, this is interesti.....". When I woke up the train was rolling off the mid-course brake.

Now I'm no doctor, but 4 out of 5 rides at CP not to mention one at Dollywood? I dunno. Maybe a new hobby is in order.

Very common on Goliath at SF Magic Mountain. The helix right before the brakes is brutal, at least the last time I rode it.

I will get it on Millennium Force as well, generally it is more noticeable on a hot day when I haven't had as much water as I could. When I was there in a sweatshirt on the cool weather of closing day, I didn't really experience it. I didn't experience it on my one ride on Goliath at Magic Mountain, but the midcourse was practically bringing the trains to a stop, so that could have been it.

The one that used to get me every time on a hot day was Double Loop at Geauga Lake. Heading up into the first loop often times up until hitting the helix, I would notice more of a gray out than I ever have on any other coaster.

bjames said:

I'm going to preface by saying I've never had any clue what a gray-out is.

Maybe you ride everything with your butt tightly clenched and you don't even realize it.

^I was actually about to say that it seems to be a matter of hydration, based on other responses here. I'm very good about keeping myself hydrated. It's important.

I routinely get grey on Titan's Helix and Shockwave's loops. I know dehydration and low blood sugar are contributing factors. I also have ridiculously low blood pressure in general.