Magic Mountain's Peak? 07/26/06
Associated parks:
None
I really like the pre-day pomp and circumstance they do outside the gates before the park opens. It didn’t feel quite Disney, but it was certainly a lot more than SFoG has. The crowd seemed to be pretty into it, and it would have been better had it not been so hot.
X: Ran to this ride first, and would have been on like the 2nd train if I knew I had to cross over that bridge. I ended up on the 6th train to depart the station. It was a 45-minute wait with one-train operation. It was amazing how slowly the line was moving. As for the ride itself, I don’t think I’m a fan. Once I got of, it’s as if I couldn’t even remember what happened, so I know I didn’t enjoy it. Certainly not worth the 3+ hour wait I’m sure it had. I’m just happy it was open.
Tatsu: I waited about an hour for it the first time, and they were running two trains in two stations, so the line was moving pretty well. I like the fact that they kept people under the awning (and in the eerie mist) until the lines were into the station, so people didn’t have to wait in the blistering heat. I think it hit 100 when I was there. The first two inversions are perfect and I felt completely weightless. The rest of the ride was OK, and then pretzel was not really any different than S:UF’s, except it held it a little longer. I think the final helix was a little more forceful than it needed to be.
So I’ve now waited 45 minutes and an hour, so I thought the rest of the lines would be pretty long. Couldn’t be further from the truth.
Riddler’s Revenge: Two-train operation, walk on the last row. I guess this ride is pretty good. I just don’t get multi-loopers. Why do people like to feel positive G’s the whole ride? The best part of ride was easily the dip after the first corkscrew. That was unexpected and a lot of fun.
Colossus: Only the right side working, two trains. Walk on one of the back rows. This ride is a lot smoother than I thought it was going to be. Not many jerks to it at all. The final turn takes entirely too long, but other than that, it was pretty enjoyable.
Scream: Two-trains, but sending one completely empty because the line was not long enough. Again, I don’t get these types of rides, but I did appreciate the floorless feature. What I did not appreciate, however, was the parking lot under the coaster. I mean, at least paint over the white parking lines, first. Come on!
Goliath: I was at least expecting a long-ish line on this ride, but there was none. With the two train operation, we got on the third train after walking right into the station. The first drop is pretty good, but the pull-out in the tunnel is way too tight. It’s like they tried to extend the drop as far as they could and didn’t have room to make a normal valley. Too much force. The third hill has a flawless airtime, but it ends way too soon as the climb into the mid-course starts like 60 feet off the ground. The mid-course brings the train almost to a complete haut, which is a huge momentum killer, but it’s needed, because the helix is ridiculous. And not in a good way. With the exception of the first drop, Goliath @ SFoG is better in every other way, in my opinion.
Viper: Like Colossus, not nearly as rough as I was anticipating. The only bad part was when you enter the first corkscrew and are almost completely sideways. That was painful. Two-train op, walk-on
Revolution: wasn’t expecting much out of this ride, because I’d heard it’s been trimmed to death, but I thought it was fantastic. So smooth, and uses the terrain better than any coaster I’ve ever seen. There aren’t many times when you’re more than 10 feet off the ground. Two-train op, walk-on
Ninja: Two trains, and a walk-on. The whole course of this ride is really good, and it really gets going towards the end. Sadly, I was expecting more, and there is a lame chain-lift into the station. Still a good ride.
Rode the Sky Tower to see that both sides of Superman were closed… how sad. But, on a happier note, that was the only ride that was closed that I actually wanted to ride. One out of 6 isn’t too bad. I mean, it’s not great, but for SFMM, I’ll give it to them.
My last ride of the day was on Tatsu again, and it was a 20-minute wait into the station. Here is where all hell broke loose. Because they have a ridiculous 12 seats ropes off for The Flash Pass, everyone tries to line up in Row 5 and move to the back of the train when the gates open. Well, since the station is just like one big room, it’s not so much a line for Row 5 as it is a crowd of people funneling into a single row. I got pretty frustrated by the end of it.
One thing that I’ll really give the park props for is its queue lines. It knows it sits in a hot area, and temperatures are ridiculous, but I did not once have to wait in the sun for a ride. Not once. Can’t say the same for SFoG, where I will often times find myself roasting on every ride. So good work there, MM. However, I don’t think I’ll be going back any time soon. Tatsu is the only ride that would draw me back, and that’s just not enough.
Did you ride Psyclone or Gold Rusher?
Once I got of, it’s as if I couldn’t even remember what happened, so I know I didn’t enjoy it.
That's natural. Ask every person that gets off X for their first time what they just went through and they won't be able to tell you.
I think the final helix was a little more forceful than it needed to be.
That's interesting. People complained that the S:UF's were too tame, now a complaint that Tatsu is too intense? ;)
I just don’t get multi-loopers. Why do people like to feel positive G’s the whole ride?
I suppose multi-loopers aren't your cup of tea. I know a lot of people that are split into two preference groups. The airtime/non-looping lovers and the inversion lovers. Looks like you aren't an inversion lover. :)
I'm not to thrilled about the parking lot myself and ive never even been there.
I feel bad picking out the mistakes from the rides when they cost so much to build. Thats life I guess. It's pretty cool to walk onto a ride that has no line up or a very little one, but it makes you wonder about the money the park is making.
I like to *re*-ride coasters. I like coasters that don't give you that "drop tower/ sweating urine/ "this is against nature" feeling the pit of your stomach. So I pose the question, how many of these SFMM coasters are intense but re-ridable, say, 10 times?
NON-Re-RIDABLE SFMM COASTERS
X? Um, ten times? No. It's incredible, yes. But like LSD-- one ride, and that's enough. For life.
Goliath? at that ACE opening event, this was brakeless, and nearly every enthusiast greyed out because of the G's, that I can only ride this once per visit, even though they've braked the hell out of it.
Riddler's Revenge? Pretty intense, exciting, best standup ever, but, 10 times? No, once per visit, thanks.
Batman? Genius. Re-rideable? Not necessarily. A lot of loops, a lot of intense elements. (Once.)
Deja Vu? This is like riding launched hydraulic elevator while being strapped to a gurney. Scary like a drop tower. Intense. Great. Once. Why ever again? (Once only.)
Scream? An incredibly smooth, but oddly intense, themeless clone's clone. Does anyone re-ride this G-force-laden high-tech aircraft? Over and over again? Why? For the joy of it? The pacing? The amazing air time. I doubt it. (Once.)
Viper? Painful arrow looper. (Once.)
Revolution? A care-free 72 Chevelle Malibu, modified into a painful toruture machine. Sad, really. Re-rideable only for the insane. (Once.)
Psyclone? A rough, artless pile of embarrassing garbage. Yes, it's tame enough to be re-ridable, but bumpy and depressing. No smiles. No laughter from anyone exiting the station. (Once.)
RE-RIDABLE SFMM COASTERS
Superman. Re-rideable, fun. (The waits make this impossible, however.)
Ninja. Incredibly re-ridable. So enjoyable, I could live on this thing. What a delight. Terrain a plenty. Plenty to look at. Pain-free. Don't have to worry about sweating blood, or getting that scared "metal" taste in my mouth, or taking a Xanax beforehand. Sure the ending is artless, but definitely re-rideable.
Colossus. Re-rideable. A little rumbly and jerky, but hell, it's re-ridable.
Goldrusher is re-ridable, I guess, although the rumbly, hollow, cushionless fiberglass cars were apparently a busy design engineer's last priority.
SUMMARY
I know SFMM is a thrill park, but where are the re-rideable thrills? Like Superman SFDL. Viper at SFGAm, American Eagle, how about Ghostrider--that's intense and re-rideable. Magnum XL200?
Can't a thrill park have thrill rides that are enjoyable over and over again?
To me, SFMM is a gauntlet of high-tech, nerve-rattling one-time poison pills. Where's the joyful airtime? The streching out your hand to try and grab a tree leaf at 65 MPH? The glancing over at your riding partner and shouting your favorite "catch phrase" before the next intense element? On many of these rides, you're so restrained, you could be riding next to Mousilini and not know it.
Many of these rides feel like being strapped into an air-tight, silent hydraulic puke machine like the military uses for training. (Once.) *** Edited 8/4/2006 5:47:02 AM UTC by Bill***
Revolution would be up on that list if it were not over-braked and had those pesky shoulder harnesses. It's a really good ride in a great location, but the years have done a number on it and it can be painful, resulting in riders having to ride defensively, which detracts from the experience. Otherwise, it would definitely be a contender for re-rides.
I'm able to ride Superman over and over without getting off (the privelage of doing so is rare - only during the slowest days of the off-season), but shooting out fast and climbing up the tower and doing it in reverse can only get so entertaining after a few rides.
Deja Vu and X are are much too intense and at most, I can only ride those three times in one day - and not consecutively. I can do a few repeat rides on Batman and have a great time, but subject to an unpleasant headrush afterward.
Gold Rusher is a one-time only ride for me because it's just too tame for my liking - it's a relaxing and fun coaster, but it's not thrilling to me.
I really don't find myself riding Goliath multiple times in one day because the second half of the ride really tests one's stamina - and like Batman, can really put your head up in the clouds with the birds. Huge headrush. And unlike Tatsu, Viper, and Scream! - Goliath doesn't really "do it" for me. It's just an "okay" ride that doesn't make we want to get back in line or take a re-ride.
The Riddler's Revenge. I can ride it about three or four times consecutively and have fun, but after that, it begins to strain my legs and it gets too intense.
Colossus, I can ride two times at most and that'll be enough for me for the day. It has thrilling drops and a few spots of floater air, but certain sections produce a vibration in the train that feels worse and worse with every re-ride.
Psyclone is a never-ride. If it's a slow day at the park and I've already ridden everything, I may CONSIDER riding it. But usually, I just walk past it.
LOL, I know how completely random this is, but I thought I was the only person who ever experienced that and thought I was crazy. Sometimes on a coaster as well. I wonder what it is lol. *** Edited 8/4/2006 7:37:42 AM UTC by P18***
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