Very sad news. I never met Dave, but always looked forward to reading what he had to say. I wish the best for his family and friends, and for Dave- wherever he is.
The trick was to surrender to the flow.
I always remember this video of his of operations at Blue Streak pre-air gates, pre red dots, pre-IROC. I always remember him coming to ride Magnum when I worked there on the early 2000's. You could tell he was nerding out (along with me) about us hitting interval every time while filling every available seat. He always rode 1-3 (the ejector seat) too.
-Matt
I never met him, but he was the first real expert I ever heard speak on amusement rides. Thank you Dave... may you continue your quest for the perfect parabolic airtime.
To being an "us" for once - instead of a "them".
Man that beyond sucks. Helped me out over 20 years ago for a technical paper and never forgot that. I remember the rec. roller coaster ascii signature. Always learned something from his posts.
I remember when I was probably 13 or 14 and saw him at Magnum once, probably in 1999 or 2000. Being the nerdy coaster teenager I was I went up and told him how much I liked reading his trip reports and how his information and write ups were what helped me understand how roller coasters worked. Heck, I remember showing one or two of his articles to my parents to prove how safe coasters were after the media was making something out of nothing once. He was so kind and took a moment to acknowledge me and thank me. I will always rememher that.
Fast forward to adulthood and over the years (decades) on trips home to Ohio I often saw Dave at Cedar Point. We rode together one or two additional times, always as paired up single riders. He had no idea who I was but I have warm memories of the few minutes our paths crossed over the years.
I never met Dave, but he has always been an huge part of this community and I always respected every word he had to say. I've learned a huge amount about the science and engineering (and safety) of roller coasters from reading his posts for the 25 years we've been on here. Whenever I watch people do stupid stuff on rides I find myself thinking, as per his sig, "respect the rides because they don't respect you."
Rest in peace, Dave.
Hobbes: "What's the point of attaching a number to everything you do?"
Calvin: "If your numbers go up, it means you're having more fun."
Always quality posts from Ride Man.
Always respectful and relvent.
Tough loss for our Coasterbuzz family.
(Sigh...)
Here's To Shorter Lines & Longer Trip Reports!
I got to know Dave over the years. He was one of the nicest guys ever. I also know April really well and she’s been keeping me updated
I haven’t heard the latest. I don’t know if he’s still alive or not. I should find out soon, though.
-Tina
I saw Dave at many coaster events, although I don't recall ever having a conversation directly with him. Like so many, I greatly enjoyed reading his posts on Pointbuzz and Coasterbuzz.
What I remember most is reading his lengthy trip reports about parks he visited in the early 2000s. I did some Googling but could not find those on his current website. But I was able to find them on his old Capital University site via the internet archive. They are a great read and probably some of the best trip reports you'll ever read.
https://web.archive.org/web...chive.html
In particular, I remember being stunned by his report on Stark Raven Mad 2003 when a rider was killed at Holiday World.
https://web.archive.org/web...shw01.html
My condolences to his close friends and family.
Coasterbuzz - Coaster enthusiasts, but so much more. We're the good ones.
I met him and April briefly at Knoebels many years ago. I hung out with him and April a few years ago at my first and probably only visit to Indiana Beach. So I didn't know him well, but he was a huge asset to the CoasterBuzz community. He always wrote the best posts.
About hanging with Dave at IB, I visited the park alone, spent the early part of the day making another god-forsaken YouTube video. I was not having a particularity great time at the park for whatever reason. I was ready to leave after one more coaster. April recognized me in line, and hollered at me to ride with them. I spend three or four house hanging with them and it was so much fun spending time with them. They seemed to get me. It turned my park trip around. It was an unforgettably fun time.
Because of be invited to be a part of their group, I learned something about myself that day. I love going alone, but I have so much more fun when I hang out at the parks with like-minded people. Dave was a kind, gentile man. Easy to talk to, and when he talked, it was always interesting and fun.
I always hoped I'd get to hang with him again some day in the future. I'll definitely try to run into April again.
-Travis
www.youtube.com/TSVisits
Update on Dave Althoff (Rideman)
Hello Coasterbuzz Community.
Tonight I went over to visit Dave at Riverside Hospital here in Columbus, I hadn't heard any updates for a while so I called the hospital to see if he was there and he still was.
I had the pleasure of seeing and talking to Dave. As a miracle, he woke up this morning (from almost a week and a half asleep) after going through some more surgery and he seemed to be doing pretty well despite being on medication and a bit tired. He was eating and drinking well and I talked with him and his parents for a little while (we even talked coasters and cedar point). It was really good to see him. He's a tough dude for sure.
I told him the community and his freinds have been praying for him and wishing him the best and I know that made him happy. He still has a long road to recovery and is still not out of the woods yet, but I was able to tell him how much I (and we) cared about him and I'm glad I had the chance to do that.
John P.
Oh wow, amazing news quite the change from having a compassionate withdrawal of life support. So glad to hear he is doing well! Hang in there Dave.
2025 Trips: Universal Orlando, Disneyland Resort, Knotts, Dollywood, Silver Dollar City, Cedar Point, Kings Island, Canada’s Wonderland, Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Sea World Orlando, Discovery Cove, Magic Kingdom
Awesome news! I stupedly assumed he was not with us anymore because that's the last thing I heard.
Get well soon, Rideman!
-Travis
www.youtube.com/TSVisits
^ I had assumed as well, and we all know what assuming does. 😉 Met Dave at Beastbuzz years ago waiting in line to ride the Racer. Nice guy and really smart.
Happy to hear he's recovering. Get well Dave!!!
Prayers and positive vibes for Dave, for sure.
He's definitely a legend in this community, and while I'm not around much (not that many would remember me), I am one of the many who he's touched in his life.
Thanks for the update, John! I assumed he had passed on but I’m relieved to know that he’s doing much better!
I’ll continue to pray for him.
-Tina
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