Why in the last few years did Six Flags get a feel for hyper coasters. I know that they started the craze for Inverted and B&M Stand-ups, but why wait so long for the hypers. How long will it take for a Six Flags to get a giga? There's really no point in this post, but I'm just looking for others opition.
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6 MORE DAYS FOR THE POINT!
Now that I think about it, didn't it take 10 years for an non-Cedar Fair American theme park to build a hyper-coaster? (Not counting Desparado, that's at a casino not a theme park, and Steel Phantom doesn't fit in with traditional hypers)
1989-1998 - All Cedar Fair
1999 - 2 Six Flags hypers
2000 - 3 Six Flags hypers
2001 - 2 Six Flags hypers
(Those numbers may not be 100% accurate, I didn't think too hard!)
Maybe companies other than Cedar Fair didn't feel it wise to make such a large single coaster investment until the recent years, which have been so fruitful, and the coaster war so fierce.
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- Peabody
I'm not sure when they opened, but don't forget Blackpool's Big One and Japan's Fujiyama.
Then, of course, there's also S:TE... ;)
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Matt Lynch
Co-Webmaster, Kennywood Boulevard
http://kennywood.coasterbuzz.com
When are they going to get around to building one at SFStL? I would love to see an Intamin hyper built there.
If you think Six Flags is slow, what about Paramount. They don't have any 'typical' hypers. SOB is wooden and therefore not your 'typical' hyper, and I'm not sure if TA2K reaches 200 ft. but again not your typical hyper. Nonetheless I love that Paramount is game for several new concepts. Volcano, TA2K, Stealth, SOB, FOF & KC back in the day.
What accounts for the popularity of hypercoasters? It's all about popularity, stupid! ;) Look at just about any enthusiast's top ten list and several (I'd wager 3 to 5 for most) coasters on those lists are hypers. They have what it takes to be great coasters: big drops, airtime, and positive Gs. If enthusiasts who are usually more critical of rides than the GP love hypers so much, then the GP must really think they're amazing. When SFNE opened Superman last year, most New Englanders had never seen a hyper, and thought it must be the biggest scariest coaster in the world. A coaster that has that kind of impact on people is sure to be a success.
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"If we built a ride that everyone wanted to ride, that would be an elevator, and that's not an amusement ride." (Stan Checketts, S&S Power)
Actually it was 5 years after Magnum before anyone built another hyper (Big One & Desperado). (Not counting Steel Phantom which has a 230' drop but is only 160' tall.) It was 7 years after Magnum before Cedar Fair or any other US park built another hyper. Then in the last 5 years we have been blessed with an explosion of hypers. Magnum was such a big step forward that it took the industry a while to catch up.
The popularity of hypers is due to height which freaks out those of us with a fear of or respect for it, and even more importantly energy. With more energy, you can do more things to provide the thrills we crave.
Does this mean that SF:WOA will never build a hyper, because it's nearby competitor Cedar Point, has two 200 ft. (plus) coasters?
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Jes
Webmaster, Jes's Roller Coasters
http://www.jesms.cjb.net
Yeah, I live around Dorney and everyone is talking about Nitro like it is so incredible and it makes Steel Force seem so small. I find it comical that they think Nitro is the tallest and scariest coaster...ever. I won't argue with them but they are 5 taller coasters. I think...
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Talon 2001
'Nuff Said
I wouldn't be surprised if SFWoA gets the next giga. If they're going to compete in the regional hyper market they'd better have something spectacular.
I'd like to think that other parks saw Magnum and decided the industry needed to evolve a bit before trying another hyper. In any case the wait worked because we're getting lots of great hypers now that don't have the problems of the original.
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Home Park: Silver Dollar City, Branson, MO
This is why Topics lose interest so quickly. No one stays on the subject and the point of a post is therefore gone.
