The Jester

Did anyone ever ride this ride? This ride used to be at Six Flags New Orleans. The reason I'm discussing this ride is because it went backwards the whole entire time. I never realized this until I went looking for something else New Orleans orientated. Now, it's no longer running, but how was that ride?

Look at 24 seconds: http://youtube.com/watch?v=18VQ9dY-wEo

http://www.coastergrotto.com/photo.jsp?pic=708c03.jpg (Up the lifthilll backwards.)

Although I never rode it I seem to recall reviews were mostly negative due to roughness & headbanging.

It may be a good thing that the coaster is closed. That looks awful!!!
I heard the head banging is almost worse than revolution and X.

I rode it back in '98 when I was a freshman in high school on a field trip to San Antonio when it was at SFFT.

That was way back before I was an enthusiast, and other than not being tall or scary, I thought the backwards element took away a major part of any thrill, though it was still ok and entertaining given SFFT's limited coaster line up at the time.

I would also be inclined to say (at least back in '98) that I did not experience headbanging or roughness since due to station -only waits I probaby re-rode it 15+ times, which I would have NOT done if it was rough or caused headaches since I used to hate rough rides before becoming a more tougher enthusiast :)

Originally this ride was built with the trains facing frontwards, but never operated in that direction.

My one and only ride on it was in 2004 in the "back" car which was the nose of the train. (so it would have been the front of the train)

I did that so I could see the track blurring away from me which made for some great visuals.

As for the ride experience, let me just say that this was a terrific ride. Pure Vekoma goodness. You got the fun of whipping through the verticle loop and corkscrews at high speed... without seeing when exactly they were coming up.

Nothing quite like taking a corkscrew backwards

The transitions where a little smoother than the Boomerangs because the layout was a little more spread-out. I don't recall any headbanging, but I rarely get any because Im tall.

We would have done it again, but the dispatch times and waits were hideous. Classic old-school Six Flags.

I wonder if they only put it backwards because it was too rough forwards. I understand the loss of thrill. Maybe, people were too scared to ride it because you don't know what's coming the whole entire time.

^ It NEVER operated forwards.

Fiesta Texas purchased the ride new prior to the Six Flags buyout (1995, I think) and were going to run it forward, when Six Flags came in they decided to continue on with construction, but run it backwards.

It's smooth backwards, I wouldn't assume it wasen't the other way around.

Too scared to ride it? Not by the size of the lines I saw.

This ride used to be installed in the Boardwalk section of Six Flags Fiesta Texas. It opened May 10th, 1996... the season Premier took over Fiesta Texas. After 2001, the ride was not used (SBNO) until then end of the 2002 season. It was removed and transfered to Six Flags New Orleans and renamed The Jester.

The queue-house was left "SBNO", with its entrance built as a long pier-themed walkway over the parks go-karts. The queue house was used from 2002 'til 2005 as the parks haunted queue house, as guests waited for the real haunted house...

In 2006 the house was not used, but was prepped to become the queue house for the new Tony Hawks Big Spin. Tony Hawk now stands in the place of the former Joker's Revenge (the Jester)

I believe the ride is now SBNO in New Orleans, unless they already removed it. Fiesta Texas is happy to accept SFNO's Batman ride, currently being built at the entrance of SFFT as Goliath, to open in Spring 2008.

Joker's Revenge was the first roller coaster to go through a corkskrew backwords. :) *** Edited 1/22/2008 7:42:15 PM UTC by coasterghost***

Living 45 minutes from SFNO I was there every weekend and I was there the last day they were open and even was planning on going to the park the saturday before my family evacuated. I went there during the taking down of Batman the Ride but, the park is basically the same way it was before the storm. Jester's track is fading and there is rust spotted on the green.

Unfortuatly prior to the 05 season the thing was running bad but the 05 season Jester was actually my second favorite coaster there because the loop seemed to take forever and the corkscrews were better than ever except that helix at the end the ride was smooth and there was limited head banging.

Yeah the loop was fun because it went through it so slow and gave a little hangtime feeling depending on where you sat in the train. Theres a few nasty yanks thanks to some sudden transitions, but if you braced yourself it wasn't that bad. I actually kind of miss it.

Also it's noteworthy that when it was installed at SFNO in 2003, it received a brand new chassis. Apart from the bad transitions it was really smooth for a vekoma. It wasn't rattly like a boomerang might be or say Ninja at SFoG. *** Edited 1/23/2008 12:46:45 AM UTC by Cameraman***

I rode it on several occasions. I liked the feeling of going through the loops backwards. It had some head banging , but nothing major.