The Spawn of Satan Flat Ride? I give you...

The Mondial Shake. For those of you who cringe at spin-n-pukes, I dare say... stay on the sidelines for this one. The motion of this one nearly made my brother sick from 50 feet away just watching. Oh the wisdom of you brother. ;)

The particular Shake I'm talking about is Catwoman's Whip at Six Flags New Orleans. Well themed to the diabolical femme fetale from the Batman comics/movies, she serves up a devilish good time for some, and nightmare for others (read : me). My girlfriend oohed and ahhed right away having never seen one before (a friend of mine claims that it's the only one) and wanted a ride. I preferred to see a cycle first before deciding, but foolishly boarded with her.

I invite you to view this bad boy in motion at mondialrides.com, then surf to product overview then click on Shake. It offers a small video so you can get an idea what you're in for, but trust me, no video can prepare you for this device.

You strap into a seat with the absolute HEAVIEST OTSR's I've ever experienced. Picture a good ol' Top Spin's restraint and add about 20 pounds of weight and you have a good idea. The basics of this ride, from what I gathered is you have individual cars that are anchored to a arm which is then anchored to the center which can spin like a Scrambler. However, the cars also oscillate much like a Chaos car (vertically) does. This in combination of the spinning... sometimes forwards and sometimes backwards can even create inversions. Throw in a good LONG seemingly 5+ minute ride cycle can create problematic scenarios for me. Of course, my girlfriend loved it to pieces. *rolls eyes*

I personally LOVE Chaos and Scramblers, but I think the maddening combination of the two and massive speed make for trouble. I felt ill the rest of the day and even into the next day I was a little "off". Never puked, but I think I'da felt better if I had. lol

What's your worst flat ride experience? Mine WAS Gravitron Thriller, but it has lost it's reign at the top of "baddies". A designation firmly won over by the Shake.

------------------
MORE than 50% of people like me.

Any pics of this ride?

------------------
"No, it offends me as a comedian."

All Top Spins give me massive headaches on that last part of the most popular ride program where it tilts you forward and just creeeeeeeps back to the ground. That part gives me such a massive headache that it ruins the rest of my day. The Flying Crapet (ha! I misspelled, but given my feelings on the ride, I left it! ... almost looks like crumpet ... mmm ... crumpets ... ok I digress ...) at Kennywood also makes me sick every time I ride it, but like your situation, unfortunately, the girlfriend loves it *rolls eyes*

------------------
Give me launched or give me ... uh ... more launched!!
--Brett

Just watching the video and looking at thepictures made me want to hurl...I wouldn't go within a 10 yards of it in "anticipation" of a remake of the pie eating contest scene from the movie "Stand by Me"

------------------
--George H
Currency Tracking Experiment...Where's George.com

My New Blog...Check it out

If you get a chance be sure to ride the Shake that travels the U.S. fair circuit and is owned by Mike Wood. With a great backflash & with speed varitations on the main table and indiviual arms this is run in a manner that gets good use out of the always-ready hose that stands near the ride's exit.

Adam

OMG that looked awesome! I *so* want to ride one of those ;) Sorry it did a number on you, Brian.

mOOSH

------------------
2004 Coaster Calendar now available. 13 Coasters in 12 months! Order in advance and save. Quantities are limited! See S&D Greetings for details.

I got to ride one of the fair versions last month, and it was awesome... but it was hard not to feel quite dizzy, after all our, car thing did 6 flips.

------------------
ROYALS!!!

When's Moosh's turn? Bring it on.......;)
------------------
"The robot mafia is running numbers?"
"Well, nothing fancy, mostly just ones and zeroes"...;)

I don't even this our car did a full inversion/rotation, but it was enough to nearly end my day. 2 more laps on the best Batman/namtaB I've ridden and I was done :)

------------------
MORE than 50% of people like me.

Most people who visit Six Flags New Orleans like Catwoman more than the ride ;)

BTW Although some models of Mondial Shakes do complete flips Catwoman's whip does not. I do not know if it was already like that in the park in Japan or they effectively tuned it down to make it a little less intimidating (since most of the flat rides there are a bit extreme!).

Those restraints are heavy though! They really surprised me when they just dropped down on my arms like a brick(ouch). There are pictures and a video at sfno.com
*** This post was edited by Cameraman 8/20/2003 12:45:58 PM ***

As I was waiting to ride this, I realized something. From pictures, it seems that the Schwabinchen lady went to the gym, lost a few pounds, and dawned a Catwoman outfit. When you see this ride in action, you'll know what I mean.

------------------
SFoG Train Engineer since '03.
SFoG: Land of rides under 2 min.

My "flat ride from hell" would be the Zamperla Tea Cups at Elitch Gardens. Nothing else has made me feel as nauseous as that ride. For about 3/4 of the ride cycle, I was spinning our cup as fast as I could until I started to feel the effects of the ride. I looked up and noticed that we were spinning so fast, I could not focus on anything. So I just sat there and waited for the ride to be over. As soon as it was, I bolted out (all while noticing another lady that was heaving and looking ready to explode...eww), and walked over to a bench to sit down. Thankfully, that was our last ride of the day, but I did not start to feel any better until I got something to drink back in Boulder.

I also enjoy an occasional ride on a Chaos, Scrambler, or most other flat rides. But when it comes to those damn Tea Cups, I’m staying far away.

Ahh...the question I've been waiting for...

The "Twister O'Doom" at Keansburg, NJ takes the cake as my flat ride from hell. My ride partner, our own Mamoosh yells, "when's it our turn?" to the ride op, who proceeds to make our car spin, fast, basically non-stop for the duration of the generous ride cycle. Fellow Con-quest-a-dorks laugh and videotape me as I literally stumble off the ride and down the stairs...a few minutes later I'm laying on the floor of a bathroom that makes IB's look clean and modern. I will spare you gentle readers the gory details, but imagine your worst drunken sickness ever, then multiply that by say, 5 or 7. Anyway...the paramedics came by to check on me and thought that the 6 advil I'd taken on a fairly empty stomach (I'd had the most horrible toothache ever) plus the ride and the heat really did me in. Moosh and baSSiStiSt were very good nurses and spent the rest of the day basically babysitting me and watching crappy movies at some motel. Thanks guys!

While I'm sure that the "Ride O'Doom" was an isolated incident, I'm a little nervous even looking at select flats now...particularly Tilt-a-Whirls...but I have managed a few turns on several (haunted?) Swings.

How's this hellish looking thing at SFNO compare to the G-Force at Iowa's Adventureland? They look similar to me.

Dawn, you sux0rs! ;) I never heard that part of the tale! LOL!

Keep these evil flats away from me. I won't even attempt a ride, as I know my body will reel in bile. I am WAY past my prime with those rides, although a Zipper is still the way to my heart. :)

*don't say it.*
------------------
Rob - Jerk/Loser - Standing up for the unfunny and unattractive. - Click here for details

My "spawn of satan" flat ride has to be Xcalibur at SFStL.

I never get sick or overly dizzy on rides, but this one did it. It's pretty much an Enterprise/Chaos on the end of a pendulum that rotates VERY FAST. Once up to speed, the entire pendulum does a slow 360 and the ride is done.

I think what makes riders dizzy is the POV on this ride. You're sitting Chaos style in cars for 4 peeps with your back to the center. Unless you concentrate your vision on a part of the ride that's moving with you, you're screwed. Everything else is a spinning blur and trying to sight see while you're rotating 100'+ in the air makes it nearly nauseas.

I did 3 NON-CONSECUTIVE rides throughout the day at SFStL and that's all I wanted to endure. 2nd day at the park my friends and I had no desire to ride. Unique experience the first time, especially when you're at the peak looking straight down, but the speed of the ride is "dizzifyingly" intense.
*** This post was edited by Greg 8/20/2003 1:35:44 PM ***

Zipper baby! Make one 100' tall and I'll be all over it like a pancake-eating stalker on Jeff.

------------------
"I go out at 3 o' clock for a quart of milk and come home to my son treating his body like an amusement park!" - Estelle Costanza

E, I agree. Those things are silly. TTD silly. I would love to try one of the first generation ones, with the upgraded engine package. I hear they were vomit comets! :)
------------------
Rob - Jerk/Loser - Standing up for the unfunny and unattractive. - Click here for details

Most nauseating flats I have ever been on include:

* Dartron Hurricane/Downdraft: While the ride may look innocent enough, it's definitely a real stomach-churner. The constant blasts up and down made me turn an unusual shade of green. It's also one of the few rides I've actually had to sit down after to catch my bearings. It's odd how these effect me so bad, but a Huss Swing Around is fine. Must be the plane of motion during the swings. Downdrafts are truly vertical while the Swing Around is horizontal.

* Larson Crazy Train: I guess if I couldn't handle this, I probably wouldn't be able to handle a Mondial Shake either. For those unfamiliar, a Crazy Train is essentially an oval-shaped track with a train of several confined cars that revolves around the inside of the track. Riders sit facing each other with plexiglass just inches from their faces. Doesn't sound too bad right? Well, the entire oval is spinning on its axis at a pretty high rate of speed, resulting in you being thrown through every possible dimension and getting entirely screwed up in the process. With its claustrophobic seating and hurl-inducing ride motions, I tend to stay away from Crazy Trains!

* Eli Bridge Cycloid: Ugh! If there was ever a more nauseating and dizzying ride, I have yet to find it. I believe only a handful of these were made... and for good reason! Bates Amusements owns one and it is essentially a Scrambler with inward-facing seats. The ride spins at insanely high speeds, pinning you back into the seats, while the ride moves in Scrambler-like fashion. Couple that with a 6-minute cycle time and sickness sets in quickly. VERY nasty indeed.

Power Surges, Chaos, Top Spins, and even the Zamperla Turbo Force didn't bother me...haven't tried a Frisbee-style ride yet, but hopefully in October I'll have tackled PKI's Delirium.

ray p.

Aaaaah.... Memories :) I rode one of these rides a while back and it was great fun :)

Usually I am useless at spin and pukes - even a pirate ship makes me hurl but all I could do on this ride was laugh like a hyena :)

Kinda gives me the notion to go for a re-ride :)

------------------
Coasters, kitties, beer n buddies - life *is* sweet :)

I've only come close to getting sick once, on a Chance Skydiver at the old Elitch Gardens. During unload I was pointed straight down and decided it would be fun to see how fast I could make myself spin.

Bad idea!

Although I didn't get sick I had to sit on a bench for about 30 minutes while the color returned to my face ;)

mOOSH

------------------
2004 Coaster Calendar now available. 13 Coasters in 12 months! Order in advance and save. Quantities are limited! See S&D Greetings for details.