The Magic Springs & Crystal Falls Discussion Thread

Hey everybody!

This thread is simple! Rather than having a million little threads about everything that goes on at Magic Springs & Crystal Falls , this thread is designed to consolidate it all into one user-friendly thread. Feel free to use it to post updates, trip reports, questions, comments, and of course, general discussion. For pictures and videos of the park as well as past updates, see TPR's Park Index Page.

Official Park Website

Below are some links to past updates from the park, you may be interested in. Enjoy!

--Robb

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2005

September 9th, 2005 - X-car coaster announced! (see below)

2006

May 26th, 2006 - Pictures of X-Coaster's color scheme

2007

January 11th, 2007 - $10 million expansion to waterpark announced!

June 10th, 2007 - Power outage strands 12 X-Coaster passengers upside down for 30 minutes

2008

June 10th, 2008 - Magic Springs sold to PARC Management

2010

March 10th, 2010 - "Boogie Blast" announced

2011

December 23rd, 2011 - Request for expanded alcohol permits denied

2012

X-Coaster to be removed at the end of the 2012 season

2017

November 21st, 2017 - Brain Drain, 12 story Larson ARM announced for 2018

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Original Post:

I haven't seen this one posted yet...

I found this story at Ted's humble web abode...

http://www.coasterfanatics.com/sec_news ... asp?id=875

X-Coaster coming to Magic Springs in 2006

Date: 9/20/2005

Source: Press Release

"The X-Coaster, a breathtaking new attraction that will include the highest upside down inversion in the world, will make its North American debut at Magic Springs & Crystal Falls theme park in April 2006, Magic Springs and Maurer Rides GMBH, the manufacturer, announced today.

"The X-Coaster will be the latest thrill ride added to Magic Springs’ great lineup of attractions that now includes The Gauntlet, our suspended looping coaster, Plummet Summit, the new spillwater ride in 2005, the highly acclaimed Arkansas Twister wooden coaster, Dr. Dean’s Rocket Machine drop tower and others," said Dan Aylward, president and chief operating officer of Themeparks, LLC, which operates the park. "This exciting new ride will feature an upside down inversion at 150 feet, the highest in the world. It extends our program of making significant additions to our attractions that keep Magic Springs at the forefront of theme parks in the Central United States."

The X-Coaster will cost almost $4 million installed, Aylward said, and will bring Themeparks’ investment in the park to more than $39 million.

While the name X-Coaster is used by the manufacturer to describe its ride, Magic Springs will conduct a contest to name its exciting new attraction. Details of the contest will be announced in the next few weeks.

The X-Coaster is based on innovative technology developed by the ride’s manufacturer, Maurer Rides of Munich, Germany, that makes it possible to experience inverted ride elements without shoulder restraints. This is the second ride of its kind built in the world. The first has been operating outside Munich, Germany.

"The ride features a three-level safety system that will hold the rider in position throughout this high-intensity experience," Horst Ruhe, managing director of Maurer Rides, said. "This ride is definitely not for the faint of heart."

Describing the X-Coaster experience, Aylward said, "When the riders leave the loading platform, they are taken for a vertical ascent of 150 feet, at which point the car performs a thrillingly slow quarter-loop backwards, which has the riders hanging upside-down. Then the riders are sent on a 360-degree corkscrew roll, followed by a plummeting vertical drop at more than 65 miles an hour."

He continued, "At this point it appears that the riders will return to the starting station, but instead they rocket past the station, stop on the lift hill, drop backwards through the station at high speed, stop upside down and rocket forward through the station again." Aylward said. "Then, just when you think you are ready to return to the station, you are picked up on the lift hill and taken over the top for a second time."

"The unique design of this ride guarantees that each row of seats provides a different ride experience," Aylward said. "The slightly elevated back seats in each car give an excellent view and the backwards motion of the train provides additional thrilling experiences."

The single 12-person two-car train can accommodate about 500 people an hour, Aylward said.

The ride, which is being built in Germany, will be transported to Hot Springs in January and February of 2006, and installation will begin immediately upon its arrival. It is expected to be completed in April, Aylward said.

Season tickets for the 2006 season are on sale now via the park’s website at http://www.magicsprings.com, or by contacting the sales department at 501-624-0100. Regular Season passes are currently $39.95 through September 25 and include a free upgrade to a Gold Pass when processed during this operating season. As of September 26, the passes will be $49.95 with the free upgrade through January 1. After January 1, season passes will be priced at $49.95 for regular season passes and $59.95 for the high value Gold Pass. All season passes allow unlimited visits to Magic Springs & Crystal Falls as well as admission to the 2006 summer concert series at the park’s Timberwood Amphitheater. Gold Passes include free parking and special value discounts throughout the park.

Magic Springs is located on Highway 70 East in Hot Springs, 45 minutes southwest of Little Rock.

The rides and water park are open Saturday and Sunday through September. On September 30 and October 1, Magic Springs will host the Hot Springs Oktoberfest celebration. On October 2, Magic Springs will introduce its all-new Magic Screams Halloween Festival with a preview showing exclusively for season pass holders. Magic Screams will then be open to the public Friday evenings, Saturdays and Sundays through the rest of October."

So the US gets its first X-car coaster next year. It'll be the same model which is at Skyline Park in Germany, which looks a bit like this:

http://www.rcdb.com/ig2773.htm?picture=26

Sounds totally messed up in all the right ways. Well except for the line it will have...

It's exciting to see an X-coaster make it to the U.S. and I bet it'll be a nice addition to the park, but I'm a bit disappointed that they went with the general design that Skyline Park has. I would have liked to have seen them go for something closer to Drayton's G Force than Sky Wheel. Either way, I'm sure it'll be a fun ride and a smart investment.

Great now I HAVE to go back ... crap

This is great news, I really want to ride an X-Car coaster, thanks for posting this!

I got this news and images from the park today:

(From the press released posted above, I thought this was worthy of repeating though)

“The X-Coaster will be the latest thrill ride added to Magic Springs’ great lineup of attractions that now includes The Gauntlet, our suspended looping coaster, Plummet Summit, the new spillwater ride in 2005, the highly acclaimed Arkansas Twister wooden coaster, Dr. Dean’s Rocket Machine drop tower and others,” said Dan Aylward, president and chief operating officer of Themeparks, LLC, which operates the park. “This exciting new ride will feature an upside down inversion at 150 feet, the highest in the world. It extends our program of making significant additions to our attractions that keep Magic Springs at the forefront of theme parks in the Central United States.”

 

The X-Coaster will cost almost $4 million installed, Aylward said, and will bring Themeparks’ investment in the park to more than $39 million.

 

While the name X-Coaster is used by the manufacturer to describe its ride, Magic Springs will conduct a contest to name its exciting new attraction. Details of the contest will be announced in the next few weeks.

Magic Spring's New For 2006 Addition!

A clone of the one at Skyline Park. Same height, length, layout. Must be a clone.

Ride experience is fun...but way too short.

And it's not the best looking ride around either.

Oh, and the capacity is awful. One short train of 12 people...

Maybe they will charge extra for this ride. It's not too bad in the small, never-crowded Skyline Park, but I'm sure Magic Springs can be crowded during the summer months.

I wish you could of seen (or heard) me when I found this out.

I'm still screaming!! Only 2.5 hours away!!

Let me cool down a bit , then I'll post some more.

Magic Springs never gets very crowded, plus the other rides in the park help thin things out.

Cool, I guess we'll be making a trip to Middle America.

Don't matter how "pretty" it looks, it is surely going to be a "pretty" ride. Loving it! Loving It!!

Ever consider making a Podcast Rob? I know there is already one out there but I think you guys would do good at it as well!!

Finally! I'm glad they're getting a unique steel coaster. Especially after adding The Gauntlet.

Great to see the US is getting a Sky Wheel. I wonder what the color scheme will look like.

I'm not sure if i read the press realease properly but I thought Volcano in PKD had the tallest inversion at 155'ft?

I can say I'm glad to see an X-coaster make it to the U.S.

Volcano does currently have the record. Looks like it is going to be eclipsed in fairly unique fashion!!

I rode the one at Skyline Park and it is simply boring.

The only fun part is when you fall backwards.

The rest is... dull.

This is so cool, I can't believe my home park is getting this much attention. I'm only 45 minutes from Magic Springs.

If you are planning to come check it out, please be aware of the concert shedule on their web-site. Here is this past summer's schedule. http://www.magicsprings.com/concerts.html

Yes, most of those are country artists, but this is Arkansas and people come from all over for these concerts. Typically every Saturday form June through August there is a concert and the park is really not big enough to handle the crowds. Lines are way too long and the walkways are jammed. But the good news is that concert days are the only days like this. On a typical day you can ride just about anything you want to over and over again without getting out of your seat. Sundays are nice quiet days, and in July when the park is open until 9:00 P.M. most people start clearing out around 7:00 and you practically have the park to yourself for two hours.

Hey Rob, if you quys are coming to ride this I want to know about it so I can meet you there and crash your party.

Ooh, one more thing. If you do find yourself there on a concert day, Arkansas Twister (wooden coaster) is closed during concerts because it is right beside the amphi-theatre.

^ You know, it's funny...we came so close to going at Magic Springs when we were at SDC this year, but we needed to shorten that trip due to work. Now I'm glad we did!

Feel free to crash our shin dig when we make it out there, Duane!

--Robb

Yeah, I'm kinda glad you didn't make it then, because I hadn't joined TPR yet and would have been kicking myself when I found out you were there and I had missed it.

--Duane (the one who doesn't have a roller coaster data base) Cooper

I wonder what the color scheme will look like.

Blue cars, yellow track and red towers/supports.

So it's going to look like a gian McDonald's arc?

I guess...

Maybe sponsorship?

Highest Inversion Ride in World, X-Coaster, to Debut

At Magic Springs & Crystal Falls Theme Park in April 2006

HOT SPRINGS NATIONAL PARK, Arkansas — The X-Coaster, a breathtaking new attraction that will include the highest upside down inversion in the world, will make its North American debut at Magic Springs & Crystal Falls theme park in April 2006, Magic Springs and Maurer Rides GMBH, the manufacturer, announced today.

“The X-Coaster will be the latest thrill ride added to Magic Springs’ great lineup of attractions that now includes The Gauntlet, our suspended looping coaster, Plummet Summit, the new spillwater ride in 2005, the highly acclaimed Arkansas Twister wooden

coaster, Dr. Dean’s Rocket Machine drop tower and others,” said Dan Aylward, president and chief operating officer of Themeparks, LLC, which operates the park. “This exciting new ride will feature an upside down inversion at 150 feet, the highest in the world. It extends our program of making significant additions to our attractions that keep Magic

Springs at the forefront of theme parks in the Central United States.”

The X-Coaster will cost almost $4 million installed, Aylward said, and will bring Themeparks’ investment in the park to more than $39 million.

While the name X-Coaster is used by the manufacturer to describe its ride, Magic Springs will conduct a contest to name its exciting new attraction. Details of the contest will be announced in the next few weeks.

The X-Coaster is based on innovative technology developed by the ride’s manufacturer, Maurer Rides of Munich, Germany, that makes it possible to experience inverted ride elements without shoulder restraints. This is the second ride of its kind built in the world. The first has been operating outside Munich, Germany.

“The ride features a three-level safety system that will hold the rider in positionthroughout this high-intensity experience,” Horst Ruhe, managing director of Maurer Rides, said. “This ride is definitely not for the faint of heart.” Describing the X-Coaster experience, Aylward said, “When the riders leave the loading platform, they are taken for a vertical ascent of 150 feet, at which point the car performs a thrillingly slow quarter-loop backwards, which has the riders hanging upside-down. Then

the riders are sent on a 360-degree corkscrew roll, followed by a plummeting vertical drop at more than 65 miles an hour.”

He continued, “At this point it appears that the riders will return to the starting station, but instead they rocket past the station, stop on the lift hill, drop backwards through the station at high speed, stop upside down and rocket forward through the station again.” Aylward said. “Then, just when you think you are ready to return to the station, you are

picked up on the lift hill and taken over the top for a second time.”

“The unique design of this ride guarantees that each row of seats provides a different ride experience,” Aylward said. “The slightly elevated back seats in each car give an excellent view and the backwards motion of the train provides additional thrilling experiences.”

The single 12-person two-car train can accommodate about 500 people an hour, Aylward said.

The ride, which is being built in Germany, will be transported to Hot Springs in January and February of 2006, and installation will begin immediately upon its arrival. It is expected to be completed in April, Aylward said.

A video of it can be seen here:

http://www.maurer-soehne.de/en/Amusement/Xtended_Rides/Rollercoaster/Film/skywheel_en_dsl.wmv

This Looks like a pretty amazing ride i have seen pictures of the one at skyline park but i thought it just ran like a normal X-Car Coaster but it practicly launches you not like the X-Car Lift Because i have been on G-Force At Draytom Manor

http://www.rcdb.com/ig2926.htm