Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park to reopen Thunderbolt

[smartestcoasterkidever!X is the best. Tatsu sucks.]

I've been to this place...it's actually really cool! I did a trip report on it back a while ago, let me see if I can find it. At the top of the mountain (you have to take a sky ride up to the top) they have a mini homemade screamin' swing thing, a zip line, and really long mountain coaster in addition to the caverns up there. From the looks of it though it looks like they installed the coaster at the bottom of the lift where you buy tickets and everything. I could be wrong though!

They've actually got a lot more now! The screamin' swing was taken out and replaced with an S&S one! They also have bungee jumping.

[chadsterThe Pony Express can't find my teepee]

Glenwood Caverns has purchased the Thunderbolt from defunct Celebration City.
Park's Facebook Page

The ride will be renamed "Cliffhanger", and opens in May.

ha! I knew this past December they were getting it ready to dismantle by all the buzz of workers around it, just didn't know who was getting it. Now, when do they set ozcat on fire? Its unsalvagable.

[ShavethewhalesI wish they would make Street Fighter Donkey.]

Glenwood Caverns has purchased the Thunderbolt from defunct Celebration City.
Park's Facebook Page

The ride will be renamed "Cliffhanger", and opens in May.

ha! I knew this past December they were getting it ready to dismantle by all the buzz of workers around it, just didn't know who was getting it. Now, when do they set ozcat on fire? Its unsalvagable.

From the sources I have (ie: people who work for SDC) it sounded like they were actually keeping OzCat maintained to some degree in case the event arose in which they opened a new mixed attraction there or sold off the property to someone else. In the latest news article on the subject, Pete Herschend said they were open to selling the place to someone interested in rebuilding some kind of park there.

Who knows what that means though, it will probably need a full retrack to really operate well again.

Getting back to this coaster, I kind of hope it's not right on the ridge. I think it'll start to look tacky if they put a bunch of rides right at the top. You really don't need good views on a coaster like this, it's quick and jerky and you're spinning around half the time.

I may have tracked down the new kiddie coaster, and it seems like it might be adult-friendly! Based on new information I dug up, it could be Endicott Emerald Mine from the defunct Wild Zone Adventures in Ontario, Canada.

The article I found also states that Cliffhanger may set the record for the highest-elevation coaster. That's interesting, as I believe this record has been debated before and I'm not sure if anyone had a conclusive answer as to who held it.

[Ed FarmerThe only thing better than a naked woman is a naked donkey!]

ha! I knew this past December they were getting it ready to dismantle by all the buzz of workers around it, just didn't know who was getting it. Now, when do they set ozcat on fire? Its unsalvagable.

From the sources I have (ie: people who work for SDC) it sounded like they were actually keeping OzCat maintained to some degree in case the event arose in which they opened a new mixed attraction there or sold off the property to someone else. In the latest news article on the subject, Pete Herschend said they were open to selling the place to someone interested in rebuilding some kind of park there.

Who knows what that means though, it will probably need a full retrack to really operate well again.

[/quote]

This is the first I'm hearing of maintenance being done during this hibernation. For such a young coaster it would only make sense. Someone at another forum I frequent mentioned a while back that an an OzCat relocation would essentially consist of the receiving park getting the plans for the ride and rebuild. When the Kentucky Kingdom takeover happened recently, some of the first speculation was the status of Twisted Twins. The general consensus was that they would reopen with the "new" park. Is that really how significant having a hybrid structure is for a longer operating life? It evidently wasn't enough to save Villain, Hurricane** or Mega Zeph. Ozcat even operated a year after TTWins vanished from the park map.

** A local priest was summoned to Hurricane to bless it with holy water. The moment the water touched it's structure it began emitting smoke and melting. The lift chain kept erratically and abruptly changing it's direction. Near the end this ceremony, the ground inexplicably opened up and swallowed the remains of Hurricane. Some geologists studied and excavated the area- they found no trace of Hurricane.

Perhaps Villain would still be standing somehere today. If only someone had thought to ask Pepsi nicely for free money through their "Free Money For People Who Really Need It Genuinely" Program.

Joke.

^I sure wouldn't mind seeing OzCat rebuilt from scratch. It looks like a beautiful design. Plus, with GCI's predictability, I can't see a clone riding too differently from the original.

[XYZA village is missing its IDIOT!]

After going on Hurricane (SCBB), I'm not very excited for this as my experiences of Hurricane are OK. They are decent coasters, though they are a bit boring expect for that one steep helix.

[jzooleI know more about donkeys than women!]

The Hurricane model is interesting. It was originally built by S.D.C., until they went bankrupt in 1993 and sold the rights of the design to S&MC (founded by former S.D.C. employees, who continued to market the model as "Hurricane"), and also to Zamperla, who sold it as the "Windstorm". Also, in 1996, Premier built its own clone of the Hurrican/Windstorm design, and used their own new train design. This is the enclosed Runaway Mountain at SFOT. So this same coaster design has been built by four different firms.

I have never been on one of the outdoor versions, but Runaway Mountain is the most insane enclosed family coaster I've been on. That thing is seriously intense and disorienting in the dark, and the near-vertical dive (or Death Drop as Cal1br3tto called it - I like that!) gets me every time.

On a sidenote, Cal1br3tto, I wanted to let you know that I always enjoy reading your posts. They are always so eloquently worded, and you always have something nice to say.

[MayTheGForceBeWithYouStar Wars is gay.]

After going on Hurricane (SCBB), I'm not very excited for this as my experiences of Hurricane are OK. They are decent coasters, though they are a bit boring expect for that one steep helix.

In Colorado, we don't have many coasters, so I find it to be a welcome addition to our modest lineup.

Oh, and thanks to cal1br3tto for the articles and RCDB links!

[STR8FXXXINEDGEJar-Jar Binks smells like Donkey]

I think Laura nailed it with the kiddie coaster. I just read about it in this article on The Aspen Times.

"The small coaster was purchased used as well from an indoor amusement park in Canada, as was the Ferris-wheel-style “Mine Wheel,” Beckley said. The wheel will be 32 feet tall, and will be situated where the existing climbing wall has been. The climbing wall will be moved to a new location."