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Hey Everyone! Ahh...2021...the year of changes for Silverwood. Who would have thought, that after 4+ years of general stagnation, the subtle cancellation of Light up the Night, and COVID; that so many things would change all at once? But alas, here we are! I made the pilgrimage across the coaster desert for two days of fun at the best theme park in the PNW (no contest!). So here we go, all of the changes (plus my thoughts), the good, the "ehh", and the bad for the 2021 season at Silverwood! Lets start with the good (and the part that everyone is interested in), and mostly that means Stunt Pilot. I'm not gonna lie, I had to do a legit double take in the parking lot to make sure I was at the right theme park. "Really? A modern, brand-new, not (technically) relocated steel coaster, this can't be Silverwood..." And let's not beat around the bush...THIS RIDE IS AMAZING!!!! Smooth, fast, great airtime, amazing inversions, great theme, it's just all around a great ride! From the moment you enter the queue to when you get off the ride it's just incredible what RMC and Silverwood did. The theme is perfect, and well executed. Silverwood history buffs (like me) could probably spend a good 30+ minutes in the entrance building alone, just looking at all the photos, reading the old park "newspapers" that are hanging up, and watching the queue video that plays constant footage of the old airshows the park had. The vintage bi-plane hanging over the queue sets the mood, and really works with the theme. Getting to walk SO CLOSE to the coaster (like seriously, your like 3 ft from the first drop in the queue) is super fun! I wish more coasters let you get this close. The ride even has it's own THEME SONG that plays in the queue and station (AND IT SOUNDS GREAT!!!). While the station itself, kinda leaves a little to be desired (it's basically a shed, which I guess is what real airplane hangers are...), the ride itself (and the rest of the queue) more than makes up for it. Now for the ride itself...ITS A FREAKIN RMC RAPTOR, THERE'S LITERALLY NO REASON TO COMPLAIN!!!! Sure, the drop isn't 90 degrees. But does it make a difference? NO! The first drop is AMAZING, the inversions are fun, smooth, and a little floaty, and the rings and barn just add to the whole experience. If I had to pick a "dud" element it would probably be the cutback, but even that was fun so I can't complain much. I know some people don't like the restraints on these Raptors, but honestly I have no qualms with them. Do I wish it had lap bars? Sure. Do the OTS restrains ruin the ride for me? NO!!! I actually really like these restraints, and (for better or worse...) they might be the best restraints in the park. You don't have to battle them coming down during the ride, they're not uncomfortable (at least to me), and they don't hurt! (Gee, imagine that, a steel coaster that doesn't hurt in some way...what a great idea Silverwood! ) I just really like this ride, and I definitely think it's the best in the park! If you are thinking about making the trip to Silverwood because of Stunt Pilot, believe me when I say...IT'S WORTH IT!!! While I don't think that Silverwood is quite in that major/elite park category yet, I think with additions like Stunt Pilot it could be well on its way. Also in the good changes category is the new 208 RetraK (man, RMC needs help with naming stuff...) on Tremors! This truly makes the ride great again! The helix area was really starting to...umm...age poorly? (Is that a nice way of saying it?) I was not a huge fan of Tremors in the past, but having this new track really helps me to see this rides full potential. The track is really smooth, no rattle or shuffle. It actually feels as though the ride speeds UP on the track, leading to some pretty wild/out of control feeling forces. It does run a bit odd with the PTC train, but that's not RMC's fault. I hope more coasters that have issues with maintenance add this (or GCI's Titan Track, if its basically the same thing). I don't think its for every wooden coaster, but those that need a little help in some select areas would really benefit from it. It's not all good for Tremors though. Even though the new RetraK helped in the warped helix (it stretches from the end of the first section of topper track, all the way to the exit of the helix), the airtime hill immediately following is in pretty rough shape, with some nasty jackhammering, although you still get some pretty good airtime on that hill. Word on the street is that this airtime hill is supposed to get RetraKed this off season, which I hope is true. I said Stunt Pilot was my favorite coaster in the park, but a little more RetraK on Tremors might change that... Other than Tremors and Stunt Pilot, the coasters at Silverwood seemed to be in good shape. Corkscrew still needs a paint job, although it got a new pneumatic exit gate (whoo hoo! That's what I'm used to celebrating as far as new additions go at Silverwood). It was a little more rattily than I remember, but still fun, and I guess it kinda is what it is, being that it's almost 50 years old and has been relocated twice. Timber Terror was good as always, and celebrating 25 years! Let's here it for the coaster that made the creation of RMC possible!! Still miss the buzz bars, but it got a new station voice over recording this year (Corkscrew got one too), and it was the first time I heard a voice over being used on TT out of all the years I've visited. There is still a little bit of shuffle in the last bit of the helix, but not as bad as last year. Always a great time! Aftershock was down the first day due to inclement weather (rain and wind), and up and down the second with technical difficulties so I didn't get a chance to ride it on this trip. I'm honestly starting to worry about the park's resolve and dedication to this ride and it's maintenance needs, especially now that it's a one-of-a-kind in the US and they have a new major steel coast in Stunt Pilot. I know that they just replaced the rides cable, so that hopefully bodes well for the ride, because I think it would be a bummer for it to close. The last good change is more of a minor one, but there is a new food stand underneath Corkscrew's first corkscrew, called Caselli's (the Theater of Illusion pizza is now just called Theater of Illusion Pizzeria), and a new seating area is across the path (where the old Cold Springs Pizzeria used to be) that features great views of the Log Flume, Stunt Pilot, and Corkscrew. It looks pretty good, and the stand sells personal pizzas, breadsticks, and beer on tap! We now turn to the more "ehh" changes at the park. I'm mostly indifferent to these changes, but they're there and probably should be pointed out, because someone will have an opinion on them... The first of these is that Garfield and Odie are now completely gone from the park. Garfield has been replaced with coaster or water slide art on the height stick signs, and the kids area is now "Critter Camp". While Garfield never had that big of a presence in the park, it was kinda fun knowing that such a small park like Silverwood was connected to a (comparably) large IP. That being said, I'm not sad nor surprised that he's gone, and I hope that the park replaces him with something else (Here's to original characters!). Next, up is the relocated and refurbished Coaster Alley sign! While I do prefer the signs old style and location (it was about where Stunt Pilot's entrance is now) the new look and location definitely works. I especially like that they brought back the old coaster eating tree for Timber Terror, which I think is awesome (if they put that tree on a shirt I would totally buy it!)! All in all it's a neutral change for me. Lastly for the "ehh" changes is the park redid the Ferris Wheel and Kiddie Kopters. They both got new fences, magnetic entrance/exit gates, and fresh paint (Hey Silverwood! Could you do that for Corkscrew here soon? Thanks!) I rode the Ferris Wheel for the first time, and thought it was just ok, with the nearby trees blocking most of the view. I also am not a huge fan of the red pain job, finding it a bit obnoxious, but that's just me. Now for the bad, and unfortunately it's pretty bad. I don't know what happened, but the train show took a HUGE drop off in quality. No bandits, no stunts, no Marshal Jack, no cryptozoologist, no fairies, no 6' 1" fence joke. All that's left is a lady who is a "ranger" who is looking for bigfoot, who than interacts with the guests for most of the journey, stops to help another ranger put some dynamite in the mine, a "mechanical puppet" (I won't disgrace the park by calling it an audio-animatronic) of bigfoot then pops up and and blows up the dynamite, which then causes the other ranger to fall in the well, and then we leave and go back to the park. It really was a big disappointment for me. Last year, I thought that they were so close to having a fun and unique train show centered around western bandits and bigfoot shenanigans, and when I heard that they were adding more bigfoot stuff this year I had high hope. Unfortunately what we now have is a cheap and cheesy show that lacks all cohesion and is a major disappointment. Coaster101 recently called the train show the second best in the country (based on previous years shows), but based on this years show, I think it's doesn't even belong on the list, it's that bad. I don't know if its budget cuts, or if somebody walked away from it, or what happened but it's just bad. So bad that I would rather have no show, and a quiet ride threw the woods past the buffalo and stagnant sets than what we have now. Maybe that's just me though. Does anyone know what happened here? Is this just the week day version of the show? Other minor changes include the Theater of Illusion Pizzeria getting a new sign, new panini's at the High Moon Saloon and Panhandle Lemonade (Didn't try either but they both look good), and the removal of the temporary lockers by Thunder Canyon's entrance. Boulder Beach was exactly the same, as last year. Other than that, the park seems to be in pretty good shape with some minor maintenance needed to get them back to pre-COVID levels of beauty it seems. Pharaoh's Curse was still sitting in pieces at the end of the runway, next to some pieces of Tremors old track, in what is quickly becoming the park's boneyard. Didn't see any advertising for Scarywood, but I'm assuming that it will make a return this year. Also, all of the park's COVID measures (except "reservations", and random hand sanitizer stations, and cashless operations) are gone, so if your at all worried about COVID I would advise you to steer clear. Looking towards the future...an RMC crane/truck was still on site, and they seemed to be surveying/digging around in the dirt behind Riptide Racer and Pollywog Park...so obviously a 500' RMC T-Rex with 25 inversions is coming for next season!! In all seriousness, it could be just them installing utilities, but I thought it was interesting with the timing. I've always wanted to see a water coaster come to Boulder Beach, although I would want them to put it more in the back by Avalanche Mountain and Ricochet Rapids, rather than in the front of the water park. Plus Boulder Beach really is due now for a new and unique slide. All in all I think the park has a bright future and a new direction. For the last few year I was really starting to get worried that the park was entering a time of stagnation, or even slight decline, with the lack of changes or new additions of any kind. When COVID came along, I thought all hopes were dashed for SW ever adding a new coaster in the short term, especially an RMC Raptor. But who knew that 2021 could bring so much change to our little park in north idaho. I hope Stunt Pilot works out positively for them, and we see a series of additions on that level of both ride quality and theming. Even if they add stuff half as good as Stunt Pilot, I think the park really does have a very bright future, and I cant wait too find out what else the Norton family has up their sleeves!

Great report. I was in Seattle last week and decided to make the trek over to Athol and it did not disappoint. The drive was incredibly picturesque at times, and Silverwood is a delightful little park. Those two additional seats in the back of Stunt Pilot really make for some insane airtime. The first drop on Tremors definitely caught me off guard, and it was pretty neat to feel how all the different track sections were riding. All in all, a very solid coaster lineup for a park of this size. Caselli's is actually where I chose to eat, since it had a very small line when I was passing by. I was not aware that it was new; my meal was pretty good! Definitely superior to most theme park pizza I've had elsewhere. I would agree that I lost interest in the train show after a little while, but it was nice to get out in the woods a little bit and see some of the other rides from a different perspective.

Rhymes with Shmantheon

So despite a laundry list of questionable choices and complaints about this park, we made the most of this 2 day visit. Absolutely BGT is a bucket list park with the legendary Kumba & Montu and they not only lived up to the hype but it's so great that they are SO SMOOTH! Riding Banshee 2 days ago it's laughable comparing old to new B&M. Kumba feels massive yet the stats have you thinking it's a smaller looper. What a beast. Not once did my head touch the OTSR, even on the cobra loop. Sheikra is my new favorite dive coaster. That backrow air is incredible! Cheetah Hunt is such a perfect family coaster. I love how the inversion is hidden way out in the Savannah and you could hear it take some guests by surprise. Loved the front row's airtime going up the tower and the back for the drop off. Falcon's Fury was life changing in a way I had only experienced similar to DoDoDonpa. What an insane, amazing, terrifyingly great ride. Gwazi was closed. Cobras Curse was closed. The safari up charge was 10000% worth it to hand feed giraffes! I'll post a more detailed trip report later, off to Orlando for Sea World and Universal for 4 days!

^ the bit of more info I saw on it today , I'm inclined to think what Mike says is more correct: the holding brake is on, and the motor on the opposite side is not turning off. so certainly sounds like a motor problem. . . tho I'm not a mechanic, nor there, so I'm just guessing too.

^That is almost more reason to believe it is NOT a backward motor. Six Flags has what, seven of these rides that have opened before SFA’s? You’d think they would have learned to check the motors by now, especially with the extra year. That type of deflection is not great for the structure and should definitely be addressed. It didn’t look too far off from hitting resonance and tearing itself apart.

Had to be in Charlotte anyway Saturday, so I popped in for a bit. Waited about 20 minutes for Fury. I got to Fury around 11:15. Then walked over to Copperhead Strike to see no one on the stairs. It was running half-empty trains! So I got two rides on it (second was maybe 15 minute wait). I crossed my fingers for Afterburn and lo and behold, there was no one on the stairs there either. Ops were really slow so I waited about 15 minutes. Great as always! I thought my luck would run out when I headed for Intimidator (and it did). The queue was full to the second set of shades. I didn't have enough time to make FL+ worthwhile, so I bailed. First coaster rides since December 2019. I parked by the 16 sign and as I was leaving, there was a massive flow of cars coming in and parking was out to 37. The I-77 southbound exit ramp was backed way up. I was really curious about my pass, as it won't seem to update in the app. I have tried to add it several times and it won't show up. It still says 2019. My pass was updated on the Carowinds website, so I used that to scan at the parking lot gate. Going into the park itself, the reservation already had my pass info stored, so I didn't need to show it. I mean, we got the Vortex trains from KI for Carolina Cyclone. Yo gotta wait at least a couple of years after a get like that.

It should be noted that the ride is posted as open today on Queue Times. This took place on the 19th and it was closed for the rest of the day and all day yesterday. If that's accurate I'm assuming it's just running one train and probably will be for awhile.

Yeah, they're not having a good time. (Same source)

Shivering Timbers did bump. Credit to Cassie Villarreal on Facebook. "So FIRST ride is Shivering Timbers. Ride went fine but then we got stuck trying to get off. They literally SLAMMED us into the cart in front of us that hadn’t taken off. No apology except from the teenage employees working the ride. No medical check. They took our names and seat number and nothing else. No phone numbers or anything. They then just let us go. No compensation or anything for literally crashing us at probably 30mph into an object not moving at all. The metal and actual track broke from the impact. Michigan’s Adventure is a joke and needs to STEP UP."

Sorry for the delay, it has been a crazy busy month Anyway. The next Trip i joined was the Europe trip in 2008. Lots of new parks (and some familiar ones) with a fun group of people Fun times. First stop on arrival day was at Le Jardin d'Acclimation this was a very nice coaster with a fun "tunnel" feature fun for all ages and yes, there was a powered coaster and the spinner. There also was a zoo area and other fun things to look at (or play with) i'll try to update this 3 times a week, fingers crossed

Glad you ended up having a decent visit. It's really a great park that can just be very frustrating at times with their operations. Pretty much been like that as long as I can remember visiting. Unexpected ride closures can happen especially considering the park is open year round so that's understandable, but to be fair their ride operations are usually pretty decent to make up for everything else so the coasters alone keep me coming back.

Years later, rides became actually good.

Nope, it's unlimited.

To be honest I haven't tried lately; I typically only browse the forums from my phone when I'm at parks, but it was definitely doing it for my CP/KI trip at the end of May as well as my KI trip earlier in May. I'll be going to Dorney this coming Friday and can provide an update. Thanks for at least looking into it.

I rode KK and Zumanjaro for the first time once each on Wednesday. The Zumanjaro ride timed perfectly that we dropped and raced the Ka train down the tower. I had the right most seat in the right most car. It was surreal. Apparently there is no timing and it appears to happen about one out of every 25-30 times. We had Platinum and Jersey Devil was on it. This wasn't advertised at the pick-up point. We didn't realize it until we were waiting in line for JD to open and one of the crew told us. Scanning through the wristwatch it was indeed there and did activate when the ride opened (around 3 pm). We were told it was platinum only. First time they made us wait in the pre-security line. Then once the entrance team recognized and cleared us, we could go right up to the formal queue entrance and skip the pre-security line. They were running a strict locker policy (ala Steel Vengeance) though with no metal detectors. 3 or 4 people were looking for bulging pockets (front and ass) and kicking people back. Closest lockers are by Nitro. And those were filling up/breaking. End of the day my all day locker was no longer working but hourly rentals still were going at the location. And for good reason. My friend caught someone's Jeep keys on during one lap. We asked the train including Canobie in the front seat but he wasn't driving a Jeep. (and probably knows better)

Not much better today. Montu never opened so that corner of the park is just a waste with Cobra's Curse also closed. Hope we are just getting bad days because this park is so beautiful and the coaster line up is top tier. The food and bev service is so dysmal and 90% of the staff can't even crack a smile, this is just such a strage park right now.

I agree with that entirely. Elitch Gardens is an atrocious park. It has potential to be an "okay" park but it's so badly run. Lakeside is a total shithole but I found it to be a really fun shithole and they're open about being a shithole. If both coasters are open then it's fun at night. The wood coaster kind of sucks but Wild Chipmunk is the best coaster in Colorado so... fight me. lol Honestly, I like Lakeside. Expectations need to be set and it's totally weird but we had fun. As for Glenwood Caverns, yeah... everyone should go there. It's fantastic. I agree that nobody should go to Denver unless they're okay with like half of the coasters in the state being closed at any given time but on the flip-side it's a great city and it's Frontier's home airport so it's dirt cheap to fly there from basically anywhere if you don't mind flying them. People should go, but you're totally right that people need to manage their expectations for the parks.

So I wrote the park directly as well as corporate, and they are refunding my ticket! I am sure they usually don't care about making people happy, but my tale of woe must have moved them. I posted the same comments on the park's Instagram page and was met with a hostile comment: "This is the best park in Colorado, and if you don't like it. just stay the f*ck home!" Umm...the best park in Colorado when there is literally one other one, also run down and barely open. And I have never been, but it looks like Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park is a better park than either Lakeside or Elitch!

New Raven video!

I mean... these are the people that they're dealing with

I don't want to alarm anyone but Six Flags is kind-of theming something. I'm grading on a curve, but I am impressed. Source: https://www.facebook.com/groups/sfgadvconnoisseurs Also this should be set back from the path because if it's actually made out of wood, everyone is going to scratch their names into it in 5 seconds. At no point should this park forget that they have the worst guests ever...

point to be made: ABSOLUTELY worth the upcharge (~$3 for Haunted Mansion). It's *not* a "scary, Haunted House attraction" - it's an old skool dark ride attraction where you slowly move by sets - cheesy, WONDERFUL sets, mostly in neon colors. we love it, and it's for the throwback cheese factor, not the scary. . because really, it's less scary than the Disney Haunted Mansion. here's a TPR ride thru. . . don't miss it, if going to Knoebels (also don't miss the chair lift, I'd do that over Impulse ANY day).

They have lifted the mask rules. Masks are no longer REQUIRED. They might recommend or even request one but not required like before, entirely voluntary. Pretty simple to understand. They also stopped the other restrictions, no temperature checks, no reservations (no capacity limits), no distancing. Back to 2019 operations. Well except for allowing masks which I'm certain would not have been allowed before. But, while I refused to go to the park while masks were required, you are free to not go now that masks aren't.

I haven't posted anything that isn't true. And you continue to have it out for me for some reason. Each time you post evidence supporting me. We can disagree here. But the fact remains, masks are not required of anyone at many Six Flags now. I have not suggested anyone do anything against park rules.

Recommend is not the same as require. tndank is correct.

I know it wasn't running yesterday for sure. Had not heard the reason but seems plausible.