chickenbowl

I know Dollywood and SDC plant a ton of new trees whenever they cut some down, but new small trees is still can't replace the feeling of the older mature trees that used to exist. It'll take decades of tree growth to get that vibe back. We will never have this again. Even though Wilderness Pass had plenty of newly planted trees, it still feels cut down and bare compared the the awesome wooded areas of the park That's because hardly any parks have the same incredible natural setting of DW and SDC. I feel the same with Time Traveler's excessive tree demo (Kinda ruined TnT's setting). If Lake Compounce ripped all the trees out from BDash, people would feel the same as I do now. That said, I feel like they did a great job keeping trees with Outlaw Run and Lightning Rod - You still feel like you're in the woods on those coasters.

Calling the new land "Wildwood Grove" after completely leveling every tree in the area...

Joe Ahh yes. Joe Draves. Very cool, thanks for sharing! Having that team (Alan Schilke also works at Ride Centerline) behind the design definitely makes me more excited!

I just had a quick chat with the guy who designed the layout and he said not to worry, there will be airtime. I mean, it's the same guy who designed Lightning Run at Kentucky Kingdom so.... One of the designers from Ride Centerline? Ned Hansen?

What's so "prototype-ish" about this ride? Lots of new hardware and systems for them - For example, I'm sure the trains will be a completely new design for S&S. They've also never built a coaster this large. I just can't help but look back at how GaleForce and Merlin's Mayhem went... *shudders*

That name is soo bad. "You've ridden Steel Vengeance, but have you ridden Steel... CURTAIN?!?!" At least some locals will know what that's referencing, but it sounds really lame to my ears. As far as the coaster/layout goes... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I hope it tracks well I guess? The inversion-heavy layout doesn't excite me too much. S&S doesn't have a great track-record recently in terms of delivering prototype rides on time, so... good luck Rumors of Intamin Blitz and Ravine RMC set me up for disappointment I suppose. It will look great to the GP though.

Also the construction crew. My brother is on this project and like is said before. He is keeping a tight lip about it! The last time he was this secretive was when X was in production. Does Six Flags normally do big announcement around Labor Day? Interesting, has he at least confirmed to you that the construction will include a coaster at all?

1. Rutschebanen (Tivoli Gardens) - 1914 2. Jack Rabbit (Seabreeze) - 1920 3. Roller Coaster (Lagoon) - 1921 4. Giant Dipper (SCBB) - 1924 5. Giant Dipper (Belmont) - 1925 5. Wildcat (Lake Compounce) - 1927 6. Legend (Arnold's Park) - 1930 7. Rutschebanen (Bakken) - 1932 8. Thunderbolt (SFNE) - 1941 9. Comet (Hersheypark) - 1946 10. Phoenix (Knoebels) - 1948 originally as Rocket I'm still missing a lot of the oldest American coasters, but I always feel grateful to experience more classic coasters before they're removed!

What's even worse is that you're facing opposite of Mission Bay while you're upside down - You can't even see it from any part of the ride! Instead you get a nice view of my apartment,

I'd actually be totally OK with an oversized Mack spinner at SFMM, as long as Carowinds' new Mack isn't a spinner . I'm loving the new US Mack additions, but I'd want at least one of the 3 latest/largest models to be standard orientation like Blue Fire. Manta and Slinky Dog aren't quite enough to quench my thirst for a full-sized standard Mack LSM Of course, that's my selfish opinion But I can really see SFMM marketing the hell out of records for biggest spinner or whatever, and I'd rather it be Mack than any other company

Great report! I feel like you and I have pretty similar opinions and tastes regarding the major coasters, but still loving reading someone else's take. Good pics as well!

Yeah, I believe they have a pretty stiff 200 ft restriction due to a nearby hospital helipad or something. My speculation of a B&M Hyper is purely based on how I interpreted the submitted drawings for the 2020 attraction, not necessarily what I think is best for the park. The footer map indicates an out-and-back layout with a B&M-like turn around finished with a helix-y ending, a flow of elements we've seen many times. (Mako, Nitro, Behemoth, Silver Star, Diamondback, Intimidator, Shambhala, etc.)

I'm getting strong B&M Hyper vibes when looking at the footer map in that last picture. Even a helix around a new plaza/fountain? Very cool. Hershey's lineup is already stacked, a B&M Hyper would elevate them even further

I love me some Intamin drop towers! 1. Ikaros - Gröna Lund 2. Lex Luthor - SFMM 3. Fritt Fall (Standing Tilt) - Gröna Lund 4. Atmosfear - Liseberg 5. Big Shot - Stratosphere 6. Drop Tower - Kings Island (Cause it spins on the way up) 7. Drop Tower - Kings Dominion 8. Mystery Castle - Phantasialand (wtf was this awesome ride!) 9. Giant Drop - Six Flags Great America (When it has the randomized drop sequence!) 10. S&S Double Shot (SCBB, Castle Park, etc) Honorable Mentions: Intamin 1st Gen (Nagashima's, Free Fall at SFMM (RIP)) Intamin 2nd Gen (Carowinds, CGA, Holiday Park, CW, etc) Tower of Terror at DHS and DCA Looking forward to the awesome domestic models I'm missing: Zumanjaro, Falcon's Fury, Acrophobia, and Demon Drop

A couple more states/countries to add since last year! I've now ridden coasters in 30 states and have visited 37! *I've italicized the states that have changed since I last posted this. US AZ - Desert Storm CA - RailBlazer (Yes, more than the other RMCs) CT - Boulder Dash FL - Mako GA - Goliath ID - Tremors IL - Goliath IN - Voyage IA - Monster KY - Storm Chaser LA - Ladybug Roller Coaster ME - Excalibur MA - Superman the Ride (Yes, still better than Wicked Cyclone) MI - Shivering Timbers MN - Renegade MO - Outlaw Run NC - Fury 325 NJ - El Toro NV - El Loco NY - Jack Rabbit, Seabreeze OH - Maverick OK - Silver Bullet, Frontier City OR - Ice Mountain Bobsled PA - Skyrush/Phoenix (Masterpieces in their own way) SC - Intimidator (Not counting Fury) TN - Lightning Rod TX - Iron Rattler UT - Cannibal (closely followed by Colossus the Fire Dragon) VA - Intimidator 305 WA - Timberhawk: Ride of Prey Canada British Columbia - Coaster, Playland Ontario - Behemoth (Definitely better than Leviathan) Quebec - Goliath Other countries Mexico - Medusa Steel Coaster Japan - Flying Dinosaur China - Mega-Lite (Happy Valley Shanghai) Denmark - Rutschebanen (Tivoli Gardens) Germany - Expedition GeForce Netherlands - Goliath (Walibi Holland) Sweden - Wildfire

Thanks, guys!! ^ I really liked Goliath, but it definitely felt a little lacking when compared to EGF. The helices were fun, but nothing special and the twisty hills didn't have airtime. There's a long middle section without anything too interesting. The 4 or 5 airtime spots and the stengel dive are fantastic though. EGF barely has a dull middle section, but it's a monster. I really enjoyed Blue Fire, but it had nothing on Helix. Blue Fire didn't really have any airtime and a couple slow/floaty bits. The last roll on Blue Fire was nuts though. Helix felt fast the whole time and had legitimate ejector - And don't get me started on Helix's helix... My god. I didn't mention Lost Gravity, which I thought was really enjoyable! Kinda like Mack's version of a Eurofighter/El Loco thing. Lost Gravity had some great wonky elements, comfortable seats, and great airtime! I feel qualified to have a quick Mack breakdown now: 1. Helix 2. Lost Gravity 3. Blue Fire 4. Manta (SD) 5. Space Fantasy 6. Euromir 7. D'wervelwind (Toverland) 8+. Mice, water coasters, etc.

Hello again. I just got back from a crazy coaster trip - EUROPE. And wouldn't you know it...Another RMC!! With this trip report, I'll keep it simple. I'll mostly talk about Wildfire and then a quick blurb of my feelings of other noteworthy coasters. Here we go! Wildfire. Like many US-based enthusiasts, I have seen these incredible coasters get built on the other side of the globe that seem so impossible to ever ride. Well with a lot of planning, hope, luck, and privilege, I can tell you that it IS achievable - And not as hard as you might think. Lately, as I have been lucky enough to ride more and more across the US, my eyes have been set on Europe as the next place I must visit. And that's hugely because of this coaster, Wildfire. Located in the middle of the Swedish peninsula and accessible by train/bus is Kolmården, a zoo... with a massive god damn RMC. The park is beautiful and has a ton of great animals, but let's be honest, I'm here for Wildfire. Starting off with a massive lift hill and a very scenic turnaround helps orient you in a forest along a series of large bays, but while you're distracted with the views a massive drop pops in a gets it going. Coming out the the drop is my favorite stall I've been on which is very whippy and very long. The next turn has incredible force and launches you into an outward banked hill with ejector airtime in the strangest way. Your body is heading outward as the train pulls inward diving down through a foggy shed (This part feels like the fastest part of the coaster). Next is a twisty hill into a quick double-up and wave turn triple-combo. The pacing through this section is incredible. We take a small break with a floaty zero-g and head back towards the front of the ride before diving up under the lift and curling right down next to the station. The following zero-g is taken with incredible speed and throws you hard right up the hill where the train loses a bit of momentum. We end with a slalom section into the brakes and a big goofy smile. Wildifre's series of elements feels like a perfect flow and a great match of airtime, positives, and inversions. I got 20 rides in a few hours and couldn't be happier. Some people may ask: Is it as good as Lightning Rod? Nope. It’s simply not as intense or have as much airtime, although it’s very long and super amazing. Each ride feels built for a different purpose and it's not really worth comparing them too much. All that needs to be said is that RMC continues to dominate. Wildfire was insane and easily managed a spot in my top 5 wood coasters. My current RMC rankings: 1. Lightning Rod 2. Outlaw Run 3. Wildfire 4. Medusa Steel Coaster 5. RailBlazer 6. Iron Rattler 7. Twisted Colossus 8. New Texas Giant 9. Joker 10. Storm Chaser 11. Goliath 12. Wicked Cyclone Bakken is old as hell (435 years old) and had some fun coasters! This one was smooth for it's age. Tivoli was a magical tiny park in Copenhagen. The vibe felt like Disneyland in a city with all the restaurants and rides compact together. Dæmonen was very small, but it flowed well enough and had great pathway interaction. Rutschebanen was excellent! Mountain theming incorporated felt so classic and perfect Tripsdrill was a fantastic little park. A ton of charm. Karacho was also damn good - Better than HangTime and is now my favorite Gerstlauer. G'Sengte Sau was super fun too. The sustained ejector on this hill... my god This coaster ended up as my favorite of the trip and placed as my #7 overall. Taron was speedy and fun! Could use a bit more airtime, but it’s at least very long and gorgeous. 22 rides with hotel ERT. Every ride at Phantasialnd was awesome, Black Mamba is not talked about as much as it should Troy was a solid mid-tier GCI. Nice pacing, but I prefer like 4 or 5 others. Still relatively smooth for its age though! Not a bad little Intamin Mega! Goliath has 4-5 really good spots of airtime and a beautiful setting. Basically a ‘mini-Superman the Ride’ Helix was phenomenal. I didn't know I could like a 7-inversion coaster this much. Also, multiple spots of ejector airtime and great pacing! Top 25 coaster for me. Balder was my second Intamin Prefab and it did not disappoint. Airtime buffet with a side of headchoppers. Another top 25 coaster. Also, Liseberg is a f*cking incredible park. This turn had a nice pop into some positives. I loved the pacing here. Here is the first drop - 83 degrees is always a great way to kick the ride off. This outward bank thing took me by surprise and offered some of the craziest airtime on the whole ride. [RMC #12] I cannot believe I'm here! AHH! (Also, it's like a mile trek from the entrance to where this coaster sits) Walking through Kolmården offers some amazing views. Sweden is a gorgeous country. Backside view gives you some understanding of the terrain usage! Overview of the coaster layout (sorta). Shows how close to the terrain the ride remains after a few large elements. I'll leave you with my favorite view from the Safari gondola ride. This coaster is a dream Onto a quick recap of other European things Last day at Gröna Lund. I love this tiny little park! So many drop towers and a maze of fun coasters - All with a classic boardwalk feel. Jetline and Vilda Musen were wonderful! Twister was... weird. It had pacing of a Knex coaster with bizarre kinda airtime. Just ughh. Ikaros (tilting drop tower) was my favorite ride at the park! Europa had a lot of amazing coasters - Blue Fire became my 500th coaster! Silver Star is exceptional, lots of ejector in the back. Wodan had great pacing and an amazing queue. But the park is a lot more than coasters! Arthur may be my favorite dark ride ever. And the food, ahh! After years of waiting for it, I finally rode GeForce! Verdict: Insane, very satisfying, and a simply fun ride One last thing, traveling isn't always about coasters for me, so here's a little taste of what else I did. Preikestolen in the fjords of Norway - So amazing! Good bye! Until the next RMC comes along... Looking at you Steel Vengeance

The one and only!

From Screamscape: I'm not convinced this is a GCI layout or even a wooden coaster from that image, but maybe they know something I don't? The curves in the layout look really unfluid and strange to me.

Thanks, man. I remember you writing that the Raptor clone is maybe second only to the Mega-Lite clone - I would agree! It was a preview so they had a ton of ops and supervisors around. They were trying to push them out quickly, but they were also just getting used to the unique loading system and actual guests, I think. The line definitely moved quickly for the capacity limitations.

Welcome back to my ongoing trip report about the wonderful world of RMCs! RailBlazer. So as some of you may seen, without any warning CGA announced on Friday evening that the long-awaited RailBlazer would be open for passholder previews the next day. My friends and I all live in Southern CA, and may or may not have had plans pre-existing for this weekend. Despite that, our hype and tight schedule later this month pushed us to scramble and make the 8-hour drive up there! Was it worth the trouble? Most definitely! I was expecting this coaster to be fun, but it looked short and the layout seemed inversion-heavy for my taste. After seeing some tests of this and Wonder Woman, I was warming up to the design. Even with that new expectation was blown out of the water after my 6 rides across the train! The first drop is a mini-Toro 90 degree beauty. The back is straight nuts and the front is floaty and fun. Following that is the dive loop, down raven thing. The snap throughout this thing is insane - ejector into positives - My new favorite inversion EVER! Follow that up with the 'Jesus-that-cannot-be-real' outward banked airtime hill. One of RMC's most sustained ejector moments that rips with the ferocity of Skyrush. The upward helix has some of RMC's most intense positives to-date. The drop off the s-bend bit is also insane in every seat. The cutback and zero-g are the chillest elements on the ride, but it's much appreciated at that point. The last turn is taken way too fast (more crazy positives) and there's a nice little hop into the brakes. The coaster is short, sure, but nearly every element is has is incredible. It's pacing is so intense - Everything feels too fast in the most perfect way. I know it might be a hot take, but I found this to be even more fun than the other 2 California RMCs! I would be stoked if every smallish park in the country got a clone of this! (Looking at you Dorney, WOF, MIA, etc) Lastly, I'll talk about the trains. My first OTSR RMC. Not bad exactly, but still not ideal. Pros: Freedom of space like spreading your arms out and pretend you're flying (I'm serious, it's so awesome). No shin guards!! Lapbar itself was comfortable enough. Cons: The straps... they're pretty stiff and with RMC-level ejector, your shoulders will be sore after multiple rides. I'm still sore today. My current RMC rankings: 1. Lightning Rod 2. Outlaw Run 3. Medusa Steel Coaster 4. RailBlazer 5. Iron Rattler 6. Twisted Colossus 7. New Texas Giant 8. Joker 9. Storm Chaser 10. Wicked Cyclone 11. Goliath This year is just starting for me, so look forward to this TR getting updated a few more times this year! The early-morning drive starting getting interesting once we approached Gilroy! [RMC #11] And just like that, we made it! The queue gives amazing perspectives on the VERY twisted layout! Tried the RailBlazer IPA - It's damn good! Getting right into it. Here's the 90 degree first drop. Looks sorta like El Toro It's wonky as hell, but so much fun. Half of the fun are the copious amounts of headchoppers throughout. Ignore the dab, lol Lordy, this drop is taken with a stupid amount of speed! This outward thing feels like Skyrush's bastard cousin. Sustained ejector. Finally, an RMC with strong positives throughout! The whip in this inversion is crazy. What a unique mix of forces. I'll leave you with this amazing view Up next: Hmm... Could it be something a little more exotic? Maybe a bit international even? This is definitely my favorite coaster to have more than 2 inversions It may be short, but the back is just as stupidly crazy as you'd expect

6 rides today. Here’s my hot take: This thing has insane pacing and is likely my favorite coaster in California (I’ve been on them all) and is in my top tier of 11 RMCs. Will post more thoughts later

Imagining anyone actually saying the name of this ride out loud is already making me feel spinzane embarrassment.

Yep I bet you're right, makes sense why they'd have a temporary catwalk there for that until they dial in the controls. I doubt that catwalk is temporary.

Thanks! But you should count on seeing this same picture a million times from now on, It's a really obvious photo op when entering the queue