richtrav

Aha! So that's what the long lost steel coaster would have looked like. That was a long time ago but I remember it was supposed to have opened alongside the Rattler and would have been the tallest steel coaster in the world (I think the height was to have been somewhere in the 250 ft range, which should have been plenty tall back in the early '90s when it was conceived). That model looks like the real deal because I distinctly remember hearing that it was supposed to have had only one loop, though as I remember the story as it was told to me Vekoma was going build it (but again, that was a long time ago and they may have been fishing for builders). As the story went, at some point they scrapped the steel coaster in favor of the water park for the '92 opening and pushed back the steel coaster for '93 or '94, but when they had the ambulance chaser problems with the Rattler they pretty much shelved the coaster and went with the Boardwalk instead (blah). I still remember looking over where Superman is now back in late '92 fully expecting to see the footers starting on their record-breaking steelie. Thanks for sharing that, I always wanted to know what that coaster would have looked like. I had heard of people seeing the blueprints but never knew there was a model. EDIT: thinking about it some more they may have been on the fence about Togo vs Vekoma building it, I can't remember 100%. Albert Alcala might remember.

The victim has been identified as Rosy Esparza http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2371151/Woman-falls-death-son-riding-Texas-Giant-roller-coaster-Six-Flags-Over-Texas-park.html

Compared to RMC, yes. He asked if B&M's do this. What does Rocky Mountain have to do with B&Ms rattling? Because I think if you've been on an iRat session and then get on any other coaster in the park it's not going to feel as smooth, it could be spoiling us. Yes I do feel a mild rattling effect on SKC as I have on other large B&Ms but it's not enough to detract from the ride (for me at least).

Compared to RMC, yes.

Had a great night at the park tonight, it's getting to that time of year when you don't go outside between 1 and 7, but the evening was beautiful and breezy. IR was its usual crazy self, SFFT is too modest about how much air it has, I count 11 places where you come out of your seat on the ride, probably the most unexpected being on the dive off the cliff (the first one, not the crazy Thelma-and-Louise dive into the tunnel). How RMC managed to put a brief subtle moment of air in there where the g forces should be high going around that curve I don't know but they're geniuses. The first drop is also growing on me, I really like that nuanced acrobatic left-right-left combo you get, it has a flying sensation that is just plain fun. Also rekindled my admiration for Superman, I've been on a number of large B&M loopers and it's one of my favorites, I daresay I even think I prefer it to the almighty Kumba (maybe because that intense spin at the end of Kumba leaves me queasy whereas SKC eases up a bit). It has aged well and rides just the way I remember it back in 2000. By 2000 B&M had perfected those wonderful little heartline twist-and-drop moves after the mid-course brake and they're still fun. Overall a great complement to the Iron Rattler. Sure hope the TX/Midwest tour has plenty of time planned for the park in the morning or evening, only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the afternoon sun around here (and maybe waterpark lovers). But I love summer evenings, wish the park could stay open til at least 10.

Oh at 81 degrees your rear is going out of that seat, twist or not. SFFTfan has it right, the drop happens so fast you don't have much of a chance to process it, it's not the prolonged torture like the '92 Rattler was (what is?) but yeah that twisting through the drop adds a little something in the back where the intensity is highest. It also keeps you from seeing where you're going until it's too late.

Don't quite understand the question, do you mean what part of the first drop stands out the most or if there was anything about the first drop we could take away/replace? If it's the latter I'd say nothing (though I would be curious to experience it if they didn't slow the chain down at the top). If you meant the former I'd say it's that little twist you get while going down, especially in the back where you're really getting yanked down fast. The first drop happens SO fast - definitely more quickly than I was expecting - you don't have much time to process what just hit you, unlike the barrel roll or drop off the cliff which last longer.

You should have ridden it the first six or seven weeks after it opened, before they had a chance to install the party pooping mid-course break. The ending used to be a bucking bronco

Well I went and got my season pass today and got in two quick rides on IR, one in the very back (right) and the second in row two. This was my first Rocky Mountain ride (haven't ridden many coasters in the past decade) so I didn't quite know what to expect. I can see what all the fuss is about, judging by IR they are outstanding coaster engineers and deliver a ride that I can only describe as a kind of controlled insanity. In spite of the very quick pacing it doesn't exert any uncomfortable forces or roughness on you so it's extremely re-rideable. Though I haven't been on many intense Intamins the iRat is up there or even better than any B&M I've ever ridden, my favorite of which was probably Montu '96. You've pretty much seen the reviews and I'll spare you a rehash other than my opinion (which I didn't expect) that I generally preferred the front car to the back seat after the first drop, it seemed to have a bit more oomph through the ride and the drop off the cliff into the tunnel is particularly brilliant in the front. And I do have to mention the barrel roll, WOW, B&M has been dethroned, it is my favorite inversion on any coaster and is excellent in both the front and back. One poster pages back suggested that the barrel roll should have perhaps gone at the drop off the cliff instead of the rise; I could not disagree more and would humbly propose Rocky Mountain knew exactly what they were doing in placing the elements on the ride where they are. That also goes for that wonderful pop into the brake run, that was fun and made for a great ending. Now what I would like to mention is that probably 99% of my rides on the old Rattler were back in '92 and '93 (mostly '92), and I wanted to try to compare the '92 Rattler to the new steel version (and no doubt, this IS a steel coaster, hy-brid shmybrid). To sum it up, the new ride is vastly better than the original and the only time I felt they bore the slightest resemblance to each other was in the pretty forceful fan curve back down into the bottom of the park (you know, the curve that used to sway). Everything else about the ride, including the first drop, has a very different feel. Which brings up the inevitable: how does the first drop on the new ride compare to the original '92 version? The first drop on the original Rattler was, after all, by far the best part of the original ride and widely praised. My first ride on the Rattler was on the opening weekend in 1992, and it was in the very back seat, just like today. And I remember the original drop very well, as if it were just a couple of years ago. The two are very different. The new one yanks you over at a really steep angle and has a wonderful little toss to the side as you start down, which you appreciate more in the back. It wastes no time AT ALL getting down to business - before you know it you're 170' lower than you were a second before. You get a great drop in the back and a nice gliding freefall sensation in the front. The drop on the '92 Rattler, though, was more of a psych job. In the front I think the new ride has the better first drop but in the back the '92 Rattler still remains my favorite first drop of all time. It certainly wasn't because of a huge amount of airtime going down - the new ride has gobs more air in the back seat. Rather it was the way it dropped you, in the back seat as you crested the top of the lift hill you could already see the front cars turning out to the left and beginning the descent. Then it was your turn, you started turning and falling, getting yanked down as the drop got gradually steeper and steeper until the very last moment when you made a very tight forceful pullout (too forceful obviously). It was like you were going to crash and die and it got you every time. I have never seen it replicated on another coaster though I have yet to ride many. The Iron Rattler doesn't have it either - if it did it would probably be another class action waiting to happen - but the drop is still loads of fun, especially in the back. It's probably even better than the slightly modified '93 Rattler. Other than that everything else about the new ride is so vastly better than Rattler '92 they're really beyond comparison (ding dong the helix is dead!) and my favorite of the too-short list of coasters I've ridden. I suppose next I'll have to try out the Texas Giant, which I haven't been on since 1993. The ending used to be great when it was running fast.

Thanks for the heads up, I'll be keeping an extra eye on the mail until my invitation arrives.

Like the previous poster stated, the stats I've seen for IR are a 171 ft drop versus a 162 ft drop for OR. But the Rattler's drop looks much taller and more intense because of the 180 ft high climb to the top and that evil little twist it does on the way down which makes that 81 degrees look even steeper. Both rides have their merits, and not to knock OR, but a lot of what I see on IR is unique and looks really neat: sudden, tight overbanked direction changes, a freefall off the cliff, a tunnel, a very fast overbanked turn off the cliff, that magnificent sweep way up into the high barrel roll...OR and NTAG have none of these, and it's what should make IR stand out from their other coasters. All three are unique, nothing cookie cutter about them. I think all will be in an elite group of top-notch coasters

2/7/13 1st overbank closer (no braces?) another view 2nd overbank, off the cliff overview of the above-quarry part closer view the big picture

Here's another view of the work they're doing today, was surprised to see them out on a Saturday but the weather is perfect

No matter how many pics are posted the 1st drop is still an awesome sight

Wood is in place for the final camelback

Track as it enters 2nd overbank

Closer view

Closeup of 1st overbank

Some more pics Overview of work being done, note the track cresting the cliff under the barrel roll

They're probably saving quite a bit of money by eliminating a part of the ride that would have provided the little in the way of thrills, I don't think they're on an unlimited budget like they were with the Giant. Given all the track it would have had to cross over (the turn before the lift, the Roadrunner, the train tracks twice) it could not have been kept low enough to the ground and probably would have made for a slow meandering finish much like the original ride. And cutting the ride's length in half is just what the doctor ordered, much of the ride was pointless. The good parts of the original ride are still there and now enhanced, and the boring parts are outta there.

Doh! And I forgot to post a pic on how the lower helix is coming along

Some more pics of the barrel roll going up.

So far it looks like it's going to end exactly the way the computer renderings show: a hill with maybe a slight pop coming out of the tunnel with a descending ramp into the brakes. It's going to be a short ride, I'm sure they don't have the Giant's extravagant budget, so every foot of track needs to count. Should be crazy fun though.

11-13 not a whole lot new, the bunny hills in the old helix have been tracked