singemfrc

Well the SD Dipper was renovated in I think 1990, and I know the SC Dipper gets exceptional love and care, the kind Six Flags doesn't usually provide. (Both are also painted white like Colossus) Really it was the quake that destroyed Psyclone though, if not for that it may have been a different story. Perhaps there were corners cut on Apocalypse's construction not using the type of wood necessary for the climate and/or neglect the coaster would be likely to receive.

If it's running two trains then it moves pretty fast, as long as there arent more than 2 or 3 switchbacks filled I dont mind waiting 15 mins or so. Even I wont wait a long time when its running one train though...

Or maybe just be careful what kind of wood they use in the future. There are other parks in similar climates that don't have rides disintegrate like that. Colossus held up remarkably well over the years compared to Psyclone and Apocalypse, so I dont think it's the park or the environment alone.

SFDK only has a few coasters as it is, it's not Magic Mountain where I have 18 other coasters to choose from. If I can do something as easy as turning my head to make a painful ride a painless ride, then I'm gonna do that instead of just not riding it. I'm not concerned with the principle of whether I should have to do that, I want to enjoy as many coasters as I can.

If there's a "secret way" to ride a coaster to avoid a concussion, then it's a piece of sh*t. True but that's besides the point. Whether or not it's "right" that you have to do it, I'm going to do it because I'd rather ride the coaster and enjoy it than get beat up or not ride it at all. The painful part of SLCs like Kong is where the train goes into a turn and your head slams sideways one way or the other into the OTSR pads which are hard as hell. The forces will naturally throw your head into the opposite side of whichever side you are turning into; so on a left turn your head hits on the right and vice versa. The trick is to just "turn into" each turn with your head. Right before a left turn, turn your head to your left so that the back of your head is pressing against the right part of the OTSR. Right before a right turn, turn your head to the right so that the back of your head presses against the left part of the OTSR. Since I've started doing this on Kong, I haven't hit my head or ears once. Again I know you shouldn't HAVE to do this, and if Kong were a smooth coaster the world would be nice and perfect, but that's not realistic. Turning my head one way or the other is to me a pretty easy way to enjoy a fun layout on a coaster that would otherwise be painful. The same strategy works on almost any coaster with headbanging, but fails spectacularly on Revolution down at SFMM..don't try it there.

They should probably also start serving some decent meal. Currently I don't eat at the park no matter how long I'm there. (Havent tried the FT Sports Bar yet..I hear it's servings are edible)

If you get a concussion on Kong it's your own fault. Kong can be ridden painlessly if you want to.

January is definitely a great time to visit the park for light crowds and mild weather, but Saturdays can get busy as can any day if there is some kind of event going on such as something bringing in lots of school buses. I doubt you will need a flash pass, but it's always a good idea to bring enough extra cash to buy it at the park in case you get there and notice that it is busier than expected. It almost never gets cold enough to stop the rides during operating hours, so that shouldn't be a concern. You may want to just bring a light sweater and keep it in a l.ocker. (sorry to defeat world filter Robb, I wouldnt do that normally, but from his post he might not know what I'm talking about otherwise) Magic Mountain does have single rider lines on a handful of rides. Viper and Revolution both have basic single rider lines where you just go in through the exit and notify an operator that you're a single rider. Lex Luthor's single rider line is also through the exit but is only used when necessary; if the ride doesn't have a line longer than about 30 minutes, you'll have to use the regular standby line. Green Lantern's single rider line can be a little tricky to find, but is the greatest time saver. Go in through the exit and look for the stairway with the single rider line on it. (Not the one riders are exiting from). This stairway leads you directly to the dispatching ride operator's chair, right behind the operator in fact. Politely notify the operator that you are there and they will place you on the next available train. (Please be considerate and try not to disturb them if they are actively checking people or dispatching trains) Riddler's Revenge is the last ride with a single rider line, and it's so hard to find that you'll almost never find anyone else in it. Combined with the large capacity configuration of the trains, and it's a virtually guaranteed walk-on every time. Go through the exit and try to look for the signs..it's kind of around the corner. If you get to the l.ockers, you've gone too far. There's a small non-descript doorway with a stairway inside that leads to the exit-side of the station. This is also not the same stairway that exiting riders will be coming down from. There's a sign marking it as single rider entrance, but it's easy to miss. There's a site giving more detailed info and photos but I can't post the link here. If you want me to send it to you, PM me.

Thats always the part that really bothered me. It's not that the coaster was placed where a parking lot used to be, it's that they were so lazy that they couldnt paint the lines out or just throw some gravel down. It just screams (no pun intended) "I dont care".

From what I've seen sitting in the yard thus far, it looks like it's just getting some new cosmetic parts (the plastic/fiberglass parts) for the retheming, kinda like how inverts will sometimes get new wheel covers. They will probably also disassemble the trains to repaint the seats and restraints. There's no need to replace the trains altogether.

That is crazy..makes me think it's something other than just the sun..something to do with the treatment that was used or something? Just spitballing, but yeah agree I've never seen something like that especially that fast. Actually, they did some strategic retracking lately that really made a huge difference. Since the retrack its a completely different experience. We're not talking Gold Striker nice, but it's been improved to the point where it's no longer painful, they got rid of that nasty "pothole" at the bottom of that first drop. In my experience, it's both. Yeah it really is. It gets long waits on almost all days in the first half of the day, but with most people wanting to do it first (and not do it again because of the pain) coupled with typically above average operations, the line usually dies at ~4PM or so.

Good deal, pleasant surprise that you got such a quick and direct answer. Robb hasnt announced anything yet but I would be shocked if they didn't with Twisted Colossus opening. Keep watching the thread and TPR on social media because last year they posted a "save the date" post way ahead of time as soon as they have the date scheduled.

No kidding..that shouldn't even be an option. Whoever voted that should probably see a doctor because they might not realize they're losing feeling in their body or something.

When I rode Viper last year, I experienced almost no headbanging. I consider it an incredibly lucky credit, since I was also able to use the single rider queue. Did you actually need to use the SRQ? That's a rarity..must have been a really busy day. Usually the Viper and Revolution SRQs are unnecessary.

It was pretty cold last night, it's nearing freezing temperatures overnight, perhaps the unusually cold weather caused some problems for maintenance. If so they should be up at some point later on.

once was enough for me. Really? Did everyone get headbangs from namtab? I didn't get that at all, it was just as smooth as forwards for me, I just didn't find it as exciting as I thought I would. Part of Arrow was picked up by S&S yes, but does S&S still actively supply parts for old Arrow suspended coasters? I was under the impression that they were not (only special orders) which is partially why there has been a disappearance of many suspended coasters throughout the world. The availability of certain parts may vary, but yes S&S definitely still actively makes and sells Arrow parts. (Remember they were the ones that manufactured the X2 trains in 2008) They'd be crazy not to, cause while there are only a handful of suspended coasters, there are a lot of Arrow coasters overall that are still operating and needing parts.

Thats just because when Psyclone was demolished, it's trains were able to be used...not because it took some 20 years of R&D or something. I don't think it's on the way out at all. The reason it's running one train is because a few months ago the other train ran over a tree and was heavily damaged. The third train that hadn't been moved in years was recently removed from the transfer track, presumably to be used for parts to fix the second train (or maybe theyre parting out the second train to work up the third) I think Ninja would probably be pretty fun backwards. I dont think hes saying its in its final season now, he just means whenever it is in its final season they could turn the trains around. I'm not sure I'd want to try that though..might be pretty painful. i couldn't wait for them to put the forward trains back on.Yeah I didnt think it was that great either. No worse than regular, but surprisingly it didn't add much for me.

Very neat, thanks for sharing. Would love to see more.

I doubt it would do that initially. I don't know if it would be possible in the RMC trains and track.

Its definitely a west coast thing. There's a lot more airtime out east and a lot more people loving it. Gold Striker started the airtime in California and Twisted Colossus is going to give it another huge bump. Hopefully GS will gain more notoriety and TC will be very popular as well so more airtime heavy coasters will be built. It's the one thing we're sorely lacking out here.

Assuming there's no wind this would be an awesome day at the park. Cold and overcast keeps most GP away from the park but doesn't shut down the rides. My kind of amusement park weather!

Rain is not usually a huge issue at SFMM as long as it isn't accompanied by wind and as long as it isn't heavy rain. X2 is always the first coaster to go down in any kind of weather, the others likely to close earlier in my experience are Superman, YOLO, and Goliath in that order. This is for sprinkles and light rain, if you get heavy sustained rain you can expect all coasters to close until the rain subsides.

Thats the main thing. CP actually didn't have a floorless. SFMM already has a floorless B&M, they don't need another one so for that reason I doubt they'd convert Riddler's unless it got to the point where the standup trains were end of life and parts became prohibitively inaccessible.

Considering X2 trains are basically giant sails, and anything 400' tall (Superman, Luthor) is going to have issues with high wind. Yeah X2 has always been extra vulnerable to wind, and the old X trains were even more so. What could the park really do to "help make sure its major rides don't have to be closed because of minor wind"? How does SFMM stop the wind?

That's the only part I'm gonna have to disagree with. My #1 ride so far. ever. I enjoy the 4D coaster as well, but my quote referred to the person who himself called it a rough ride.