robman

Unfortunately no, but I have a feeling that they will release a date very soon. Awesome trip reports so far! Really had a good time at the park today and im glad I was able to lose my Xtreme Skyflyer virginity, very insane ride.

Mine is Robert_Ingle.

Well it's been confirmed Gold Strikers first drop will be completely enclosed(Top,bottom, and sides). It's also the longest tunnel on a wooden coaster at 174 feet in length. ACE posted the news about it on their Facebook page. http://finance.yahoo.com/news/gold-striker-coaster-now-includes-165000559.html SANTA CLARA, Calif., Feb. 20, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The newest roller coaster at California's Great America, Gold Striker, will now include the world's longest covered initial descent tunnel on a wooden coaster. Adding intrigue to the record setting feature, Gold Striker's 174-foot tunnel will be enclosed by wood on both sides, corrugated metal on top and in-fill underneath the tracks, to replicate a true gold mine feel. The only visible light on Gold Striker's initial descent, which will hurl riders down a 50 degree slope at almost 54 miles per hour, will be following the first turn, creating a nearly pitch black visual. "This fully-enclosed, twisting tunnel truly is a special element among wooden roller coasters," California's Great America Vice President and General Manager Raul Rehnborg said. "Gold Striker riders will experience the unique sensation of rapid acceleration in almost complete darkness." Leadership from the American Coaster Enthusiasts provided valuable research verifying Gold Striker's record setting tunnel, and framing has begun on the signature coaster element. "Gold Striker will provide the nostalgia of a wooden coaster, along with an incredibly smooth ride. It is where gold rush meets adrenaline rush," Rehnborg said. High-speed twists, turns, drops, a station fly-by and the Old West are additional features of Gold Striker, which is scheduled to open in Spring 2013. The ride will stand 108 feet at its highest point with a first drop of 103 feet, making it the tallest and fastest wooden coaster in Northern California. Riders will careen along 3,197 feet of track at speeds close to 54 miles per hour for more than two minutes. The ride's name was chosen to recognize the pioneering and adventurous spirit of the California gold-seekers who rushed to Northern California. Gold Striker is located in the Celebration Plaza area of California's Great America and will be the park's eighth roller coaster. From adding a coaster, to freshening up the entire park with new paint, California's Great America, and parent company Cedar Fair, are making a strong investment to continue being Northern California's premier family entertainment option. Gold Striker is custom designed and built for the topography of California's Great America by Great Coasters International, Inc. (GCI) of Sunbury, Pennsylvania. Two trains will accommodate 24 passengers each (two riders per car and 12 cars per train) with a capacity of 850 riders per hour. Guests must be at least 48 inches tall to ride. Those who cannot wait until spring may take a virtual ride on Gold Striker at cagreatamerica.com. Visitors of cagreatamerica.com may also access exclusive Gold Striker updates and features, including virtual ride renderings, ride statistics and construction photos.

I just started playing feel free to add me! -robman97

Drove by the park this morning, the first drop looked liked it was almost done. Unforentually I wasn't able to stop and get pictures.

From the park's Facebook page:

Am I the only one that doesn't think Grizzly is painful? I mean I know it's boring but I have not had one painful ride on that coaster. Roar on the other hand at SFDK hurts my back way more than Grizzly ever has.

Another Gold Striker construction picture from Facebook!

Thanks for the updates everyone! I went today to check it out for myself and it's amazing to see it in person, makes me even more excited! The only thing im curious about is what this big hole is for, there appeared to be another one a little bit further done as well.

^ When I was there last weekend I didn't notice the new logo any where. I was expecting the Giant Dipper to have it on the front of the train but the old one was still on it.

Really excited to see that it has been topped off. Now im curious to see what will be done with those archways.

Some more offseason work has been posted on the facebook page! More work being done on the carousel. Check out the new paint on Pizza Orleans! Outback Shack is getting a new paint job. Looking great so far!

Today I went to the Boardwalk to get in some rides and to check out Undertow. As far as Undertow goes there is hardly any progress on the coaster at the moment but I imagine once track starts showing up the ride it's self will go up very quickly. One thing I was surprised about was there were nine rides running instead of five. (They have been advertising that only five were open on limited operation days.) Giant Dipper was running extremely well and it smooth. The only ride that wasn't running very well was Haunted Castle or as I dubbed it today, "Broken Castle". A ton of the props weren't working at all and the whole ride seemed a lot darker than it has been in the past. Other than that I really enjoyed the light crowds and amazing weather at the boardwalk! Walking in to the Boardwalk! Sweet more rides are running than I originally thought! One of my favorite rides at the Boardwalk, Double Shot. As I said above the weather was very clear today. It was very strange not seeing Hurricane up on the upper deck. Fire Ball has been repainted and looks a lot better. As well as the Giant Dipper station. A look at the repainted interior. Close up of the repainted sign. And a look at the Broken Castle (Read above if you don't understand this.) The Log Ride side of the Boardwalk is blocked off while it is limited operation. Something interesting, these three games were featured on the TV show American Restoration! Little info about them. I will end this update with a shot of Giant Dipper!

More construction pictures curtosey of GCI. Thanks for the update Jeff! Looks like some work is being done in the carousel as well.

Here's one more comparing Grizzly and Gold Striker.

Posted on the parks Facebook page, Demon's loops are getting painted. Glad to see they are finishing up painting they started during last years off season. Hopefully the same is being done for Flight Deck and other rides/buildings around the park.

When I was at the park on Thursday I thought something was different with Shouka Stadium,just couldn't put my finger on it as im not a regular to the park. Also it seems like there will be some re tracking work done on Roar in the offseason as I saw some new wood sitting in the area near the brake run.

My first coaster for 2013 will Superman Ultimate Flight at Discovery Kingdom.

^ Thank you for posting this! I remember seeing an article that showed the train all torn up in the back of a Florida RV park. Very happy to hear that it has also been fully restored and running once again!

^An announcement about the rides opening should be released sometime in February as that's when the first rider auction details will be announced.

Thanks for the great pictures Kevin! When ever I walked backstage while working at Haunt I would always look at the Tidal Wave supports and still picture the coaster there.

Too bad they will be way overpriced, which is fine with me as im not a Subway person (prefer Togo's) im sure it would be a good addition to the park. I also agree, I think in will go in the old Ice Cream shop/ Chip place.

Well we can end the wheel debate now, Gold Striker is going to use steel wheels! Evan, a GCI engineer is doing a AMA on reddit today which can be found, Here Here's what I asked him. Yes I put the wrong year, should say '08 instead of '09.

I had a great time meeting up with everyone yesterday! Had a lot of fun and it was great to FINALLY get my Superman credit.

CGA had the same type of event when we went one time during the Summer. The crowds weren't bad as far as lines go, but there were a lot of line jumpers from what I remember.