bill_s

If they're working on Hurler, could they be experimenting with removing the brakes for its final season? Wouldn't need to preserve it anymore. Back when it opened, I was disappointed too, but I think it was more that it didn't seem like what they needed to be doing at the time. Also too long lines for what it was. I got into it more after it was "worse". Actually really first discovered the ride during my one Carowinds visit -- for a short time it was the best coaster in the park.

That (see OP) is clearly a coaster-related ride. If the spikes at the ends were more fully developed with very noticeable airtime, I might give it the benefit of the doubt. I managed to sneak on the kiddie version of that at KD and it was a very interesting sensation. As an aside regarding powered coasters, I was thinking if a coaster had some means of adding a constant small powering force, it could feel like a coaster, but not quite, just enough different to be "wrong" in an interesting way... Like a coaster pushed by tiny demons. This could even be done so the driving force only offsets friction. Other possibilities include improvement of existing rides, for example a coaster with a rough spot could use motors acting as generators to slow it down, and then later put the energy back in the train.

I think the next coaster will go where Hurler is. It's not just that it's the least popular coaster in the park currently, or the reasons that is so, but that it's the best location of the older coasters to build something else, quite large. I also don't think they'll expand the park to add a new coaster. They could have done something different with I305 if they wanted to put something else over there, instead it seems to define a sort of rectangular park border. Plus there's already a lot of coasters in and off the Congo area and they are on record as saying it's not cost-effective to put in another bathroom over there. The walking in the park is about max. for having no supplemental transportation, and this is a park that never had any useful in-park transpo or even a tram system type parking lot. Regarding B&M airtime, I305's ejector air is crazy fun but floater air is different and actually makes me tense up more. However, while there's no concentration of floater air like a B&M hyper, there's plenty or airtime distributed through the park.

I haven't tried the Timberliners but I would agree that seemed to be the case with Wildcat's Millenium Flyers. PTCs seem to have this thing going on that the front row of each car is smoother because the back takes all the punishment. Once they're abused the track, going for trains that treat everyone equally doesn't work. I don't see any solution not involving major rework except let the kids and newbs ride the wheel seats. I rode Grizzly ONCE last year in a wheel seat (otherwise love it), needed to be reminded that yes, it can be that bad. --- As to the Hurler's, I didn't really have a problem (OK, in the good rows) until they added that trim brake, yawn. But they were having to work on them often just to keep them in such marginal condition.

One example of perceptions was KD ... they had so many more coasters than BGW, and yet it took I305 to make it actually clear they're a better coaster park, because it was too much a quantity vs. quality thing ... weird math. And making that clear was essential. But uniqueness is important too ... KD may be better but hitting BGW occasionally still expands your variety significantly. SFA also expands your variety in this region, but not as notably. Even though they can't become the first park of these 3 to go to, they need a little more that says you need to get there eventually. Or just make it more pleasant so it doesn't matter. They're small, they need to make it an advantage. Make it less walking by opening connecting paths and fixing the layout, and also some form of shade or other way to cool off in the back other than buying a drink or standing in line for a wet ride. A good new attraction might be a unique launcher, e.g. Kennywood's Sky Rocket... something full circuit with a spike. If I had to trade a ride, Batwing. Despite is uniqueness, I think they would have been better off in the long run with a more basic fun, reridable coaster. Mind Eraser just needs new wheels more often, so it doesn't get so loose on the track. I don't know if it would be practical to RMC-inversion Roar. I thought Roar was one the best in this region when it was fresh and new, but it's never been that big a draw to the masses.

While Arrow welded several pieces together, this looks like the ties are cut from a single piece of thick sheet metal. Smoother and, in this case, curvier. The upstop wheel assemblies are either smaller or have less room to spare. It is still "C" form track rather than "T" like most modern steel coasters.

Every drop tower should be called The Tower of Doom.

Well "blackout" is still stronger than "greyout" ... there should be a term for complete loss of consciousness. In all 3 cases I cited in my previous post, the persons claimed to regain consciousness before the end of the ride and remember nothing in between, plus in 2 cases the person lost their sunglasses. What I call blackout seems more a lack of preparation, because it can be almost instantaneous. My close call with it I pulled myself out, was a different sensation, and I went on to experience the normal level of greyout during the rest of the ride.

I was bored this afternoon, so I took some valuable time out of my nap schedule to watch this video. A quick bit of research doesn't give me hardly any recent reputable source that truly falsifies what has been put out about secondhand by several reputable sources. So I really hope you just caused me to waste my time and posted that video as a joke as it did a wonderful "Blackfish" job of using bits and pieces that lack context to make an argument. Did you watch the same video I did there? While the whole show was longer than necessary, the essential point was the paper that most cite as evidence against smoke was discredited by the court as a politically motivated rewrite contrary to the report it claimed to be based on. Besides, it only takes one drag to make it obvious (cough cough) that the claim that secondhand is just as bad is laughably inaccurate. I find diesel fumes far more nauseating and common, and parks should make sure no buses are allowed to idle upwind of the park.

Los Endos ?

There's people who say it helps your body to hang upside down, so weightlessness etc. shouldn't be bad. I know I've gotten on Dominator with my back hurting and got off feeling much better, although tight restraints kind of help too. But then FoF sometimes manages the exact right bit of chiropraction. "Blacking out" is real but the common thing is to confuse it with greying out. In my experience, blacking out can happen right when first hitting high G, while greyout tends to happen after sustained forces. The one time I felt like I was going to black out it was like that and one friend who actually blacked out on JJinx reported that; both cases heat was a factor. OTOH my friend that twice blacked out on I305 (lost his sunglasses both times) said it was late in the first curve -- and he's younger and otherwise in better shape than I am....

Are there any coasters over even 200 ft. with inversions, other than dive machines? There doesn't seem to be a record entry for tallest inverting coaster. I believe your experience of Hurler is with the trim brake (2010-present). Before it was: Good drop -- shuffley extreme turn -- 3 wonderful bunny hops -- slightly less extreme shuffley turn -- another nice hop -- slowed elevated turn, not bad -- nicely profiled final big turn (maybe the new turn will be more like?). Really only those first 2 turns need work, fix suddenly have a very decent coaster. I LOVED it before the trim was added, but knew where*/how to ride (expensively gained experience) and it was admittedly still brutal. But even keeping it in that marginal condition took more work than other coasters. *avoid wheel seats, but this goes for Grizzly and Rebel Yell too.

Really doing a "B&M" on an Arrow would be a complete rebuild, but great improvements are possible. If you compare to something like the I305 curve rebuild, it could be done for a fraction of the steel budget, but the park would have to pay all of it and still not be able to expect a full coaster lifetime for the improvements. One aspect of RMC I think applies is having design information to work with. They have to be doing some good measuring of the existing ride, maybe with lasers and computers. Maybe better would be a the "Premier Treatment", where they discerned that the best way to stop headbanging is remove the thing the head bangs against. Or at least the "Vekoma Treatment" (?) where at least the new trains are better looking and more and comfy. But then B&M could make some nicer trains for it too. More open would be good. Example Anaconda, I think it would help to have a little trim at the last moment before the first loop, get a hangtime on the back row and less brutal as it goes. "The Spot" must be rebuilt of course. Needs a water-hugging banked curve.

I'm extremely impressed! I was tempted to say that KD rebuilt the 2nd curve of Hurler last year and the first curve in 2010, but this far different. I don't know of any case of ride improvement at a CF park that can match it, that was seeming to be Six Flag's (and Kentucky Kingdom's now) thing. It's not RMC -- and simply Topper tracking the first 2 turns would have been a great improvement -- but I approve . While it took some painful trail and error to learn a few things, I used to really like the Hurler(s) until the trim brake. The brakes only help slightly, though making a bigger difference because of being at the threshold of bodily damage, but make it too boring to matter; I really think they're more about reducing maintenance than improving rider experience. If this is a success, it might come to KD, but with Anaconda being painted this year so it's not going anywhere yet, and the park filling up, I think it's more likely KD's Hurler will be the site of the next new coaster.

I've definitely ridden in the rain. I even sometimes take in a pair of old glasses if I'm expecting rain. Something different, one night at KD there was low cloud cover and Drop Tower's lights were projecting its shadow on the low clouds. When it dropped, it looked like standing right under it, it got bigger until it covered the whole sky. Was like that most of the night, very cool when sitting back going up the lift of the coasters.

I like this aspect of them -- if it wasn't for Dodgem there I would have no idea where this picture was taken, looks so much different. Well we're getting mushrooms, now need something meatier!

In terms of peak forces and height, perhaps. Such record setters are rare and even the larger non-record coasters such as gigas are few. There are some records that could still be broken, for example I don't even see tallest coaster with inversions in any lists, and that definitely ought to be pushed further. I think there are still frontiers as to design. There are many unexplored combinations. As to simulators, some are interesting but even a basic kiddie coaster is more satisfying as a coaster experience. Another possibility would be going taller and faster and staying small. Imagine a one-wide seating coaster like the Jet Star taken to 300' ... that would be crazy; it would have poor capacity but be relatively cheap. I came up with a lot of ideas inspired by the replacement of Big Bad Wolf, but what they did only shares a small aspect. One idea was to use the terrain and LIMs: start off from a high point and first propel with gravity. Once that reaches the bottom, use LIMs to get back up the hill, boost again and put the fastest parts last -- basically use LIMs to avoid the pacing issues caused by the original's multiple lifts. That's a new combination. Another idea was to simulate the motions of a suspended with a conventional track and its greater flexibility and suitability for forces. To some extent RMC is doing similar with elements that throw you up and float you sideways. I think there is more that can be done with advanced design software to create coasters that look much the same, but ride totally different. This is more subtle than record-breaking but just as significant.

Really! REALLY?!?

I've tried a few in the central Virginia area. Not as great as some you guys are describing, but still possibly worth a try. Creepy Hollow/Scream Forest was professionally done, but the tamest including some lighting on the trail. They have a somewhat short woods trail and a hayride, which while shows effort didn't impress (I was also freezing). Haunted Hill made an effort to do acted scenes in some small buildings along its trail, including one of the most messed-up scenes I've experienced. Slightly short but good quality. Ashland Berry Farm is much funkier and their trail is very long, in fact a bad choice if you don't like walking. They also have 2 houses. You will need to at least stoop over to get through the houses. The intense thing about Booger Woods is the sense of isolation. You are taken way out through fields to it. There is minimal light pollution and on a clear night the sky is huge! After much walking and becoming even more isolated then you come to a building where you have to crawl through! There are also pitch black mazes you can get lost in. The actors are a little sparse due to the length and are mostly for scares rather than anything complicated. But this one definitely makes you feel like you survived an experience when it's over, and the size and setting is impressive. I haven't tried Wicked Woods yet but am planning to try it on its last weekend, after KD is closed.

Arrow made some good rides but they're all old. Vekoma made and makes some great rides. The SLC is a classic and one of the best rides for its size. You can't compare them to a 160'+ tall coaster though. B&M's acquired their grace when they went to the larger sizes. On the other hand they don't fit on a boardwalk pier, so they can't have the best setting in the world.

Maybe when they come out with a 5 hour long coaster.

I meant of the options I listed which the park is lacking, only launcher would be 300', unless the 65 MPH part is also true. I think Carowinds needs another coaster more than KD, but if they're trying for a superpark it doesn't get them there.

They retracked the first curve of the KD Hurler for this season, if they're doing the exact same thing at Carowinds the trim brake will not be coming off. Dissapointing news since that seems to indicate nothing more major will be done to either (KD is also launching an improvements program over the next 2 years as part of the 40th anniversary). After seeing all this I realized I hadn't ridden ours all year and tried it. It's still rough but not painfully (in a decent seat), but still too slow with that brake. Yeah it could be painful but it was exciting before, with some good bursts of air, loved it. Looks like the park has changed their info on the ride and they're trying to make it out as a mild family coaster. It is sort of, just not a good one. Problem with removing the brake is these things were needing a lot of work. It just seems so obvious and logical to me to Topper track the first 2 turns and then take off the brake for smooth speed and air. It wouldn't beat a new ride but could be very good at minimal cost. Having 2 Hurlers in the chain would only sweeten the deal. OTOH the trains are the worst of the KD woodies, too small-seated for a family coaster, and KD would make you think that all wood coaster trains are about the same, so new trains would be great IF they would allow removing the brake. Seems to me Carowinds is most lacking a launched coaster, or a top grade woodie (e.g. RMC, Intamin). I would like to see taller inverting coasters, I don't even see those listed as a category in coaster records lists. Only a launcher could match the current new ride description, though.

9, which was more than I expected. However I also rode Hypersonic which would be fairer than the rides that haven't even been open a year, and Space Mountain at Disney world not Disneyland, and have trekked all the way to Carowinds and SFGadv before they had any of the rides listed at them.

The time on Drachen Fire I thought maybe I broke my neck. I loved the ride, especially the "our own private coaster" aspect that often occurred. The biggest problem with the ride was the big piece of steel covered with about 1/2 mm of rubber right at jawbone level for the midsize rider. There were other problems, but this was so obvious and easily correctable it shouldn't have ever even opened that way.