AlexGolay

Got some good shots at the park today. It was cold and wet early on, but great nonetheless. The weather cleared and the crowds came in later on. Everything was running smoothly and Banshee looks incredible. Can't wait to see more updates

Vortex at Kings Island So many people hate it, but I still think it's a great ride (:

I don't know the whole story about why they changed the brakes. I feel the same way. It by no means makes the ride any worse. Could rain mess up the magnetic brakes in any way? I don't see how it could, but I was at the park last week and I rode it right after a storm. It didn't seem like we slowed down at the end of the shed as much as you normally do. We weren't going fast enough for anything to go wrong, but it did seem pretty crazy. The track was still wet, so it was probably just because of that.

A topper track is very practical in the long run. Right now, it's just not needed. Yeah, I can't disagree that it's not as intense now. But there's not much you can do about modernizing an older ride. So seeing one in the near future wouldn't be a huge surprise. I've never ridden Texas Giant, so I can't say. To me, a whole "Texas Giant" facelift on The Beast wouldn't really fit. There are no huge drops or high banks that is has to do. The helix would be pretty crazy with the makeover, but it seems like all it would do for the rest of the ride is smooth it out. The recent track work made it really smooth. I think I rode it for the first time when I was 10. To me, it's running the best it has in the past 6 years. If you rode it today, I think you'd be surprised. haha (:

Why are so many people arguing about The Beast? First off, I thought this was all about SoB. Secondly, have any of you ridden The Beast this season? It is running perfectly. I've been to the park twice this summer and ridden The Beast at least 10 times. All of the track work they did in the off-season helped a ton! The ride is running great. It's a 33 year old ride, so of course there could be improvements, but that would take away the classic "Beast" feeling. A topper track is just impractical. From the front of the train to the back, it is running better than it has in the past few years. The Beast is arguably KI's star coaster (other than Diamondback)... doing any huge modifications would turn SO many people off from the ride. Any huge changes would not be in the park's best interest. And I'm not completely bummed that they are taking SoB out. I liked the ride, but it wasn't as great as it could have been. I only got to ride it maybe 3 or 4 times. By the time I had ridden it, the loop was already removed. It was a good ride. VERY fast and probably the most intense woodie I've ever been on. It had potential, but it was a mediocre ride after all. I think taking it out is a good move. It's been such an eyesore since '09. Removing it will free up a lot of space. Only time will tell what they decide to fill the space up with. But hey, that's just my opinion.

I'm going back to Kings Island soon, and Holiday World later this summer. (:

The last roller coaster that I rode was The Beast at Kings Island. I visited the park last night, and it was as good as ever. It has gotten pretty rough in the back seat, though. It's still a great ride! The Beast is still running great after 32 years. (:

My favorite steel roller coaster is Diamondback at Kings Island. My favorite wooden roller coaster is The Voyage at Holiday World.