Astat

That looks more like a station and lift/launch area really, generally when you see a big rectangular area packed with footers like that it's for the station. However, the old White Water Landing station still being there is puzzling. There's no footers really leading to it, so unless there's more footer work to be done (which it doesn't seem like), it'll either be used for something else or part of the queue...

We stopped on the last lift on Adventure Express on PKI for about 15 seconds one time, although that was probably just waiting for the next block to clear. And on Steel Venom at Geauga Lake, the ride launched, but slowed near the end of the launch and only made it a little way up the front spike, then we stopped at the end of the launch track and slowly rolled back to the station to be told they had mechanical troubles. Probably an aborted launch/E-stop.

I think Wolf Bobs was retracked before the 2005 season, and I rode it last year, so I have no clue. Most people have said it was nice and smooth the last 2 years, so I've been guessing I just caught it on a bad day and Villain on a good day. Woodies can be pretty hit or miss, my one ride on Beast was so much rougher than the other, that it felt like a different coaster.

I never quite understood some of the coasters at GL...Dominator has gotten really rough, and when you hit the brakerun and slowly roll into the station, you can tell that the roughness is some kind of vibration that happens on every single tie in the track. And I actually liked Villain! Both my rides on it were in the front car though, first and second rows. I must have caught it on a good day...funny that Villain wasn't as rough as Raging Wolf Bobs to me, same with Son of Beast vs. Beast at PKI. I actually hurt worse after Beast than SOB! But I think Villain and Son of Beast would both be great if they had better trains...

Well, there is a bright side to this: Since the train wasn't even fully on the lifthill, it didn't roll back very far and the collision must have been relatively low-speed. Hopefully it won't be down too long, hate to see this happen to a Schwarzkopf. =(

I'm pretty sure it reopened a couple days ago actually, but yeah it's been down quite a bit this year. All the other coasters at the park are very reliable, in fact the 3 Intamins are the only ones I can remember being down for mechanical reasons during any visit I've ever made there. Maxair and Skyhawk also tend to have some downtime as well, but they're hardly ever closed for the whole day. Most unreliable ride in the park is actually the Sky Ride, it's only open like half the time because of the wind!

It's a tough question to answer, because Cedar Point can always surprise us and creatively squeeze in something where it doesn't look like there's enough room. Who would've thought in say, 1998, that Millenium Force would be where it is now? They stuck that thing in without affecting anything other than the Giant Wheel, which was moved for more than one reason anyway. And of course, they can always remove/relocate other rides to free up space.

I've only been to 3 major amusement parks (Hint: they're all in Ohio...), but I've re-ridden a lot of rides, so I've had some good experiences and some bad ones. Thunderhawk @ Geauga Lake: First rode it as Serial Thriller back in 2002, and DAMN. I got slammed around so bad my ears were ringing for a couple days. However, I rode it again last year, and it wasn't nearly as bad. Mean Streak @ Cedar Point: I've been on this one at least half a dozen times, and it's never smooth, but I've had some rides much worse than others. Last year was probably the worst, trims were on way too hard on the drop, and it jackhammered all the way around, not something you'd expect when it's going so slow it feels like it's gonna valley. This year, however, it was very lightly trimmed, and not nearly as rough. I actually enjoyed the ride for once. Corkscrew @ Cedar Point: Never had a bad ride on this until this year, the transition into the double corkscrew jolted much harder than I expected, and gave me a nice headache. Magnum @ Cedar Point: Again, this one was always fun until this year, the bunnyhops that are normally the best part of the ride were really forceful and bruised my legs all up. I really hope I just had a bad ride, because it's one of my favorite coasters. Son of Beast @ PKI: I rode this 12 days before the accident, and I expected much, MUCH worse than what I experienced. Honestly, it was about as rough as some of my Mean Streak rides, I got off with only mild pain. But this one takes the cake... Beast @ PKI: I spent 2 days at PKI when I went this year, it was my first time there. I rode Beast at about 8 PM on the first day, and really loved it. Then when I re-rode the next day at about noon...OH.MY.GOD. I've NEVER had a rougher ride on any coaster ever. I can only describe the sensation as feeling as though my ribcage was about to shatter into pieces by the time we hit the brakerun. I actually had to lie down on a bench for about 10 minutes after the ride, it was that bad. I know how wood coasters are completely different rides at different times of day/different weather conditions, but wow.

^ I think the reason Drachen Fire has obtained such a cult following is mainly because of how unique it was. The cutback and wraparound corkscrew in the middle of the first drop are still one-of-a-kind inversions, and the cobra roll was kind of a rarity on Arrow loopers. I think it was one of the best looping coaster designs ever, at least for a straightforward sitdown looper. It's a design I really wish would be reincarnated someday, by a company who can make it a better riding experience (whether it be B&M, Intamin, or whoever).

Kinzel mentioned an announcement in August for 2007's plans during the press conference about buying the Paramount parks.

I say they just SBNO Oblivion until the old hags kick the bucket.

^ Relocated...I believe there were only 5 of these ever built, and this is the last one that's still around.

^ Here's a pic of Moonsault Scramble: http://www.coasterglobe.com/features/history-inversion/moonsault.jpg It was a shuttle coaster with 2 Deja Vu-esque towers (minus the fact that it was a sitdown).

^ It's an Intamin. Regular hydraulic launch coaster + new train design = Wingwalker.

Where would all the debris even come from? It's not like there's a bunch of protruding brake fins for the coaster to eat, like KK... And yeah, the brakes failed...I think she's referring to the 2nd set of LIMs right before the blast out the top of the volcano, which aren't even brakes at all.

^ That's just because the Schwarzkopf company itself has been history for a good number of years.

I think if there was a way of controlling the speed of the ride through it (like having that section of the coaster powered or something), it wouldn't be too terribly hard to do. I think the support structure would be the biggest issue.

They aren't even for sale yet!

I like Guitar Hero, although I spend more time playing this... But actually, does anybody know if Guitar Hero 2 will have the real songs in it this time, instead of cover versions?

There's your reason right there.

The supports are actually a sort of off-white color...they're like the color of slightly yellow teeth. Odd description, I know, but that's really the best comparison I can make. It's like a coffee cream color.

We have another aspiring Jeff Johnson on our hands! (No offense to Jeff) I don't personally count most powered coasters, the one exception would be like one of those Mack powered coasters that are pretty large and fairly fast. My perspective is that those coasters are powered through the whole ride, but they build up enough speed that they could basically go through most of the ride un-powered anyway. I don't really care if people do count them though, because they are on RCDB and they are (for the most part) advertised as rollercoasters by parks. It's the same reason I don't care if people that rode Vikingar at BPB (or a similar ride) count it as a credit. They fit RCDB's definition of a rollercoaster, but I don't personally see it as a coaster.

Excuse me if I'm ignorant, but I always thought that the number of inversions on a coaster is defined by the motions of the track, not of the cars. I mean...X isn't advertised as having 10 inversions or however many it would have if they counted them the way Eejanika's are counted apparently. If that's really what the record is, it's complete BS if you ask me...I would think it would get the record for tallest looping coaster though, since it's 262' tall.

If I ran the world, there would be a "common sense clause" on the books, that you can't sue when somebody dies or gets hurt because of their profound lack of common sense. But alas, I don't rule the world, so sadly the fences and warning signs have to be everywhere I guess.

People can count powered coasters as credits if they want to, sheesh.