UrbanLegend

So how long before Iron Shark falls into the ocean?

"Atmos-whatnow???" - Knott's Management.

I'm going to get a little nerdy for a second (yay Environmental Science degree!) Short answer, no. Well, yes, you could build the boardwalks out of steel if you wanted to, but that doesn't really matter. What matters is the sand underneath, more specifically it being eroded. Let's say Seaside Heights decides to build a seawall or throw down a bunch of rocks to protect the piers. This steepens the beach, which makes wave erosion even worse (before the wave energy would dissipate up the gentle slope of the beach, now all of it is being slammed into the vertical seawall). This scoops out more sand underneath the piers, forcing SH to invest more in protection, which will just erode more sand... it's a vicious cycle, and futile in the long term. And this gets so much worse when huge storms like Irene or Sandy come along. So the real problem started hundreds of years ago, when we decided to build permanent structures on beaches and coasts. Whoops. As for the rides themselves, I wouldn't hold my breath for anything significantly better or more expensive. After all, why put in something big when it's going to get washed away after a few hurricane seasons? People rode Star Jet and Looping Coaster even if they were objectively terrible and cheapo, so it's economically shrewd to just replace a crap ride with a crap until we invent weather machines. EDIT: And in regard to "but X pier has been around for Y years already, it'll be fine!": Modern storms have been more intense and more frequent than in the past, and this trend will only continue. Climate change is a real bitch, ain't it?

I was standing in that exact spot where the Gillian's Wonderland picture was taken not three weeks ago. It was a beautiful day, too. Funny how things change.

I, for one, appreciate the fact that the video doesn't use the same tired symphonic metal that every simulated coaster POV in the world feels compelled to have.

Star Jet is now listed as Defunct on RCDB... guess it's official then. Also, for those that think piers affected by the hurricane will get bigger and better rides... they won't. What's the incentive? In a few years a storm like this will probably happen again, so any investment greater than cheapo carnival rides will be lost all the same.

So landfall is expected to be 2-4 hours from now in Atlantic City... and Ocean City is already pretty much underwater. Has anyone heard of any damage done to boardwalk rides or theme parks in the path of the storm? If so, I suppose here would be a good place to put it. Stay safe everyone!

For me it was Montu at BGT. Also the first coaster I rode that had a 54" requirement. That was a good day for me.

It's already starting to look amazing. Can't wait to make it back to Texas... one of these days.

Soon they'll rename Silver Bullet "That Yellow One" and Xcelerator "That Red One." This naming classification will be applied throughout every Cedar Fair park. It'll make things a lot easier for the GP.

Interesting - that looks really spread out for a Wing Rider. It'd be pretty cool if it went underground like that so many times.

Personally it would be a pretty big letdown if they slowed down the lift. Part of the appeal of the ride is how it tears up the lift, and you really don't have any time to react before the first drop.

So Screamscape has reported a rumor that the Wild Mouse will be leaving during the offseason... has anyone else heard of this? I would be quite disappointed if this were true. I still haven't had a chance to ride it, and it's not like I could easily get a chance anywhere else.

Oh my god whyyyyyyyyyyyyy

Actually, the lift motor of SLCs is pretty cool. Definitely unique. That's pretty much the only good thing about them.

El Toro yesterday!

The flume wasn't running around this time last October either. But I doubt it's because sections of it were missing. Interesting development.

For those in the know, is this (red circle) the Great Adventure employee parking lot, and is this (red arrow) the way to get to it from the road?

Um...it was 218 feet tall and opened with a loop. I think they could've come up with something. Except it didn't open with the loop. It was in the middle. Yay semantics.

Why? It would kill your shoulders from the airtime. Or are you just being sarcastic? Not to mention everything after the not-Stengel Dive, which is just full of direction changes that will throw you into the restraints. No thank you.

The badness in these photos transcends time and space. You actually need head padding? Unbelievable.

Read that rumor on Screamscape. Just thinking about it makes me feel ill.

Pretty audacious of the park to try and sell this garbage back to us... then again, it'll probably have a good market in deluded people like this guy.

What if Robb did his POVs just like that?