brianwolters

It is yellow and red... View From near Gauntlet. View from Wave Pool.

It appears to be. There were conflicting reports about having a name contest but never heard about either one of them. And X-Coaster "cups" are already all over the park ($8.00 for free same day refills.) As much as I am a "baby" about going straight up, I am going to give it a ride. And I will say our Vekoma SLC Gauntlet is running pretty good. Some hang and bang but still one of the smoothest. At least fron the front and rear seats.

Hello! While not a major, must-ride coaster, I was wondering if anyone was going to make a detour to Magic Springs this season to try out the X-Coaster. The car and lapbars alone make this a must ride. I heard that they already plan on expanding it in 1-2 years, thus the reason for the location of the ride. It looks good from the park. It should be open this weekend.

I agree..MS is my home park and they just don't know what they just did. This ride is a one trick pony. It may be more reliable than, say a Giant Boomerang, but there just isn't much to this ride. It is ugly and even some seasoned coaster riders don't want to hang upside down like that. I was unhappy with them getting the Vekoma SLC but they have done well in its upkeep and it gives a good ride. Our Arrow Mine train is running well and the Cobb Arkansas Twister is very smooth and fast now. I think they could have spent a little extra and maybe pick up an impulse coaster. And one more world on the skywheel..the one MS is getting is a copy of the prototype..they could have at least made it an extended coaster! Geeesh!

I am a coaser nut but I've never been crazy about going "straight up" and at that, hanging upside down slowly. However, it is a good addition to a nice, clean and growing park taking baby steps to become a decent regional attractions.

Highest Inversion Ride in World, X-Coaster, to Debut At Magic Springs & Crystal Falls Theme Park in April 2006 HOT SPRINGS NATIONAL PARK, Arkansas — The X-Coaster, a breathtaking new attraction that will include the highest upside down inversion in the world, will make its North American debut at Magic Springs & Crystal Falls theme park in April 2006, Magic Springs and Maurer Rides GMBH, the manufacturer, announced today. “The X-Coaster will be the latest thrill ride added to Magic Springs’ great lineup of attractions that now includes The Gauntlet, our suspended looping coaster, Plummet Summit, the new spillwater ride in 2005, the highly acclaimed Arkansas Twister wooden coaster, Dr. Dean’s Rocket Machine drop tower and others,” said Dan Aylward, president and chief operating officer of Themeparks, LLC, which operates the park. “This exciting new ride will feature an upside down inversion at 150 feet, the highest in the world. It extends our program of making significant additions to our attractions that keep Magic Springs at the forefront of theme parks in the Central United States.” The X-Coaster will cost almost $4 million installed, Aylward said, and will bring Themeparks’ investment in the park to more than $39 million. While the name X-Coaster is used by the manufacturer to describe its ride, Magic Springs will conduct a contest to name its exciting new attraction. Details of the contest will be announced in the next few weeks. The X-Coaster is based on innovative technology developed by the ride’s manufacturer, Maurer Rides of Munich, Germany, that makes it possible to experience inverted ride elements without shoulder restraints. This is the second ride of its kind built in the world. The first has been operating outside Munich, Germany. “The ride features a three-level safety system that will hold the rider in positionthroughout this high-intensity experience,” Horst Ruhe, managing director of Maurer Rides, said. “This ride is definitely not for the faint of heart.” Describing the X-Coaster experience, Aylward said, “When the riders leave the loading platform, they are taken for a vertical ascent of 150 feet, at which point the car performs a thrillingly slow quarter-loop backwards, which has the riders hanging upside-down. Then the riders are sent on a 360-degree corkscrew roll, followed by a plummeting vertical drop at more than 65 miles an hour.” He continued, “At this point it appears that the riders will return to the starting station, but instead they rocket past the station, stop on the lift hill, drop backwards through the station at high speed, stop upside down and rocket forward through the station again.” Aylward said. “Then, just when you think you are ready to return to the station, you are picked up on the lift hill and taken over the top for a second time.” “The unique design of this ride guarantees that each row of seats provides a different ride experience,” Aylward said. “The slightly elevated back seats in each car give an excellent view and the backwards motion of the train provides additional thrilling experiences.” The single 12-person two-car train can accommodate about 500 people an hour, Aylward said. The ride, which is being built in Germany, will be transported to Hot Springs in January and February of 2006, and installation will begin immediately upon its arrival. It is expected to be completed in April, Aylward said. A video of it can be seen here: http://www.maurer-soehne.de/en/Amusement/Xtended_Rides/Rollercoaster/Film/skywheel_en_dsl.wmv