
rcdude
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Time to finish this, at least until I go to Mammoth. January 6th, 2012-Brian Head Resort Originally, on the last day of the trip, we were going to ski at a small ski area named Eagle Point (a locals resort about 30 minutes from Beaver). However, since that ski area has no snowmaking, it was not yet open. We therefore decided to do a half-day at Brian Head before heading home. Before leaving Beaver, however, we went to this restaurant named Arshel's Cafe for breakfast. This was an interesting little restaurant that seemed like an older establishment. One interesting thing was the books they had on the tables: each table had a few small books that you could look at while waiting for your food, and they were what I call "humorous advice" books. The food itself was pretty good, and overall I'd say this place was good but not the best breakfast place I've been to. For whatever reason, the restaurant was deserted and we were the only customers there. Anyway, after we paid we left and made the hour or so drive to Brian Head. Brian Head Resort I skied here in January 2011 and really enjoyed it (despite the lousy weather), so I was looking forward to another visit. While the weather was better this time, the snow conditions definitely were not. It wasn't the worst conditions of the trip, but not nearly as many trails as I expected were open. Since I've already covered this ski area, I'll be brief (look at my previous post for all the details). Basically, Brian Head is a medium sized ski area (though small by Utah standards) that covers two peaks on opposite sides of the highway. Based on my experience, i'm guessing that it is rarely crowded. They have good terrain for every member of the family, but none of it is particularly challenging. I don't think there is a single run on the mountain that an intermediate couldn't handle. The ski area is also very good for beginners, with three lifts and nearly a whole mountain dedicated to beginner terrain. One other attractive thing about Brian Head is the prices: a single day lift ticket is only $45. One thing we discovered that was helpful was that the ski area not only has afternoon half-day tickets (begin at 12:30 P.M.), but morning half-day tickets as well (good until 1 P.M.). Since I didn't take very many pictures of Brian Head last year, I've got plenty more to post below. All else that remains to be said of the trip is that we skied until about 12:30, drove to St. George where we got gas and lunch (Wendy's), then made it all the way home on a single tank of gas. Thus ends my big ski trip for 2012, although I am planning one more trip, a weekend trip to Mammorth in late March. Photos: Riding up the Giant Steps chair in the morning. This lift is a 10 minute ride and is the only chair that I think could use an upgrade at Brian Head. The main run down from the top of the mountain. Those signs in the middle of the run read "Thin Cover". Fortunately, most of the major dirt patches were individually marked. Last year, they had a Nastar course down here. I guess they got rid of it. Roulette was my favorite chair at the ski area last year. It's just too bad there were only two runs open off it this year. Looking down at the lower elevations of Utah. The top of Roulette is not that much lower than the true summit of the ski area. Looking over the ski area from the Roulette lift. The closer terrain is Brian Head peak while the far terrain is Navajo peak. A look the other way at Blackfoot (the lower lift) and Roulette (the upper one). Brian Head seems to have a gambling theme, as they have chairs named Roulette and the Dunes and previously had Black Jack, Stardust, and Riviera. Back up to the top. The Dunes closed early on my previous visit due to weather, and it was closed on this visit due to conditions. I wonder if I'll ever get a chance to ski it. To head over to Navajo mountain, you must take the Wildflower chair. Navajo is a 3,900 ft lift with only 600 ft of vertical. This makes it an excellent lift for beginners. The snow was a little better on this side of the mountain, but overall conditions were excellent on the groomed terrain. Slopeside lodging. I'm not sure if these are houses or condos. Before heading home, we drove up the road a couple miles to check out Cedar Breaks National Monument. Brian Head peak from the backside. And I will end the Utah 2012 portion of this ongoing report with this picture of Cedar Breaks. Worth seeing if you are in the area, but what you see here is pretty much the entire thing.
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The first time I rode Green Lantern, I was a little disappointed that it only flipped once and that it stopped on the midcourse brake. However, I decided like many coasters that it deserves more than one ride before I dismiss it. On all three of my visits since then, I have rode it once per visit, and while it no longer stops on the midcourse, it still only has one flip plus some rocking. I've gotten to the point where I don't think I'm likely to get a better ride, and so I am unwilling to wait longer than fifteen minutes for it anymore. Unlike some people, I don't want the ride to be crazy with continuous flipping during the entire ride. However, if I remember correctly the ride did three flips in the promotional video, and I would like the real ride to average three flips as well. That seems like a good number to satisfy everyone without being too much for the average guest (as I'm sure the ride could be quite intense with too many). Until this happens, if it ever does, Green Lantern will remain a C-level ride for me: Not bad, but not worth a significant wait either.
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Thanks to Robb, Elissa, and everyone involved at both parks for putting together another excellent West Coast Bash. While the event was a bit scaled back from previous years at SFMM, it was still a lot of fun, and the Knott's day was definitely the best one yet. Despite not staying for night ERT on either day, I thoroughly enjoyed both days and can't wait for next year's event.
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West Coast Bash 2012! TICKETS ON SALE NOW!
rcdude replied to robbalvey's topic in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
E-mail read, reply sent. I can't wait for this event, as it sounds like it is going to be the best one yet! Less than 72 hours to go. -
^Looks like that trip was fun. It reminds me of my 2011 trip to the Cottonwood Canyons resorts. I probably would have enjoyed Canyons a lot more if the snow was closer to that. Two weeks is too long between updates. Therefore, I will do the next one now and the final one from this trip on either Monday or Tuesday next week (depends how tired I am from WCB). January 5th, 2012-Sundance Resort Originally, we figured we would ski one day at each of the Park City ski areas, then use this day to spend a second day at the one we liked best. However, due to conditions we decided none of them were worth the price for a second day, so we used this to try another place. We were originally thinking Snowbasin, but since that was in the opposite direction we instead chose Sundance. Sundance Resort Upon arriving at the parking lot, Sundance looks like a small mountain village. In fact, it is so small that I doubt anyone would have heard of it if not for the Sundance Film Festival (which is conveniently held in Park City). It isn't obvious that there is a ski area here. However, crossing a bridge over a small creek will place you at the bottom of a chairlift somewhat hidden from the parking lot by trees. Sundance is not really a place that most visitors consider. It is a smaller ski area (by Utah Standards) at only 450 acres, but it does have 2,150 ft of vertical. The ski area has 41 trails serviced by 3 lifts (2 Triples, 1 Fixed-Grip Quad), as well as a secluded beginner area with its own handle tow (no lift ticket required). However, despite its size, we skied here for a decent portion of a day and never got bored with the mountain. Layout: Trail Map: http://skimap.org/data/230/7/1214800745.pdf The lower portion of Sundance is serviced by a single quad chairlift, Ray's Lift, with a couple mid-stations. Despite the inclusion of a couple black trails on the map, a strong intermediate should be able to handle everything down here. Beginners should not ride the lift up beyond the first mid-station, but everything below this point is suitable for them. All the trails on this part of the mountain are long and mostly wide-open, so it is a great area for cruising. On the upper mountain are the two triple chairs. Arrowhead runs from the top of Ray's Lift to the top of the mountain. The terrain up here is really good, and if everything is open you could spend a good two to three hours on this lift alone. The views from the top of the mountain are excellent as well. The other lift up here, Flathead, was not open when I visited, but it looked like it serviced some very steep terrain suitable for Advanced skiers only. Overall Thoughts Even though Sundance isn't a big resort, I enjoyed it. I actually liked Sundance Resort better than Canyons Resort. My dad said it reminded him a lot of Mt. Baldy in Southern California, and I agree. It isn't a big ski area, but it doesn't try to be one, and it provides a much different experience. While they do have some modern features, the resort feels more like a family run organization and less like a big corporate operation. However, I will say that you shouldn't plan on skiing a full day here, as it is more of a half-day resort. Best Bet for Beginners: The Handle Tow Best Bet for Intermediates: Arrowhead Best Bet for Advanced: Flathead and Bishop's Bowl After Skiing: Once we were done skiing, we drove down to our hotel in Beaver, UT, and got dinner at a nearby McDonalds. We then spent some time browsing the gas station convenience store across the street from our hotel before returning to our room and snacking on the candy we had purchased while watching TV. It was a rather uneventful night. Photos: While not immediately obvious, a short walk from the parking area reveals a perfectly good chairlift ready for use. After a 12 minute ride, this mile long lift will allow you access to the entire lower mountain. You then proceed up Arrowhead to access the upper mountain. That hill is where the summit station of Ray's Lift is located. We drove right past that lake on the way up here. Nothing on top of the mountain. Just the summit station for the chairlift. And this old restaurant. They don't even have running water up here. I'm on top of Sundance Resort (the actual mountain is much higher). My dad (pictured) and I agree...Sundance has better scenery than any of the Park City areas. While a few runs had snow that looked like this, most of them had good coverage. Of course, there was not enough snow to open Bishop's Bowl. Finally, I will end this update with a view down the valley from the top of the ski area.
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This certainly looks like a pretty good ride. I'm guessing it will have more appeal than a trapdoor slide would have. The only thing that could potentially be a problem is capacity, as halfpipe slides tend to have slow moving lines. Other than that, defintely looks like something worth trying if I ever get around to visiting this waterpark, and the theming design for it should make the ride much more attractive than most standard slides.
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Walt Disney World Epcot Discussion Thread
rcdude replied to SharkTums's topic in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
Wow, there are a lot of people who dislike this change. I'm personally very neutral about it. Yes, it is nice to have flexibility of not being constrained to a window, but I think it will work better for the system if it is used as originally intended. Now, I've never been to WDW, but at Disneyland the only time I've ever missed my return window was when I was in the other park during it. I've made sure not to get caught in long lines and planned around the parade route. It's really not that hard to do if you do a little planning. As for the Fast Pass system, I do think it needs to be changed (even at Disneyland), as word about the loose return window is starting to become widespread. A small grace period is a good idea, but people shouldn't be able to abuse the system, at least during peak periods. Yet having a window in the first place can cause numerous problems. Here is my idea: modify the system so instead of a return window, there is only a return time, in intervals of ten or fifteen minutes. You may return to the attraction anytime after that return time, up until park closing, but not before. Also, instead of the two hour rule, you can not get another Fast Pass until that return time arrives (I believe this was the way the system was originally as well). At the rides, Cast Members keep a count of how many Fast Pass users are admitted, and only admit the number that are distributed for each fifteen minute block. Once this number is reached, no more are admitted until the next block. Finally, the maximum number of Fast Passes distributed each hour at each attraction is reduced to approximately 15% of the ride's hourly capacity to minimize the impact on the stand-by line. Of course, I do not know how well this would work, but it seems like it would be the best solution to reduce Fast Pass queues while maintaining the flexibility currently allowed. -
Just because the ride is not B&M, it doesn't mean it will be an Intamin. Sure, I'd like one of those, and I must say it would be the most likely option if the park is going for a thrill coaster, but if they want something a little more family friendly I wouldn't rule out companies like Mack or Zierer. If it ends up being a launched coaster, both of those companies seem like they're capable of providing a good ride, and if they can offer what the park wants for a cheaper price I don't see why they wouldn't be the ones doing it. As far as the giga coaster rumor goes, as I've said before, I'll believe it when I see an official announcement. I just don't think SFMM would be a good park for a giga. They've got a mega coaster already, and they've got a coaster that's over 400 ft as well, so the draw of a 300 ft. coaster that is similar to Goliath just doesn't seem that great. I'd also prefer it if the park didn't dominate the hillside with a giant coaster. Maybe when the time comes to remove Viper, they can run a giga along that side of the park, but until then I'm guessing there's a better chance of the park getting a launched coaster than a giga. Also, for the Mega-Lite idea, I'm pretty sure the park said at last year's WCB that they weren't looking into that. I would say its got too low of capacity for a park like SFMM, but they did just put in Green Lantern (which I believe is lower capacity).
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I'd be somewhat surprised if this ride became a mass-produced design. Other than Great Escape and maybe Six Flags America, I'm guessing the ride would not have high enough capacity to deal with crowds. If a two-train version was developed, I could see that making it into a couple more parks (Fiesta Texas, St. Louis, maybe one or two more), but any park that already has a couple headliner coasters probably wouldn't benefit much from it.
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^There are trims on every hill. I do not think most of them are blocks, and if they are then the ride must have not run much faster originally. At the spacing the trains are at in the picture, there would have to have been two on the lift at once and I know that would never happen under standard operation on any coaster. Besides, I don't think there is any possible way a train could be stopped, unloaded, loaded, checked, and dispatched in 10 seconds when it holds 20 riders. Now, I of course didn't ever ride this with the original set-up, but from what I have heard that picture could not occur under operating conditions unless there was a malfunction. The jagged edges suggest several overlapping pictures, and so does the slight warping at a couple points. My guess is that the train at the bottom of the lift and the one at the bottom of the second drop were caught in the same picture (as was the one entering the station), and the one at the base of the first drop was in another picture. The final piece of evidence...there are actually six trains visible in the picture (base of lift, base of first drop, base of second drop, top of hill entering loop, entering final helix, and entering station), and I am 95% sure the ride only had five.
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I believe this was discussed on here a while back, but that photo is several stuck together. While Revolution did indeed run five trains at one point, only three were ever on the course. One train can be between the top of the lift and the hill before the loop, another can be between there and just before the point where it threads the loop, and the third can be located anywhere after that point. In that picture, there are two trains in the same block section and no train is in the station. With five trains, one would be in the station at all times, and the ride used to have a mechanism that would drag the next train in while simultaneously dispatching. I do not know for sure, but I'm guessing the dispatch interval would be approximately 30 seconds when using all of the trains. Now, unless I am mistaken, Revolution only has three remaining trains, and it is rare that all three are run at once (I typically see the ride operating with two). Other than the first couple hours of the day, I have never seen a line longer than 15 minutes for it even on crowded days.
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I've already been to Knott's Berry Farm (and will visit several more times since I've got a pass), so I won't include that. Here are the others... Definite (aka the parks I have a pass to): Disneyland Disney California Adventure Park Six Flags Magic Mountain Universal Studios Hollywood Almost Definite (95% chance I'll visit): Belmont Park SeaWorld San Diego Darien Lake Martin's Fantasy Island Conneaut Lake Park Waldameer Canada's Wonderland Marineland Theme Park Any bonus parks on LeviaThon Possible (depends on events and family member interest level): California's Great America Castle Amusement Park Legoland California Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Scandia Amusement Park Six Flags Discovery Kingdom Long Shot (very unlikely, but there is a slim chance): Something in Europe, most likely either in France or the UK
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I'd like to see both a Log Jammer replacement coaster and a new slide for Hurricane Harbor in 2013. I definitely agree that a terrain launcher from Intamin is probably the best option. My dad said he thought a combination of Maverick and Cheetah Hunt would be a great fit, and I agree...no more than 100 ft tall, multiple launches, tunnel through the mountain, maybe one or two inversions but not inversion focused, and plenty of airtime and twists. As for Hurricane Harbor, I would like to see them get a Proslide Rocket where Flashback used to be but I'd be happy with any major slide. It might convince me to visit again. For a Deja Vu replacement, I think it would be nice for them to install something back there in 2014. Perhaps a couple flats and/or a smaller, family friendly coaster that doesn't exist in the US (I keep thinking Gerstlaurer Bobsled but I don't think that would be high enough capacity). They could also replace Thrill Shot with some sort of flat ride as well that year, and completely retheme that part of the park. As good as rides like an Intamin Giga or a B&M Diving Machine are, I really don't think SFMM needs them. They already have coasters with large and steep drops, and both of those rides would be extremely expensive. Perhaps when it is time to retire Viper they could place one there and run it along that side of the park, but I really don't want to see the hill dominated by such a large ride.
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Cedar Point (CP) Discussion Thread
rcdude replied to robbalvey's topic in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
While I think the Gemini trains will look a bit odd (even if they are repainted), I am really glad they are getting something better for that ride. When I rode, I could barely fit in the car and it was horribly unconfortable. Because of that, Cedar Creek Mine Ride was my least favorite coaster at Cedar Point (yes, I even preferred Disaster Transport to it). Maybe these new trains will convince me to give it a second chance, although from what I remember it seemed like a fairly boring mine train to begin with. For the record, I've never had a hard time fitting into any other non-kiddie coaster or any other Arrow mine train. -
Well, now that there has been some natural snowfall, I'm guessing the mountains look completely different. However, that's not a reason to abandon this. If all goes well and I'm not too busy, I'll be done with this trip by the end of next week. Now, to continue. January 4th, 2012-Canyons Resort Canyons Resort While Canyons is not the newest of Park City's ski areas, it is definitely the most developed. Half of the ski area consists of trails that wind around roads, through tunnels and under bridges. I don't know how accurate their 4,000 acres of terrain claim is, but this ski area certainly seems quite large. The mountain has 3,190 ft. of vertical, accessed by 19 lifts (2 surface lifts, 2 Doubles, 2 Triples, 4 Fixed-Grip Quads, 5 High-Speed Quads, 1 High-Speed Six-Pack, 1 High-Speed Cabriolet, 1 High-Speed Gondola, and 1 Pulse Gondola). Cascading down the slopes are 182 trails, although many of these were not open on my visit. Layout: Trail Map: http://skimap.org/data/218/607/1322770686.pdf Canyons is very spread out, and as a result I will be discussing it by lift. However, the following will be omitted, as they were all closed on my visit: Sunrise Peak 5 Iron Mountain Express Flat Iron Day Break DreamScape DreamCatcher Orange Bubble Express Before talking about the terrain, let's talk about this lift. Orange Bubble Express is not only one of the longest chairlifts I have ever seen (8700 ft.), but it is also one of the most comfortable. The chairs feature heated seats, and there is a bubble canopy that can be lowered in poor weather to keep riders shielded from the elements. With the bubble down, the lift can get quite warm. Now, the Orange Bubble Express looked like it had some decent terrain, but unfortunately almost all of it was closed. This left only Doc's Run open, and while it was okay Doc's Run is not very challenging. We skied it a few times however, simply because it had some of the best conditions on the mountain. High Meadow High Meadow is the beginner area, and it seemed pretty decent. It is a little sheltered from the more advanced terrain, but the trails dump you into a large flat area that is a pain to cross. Saddleback None of the advanced runs were open on Saddleback Express, but the intermediate trails were pretty good and had decent conditions. This is also the location of Canyons's terrain park, so most of the snowboarders hung out here and made this the most crowded lift. Tombstone We spent the largest portion of our time on Tombstone Express because the snow was generally good here and there were a couple open black trails (mainly The Drop). However, the black trails in this area of the mountain didn't generally look too challenging, especially when they were groomed. Short Cut Short Cut is a bizarre chair because it first goes down and then up. It has no unique terrain it services, and is simply used to get from Red Pine Lodge to Lookout Cabin. Sun Peak While a majority of the trails off Sun Peak Express were open, all of them except Echo were ungroomed and had terrible snow conditions. As a result, we didn't spend much time on this lift. Super Condor I really wanted to like the Super Condor Express, as there were a lot of good intermediate trails up here. However, it had the worst snow on the mountain. Two of the three runs I skied up here were littered with bare spots, and it was necessary to go slow and pick your way down to avoid hitting rocks. I was somewhat surprised this area was even open, as it seemed barely skiable. Ninety-Nine 90 I wanted to give Ninety-Nine 90 Express a try, but after hearing that the snow conditions were horrible up here we decided to pass on it. While some of the trails looked quite steep, I'm pretty sure an intermediate could ski down from this lift if the snow was good. Overall Thoughts Canyons Resort was definitely my least favorite of the three Park City ski areas, and my least favorite resort of the trip. This may be due to the snow conditions and limited terrain, so I would really like to try it again when 80-90% of the trails are open instead of just 20%. However, another issue I found was the lack of terrain that was fun without being challenging. It seemed like most trails at the ski area were either not very interesting or quite difficult for their rating. There was a big gap in steepness between the single and double blue square runs, and due to the conditions this jump was much more pronounced. I'm guessing I'd probably like this place better if everything was open and I wasn't dodging rocks all day, but I still think Deer Valley and Park City are probably better ski areas. Best Bet for Beginners: High Meadow chair Best Bet for Intermediates: Super Condor Express and Tombstone Express if conditions are good, Saddleback Express otherwise Best Bet for Advanced: Peak 5 for tree skiing, Ninety-Nine 90 Express for anything else After Skiing: When we got back to the hotel, we decided to head down to the hot tub for a bit. Once we were done there, we showered and changed, then we drove to Park City wand walked around on Main Street for a bit. We then headed one street over and got dinner at Davanza's. It's a pizza restaurant, and the pizza was pretty good. Not my favorite, but still in the above average category. We then went back to the hotel for the night. Photos: The day starts with a ride up the Red Pine Gondola. This lift used to be called Flight of the Canyons, and I can see where it got its name. We started off on Saddleback Express. However, before long we decided to head over to a different lift. Tombstone Express is actually a pretty long lift. It was my favorite lift on the mountain. This was the only advanced run that had good conditions. The trail next to it looks to be about the same steepness, but it is a lower difficulty level. Canyons Resort as seen from this side. Once we were done on Tombstone, we took the Short Cut chair over to the Sun Peak area. While riding, we noticed this zipline. I don't know how high it got off the ground, but I would guess it was at least 300 ft. up at the highest point. Now over to the Super Condor chair. These trails now have enough snow to be open, but when we visited they looked like this. Doesn't look much like a ski area here, does it? This shows just how massive Canyons Resort is. That terminal in the distance is the top of Ninety-Nine 90 Express. It might be hard to make out here, but this is the Orange Bubble Chair. When there is more snow, runs like this are open. Unfortunately, this was just one of many trails closed today. Sun Peak looks like a decent area on the map, but it really seemed like there wasn't much there. Of course, the limited amount of decent open terrain could have contributed to this assessment. There is no way I am skiing down that. Back to the lodge for lunch. As you can see here, conditions weren't bad all over the mountain. And finally, a look at the top of the gondola. Since you can't actually ski directly from Red Pine lodge to the base area, it is necessary to take the Short Cut chair if you do not wish to ride this down at the end of the day.
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Andy Shine's Quiz Time
rcdude replied to Simon Baynham's topic in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
16/20. It would probably be higher if I ever planned a trip to Japan, but right now almost everything I know about the parks there (except Disney and Universal) has come from randomly glancing at them on RCDB or watching Robb's Coaster Expedition videos. -
I think it would be nice if SFMM would delay Colossus until 2015 and get a non-coaster ride for 2014. They've got plenty of coasters, and I think they could definitely balance out their park if they got at least one non-coaster attraction between new coasters. As for the retracking itself, if Colossus is only getting topper track I really don't think it needs it, but if they are going to make it a steel coaster it would probably become California's best airtime machine. Although I don't mind the ride as it is now, it is definitely one of the least popular coasters in the park and could benefit from an upgrade. However, I'm guessing that a simple reprofile to restore all the original hills would be cheaper and have nearly as much impact, and I'd prefer that the park keeps it a wood coaster (or adds a new woodie as their next coaster following the makeover, as a park the size of SFMM should have at least two woodies).
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rcdude simply came from abbreviating roller coaster dude. I've never been to created with names, and I just figured I'd use that for everything and let people guess what rc stood for.
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One (or two) of a kind
rcdude replied to Prettygoodyear's topic in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
Most roller coasters are unique in terms of layout or have unique elements, but there are relatively few that are unique by design. Here are a few one of a kind rides that immediately come to mind (both operating and defunct): Arrow Dynamics 4th Dimension: X2 Intamin AG Space Diver: Flashback Intamin AG Suspended Catapult Coaster: Volcano, The Blast Coaster Premier Rides Dueling LIM Shuttle Loop Coaster: Batman and Robin: The Chiller I'm sure there are plenty more, but these are the ones I usually think of as coasters that are unique by design. -
I saw 17 movies in theaters in 2011, about an average amount for me. Here's my list from best to worst (gaps indicate a large spacing in my enjoyment level). 1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 2. Hugo 3. Source Code 4. Super 8 5. Mission: Impossible-Ghost Protocol 6. Drive 7. Water For Elephants 8. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows 9. X-Men: First Class 10. Captain America: The First Avenger 11. Thor 12. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides 13. Tower Heist 14. The Big Year 15. Limitless 16. Transformers: Dark of the Moon 17. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn-Part 1 I didn't see any absolutely horrible movies this year (although the bottom three were pretty bad IMO), and Harry Potter is the only one that I've thought was good enough to buy on DVD. The top 5 are movies I'd recommend seeing (except Harry Potter if you aren't into it, as you'll be lost if you haven't seen them since at least the fourth one), 6-11 are decent, and are worth watching if you're into them, 12-14 really aren't that great, and avoid 15-17.
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Mitch Hawker 2011 Wood Coaster Poll!
rcdude replied to robbalvey's topic in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
Wow, I've been on 3 of the top ten (El Toro, Boulder Dash, and Voyage), and will be going on one more next year (Ravine Flyer II). I still think some of the rides are ranked slightly higher than they should be, but overall the biggest surprise was Wooden Warrior. Yes, it is a good ride, but not 18th best in the world. I'd say it belongs more in the 40-50 range. Also, I think American Thunder and Apocalypse should be switched as, for whatever reason, I didn't find American Thunder especially great (above average, yes, but not one of the best woodies in existence) whereas Apocalypse continues to impress me even after 20 something rides. Also, it appears that either Cedar Fair is somehow improving CGA's Grizzly or some other horrible wooden coasters are getting more exposure (or perhaps a little of both). Still, worst woodie in North America is not an honor a ride wants to hold (and I think it should go to something horribly rough over something terribly boring). -
West Coast Bash 2012! TICKETS ON SALE NOW!
rcdude replied to robbalvey's topic in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
I'm looking forward to both tours. In fact, I'm not sure which one I'm more excited about. Probably Montezooma's Revenge since I've been inside other B&M Inverts, but they'll both be great. Seriously, anyone who is on the fence about doing the Knott's day, it is definitely worth it if you are into behind-the-scenes stuff. I have not been disappointed with any of the tours yet, and they are the primary reason I do both days instead of just doing SFMM. -
Mass ride removal trends
rcdude replied to megametal's topic in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
Here are my guesses... For coasters, the first to disappear will be Arrows. With the exception of certain high-profile Arrow coasters (X2, Magnum, Matterhorn, etc.), I'm guessing these will be few and far between 20 years from now. Most are nearing the end of their service life, and while many could be run longer, replacement parts will be expensive. As for specific types, I think all will be affected relatively similarly, with the largest and smallest ones lasting a bit longer than others. I also could see many of the older Vekomas (especially the ones at major parks) disappear as it becomes more economical to replace them rather than maintain them. Finally, although it is probably the biggest of the losses, I could see many Schwarzkopf coasters leaving in the next couple decades as well. For non-coaster rides, I really think the old and outdated flats that are not commonly made anymore will be the ones to suffer the most. While they will likely disappear from the larger parks, however, I could see a lot of flats maintaining a foothold at minor parks. The same cannot be said for flume rides, especially those which are older and don't get riders wet. With newer water rides like the Splash Battle and the rise of the included waterpark, I could see older flume rides (especially log flumes and traditional splash boats) being removed for new attractions. -
I'm currently about 75% done with Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7. It's not as good as the first one due to some glitches, but it is still one of the better Lego games. I'm also about 50% done with Pokemon Black. I'm enjoying this one a lot more than Pearl, but there are quite a few things I don't like about it. I just wish they could get more creative with Pokemon designs, and not use very similar ones with different names and appearances.
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La Ronde Discussion Thread
rcdude replied to Skyscraper's topic in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
I dunno about you, but I'd consider long waits after paying big money for a Gold QBot to be a serious problem, not a small one. The reality is that most of the rides weren't that bad. On average, I would say it was about ten minutes once you joined the queue (which I consider acceptable). However, the SLC took over a half hour (possibly due to one train), and I heard Monstre was 45 minutes (didn't actually ride that one with Flash Pass, so no first hand experience there). La Ronde just has horrible operations in general, and they don't try to do better. For example, a sign in Ednor's station stated the following (translated): "Capacity objective: 1 train-320 riders per hour, 2 trains-630 riders per hour". The numbers may be slightly off, but when I know an SLC has a theoretical capacity around 1000 people per hour with two trains, that really isn't trying hard at all.