neil009

Yikes. Do they pat you down or what? Or do they just ask you and hope you don't lie? (Sorry I'm asking so many stupid questions... I have yet to go to a park with such a draconian policy)

Sounds like parks are getting a lot stricter with their loose articles policies, so I just want to make sure: KD is still cool with stuff in zippered cargo pockets, right?

I feel like a good double up could be just as intense. Personally I'm more worried about them changing the pitch of the banking on the turns. (yes for those who remember me from the holiday world thread, I'm that guy)

Am I the only person that likes Wildcat in its current state?? Sure not the best ride but it's got that one hill with the old fashioned pop of air + jab you in the ribs laterals that makes it great. Anyways, GREAT to hear about the work on Boulderdash this year!! I knew it had to be coming, it was just too crazy rough when I rode in August.

^It does say it'll go both directions in the article.

Huh, well that's slightly disappointing. Still, the people on it seem to be enjoying themselves enough. Wouldn't it still classify as a thrill ride with a 48 inch height restriction? Can anyone who was at IAAPA comment on how it rides? It moves pretty quick, seems like you might get some good stomach-butterfly-feelings going over the top.

These don't go upside-down or anything. It's supposed to be a tame family ride. I still think it seems fun though, since it's like an upgraded version of those moby dick rides. What park has one of these? Is there video somewhere?

One of my favorite things about stand-up coasters is the feeling of going upside down while standing. I think you feel it a lot more because you have a higher center of gravity, or something. So I look forward to trying this!

Ok so I finally got a chance to ride the new restraints. I can't say they bothered me on Fahrenheit at all. I never had a problem with the old restraints so I would say the ride experience was unchanged. On Storm Runner the straps were much tighter and they hurt my shoulders. I don't know if all the straps are tighter or if it was just the seat I was sitting in or what, but it was bad. Not as bad as Intimidator 305, but still bad. I fiddled with the d@mn buckle right up until the point when we launched, trying to get some slack in the strap to loosen it, but I couldn't do it, it was just too tight. Maybe next time I'll have better luck, but for now my opinion of these restraints remains very low.

We spent the day last week at Ocean City and had a nice time, but holy hell can we talk about how crazy Gale Force looks?? Definitely one of those rides that looks more intimidating in person. It's got a beyond-vertical drop -with no trims before it!! At least none that I saw, and I looked. Launch speeds aren't 100% consistent right? You get a good launch and I'm imagining that first hill could send you flying! I can't wait to ride it next year. Also I spent time in an arcade for the first time in forever, and I know the answer is probably yes, but am I the only one who's disappointed the new shocker games don't actually electrocute you? I remember walking past the real deal on that board walk way back when I was a tiny kid and was always intrigued, but never saw anybody try it out.

I am certain that's exactly what they had in mind with this promotion. "Now you can experience the memories and nostalgia of Knoebels just the way you like it -alone!"

^So it's specifically the rocking back and forth motion?

I still don't know what snapping is. Yes I've seen it explained, I still don't understand, never seen it done either.

It didn't ruin the entire experience for me, I'm still glad I went and would say its worth a trip in it's current condition for sure. The first half is still amazing. I just wouldn't want anyone to ride it the way it is now and come off thinking that's the way it's "supposed" to be. The one spot does effect the whole ride psychologically for me but not to the point where I wouldn't ride it. I mean this is BD we're talking about, especially at night it's the best there is. The middle was just as bad as second from the back, but neither was as bad as the very back (avoid at all costs). The only pothole I've felt that can compare to the one on BD is one of the valleys on the Coney Island Cyclone before they'd finished retracking it. The difference is BD hits it going MUCH faster. What makes this a "very special pothole" particularly in the back row is just how slow and heavy the jack hammering is. Most potholes feel sort of like "bu-bu-bu-bu-bu-bump" like quick and light, whereas on BD it feels like "KABOOM-KABOOM-KABOOM", like the train is going to break through the track. Like others have said, it doesn't feel 100% safe. I don't think it's actually a safety issue, but like I said it hit me hard enough to knock some of the wind out of me and I'm a healthy 25 year old dude. If I was 6 years old or 66 years old, I can imagine it seriously f*cking up my day. I remember riding the Wildcat at Hershey as a tiny kid and how awful an experience it was. You're lighter and smaller so you get jostled around more. One kid before me came off BD bawling her eyes out, not saying this is the only ride I've seen that on but I really felt bad for her, knowing what she probably just went through. It's only the one spot though. The rest of the ride is "bad but totally doable".

We had basically the perfect VR experience today. We got in line around 12:20 and were the first group to get the headsets at 1, so we only had to wait about 40 minutes with the ride running at normal capacity the whole time. So without having to wait a ridiculously long time, I LOVED IT IT WAS SO AWESOME OH MY GOD. It was seriously intense, especially the second half of the ride. I had to hold on to my goggles or they would have slipped right off my face. It really felt like you flipped upside down at one point. The airtime felt even stronger not being able to see it coming. This made the whole trip worth it, I really wish there was some way they could fix the operations issue and keep it as a permanent feature of the ride. I was all ready to say "c'mon guys, Goliath isn't that bad!" but nope, f*ck that ride, never again. I was expecting head banging issues so i leaned my head forward, only to find the inversions tolerable and the straightaways bumpy trampoline nightmares. No defensive riding can fix that. My first ride on my first RMC and, wellll... I liked the wide variety of elements and of course the airtime was fantastic. But the ride never truly felt "out of control" like the best coasters do, and only one element caught me by surprise in intensity (the outer banked airtime hill during the turnaround behind the overbank). I didn't think the inversions added much to the ride. With all the crazy-looking track I expected to be whipped around a little more, but instead the constant varying of the banking just gave the whole ride this kind of weird bobbing motion, almost like riding a mechanical bull. It hauled through the end pretty well, but having the strongest elements at the middle of the ride instead of the end, unlike Lightning Run or even Superman across the park, will always keep it out of the top tier for me. My expectations were probably set a little too high. I think if I went on a cooler, less-crowded day and got several rides in a row I'd learn to love it. I will say that I liked how some of the transitions felt a little more "raw" and imperfect than most modern coasters. I appreciated being able to wait for the back row. Oh and the theming was actually... Really cool? Also unexpected.