coloradocoasterguy

double post

No really that was awesome! I love it when grown men can have fun and act like kids. If you want to act like an adult then why are you riding roller coasters?

I can tell trains I hate. Pony Express. Ouch painful.

Do we get points if we actually watched the whole thing? No? Dammit. Okay. *pissed*

You are doing it wrong! When was the last time you rode a specific coaster for the first time? What is the name of that coaster? The last new coasters I rode for the first time were Coast Rider, Pony Express, and Sierra Sidewinder last year. This year I will knock Cannibal, Bom Bora, and Wicked off my list. Next year I plan to to knock New Revolution, Twisted Colossus, and Full Throttle off my list.

Lightning Rod's launch does work.... now.... It's the manufacturer not the park that makes them work. Storm Chaser isn't launched and that's why it's open already.

Ride manufacturers and theme park have massive inventory warehouse departments. If you live near one or are willing to relocate then simply go apply.

Personally, I'd skip Knott's this time since two of the best rides (Xcelerator and GhostRider) will be closed. Got here late, when's Xcelerator scheduled to reopen? Gonna be in SoCal this weekend but might skip Knotts if that's the case. Closed April 18-29

For me if I can't drive there I'm probably never going so rides like Millennium Force and Fury 325, for example, aren't on my list. Living in Colorado and having family in SoCal and the PNW I've only ever been to Lagoon (Utah), Knott's, Magic Mountain, Disneyland, California Adventure, SeaWorld, Oaks, and Wild Waves. I haven't been to most in years. I have also never been to Elitch Gardens. I have quite a list of new coasters. My new coaster list: Cannibal Bom Bora Wicked Twister II Half Pipe Mind Eraser Sidewinder New Revolution Twisted Colossus Full Throttle new GhostRider Manta (San Diego)

Let's hope

I grew up wanting to design roller coasters and had even thought up some of the more revolutionary roller coaster elements that we all now take for granted long before they actually debuted. Unfortunately I didn't graduate high school until 1995 and by then many of my ideas had already been had by someone else. Then a traumatic head injury the summer after high school graduation took away the dream of becoming an engineer. It didn't effect my mind as I kept dreaming up amazing rides, but it did take away my ability to comprehend equations and even affected my coordination and depth perception. Over the years I've regained much of my coordination and my hands no longer shake as much, but every once in awhile I misjudge a doorway and glance off the door jamb or miss the last step at the bottom of a staircase, and anything beyond simple algebra and geometry is beyond me. Oddly enough the injury actually enhanced my artistic mind. I can picture my ideas fully realized in my mind. Unfortunately shaky hands and poor hand eye coordination don’t make for a good conceptual artist so I put my dreams aside and did the one thing I was still good at. I became a fitness instructor. Among my ideas that someone else invented first were the electromagnetic launch coaster, the VR coaster (think New Revolution), the inverted looping coaster, the interactive dark ride coaster (think Wonder Mountain's Guardian), and the 4D coaster. I have many more ideas that no one else has invented yet, but I think I will keep those to myself for now. You never know, maybe one day...

I guess you missed the Funtime Starflyer that SFDK has been operating since 2011. They must have applied for the waiver. Knott's could have done so too but they can take years to get approved and Cedar Fair didn't want to wait. I guess MM could do apply for the wavier as well, but they have become so focused on coasters that other thrills have overlooked.

Worst B&M: the stand-ups can be painful. Riddler's Revenge SFMM hurts my balls, Shockwave SFMM (1986-89) hurt my head. Those are the only stand-ups I've been on. Worst Intamin: Green Lantern: First Fight SFMM hands down is not a good ride. Worst GCI: Apocalypse SFMM. Was great when new. Now is so rough my whole body hurt last time I rode it.

Screamscape/Knott's Berry Farm Looking at some of the photo updates on Screamscape you can see new planks of wood all over the super structure of the ride, unrelated to the re-track. Looks like maybe they have been finding worn out parts that need replacing during the re-track. Perhaps this is what is causing the delay.

This is probably why the 95 foot tall Journey to Atlantis is a far from the water you can get without being in the parking lot. SkyTower is 320 feet but was probably built before the coastal commission rules.

Last time I was at MM they had installed metal detectors due to a number of gang incidents in the park.

double post

With the failure of Knott's just down the 5, I'm not sure how well received one at SFMM would be. I'm pretty sure the Windseeker at Knott's was a failure on behalf of the horribly unreliable ride system, not a public reception issue. Cedar Fair went with "the other guys" rather than Funtime with their Starflyer, a tried and true hit that has proven very reliable. All of the Mondial rides have since had the bugs and kinks worked out and are now working properly. Windseeker was ultimately removed from Knott's because it was impossible to meet the demands Cal OSHA made after riders were twice stuck, even though those demands had nothing to with why the ride malfunctioned. During the state inspections of the ride to determine what went wrong Cal OSHA determined that the design of the "single rail" emergency evacuation ladder didn't meet state requirements. The ladder is present on all other other Mondials and had been on Windseeker since the beginning but for some reason it got past the initial inspections. Cal OSHA was much more thorough after the ride malfunctioned and even though the ladder design had nothing to do with why the ride malfunctioned Cal OSHA said it was improper. Knott's, Cedar Fair, and Mondial all maintain that in order for the ride to work the ladder has to be designed a certain way and that it meets the requirements of every other state and Canada. Redesigning the ladder to Cal OSHA standards would effectively make the ride inoperable so the decision was made to move it to another park where the ladder would be allowed. The Funtime Starflyer has a similar ladder design that also doesn't meet Cal OSHA standards. This is why we won't be seeing a Funtime ride in California anytime soon.

What's the difference?

No. As for GR June is confirmed.

None. Ghostrider only got a retrack and reprofile.

I did a search for "closest coaster" before I posted and nothing came up.

For the purpose of this post I am only counting roller coasters with a minimum height limit of 40 inches and can't require an adult to ride, which disallows kiddie coasters, junior coasters, and some family coasters. For me the closest roller coaster that would qualify is Cliffhanger, 86 miles away at Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park in Glenwood Springs, CO. The next closest coasters in order of distance are at Elitch Gardens 243 miles away in Denver (which I have never been to) then Lagoon 300 miles away in Farmington, Utah (which I have been to). After that I'd have to drive 14+ hours to reach Disneyland, Knott's, Magic Mountain, and Sea World (all of which I have been to). How far do you have to drive to ride a real roller coaster?

Knott's needs more rides but really has no room to expand so instead of removing rides to make way for new ones I say revamp Xcelerator to be more like Storm Runner. Keep everything the same through the top hat, but then replace the figure eight over banked turns with inversions including a big loop. This way Knott's isn't removing the part of XLR8R that really matters and at the same time is essentially adding a new coaster at the same time. Right now XLR8R is only 398 feet shorter than SR and is going over 70 MPH when it hits the bottom of the drop and is still going over 65 MPH when it hits the brake run. With that kind of speed it easily be a longer ride. It could wrap around Supreme Scream and even the Sky Cabin tower.

As far as I'm concerned Xcelerator is better than TTD and KK. TTD and KK are the exact same ride. Straight launch. 400+ top hat. 90 degree drop. End. KK is a little taller than TTD but just barely. Xcelerator on the other hand may be 200 feet shorter but actually has a roller coaster after the drop.