Coaster Joe

Avalanche and Hades - What a weekend!! After visiting the family in Indy, I decided to make a ludicrous road trip to the Dells before catching my flight out of Chi-town Sunday evening. This meant I was to wake up and hit the road by 5:30, 7.5 hours of driving to the Dells, 3 hours of riding, and then a 3 hour jaunt back down to Ohare to catch my flight at the last possible instant. I was not disappointed with my impulsive decision. Last time I went to the Dells was a side expedition from the Alpine Valley Phish shows in the summer of 03. Good times. Crazy multiple rides on Cylcops getting my spine busted on the double bump of “the drop”. The drop has not changed. It still remains the most brutal, forceful drop of any ride I’ve ever ridden. Two rides this time was enough. Two rides on Zeus as well…still love the turnaround. I ignored the lateral Pegasus encounter this time and the kiddie and water coasters were not open. But I did score two new credits and am still smiling today from yesterday’s rides. HADES Hades is an impressive coaster. Stellar speed and the out-of-control feeling similar to the Beast’s entry to the double helix. The prelift elements were rather abrupt, especially the second drop of the double down. It jolted the train every time, regardless of seat position. But this was followed by a nice curve to the right and then a beautiful lateral floater to the left before the lift. Good start….but it got MUCH better. The drop off the chain has some nice float in the back, nothing too crazy though….just picking up speed for the ensuing tunnel track. A straight run of track upon entering the tunnel sets up a nice turn to the right and then all goes dark. The track has a nice little surprise drop-out before the infamous flare turn to the left. The double up into the turnaround pinnacle gives a quick jolt of air. Great spiral drop into an extended headchopper float entrance back into the tunnel. The return trip was not as out-of-control as the out run but the leaning hop was brilliant. The preceding left-hand turn unbanks slightly before the track is straight, giving a small lateral. This lateral is carried to the peak of the lean hill by a reverse banking of the track. The hill running parallel to the lift does not deliver air but is a great breather before the last insane turnaround. The track dives down into a small floater and then valleys out in an extended rightward curve. I love the power in valley curve pullouts (SOB) and this one delivered well. This curve wraps up through the lift into an ascending left helix and the brake run. All-in-all, a very fun and intense ride. My favorite moments in order: Small Surprise Tunnel Drop on the Out run, Lean Float Lateral, Left Float in Pre-Lift, Raging Right Hand Valley. I love speed and being able to sense the out-of-control feeling. The tunnel does a good job of creating anticipation and amplifying the train movements because you have no idea what is hitting next. But the 90+ degree turn is nothing more than two small lateral jolts without a reference point (light). I hope that we get such a turn that is exposed on the next incarnation from GG. Congrats to Gravity Group on a solid coaster. AVALANCHE After a few rides I quickly made my way to Timber Falls and parked my car in the adjacent Family Dollar lot. The train was raging past….it looked as though I was watching something in fast motion. I bought my wristband and boarded an empty train in the back row. What just happened? I was laughing with minimal breath on the brake run. The ride is INSANE!!! This ride has lots of everything….aggressive laterals, extended floats, abrupt ejector air, lateral floats…you name it. From the first drop through the brakes there is only a single sluggish moment in the station wraparound. But the rest of the ride is amazingly paced. Alan told me this was my type of ride and I wholeheartedly agree. Avalanche is my new #1 in place of the Raven….not quite the picturesque forest setting but this thing tracks like a bat-out-of-hell….and I absolutely loved it. The tiny train makes the ride SO much better. With the shorter train, all of the elements were designed tighter than possible on a long train where front thrust and tail whip limit the transitions. The turns would go from 0deg to 60+deg and back to 0deg within 2 seconds. The abrupt air hills would go from +4 to -1 to +4 in similar fashion. Incredible stuff! Alan pushes the envelope in a very good way. Brace yourself for a pacing gem and a ride that will rival any full scale coaster out there. Thanks for reading! Get to the Dells for these two amazing rides! And if you have never been be sure to try the double-bump spinebuster drop on Cyclops!

Yeah, the reliability played a major role in not installing it Have you ever been to Logan...do you think we need a ride with a 48 person capacity? Look at the pictures that are floating around again...there is no skycoaster either. This is not really a full blown amusement park but just a place to recoup some of the costs of building prototypes. There will be several S&S rides. I can't comment on the other installations but once Stan gives the go-ahead I'll spill the beans. Please don't bash our company based on your own speculation and hear-say.

Where did you hear that? As far as I know the SWAT is not in the plans for the park.

Riding at night was fantastic. The giant fireball would erupt and light up the entire track. Then everything would turn dark and the launch would start. I would say the fire effect hit maybe a second before the launch. Does anyone know if the coasters run during the Christmas fest at the park like the sister Dollywood? I would love to go back and get some more night rides on the Keg.

PowderKeg…..is there another coaster I’d rather ride? Probably not. This ride delivers in ALL areas: ejector air…lateral-->float…float-->lateral…ripping positive G’s. This is not a tame ride by any means. I had the privilege of getting to ride PowderKeg 22 times Wednesday afternoon/evening. The parks maintenance staff and my co-workers all thought I was a bit goofy….but I just couldn’t get enough of the smooth, forceful ride this coaster provides. The ride starts by rolling out of the station and onto the switch track. The switch track moves the train laterally uphill to the left at impressive speeds, utilizing two massive counterweights to do the job. The track locks in place and the trains move forward to the launch position. A loud air whistle noise heightens the tension as the shot tanks are pressurized for the launch. The launch is pure bliss…..not too intense but enough to feel some fantastic acceleration. The track shoots skyward and the first positive G’s pin you to the seat. This first hill is airtime laden. Steep entry and exit and great speed over the top. About 2/3 of the way up the hill the tracks rips from beneath you and you accelerate upwards into the restraint. Negative G goodness. You land softly back in your seat halfway down the backside and the track twists into a right pullout…once again with positive G’s pushing the envelope. Now my favorite moment of the ride…..the track straightens out on the climb giving a nice little lateral push to the left and then the train falls from beneath you into a magnificent float. I love lateral airs….especially when the lateral hits before the air. The float lasts a couple of seconds and the train rides a valley for the second time. An incredible overbanked turn follows….this turn seems to accelerate the vehicle. Speed is maintained and the visual effects are fantastic. Easily the best paced overbanked I’ve ridden. The train valleys for a third time and rises up into a float-twist. Just as you leave the seat, the track warps out to the right, maintaining the heartline rotation point and just spinning the track 90 degrees to the left. The turn dives downward to ground level and the track straightens out slightly before ripping you back up to the left into another well banked 180 turn. After the new track, the train enters what used to be the elongated helix for the old Buzzsaw Falls….although I highly doubt the train used to travel at near these speeds. Right near the end of this long turn, just before the lift hill, the train gets a great dose of laterals to the left. Brace yourself! Definitely very fun but it caught me off guard the first time. The lift hill is a nice break to the previous 45 seconds of intensity. The trains summit and turn to the left before diving down a nice drop with a hint of airtime in the front hitting about halfway down the face. The train valleys and the front car is thrust forward and up into the second float-twist of the ride. The float transitions into a great positive G descending helix. The trains rocket into the brake run with a nice little pop of air for the front seat. All-in-all, a phenomenol ride!! I rode a total of 22 times…21 in the front seat and 1 time in the back. Almost every time I was accompanied by 15 of my closest water filled plastic dummy friends. Lucky peeps get to ride this thing all the time. Front seat vs. Back Seat…..the back gave a slightly more aggressive ride but I prefer the front seat for the extended floats and visuals. I got to ride the backseat at night and during the first hill, a wall of water covered me….then again and again over the remaining airtime hills. I rolled back into the station, soaking wet, to laughing people with cameras. It turns out they wanted to play a joke on me an unscrewed the cap on a water dummy a few rows in front of me. Good times. Rides at night are insane…there are no lights during the course and the sense of speed heightens. PowderKeg is all about fantastic pacing and variation of G’s on every element. I honestly cannot think of any other coaster I’d rather ride. Sure there are longer, taller, and faster rides out there but the way this thing throws the forces at you and the fantastic pacing is unlike any other steelie I’ve ever ridden. I know many of you will doubt me in my acclaim of the ride because of my affiliations but once you ride you will agree….PowderKeg IS the real thing! Thanks to my coworkers at S&S and the fantastic crew at Silver Dollar City for installing such a wonderfully aggressive ride. PowderKeg will do very well with the public and enthusiast community for years to come. I plan on making the trek to the park again this year. It’s that good!!!

Flight leaves in 24hours, 38minutes

The ride is open to the general park NOW. Get there and ride it!! Looking forward to tons of rides next Wednesday!!