i<3coasters

No. Just, no. At the very most all GhostRider requires is a re-tracking by RMC (a la Thunder Run). Even Topper Track on this ride would be overkill. With the work Knott's has done the past 2 years to bring it back, it is still one of the best woodies in CA if you avoid the wheel seats. I think a Giga would also be overkill for this park though. I'd love to have one in my backyard, but I think there would be too many compromises the park would have to make to accommodate a Leviathan or Fury325.

Oh wow, I guess I never noticed.

Which B&M is using 9-car trains?

2018 (maybe).

This will definitely get me to the Southeast next year. I'll be able to knock out the other 2 U.S. Giga coasters in 1 weekend!

Ride site is now live: https://www.carowinds.com/swarm The renderings look pretty great.

When plugging headphones in I only get audio from the left from the UStream. All other apps/programs play through both fine.

+1. Think it's the best of all the rumored names for this project.

Yeah, kind of bad taste if he's doing this just to stroke his own ego.

Post of the century.

^ & ^^

From what I've heard.

^^ Still, that is a very small sample size. Realistically over their lifespans Intamin's are probably operating 85-90% of the time where B&M's may be around 95%. Intamin certainly does not build "unreliable" coasters. I think it's funny how everyone immediately points to TTD, a notoriously finicky record breaking machine, instead of Millennium Force, when trying to disprove this point. As if something that can be said of TTD is representative of all Intamin coasters. The problem (or maybe risk is a better word) I think Cedar Fair sees when they consider Intamin is that their 2 most recent custom designs for CF have had to be reprofiled (I305 & Maverick), and maybe this puts a ding in their credibility. Especially when you measure this up against B&M's record with the chain, who have built around 10 coasters for them in the past decade that all opened and operated as they were expected to, and are people-eaters capacity wise. While Intamin's open to much more enthusiast acclaim, that essentially doesn't get the parks any greater of a return on their investment. As a potential customer base we are much harder to please than the GP and I'd also guess that we generate significantly less money for them (the majority of us I'm sure already being pass holders to our home parks, if not CF Platinum pass holders). If nothing else, we will be there anyway. Case in point: Leviathan. So from a business-oriented perspective, why would CF go with Intamin over B&M? Personally glad that this will be a B&M by the way. It would be nice to make a trip to the Southeast and get to ride what is widely considered the best Intamin Giga and then what will likely be the best B&M Giga.

Pleasant: Whizzer @ SFGAm. Wow, that thing was way more forceful than I expected it to be. Of course one should never doubt Schwarzkopf. Firehawk @ Kings Island. I was expecting this to be one of the most brutal things I ever rode, and strapping into the harness only reinforced that expectation. But this ride was a great combination of smoothness, intensity, and unique maneuvers. Unpleasant: X-Flight @ SFGAm. I heard this was supposed to be the best B&M Wing Coaster out there. I yawned so hard. Gatekeeper was far superior.

Sierra Sidewinder @ KBF last Saturday.

^ I'm still clinging to the hope that the KOD building will be used as a queue/station for a Blitz coaster (more Cheetah Hunt than Maverick) that goes through the back half of Ghost Town (formerly Wild Water Wilderness). Think a WMG ride is the realistic future for this space though.

I get more jealous of this trip with every post & photo.

Ahh! Didn't realize how soon this was coming up. Just got my Knott's tickets, check in the mail tomorrow!

^ Believe it or not, Trelle was posting the same thing in the SFFT thread this morning before he made these 2 new topics.

^ So much potential

If there's one thing Silver Bullet has going for it, it's the smoothness of the ride. Diamondback was also exceptionally smooth, as was Banshee in the first half of the train. Props to B&M.

Currently shacked up at Breakers and will be spending my first day ever at CP tomorrow. Will be at Early Entry to try and get a few rides on MF and Maverick before the park opens. Any other last minute tips I should consider? Will also be spending all day Weds in the park, and probably getting Fast Lane+ for re-rides depending on how tomorrow goes.

Ghostrider...