swfan1988

THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR THE HELP!!! I can't tell you guys how appreciative I am! If anybody every needs help planning a trip to Silverwood (or any other park in the coaster desert for that matter) let me know and I'd be glad to return the favor! I can't begin to exclaim how awesome the help is! I'll post a report on my thoughts after the trip for sure! Definitely the takeaways are: -Go to Lightning Rod first, then mystery mine, then firechaser or dragonflyer, than everything else -Crowds might be mixed. I think well be there either on a Friday or Saturday in August depending on how the rest of the trip goes. -Be wary of crowds and the time the sun sets -Bins for the rides where it matters One more question I have is, do you guys have any advice for Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg/National Park? I know I am staying in the Pigeon Forge area because of Dollywood, but my group and I are also there to check out everything else the Smokey's have to offer. Thanks again for the help! This is one of the many reasons that makes TPR so great!

Hey Everyone! I know I asked some similar questions in the BGW thread yesterday, but we are also going to Dollywood on the same trip and I thought that it was better to keep it organized in the respective threads. It's my first trip to Dollywood (and BGW) so I was wondering if anyone had some advice? I also have a couple more specific questions I'd like to ask: Does Dollywood have bins for all their rides? I thought I heard somewhere that they do but want to double check. I've heard the legends about Cinnamon Bread and Lumberjack's Pizza, but are there any other highlight/good places to eat at the park? What order should we hit stuff? I've heard to start with Mystery Mine, but is that still a good plan or should we start with something else? Does anyone have any advice for Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg/Great Smoky Mountains National Park? It's also my first trip to that area. Finally the "duh" question for Dollywood, has Lightning Rod's reliability improved lately? I stopped following it after it missed half a season for the up-teenth time! Thanks in advance for all the help! I really appreciate it!

Hey Everyone! I have a tidbit to share, and then a couple questions to ask about BGW! First off is I got a survey from the park since I signed up for their E-Newsletter (SPOILER ALERT!! I haven't actually visited the park yet...but thats where my questions come in...). Being the coaster dork that I am I filled out the survey and found a couple of the questions they asked rather interesting... They specifically asked about what would motivate me to visit the park "in the next few months" (their words not mine). The first question was a fill in the box question (which sadly I didn't think to take a picture of), and of course I put "Open Pantheon!!!" (I mean who wouldn't). To my surprise, the next two questions asked what would be the biggest motivator for me to visit BGW, and one of the options was "open a new roller coaster or ride" (sorry for the bad picture quality) Of course I choose "Open a new coaster" (and the free beer one), but it made me think that maybe BGW is scoping out the desires of it's potential visitors to visit with or without Pantheon opening this year. I don't know if anyone else has gotten this similar survey, even for any of the other SEAS parks, but it also seems to fit with what the BGT guy said about Iron Gwazi and how it will open "when it makes financial sense" as whey may be trying to figure out how much "financial sense" (read: interest from potential visitors to visit) there is. We'll have to see, this is just my speculation though. Anyways, this is a good segway into some questions that I have about BGW that I've been meaning to post here for awhile. I am making my first trip to BGW in a few weeks and I was wondering if I could get some first-timer's advice for the park. I have a couple specific questions, but any advice that could be given will be greatly appreciated! Is BGW the park that opens different areas at different times? If so, what is the recommended order of doing things? Are there any hidden gems in the park to check out? Are rides ok with a fanny pack (I know...I'm old school...), or should I plan on packing lightly or buying a locker? Is BGW a two day park, or is one enough? Also, is there anything else in the Colonial Triangle/Richmond/Central Virginia area that is cool or worth checking out, besides the easy answer of Kings Dominion (if their even open...)? Thanks in advance for the help! It is really appreciated!

Maybe Knoebels could send a crew over there to give them a hand! They have first hand experience... In all seriousness, this is a real bummer for the park. Does anyone know if its standing water or is it draining/moving? That could be the difference for clean up.

It used to be called Cold Springs Pizzeria, and it was located across the midway where the seating area is now. Sold the same items minus the beer I think. I haven't had the smaller personal pizzas there, but this last time I tried the larger 16" pizza at the Theater of Illusion (which used to be called Caselli's before they built this new stand) and agree that it was pretty good for the price and superior to most theme park pizza, but not the best pizza I've ever had. I think that goes for a lot of SW's food, it's good by theme parks standards, but not particularly stand out amongst other restaurants. Except maybe Chuckwagon John's, now that food is SO GOOD!! Were your shoulders burned on Stunt Pilot or one of the other Raptors? I don't know how different they are since I haven't ridden the other raptors, but I did here somewhere that they had been redesigned a little. They were not too restricting to me, although I'm only 5'11" and on the thinner side with wide shoulders. However, I can see how the restraint, especially the straps, could be on the uncomfortable side for larger riders. One trick I figured out was once the ride op lowers the restraint (which as a side note, they are super good at NOT stapling you. I had plenty of room on all of my rides on Stunt Pilot. Kudos to the park and the ops for that!), to kinda "shrug" your shoulder a bit. I found that this makes the rubber strap kinda stretch out a little and helps it settle in a more comfortable part of your shoulder. I don't know if this works on the other Raptors, but it definitely helped on Stunt Pilot.

Hey Everyone! Ahh...2021...the year of changes for Silverwood. Who would have thought, that after 4+ years of general stagnation, the subtle cancellation of Light up the Night, and COVID; that so many things would change all at once? But alas, here we are! I made the pilgrimage across the coaster desert for two days of fun at the best theme park in the PNW (no contest!). So here we go, all of the changes (plus my thoughts), the good, the "ehh", and the bad for the 2021 season at Silverwood! Lets start with the good (and the part that everyone is interested in), and mostly that means Stunt Pilot. I'm not gonna lie, I had to do a legit double take in the parking lot to make sure I was at the right theme park. "Really? A modern, brand-new, not (technically) relocated steel coaster, this can't be Silverwood..." And let's not beat around the bush...THIS RIDE IS AMAZING!!!! Smooth, fast, great airtime, amazing inversions, great theme, it's just all around a great ride! From the moment you enter the queue to when you get off the ride it's just incredible what RMC and Silverwood did. The theme is perfect, and well executed. Silverwood history buffs (like me) could probably spend a good 30+ minutes in the entrance building alone, just looking at all the photos, reading the old park "newspapers" that are hanging up, and watching the queue video that plays constant footage of the old airshows the park had. The vintage bi-plane hanging over the queue sets the mood, and really works with the theme. Getting to walk SO CLOSE to the coaster (like seriously, your like 3 ft from the first drop in the queue) is super fun! I wish more coasters let you get this close. The ride even has it's own THEME SONG that plays in the queue and station (AND IT SOUNDS GREAT!!!). While the station itself, kinda leaves a little to be desired (it's basically a shed, which I guess is what real airplane hangers are...), the ride itself (and the rest of the queue) more than makes up for it. Now for the ride itself...ITS A FREAKIN RMC RAPTOR, THERE'S LITERALLY NO REASON TO COMPLAIN!!!! Sure, the drop isn't 90 degrees. But does it make a difference? NO! The first drop is AMAZING, the inversions are fun, smooth, and a little floaty, and the rings and barn just add to the whole experience. If I had to pick a "dud" element it would probably be the cutback, but even that was fun so I can't complain much. I know some people don't like the restraints on these Raptors, but honestly I have no qualms with them. Do I wish it had lap bars? Sure. Do the OTS restrains ruin the ride for me? NO!!! I actually really like these restraints, and (for better or worse...) they might be the best restraints in the park. You don't have to battle them coming down during the ride, they're not uncomfortable (at least to me), and they don't hurt! (Gee, imagine that, a steel coaster that doesn't hurt in some way...what a great idea Silverwood! ) I just really like this ride, and I definitely think it's the best in the park! If you are thinking about making the trip to Silverwood because of Stunt Pilot, believe me when I say...IT'S WORTH IT!!! While I don't think that Silverwood is quite in that major/elite park category yet, I think with additions like Stunt Pilot it could be well on its way. Also in the good changes category is the new 208 RetraK (man, RMC needs help with naming stuff...) on Tremors! This truly makes the ride great again! The helix area was really starting to...umm...age poorly? (Is that a nice way of saying it?) I was not a huge fan of Tremors in the past, but having this new track really helps me to see this rides full potential. The track is really smooth, no rattle or shuffle. It actually feels as though the ride speeds UP on the track, leading to some pretty wild/out of control feeling forces. It does run a bit odd with the PTC train, but that's not RMC's fault. I hope more coasters that have issues with maintenance add this (or GCI's Titan Track, if its basically the same thing). I don't think its for every wooden coaster, but those that need a little help in some select areas would really benefit from it. It's not all good for Tremors though. Even though the new RetraK helped in the warped helix (it stretches from the end of the first section of topper track, all the way to the exit of the helix), the airtime hill immediately following is in pretty rough shape, with some nasty jackhammering, although you still get some pretty good airtime on that hill. Word on the street is that this airtime hill is supposed to get RetraKed this off season, which I hope is true. I said Stunt Pilot was my favorite coaster in the park, but a little more RetraK on Tremors might change that... Other than Tremors and Stunt Pilot, the coasters at Silverwood seemed to be in good shape. Corkscrew still needs a paint job, although it got a new pneumatic exit gate (whoo hoo! That's what I'm used to celebrating as far as new additions go at Silverwood). It was a little more rattily than I remember, but still fun, and I guess it kinda is what it is, being that it's almost 50 years old and has been relocated twice. Timber Terror was good as always, and celebrating 25 years! Let's here it for the coaster that made the creation of RMC possible!! Still miss the buzz bars, but it got a new station voice over recording this year (Corkscrew got one too), and it was the first time I heard a voice over being used on TT out of all the years I've visited. There is still a little bit of shuffle in the last bit of the helix, but not as bad as last year. Always a great time! Aftershock was down the first day due to inclement weather (rain and wind), and up and down the second with technical difficulties so I didn't get a chance to ride it on this trip. I'm honestly starting to worry about the park's resolve and dedication to this ride and it's maintenance needs, especially now that it's a one-of-a-kind in the US and they have a new major steel coast in Stunt Pilot. I know that they just replaced the rides cable, so that hopefully bodes well for the ride, because I think it would be a bummer for it to close. The last good change is more of a minor one, but there is a new food stand underneath Corkscrew's first corkscrew, called Caselli's (the Theater of Illusion pizza is now just called Theater of Illusion Pizzeria), and a new seating area is across the path (where the old Cold Springs Pizzeria used to be) that features great views of the Log Flume, Stunt Pilot, and Corkscrew. It looks pretty good, and the stand sells personal pizzas, breadsticks, and beer on tap! We now turn to the more "ehh" changes at the park. I'm mostly indifferent to these changes, but they're there and probably should be pointed out, because someone will have an opinion on them... The first of these is that Garfield and Odie are now completely gone from the park. Garfield has been replaced with coaster or water slide art on the height stick signs, and the kids area is now "Critter Camp". While Garfield never had that big of a presence in the park, it was kinda fun knowing that such a small park like Silverwood was connected to a (comparably) large IP. That being said, I'm not sad nor surprised that he's gone, and I hope that the park replaces him with something else (Here's to original characters!). Next, up is the relocated and refurbished Coaster Alley sign! While I do prefer the signs old style and location (it was about where Stunt Pilot's entrance is now) the new look and location definitely works. I especially like that they brought back the old coaster eating tree for Timber Terror, which I think is awesome (if they put that tree on a shirt I would totally buy it!)! All in all it's a neutral change for me. Lastly for the "ehh" changes is the park redid the Ferris Wheel and Kiddie Kopters. They both got new fences, magnetic entrance/exit gates, and fresh paint (Hey Silverwood! Could you do that for Corkscrew here soon? Thanks!) I rode the Ferris Wheel for the first time, and thought it was just ok, with the nearby trees blocking most of the view. I also am not a huge fan of the red pain job, finding it a bit obnoxious, but that's just me. Now for the bad, and unfortunately it's pretty bad. I don't know what happened, but the train show took a HUGE drop off in quality. No bandits, no stunts, no Marshal Jack, no cryptozoologist, no fairies, no 6' 1" fence joke. All that's left is a lady who is a "ranger" who is looking for bigfoot, who than interacts with the guests for most of the journey, stops to help another ranger put some dynamite in the mine, a "mechanical puppet" (I won't disgrace the park by calling it an audio-animatronic) of bigfoot then pops up and and blows up the dynamite, which then causes the other ranger to fall in the well, and then we leave and go back to the park. It really was a big disappointment for me. Last year, I thought that they were so close to having a fun and unique train show centered around western bandits and bigfoot shenanigans, and when I heard that they were adding more bigfoot stuff this year I had high hope. Unfortunately what we now have is a cheap and cheesy show that lacks all cohesion and is a major disappointment. Coaster101 recently called the train show the second best in the country (based on previous years shows), but based on this years show, I think it's doesn't even belong on the list, it's that bad. I don't know if its budget cuts, or if somebody walked away from it, or what happened but it's just bad. So bad that I would rather have no show, and a quiet ride threw the woods past the buffalo and stagnant sets than what we have now. Maybe that's just me though. Does anyone know what happened here? Is this just the week day version of the show? Other minor changes include the Theater of Illusion Pizzeria getting a new sign, new panini's at the High Moon Saloon and Panhandle Lemonade (Didn't try either but they both look good), and the removal of the temporary lockers by Thunder Canyon's entrance. Boulder Beach was exactly the same, as last year. Other than that, the park seems to be in pretty good shape with some minor maintenance needed to get them back to pre-COVID levels of beauty it seems. Pharaoh's Curse was still sitting in pieces at the end of the runway, next to some pieces of Tremors old track, in what is quickly becoming the park's boneyard. Didn't see any advertising for Scarywood, but I'm assuming that it will make a return this year. Also, all of the park's COVID measures (except "reservations", and random hand sanitizer stations, and cashless operations) are gone, so if your at all worried about COVID I would advise you to steer clear. Looking towards the future...an RMC crane/truck was still on site, and they seemed to be surveying/digging around in the dirt behind Riptide Racer and Pollywog Park...so obviously a 500' RMC T-Rex with 25 inversions is coming for next season!! In all seriousness, it could be just them installing utilities, but I thought it was interesting with the timing. I've always wanted to see a water coaster come to Boulder Beach, although I would want them to put it more in the back by Avalanche Mountain and Ricochet Rapids, rather than in the front of the water park. Plus Boulder Beach really is due now for a new and unique slide. All in all I think the park has a bright future and a new direction. For the last few year I was really starting to get worried that the park was entering a time of stagnation, or even slight decline, with the lack of changes or new additions of any kind. When COVID came along, I thought all hopes were dashed for SW ever adding a new coaster in the short term, especially an RMC Raptor. But who knew that 2021 could bring so much change to our little park in north idaho. I hope Stunt Pilot works out positively for them, and we see a series of additions on that level of both ride quality and theming. Even if they add stuff half as good as Stunt Pilot, I think the park really does have a very bright future, and I cant wait too find out what else the Norton family has up their sleeves!

That's, great news! They did say that they extinguished it with a fire extinguisher so it doesn't sound like it got very far. Thanks for the update!

Uhh well this is rather odd... Looks like someone tried to set fire to one of our beloved wooden coasters. Any body know any more about this? https://cdapress.com/news/2021/jun/05/arson-reported-silverwood-theme-park/ Says it happened at about 1:30 in the morning, and they set fire to one of the wooden support pieces. Security found it and was able to extinguish it before it spread luckily. They did not say which woodie it was, but my guess is Timber Terror since it is right next to the road and perimeter fence, which could make it an easy target. There has not yet been a statement from the park on it. Hopefully the damage it limited, as I'm sure it's a big bummer for the park.

SOUNDS GREAT!!! I'm hoping to make the trek out there in a couple weeks, but all of the initial reports seem to indicate that it's a great addition. Glad to hear that they are using both trains, and that the ops are doing excellent. A lot of times I will be frustrated by the seemingly tortuously long loading process SW does on TT and Tremors, so having them be able to pump trains out on this thing is amazing! Did you get a chance to try out Tremors and it's new RetraK (or whatever RMC calls it)?

The log flume (or at least the lift hill, boats (or at least the original ones), and I'm assuming a large part of the ride hardware) was relocated to the park after KK originally went bankrupt, before Ed Hart took over for the first time. At KK it was replaced by Vampire, and Lightning Run is in that same/similar spot today, I think? There is some debate (or at least in my mind) of whether the flume trough itself, lift hill and drop aside, was relocated or if the design was just copied. I think there might have been a couple other rides that Silverwood got at the same time after KK closed, but I don't know for sure which ones they are. My best guess are the Antique Cars, and Red Barron, but IDK for sure and it's probably impossible to know for certain. I just think it's kinda funny that both Stunt Pilot and the Log Flume were relocated from KK to SW, both due to financial issues, and were placed right next too each other in the same park.

Sorry again for the double post (sure has been quiet around this thread lately...) Interesting bit on RMC from the Spokesman-Review article on Stunt Pilot (https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2021/may/27/heres-how-stunt-pilot-silverwoods-first-new-roller/) "“We were very lucky that everything worked out,” said [Gary]Norton, who watched as members of the media took turns on the coaster Thursday morning. “The bad year last year, the pandemic, caused (Grubb) to actually almost shut down. He was going to have to lay everyone off. I said, I’ll tell you what, I’ll take a chance that we’re going to come out of this, and I’ll buy one.” " He also said that he had wanted a Raptor since they first came out. Kinda sounds as though we almost lost RMC during COVID, didn't realize that they were in that much trouble. Thankfully it looks like both the park and RMC have rebounded for this season hopefully! It interesting how a single Raptor prototype coaster, that was originally intended for Kentucky Kingdom, wound up being what sounds like a life ring for RMC, and an opportunity for Silverwood to rebound from a tough year. (AND it was placed right next to another ride that was relocated from Kentucky Kingdom due to their troubles!) I hope this works out for the both of them, and early reports seem to indicate that it just might! Let's hope that this opens the door for more collaboration between Silverwood and RMC in the near future... Stunt Pilot (and Boulder Beach) open this Saturday!! Whoo Hoo!!! Who else is really excited?

WHOLLY CRAP!!!! THERE'S A POV!!!! (Sorry for the double post, it literally came out right after I posted) AND IT LOOKS AMAZING!!!!! It was definitely filmed by the park during the first test run we saw a week ago or so (it's exactly the same audio if you listen closely), so I would expect it to go faster when warmed up and fully loaded but it looks even faster on-ride! I LOVE the bran flythrough finale and the twisted airtime hill looks incredible!! None of the reprofiling seems to have impacted the ride from my perspective. I don't know about y'all, but I'm SUPER EXCITED now!!!! (If you couldn't already tell...) WHOO YEAH 9 DAYS TO GO!!!!

ONLY 9 DAYS TO GO!!!! WHOO HOO!!! In the park's monthly newsletter that went out, they included some more photos of construction! Some of these we've already seen on the park's socials, but the last one is new!! Look it's themeing!!!! I hope it lights up at night because that could be so cool!!! Also looks like the barn flythrough (in the background) is gonna be an opening day feature! I'm not the hugest fan of the "batting cage"-esque queue fence, but I guess it kinda fits in with the theme? In other news, here's another view of the ride testing: Is it just me, or does every time you watch a video of it testing it looks like its going faster than the last time, even if its the exact same video? Must be just me... either way, I think that when this thing is warmed up and fully loaded it's gonna be insane! May 29 here we come!

The T-Rex is an interesting one. I think it's kinda like the Intamin Xcelerator in that because that model is all about the height and big launch, only park's with big budgets bought one (Knott's, Cedar Point, Hershey, Thorpe, and (at the time) Six Flags for example). There's a reason no smaller park built one, they were too expensive and if thoose parks wanted a launch they could easily go to Premier, Gerstlauer, and (now a days) Mack. I think the T-Rex is the same story, because it is designed around a tall height and speed, the pool of parks that would be interested in buying one is too small. And those that would want a single rail, can go with the less expensive Raptor model. I think if the Jersey Devil and Stunt Pilot layouts are successful than I think we could see significant interest from smaller parks in the Raptor, and the T-Rex will be shelved until some park really says they want a bigger ride than the Raptor can provide or they need a higher capacity that the Raptor just can't muster. I think the 208 RetraK has more potential for RMC. Unlike Titan Track it doesn't need new trains or controls (I think the Titan needs the GCI trains if I'm not mistaken) whereas RMC advertises the RetraK to work with existing trains and control systems, plus it can be installed by the park's themselves if they want. I think this could be really cool, and have a wide appeal to parks that just need a little help with maintaining their wooden coasters.

Thanks for the tip! That's what I suspected... Upon second thought, it doesn't look like it was pushed. Sorry about the excitement, my original post will be corrected.

YESSS!!! MAY 29 HERE WE COME!!!! Not gonna lie...a little underwhelmed by the pacing, but I guess it is the first time it's ran ever and we don't know what speed it had going off the lift (for all we know they could have had a mouse push start it...) Even if that IS the pacing, I think it will still be great. The hangtime/upside town floater it looks like you could get on the dive loop looks like so much fun! Plus I think if you throw in the twisted airtime hill thingy and the barn flythrough finale, it's gonna be fun no matter what! ONLY 17 MORE DAYS!!!

Hi Everyone! I'm new to this whole "Create a thread" thing, so please bear with me as I figure it out. As a side note, if this thread/post breaks any rules or there is a better way to do it please let me know! I looked in the TPR Rules thread and couldn't find anything, but I want to respect the rules of the forum above all else! Today, RMC (Rocky Mountain Construction) introduced a new website! While that may not seem newsworthy on it's own, what is notable it this introduction of two new ride/track models and a new standard Raptor layout!! First up is the new "Hybrid Family Coaster": https://www.rockymtnconstruction.com/family-hybrid-coasters/ "RMC began its journey into the amusement industry through traditional wooden roller coaster installation. In an effort to improve the ride experience, RMC developed the patented Ibox track system. These rides have been thrilling park goers across the world for over a decade. However, these rides may be too thrilling for some guests. Family coaster passengers will enjoy the smooth ride of the Ibox track system while experiencing family friendly elements. RMC offers (3) standard layouts with different elements and footprints to best fit the available real estate. There is also the ability to develop a custom layout. The family hybrid coaster utilizes the same state of the art Ibox track technology as RMC’s award-winning hybrid coasters, but with a more modest ride layout. This allows patrons to enjoy a smooth ride as a family with a thrill level more suitable for those who are may be too short, or just not ready to ride an extreme RMC hybrid roller coaster. Family coasters are all designed and manufactured by RMC at our facility in Hayden, ID." This appears to be an extension of the company's I-Box track what we have seen on their hybrid coasters, just with tamer layouts and no inversions. Kinda an interesting concept, although I don't see a park really ordering one of these being as that their are similar options available from Gerstlauer, Zamperla, etc. But you never know I guess...? (I got to be honest, that layout in the concept art looks super fun for a family coaster!!!) Next is the new standard Raptor layout! https://www.rockymtnconstruction.com/steel-coasters/ And before anyone asks...no this is not Stunt Pilot's layout. Stunt Pilot has the standard layout that Railblazer has (see below). This layout looks like it has a few extra elements (namely the "Fakey Airtime Hill" and a pre-lift section), and a little more track. Also, notable both standard Raptor designs on their website feature 2 trains, instead of 3 so I guess that's the new standards for cloneable Raptors? They still offer a custom version as well for parks who want it. Here is the first standard layout for comparison (which looks like Stunt Pilot's, although I don't know where the 180 degree stall and overbank turns came from?): Lastly (and perhaps most interesting), is a new track type they are calling "208 RetraK" (And...that's the actual name...I didn't make it up...): https://www.rockymtnconstruction.com/wood-coaster-refurbishment/ "RMC has been successfully upgrading traditional wood track with steel track for decades, which improves the ride and dramatically reduces maintenance. 208 RetraK is our latest innovation in track replacement and is based on our proven Ibox and Topper track designs. 208 RetraK will last for years and eliminate the need for continuous inspection, repair, and replacement of traditional wooden track. Additionally, 208 RetraK is able to utilize a rides existing trains, mechanical system, and controls to deliver a smoother ride, reduced downtime, and improved wheel longevity at a reasonable price. Custom 208 RetraK is precision manufactured utilizing RMC’s laser measurement system, CNC plasma cut, and patented semi-automated welding technology. 208 RetraK is manufactured with premium grade weathered steel to match the existing coaster profile and installs effortlessly to existing structure. 208 RetraK can be utilized as a small track upgrade in a troubled area of a coaster, or even as a full coaster renovation. Simple track upgrades of 150’ or more can be installed throughout a ride and added onto year after year. A complete circuit replacement at one time is also possible. 208 RetraK can be installed turnkey by RMC’s factory team or by the park with RMC providing technical support. 208 RetraK is designed and manufactured by RMC at our facility in Hayden, ID." I'm not an engineer, so I don't know the difference between this 208 RetraK and I-Box track, but they seem similar albeit slightly different in how they attach to the support structure. I'm (of course) biased that this is the most important development, since this is what was installed on Tremors (at my homepark) this past off-season, and apparently more is on site to be installed for next season. I am intrigued by this RetraK as it seems to be RMC's response to GCI's Titan Track, and I'm curious to see how the RetraK vs. Titan Track battle might play out. Personally, I think RMC has the upper hand, but we shall see... This leads me into the sadder (for coaster enthusiasts) part of the update, and that is that there is NO REFERENCE ANYWHERE of the T-Rex (and believe me I scowered their site). On the "Steel Coaster" page only the Raptor is mentioned. Also, aside from the Goliath, Outlaw Run, and Lightning Rod pages these is no mention of Topper Track either. So I am going to officially guess (I have no inside info of any kind this is just my opinion) that the Topper Track has officially been discontinued, and the T-Rex officially shelved... I don't think the Topper is a huge loss, but thinking that the T-Rex might be officially dead certainly is a disappointing thought... Other than that...Iron Gwazi is listed as "Coming Soon" (Stunt Pilot is as well) so no spoilers there... I wish RMC luck with the new track type, coaster model, and standard layout. They seem to be facing increased competition from GCI and Intamin, so we will have to see how this plays out! I like that they are moving away from just converting the Mean Streaks of the world into amazing rides, and trying to (further) cement themselves in the industry by offering a wider range of models for parks to choose from. Cheers to them!

Well, welcome to the coaster desert!! Really glad to help! Silverwood (family owned, smaller/less-frequent major investments, no rides over 200 ft tall,) is no Carowinds (Cedar Fair, Fury, lots of investment, need I say more?) by most standards, but I think it's the best the PNW has as far as the whole package goes (Good wooden coasters, unique/rare steel coasters, descent water park, good entertainment, and great landscaping/atmosphere). Wild Waves is a Six Flags wannabe (except the budget is like a 10th of Six Flags'), and Enchanted Forest is too small to get much. Oaks Park has been more aggressive lately, so that could get interesting, although I think COVID was quite the set back for them. Would love to hear your thoughts when you get back!

Well the woodies run one train all the time...and the ops are hit or miss so those lines can range from 45 minutes to an hour and half, although they tend to change throughout the day. The park counts their busy season as the 4th of July through Labor Day, but some days are better than others. Days to definitely stay away from are Opening Weekend, 4th of July, Toyota Tuesdays, or pretty much any day the waterpark is closed. Boulder Beach (the attached waterpark) is the "people eater" for the park, so not having it open really puts too much of a burden on the theme park. I think the Canadian border is still closed so that will help a bit, especially if you go later in the summer. The best days are weekdays in June when the waterpark is open, but I've also had good luck with weekdays later in the season as well. Get to the park at 10:15 and rope drop either the wooden coasters if your starting with the theme park, or Ricochet Rapids and Avalanche Mountain if your starting with the waterpark. You should be able to do each at least 2-3 times with little to no wait before the crowds show up. In general, the earlier you get there and the later you stay the better the crowds will be. Some other random tips: -Aftershock can't run in cold weather or if there's winds above 150'. If it's closed in the morning, wait till mid-afternoon (around 3 or so) and it will probably open up. You can see it testing from almost anywhere in the park, so if you see it testing start making your way over there. -The back seat is probably the best on all the coasters. Although I'm sure someone here will disagree... -Don't go to the train at the last minute, or it will be full. You should get there about 15 minutes before it leaves (the top of every hour). The best seats are either the open-air car in the middle or and further back. Make sure you sit on the side of the train station (right hand side) for the best views of the stunt show. -Chuckwagon John's (in the picnic pavilions behind Tremors) is THE BEST!!! It's all-you-can-eat BBQ, plus salad corn bread, drinks, mash potatoes, etc. Other solid options are the High Moon Saloon on Main Street, and the bake goods at the Victorian Coffee House and Silverwood Coffee Roasting and Trading. The new paninis at Caselli's over by Corkscrew look good (haven't tried them but they look really good). Most everything else is maybe slightly above average theme park food, better than Six Flags or Cedar Fair but nothing to write home about. If you want ice cream go to the South Creamery across from Panic Plunge, it has the same ice cream the main Ice Creamery is famous for but with shorter lines. -Stunt Pilot opens on May 29. It has two trains but it's a real wild card on if they'll use them, how popular it will be, how it will effect crowds on the other rides. -The magic show is really good, it's won some awards, and it's pretty popular but you can usually get a seat if you get there about 10-15 minutes before the show starts. Nick Norton is the magician everyone talks about, but Isaiah Daniels (Nick's protégé) is also pretty good. -Enjoy yourself!! The park is really pretty all times of the year, and there's more to see and do than there initially seems so take a little time and enjoy it all!

I haven't had experience with Fridays in July, but I think you might be ok. I know that Saturdays tend to be the worst, and that July is technically part of their busy season. However, if you get to the park before opening and spend the whole day there than you should be ok. I know Idaho is one of the few states in America that doesn't have laws specifically governing amusement rides, only requiring an electrical inspection upon completion. This probably makes it so that they only have to test till RMC give the "Ok" and then they are good to go. They mentioned somewhere I thought that some of the theming won't be installed till next year, so my guess is that they'll get it open on May 29th and finish the theming and landscaping later. Still ,even though their not Six Flags, giving them an extra month or so probably isn't a bad idea...

Welcome to the forums @OrbitalObject! Thanks for the report and the photos! Yeah, I've had generally negative experiences on opening day in the past. I don't know if its the $19.88 admission or what, but it seems to attract a more...errr..."rougher" crowd than the park normally does. There wasn't really a problem with line jumping, but other rules were not being adhered too like smoking where your not supposed too, not respecting the landscaping, breaking rules on rides, etc. Couple that with the notorious one train ops plus the "it's the start of the season and it's everyone's first day", and you get an experience that I wouldn't necessarily recommend to a first time goer... I really do think that Boulder Beach is the park's "people eater", and the theme park on it's own just doesn't have the capacity to keep up with the crowds. Even when I've gone in september, and BB was closed, the theme park was just overwhelmed. The theme park needs another high capacity ride that is popular *cough* cough*...dark ride...*cough* cough*. All that aside, I'm glad that things are looking good for I-Box on Tremors and Stunt Pilot. I hope that the 2 trains on SP can serve as a "pilot" (pun not intended ) for adding them to the wooden coasters. Aftershock obviously can't run a second, and I don't think it's a good idea for Corkscrew, but adding second trains to the woodies would really help. I don't know about all the design changes for the 10 car trains, but I'm grateful all the same for a new, I guess "semi-custom" coaster.

WHOO YEAH!!! Track work on Stunt Pilot is officially done!!! (As of yesterday according to the park's socials) Couple interesting bits: The reprofiling has continued, as it seems that they "mostly" eliminated the "pre-drop" off the lift. This is probably to accommodate the longer trains, but I find it to be an interesting change. It also seems that they mostly got rid of the straight section exiting the the s-bend and the drop into the second half. This too me has to be the biggest plus of the profile changes because I always thought that that was the weakest part of the layouts on the original prototype raptors. It appears that it will feature the extra walkway on the first turn like Railblazer. Not sure if that's for better or worse, but I don't mind it. Also...opening weekend was this last weekend! I wasn't able to go, but I've hears good things! People say Stunt Pilot looks great in its spot, and it's gonna be an excellent addition. The park is open weekends till Memorial Day, then daily from then until Labor Day. It also seems like they are planning on the return of Scarywood since they have it scheduled on their website under October. As far as COVID stuff goes...apparently the park is doing what they did last year, "limiting capacity" and they are still cashless (for the most part), but I heard that only about 30% of the guests were wearing masks. No word on if the employees are wearing masks, spacing people out on rides, or cleaning in between cycles. Word on the street is that with the re-tracking Tremors is running better than ever!! I hope that's true as it seems to have not been at its fullest the last few seasons. Did anybody here make it out for opening weekend, I would be curious to know what your thoughts are? Lastly...ONLY 25 MORE DAYS till Stunt Pilot opens!!!! Here's to Silverwood's best season yet!

Thanks! The new track goes from the end of the first section of Topper Track (out of the second tunnel), all the way through to the end of the warped helix, before you drop into the first set of airtime hills. There is a picture a couple posts back where you can see the track that was removed, and I guess I am assuming that all of the track is being replaced with Topper/I-Box. It kinda looks to me like it's a I-Box 2.0. I mean it looks pretty similar to normal I-Box, but it just seems slightly different, like it's a bit smaller or something although the angle isn't very good to tell. It's also interesting that they have the traditional wood crossties (or whatever that pice of wood is called) and they just attached the I-Box metal crossties to thoose. I think normal I-Box has just the metal crossties that replace the wood ones. Maybe your on to something that with the competition to Titan Track thing. If it is an I-Box 2.0 kinda thing, I bet it's a test like the first section of Topper Track was a test back in 2010. This I-Box 2.0 could then replace the Topper Track as competition against the Titan Track for smoothing out wooden coaster. Or it could be that I-Box is now RMC's all purpose solution for retracking, and the park just decided they had had enough of dealing with that helix, and choose to see if I-Box could reduce the maintenance.

Sorry again for the double post...but the interesting developments keep coming in! This photo has been circulating on a couple sites, with people claiming it's from Silverwood's Instagram story. I couldn't find on their Instagram page (although I currently hold an F- in "How to use Instagram") but it looks real and consistent with what some of the parks previous posts have been. It appears to show that Tremors was retrofitted with RMC I-Box rather than Topper Track. Unfortunately, the angle isn't that great so it's hard tot tell if it's actually I-Box or if it's some sort of Topper Track 2.0. To me it looks like it could be either, but it's interesting that the park said it was Topper, but it could actually be I-Box. Kinda weird. I guess that this puts my hopes of and all I-Box Tremors with electric blue track and zero G roles over the midway to rest...oh well another coaster enthusiast pipe dream. The best part though? In theory we have only ONE MORE WEEK before we get to ride it, and see if it did anything!

Who wants to be the first to ride Stunt Pilot? The park will be hosting an auction for the first train (10 riders)! The proceeds for the auction will benefit the local Children's Village, which provides care and support to children who have been abused, neglected, or have family crisis going on. It's also the same organization that the donations from the train ride and the tips jars in the park go to, which the Norton family matches every year. Bids are starting at $40. Here is the link to the auction for anyone intereted: https://one.bidpal.net/stuntpilot/welcome Quick note that I got the link from a Coeur d' Alene Press article that came out this morning, so I'm assuming that the park will announce further details today as I had not previously heard about the auction. Here's a link to the article: https://cdapress.com/news/2021/apr/22/stunt-pilot-soars-opening-date/ The other interesting thing about the auction isn't the auction at all...it's that on the page where you bid for each seat is some previously unseen (at least I've never seen it) concept art for Stunt Pilot's trains! I like how the front car has a slightly different design, so I'm hoping that thats how it really looks! May 29 here we come!!