coasternut

Does anyone have any quotes from Kinzel that he was personally responsible for no fast pass system being implemented. Cedar Point did have their awkward Freeway system years ago. While I love the system when I'm using it, when it is an upcharge it does cause hard feelings to many who will not splurge for it. My biggest problem with Kinzel was him trying to sell out to Apollo Group to make a quick buck at $11.50 per share/unit. Since that was halted and larger shareholders have stepped in the company is doing much better with the stock 20-30 percent higher and the dividend returning. I loved the "freeway system" since it cost nothing and was a great advantage for 2 rides per day. Free is good

Back at Busch Gardens today (Sunday) for another visit. The train(s) were running, so I was able to see the construction status. As I said yesterday, lot's of green track and yellow supports in a lot near Adventure Island. There was a crane near the boarding area for Cheetah Hunt, but didn't erect any steel today. I do understand it is Sunday, a day of rest. I even went on Rhino Rally to see the progress from there. Not much to speak of so far. Lot's of sand still needs to be moved beyond Rhino Rally. That seems to be approximately where they stopped "the hunt" as of now. As I headed for Montu for the first train out (total of 3 riders counting me) the construction gate was open. There is a trailer with supports on it near the crane I spoke of. I'll be back for a few days after Christmas to ride and see the progress - I hope.

Agreed

If I were you I wouldn't hold my breath. Have fun at the wedding...

Until I got out of California I had no idea what airtime was. After riding El Toro and the Voyage within 1 week of each other, they successfully broke my infatuation with Goliath's "airtime". Granted I still love Goliath but in relation to other rides, it really has minimal airtime. Well, I've been on both El Toro (my #1 wood) and Voyage (hated it and prayed for it to end), so I too can compare the "airtime." El Toro has a lot more "forceful airtime," but the sustained airtime on the third hill on Goliath is extended - nearly 6 seconds.

I was at BGT today. Lots of stuff closed mostly due to all the construction: no train, monorail and only 1 side of Gwazi running. What ever happened to the idea of putting Millennium Flyer Trains on this GCII? That would definitely improve the Gwazi ride. I do question the statement that Cheetah Hunt will open in the spring. I'm guessing late spring if not summer. Not a lot of work completed so far, and I was a little disappointed. You can only see the construction status from the Crown Colony balcony. Lot's of Intamin track at Adventure Island awaiting installation. I'll be back tomorrow - Sunday. I wish I thought to bring my camera, but not too much to see so far.

That happened after the girl died on the ride. Mid-course trims also got stronger after that. Not that the ride was that much better before hand. I always thought of Goliath as a mediocre hyper-coaster at best compared to the Intamin's and B&M's. Fun? Sure! And if you've never been on any of the other hypers, you're going to love it. But as most coaster enthusiasts goes, Millennium Force opened the same year as Goliath. It was no contest which was the better ride! I agree. Over the years I have adobted a fondness for Goliath, but it really can't compare to the other hypers out there mainly because it was designed to feature one set forces (positive Gs) and little else. I think back to all those "Goliath vs Millennium Force" fanboy threads and think "really"? Goliath isn't even it the same league. And it's just a big, clunky mess compared with the hypers that have opened since. lol I dream of the day SFMM takes another crack at the hyper/giga genre, but there's really no logical reason they would. So, fingers crossed for Knotts! I disagree with the quote above from J. Knotts that Goliath has only 1 set of positive G forces. Yes, that helix is intense. If you ride in the last car the negative G's in at least 2 parts of the ride are enormous! Millennium Force used to be my #1 steel (now #7), but in my opinion it has little airtime and hasn't been worked on or painted since 2000. "Big Dick" Kinzel has got to go! The ride has gotten quite rough in the back with a lot of lateral G's which I don't enjoy. For me the 1st and 3rd drops on Goliath give EXTREME AIRTIME in the rear. I guess you can call me the rear admiral..

Article Nothing like Bar-B-Que Kinzel!!

Gwazi has gotten rough over the years. I was there for the media day opening and it was great. The experience isn't the typical GCII woodie which I love . This ride was pre Millennium Flyer trains. Montu and Sheikra are great . I've had good and bad rides on Kumba. It's really not too bad for it's age. I can't wait for their new ride to open. Another Intamin I'm sure I'll love .

Screamscape Industry News Sandusky Register This is great news. "Big Dick" was a true leader / innovator in his day. Unfortunately, his day has passed many years ago. Good Bye Big Dick.

You're exactly correct Finally "Big Dick" is leaving. He was a leader / trendsetter in his day, but his day has long past! I wish his retirement was effective 2011. He's run Cedar Point and the entire Cedar Fair parks into the ground the past several years. Rest in peace -- Big Dick

Nice live video taken today. Thanks for the update. The should be interesting...

Nothing as of yet. Still working on dates and details. As soon as we have something, trust me, it will be posted and emailed! Thanks chief, keep up the good work.

Hey, speaking of 2011 trips, any news on your annual WCB = West Coast Bash for next year? It's a great time and I love coming to LA. I can't wait to find out so I can ask for that time off...

So sad to not see this baby relocated. I rode it many times , during it's last season never realizing that it would be the end. Big soft padded seats made it very comfortable in the front. I hope someone saves her, but it already may be too late.

It's really "Big Dick" at C.F. He has lost it over the years. Jay was the best guy I've ever met at any of these parks . That's a big loss for 6 Flags and mostly Magic Mountain.

Still no new ride parts by the Breakers Express. Another disappointing ride coming up!! Looks like it'll be 4 years for a new coaster.

What does todays diaper clue suggest ??? Will riders be wetting / shitting their pants? My guess it'll be a stinky ride

If this was a serious coaster addition, there would be ride parts arriving and stored near the Breakers Express as usual. They did recently just cut the grass, but I'm sure that means nothing. My gut feel says this will be another "Big Dick"Kinzel disappointment. He needs to retire, his time has past.

If that criteria for rating includes roughness, shouldn't Mean Streak be a 99?

Amen! You've just said a "bowlful!" Big Dick has got to go.

It's been a while since we did a lap of the park and posted an update. In fact, I don't think we've posted any official SFMM updates since West Coast Bash! Today served to kill two birds with one stone...doing a SFMM update and testing out the camera on our new iPhone 4. Since we are heading out on the road next week for the Middle America tour we wanted to see how well the photos looked uploaded directly to Facebook and the videos looked uploaded directly to YouTube. So below is not only an update from Magic Mountain, but the results of our test! Enjoy! --Robb Hey Robb, Great update and the Iphone pix look great ! I wish I knew you guys were there yesterday. I'm here working in So Cal last week and this week, so I must go to "The Mountain" to play. I got there near opening NOTE MAGIC MOUNTAIN IS THE ONLY 6 FLAGS PARK OPENING AT 10 NOT 10:30 ON SATURDAY. I was in New Jersey last week and Great Adventure opened at 10:30, as do most (to the best of my knowledge) 6 Flags parks. I nearly got there at opening. I got my rides in before 2:30 when it got crowded . I had hoped most folks were in Hurricane Harbor but no. Glad you guys had a good time, I did too. It should be interesting to see what "Magical Things" they'll do to Superman . Got to close now to get to the park at 10:30

One other thing I'll post about In-TRIM-adator. Today I noticed an alligator (wooden of course) on the right side after the 3rd (best airtime hill) Has that always been there???

I was at K.D. today on the 4th. Just taking a little break at the hotel before returning for their fireworks tonight. They did a really nice thing today for our veterans, and shut down all the rides at noon for the national anthem. That's a nice touch. On Friday and Saturday I was down in Charlotte riding (IMO) the better of the 2 Intimidators. I love "out of seat airtime" and you get a lot at Carowinds. I will say the new restraints on In-TRIM-adator are more comfortable. At least my arms aren't bruised today from riding with my arms up. It's amazing the park was crowded, but I got 14 consecutive rides on In-TRIM-adator before 1PM. Most of the time I walked right up to the platform. For me the B&M version is better than the Intamin. I never thought I would make that statement.

I love the season long Maverick redesign! Hopefully it will reopen at the, ehemm... scheduled time. I really enjoyed riding Intimidator with the hard restraints and no trims on 5/14. It was a challenge every time for me to learn how to ride the ride. After a couple of laps, I figured out which ways to push my body and counter act the masterful Intamin chopping. I guess now I'll just have to take a more passive role and allow the ride to take me. Take me, Timmy, take me!! Ahhhhahaha!! I might need to use my platinum pass again this year... quite a 14 hour drive from west of Chicago, though (but worth it). -Rob For the old restraints, there was actually an easy way to ensure that you'd never bang your head, not even once. First of all, you need your hands in the air at all time. All you have to do after that is push both arms against the restraints while they're in the air. Don't know why, but it always works and I never get head-bangers when this happens. I'll agree with that, but you shouldn't need to ride a certain way to avoid "head banging" or bruising. I rode it last weekend 15 times like you said, never banged my head but ended up with bruises on both arms. I'm guessing the new restraints eliminate that.