The Six Flags Magic Mountain (SFMM) Discussion Thread

[Mechanic]

I got the latest survey. It was definitely geared to families with younger children. Despite indicating that the youngest child I have living at home is 16 years old, I was peppered with questions about attractions that were aimed more toward the 5-12 year old set. As has been said, SFMM has gone down this road before and it just didn't work for them. I just don't see the park ever seriously competing with the more family-friendly options in the greater Los Angeles area, so I'm not really sure why they keep trying. They've carved their niche, but seem to feel uncomfortable in it.

 

These half-hearted attempts at "family attractions", such as Thomas Town and, more recently, the Roadrunner coaster, aren't fooling anyone. If they really wanted to attract more families then they'd build a 30+ million dollar, heavily themed flume or dark ride. But they can't even do that and have it taken seriously unless they make significant improvements, park wide, in appearance and operation issues.

 

In my humble opinion, they should embrace what they do fairly well, and improve by way of execution. Cleaning up the park, improving the infrastructure and operations, while continuing to be a "Thrill Park" would serve them better than trying to be something they're not, and haven't been for a very long time. Once they've addressed and corrected the issues that have plagued the park's image for so long, then maybe they could make the turn toward a family audience. Even in that ideal and unlikely situation I'm still not convinced it would work. For now, YOLO!

[chickenbowl]

In my humble opinion, they should embrace what they do fairly well, and improve by way of execution. Cleaning up the park, improving the infrastructure and operations, while continuing to be a "Thrill Park" would serve them better than trying to be something they're not, and haven't been for a very long time. Once they've addressed and corrected the issues that have plagued the park's image for so long, then maybe they could make the turn toward a family audience. Even in that ideal and unlikely situation I'm still not convinced it would work. For now, YOLO!

 

I completely agree. I feel like they have filled a niche quite well being SoCal's "thrill park."

[SFMMGeek27]

Went to the park today and it was a nice dead day! Here was the ride list:

 

Superman x2 (no wait, my 2 friends and I were the only ones on the entire car)

Tatsu (walk-on, could've gone again since all rows were empty when we came back, 2 trains)

Apocalypse (no wait) 1 train

Riddler (no wait) 2 trains running, 1 cycling empty

Green Lantern (no wait, both sides running, 1 flip)

Batman (2 trains, 1 cycling empty, no wait)

Lex Luthor (no wait, my friends and I were the only ones on the ride)

Goliath (no wait, 1 train running and wow is that a LONG circuit to only have one train running. Still sending half empty trains nonetheless)

Revolution (no wait, 1 train)

Viper (no wait, 2 trains)

 

Would've gotten on X2, but it had a 90 minute wait due to 1 train operation. Seemed like the entire park was there at that one ride. But the good news is, they are changing trains! Train 1 (which has been running for the last 16 months) has been taken off the track with headrests and harnesses removed. They were working on train 2 (which hasn't run for like a year) and all the headrests and harnesses were installed except the front row on both sides. Train 3 was the only one running.

 

Overall a great day at the park and got a lot of rides in before 1:45 when I left.

[Sir Clinksalot]

^ Nice to see one of the X2 trains getting some love. Hope the other train comes back online soon.

[scooterdoug]

To break up the NONSTOP!!! complaining in this thread Did anyone else get the Survey this morning???

 

I think 2014 could be a year of Family focus for SFMM and gasp maybe even a dark ride In both survey's I took it seams like they are pushing for a dark ride of some kind.

 

I received the survey as well. Considering that I live in the Bay Area and got my season pass at Discovery Kingdom, I'd say that Six Flags is sending it to all season pass holders, not just those who call Magic Mountain their home park. It was indeed aimed at families, though it was tough for me to answer the questions, considering that my kids are 1 and 2 years old. Not exactly the age to be able to fully enjoy theme parks.

[Jew]

^ Nice to see one of the X2 trains getting some love. Hope the other train comes back online soon.

 

I doubt they had a choice. Can't run a train that hasn't had it's specified annual maintenance done.

[noyzz]

Wow Deja Vu is gone! Love that ride when SFOG had theirs......I'll have to make it out to SFMM soon....

[Jerome]

Went to the park today. I've read all the post for the pass two days. They are all pretty much dead on.

Seems most posters have a good idea of how the park is being ran and the direction it is still heading.

They didn't even open X2 until 3:30 and then only one train. It wasn't windy so who knows why. Gold rusher was closed and I could see a worker working on a new support for the new roller coaster that was next to the gold rusher track.

 

The park is what to park is. I wish they would hire more employees as the employees are not enough and I'm sure over worked.

[Rocket Rodder]

Wow. Full Throttle's loop looks amazingly huge... but it also looks like it'll either pull 100 G's or barely make it...

[rolercstrluvr]

^ Knowing SFMM, it'll barely make it around the loop.

[TyRush]

^ Knowing SFMM, it'll barely make it around the loop.

Then valley after the loop

[JJ728]

^ Knowing SFMM, it'll barely make it around the loop.

Then valley after the loop

And continue to valley, then close for six months, then they'll build an easy access platform around the base so it's easy to evacuate the train.

[rolercstrluvr]

^ Knowing SFMM, it'll barely make it around the loop.

Then valley after the loop

And continue to valley, then close for six months, then they'll build an easy access platform around the base so it's easy to evacuate the train.

 

Or just leave the train sitting there not knowing what to do with it.

[Wes]

^ Sorta like the Monorail?

[JJ728]

^ Knowing SFMM, it'll barely make it around the loop.

Then valley after the loop

And continue to valley, then close for six months, then they'll build an easy access platform around the base so it's easy to evacuate the train.

Or just leave the train sitting there not knowing what to do with it.

^ Sorta like the Monorail?

 

What makes it better is that I can recall X, Deja Vu, Revolution, Psyclone, and Superman (the car was stranded in the middle of the track) all being valley'ed in the past decade, so nothing said above was even a joke.

[GayCoasterGuy]

With all the talk about MM being a non-family thrill park, it once was great for everyone. But Six Flags does change their game often (among other things). Is there hope to someday bring back a full-rounded park, good for all demographics (like other big "thrill parks" such as SF Great America and CPoint)?

 

Revolution was a perfect family/mild thrill ride, super-enjoyable, and GREAT with only ONE loop to entice the not-so-sure junior (or senior!) thrill seeker. But that's (kinda sorta) gone now. Colossus has become a giant kid-friendly ride (a GOOD thing for kids and thrill-lite seekers), then Goldrusher of course is great. After that, you jump right down to the kiddie coasters. SF Great America has done a remarkable job in the last 10 years at bringing *everyone* back after a few sad (poorly run park) years. The park is jammed all summer now. I'm lucky to have it as my home park; we don't have as many coasters as Magic Mountain, but we have loads of great flat rides - the most in the chain I think. They just gave Lobster/East River Crawler a year off in rehab, so it's coming back this year as good as new. Very cool for a Schwarzkopf ride that opened in 1976! I guess the park has been lucky to be in the right "business mode" to be able to keep old stuff in such great condition.

[jray21]

Looking back at the pictures in the last update, I honestly thought the scream picture was an Instagram picture. Then I realized it wasn't.

[Sir Clinksalot]

^ LOL!!!

 

^^ As was explained a few pages ago, SFMM tried to go back to the family friendly dynamic about 5-6 years go but by that time it was too late. You can't concentrate on the "Xtreme" for so many years and expect families to start coming back. If they had actually stuck with it I'd imagine we'd be seeing a very different SFMM and very different rides going in the last few years. But they didn't stick with it because it didn't work quickly enough.

[GayCoasterGuy]

^I know I know... I've heard all the arguments, seen the proof, etc., but always have the *hope* that things could one day change

[bottom_feeder_13]

I think that a big part of the reason that the family friendly angle didn't work is simply because the demographic attracted by the Xtreme Coaster Park marketing (the YOLO crowd) really gives the whole park a really sleazy feel, no matter how clean it is and how good the operations are. I really noticed that the family appeal of a park isn't just the rides but also the visitors, a bunch of the feel is the other guests, if you filled Holiday World with a bunch of the YOLO crowd it wouldn't be the same, it would feel just as sketchy as some of the worse parks here in the US. I think that as of now SFMM has let their main demographic shift too far towards the YOLO crowd to shift to being a more family oriented and classier park in anything less that a decade or more.

 

Random rambling philosophy from me.

[Sir Clinksalot]

^ See, now this is where I highly disagree with this whole "Magic Mountain Demographic" thing.

 

The same people who go to SFMM also go to USH, Knott's, Disney, etc. And they act up at those places as much if not more than SFMM. I can't remember the last time I encountered any kind of problem at SFMM other than line-cutting, but again, that happens everywhere. People in general are a-holes, not just at SFMM.

 

I actually think that if SFMM had stuck with trying to be more family friendly it would have eventually worked. But it wasn't going to happen overnight and I'm not sure why they expected it to.

[brneff99]

Hit the park yesterday for the first time since WCB last year...virtually everything a walk on the entire day...it was a private event after 6 for our company but we had ridden everything multiple times by then...I've never been able to walk directly into the station for X2...quite a break...

Thoughts:

- 1st rides on Lex Luthor...its a great ride with great views...we actually got a ride at dusk with a Superman launch and it certainly does sway tremendously...

- Park was very clean...the best I've seen it in years...we only had positive interaction with all employees...

- Even with no crowds, all coasters were running 2 trains except Apocalypse..Tatsu and X2 were cyclying quickly

- Yolo looks like it will be a good addition...yes, its short but so is Accelerator and that is a tremendous ride...so I'm keeping an open mind...they kept the gate open all day for folks to snap photos and watch...which I did...but...

- I'm also an IDIOT and lost my I Phone on ride #2 of the day on Batman...and it was deep in my pockets...so all my shots and attempts to emulate Robb at Vine Videos went with it...but maintenance called me this morning and found it with just a cracked screen..still functioning great...so minor setback...but sadly I felt like a starved addict all day w/o it...

- No rides on Revolution..its dead to me until its restored...only ride we didn't ride..and how sad is that...

- Tried the recommended seat on Viper...better ride but still not great...

- Colossus is just so slow and in need of the rumored overhaul...w/o it, I think I find no reason to go to that end of the park any longer...

So we got our fix of all our SFMM favorites and that should cover us until WCB in September...

[Manic Monte]

^ See, now this is where I highly disagree with this whole "Magic Mountain Demographic" thing.

 

The same people who go to SFMM also go to USH, Knott's, Disney, etc. And they act up at those places as much if not more than SFMM. I can't remember the last time I encountered any kind of problem at SFMM other than line-cutting, but again, that happens everywhere. People in general are a-holes, not just at SFMM.

 

I actually think that if SFMM had stuck with trying to be more family friendly it would have eventually worked. But it wasn't going to happen overnight and I'm not sure why they expected it to.

 

I agree with this. Also, anyone here that's visits SFMM on a regular basis is also part of the demographic of the park. Whether you like it or not. lol

[johnnyknottsville]

Another thing that didn't help or doesn't help their family appeal is adding family rides or area's and giving them no advertising. I've brought people to the park that was totally surprised the park even had BBW or kids rides/area's or ask why do Magic Mountain have Bugs Bunny yet all of the rides are for big people lol. I've had people that haven't been to the park but knew of it or people that haven't been in years surprised there was a HH right next to the park. That's b/c all SFMM advertise is their coasters and nothing else, SFMM would more then likely get more families if the families knew what the park had to offer them and their kids besides coasters and a bad reputation. It's like if SFMM did go the family route for 2014 are they going to advertise it on it's on or bury it in the back of a coaster commercial like they usually do

 

 

Also anyone catch the SFMM commercial that playing now that starts off with SFMM Goliath at the top of the lift, train drops and then the coaster morphs into a B&M hyper which I believe is SFOG Goliath

[GayCoasterGuy]

I was thinking more about the whole family thing vs. the YOLO crowd. Revolution and Colossus really paved the way for the park in terms of having some of the world's "hottest" rides at their time. Ironic that both those coasters are now in "strange shape" and the park has slid to extreme of being an almost YOLO-ride-park only.