The Six Flags Magic Mountain (SFMM) Discussion Thread

[Married a Canadian]

With apologies if this question has been asked before.

 

We went to Magic mountain last year...and went on "F.u.l.l.t.h.r.o.t.t.l.e" for the first time. On TPR when you type that down it gets written down as YOLO coaster. I have had to edit it twice just to get that on screen. What is the official name for the ride or is there an inside story I have missed? Do people hate the original name?

Much obliged if someone could enlighten me.

[Password121]

With apologies if this question has been asked before.

 

We went to Magic mountain last year...and went on "F.u.l.l.t.h.r.o.t.t.l.e" for the first time. On TPR when you type that down it gets written down as YOLO coaster. I have had to edit it twice just to get that on screen. What is the official name for the ride or is there an inside story I have missed? Do people hate the original name?

Much obliged if someone could enlighten me.

The official name is the name you are trying to type. The "Full Throttle" name comes from a filter on this site because of the marketing campaign when the ride was being promoted upon opening. It's just to poke fun at the ride and Magic Mountain.

[MagicMountainMan]

Yeah, off season maintenance on the track. There were days in the dead of the off season where they had a crane removing sections of the middle track piece and replacing it.

 

That's odd. You'd think the new cars would be lighter and put less stress on the track. Guess not.

Just clarifying, they weren't replacing the main I-beams the track rides on, they were replacing the middle guide rail. The one that makes all the noise... Although supposedly due to the new guide rail it's now noticeably quieter.

 

Edit: Just listened to the ride, it's really obvious where they replaced the middle rail. It's mercifully not very loud.

Edited July 9, 2015 by MagicMountainMan

[Married a Canadian]

The official name is the name you are trying to type. The "YOLOcoaster" name comes from a filter on this site because of the marketing campaign when the ride was being promoted upon opening. It's just to poke fun at the ride and Magic Mountain.

 

Thankyou...I wasn't sure...I find either name fine...and love the ride aswell. Appreciate the info.

[KBrylczyk]

Edit: Just listened to the ride, it's really obvious where they replaced the middle rail. It's mercifully not very loud.

 

I don't believe you. That ride sounds like a freight train on steroids that you can hear from friggin' Anaheim. There's no cure for that.

[Tmcdllr]

So what's going on with the Goliath lift chain fiasco, is it still down?

[MagicMountainMan]

Edit: Just listened to the ride, it's really obvious where they replaced the middle rail. It's mercifully not very loud.

 

I don't believe you. That ride sounds like a freight train on steroids that you can hear from friggin' Anaheim. There's no cure for that.

Left side is quieter. Stand under it and find out for yourself.

[Ridewatchers]

Ridewatchers Trip Report for Thursday, July 9th, 2015

 

When Mr. Six came down from the thunderheads covering Magic Mountain, he carried a pair of tablets. On one was written:

 

1. Thou shalt get to the Park early.

2. Thou shalt go to the park on a non-holiday weekday, preferably Tuesday or Wednesday.

3. Thou shalt use thy gold-pass privileges to get in 10 minutes earlier than the general public.

4. Thou shalt use single rider lines.

 

Here is the letter of Ridewatchers to the general public--one book from the bible of Ride More, Wait Less.

 

I woke up late today...after 9:00 A.M., a sin for anyone who wants to get to the Park early from this area. "But Ridewatchers, you have a

whole hour and a half before the park opens...that's more than enough time!" Right?

 

Right, but barely.

 

I arrived at the toll booth at 10:05 A.M. "But Ridewatchers, Gold Pass entry doesn't open for another 15 minutes...that's more than enough time!" Right?

 

Right, but barely.

 

I pack pretty minimally for my trips, but as a member of the general public (GP), you will probably bring more. Getting out of cars, packing bags, carrying coolers that they won't let in, making sure you have your phone, walking to the front (or waiting for the bus), passing through security, and passing through the turnstiles at the red gates can take 30-45 minutes. (Because I've done this so many times, it takes me only 15. Don't use this as a baseline.) Thou shalt get to the Park early.

 

After having my pass redundantly scanned, I got in the park at 10:21 A.M. and started my stopwatch. Stay tuned.

 

My first stop on a touring plan established ahead of time was Full Throttle (or sometimes YOLOCoaster). This is the white one with the big top-hat loop opposite the Full Throttle Sports Bar. The scorpion's tail and final descent off the loop never disappoint, especially from the back row, where much of the action is.

 

Stop two was X2. I kept at a steady jog until stopped ("WALK please!") and heard the "frontier music" indicating that the general crowd was being let in. I started up the hill and over the bridge with about 1 minute of lead time over the GP. The path up the Flash Pass route was quicker than walking through the several switchbacks in the stand-by line, and, at this time of day (10:30 A.M.), legal. They had just finished testing when I got up to a group of about 20 passholders already in queue. The ride was smooth but jerky toward the end (as I always find): maintenance must have made rounds. Audio needed work: the speaker on my side was popping while playing that jazzy jazz during the ascent up the lift hill. Total wait: 2 minutes.

 

At 10:44 A.M., it was time for Viper. Yes, the almighty Viper. Viper is a classic rattler from the 1990s, and some defensive riding is needed. Viper seems to have lost some of its venom over the years judging by crowd levels only. What was once the most popular attraction was a walk-on today. Seven inversions, and a jolting "snake's tail" at the end. Wait time: 0 minutes.

 

The next ride was Revolution. Revolution is the first coaster with an inversion in the entire United States. A 10-year-old girl had recently passed away on the ride, and it seems the park made some modifications. I noticed that the ride had less friction and had been slowed down. This seems like a wise decision.

 

Tatsu (Tat-Ta-Tat-Tat-Ta-Tat-Tat-Tatsuuuuuuu) is a flying coaster: you're sealed in a turtle shell and then sent down in spirals and through its record-holding pretzel loop about 2/3rds of the way through. I boarded Tatsu at 10:58 A.M. and came back at about 11:04 A.M. Tatsu's one of SFMM's "Big Six" attractions, but is not in my top three because it's a slow loader and because you are forced to dangle and look down at streaks of gum and spit on the safety platform for about 3 minutes while waiting for the train ahead to be loaded. Wait time: 1 minute.

 

Superman. Superman deserves special mention today because of a rare event. When going into the ice palace, I found, for the first time, the right side closed off. We were going to head left and ride on the left. This was my first-ever ride on the left side. I asked questions of the ride operators, and was told that both sides would be open later in the day when the lines started up. They said that the left side had first opened in 2011, but this is the first I've seen of it. The ride out of the station started out okay, but I noticed an unusual amount of friction on the segments before the quarter-turn to rise vertically. On the way back, I smelled something burning and noticed the same level of friction. Two mechanics happened to be sitting in an open doorway to our right; I looked at them and held my nose and fanned my hand to suggest a problem. It probably wasn't me, but there was a change later in the day.

 

Ninja is a steel coaster that always seems to be in crutches. It tires up the lift, rattles down and goes through a tortuous course with views of Riddler and Batman and Jet Stream, and, until a few months ago, a nice forested area. Today was a one-train day for Ninja--something we in the business call a one-train wonder. Besides that, the forest was cut down and we were left stumped on when nature would restore things. Single trains double queue times, and today that meant Ninja earned 4th place in the Longest Queue Times competition, with a total wait of 6 minutes.

 

Roaring Rapids is a water ride: you will get wet. Mr. Six includes a footnote for this ride: it's the third-and-one-half commandment:

 

3 1/2: Thou shalt protect thy iPhone from water.

 

Our raft was half-full and it looked like each of us was in the same boat athletically. There was not much action, except at the end when two people who had initially forgotten about their phone were soaked on the last rapid. Light rafts make for light action. Heavy rafts make for heavy action. Ridewatchers hopes you get a good raft and obey all commandments while experiencing Roaring Rapids. "But Ridewatchers, my iPhone was made obsolete due to excessive soaking!" Thou shalt protect thy iPhone from water. Roaring Rapids was a walk-on with a zero-minute wait.

 

Wooden coasters are real favorites, and that is the case for me. Apocalypse is MM's version of GhostRider, a woodie at Knott's Berry Farm (KBF). GhostRider has caught opprobrium for violent rattling, but you'll experience better here. You'll also experience shorter queues if there are two trains running, as was the case today. To make Apocalypse action-oriented instead of a YAWNCoaster, consider the back two rows. I boarded the back row at 11:39 A.M. and saw plenty of good dynamics. Total wait today: 0 minutes.

 

After all that coasting, it was time for a rest. Jet Stream is a 4-minute ride where you can literally put your feet up. It's SFMM's last stand in the log flume department (after YOLO replaced the mountain's only flume), but you won't be riding in logs. I am sorry. Despite all that, you will see two drops--one is a dark drop, the other is a low-g finale that will get you wet. See if you can soak the gawkers toward the bottom.

 

It was finally time for one of my top 3, Gold Rusher. This is the oldest coaster in the park, and a lack of technology actually makes it feel faster than a lot of the fancy steelies. Gold Rusher runs through the center of the park...it actually goes up and over the hill and gives you a view of most of the Park. Beware the one section 50 meters or so after the second lift: it's a quick one-meter descent that will bang up your knees pretty badly if you're not careful. Hold on to the handlebars in front and don't let yourself fly up in this section. The royal flush element at the end is a high-g feature that makes Gold Rusher waiting for...or not. Queue time: 0 minutes.

 

Riding Tidal Wave, Scrambler, and Bumper Cars was a perfunctory gesture: The latter two are flat rides found at most county fares and the former is a quick-drop into a puddle. Scrambler gets you scrambled, Bumper Cars gets you bumped. I had an interesting experience on the cars today: normally the ride is 3 minutes long, but the operator was feeling generous and gave us an extra 1-2 minutes. We also got to go any way we wanted...normally it's a one-way street. Bumper Cars was worth waiting for at 4 minutes.

 

Riddler's Revenge is the bee's knees--as long as you don't break your patella. Here is a safety briefing from the payload of the Ethernet frame in which this part of the review may be contained. Before boarding, minimize wait times by entering through the exit and looking for the blue signs that send you to the single-rider entrance and cut off 20-30 minutes of waiting. No gloating allowed: long queues can cause distress and when people see you getting on the ride via a special chained-off section at the first row, you're likely going to be chastised for cutting the line. After cutting the line, make sure you let the staff know that you'd like your seat lowered so that there is a slight bend in your knees when standing erect. It's now time for you to ride. Ridewatchers did, and had fun following the procedure above. I began the boarding procedure began at 12:28 P.M., one minute after entering the single-rider queue.

 

--o--

 

Politics is a staple of the American Way. As an arch-conservative, I feel that the punishment ought to fit the crime. It's important to realize that when one wants to wait in long lines, they are acting crazy. But if they do so with full consent of will, they are culpable.

Consider the following legal theory: your friend wants to wait in an hour-long standby line for Green Lantern. Because Thou shalt use single rider lines, you call your friend guilty (because he wills his ennui). As an atoning gesture, you show him/her the single-rider boarding area at the ride exit. Instead of waiting for hours, you might wait for five, or even 10 minutes. But your friend thought badly and will need to make concessions. Concede to h/er that Green Lantern is a meatgrinder and that an Intamin vertical can deliver thrills if ridden correctly. Tell your friend to hold on tight and not get scared: it will literally take a minute. Ridewatchers' arrogance in training lawyers got him a 7-minute single-rider wait (12:59 P.M. to 1:06 P.M).

 

Batman was recently serviced and the squeals and screeches are now gone. A great ride that is second only to scream in terms of coaster comfort. Wait: 8 minutes.

 

Flash: Speed Force was called a skateboard ride by the ride op during my visit. Cars that go around in a circle real fast. You'll learn about centripetal force with Flash and Wonder Woman, which is right next door.

 

Phew! Here comes Twisted Colossus (Twiiisted Colaaaahhsus!). Yes--Magic Mountain's flagship and Ridewatchers' second most favorite. Go all the way down to the end of the Screampunk district to find it. This coaster makes two circuits and you'll have two steep drops, along with weightlessness and ejector time. Less action in the front, more action in the back. If you want lots of action, don't wait in long queues.

 

There has been lots of discussion about the single-rider queue on this ride.

 

"It's longer than the stand-by!"

"I waited just as long!"

"Trains were leaving with empty seats!"

"We got on more quickly...."

 

Ridewatchers has advice, too. Waiting times in the single-rider line depend on the number of people ahead of you or your group. When three trains are running (SOP) and the stand-by is at the station entrance, the stand-by wait is 30 minutes. If you are 20th in the SR line, you will have a longer wait. If you're 1st, you'll have a shorter wait. If you're 10th, you may break even. My rule is that there should be no more than 15 people for each hour of waiting in the stand-by line ahead of you in the SR line. For 30 minutes, that means you should be no farther back than 9th.

 

I was 5th in the SR line on my first go and boarded in 10 minutes, cutting off about 15 minutes of waiting. In my second go, I was second and boarded in under 10 minutes. On my third go (1st in SR line), TC was almost a walk-on, but the gate closed before I had a chance to board the train. My 4th and last go had a wait of 5 minutes from 1st in SR; ADA riders were boarding first. Thou shalt use single rider lines, but use discretion here, right here, at Twisted Colossus.

 

And right there, at Lex Luthor: Drop of Doom? Use discretion. If you're afraid of heights, do what I do and say you're not even 150 meters high. Use the metric system and things are more down to Earth. I rode barefoot on an earlier trip (but not this one) because it is easier to count when you have your socks and shoes off.

 

Scream is a comfy steel coaster, and I found that not all flights offer first-class service. But Scream is comfy--180-degree-seat-pitch comfy--even though you are sitting upright. As a Scream! frequent flyer, I find that the rule of action applies: sit in the back for more thrills. Wait time for first-class accommodations: 3 minutes. Time of departure: 1:49 P.M.

 

Buccanner is a pirate ship! Go up and down the arc and feel those butterflies in your stomach. This one never has a wait longer than 10 minutes, so get your fill.

 

I finished the rides portion of my trip at about 2:14 P.M., just after a bit of horsing around on the Grand Carousel. Wait time: 0 minutes.

 

But what about that stopwatch? Right. Here it is: the time taken from the front of the park at gold-pass opening to boarding my last ride for the day was 3 hours and 49 minutes. This is significant because it shows that a flash pass is not needed on a summer weekday, provided you get to the Park early . A poorly-planned trip will see this amount of time spent in line for 3 rides, not 24.

 

Data follow.

 

Anecdotes:

 

-- A kid screamed "I LOVE SIX FLAGS!" while we were over the safety platform on Tatsu.

-- TC was almost a walk-on from the SR line at one point, but I was clumsy and did not make it.

-- Measure heights in meters, not in feet.

-- Superman did something rare and ran the left train this morning. The right train was being run later.

-- Swashbuckler is finally in operation again.

 

+-------------------+----------+-------+-----------+-------+
|       RIDE        |  START   |  END  | WAIT TIME | QUEUE |
+-------------------+----------+-------+-----------+-------+
|                   |          |       |           |       |
| Entry             | 10:00    | 10:21 | 0:21      |       |
|                   |          |       |           |       |
| Full Throttle       | 10:24    | 10:25 | 0:01      | R     |
|                   |          |       |           |       |
| X2                | 10:32    | 10:34 | 0:02      | R     |
|                   |          |       |           |       |
| Viper             | 10:44    | 10:44 | 0:00      | R     |
|                   |          |       |           |       |
| Revolution        | 10:50    | 10:51 | 0:01      | S     |
|                   |          |       |           |       |
| Tatsu             | 10:57    | 10:58 | 0:01      | R     |
|                   |          |       |           |       |
| Superman          | 11:08    | 11:10 | 0:02      | R     |
|                   |          |       |           |       |
| Ninja             | 11:16    | 11:22 | 0:06      | R     |
|                   |          |       |           |       |
| Roaring Rapids    | 11:30    | 11:30 | 0:00      | R     |
|                   |          |       |           |       |
| Apocalypse        | 11:39:00 | 11:39 | 0:00      | R     |
|                   |          |       |           |       |
| Jet Stream        | 11:47    | 11:47 | 0:00      | R     |
|                   |          |       |           |       |
| Gold Rusher       | 11:54    | 11:54 | 0:00      | R     |
|                   |          |       |           |       |
| Tidal Wave        | 12:35    | 12:36 | 0:01      | R     |
|                   |          |       |           |       |
| Bumper Cars       | 12:00    | 12:04 | 0:04      | R     |
|                   |          |       |           |       |
| Scrambler         | 12:10    | 12:16 | 0:06      | R     |
|                   |          |       |           |       |
| Riddler's Revenge | 12:27    | 12:28 | 0:01      | S     |
|                   |          |       |           |       |
| Batman            | 12:44    | 12:52 | 0:08      | R     |
|                   |          |       |           |       |
| Green Lantern     | 12:59    | 13:06 | 0:07      | S     |
|                   |          |       |           |       |
| Flash             | 13:10    | 13:10 | 0:00      | R     |
|                   |          |       |           |       |
| Wonder Woman      | 13:18    | 13:19 | 0:01      | R     |
|                   |          |       |           |       |
| Twisted Colossus  | 13:27    | 13:37 | 0:10      | S     |
|                   |          |       |           |       |
| Scream            | 13:46    | 13:49 | 0:03      | R     |
|                   |          |       |           |       |
| Lex Luthor        | 13:54    | 13:57 | 0:03      | S     |
|                   |          |       |           |       |
| Buccaneer         | 14:07    | 14:07 | 0:00      | R     |
|                   |          |       |           |       |
| Grand Carousel    | 14:11    | 14:11 | 0:00      | R     |
+-------------------+----------+-------+-----------+-------+

[singemfrc]

So what's going on with the Goliath lift chain fiasco, is it still down?

I heard that the lift chain replacement is complete, the subsequent problem was with the lift walkway which was apparently in disrepair, and it is reportedly being brought up to code.

Riddler's Revenge is the bee's knees--as long as you don't break your patella. Here is a safety briefing from the payload of the Ethernet frame in which this part of the review may be contained. Before boarding, minimize wait times by entering through the exit and looking for the blue signs that send you to the single-rider entrance and cut off 20-30 minutes of waiting. No gloating allowed: long queues can cause distress and when people see you getting on the ride via a special chained-off section at the first row, you're likely going to be chastised for cutting the line. After cutting the line, make sure you let the staff know that you'd like your seat lowered so that there is a slight bend in your knees when standing erect. It's now time for you to ride. Ridewatchers did, and had fun following the procedure above. I began the boarding procedure began at 12:28 P.M., one minute after entering the single-rider queue.

You're absolutely right that this is the most comfortable way to ride a stand-up, but I've found a lot of operators at SFMM and CGA do not want you to ride this way and will actively stop you from doing that if they see it, yelling "Stand up straight, don't bend your knees!" I usually stand at such an angle that it looks like I'm standing up completely straight whereas in reality I'm slouched a bit so that when they lock the restraints and I stand up I still have that little bit of room.

 

And yeah, Riddlers' SR line is easily the best for saving time vs the standby queue. The SRL being hard to find leading to fewer people using it combined with the high capacity 4-wide trains means that you will almost always walk right onto a train with no wait at all.

[RAWKIN_coaster38]

I normally don't read long posts but that one was really entertaining, Ridewatchers!

[bostonlva]

Sfmm apparently lost power

“@CBSLA: UPDATE: Rides appear to be back online at Magic Mtn after brief power outage http://t.co/hSOhzwMnI0 http://t.co/UimVNJ73CY”

[dylanreich]

No gloating allowed: long queues can cause distress and when people see you getting on the ride via a special chained-off section at the first row, you're likely going to be chastised for cutting the line. After cutting the line, make sure you let the staff know that you'd like your seat lowered so that there is a slight bend in your knees when standing erect. It's now time for you to ride. Ridewatchers did, and had fun following the procedure above. I began the boarding procedure began at 12:28 P.M., one minute after entering the single-rider queue.

Fantastic trip report, bravo.

[DoubleDown]

Yeah, off season maintenance on the track. There were days in the dead of the off season where they had a crane removing sections of the middle track piece and replacing it.

 

That's odd. You'd think the new cars would be lighter and put less stress on the track. Guess not.

Just clarifying, they weren't replacing the main I-beams the track rides on, they were replacing the middle guide rail. The one that makes all the noise... Although supposedly due to the new guide rail it's now noticeably quieter.

 

Edit: Just listened to the ride, it's really obvious where they replaced the middle rail. It's mercifully not very loud.

 

Very interested to hear this myself. The reason for the noise is because the bogeys on the train have metal wheels, so the noise you hear when the train is going along the track is basically metal wheels on a metal guide rail going 100 mph. I do not recall them ever replacing that guide rail, so maybe it's just something that finally had to be replaced after almost 2 decades. Changing to lighter trains would have virtually no effect on the wear and tear to the guide rail.

 

It's strange that the noise would be quieter if they still used steel? Maybe they have a different material or composite which is making it quieter. Which also begs the question, will the other side be getting this done as well?

[miketeavee]

Sfmm apparently lost power

“@CBSLA: UPDATE: Rides appear to be back online at Magic Mtn after brief power outage http://t.co/hSOhzwMnI0 http://t.co/UimVNJ73CY”

 

This seemed to affect YOLO and Revolution. Not sure what else was down, they're the only two I saw.

 

TC's dueling is still hit and miss, I did 4 rides in a row using the empty single rider line and only dueled 2 out of 8 laps due to long loading times related to loose articles. Such an obvious fix to this problem, come on SFMM! Unfortunately the single rider line is super long right now while main queue is out of the station.

 

I rode Apocalypse for the first time in a few months due to it being back to 2 trains - what happened to this coaster?! It's unbearably rough now, more so than just a few months ago. I hate to say it but it's now on my (getting to be too long) list of "won't rides" at SFMM. What a shame, I used to love it...

 

And yep, superman left side is noticeably quieter (still loud tho).

[SFMMGeek27]

^Apocalypse isn't even rough. I don't get where people are saying that. It literally has seat cushions that are like 3 inches deep! How can sitting on a couch be painful? When I rode it two weeks ago, there was no line so I went 4 times in a row without getting out!

[coasterlvr]

^Apocalypse isn't even rough. I don't get where people are saying that. It literally has seat cushions that are like 3 inches deep! How can sitting on a couch be painful? When I rode it two weeks ago, there was no line so I went 4 times in a row without getting out!

 

it was easily the worst i have ever felt it last thursday. it was right up there with my favorite rides in the park before. i rode the new refurbished train with the restraints with the bar near your feet. i couldn't keep my vision clear it was shaking so violently. keeping my back off the seat helped some, but it was still pretty bad.

 

i'm not sure i'd call it rough, but it was shaking like never before. also, only about half the train was loaded, which i know used to make a difference, but, not like it did this past ride. i've been with just my friend and i in the back, and wasn't as bad as it was this last ride.

[dylanreich]

Sitting on a comfy couch in the epicenter of a 7.0 earthquake doesn't make the earthquake any more bearable.

[MrSum1_55]

I agree on Apoc. When I rode two weeks ago, it was bad. I am talking almost Gwazi bad. Parts of the track almost looks green, now. I do not think I have ever seen a (non RCCA) wood coaster deteriorate to an almost-too-rough-to-enjoy condition in that few years since opening.

[sxexaxn]

Has anyone ridden both trains on Apocalypse lately? It only recently went back to 2 train operation and I rode it when it was only running 1 train right after memorial day and it was horribly rough. I'm assuming there's a noticeable difference in how they both run because half of everyone says it's not that rough and the other half (myself included) would consider it pretty much un-rideable. Which is unfortunate because i used to consider Apocalypse to be one of my favorite coasters at SFMM.

[Superbatboy]

So apparently MM has already lost interest in having TC duel with any sort of regularity. A shot from minutes ago from magicmountainlover on IG

[singemfrc]

I dont know if that image shows intent to duel or lack thereof, but it certainly shows that the rideops currently working the ride are doing a crap job to say the least. To have all three trains stacked on a ride that long in duration is ridiculous. I know the guests cause a lot of problems with loose articles but at a certain point the ride op needs to step in and remove people from the ride if they can't follow the rules and board the ride in a timely fashion.

[coasterlvr]

i've only seen it stack like that once. i was on the last train. lol

 

as much as i'd like to bash the ride operators, that could be a handicap or special needs situation to take that long. it takes how long for that to happen? 6-8 minutes?

[KBrylczyk]

^^ You clearly have never been to Magic Mountain before. 5+ minute dispatches are the norm. It's atrocious.

[Superbatboy]

i've only seen it stack like that once. i was on the last train. lol

 

as much as i'd like to bash the ride operators, that could be a handicap or special needs situation to take that long. it takes how long for that to happen? 6-8 minutes?

They stacked like that twice last Sat whenI was there and out of 4 cycles we didn't duel once. My visit the week before that was also 0/4 duels, I hope they address this soon because they really arent giving guests 100% experience

[Superbatboy]

double post