The Six Flags Magic Mountain (SFMM) Discussion Thread

[Superbatboy]

Considering coming out to California in Feb - I was thinking SFMM is open all year round? Would probably be there on a Sat but would be interested if they are open on week days.

 

They don't show 2017 open times online yet - any idea what traditionally will be there in Feb?

 

Possibly it'll mimic the Feb from this year

https://www.sixflags.com/magicmountain/plan-your-visit/park-operating-schedule?Month=2016-02

[TrashcanMan]

Considering coming out to California in Feb - I was thinking SFMM is open all year round? Would probably be there on a Sat but would be interested if they are open on week days.

 

They don't show 2017 open times online yet - any idea what traditionally will be there in Feb?

 

Possibly it'll mimic the Feb from this year

https://www.sixflags.com/magicmountain/plan-your-visit/park-operating-schedule?Month=2016-02

 

Didn't even dawn on me to check last year. Good thinking and thanks!

[singemfrc]

Is Superman relatively close to X2, or is hard to line those up back to back for early rides.

Not really, but it's sort of on the way there. The quickest path to Superman is to take the funicular railway next to the fountain, but heading left toward X2 and Viper, following the path under Revolution, going up the stairs behind Tatsu will get you there. It's probably the hardest ride in the park to get to.

 

Having selected coasters available for ERT on WCB and needing to get between them as quickly as possible before ERT ends has made me pretty good at basically mapping my way through SFMM.

 

The fastest way to get from Superman to X2 is walk straight back towards Ninja and take the Orient (Helpful Honda) Express down to the main plaza, and then head over to your right on the path towards Viper. Before you reach Viper you'll see an X2 sign on your right pointing towards the Chop Sixx and then another X2 sign pointing you across the bridge towards X2's entrance.

 

X2 is one of the rides that is popular to run to when the park opens (Along with Füll Throttle and Twisted Colossus), so doing Superman 1st and X2 2nd is not recommended, you'll get long lines for X2. if Superman is a priority and you cant get platinum flash pass, then do Superman first and then hit X2 in the evening when the lines are shorter (Not applicable to Fright Fest days - X2 line stays long in the evening for those!). If X2 is your main priority, or it's Fright Fest, then go to X2 first when gates open to get at least one fast ride.

[SFMMGeek27]

^or just do X2 at opening, THEN Superman. While Superman may not be an immediate walk-on, it will be 10 min or less for the entire first hour the park is open, which isn't bad at all. Sometimes I'm even successful with a really short line on Superman when doing X2 AND Tatsu first. And if you're a Gold Passholder, add FT to the beginning of that list.

 

Only go to Superman first if you want to marathon it.

[jonskinny12]

Was anybody here earlier today? I got here a little bit ago and the parking goes almost to the fence in the gravel lot. I found a much closer spot that someone had left. All the signs at the entrances to the queues say 2 hours from this point but many are much shorter than that (like TC, which I'm currently in line for). I'm guessing it was a zoo in here earlier today.

[mmkaycomputer]

Quick review of my quick visit to SFMM Saturday night.

 

The good: Coaster waits were reasonable and shorter than I expected for a Saturday/Fright Fest night. And the Suicide Squad projection mapping presentation was impressive.

 

The bad: Scare zones were pathetic, especially up front, near Revolution and by Bugs Bunny World — mostly just hordes of half-hearted actors standing around together, barely ever scaring anyone and looking like they were about to ask you for a spare cigarette. There was rarely the sense that someone might spring from nowhere or really make any effort whatsoever to spook anyone — certainly not like I've experienced at HHH and KSF. As we walked toward Goliath, there was a sign warning of "zombie crossing." No zombies crossed or surfaced — just dead space (no pun intended).

 

The ugly: Eighth ride on Twisted Colossus and still have never dueled. And while I was expecting Apocalypse to ride much better now (per reports I've read here and elsewhere), it was rough as f**k last night, feeling even more square-wheeled than it did earlier this year and anytime last year. Oh, and the way the lap bar crashed down on my stomach right before I could pull it down? The ride op might as well have punched me in the gut.

 

Maybe I'm fussy, but it's always some series of disappointments there. Glad I decided not to renew my pass for 2017.

[Arthur_Seaton]

Took a trip to Six Flags tonight to check out the halloween event. Clearly they’re still in rehearsal mode so returning later in the season will be a must once they’ve found their groove a little more. The best thing about this event is the value for money. If you’re a pass holder (and I assume at least 90% of Los Angeles is at this point), it’s only $15 to do the mazes. $30 will get you a front-of-the-line pass — still a great deal, although unnecessary tonight. (We actually did see a lot of “express” wrist bands, but they clearly weren’t needed.) The mazes are the exact same as the past couple of years, only Red’s Revenge somehow felt shorter, Vault 666 had a few new effects, and Asylum is longer.

 

There were only a handful of scare zones this year, and a couple were totally devoid of monsters (we figured the park is still in the process of hiring people). Zombie Crossing had no zombies whatsoever, but a security guard yelled “boo” a couple of times and cracked a few jokes, and Suicide Squad just appeared to be a series of unmanned prop-vehicles that both kids and adults were climbing on. There was a cage-like device by the entrance to Batman that remained empty, a projection of flames onto a 2D building, and two guys lurking around in Toxic Avenger-style masks. The only scare zones that seemed staffed and functional was the day-glo area beneath Revolution and the area up by Ninja. Lots of work to do in this department still, it seems.

 

Nothing really new to report on the mazes. Toyz of Terror is still the standout because of the bizarre disorienting effect. Asylum was very much like the last version only now broken into smaller sections. Our first time through was enjoyable, seeing all the sets and whatnot. The scare actors gave it a far more humorous edge, largely because their boos came off more like bleats. We decided to go through it again later hoping that the talent had warmed up a bit, only on the second run through there were fewer actors. After leaving the maze, we noticed a bunch of them hanging out outside the maze and chatting with each other. Willoughby’s has potential and is well populated with actors who synchronize their scares nicely, but it was empty when we walked through and it seemed like the monsters were waiting for larger crowds to show up. We felt a little bad that they couldn’t elicit scares from us given how many of them there are inside. The garden maze was the same as the last few years, but it’s still an effective maze overall — even if there’s not much to it beyond camouflage netting and foliage suits. Chupacabra is the same as always — smoky and confusing

 

The parking lot was insanely crowded when we arrived around 4pm. The park didn’t feel busy, but the rides all had long lines for much of the evening. The wait times thing on the app is absolutely arbitrary now, and so we gauged wait times visually. Rode Viper three times in the “special seat” (no line) — big difference in ride quality, but ultimately it’s still Viper. First drop rocks — the rest, not so much. Rode Apocalypse twice. First ride was moderate, but our second ride later in the day was considerably more rough. You can clearly see the re-tracked areas by the color of the rails, and in some parts it appears that they only re-tracked one side, so clearly it was a maintenance necessity. The rise up into the station is really jacked up at this point, but the rest of the ride is an improvement (although I’d still file it as rough compared to what it once was). Twisted Colossus’ line was moving very slow, partly due to egregious line-jumping, but mainly because of the usual problem of riders bringing all kinds of stuff on with them. Saw three separate walks-of-shame just while standing at the station gates, all of which delayed dispatch despite the ops’ best efforts. Made a couple attempts at getting on Revolution, but it’s a lost cause while VR is around. Hour wait from the arch at the bottom of the ramp; trains dispatching every 8-10 minutes with 25% of the seats left completely empty. As much as I’d like to support innovation, part of me hopes this whole VR coaster business will be removed soon. They’ve restored a classic and yet you can’t get on it because of a defective gimmick. Bah humbug, etc.

 

Anyhow, a fun night overall. We were done with all the mazes within the first hour, so we spent the rest of the night on rides and looking for the scare zones. The great thing about this event is that it’s a killer deal — $15 for pass holders is unbeatable for the amount of mazes, shows, and effects. The worst thing about this event is that you get what you pay for. While there are some genuinely cool parts, it’s not even close to the same level as other area haunts, both pro and amateur. A serious overhaul and a larger investment (even if it’s sponsored to hell and back) would help to bring things up a notch, but as the season progresses and the crowds fill out a bit more, hopefully the event will pick up the pace a little.

[Arthur_Seaton]

The bad: Scare zones were pathetic, especially up front, near Revolution and by Bugs Bunny World — mostly just hordes of half-hearted actors standing around together, barely ever scaring anyone and looking like they were about to ask you for a spare cigarette.

 

Yeah, we were surprised by this as well. Our guess is that they couldn't get enough staff to fully populate them, so hopefully that'll change in the coming weeks. A couple of scare zones were little more than a fog machine behind a plant.

 

And while I was expecting Apocalypse to ride much better now (per reports I've read here and elsewhere), it was rough as f**k last night, feeling even more square-wheeled than it did earlier this year and anytime last year. Oh, and the way the lap bar crashed down on my stomach right before I could pull it down? The ride op might as well have punched me in the gut.

 

Another surprise. We rode it twice tonight, and the first time was tolerable, but the second ride was like "yep, it's Apocalypse again!" There are definitely sections of track that need work, but one of the trains definitely had its square wheels on again too. Also, I don't know what's up with the lap bar, but the same happened to us tonight. We got stapled by the ops on both rides.

[jonskinny12]

Just got back from a quick weekend trip to SFMM. The park was busier than I was hoping but I still got 4 great rides in on Twisted Colossus as well as checked out the work on Apocalypse.

 

The front of TC at night with the lights off is a pretty spectacular experience. I think I'll always ride the back during the day and the front at night, but there's no bad seat on that ride (granted I've only ridden rows 1, 5, and 12, but still). Big shoutout to the TC crew on Saturday night and Sunday early afternoon. They were seriously hauling ass and racing quite often. On my 4 rides I raced for half of the ride each time. I wasn't a believer before but now that I've experienced it, it makes a huge difference in the overall ride experience. The crew was really emphasizing getting in and out of the seats quickly to race and even giving a countdown, which seemed to help a lot. When I was paying attention, every time they didn't race was because of a guest. Either they tried to bring their house onto the ride or they didn't fit or they were trying to take a video, etc. Based on what I saw from them and the rest of the park, they're not in danger of losing their "crew of the month" banner anytime soon. They were the only crew I saw with any hustle (they actually ran sometimes!!) where the rest of the crews were typical of what you'd expect here. I witnessed the FT crew carrying on conversations while checking lap bars to the point where they would wait for the person on the other side to finish the row before moving on to the next row so they didn't have to have a break in their conversation.

 

Apocalypse. Sigh. This ride was pretty spectacular when I went a little over two years ago. Then when I visited earlier this year it was in rough shape, particularly the second half. The work they did on the second half helped immensely and it's about as smooth as I could have hoped, given the circumstances. But now the front half is pretty bad. There are a couple spots between the first drop and the first tunnel where it jackhammers pretty bad and even though it was a walk-on early Sunday, I couldn't do more than two consecutive rides.

 

I decided to ride Viper because it had been about 10 years since my last ride on it and maybe this would be my last chance. Rode in the magic seat (which is where I'd ride it anyway) in the dark and actually had a lot more fun that I was expecting. It was more intense than I remembered and I didn't leave the ride with a headache. I wouldn't mind going on it again but I'm also not dying to and I wouldn't be sad if it was removed for something else.

 

X2 at 1:15 am was a pretty awesome experience. I've ridden it at night before but never that late or that dark. Got the inside seat on the back row and it was just awesome. I've had some good and some bad rides on X2 over the years but this was one of the best I've had.

 

It was so hot Sunday that I actually rode Jet Stream because there was no line. Why don't I ride this more often? Oh yeah, because the line is always way too long for me. It was pretty fun though and got me just the right amount of wet, even if the river under my seat tried to drown my feet.

 

I really would like to try the new trains on Revolution, but the line is so long and moves so slowly. Maybe eventually I'll get to try it out but I'm happy to wait months/years until it's less popular (I don't care about the VR at all).

 

Overall, it was a fun weekend and well worth the quick trip. I don't get into Halloween events much but I thought the props and overall ambiance they were going for with some areas of Fright Fest were pretty cool. Give it a couple weeks (the moose out front says it officially starts 9/27) and it should be a good event.

[singemfrc]

Big shoutout to the TC crew on Saturday night and Sunday early afternoon. They were seriously hauling A$$ and racing quite often. On my 4 rides I raced for half of the ride each time. I wasn't a believer before but now that I've experienced it, it makes a huge difference in the overall ride experience. The crew was really emphasizing getting in and out of the seats quickly to race and even giving a countdown, which seemed to help a lot. When I was paying attention, every time they didn't race was because of a guest. Either they tried to bring their house onto the ride or they didn't fit or they were trying to take a video, etc. Based on what I saw from them and the rest of the park, they're not in danger of losing their "crew of the month" banner anytime soon. They were the only crew I saw with any hustle (they actually ran sometimes!!) where the rest of the crews were typical of what you'd expect here.

Yeah, I noticed that on my last visit too. With as much crap as the crews at MM (deservedly) get elsewhere, the TC crew should be loudly applauded. They literally sprint to try and make the trains duel, they hustle - and it's very much appreciated. The X2 crews remain solid, too. Before TC came along they were usually the best, now they are a solid 2nd place, still doing a great job every time I see them. Pretty much every other crew in the park looks like they could care less.

 

It was so hot Sunday that I actually rode Jet Stream because there was no line. Why don't I ride this more often? Oh yeah, because the line is always way too long for me. It was pretty fun though and got me just the right amount of wet, even if the river under my seat tried to drown my feet.

Yeah thats another thing I noticed. I had never ridden it either for the exact same reason but happened by it right when they were about to open it so I thought what the heck. Same experience - light misting of the face but the cuffs of my pants legs were soaking wet. Probably gets worse as the day goes on. From now on I remember to roll up my pants before riding...or just not ride.

[chickenbowl]

Not sure which thread to post this in, but a user on reddit (r/rollercoasters) found this coaster track traveling on the 91 West in South LA area. It's definitely Premier track... Any ideas where it could be going?

 

[SingleRiderCam]

From what I've read from the replies, it looks like it's heading to Long Island to be shipped to this park in Qatar.

https://rcdb.com/12041.htm

[coasterlvr]

From what I've read from the replies, it looks like it's heading to Long Island to be shipped to this park in Qatar.

https://rcdb.com/12041.htm

 

that would make sense on the direction.

[jonskinny12]

The X2 crews remain solid, too. Before TC came along they were usually the best, now they are a solid 2nd place, still doing a great job every time I see them.

 

They were probably good too, but it was 1:15 am and I don't remember much other than almost falling asleep repeatedly in line followed by a fantastic ride in the dark. Lol

[mts]

One thing that surprises me about SFMM is how few on-ride cameras they have.

 

Our company specializes in installing on-ride CCTV systems; I personally have worked on two systems for SFMM. We did one of the newest rides, and one of the older rides. I don’t mean the photos you buy at the end, I mean surveillance cameras.

They have the front gate entry/exit areas and shops completely plastered with cameras, but not so much covering what happens on the rides 24/7.

 

I was thinking about this today because the Alton Towers Smiler accident CCTV was released and it seems like they had pretty solid footage of the crash from internal cameras.

 

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/alton-towers-smiler-rollercoaster-crash-8893176

[Mossed]

This is random, but Twisted Colossus was just shown on my local news... I'm in northern Minnesota.

 

Can't wait to head back to the park next month. It was a sign.

[johnnyknottsville]

Heck if Viper is being removed and a B&M Diver replacing it with Liseberg coming with Valkyria in 2018 and whom ever else announces a B&M dive between now and 2018, in order for SFMM to claim records it's going to have to be taller than 154 feet and dropping more than 164 feet. So if that's the case SFMM Diver could be pretty close to being as tall as Viper my goodness beside X2 next door that is going to be one hell of a vertical drop sitting up on that hill that's if the rumors are true

[ytterbiumanalyst]

Valkyria's record is tallest dive coaster in Europe. I don't think SFMM is competing for that title.

 

If they want a record breaking dive coaster, they'll need to beat Valravn, at 223 ft. and a drop of 214.

[laqueefa]

Valkyria's record is tallest dive coaster in Europe. I don't think SFMM is competing for that title.

 

If they want a record breaking dive coaster, they'll need to beat Valravn, at 223 ft. and a drop of 214.

 

Height and drop are not the only record that can be broken or set...

Edited September 28, 2016 by laqueefa

[LiftThrill]

World's first launched dive coaster.

[JGuy]

Valkyria's record is tallest dive coaster in Europe. I don't think SFMM is competing for that title.

 

If they want a record breaking dive coaster, they'll need to beat Valravn, at 223 ft. and a drop of 214.

 

It'd make for a better Hyper coaster than Goliath.

[ytterbiumanalyst]

Valkyria's record is tallest dive coaster in Europe. I don't think SFMM is competing for that title.

 

If they want a record breaking dive coaster, they'll need to beat Valravn, at 223 ft. and a drop of 214.

 

Height and drop are not the only record that can be broken or set...

Of course not, but those were the two that were referenced above. The point was that just beating Valkyria's wouldn't be enough to claim those titles. Not like the records really matter anyway, but they are marketable, and SFMM tends to try to get them.

[Wisco Woody]

It would be pointless to try and break the height and drop records because it would just be another cookie cutter short dive coaster, as Six Flags likely won't spend any more on a dive coaster than CP spent on Valravn, which I can confirm is tame and forceless.

 

I think it would be more interesting if they converted the first drop of Riddler's Revenge into a vertical dive, creating the world's longest dive coaster as either a floorless or the world's first stand up dive coaster.

[coasterbill]

It would be pointless to try and break the height and drop records because it would just be another cookie cutter short dive coaster, as Six Flags likely won't spend any more on a dive coaster than CP spent on Valravn, which I can confirm is tame and forceless.

 

I think it would be more interesting if they converted the first drop of Riddler's Revenge into a vertical dive, creating the world's longest dive coaster as either a floorless or the world's first stand up dive coaster.

 

That post is a joke right?

 

Valravn seems to be absolute home run for Cedar Point. Just about everyone likes it, it's incredibly reliable and it's generating huge lines despite having a great crew. People find the holding brake terrifying and videos of it have been breaking social media all year. Honestly every modern dive coaster seems to be a home run. I'm sure when the ridership numbers come out it'll be one of the best in the park. If I had to guess I would say it's almost a lock to give the 3rd most rides in the park after Gatekeeper and Millennium Force, 2 other no-loose-article rides that are open for early entry but they have no floor to drop and have 6 more riders per train leading to a higher capacity.

 

I won't even justify the Riddler's Revenge post with a response because it's completely idiotic in every way. Nobody cares what enthusiasts think or if they think a ride is forceless. They make up a very tiny percentage of the parks total attendance. A dive coaster would be incredibly unique to the region and honestly the western 2/3 of the continent and there's no reason to think it would be any less of a home run than all of the other ones have been.

[jonskinny12]

It would be pointless to try and break the height and drop records because it would just be another cookie cutter short dive coaster, as Six Flags likely won't spend any more on a dive coaster than CP spent on Valravn, which I can confirm is tame and forceless.

 

I think it would be more interesting if they converted the first drop of Riddler's Revenge into a vertical dive, creating the world's longest dive coaster as either a floorless or the world's first stand up dive coaster.

 

That post is a joke right?

 

Valravn seems to be absolute home run for Cedar Point. Just about everyone likes it, it's incredibly reliable and it's generating huge lines despite having a great crew. People find the holding brake terrifying and videos of it have been breaking social media all year. Honestly every modern dive coaster seems to be a home run. I'm sure when the ridership numbers come out it'll be one of the best in the park. If I had to guess I would say it's almost a lock to give the 3rd most rides in the park after Gatekeeper and Millennium Force, 2 other no-loose-article rides that are open for early entry but they have no floor to drop and have 6 more riders per train leading to a higher capacity.

 

I won't even justify the Riddler's Revenge post with a response because it's completely idiotic in every way. Nobody cares what enthusiasts think or if they think a ride is forceless. They make up a very tiny percentage of the parks total attendance. A dive coaster would be incredibly unique to the region and honestly the western 2/3 of the continent and there's no reason to think it would be any less of a home run than all of the other ones have been.

 

I loved Valravn when I went to Cedar Point in July and I would love to have a dive coaster this much closer to me.