The Six Flags Magic Mountain (SFMM) Discussion Thread

[Coastin' thru life]

I think the closer to the front the better the airtime hill, in fact I think you get little or no air in the back half of the train

[Arthur_Seaton]

I think the closer to the front the better the airtime hill, in fact I think you get little or no air in the back half of the train

Hmm. I've found the opposite to be true. There's not much air on the main drop, but the back seat definitely amplifies the experience of drop #1 and #2 and you still get the floater air over the airtime hill. I rode it yesterday, but I rarely ride the front and much prefer the front seat of the back car. Still one of my favorite rides in the park given how smooth it is (especially in relation to its Texas counterpart).

[Guy T. Koepp]

The front and the back are the best rides on Goliath. I always wait for either one. I do prefer the back. You get yanked over the lift hill and the turnaround hill. The floater is pretty much the same over the air hill. The back is so much better as you are not left dangling on the entry to the second half of the ride after the MCBR, and the Gs in the helix always feel more intense in the back.

 

So I prefer the back. But honestly, I never ride in the middle.

[Coastin' thru life]

Ok, you guys could be right. I'll try the back next time.

[Twistedtatsu805]

I'm gonna do a lap around both Magic Mountain and Hurricane Harbor today if anyone has any questions about operations/construction, etc

[Truth Hurts]

I'm gonna do a lap around both Magic Mountain and Hurricane Harbor today if anyone has any questions about operations/construction, etc

 

Dang, I was off today an wanted to go. My friends were saying its too hot and maybe next time. Let me know how it is? Might driver our for the afternoon.

[philliplc]

I have the dubious distinction of riding Windjammer and Flashback on consecutive days on my first ever coaster trip (1997)

[Twistedtatsu805]

So, Crazanity was broken down when I got to it, but it was testing so I decided to wait. Sure enough, it opened after 2 tests and the whole que filled up instantly!

[Twistedtatsu805]

I'm gonna do a lap around both Magic Mountain and Hurricane Harbor today if anyone has any questions about operations/construction, etc

 

Dang, I was off today an wanted to go. My friends were saying its too hot and maybe next time. Let me know how it is? Might driver our for the afternoon.

Crowds at magic mountain weren't too bad, but hurricane harbor was packed (as usual)

[Twistedtatsu805]

Sorry for the triple post, but two quick operational notes that were bugging me: The ride ops suck at enforcing the line jumping policy. Saw people cutting in front of me all day and the attendants saw it too and wouldn't do anything about it. Also dining pass: I got in line at the ice cream place at 7:25 to use my snack and get a scoop of ice cream. Buy the time I got to the front of the line it was 7:32 at they said I couldnt use my dining pass. That's such a load of bullshit. (Pardon my French) but shouldn't they give a little leeway after 7:30 for the people who were in line beforehand? Kind of a big F U to their passholders.

[Ccron10]

Question about the two free flash passes Diamond Elite members receive: At SFMM X2 is an additional uncharge for it to be added on to the q-bots; I'm guessing its not allowed for it to be selected for your two free flash passes?

[joelwee]

Sorry for the triple post, but two quick operational notes that were bugging me: The ride ops suck at enforcing the line jumping policy. Saw people cutting in front of me all day and the attendants saw it too and wouldn't do anything about it. Also dining pass: I got in line at the ice cream place at 7:25 to use my snack and get a scoop of ice cream. Buy the time I got to the front of the line it was 7:32 at they said I couldnt use my dining pass. That's such a load of bullshit. (Pardon my French) but shouldn't they give a little leeway after 7:30 for the people who were in line beforehand? Kind of a big F U to their passholders.

Yeah, this park and KBF are both terrible at enforcing their line jumping policies.

 

That's odd about the dining pass. A year or so ago, they'd allow you to use it up until 7:45, even though the "official" cutoff time is 7:30.

[Ron101]

I like how at Knott’s there is no start or cut off time for their dining pass. It’s just a 4 hour wait in between your two meals. However, there is no snack with the Knott’s Dining Pass.

[Sven20]

I like how at Knott’s there is no start or cut off time for their dining pass. It’s just a 4 hour wait in between your two meals. However, there is no snack with the Knott’s Dining Pass.

 

There are pluses and minuses to both systems. I have all park season dining with SF and CF. I do like at CF parks I have eaten my meal at 930 or later on some occasions. There have also been times where the 4 hr CF period was a negative, as their was a weather delay. The snack at SF is nice, but overall CF quality and choices of food is way better. The gold star is Carowinds Harmony Hall. I wish CF had a version of that at every park.

[SteVeUrkle]

I went up to the park on Monday with some friends who had never gone, and I noticed something about Goliath. It's been a tradition for me to wait it out for front row every time, ever since my brother took me on it for the first time, and one of my friends decided to wait with me, while the rest banked for a middle seat. My friend and I came off having a much bigger reaction then the rest of our friends, and I was wondering, for anyone who has done both front seat and middle/back seats if there really is a big difference between the ride experience.

 

I think I rode the front seat once or twice. It was forgettable. Going down the first drop, waiting for the rest of the train to dispatch from the lift chain, waiting for the rest of the train to get off the MCBR, did nothing for me. On Goliath I usually wait for the last car (3 rows thanks to the car design) and if the last row is 5-6 dispatches I'll opt for the other last car spots because the experience seems quite the same.

 

You gotta understand, Goliath is really just not that great of a roller coaster. Period. I'd say the huge helix is the best part.

 

Yes, it is 255 feet tall and has a great huge entrance sign and a meaningless tunnel and looks intimidating from the parking lot. But that's pretty much it. I don't know why Six Flags decided to install a Giovanola. They had other options like Intamin Supermans at other parks being installed at the exact same time. A 255 foot Intamin with what they were offering at the time would have killed and been phenomenal. It would have been awesome for 20+ years, and probably still been one of the best, most popular rides at the park. There were only 2 of these types of Goliath rides made and from what it seems, for good reason! Not to mention Magic Mountain got the short end version without the helix before the MCBR.

[Ron101]

Goliath gets highly criticized by the enthusiasts but the attraction is extremely popular with the general public because it’s one of the biggest coasters on the west coast.

[Sven20]

Goliath gets highly criticized by the enthusiasts but the attraction is extremely popular with the general public because it’s one of the biggest coasters on the west coast.

 

There is a reason Giovanda only built 3 coasters and is defunct. Goliath is one of the worst hypers every built.

[Coastin' thru life]

Goliath is a pretty lame coaster but remains the smoothest coaster in the park

[JGuy]

Compared to other hypers, Goliath isn’t very good, but I still wouldn’t call it a terrible ride.

[Shut It Down]

I disagree with everything you guys are saying about Goliath. Yes, the MCBR is annoying but the ride has always been an icon at the Park and is just plain fun. If you compare it to Millenium Force then yes it falls short, but if you put it at Knotts it would probably be the favorite amongst guests(not saying the best ride). I have always thought the drop has given the great stomach feeling and to this day feels like the longest drop I’ve ever done(mainly because of the 60 degree drop). Stop being haters

[Manic Monte]

A good old front seat ride on Goliath every now and then is actually pretty fun. Other than that though, the ride is pretty useless imo.

 

I will freely admit though that this ride just tickles the GP, which ultimately is a win for SFMM. This ride has definitely payed for itself.

[Yubstep101]

And also Goliath has been featured in a lot of movies and TV shows, which gives it more public attention which also increases visitors,

[coasterlvr]

people are riding goliath because it's at the park. it's not pulling in anyone. it's the best hyper at sfmm.

[Jew]

people are riding goliath because it's at the park. it's not pulling in anyone. it's the best hyper at sfmm.

 

It was great for what it was at the time when giant rides were not the norm. The height still intimidates people.

[Manic Monte]

^ Right. Of course it's not NOW. I'm talking about the span of it's lifetime. It's one of the most popular coasters the park has ever built...whether you like the ride or not.