The Six Flags Magic Mountain (SFMM) Discussion Thread

[AWill961]

Hey guys,

 

As far as all the roller coasters are concerned, SFMM being in a tie and all with Cedar Point, which park has the better rollercoasters?

 

I just took the time to look at the rides at Cedar Point.. .Aside from the unique ones (Maverick, TTD, MF)... nothing that special like my friend from Ohio says it poo poos on my park. I thought CP would have a flying and floorless coaster, for one. I still can't wait to go to Cedar Point one day though.

 

I'm not trying to be biased... Cedar Point probably is a better park than SFMM especially with flats and stuff, but from a roller coaster standpoint...I think our park gives them a run for their money.

[SharkTums]

^If you do a search there are a TON of threads about CP versus SFMM.

 

I totally agree that SFMM has the better coaster selection, we've gone through them all rating them side by side, but I stand by the well known fact that...

 

Cedar Point has the best collection of mediocre coasters on the planet!

 

Which park would I rather spend a day at? CP. It's not all about coasters.

[gforce532]

Personally I think they should put more attention to inproving park itself before building a new killer coaster. I vote for more tranquil, flat, and family rides just to improve the park. Along with continuing to remodle the bathrooms and fixing up the food places. Yes a strata coaster would be great but I like to see the park itself become better, simlar to a kind of west coast cedar point with a whole lot of rides of all shapes, sizes, and types.

 

Plus im 100% for a intamin gyro drop on the top of the hill. That puppy would be really high up, 250ish foot tower on top of the hill will make it feel like your 400 feet high.

[austinlee]

I have a few friends who have been to many more parks than I have. All of them have said SFMM has a better coaster collection. Before Terminator Salvation existed one of them said "CP has a higher quantity, but SFMM has better quality coasters". Since coasters are 99% of the reason I visit parks, I guess I live near the correct park.

 

^ I want in Intamin Gyro Drop on top of the hill too. Other than coasters, drop towers are the rides I enjoy the most.

[BelizeIt]

Talking about park improvements, did SFMM ever get a baby changing stations in the mens bathroom?

 

I remember a while back that Robb commented how after a bathroom had been remodeled that they were still lacking modern day basics like that, and that it was the little things like that which were annoying.(especially for a park that is trying to be more family friendly)

[FeelTheFORCE]

^^ Yes, you live near an awesome park. I love Cedar Point also, but I think SFMM's coaster collection is better than CP's. I would love to live that close to SFMM, but at the same time, I consider myself very fortunate to live so close to CP.

 

My major requires me to have an internship in Summer 2011, so I'm looking into possible ones in SoCal...that would definitely be an experience! Now don't get me wrong, I am going to take the best internship available and not make my decision based on what the closest amusement park is, but living so close to SFMM would be pretty cool!

[austinlee]

^ Yes, I am very happy to live close enough to SFMM to be able to go there regularly. That being said, if I ever have the opportunity to travel to a park I have never been to before, CP would be one of my top choices. I just wish I lived 11 miles from SFMM and 65 miles from KBF instead of vice versa. Then I could go to SFMM even more.

[rcdude]

Based on my experiences with both Six Flags Magic Mountain and Cedar Point, I would say that individually Cedar Point's top three coasters (Maverick, TTD and MF) are better than Magic Mountain's top three (Tatsu, X2, Goliath/Terminator). However, as a set Magic Mountain's coasters function better. They have more variety and cover a wider range of types and ride experiences than Cedar Point's collection. In fact, I think if Six Flags Discovery Kingdom got a mega coaster they could probably rival Cedar Point in terms of ride experience variety.

 

Cedar Point is an overall better park than Six Flags Magic Mountain, but it loses in the average coaster quality department. Also, Cedar Point's worst coaster (Disaster Transport) is worse than any coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain.

Edited April 5, 2010 by rcdude

[AWill961]

Speaking of opportunities to travel to parks one never been to before...

 

I'm looking forward to taking a road trip one day...and visiting these parks.... from what of I can think of at this moment. I've been going to Magic Mountain yearly since 1999 and I've never been to other parks....aside from Knotts and Disneyland... so

 

 

CP

Six Flags Great Adventure

Kings Dominion

Kings Island (w/ Son of Beast open... )

 

@ austinlee, right off the bat, what would be your top 4-5 parks you'd visit if you had the chance aside from CP?

[the ghost]

Based on my experiences with both Six Flags Magic Mountain and Cedar Point, I would say that individually Cedar Point's top three coasters (Maverick, TTD and MF) are better than Magic Mountain's top three (Tatsu, X2, Goliath/Terminator). However, as a set Magic Mountain's coasters function better. They have more variety and cover a wider range of types and ride experiences than Cedar Point's collection. In fact, I think if Six Flags Discovery Kingdom got a mega coaster they could probably rival Cedar Point in terms of ride experience variety.

 

Cedar Point is an overall better park than Six Flags Magic Mountain, but it loses in the average coaster quality department. Also, Cedar Point's worst coaster (Disaster Transport) is worse than any coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain.

 

The good part of SFMM is I say the best rides are Tatsu, Terminator, and Riddler while at Cedar Point those are pretty much everyones big 3. I am, however, in the minority for not putting X2 in my top 3 in the park, and I love the ride individually, but at WCB after one ride my shoulder ached for a few hours after riding, Riddlers does not have that effect on me at all. I know quite a few who may put something like Goliath and Terminator in the list and remove Tatsu, and also, now that I think about it I like Batman better than Goliath because of the intensity and no trim break of death. My point bein that at CP the 3 you listed are essentially everyones favorites with little to no room for variation, SFMM has room for variation for a favorite ride, so I think the collection is better.

[rcdude]

^Yeah, SFMM does have a ton of room for variation. The only other rides at Cedar Point I've ever heard people say are in their top three are Raptor and Magnum, and that is a very small minority of people.

[alexinla]

I actually did one of these road trips a couple of years ago from L.A. to Brooklyn(highly recomend it, not only because of themeparks along the way, but it is quite one of these experiences you will think of for the rest of your life)

Cedar Point was somewhat a dissapointment for me, maybe it was the bad weather aka it rained a lot and most of the rides were closed, but I was somehow not to impressed with the park itself. Only ride I really enjoyed and thought it was better when compared to a ride at SFMM was Raptor(even got to ride it in the rain), wow, quite a amazing experience

MF was fun aswell, but we hade some rather rude operators working there, so the experience itself was not that "thrilling"

In addition it comes down to the crowd aswell, maybe I am a L.A. snob , but hated waiting in lines there. The DJ's with there god awful music selections and people who should not dance(sorry) were a little much for me

[austinlee]

My top three coasters at SFMM, which are also my top three overall are X2, Tatsu and Deja Vu. I have Goliath at #4 so it definitely makes sense to me that many people would have it in their top three.

 

@ austinlee, right off the bat, what would be your top 4-5 parks you'd visit if you had the chance aside from CP?

 

Off the top of my head these are the ones that come to mind. I basically only care about coasters so this list will reflect that. This is not in any order.

 

SFGAdv

SFOT

SFGAm

Kings Dominion

Kings Island

Canada's Wonderland

[AWill961]

Off the top of my head these are the ones that come to mind. I basically only care about coasters so this list will reflect that. This is not in any order.

 

SFGAdv

SFOT

SFGAm

Kings Dominion

Kings Island

Canada's Wonderland

 

I'd probably hit up most Six Flags parks even America...although I only listed one. I'm definitely going to take a road trip, maybe after I graduate. I want to visit SFGAdv the most, but also SFoG in addition to those you mentioned.

 

I really want to see how much better SFGAdv's and SFoG's Nitro/Goliath a re than ours as people say.

 

I'm all coasters as well, man.

[coasterking2981]

^Simply by just looking at the povs of both Nitro and Goliath, I know that both are better than our own. Nitro alone has been voted in the top ten steel coasters numerous times.

[austinlee]

^^ I would like to go to all SF parks too. I did a little research on RCDB right after my post and I think if I had to pick one park to visit for the first time, SFGAdv would be my first choice too.

 

I would like to compare Nitro/Goliath to "our" Goliath too. I think ours is awesome and I would like to see if the other ones really are better. I would also like to compare TTD/Kingda Ka to Xcelerator for myself. I have a friend who has been on all three and says that Xcelerator is better because the launch is more forceful and it is a more complete ride as opposed to just going up and over the tophat and that's it. Unfortunately, this all a pipe dream in the foreseeable future.

 

As far as a fairly realistic option, I am hoping to make it up to SFDK/CGA eventually. I have never been to SFDK and my only trip to CGA was on vacation with my parents in 1991. Unfortunately, I don't have the money to go to Bay Area Bash next month.

[cal1br3tto]

I'm curious about how many "well-traveled" enthusiasts are out there who rate SFMM Goliath highly. Personally, I liked it a lot, but it's my first and only hyper. Basically I'm wondering whether my high rating (9/10) is a personal opinion quirk where I may just permanently like certain things about it more than most other people do, or if I just need to experience the higher rated hypers and would subsequently rate it much lower than I currently do.

Based on my limited experience, what I like best about it is the airtime, the death helix, and the low-speed turn, but I take it that it's not actually considered an "airtime" coaster and many others actually have a lot more airtime. Other than that I just like the "hyper-ness" (height, speed) that I assume any hyper would provide.

Edited April 7, 2010 by cal1br3tto

[austinlee]

I like SFMM Goliath for all the same reasons you do and am also curious about how high I would rank it if I got to try other hypers for the same reasons you are. I have it ranked as the #4 coaster of the 55 I have rode. It has a lot of great qualities in my opinion. Everything you mentioned and also great intensity and it is perfectly smooth. Probably the smoothest coaster I have ever been on.

[acq10uaz]

So is Little Six going to be walking around the parks with is dad?

 

[mwm1444]

^^ and ^^^, I also rate Goliath quite high - I think it's probably near the top of my list, at least in terms of unthemed coasters. Bearing in mind the only other hyper I've ridden is the Pepsi Max Big One, and that's awful. With Goliath, I definitely agree about the airtime, and general 'hyper'-ness as highlights.

[haiderodes]

^^I was thinking grandpa vs. dad.

[CreditCrazy]

I'm curious about how many "well-traveled" enthusiasts are out there who rate SFMM Goliath highly. Personally, I liked it a lot, but it's my first and only hyper. Basically I'm wondering whether my high rating (9/10) is a personal opinion quirk where I may just permanently like certain things about it more than most other people do, or if I just need to experience the higher rated hypers and would subsequently rate it much lower than I currently do.

Based on my limited experience, what I like best about it is the airtime and the low-speed turn, but I take it that it's not actually considered an "airtime" coaster and many others actually have a lot more airtime. Other than that I just like the "hyper-ness" (height, speed) that I assume any hyper would provide.

 

I'm hardly a well traveled enthusiast, but I do give Goliath a 9/10 and it's my fifth favorite coaster I've been on. I rank it ahead of Phantom's Revenge, Diamondback, Magnum XL-200 and Desperado.

Edited April 6, 2010 by CreditCrazy

[PAL]

^^^Regarding how SFMM's Goliath compares to other hypers. You guys would benefit from a trip out to the east coast. More money will come with age (and time-robbing responsibility).

 

I enjoy Goliath west's first two drops and that floaty hill, but its nothing like Nitro or Apollo's Chariot. Those hypers are much longer and boast spades more air time, so much so there's little basis for comparison with Goliath. They don't belong in the same class they are so different.

[austinlee]

^^ I liked Desperado much more when it was newer and a lot smoother than it is now. I rode it for the first time in Dec, 1994. It was about 30 degrees at the time and the wind chill on the coaster made it feel like my face was going to freeze. I rode it some more times, each separated by a few years since then and it seems to get more and more rough each time. I rode it most recently in July, 2008 and it had finally got to the point of being so rough that it was painful to ride and I actually hurt my back a little bit on it. Goliath beats the heck out of Desperado now. If Desperado was smooth I would rank it much higher than I have.

[AllenA07]

Two men and two women from the San Gabriel Valley were arrested at Magic Mountain in Valencia, accused of drunkenly causing trouble, authorities said.

 

Steven Michael Saucedo, 24, of Azusa; Henry Angel Nava, 21, of Monterey Park; Vyrle Sophia Galarze, 22, of West Covina; and Francine Ramos, 22, of West Covina are accused of being drunk in the amusement park, creating a disturbance, intimidating other park guests, cussing in the presence of children and refusing to leave the park after being ordered to do so by sheriff’s deputies and security officers, said Sgt. Darren Harris of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, Santa Clarita Valley Station.

 

The defendants face a misdemeanor and if found guilty could serve 90 days in a county jail, a fine of up to $400, or both.

 

Source: http://www.the-signal.com/news/article/26982/

 

I hate hearing about things like this after the park has really tried to clean up it's image. Problem is whenever you have that many people you're going to have a few people who simply can't follow the rules.