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Height Limit Horror Story


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Good talking, everybody. I do appreciate the listening!

 

Cheers!

Ben

No problem! I hope we can at least offer something that can help make your hobby more enjoyable, even if it's just a different perspective on things.

 

--Robb

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Wow I didn't even know they have "too tall" hieghts in addition to the "too short" standards on rides. I always kind of wanted to be a bit taller than I am (bout 5'6), but I guess there are some good points to being "not so tall"

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While I agree that height and girth are the only limits that can be tested at the scene, I digress that having other rules like bad backs and pregnant mothers are useless too.

 

The only case in which you will win is if you dont know you have a bad back or are expecting which...in how many cases will you honestly not know? If my back is screwed up and I ride a coaster that messes it up further, I went on knowing I could get hurt.

 

 

Being just at the stick should allow a point where you can write off your rights to ride. Like almost something to do at the front gate. I have seen ride ops allow kids just a shade under, like, where you can tell its their thick hair but it still hits the stick and they get in fine. Those limits are limits but I remember wanting to ride the go karts and my parents stuck cardboard inserts into my shoes because I was just a shade under. Safe? Yea. I could still function in the cart fully. However, had I been just an inch shorter and it would have been a problem.

 

Im fairly certain that the limits set by the manufacturer are around 1 inch conservative.

 

 

I think alot of the ride op training should include how to deal with people. Ive seen some who can, but most who cant. Most people dont want to be patronized, just told the truth. Not, "Your too tall - leave now" but probably "You are too tall for the restraints to close to a safe level."

 

Ive seen lots of incidents avoided because a ride op took the time to treat the guest as a human, not a statistic. Im pretty sure Ben wouldnt even have needed to post this if the ride op handled it differently.

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I'm 6'3 with barefeet, which translates to 1m91 in metric system. In 2001, I went a few times to Six Flags Belgium (Walibi Belgium now) and rode their Intamin freefall a few times. Last time I went, the operator pulled out a second height stick and told me I could not ride, since I was over the 1m90 height restriction! I was shocked and we all laughed about it.

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I rode that exact ride with a friend who is 6'4" and nothing was said to him since he was able to get his restraint closed. Maybe that ride op was just in a bad mood for singling you out before you even got to try out the restraint. I also didn't realize that there was a height restriction on it...I thought that so long as you fit into the restraint you were ok. (My friend fit, by the way, but just barely, and not comfortably at all!)

 

-Julie

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I can sympathise with you, and I also understand limits are there for a reason. The argument I would have is that say on a sit down surely the only real measurement that matters is waist to top of head. If that is within said prescribed limit than there will be no problems as long as the restraint closes to an acceptable level.

 

I'm 6'7'' and for all everyone knows i could have 6 foot legs and a 7" body which would make me look rather stupid, but as long as the restraint closed then I doubt I'm going to take my head out on anything, which surely would be the risk.

 

Its a difficult case to argue, but I do think that more park websites should advertise upper limits. For example Alton Towers do not but they have limits on Ripsaw and Spinball.

 

I also think that special seats should be made for tall people like they are for larger people.

 

Not to add too much more to a long post but the Safari Skyway monorail at Chessington has a max height of 1.95m!! Why?

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Having probably trained that ride or attendant, she did exactly what she was trained to do, so I can't feel bad about that...

 

To address the size issues (specifically at Superman) without getting too far into it, the restrictions are purely based on ensuring that the restraints are in an effective position. Yes, body types are different and when you get into height issues, proportions may differ, but, ultimately, there is a good reason for it all.

 

In regards to what was said about riders assuming the risk when getting on the ride, I couldn't agree more. This gets into the whole theory of darwinism, but if signs are posted and ignored, well, that was stupid on the rider's part. Unfortunately, things don't work that way and, if there's one thing I learned from working on that ride, it's that we need to assume that we are responsible for every person that boards the ride because they can't be responsible for themselves. Not to criticize (because you are close), but you did expect to ride knowing that you're over the max height. And, unfortunately, size is pretty much the only thing we can check, besides the obvious checking of restraints.

 

As far as waiting 90 minutes in line before being told you could not ride... well, you should have found me and you would have been compensated

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Being 6'4 (though never turned away from a ride) I can honestly say that if it was ME who wasn't allowed on SROS I'd be a bit upset myself; but not at the ride op.

 

Rules are rules and as they may suck for us tall/short/overweight/whatever among us that person gets a paycheck to enforce them. Could you ride safely? Sure. Might you go back and find a ride op who doesn't pull out the you're-too-tall stick and you get on and have a great ride? That may happen too. It's a realization the tall/short/blah blah blah among us have to come to that every now and then there is a ride we just can't get on at the time.

 

That being said it surely sucks you couldn't ride, and all I can say is I hope I get the ride op that doesn't touch the stick-o-depression.

 

Clay "taking the insoles out of my shoes before I ride" Lamanske

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I went a few times to Six Flags Belgium (Walibi Belgium now) and rode their Intamin freefall a few times. Last time I went, the operator pulled out a second height stick and told me I could not ride, since I was over the 1m90 height restriction! I was shocked and we all laughed about it.

 

The same thing happens to me on that ride. I even checked before hand and I was just on the borderline, But they got the stick out and made me stand next it. Funny how long tad of hair sticking up makes me not ride it as that was over the line . Weird really as Apocalypse Sit down side and Stand up don’t say anything about Max restriction. But Hurakan Condor had a max of 1.95m any sides, and I had no problems riding that.

 

 

Just need to try a Vekoma Invert Boomerang, Which Stunt fall has a Max of 1.95m.

 

On the thought of weird restrictions any reason Why! Black Mamba has a max of 1.95m, Never know a B+M inverter to have that.

 

I think the most stupid ones are ages, when kids now day are like 9 years old and 1.4m, but rides like Expedition GeForce and Katun have this No Under 12’s allow when the ride has an 1.4m. (But then works in your favour sometimes I guess)

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There are some very good things said in here. But being too tall for a ride is just about the same for being too short for a ride, in my opinion there really is no difference, rules are rules.

 

But to everyone out there if we are at a park and there is a ride that I am too tall for, we have to wait just so they can bust out that "other stick"! I have never seen one of these and would love for it to be used on me....

 

Casey"I will still ride kiddie coasters and one day I will get the goliath JR. Credit"Childers

 

Goliath Jr.=the holy grail of coaster credit for the tall person

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But to everyone out there if we are at a park and there is a ride that I am too tall for, we have to wait just so they can bust out that "other stick"! I have never seen one of these and would love for it to be used on me....

 

They could have used one of those sticks on the Mouse at Blackpool.

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If you know your hair makes you too tall, then you slick it down next time you go.

If you know your shoes make you too tall, don't wear heels.

 

It does not work if you are too tall, then ask to change something.

You need to be the proper height the first time.

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if there's one thing I learned from working on that ride, it's that we need to assume that we are responsible for every person that boards the ride because they can't be responsible for themselves.

Well said. Unfortunate, but very true.

 

--Robb "Thanks for your insight." Alvey

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I've probably told this story before but I think it bears repeating in this thread.

I went to SFA last summer and one of my main reasons for going was to ride Superman. I'm 6'2" and pretty large. After a few attempts at riding I was turned away because the T-Bar couldn't get to the second click. I finally took off my shoes and was able to make it. Jammed the hell out of my legs, but made it.

I was never flagged while waiting in line by an op though.

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^ Hi SupermanFan, could you please tell me if you would let someone on SROS with bare feet ? Also, if someone was just that little bit too tall, would you offer them the chance of taking off thier shoes?

 

Unfortunately, no to both. Shoes are required on Superman. And with the shin cuffs, you'd want them on anyway.

 

I hope I am speaking for most current or past ride operators when I say that we don't enjoy turning people away. When checking a rider that is close to any sort of restriction, I did all I could to try to get them to ride. But if it became clear, after trying it all, that the rider would not qualify, the rules needed to be upheld.

 

I know there are plenty of parks and carnivals where there are people that don't think the way I do, but when it comes down to it, the responsibility of a ride operator or attendant is a great one that I certainly never took lightly.

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I hope I am speaking for most current or past ride operators when I say that we don't enjoy turning people away. When checking a rider that is close to any sort of restriction, I did all I could to try to get them to ride. But if it became clear, after trying it all, that the rider would not qualify, the rules needed to be upheld.

 

I know there are plenty of parks and carnivals where there are people that don't think the way I do, but when it comes down to it, the responsibility of a ride operator or attendant is a great one that I certainly never took lightly.

 

Yeah, same here. I can't tell you how many times I got cussed at, made somebody cry, or was told that I "take my job too seriously" when I turned people away from Millennium Force during my summer at CP. Rules are rules though, and as much as I hated working the ride at times, I was always thinking about the other Intamin incidents so that made it easier to brush off.

 

I find this story interesting though because while I was working at CP, the safety nazis (not a bad thing), I personally loaded Grant Hill and remember Lebron James riding, both of whom are 6'8''.

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See, this why I like being small, even though I have picked on a lot, at least I can still ride coasters(5'4").

 

But I have shared the same hummilliation. About 3 years ago I visited DL with my family to take my grandparents there and the whole day seemed fine, until the day was ending. My grandpa's favorite ride was Indiana Jones and he wanted to ride it one more time. My grandparents can't walk the whole distance so they needed wheelchairs. Disney rule is if the are handicap, the enter through the exit, so while I sat there with my grandma and grandpa at the exit, the rest of my family waited in the 75min line. So if you have ridden Indiana Jones, you know that at one point, you watch the corny video that tells you to put you belongings in the bag in front of you and buckle your seat belt. But since I was in the exit, I didn't see it. So right as I was about to board, this fat Hulk Hogan impersonator came up and got in my face and was like," Hey you frickn punk, you think you can just walk on this ride without waiting." So I told him I was waiting in the exit with my grandparents. So he told me that no one goes on without watching the video. I snapped and started yelling at him saying that is the dumbest video ever and it says nothing. e argued for about 3 mins and after saying he had every intention of kicking me out, I turned around left.

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