Everland Discussion Thread

[King of Ka]

I don't know if this is sadder for the people who had such a great time on this ride, or those of us who never got a chance to.

 

Here's hoping that at some point another roller coaster will be built or discovered that lives up to Eagle Fortress's craziness.

[Chris Benvenuto]

Aw. I looked forward to riding it one day in the future, but, oh well. You can't always get what you want, and life will go on without me getting another good credit in the eyes of many.

[Jew]

I think everyone knew this was coming. The forces were just insane for a Suspended coaster! There's no way the ride wasn't tearing itself apart. I'll never forget asking "Did I just get airtime on a suspended?!>! WTF?? AWESOME!"

[PKI Jizzman]

Wow. Looks like a Boulder Dash turned suspended...I like Flight Deck at KI, so I'm sure this would have been incredible.

[SharkTums]

^Please do not compare anything at Kings Island to Eagles Fortress!!!!

[CorkscrewFoley]

No No the I305/Ge Force love child was my dream for somewhere closer to me...like SFMM but if it did infact get built over in Everland then I think I'd have to hock everything I own to make it on that TRP trip.

 

Sad to hear another amazing Arrow Suspened is bitting the dust, I love these rides especially BBW(rip) and Votex

 

Even if the I305-EGF love child went to Everland, it's still close to you, seeing as you live in California.

 

Anyways, I am saddened by the loss of EF, I never got to ride it, but had a fondness for Arrow Suspended...

 

Tim 'I-Just-Hope-CW's Vortex-Isn't-Going-Anywhere' West.

[RoCo]

... just watched that POV+ video again... the stuff of legend... kills me to have missed this ride.

[Ed]

A shame! However no matter how fun Arrow Suspendeds are to ride, there's no question that they aren't the easiest things in the world to maintain, especially if they are as fast and forceful as Eagle Fortress looks!

 

Here's to something even better in its place!

[CHILLERLC1]

Probably the best month I've ever had for coasters was April 2007. I was on an exchange in Korea and got to ride Eagle Fortress on April 6. This was when the "Coming soon" was on the Everland map before T-Express was constructed. Then later in the month I was on Big Bad Wolf at Busch Gardens. I think my incredible ride on Eagle Fortress enhanced the effects I saw on Big Bad Wolf. What a duo in a month. I'll miss Eagle Fortress for its truest of sense being a terrain coaster, hugging that lush mountaintop. I had no problem sacrificing a ride on the nearby Vekoma looping clone so I could ride Eagle Fortress and Double Rock Spin, still my favorite park installation Topspin ever. HRP should have had that type of Topspin with two giant guitars up the sides.

[milst1]

Hats off to that night ERT session we had. That ride just kicked ass. I guess it comes off Mitch's poll, right? Have to put the all-time list together.

[ILoveRides]

I'm so sad I never got on this It was near the top of my "must ride" list. Hopefully something great replaces it.

[The Angry Darren Mullins]

I actually posted on here several months ago that EF would not reopen and it was quickly deleted. I have friends at Everland who told me this. These friends are not responsible for the Dippin' Dots stands either. They are respected people who have worked their way into high positions within the park. I believe the removal of BBW has partially inspired Everland officials to remove EF as the park has been trying to follow American park trends. I feel bad for those who didn't get to ride this awesome ride. I consider it to be the best steel coaster I have been on. I have also been on Superman or whatever it is called now at Six Flags New England, Phantom's Revenge, Steel Dragon 2000, Millennium Force and Top Thrill Dragster. None of these rides even come close to EF. I have ridden 521 steel coasters. EF is # 1.

[robbalvey]

I believe the removal of BBW has partially inspired Everland officials to remove EF as the park has been trying to follow American park trends.

Sorry pal, I don't buy this one bit. I also have spoken with people at Everland and nothing they have told me reflects this at all. Eagle's Fortress has been having issues for a long time now. I do not believe the two rides closing are related at all.

[The Angry Darren Mullins]

I contacted Everland this morning about the news that EF was going to be removed and I got a reply saying that Everland was considering removing the coaster, but no final decision had been made.

 

I never said that BBW had anything to do with Everland's decision. I am saying that it may influence Everland as Everland tends to follow park trends around the world. EF closed in January of 2009, several months before the closure of BBW was announced. Before the closure of BBW was announced, the only talk I heard was that EF would be fixed and returned to service. After the announcement that BBW would close, an Everland employee told me that the ride may be removed like one in America. It just seems odd to me that talk of removing EF would begin after the announcement about BBW. All I heard before that time is the ride would be repaired and reopened.

[Jew]

Rumors that the ride was going to be modified or removed started long before BBW was closed. I first heard a rumor that the ride was either going to get the floorless Vekoma trains or be removed shortly after the first TPR trip to Korea in 2007.

[The Angry Darren Mullins]

I am sure there could have been rumors about the removal of Eagle's Fortress. I am just going on what I was told. For the first half of 2009, there was a lot of positive talk about reopening EF. I know the 10 Year Master Revitalisation Plan, which is on display in the Celebration Center does include EF, but it shows that other rides and attractions will be removed.

 

I think that Everland removing EF would be equal to Cedar Point removing Magnum. At least the good news is, as of this morning, EF is not going anywhere at the present time. I forwarded an email to some of you that I got from someone in a high position at the park.

 

If it is removed, I am sorry for all of those who didn't get to experience it. Eagle's Fortress is a fantastic ride. The best way to describe it is as someone said earlier, a suspended version of Boulder Dash...or since Boulder Dash came later, maybe Bouder Dash is a wooden version of EF.

[Garet]

So i got back from my monthly pilgrimage to Everland and couldn't see any difference about the demolition, it still says refurbishment but as I put in my photo TR, this was very unlikely considering that the Koreans are so quick at this in the 4-5 trips i've made i've seen them strip down rides and have them back together in just over a week, granted eagles fortress is different from the flats but it certainly wouldn't take two years. I'm quickly going to throw my two cents in on this, try not to shoot me down i've heard nothing official from the park this is just the opinion of someone who lives in korea and visits the parks quite regularly.

 

Eagles Fortress does look in a dire state, it is extremely overgrown from the two years of closure and is in quite a state. Anyone that has visited Everland will know this ride is really built to follow the curves of the hillside and the way it looks, it would need quite a lot of work done to refurbish it, the costs i would wager would be fairly substancial to get the machinery in to get it back into working order. As stated with the reason for it being closed, unfortunately we have just had a major recession and Korea is facing even more due to the issues with Greece causing havoc on the economy, Eagles Fortress sadly needed money in the one time the economy couldn't afford it.

 

Secondly and this isn't trying to be stereotypical, although they could market it as a new ride if it had new cars, to us it we would view it that way but to the Koreans it wouldn't pull in the crowds. Koreans like things that are new and unique, all my Koreans friends always say this and its even in the culture books I read. It's why most electronics stores already have aisles just for 3D Tvs when the concept is still just getting off the ground elsewhere. It's the same with the theme parks, Lotte World still advertises the gyro drop as the only one in Korea, same with why T-express pulls in the crowds (not just because its awesome) but because the koreans hadn't experienced wooden coasters yet. Most new additions to the bigger parks you'll notice is something new thats unique, there is very little repeats of the same kinds of rides between the korean parks, an example being the top scan Everland got, it was new and unique to the korean parks.

 

Trust me, I want eagles fortress saved as much as any of you, I hate that every visit I can see it yet will never ever get to experience it but when it comes down to the consumer market here, spending the money between upgrading a ride or getting something that isn't good (say a topple tower) but unique to Korea, sadly Eagles fortress would never win.

 

Rob

[Dotrobot]

yeah that's why frigging seoul land is like to be demolished whole. Because the rides there are so old. I mean did u see the bumper cars? They had long antennaes to some mesh web that created sparks which = SCARED Me!

[deathbydinn]

yeah that's why frigging seoul land is like to be demolished whole. Because the rides there are so old. I mean did u see the bumper cars? They had long antennaes to some mesh web that created sparks which = SCARED Me!

 

You get scared by a few sparks on bumper cars yet you call yourself a coaster enthusiast? You would die at Little Amerricka.

[chemical_echo]

I mean did u see the bumper cars? They had long antennaes to some mesh web that created sparks which = SCARED Me!

Those are pretty much the only bumper cars I know.

If I recall correctly, big parks like Cedar Point and Canada's Wonderland still use the antenna-attached-to-the-roof kind of bumper cars.

[robbalvey]

yeah that's why frigging seoul land is like to be demolished whole. Because the rides there are so old. I mean did u see the bumper cars? They had long antennaes to some mesh web that created sparks which = SCARED Me!

This is exactly how Bumper Cars are supposed to work.

[The Angry Darren Mullins]

Less than a month ago, no official statement from the park had been made other than the ride might be replaced. Now I can report that a decision has been made. Last night (May 24), I recieved an email from someone at Everland who broke the news to me. EF will not reopen and will be replaced with a new coaster in 2012. I have the email saying this from a higher-up at the park if anyone wants to question this.

[snowboard83]

^That sucks Darren. Can't say that I'm surprised though. But thanks for the update.

[The Angry Darren Mullins]

It sucks to be the first one to find out officially about this, but at least we can move on now. I do not count the announcement a month ago as official because my sources at Everland denied this a few weeks back. I feel bad for those who did not get to experience this ride. I have spent all afternoon watching POV footage on You Tube. This is a loss for every party concerned. They are saying a new coaster will replace EF in 2012...but anyone knows you can't top perfection. I know the people at Everland will do their best to create a world class coaster for 2012, but I really think they will be trading down.

[808Freq]

 

 

This is the only ride out of the US that I told myself "I'd travel to ride that"