Photo TR: Sad-and-Pathetic Coaster Stop at Carowinds

[cfc]

I was in western North Carolina over the weekend to visit some old friends, and decided to take a side trip to Charlotte on the way back to Virginia to hit Carowinds. I last visited the park during Winterfest a couple of years ago, and the only coaster running on that rather frigid evening was Top Gun.

 

So, Maxx Pass in hand, I cruised down to Carowinds to check out more of the park's hot coaster action. This was a pretty quick stop--I didn't make it to the park until 1:00 pm (Sunday, May 20), and I wanted to be out of there no later than 4:00 for the nearly six-hour drive back to Williamsburg. Call it a wee bit of sad-and-pathetic credit whoring--good thing it was a slow day at Carowinds.

 

My impressions? Carowinds is nice-enough park, with one great coaster (Top Gun), one "interesting" coaster (Borg), and a bunch of average-to-mediocre coasters. Here they are, from best to worst.

 

Top Gun--This smooth-as-glass B&M inverted is CW's best by a country mile. I love the layout, and I think it lasts just about long enough. It's a better ride than BGE's Alpengeist.

 

Thunder Road--Well, y'all, this here woodie shore looks a lot like somethin' in Virginny called the Rebel Yell. It races forwards and bass ackwards, and the only way y'all can get a decent picture of it is from the water park--jest like Rebel Yell. An enjoyable ride, with some pops of air (but a bit "bouncy").

 

Borg Assimilator-- This Vekoma flyer was the longest wait on a pretty slow day--30 minutes with two-train operation. It's fairly intense and nicely themed, but definitely has the "Vekoma rattle." I prefer its slightly smoother cousin at Six Flags America (Batwing).

 

Carolina Cyclone--This is an old Arrow with two loops and corkscrews and a Helix of Death finish. And, you know, it wasn't that bad--not smooth, certainly, but I didn't leave with a pounding headache.

 

Carolina Goldrusher--Arrow strikes again, this time with a mine-train coaster and two lifthills. This little family coaster is fun, but a little rough, and it has a surprising, high-speed finish. Adults might want to be careful of their knees, though--I banged mine up a bit on this sucker.

 

Vortex--Well, I have reached one conclusion: Stand ups, as a group, simply aren't very good. This B&M with its Nutcracker restraints is not too sweet, and it's a headbanger to boot. Cedar Fair could make a fortune selling athletic cups emblazoned with the Vortex logo.

 

Runaway Reptar--This is a Vekoma kiddie inverted, which seems to hate kids (as well as adults). Well, might as well get those young enthusiasts indoctrinated into the cult of hang 'n' bang early, I guess.

 

The park gets pretty good marks for operations--all the coasters I rode (except Reptar, of course), were running two trains, and waits were pretty minimal (except for Borg, which I think they were running as well as they could).

 

I didn't ride the following due to lack of time, interest, or both: Hurler, Ricochet, and Super Saturator.

 

And now, the photos--enjoy.

. . . don't bother, they're here. Thunder Road says "hey," Rebel Yell. Thanks for reading.

Send in the clones . . .

. . . on Top Gun.

Yes, it's "Mission Accomplished" . . .

Grr! Me little baby Vekoma! Still beat you up good!

. . . yadda, yadda, yadda, you have been assimilated.

Yes, resistance is futile . . . blah, blah, blah . . .

Well, it's time to add my biological and technological distinctiveness to the collective.

Scr-r-r-r-e-w-w-w-w!

See? L-o-o-o-o-p!

Look, Jahan! It's an Arrow double loop-screw!

Yes, Jahan's heart is leaping with joy!

The next five pictures are for Jahan, so you might want to leave the room. It's an Arrow mine train!

Just take a few spins on Vortex. After this loop, you'll be screaming like a banshee in no time!

So, gents--would you like to audition for American Idol, but you're afraid you can't hit those high notes?

Yeah--what the hell state am I in, anyway?

Hey, Chuck--BGE has opened Griffon early. So what the hell are you doing at Carowinds?

[kennywood!007]

Very nice PTR Chuck! Great photos of BORG. I enjoyed it very much!

[Pufferfish]

Thanks for the TR. I was wondering how my home park was doing this year. I need to go get my season pass processed.

[carolinacaniac]

Yeah Chuck, what the hell were you doing in Carlotte? GRIFFON WAS OPEN! Just picking on you, it is nice to be able to see old friends. Besides, I am sure that you will get plenty of Griffon rides in to make up for it.

 

Nice pictures too, btw

[thrillrideseeker]

Great TR! I just have one question... you said... " Just take a few spins on Vortex. After this loop, you'll be screaming like a banshee in no time!" Whats a banshee?

~Matthew

[Top Thrill Dragster]

Whats a banshee?

 

I believe it is a ghost or a screaming spirit.

[SpartanTS]

Carowinds just need to add a few flats and a hyper we've been dying to have for the past few years. Other than that, it's a great park. Not the best, but surely not the worst.

 

I'm moving to Charlotte, NC this weekend. I guess I'll become a season passholder now

[cfc]

Whats a banshee?

 

I believe it is a ghost or a screaming spirit.

 

Yep--a generally female spirit, with a rather high-pitched scream, who arrives when someone is about to die in Irish mythology. Disney's Darby O'Gill and the Little People has a very freaky scene featuring a banshee (scared the hell out of me when I was a kid).

[jamesdillaman]

Good Photo TR, Chuck. When are you coming up here to hit parks with Julia and me? The invitation's open.

 

-James Dillaman

[cfc]

I'd like to hit the Ohio parks sometime this summer, but my fiendish plans keep changing, James. I'll be in touch.

[jamesdillaman]

Don't forget the Indiana parks, Chuck. They're each less than 4 hours for me, and very doable day-trips. King's Island is comparably in my back yard (less than 5 minutes if you DON'T take the freeway, about 3 if you do), and CP is a doable trip for us, too, although not as close as Holiday World

[PKI Jizzman]

Ooo...new red restraints on Vortex. They were orange or yellow or something last time I saw. Great TR! I am really lookin foreward to getting back on that Highway to the Danger zone

 

Oh yea James, I might be taking you up on that Holiday World Trip offer

[jamesdillaman]

^ Just call me up any weekend, we'll jump in my car and be there in 3 hours (but if you're parents are asking, 4 hours )

 

-James Dillaman

[PKI Jizzman]

^ Just call me up any weekend, we'll jump in my car and be there in 3 hours (but if you're parents are asking, 4 hours )

 

-James Dillaman

 

Haha, the quicker I can get to The Voyage, the better Indiana Beach looks quite tempting as well. "Ugghhh....traffic caused 7 hours of delay!"

[blacknite2oo7]

Wow I'm sorry, that we get stuck with used rides pretty much since the year of the BORG (or Stealth the worlds first flying coaster) big woop. Yeah one problem with going big is that the Sky Tower is pretty much the height set for Carowinds thanks to the airport. we may not have some of huge coasters but we do have the Carolina Cyclone which was the first ride featuring 4 inversions and Hurler which if I do remeber right is the exact same as KD and was built the same year. Oh and we have our VORTEX which was designed by Claude Mabillard himself (I think, I read it in a book don't really remeber). Over all our patch of land we Call Carowinds has went through many changes esp. after Cedar Fair took over but I do think Carowinds needs to go as big as they can for 2008 since there is going to be new compition and that compition is getting a new B&M coaster. What ever they do I only want one thing and that thing is for whatever is "new" to really be NEW not USED.

[arrowfanman]

Thanks for the photos Chuck! Glad to see a little bit of Arrow-love! Five photos!--I'm not worthy!

 

 

-Jahan

[Erik Johnson]

While Top Gun does kick some serious butt, you missed out on the best ride in the park: The Flyers (which is themed to some Nick toon called Danny Phantom). Other than the ones at Knoebels, The Carowinds Flyers are the best I have ridden. The Carowinds Flyers certainly destroys the ones located at KD, Hershey, and most certainly Cypress Gardens....

[cfc]

^I would've loved to have ridden the flyers, but time got away from me--it was a long haul back to Williamsburg. (Should've skipped Runaway Reptar.)

 

But I imagine I'll hit Carowinds again someday, when I have a bit more time to check it all out.

[alpengeist04]

Wow I'm sorry, that we get stuck with used rides pretty much since the year of the BORG (or Stealth the worlds first flying coaster) big woop. Yeah one problem with going big is that the Sky Tower is pretty much the height set for Carowinds thanks to the airport. we may not have some of huge coasters but we do have the Carolina Cyclone which was the first ride featuring 4 inversions and Hurler which if I do remeber right is the exact same as KD and was built the same year. Oh and we have our VORTEX which was designed by Claude Mabillard himself (I think, I read it in a book don't really remeber).

 

I wouldn't go bragging about Vortex or Hurler.

[Cameron]

Nice photos, Chuck. I was at Carowinds in 2004 and had a great time. Pity they're under the Cedar Fair umbrella now.

 

I pretty much agree with you about Top Gun, which is one of my favorite Inverts, and certainly under-rated. The rest is pretty "meh", but the park on the whole was enjoyable (in 2004).

 

Cameron.