Shivering Timbers fall to mediocrity

[N'at Man]

Oh how the once mighty has fallen. Two years ago Shivering Timbers was still

my #1 coaster even though it was starting to show some weaknesses. It was

destined for #2 with the debut of The Voyage but a true downfall was not

something I expected. But in my opinion that's what has happened under the

Cedar Fair banner.

 

I had a chance to ride Timbers yesterday. I know it takes time to warm up

but even at 3 PM the ride was doing nothing even with two trains running all

day. In the past, early in the day when Timbers was running slower, it still

gave you some airtime. You barely even felt floatage on the fourth hill. The

rest of the ride was long and rough. My last ride was just after 6 PM as I

had to give up after the ride gave me a headache and left me nauseated.

Pardon me for leaving the park so early but I can tell you the ride didn't

pick up any more between the hours of 4 and 6 PM. In past years the ride has

been tough for me to ride and it keeps getting more difficult each year.

I've gone from taking 60 rides in a day on Timbers down to 9. Consider that

I can ride The Voyage for entire ERT sessions at night with my hands up,

left wanting more, yet I can only manage a handful of Timbers rides all day.

 

Strangely at 3:45 the ride really picked up some speed but it still didn't

deliver. It had some airtime but nothing to get me excited. Nothing like it

used to dish out. When I compare my Timbers rides to recent rides on the

Blue Streak at CP, the Streak blows it out of the water as far as airtime

goes. Back in Timbers prime I'd never compare it to the Blue Streak. The

ride was not really a #2 caliber ride last year but it was probably still

top 15. Now it's going to rank out of my top 25, no contest, not even close.

 

Strangely, the Blue Streak is about the only Cedar Fair woodie that has

impressed me recently (I'll pick up Renegade soon). Shivering Timbers has

that Cedar Fair coaster feel now. The track looks and feels like the type of

track you have on Mean Streak, Ghostrider, Hurler, Rebel Yell, Racer, etc.

They've taken the CCI feel out of it.

 

I doubt the ride will be brought back to its former glory any time soon if

ever. Michigan's Adventure draws a crowd despite being one of the least

attractive and least appealing parks you'll find anywhere. Aside from

Timbers they have the crappy Wolverine Wildcat and an obsolete Corkscrew

flanking Timbers as flagship coasters. But at least they added a Coasters

diner so there is now one acceptable place to eat in the park. I probably

shouldn't have visited the park this year but I had to know first hand if

Timbers was going to hold on to some of its greatness or lose it all. Now

that I know the answer I doubt I'll return to Muskegon any time soon.

[jamesdillaman]

What seat did you ride in, because at timbersfest it delivered great airtime, and when tom (Shockwave) went, he also talked about the airtime on each and every one of the hills. If you sat in the middle of the train, though, you wouldn't feel it as much.

 

-James Dillaman

[knottslover77]

I hear that Shivering Timbers fell like GhostRider did at Knott's Berry Farm.

 

--Jay

[steel]

Wow, I agree with a lot of what you said, but it's not that bad, is it? It was just fine on the 14th. It's not the smoothest coaster in the world, of course (especially the helix at the end), but it isn't nearly as bad as Villain or Mean Streak.

You said something about having your hands up on Voyage - HOW?! I stopped trying to keep my hands up after about my fourth ride. It's just too much. I keep them up when there's airtime, but I have to brace myself at the bottoms of many of the first hills, through the turnaround, and through the entire back half of the course or it's just too painful.

Tell me your secret.

[easytoremember]

Its really not hard to keep your hands up on Voyage. The only part where it is kind of hard is the on-ride photo.

[almightyfire]

I think that also what happens is when we ride a coaster over and over it loses its appeal, I was a Texas Giant fanatic and it used to really excite me. I would ride it at least 10 times when i vist SFOT but now I am immuned to it and I rode it just once in April. Next year Texas will have to get a new big and not a family coaster at one of its parks or I will not get a season pass next year because I have ridden the coasters in the parks so much I just sit there on all of them and say uh huh I am ready to go.

[willski]

Oh how the once mighty has fallen. Two years ago Shivering Timbers was still

my #1 coaster even though it was starting to show some weaknesses. It was

destined for #2 with the debut of The Voyage but a true downfall was not

something I expected. But in my opinion that's what has happened under the

Cedar Fair banner.

 

I had a chance to ride Timbers yesterday. I know it takes time to warm up

but even at 3 PM the ride was doing nothing even with two trains running all

day. In the past, early in the day when Timbers was running slower, it still

gave you some airtime. You barely even felt floatage on the fourth hill. The

rest of the ride was long and rough. My last ride was just after 6 PM as I

had to give up after the ride gave me a headache and left me nauseated.

Pardon me for leaving the park so early but I can tell you the ride didn't

pick up any more between the hours of 4 and 6 PM. In past years the ride has

been tough for me to ride and it keeps getting more difficult each year.

I've gone from taking 60 rides in a day on Timbers down to 9. Consider that

I can ride The Voyage for entire ERT sessions at night with my hands up,

left wanting more, yet I can only manage a handful of Timbers rides all day.

 

Strangely at 3:45 the ride really picked up some speed but it still didn't

deliver. It had some airtime but nothing to get me excited. Nothing like it

used to dish out. When I compare my Timbers rides to recent rides on the

Blue Streak at CP, the Streak blows it out of the water as far as airtime

goes. Back in Timbers prime I'd never compare it to the Blue Streak. The

ride was not really a #2 caliber ride last year but it was probably still

top 15. Now it's going to rank out of my top 25, no contest, not even close.

 

Strangely, the Blue Streak is about the only Cedar Fair woodie that has

impressed me recently (I'll pick up Renegade soon). Shivering Timbers has

that Cedar Fair coaster feel now. The track looks and feels like the type of

track you have on Mean Streak, Ghostrider, Hurler, Rebel Yell, Racer, etc.

They've taken the CCI feel out of it.

 

I doubt the ride will be brought back to its former glory any time soon if

ever. Michigan's Adventure draws a crowd despite being one of the least

attractive and least appealing parks you'll find anywhere. Aside from

Timbers they have the crappy Wolverine Wildcat and an obsolete Corkscrew

flanking Timbers as flagship coasters. But at least they added a Coasters

diner so there is now one acceptable place to eat in the park. I probably

shouldn't have visited the park this year but I had to know first hand if

Timbers was going to hold on to some of its greatness or lose it all. Now

that I know the answer I doubt I'll return to Muskegon any time soon.

 

 

Seemed fine to me on the 8th of June. It was pretty slow at opening (11), but by the time I left at 5, it was moving pretty well. The airtime is still great on every hill, especially in the front car.

 

 

Maybe you just caught it on a bad day, which seems to happen more and more often now as the coaster ages under CF management. It needs some TLC in the form of a GG or GCI retrack, but unfortunately it won't. In a few more years' time, there won't be any reason to visit MiA.

 

Sad really...

[coasterJunkie94]

Yep Same thing happened to me on titan

I got bored with it!

[N'at Man]

To answer some of the questions, I rode in all of the extreme seats, 1.1, 1.2, 6.1, 6.2. Also, the ride did pick a reasonable amount of speed by 4 PM where it would, in the past give, a lot of airtime at that speed. But it gave minimal lift compared to what it used to deliver. The ride is now much rougher than it used to be. It's not nasty like Mean Streak but it's enough roughness on a long ride that it wears you down and can give you a headache over time.

 

As far as me getting too used to the ride, I don't think that's an issue. Since I do know the ride I know that it wasn't running well. I really think the track feels different now. I rode Timbers on opening day back in 1998 and it was truly an amazing ride. Since then I've ridden it every year and it was my #1 for 8 years. There are times when it's been a little off but starting two years ago I noticed it started to change and lose a bit of its punch. Even last year it still had a very acceptable amount of airtime. I think Timbers Fest is next week so we'll see if anyone has an update on how it's running.

[almightyfire]

I am not an engineer but can someone tell me what would make the ride change? I have always wondered this because I see a lot of people saying the ride changes on a lot of different coasters.

[Goliath513]

I hear that Shivering Timbers fell like GhostRider did at Knott's Berry Farm.

 

What's wrong with Ghostrider? I rode it last year and couldn't get enough of it.

 

I am not an engineer but can someone tell me what would make the ride change? I have always wondered this because I see a lot of people saying the ride changes on a lot of different coasters.

 

Weather conditions, neglect of maintenance, or modifications.

 

-Sam

[verticalzero]

I'm not bothered about how a roller coaster rides, let it be rough, slamming to the right n left, that's 1/2 the fun of riding one. As long as no sparks appear or the trains derail's itself i'll ride it.

 

After riding SOB in July 2000 (can't afford to fly to the USA 2 often due to other commitments) no rollercoaster has more boucy,screeching and vibrations than this, heading towards the double helix of death. The "loop" was the best part.

 

Need another woodie coaster with a "Loop" or "Corkscrew" installed within it's layout.

[almightyfire]

I am so glad I am not the only one who likes rough coasters. I think what has happened is that the younger crowd has gotten used to smooth as silk steel coasters and if it shakes even a little they are complaining. The first time I rode Texas Giant back in the 90's I was so sore from riding it back to back that I couldnt move my whole body the next day and guess what, I was so darn thrilled I couldnt wait to ride it again. Well I am 43 and I was raised in an era when we didnt have all of these loops and twist just nice airtime. These kids have no respect for the CLASSICS. hahahahhaha just teasing so please dont write me back with nasty comments.

 

SON OF THE BEAST looks just like its name. I cant wait to ride that sucka. It cant be much more rough than anything else I have ridden and as for Mean Streak it is still one of my favorite coasters and I rode it when it was new and I rode it 2 yrs ago and it isnt any rougher than it was the day it opened, I think most people tolerance level gets lower as they age not the coaster.