Griffon vs. Sheikra-Survey

[alpengeist04]

Too close to call, but at least I have SheiKra less than an hour from me.

[cfc]

^^You do get more of a whiff of the BBQ from Sheikra (wind has to be right for Griffon).

 

really? I got quite a good whiff of BBQ on every ride I had on griffon excluding the night ride. I'm going to have to go with griffon, eventhough i have not ridden shiekra, (im not voting) because i absolutely love how it is nestled into that area of the park, plus views from the chairlift are awesome!

 

I think it also depends on whether someone is cooking on the big grill out in front of the Smokehouse (as they often are).

[Mark Rosenzweig]

Having ridden both, I'll give my thoughts, mostly because of how relatively disappointed I was with Griffon. Not that Griffon is a *bad* ride, but...read on....

 

SheiKra was the *perfect* addition to BGA at a time when the Florida theme park market's coaster wars had dried up. It added a much needed thrill to the park, and in my mind re-generated the coaster wars in that market which we will see over the next 2-3 years, proving that a major coaster is a needed investment every so often, even in a destination market.

 

The installation and theme design done for SheiKra is nothing short of spectacular. Midways interact with nearly every portion of the ride's circuit. The monstrous station stands nearly 5 storeys tall, with the double load feature strangely left out on Griffon. The second drop into the tunnel offers another signature element Griffon lacks. Griffon's unique element that won me over was perhaps the speed hill prior to the splashdown trim.

 

BGE's installation was impressive, but mostly thanks to nature and less thanks to design/theming. It needlessly cost the LeMans Raceway its life (I could be off base, but they could have easily kept the Raceway and let it sprawl under Griffon's trackage). Griffon's only theming is its miniscule loading station that was horribly designed. There simply was not enough contained queue designed into it. There is no reason why even on a slow day that the queue should have to spill out onto the ride's plaza.

 

Having not ridden SheiKra with Floorless Trains, I would have to say the Floorless feature did little to affect my opinion one way or the other. SheiKra was fine with the original trains.

 

But since this is a ride versus ride survey...

 

First drop to mid course block- virtually the same ride experience with slightly different layouts. Second drop to splash trim- SheiKra dives into tunnel and out into banked 180 degree turn before hitting splash trim. Griffon dives at far less of an angle (perhaps a 75 degree drop) into a smaller immelman in the exact same direction as the first one. On a ride where trackage is mega costly per foot, why would one design the same exact element in the same exact direction into the same exact ride? As mentioned above, Griffon earns points for pre splash speed hill, but not enough to make up for the unoriginal nature of its design.

 

I think when it comes down to it, had Griffon been the first ride and SheiKra the second, I probably wouldn't have been so down on Griffon. It's just that with two years between the rides and with BGE's history for doing some amazing terrain inspired (and awe inspiring) custom coaster layouts, this one left a lot to be desired IMO. Again- not that it is a bad ride, just not up to BGE's standards based upon their past work.

 

So in the end, even while I personally like BGE leaps and bounds over BGA as a park, I give the nod to SheiKra.

 

-Mark

[KrakenKing]

Second drop to splash trim- SheiKra dives into tunnel and out into banked 180 degree turn before hitting splash trim. Griffon dives at far less of an angle (perhaps a 75 degree drop)...

 

Actually, the 2nd drop on Griffon is a steeper angle than on SheiKra...

 

SheiKra's 2nd drop is only 80° while Griffon's is around 88° or 89°

[InsanityFreak]

Second drop to splash trim- SheiKra dives into tunnel and out into banked 180 degree turn before hitting splash trim. Griffon dives at far less of an angle (perhaps a 75 degree drop)...

 

Actually, the 2nd drop on Griffon is a steeper angle than on SheiKra...

 

SheiKra's 2nd drop is only 80° while Griffon's is around 88° or 89°

 

You sure about that? I don't think so. Lol

[coasterfreak80]

I'm pretty sure that's not accurate either. Griffon's second drop looks like much less of an angle than Sheikra's.

[coasterfreak80]

 

Actually, the 2nd drop on Griffon is a steeper angle than on SheiKra...

 

SheiKra's 2nd drop is only 80° while Griffon's is around 88° or 89°

 

I stand corrected. According to Wikipedia, Sheikra's second drop is 81 degrees while Griffon's is 87 degrees. Odd.

[Richie!]

2) Extra immelman helps improve an otherwise very short ride.

Short ride? You should try out Oblivion or G5

 

I haven't been on either (haven't voted either), but I would *imagine* Griffon to be the better one of the two.

[cfc]

^^I imagine that a difference of 6 or 7 degrees in the drop angle would be tough to notice with the naked eye.

[sam06pr]

 

Actually, the 2nd drop on Griffon is a steeper angle than on SheiKra...

 

SheiKra's 2nd drop is only 80° while Griffon's is around 88° or 89°

 

I stand corrected. According to Wikipedia, Sheikra's second drop is 81 degrees while Griffon's is 87 degrees. Odd.

 

yeah cause wikipedia is a reliable source. lol

[coasterfreak80]

 

yeah cause wikipedia is a reliable source. lol

 

Very true!