Are roller coaster grayouts/blackouts dangerous?

[rcjp]

-Hold your breath if you think you're going to black or grey out. This is the same thing fighter pilots do, and it works.

 

I think they also contract their leg muscles so that the blood doesn't go all the way down to their feet.

[Randomman295]

^I'll keep that in mind next time I ride Goliath. That and Raptor are the only ones I've blacked out on.

[boughtontroy]

I almost lost my vision on I305, and I was on front row.

[cfc]

I305 is the only coaster that's caused me to gray out.

[laqueefa]

-Hold your breath if you think you're going to black or grey out. This is the same thing fighter pilots do, and it works.

 

 

hooking!

[BeemerBoy]

EDIT: ^ He beat me to it.

 

-Hold your breath if you think you're going to black or grey out. This is the same thing fighter pilots do, and it works.

Negative, Ghostrider. While they do tense their arms, legs, and abdomen to restrict the blood flow to their lower extremities, they certainly DO NOT hold their breath. In fact, it's more of the opposite. They take quick, short, breaths that sound like "grunts." This helps keep the blood from running from their head. Here's a decent example (listen to his breathing)....

 

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[Moose]

^good to know. Thanks.

 

 

I knew about contracting your leg muscles and have been doing that for a few years when riding more intense inverted coasters which seem to be the worst in terms of greying out for me.

[Meteornotes]

I305 is the only coaster that's caused me to gray out.

 

Same. I sort of expected it to happen, so it didn't bother me.

 

dt

[gisco]

I have only had a slight grayout at times. Usually when i'm relaxed and don't try to fight the Gs.

[ManiaMuse]

EDIT: ^ He beat me to it.

 

-Hold your breath if you think you're going to black or grey out. This is the same thing fighter pilots do, and it works.

Negative, Ghostrider. While they do tense their arms, legs, and abdomen to restrict the blood flow to their lower extremities, they certainly DO NOT hold their breath. In fact, it's more of the opposite. They take quick, short, breaths that sound like "grunts." This helps keep the blood from running from their head. Here's a decent example (listen to his breathing)....

 

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I saw one of those where a pilot was disqualified for exceeding the manufacturer's G limit. He did 13+ Gs for nearly a whole second. The planes are only certified for up to 12 Gs so they had to ground the plane for a structural inspection.

 

The crazy thing is that if the planes were certified for higher Gs the pilots would probably push the limit even further.

[ArundelHigh Coasters]

Keeping yourself hydrated with WATER helps. My friend greyed out on I305 when we rode it before, and it was because he barely drank any water. I don't think it's dangerous, but you should go to your doctor so that he/ or she can give you some safety tips before riding roller coasters if it's due to a health condition. If you normally have seizures, I would go to your doctor and ask him or her what to do for safety before you ride roller coasters.

[Vonni]

I have experienced greyout on two Coasters. My first greyout was on Titan at SFOT. I did not know what was happening but when I came back to normal I was like whoa that was cool! lol! The second Coaster was Goliath at SFMM.

[rcjp]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNmMgM6tK94

Check this out, on 12:20 the guy pulls -4.5 Gs and on 13:30 he pulls more than +12Gs.

I guess this would be a bit too intense for a coaster

[gerstlaueringvar]

I don't think it would be dangerous for normal people. If the G force is too much for a guest, I believe the ride would not be approved to open.

[TheHalonSystem]

Let me just say that I am HORRIBLE with greyouts. The list of coasters I've greyed out on is probably longer than the list of ones I haven't. Now, it was mainly when I was little and I haven't really greyed out on rides like I used to.

 

Needless to say that some of my worst greyout experiences are on Millennium Force, Mantis (standing up really didn't help but hopefully the floorless conversion will help), Dragon Challenge the first time especially on the red side (it was dueling dragons at the time) and the first time I rode Incredible Hulk.

 

I don't really think it's that dangerous but it's probably not healthy. I think it could be constant standing throughout the day may be my problem, so I've tried to put my head down frequently when in line, like on the railing. I have trouble standing still as well because I will get dizzy and will see spots in my vision so I will walk around in circles.

[TheHalonSystem]

I have experienced greyout on two Coasters. My first greyout was on Titan at SFOT. I did not know what was happening but when I came back to normal I was like whoa that was cool! lol! The second Coaster was Goliath at SFMM.

 

Gionavola at their finest!

[rcjp]

^^It can also depend on the day (how you are, physically). I rarely greyout but last year when I went to Warner Madrid (where I had already been to) batman gave me quite a few near greyouts which had never happened before. I don't know if it had to do with the fact that I hadn't slept much the two nights before or what it was but it certainly depends on more than just the coaster.

[CanobieFan]

Grayout are normal, and make the coaster fun. Grayouts are caused by the high G-Forces your experiencing. Your brain sends blood to more important functions of the body, rather than vision.

 

STAY HYRDRATED IS RIGHT

 

Sometimes, if you're not hydrated, your blackouts can make you nauseous. This happened to me on Skyrush, and I vomited after the ride. Just stay hydrated to prevent motion sickness as well.

[MagnumFreak25]

I definitely agree with that. I've only ever grayed out when I've been a little dehydrated and it really helps with nauseousness too.

[CanobieFan]

I definitely agree with that. I've only ever grayed out when I've been a little dehydrated and it really helps with nauseousness too.

 

I rode Wildcat at Hershey, and went instantly to Skyrush without any drinks all day (Skyrush was my 7th ride and the most intense by far...) I rode the back, then front. Never been so nauseous after a ride. Ever. I vomited violently in the bathroom below 10 minutes after. I got some water and I was riding again in no time.

[TheHalonSystem]

Grayout are normal, and make the coaster fun. Grayouts are caused by the high G-Forces your experiencing. Your brain sends blood to more important functions of the body, rather than vision.

 

Um I never thought they made it fun. It just kinda takes away from the ride in my opinion.

[6flagsbrad]

I tend to get grayouts pretty frequently and I always just assumed my smaller skinny body figure played a role in that. After reading through this thread, it sounds like staying hydrated could help reduce this. Still interestingly enough, I usually expect to have a grayout while riding Xcelerator, Silver Bullet, Montezooma, Goliath, and Batman. The only thing I've ever experimented with concerning this is noticing that it happens more frequently when I'm in the back of the train versus the front on all of those.

[TheHalonSystem]

I tend to get grayouts pretty frequently and I always just assumed my smaller skinny body figure played a role in that.

 

Kinda funny you mention that. That may have been my case where I was younger why it happened so much, even roller coasters that weren't super intense like Gemini. I've always been very tall for my age and very thin.

[Patrick B8men]

On a recent trip to Kings Dominion, I experienced my first "grayout" on a roller coaster. After riding Grizzly, Rebel Yell, Ricochet (twice), Hurler, Backlot Stunt Coaster, Dominator, Avalanche, Volcano: The Blast Coaster, Flight of Fear, and Anaconda, I made my way to Dominator's station once again for my final ride of the day. Although I had taken some breaks throughout the day to ride the Blue Ridge Tollway and the White Water Canyon and I had even caught the Rock 'n' Roll show, I was quite tired at this point. Even so, I wasn't concerned that my Dominator re-ride would be too intense for me to handle. However, sometime during the vertical loop after the first drop, I experienced a momentary grayout in which I saw black spots. Fortunately, this sensation did not return later in the ride.

 

I attribute this grayout to exhaustion from the other coasters I had ridden before my second go on Dominator, particularly Anaconda, which had hurt my back on one of the turns after the MCBR. All the same, the grayout still spooked me, and it was difficult to enjoy the rest of Dominator because I was worried that I would grayout again, or even pass out.

 

I have been on coasters that are both faster and taller than Dominator before--Storm Runner, at 75mph and 180ft, comes to mind. I would assume that the whopping 135ft vertical loop on Dominator--one of the tallest vertical loops in the world--contributed to the grayout rather than its speed or drop height, though.

 

Despite the grayout, I would definitely go on Dominator again, though I would try to ride it at the beginning of the day so as to avoid an exhaustion-induced grayout. This is only a minor problem for me. A more significant dilemma of mine is my fear of Intimidator 305. I have heard from a number of friends that they experienced grayouts/blackouts on i305. Seeing as the drop height of i305 is about 150ft taller than that of Dominator and its top speed is 25mph greater than that of Dominator, I am wary of riding the gigacoaster. My thinking is that, if I grayed out on Dominator, I could very well pass out on i305.

 

As a side note, I find helices very intense, even on tamer coasters like the Backlot Stunt Coaster. However, I have not experienced a grayout on a helix before.

 

Given this information, do you think what I experienced on Dominator was unhealthy? Furthermore, is my concern about riding i305 rational? Where do I go from here? I would like to try out i305, but I'm concerned that it might jeopardize my health based on my experience on Dominator.

Maybe you've got a brain tumor...