TERROR-Dactyl at Cave of the Winds

[MayTheGForceBeWithYou]

Cave of the Winds in Manitou Springs got a new ride for this season that opened a few weeks back. I'd describe it as a SkyCoaster crossed with Falcon's Fury; that is, the seats tilt 90º before dropping and swinging into a canyon. It looks pretty damn awesome, to say the least.

 

From their website (NOTE: videos have some strong language):

After millions of years of hiding deep in the network of caverns and tunnels at Cave of the Winds, a dragon-like creature will debut this summer to take flight above Williams Canyon.

 

The first of its kind anywhere in the world, the ride sits on the edge of a 200-foot cliff in the Williams Canyon in Manitou Springs. Those brave enough to ride will be launched 200 feet into the canyon at nearly 100 miles per hour! The G-forces on this ride will knock you silly and the free-fall drop will have you laughing and praying for your life at the same time!

 

I may go and do a TR this weekend if I've got time, and maybe catch a ride. Both Cave of the Winds and (somewhat) nearby Glenwood Caverns have been developing pretty rapidly over the last decade or so, and this looks like a great continuation of that trend!

[KBrylczyk]

That looks pretty awesome. My one gripe is whoever posted those videos should really learn the difference between Epoch and Epic.

[DoinItForTheFame]

Looks awesome! Reminds me a lot of a Skycoaster though. Except you don't get the long ride to the top, and you're not laying down. But I bet the freefall, and swinging sensation is pretty similar. Still looks awesome regardless!

[Mater]

whoever posted those videos should really learn the difference between Epoch and Epic.

 

 

It's a pun, buddy.

[rcjp]

Looks great! The location only seems to improve the experience. Really cool!

[Ryan P.]

Wow that looks freakin awesome! Id be interested in how the riders are brought back up. Very unique

[KBrylczyk]

whoever posted those videos should really learn the difference between Epoch and Epic.

 

 

It's a pun, buddy.

 

In what way is that a pun?

 

"The Romans only gathered once a week. That was enough forum."

 

That's a pun.

[MayTheGForceBeWithYou]

Wow that looks freakin awesome! Id be interested in how the riders are brought back up. Very unique

From what I can gather, the cable used to support the ride carriage is also attached to a winch that can pull it back up. I'll probably go and check it out soon, and I'd probably have a better answer then.

 

whoever posted those videos should really learn the difference between Epoch and Epic.

 

 

It's a pun, buddy.

 

In what way is that a pun?

 

"The Romans only gathered once a week. That was enough forum."

 

That's a pun.

It's a geology pun. An epoch is a measure of geologic time that's shorter than a period, but longer than an age.

 

Considering that the cave is still supposed to be the primary attraction there, the use of geology puns is acceptable.

[KBrylczyk]

^ Fair enough. A geological epoch is different than an epoch, though, as it needs to be specifically cited as a geological epoch. But now we're just getting into semantics and that's boring. Moving right along!

[MayTheGForceBeWithYou]

So I finally got to ride it today, and here are my thoughts:

 

WOW! I felt Cave of the Winds needed some other high profile attractions to catch up to Glenwood Caverns' recent development, and this is a great addition to their lineup. Riders were extremely pleased with the ride, and people watching from the entrance were utterly captivated by the terrified reactions of people riding it. For a place with very little land to build on, this provided a great addition that didn't take up too much of their precious little real estate.

 

As far as the ride goes, my expectation of "Skycoaster meets Falcon's Fury" was pretty well met. The tilting seats prior to the drop were pretty effective in freaking people out, and it's admittedly good nightmare fuel for anyone with even a mild sense of acrophobia. The location combined with the agonizingly slow tilt to the weight shifting onto the restraint belts adds perfect anticipation for the ride ahead. I'd say the final seconds at near 90º was easily the best part of the whole ride (though some of the other riders repeatedly cursing at that point likely beg to differ). If you've been on a Skycoaster, you basically have a picture of the how the rest of the ride goes as far as how the drop and swinging feel. The location again plays a great role in making the ride more intimidating, since you get quite close to the walls of the canyon, though the ride beyond the initial portion is basically a seated Skycoaster (if I'm making that sound like something bad, it's totally unintentional). It's pretty basic, but it does its job very well.

 

Though I generally really enjoyed the ride, I felt there were two thing that were holding it back from being truly spectacular. First and foremost, the price tag. $50 for a ride seems more like something you'd see out of Vegas or Orlando, but not a roadside stop in Colorado. It seemed a lot more people there wanted to ride it, but were held back by the cost. Of the two hours I was there, it cycled four times (including my own ride) not because of Fuji-Q tier operations, but because the four cycles were the only people who had paid to ride. By contrast, the nearby zipline was consistently holding a line and constantly cycling. Considering this low ridership, I wouldn't be surprised if the price were lowered in the near future to get more people on it.

 

Second downside (though it's not a really major one), the location is a bit of a two-edged sword. Its location makes for a thrilling ride, but makes what could be really cool to watch hard to do so. Because it's tucked behind the corner of the gift shop, viewing the ride from the viewing decks is near impossible, and the holding area for the ride is the only somewhat decent place to watch people drop in, though it's a view from the back. There looked to be a service area next to the entrance, which could be built into a better area to see the ride running. This ride could be visually spectacular (and intimidating) if it were given the area to have people see it.

 

Overall, it's a great ride that's gotten some good press for being intimidating, though it seemed the price of the ride scared people off more than the ride itself.