West Coast Bash 2016 Tickets On Sale!

805Andrew · September 10, 2016

Looking forward to seeing you all tomorrow at Magic Mountain. It's going to be a long day before the park buyout at night so I'm going to cool off and relax at Hurricane Harbor with my Gold Pass after the group lunch. Around 6PM I will probably head out to Wolf Creek Brewing for beer and dinner before the night park buyout. Anyone else wanting to head out for dinner at this time is welcome to join me at Wolf Creek Brewing (27746 McBean Pkwy location). I'd also consider Azul Tequila in the post above me if Wolf Creek Brewing doesn't pan out, but Wolf Creek Brewing is the plan.

robbalvey · September 10, 2016

^ As someone who used to live around the corner from Wolf Creek I can tell you the place gets VERY BUSY on a Saturday night especially right at peak dinner time. The earlier you go the better.

805Andrew · September 10, 2016

^Okay, thanks for the heads up.

Edit: Just realized lunch was moved to 2:30. I may not be hungry for dinner and just go for some beer tasting.

laqueefa · September 10, 2016

^Okay, thanks for the heads up.

Edit: Just realized lunch was moved to 2:30. I may not be hungry for dinner and just go for some beer tasting.

The yolo coaster bar has a decent line up of beers. That's where I'll be to cool off.

Guy T. Koepp · September 10, 2016

Heading out to the Mountain now!

let the madness begin!

laqueefa · September 10, 2016

Heading out to the Mountain now!

let the madness begin!

HOLD ME!

singemfrc · September 10, 2016

45 minutes since the park opened to the public and Ivery already done Revolution, Apocalypse, Yolo, Superman twice, X2 twice, and Twisted Colossus twice!

X2 didn't open on time with ert (shocking) but I ended up timing it perfect as it opened right when I got off of revolution, and got a double ride. Not smooth, but a little less painful than usual.

Think I'm ready to hit jet stream and cool off in the Yolo bar for a while.

laqueefa · September 10, 2016

45 minutes since the park opened to the public and Ivery already done Revolution, Apocalypse, Yolo, Superman twice, X2 twice, and Twisted Colossus twice!

X2 didn't open on time with ert (shocking) but I ended up timing it perfect as it opened right when I got off of revolution, and got a double ride. Not smooth, but a little less painful than usual.

Think I'm ready to hit jet stream and cool off in the Yolo bar for a while.

We also got on X2 twice, after riding on the New Revolution. My first ride was in the very back, on the inside and it was smooth. The second ride was rough, but that was in the front and on the outside.

Currently, taking a margarita break after running back to our hotel to check out. See you all at lunch!

laqueefa · September 11, 2016

This looks like a fun toy, but do they come in blue?

It's like they know me

laqueefa · September 11, 2016

Nothing like a post ERT mimosa.

This thing is huge! I'll take two!

ytterbiumanalyst · September 12, 2016

Thank you, Robb, Elissa, and everyone at Six Flags Magic Mountain and Knott's Berry Farm who worked to put on West Coast Bash. It was awesome!

805Andrew · September 12, 2016

TPR takeover of Rock & Brews right now!

Live 4 Coasters · September 12, 2016

I just wanted to thank Robb, Elissa and everyone at Knott's for all their hard work to make today possible. I had a blast at my first WCB! Thank you to everyone who attended for being so great, everyone's sense of humor was astounding at the Q&A. I can now officially say I have accomplished my two biggest theme park dreams, owning a coaster part (Xcelerator pull cable), and riding on the same coaster train as Robb Alvey. I'm already looking forward to next year!

tjterrill · September 12, 2016

Thanks guys for another great bash!

This was our second year on the trip, but first full weekend as we skipped KBF last year. Glad we did it this year, because it was some sweet redemption from the slight disappointment of SFMM on Saturday (for reasons we can all agree on). The KBF team was fantastic, the park was great, and they went above and beyond to take good care of us.

Thanks again to everyone that has a hand in putting this event together! I look forward to many more bash weekends, and maybe getting on that exclusive invite list for other trips in the future

Cheers!

Guy T. Koepp · September 12, 2016

Awesome WCB! Thank you Robb, Elissa, and the awesome staff at Knott's Berry Farm. You guys all put on a great event! It's so much fun catching up with friends and riding rides. I am so grateful that I was able to attend this year.

cazazoo · September 13, 2016

VR time

2 awesome days of exhausting excitement!

From picking up the badges at 7:30 Sat morning at SFMM, enjoying multiple coasters on morning ERT with donuts and coffee giving energy to keep up the momentum, sitting outside the station on the Full Throttle after our 3rd back to back ride waiting for them to reset the computer was even fun lol

We skipped out after an almost 2 hour wait for the Riddlers Revenge during evening ERT.

Off to hotel in Buena Park.

06:30 as the alarm did its job, we started day 2, Knotts. Picked up our shirts and wore them as we enjoyed multiple coasters multiple times before the park opened. Lunch was great here, and we even walked away with a coaster wheel!

Both days were great though, looking forward to next year, even if it is in Japan.

Full Throttle

Breaktime

powpig · September 13, 2016

Another WCB in the books!

The AM ERT delivered as always, we got 3 quickies on Full Throttle, 3 more on Twisted Colossus and then 3 on X2 before heading up the hill just as the park opened. Tatsu was delayed so we got one on Superman before it shut down, hit up Ninja and then got Tatsu just as it opened. Lucky me, I got drenched the worst (best?) on the Roaring Rapids, kept me cool all day.

The evening buyout was paid for by Southern California Gas, and we know how many folks the gas company employs, especially for a huge metropolitan area like SoCal.

Still, Scream was a walk on at about 10:30 and at 11:15, we sat on Apocalypse for 3 straight in the back seat and didn't have to move. I love that ride! Finished it off with one more on Tatsu and got in the Revolution line at 11:58, back to our hotel just after 1 AM.

Thanks Robb, Elissa, TPR & Six Flags for another great day at MM on Sat. Can't wait to do it again next year!

dylanreich · September 13, 2016

Thanks to everyone involved, from Robb and Elissa to the staff at Knott's and MM for another great West Coast Bash! We all had a blast enjoying the theme parks with good friends and can't wait to do it again! Special shoutout to those giving us tours at Knott's, they were awesome!

Jew · September 13, 2016

The KBF day was amazing! The Q&A was tons of fun, the behind the scenes tours were great, and of course hanging with all the cool TPR people was great as well! Kudos to KBF, Robb, and Elissa for hosting!

Kyle Coleman · September 13, 2016

Every year I go to wcb and every year I come home thinking there is no way it can get better and every year somehow it does. Thanks to everyone involved in bringing us this amazing event especially the knotts guys who bend over backwards to make us feel welcome.

coasterlvr · September 14, 2016

thanks Robb, and crew. i only did Knott's this year, but had a great time. i thought the schedule was great and spread out nice. i did miss iron reef to get in more ghostrider, so i hope some of you have some reports and pics from there.

usually, i'm at home sleeping during the day, so it was the first time i toured the mazes. it's very interesting seeing the creators explain their creations. the excitement they have is awesome.

nighttime ghostrider just destroys daytime ghostrider, imo. i had only ridden it during the day up until night ERT. but after that first ride, i knew i wasn't going to make the iron reef walkthrough. lol my right side of my body probably would have liked me to take a break, or sit on the right seat more.

the knott's crew was awesome. not just the staff, jeff tucker, etc. but a lot of the regular staff greeted us, asked us how we were doing, etc. so thanks to all of them!

anyway, had a great time, and hope they don't stop!

playcards04 · September 14, 2016

i had i awesome time at both parks i got to ride two or three times for the same ride also the people working at Knott's were helpful than the six flags staff thank you see you next year

DILinator · September 14, 2016

I know there was some talk about this maybe not happening again next year, but I sure hope that is not the case, as I'd really love to make it out to one finally! I'm already in the pre-planning phase of heading out to So-Cal to visit my brother (who lives in WeHo), so if I can time it with WCB weekend, I've got lodging, and potentially transportation already taken care of! Here's hoping that I'm partaking with you all next year!

johnychen · September 14, 2016

Thanks Robb and crew for putting on another great WCB. I know how hard it is to put on these events and your hard work is much appreciated. Hope there will be more in the coming years. SFMM morning ERT was amazing. The afternoon may have gotten pretty crowded so we took a little break for the park. Late in the evening everything got a bit better. X2 was almost a walk on. Knott's as usual was amazing. Great food, great ERT, and great behind the scenes. Ghost rider was simply amazing.

Thanks again for all who worked on putting together this great event.

themeparkman44 · September 15, 2016

This is my very first post on TPR, so please bear with me as I workout my posting muscles. I simply wanted to thank you all and say how much fun I had partaking in the theme parks with all of you.

Secondly, I would like to thank all members and staff involved with making my time at Six Flags Magic Mountain enjoyable. Even though there were some setbacks we knew about as a group, the rides that worked rode great and that is what essentially matters when at Magic Mountain.

Lastly, I'd also like to extend a humungous thank you to Robb and Alissa for putting in the time, energy, and effort to put together this shindig - stay your outgoing and fun selves. PS. Rob, thanks for the heart-to-heart conversation we had outside of Knott's Berry Farm related to your TPR career - it really left me inspired and thinking about certain next steps in my life.

Okay, enough with the "thank you's", now it's time for the summary.

Highlights at Six Flags Magic Mountain (SFMM)

* "Full Throttle" - This great coaster has an amazing launch, crazy hang-time in the world's largest loop, and a surprise launch on your way back to the station. Despite this coasters many technical issues, the thrill factor is very high and I simply love this ride.

* "Drop of Doom" - Pure, unadulterated adrenaline rush. I could probably work hard to come up with more words to describe this killer ride, but that's the best I've got. The queue theming isn't too bad either.

* "Twisted Colossus" - In a word - the current gem in SFMM. Rocky Mountain Construction took an already legendary coaster and found an even better way to "twist" it into something better. This ride is absolutely thrilling in every way and I am very proud to have this coaster in my hometown.

* "Batman" & "Riddler's Revenge" - Two very capable Bolliger & Mabillard coasters that, for their age, still dole out plenty of excitement. Although Batman may be a little bit harsher than Riddler, they both hold their own when it comes to being able to move their riders in quite an exciting way.

* "Tatsu" & "Ninja" - Two great coasters that are still performing quite well. (I love every time I almost blackout during the Zero-G roll. Is there something wrong with me? )

Things I'd Like to See Improved at SFMM

* "Viper" - I rode Viper for the first time when I was a teenager. After Gold Rusher and Revolution, this ride represents a coming of age for me as it was the first "mega-coaster" I ever rode. Because of this it breaks my heart to see that SFMM is letting this once grand coaster gradually get rougher and rougher ). I look forward to the day when I will get to ride the refurbished Viper and relive the same thrill I got during my teenage years on this ride.

* "X2" - This is an excellent ride, if you can take the shin bashing that takes place on it. Even though this ride is great (especially at night), I would love to see the vast number of technical issues this ride is experiencing be fixed. I am far from a logistical expert, so I don't know what (if anything) can be done to alleviate the many technical issues that seem to plague this ride, but I'm supremely bummed that I didn't get a chance to ride X2 this time around during the evening ERT due to its technical permanent closure.

* "Superman: Escape from Krypton" - Why did SFMM decide to turn the trains 180 degrees so that the launch takes you backward from 0 to 100 MPH? I seriously don't get it. The thrill of that ride came in the initial launch and flying through the air at 100 MPH up an incline, then feeling weightless, before plummeting back to earth. By turning the train around, all they managed to do is completely eliminate the initial thrill of the launch. I understand that SFMM is going to offer an option soon, so I know which line I'll be waiting in. It'll be interesting to see how visitors will choose to experience Superman down the road.

* "The New Revolution" - As much as I love the idea of VR on a roller coaster, is as much as I disliked the VR on the New Revolution. the reason I disliked it is because it seemed like a confused attraction. If you want to engage the riders in playing a video game, then allow the riders to play the game. Don't knock out the weapons required for battle before one-quarter of the ride is through, thereby making the shooting portion of the ride pointless. (Initially, I thought that it was only me that lost the cockpit glass, but it turned out to be all the riders I spoke to after the ride). My proposition is to either allow full game play, which would require a revamping of the VR experience as it currently is; or simply make a real-life film-like VR experience that is passive but will allow the riders to ride and enjoy the "show."

* "Apocalypse" - The only word that comes to me when thinking about how to describe this ride is pain. SFMM, please do something about the insane beating this ride provides. This coaster makes X2 seem like Goliath.

Good morning and welcome to #SFMMWCB 2016!

The New Revolution taking some riders through the loop..

..and a turn

Full Throttle (affectionately known by TPR as YOLOCoaster) taking riders through the loop too..

...and a turn

Some very lucky riders about to embark on a "twisted" journey aboard Twisted Colossus

Goliath warming up by dropping some humans..

..and so is Drop of Doom

Just going to stroll through the park..

..and ride some great "swings."

"Loop-ti-loop" a quote by Robb Alvey

Riddler's Revenge whipping around some "revengees"..

..and whips them through some turns too for good measure

Apocalypse: Otherwise known as my chiropractor's best friend

..I still don't get why we're going backwards on this one.

Coaster geek-shot #1

Coaster geek-shot #2

Highlights at Knott's Berry Farm (KBF)

* "Calico Mine Ride" - This is a nostalgic ride for me because I spent almost every other weekend each month at Knott's Berry Farm, and this ride was one of them. I absolutely love that KBF keeps the ride authenticity and spirit alive, while enhancing the sets and scenery of the ride.

* "Log Jammer" - KBF updated Log Jammer! Did anybody else know this???! Okay, I'm good now. All I can say about it is that the enhancements made to the ride are AMAZING!! The theming and additions to the ride experience really made me feel pretty close to where Disney is with their theming. Kudos go to KBF for their amazing efforts!

* "Xcelerator" - Just a great overall coaster. It's a classic Intamin coaster that has a great launch, a fun "up-and-over" loop, followed by some pretzel turns, before sending you back to the station. This is a great example of a coaster that makes the most use of the limited space it has.

* "Silver Bullet" - A great Bolliger & Mabillard inverted coaster. That's it. Plain, simple, and great.

* "Ghostrider" - I saved the best for last. I fell in love with this coaster when it first opened earlier this millennium, and the refurbishment by Custom Coaster International brought it back to its original glory days. All I can say is that this coaster represents everything I feel a good woody should. Granted, I am not as educated as some in that I haven't really traveled across this country to ride all the classic woodies (it's on my list), but the airtime, turns, theming (the lighting along is awesome) really takes this ride to the next level in my book. Well done KBF and CCI!

Things I'd Like to See Improved at KBF

* "Supreme Scream" - I could swear that when I rode Supreme Scream in 2012, the release from the top of the tower had considerably more pressure than this time around. In fact, I didn't even lose my breath this time. If I am right, KBF please re-adjust the ride so that the release "push-down" is like it was back in the day. This entire ride hinges on the fact that it ISN'T a free-fall ride, but a ride where you are pushed down to the earth; therefore, it should take your breath away. If it is just me, disregard my comment; perhaps there's something wrong with me .