The Great Escape (TGE) Discussion Thread

[ragged#1]

^They're making a boring coaster somewhat better. I approve.

[rcdude]

I'm not a fan of this recent trend of turning coasters backward, as it seems more likely to ruin the ride than improve it. However, in the case of Canyon Blaster, it might actually be halfway decent going backwards. That ride was the worst of the Arrow mine trains I've been on, not because it was overly rough but because it was pretty boring, so if there's a chance it could be improved then great.

 

At least they aren't turning Comet backward as was rumored earlier in the year.

[Canobie Coaster]

I'm not sure how I feel about Canyon Blaster going backwards. I remember it being fairly abrupt and rough on some of the transitions. Without being able to see them and brace yourself, the ride might be more uncomfortable. On the other hand, it could definitely make the ride more interesting since I remember the helix building up a good deal of speed.

 

I'm heading up to the Great Escape next month so I'll definitely give Canyon Blaster a whirl. And I'm also pumped the scrambler was moved back inside!

[tge98]

Yeah I dont agree with turning huge popular coasters around like B&M's but this one was definitely needed it is the worst in the park and it is on the chopping block because of it's unpopularity. Hopefully this will give it a boost

 

The scrambler is very fun. Try getting on it right when you get there because the waits can get into the 45 minute mark if you hit it at the wrong time. I am also very happy that they added more lights in the dome since opening day

Edited June 25, 2013 by tge98

[Canobie Coaster]

I definitely will try and hit it early. I rode it a few years ago when it was outdoors and it was run incredibly fast.

[tge98]

They have actually changed the cycle and it is now slightly faster

[Canobie Coaster]

That sounds exciting! It will be interesting to see the light package as well.

 

On a different note, how crowded is the park typically on a weekend? My family is heading up to Lake George for a weekend and that is when I'll have an opportunity to hit the park. I remember there being almost no lines on a weekday when I was last there.

[tge98]

Not really a lot of people. You won't encounter a ride that has a line longer than 30-45 minutes. Its nothing like any other six flags park

[Canobie Coaster]

Excellent. SFNE can get 2+ hour waits on a lot of major attractions on the weekends.

 

Is the water park relatively light on crowds as well?

[tge98]

Water park is much more busy than dry park. All rides in water park usually have long lines. Tornado is usually the longest but i wouldnt ride it because they are at almost every six flags water park. I would say black cobra and alpine freefalls are the only must rides in water park.

 

Comet never gets more than a 4-5 train wait at the busiest days

[Shavethewhales]

 

This might be the greatest video I've ever seen a park produce. I'm pretty stoked about this whole whale thing and I don't think I even know where the Great Escape is.

[tge98]

TGE being my home park I can say that I have never been more excited for any ride or anything going into the park.

A lot of parks should take note of this. You don't need 200 or 300ft roller coasters to make your guests happy

[3Mutts]

^^ The Great Escape is in Lake George New York right off of Interstate 87 right near the boarder of the Adirondacks. It is also my home park along with SFNE.

[Devins3]

Went to the park today for the first time this year, I only went for a couple hours as there were no lines and really the only thing worth riding is the Comet. I still think that this park could really use a decent steel coaster, a small premier launcher perhaps. I stopped by the new flyers but didn't ride as this was the only thing that had a bit of a line, since I went to Knoebels last week i figured riding these flyers would be a bit of a let down. I got to ride Canyon Blaster backwards, while it really didn't make a terrible ride good it was definitely disorienting which is more than could be said for it before. The main purpose of going out was to test the camera on my new phone, so I will post a few pictures from my day. I had everything on auto, I think once i mess around with the settings a bit I should be able to get some better pictures out of it.

Steamin Demon, Iconic ride for the park but a terrible ride

new flyers looking good

This is what I came for

as you can see lines were not an issue, kudos to SF for running 2 trains when it wasnt necessary.

New blizzard building themeing

One of the better Boomerangs, it could benefit from the new trains though

Pink Whale is back!

Canyon Blaster....the first 2 cars are normal and the last three are turned around

Still Boring!

Bobsled was actually running today

[tge98]

Nice pictures. How was the station laid out was there any makers or signs telling you what ones are backwards

[Devins3]

Yes as you can see in this photo, there is also signs in the queue saying the first two are forward and the last 3 are reversed.

[tge98]

If the park chooses to keep the ride past this year I think It should be permanently backwards.

[Metsfan0618]

Nice pics. Haven't been to the park yet this year. Looks like its time to pay CB a visit after a year off from it last year.

[jray21]

Thanks for the pictures. Looks like you had a good day.

[USCoaster]

I went to the park on Sunday after deciding not to get off the Mass Pike in Springfield to go to SFNE. I arrived around 1PM to a very packed parking lot. So packed, I ended up past the employee housing and the very popular ice cream(?) stand along the main road. Luckily, most of the people were in the water park so I think the longest I waited for a ride was maybe 30 minutes for the Screamin' Eagles.

 

I headed to Canyon Blaster first due to the backwards promotion and after maybe a 3 train wait, hopped into the last row. I really wasn't expecting too much because the layout doesn't really have much to it, but I was pleasantly surprised when I was thrown into the seat divider as the train whipped me down the first curving drop. That was really the only surprise of the ride. The big helix off the second lift feels pretty intense when you are going backwards but nothing really extreme. I went on it a second time later in the middle of the train and it was still amusing but the twist into the first drop was nowhere near as forceful as in the last row.

 

I also took one ride on the Screamin' Eagles. This is only my second flyers experience (first one being the ride at CGA) but I felt like I got a lot more out of the ride after having seen some videos of people riding the flyers at Knoebels. Definitely a fun ride and I think that more parks should put these in as a smaller off year addition. That said, capacity isn't great so some of the bigger parks either need a larger model or maybe dueling flyers.

 

As for the rest of the park, I ended up with:

-2 rides on Steamin' Demon - The corkscrews are fairly rough but the rest of the ride is OK)

-2 rides on Alpine Bobsleds - One ride in the front seat and one in the back. The back was pretty violent when entering the blocks. I'm still amazed at the weird pops of air you get when the car transitions between turns.

-2 rides on Comet - One front and one back. The front seat was definitely the better ride. The back was rougher and the lap bar clicked down at the bottom of the first drop so it wasn't as comfortable of a ride. I still think Comet may be the only coaster Six Flags owns that speeds up at the top of the lift hill instead of slowing down. I also have to say that the Comet ride ops were doing a pretty awesome job while I was there. They were running two trains and as long as the guests weren't having problems, they could get the train in the station dispatched by the time the second train made out of the first section of the final brakes.

-1 ride on Boomerang - This has to be one of the slowest Boomerang lifts around. It feels like the initial pull out of the station takes forever and the train's engaging on the second lift was more violent than I remember other Boomerangs being. That being said, I didn't notice too much headbanging in the Cobra Roll element so it wasn't a completely horrible experience.

-1 ride on Sasquatch (launch side) - Typical Space Shot. I think the Space Shot at La Ronde may be a little more forceful because I was caught off guard by the force of the launch when I went on it last year.

-1 ride on the Grand Carousel - Its a carousel. A very loud crunchy carousel that 'rolled back' a quarter turn at the end of the ride cycle.

 

Overall it was a good day at the park. I skipped the Condor once again for fear of not being able to deal with the spinning at the top of the tower. If it had been a little cooler, I probably would have hopped on, but spinning rides on a really hot day sometimes get me a little sick and so I decided not to take the chance.

Edited July 17, 2013 by USCoaster

[Metsfan0618]

Nice to see Canyon Blaster get some decent reviews for a change. Steamin' Demon isn't too bad if you brace yourself for the corkscrews. You get some pretty good forces on the loop. I love Bobsled for some reason-it just has a quirkiness I like. Interesting you like the front better on the Comet. I personally prefer the back just because of the forces you get from the speed of the lift and being pulled over the top on the lift hill. Sounds like you had a nice day.

[USCoaster]

I seem to remember liking Canyon Blaster in the front seat. Its not an amazing ride, but it is a fun little mine train with some decent landscaping and theme around the main part of the ride. (I know it would be a lot of money to spend on an old ride, but a tunnel over part of the track could add some extra thrill to the ride.)

 

Of the two rides I had on Comet on Sunday I preferred the one in the front seat. The first drop was definitely better in the back seat but the front seat had some nice floater air over a couple of the smaller hills and entered the turns fast enough to give you some decent laterals. My ride in the back seat was definitely soured by the lap bar dropping at the bottom of the first drop resulting in a bit of a gut punch every time the train would try to launch me into the air.

[Greatescapefan]

Am I the only one that thinks this park is getting a coaster this year. They are in need and the last one came in 2003

[coasterkid124]

I am still hopeful for the Zac Spin that was supposed to come. I haven't heard any 2014 rumors yet. The park is overdue for a new coaster.

[Greatescapefan]

I'm thinking some sort of launch since the coaster will probally go in ghost town and in ghost town there is a 115ft height limit