Waldameer Discussion Thread

[Jason Hammond]

It's funny but my #1 is still The Phoenix at PPP. front row. The closest I've come to wood airtime bliss were our front-row 2002 rides at Timbersfest (altho never again, I hear it is running awful again this year).

 

Are you saying you heard Phoenix is rough this year or Timbers. Because I was at ACE Spring Con and Shivering Timbers is running the best it ever has for me. I have not ridden it every year, but it is no where near awful.

 

The final top one in recent memory is Rumbler, by far GCI's crowning achievement (altho again a strictly front seat ride).

 

Why is it only a front seat ride? I was at Rumblefest Sunday and sat in nearly every seat, had about 30+ rides and got great air no matter where I sat.

 

Has the wood coaster renaissance reached it's peaked? I kind of hope so and we'll see a return to steel.

 

With steel prices having more than doubled in the past year, I wouldn't be surprised if more parks decide to go for a nice $6M to $8M GCI instead of a $20M to $25M Intamin or B&M. Jeff Pike, Chriss Gray, the interns and someone else from GCI were all at Rumblefest. They mentioned that they'll be pretty busy next year and are looking to take on an intern in the fall and possibly another in the spring.

[Marko]

^ Yup, I was talking about Timbers being rough based on a report from someone who attended this year's Spring con.

 

As far as Rumbler being a front seat ride, that's just my opinion based on the first Rumblefest.

 

You're probably right on the steel count, altho I hope Orlando surprises us next year.

[ginzo]

I got two cycles in on RFII yesterday, one at dusk and the other in the dark, and greatly enjoyed the ride. The ride experience, to me, seemed a bit like the Raven with a LOT more airtime. It seemed Raven-like to me because of the relatively short circuit and unrelenting pace of the ride: it got faster and faster and faster. No dead spots. I know this is an imperfect analogy, but it's the best I could come up with. The view of Lake Erie at dusk and night was overpowering, one of the cooler coaster visuals I've come across.

 

I definitely prefer RFII to Voyage or Hades. Waldameer is a neat little park and I'm glad they've finally got a star attraction.

 

On a side note, does anyone know if they're running the blue train yet? Last night waits were upwards of an hour and I was really hoping that they would run both trains.

[CoasterLine]

On a side note, does anyone know if they're running the blue train yet? Last night waits were upwards of an hour and I was really hoping that they would run both trains.

 

Like I said earlier, last I heard from Paul Nelson was that "The man who is in charge of programming the ride system for 2-train operation is sick and hasn't gotten to programming the ride's computer to run 2 trains simultaneously."

[EastCoastn07]

I also didn't find Ravine Flyer II overwhelmingly rough either. Was it aggressive? Hell yea. But it sure wasn't as rough as one of my most hated wooden coasters, Villain. I thought there really wasn't any spots where I could easily say were 'rough', there were a few bumps in some spots but nothing that was too severe to ride 52 times. I woke up the next day with a few sore spots on my legs and a bruise on my hip, but nothing I couldn't handle. I'm not a big fan of getting beat up on coasters and I can easily say that you don't get beat up on this coaster. You get thrown into the sides a few times, but like I said, nothing too intolerable.

 

With the reputation that Gravity Group coasters have with aging, I really do hope this coaster can age better than Voyage and Boardwalk Bullet. I really would hate to go back to the park later in the summer and experience a much different and unpleasurable ride experience.

[DBru]

^Voyage has aged?

 

Last I hear, it was running better this year than it ever has before...

 

(Guess I'll find out for myself on Thursday!)

[EastCoastn07]

^Voyage has aged?

 

Last I hear, it was running better this year than it ever has before...

 

(Guess I'll find out for myself on Thursday!)

 

Well, considering both Voyage and Boardwalk Bullet (not sure about Hades) had to be retracked in some areas after their first operating seasons, it's pretty easy to say that the Gravity Group coasters aren't the best coasters in terms of aging. I just hope this doesn't end up being the case with my beloved Ravine Flyer II.

[DBru]

^Did you know that approx. 1/7 of every wooden roller coaster *should* be re-tracked EVERY year?

 

(I know I know, wrong thread... )

[robbalvey]

^Did you know that approx. 1/7 of every wooden roller coaster *should* be re-tracked EVERY year?

 

(I know I know, wrong thread... )

That is not true at all!

 

For example, I hear that Thunderhead has had ZERO of it's track replaced, and it doesn't need to. I'm not sure who told you that fact or if you just made it up, but you're absolutely wrong with that statement.

 

--Robb "LOL at 1/7 as the figure!" Alvey

[exit english]

Let's hear it for the Ravine Flyer II hip-bruise club!

 

I'm getting old, and I guess I bruise easily now but I can't wait for the next shoot that comes my way, cause you can be sure I'll be there. It's always great seeing Robb again, especially when we're diving head first into a couple of orders of Blazin' wings a BW's - It was also great meeting those of you I hadn't met before, and just hanging out having a great time.

 

Also, the way Wal-DA-mEErrr (haha) treated us, and went out of their way to make sure we were comfortable, when in reality they had already done so much for us by allowing the filming to take place, was just amazing.

 

Honestly, I wasn't expecting them to pick up Applebee's for all 30 or whatever people that were there, not to mention making sure we were taken care of with Gatorade and an assortment of other 20 Oz. beverages.

 

Overall, I'd say that was one of my favorite experiences, as far as parks go.

 

Josh

[DBru]

^^I assure you that is not a made up figure.

 

I found it while researching for my recent paper titled "The Aging of Classic Wooden Coasters".

 

Maybe it was referring to a certain manufacturers' coasters, or coasters that run with PTC's?

 

I will dig around tonight and try to find that paper, and if not, Google can do wonders!

[robbalvey]

^^I assure you that is not a made up figure.

I assure that it's bullsh1t.

 

I will dig around tonight and try to find that paper,

Hopefully it has a giant F on it with those facts.

 

 

and if not, Google can do wonders!

Oh, yes because EVERYTHING written on the internet is true!

 

--Robb "Wait, I'm aruging with some 14 year old know-it-all kid, WTF am I doing?" Alvey

[EastCoastn07]

^Did you know that approx. 1/7 of every wooden roller coaster *should* be re-tracked EVERY year?

 

(I know I know, wrong thread... )

That is not true at all!

 

For example, I hear that Thunderhead has had ZERO of it's track replaced, and it doesn't need to. I'm not sure who told you that fact or if you just made it up, but you're absolutely wrong with that statement.

 

--Robb "LOL at 1/7 as the figure!" Alvey

 

I can definitely believe that Robb...I know for a fact that Roar at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom received its VERY FIRST re-tracking after the 2005 season, and some say the only reason they did so was because the coaster derailed that season. The coaster was getting pretty rough around that time frame as well so the re-tracking came with open arms...7 SEASONS after the coaster opened in 1999.

 

I'll have to take Robb's side on this and say that those statistics just really don't sound right at all, and even if they were, there's no reason that ANY wooden coaster should have to have thousands of feet retracked after only one operating season, let alone a few months after opening (Boardwalk Bullet's case). But I can assure you that not every coaster is retracked yearly, because the fact of the matter is, most wooden coasters don't need it. But past installations have shown that Gravity Group coasters get beat up a lot quicker and have to be re-tracked much more sooner than say, a GCI. I just hope this doesn't happen with RF2 because the ride really is perfect just the way it is.

[Louise]

I've always been much more of a steel girl, and I rarely get all that excited to ride a new woodie, but this one has actually piqued my interest! Not sure why, because although Hades is high up on the list of must-rides, Voyage and Bullet haven't ever really mattered too much... Don't get me wrong, I'd love to get on them both, but wouldn't necessarily prioritise things around them.

 

Anyway, having said all that, I loved this video, which I think was just because it was totally hilarious to me in so many ways. Thanks Robb.

 

Oh, and Cameron's belly?

[rwilli82]

I think we have seen that GG can make aggressive coasters but in that comes a price of lots of retracking. We've also seen that GCI can make somewhat aggressive coasters AND the rolling stock to navigate it. The upfront cost is higher for a GCI but it makes up for the amount of long term maintenance of the ride.

 

I think Waldameer has a solid ride on its hands; however I hope that they can keep up with the maintenance or get the rolling stock necessary to keep the ride enjoyable. At this point its very reridable, much more than Voyage like I found out this past weekend.

 

~Rob Willi

[Cameron]

I also didn't find Ravine Flyer II overwhelmingly rough either. Was it aggressive? Hell yea.

 

Hmm .. I didn't even find it that aggressive. Like others have said, it has a lot more in common with Raven than it does with the other two GG wooden coasters I've ridden (Voyage and Hades). It's really is a fun ride, with excellent forces; and best of all, it doesn't take work in order to ride it. It's exactly what a wood coaster should be.

 

Cameron.

[kidcoaster 2]

I think the crew will get it together. I over heard Paul taking about why they only are doing one train operation. He said they tested the crew on two trains before the ride ofically opened. He said the Crew was not comfortable because when you do 2 trains you have to increase your dispatches by 80%. I just hope they run 2 trains or try and speed up the dispatches.

[ginzo]

Hmm .. I didn't even find it that aggressive. Like others have said, it has a lot more in common with Raven than it does with the other two GG wooden coasters I've ridden (Voyage and Hades). It's really is a fun ride, with excellent forces; and best of all, it doesn't take work in order to ride it. It's exactly what a wood coaster should be.

 

My 56-year-old mom who has neck problems rode it, enjoyed it, and didn't think it was rough. Her comment was "It's been a long time since I rode a coaster that fast." It's not GCII or Intamin smooth, but then again it's probably not supposed to be.

 

I think the crew will get it together. I over heard Paul taking about why they only are doing one train operation. He said they tested the crew on two trains before the ride ofically opened. He said the Crew was not comfortable because when you do 2 trains you have to increase your dispatches by 80%. I just hope they run 2 trains or try and speed up the dispatches.

 

The crew seemed decent enough: Not Disney efficient, but not Mt. Olympus lazy. They really need to do whatever it takes to get that second train going. Who wants to deal with big park lines at a small park?

[Carnage]

It's really is a fun ride, with excellent forces; and best of all, it doesn't take work in order to ride it. It's exactly what a wood coaster should be.

 

That's exactly how I felt. It was a real fun ride, but really not intense at all. Although I only got one ride in the middle of the train.

 

Voyage on the other hand left me winded by the time it was over. It actually made me feel winded in the same way that smoking a pack a day used to do to me.

[ShannonSomerville]

I,for one,really enjoyed it. The park went out of their way for us this past weekend. There are some sections that really give you a nice pop of airtime. Waldameer has a winner on their hands with this one.

[Dailey Enterprizes]

I agree that the coaster wasn't rough, but it must have been the fact that I was "out of tune" because I was having problems riding it. It felt like my stomach was creeping up into my neck when we went through the turnaround and dropped back down to the bridge. Also my ears were hurting when we were flying through the last two tunnels. I don't think I've ever been through a tunnel that fast before. Finally the S-turn/hill before the 90 degree turn kind of pushed me over the top. I guess because my body expects to immediately bank the other way when we level off, but we dive to the right into the 90 degree turn instead. So I guess if you don't ride rollercoasters often like me, I guess 9 or so trips on the RFII might be your limit. Eh I'm a disgrace to coaster buffs, oh well...

[Ryancrash]

Robb - Thanks again for an incredible filming session. RFII was such a great ride - Waldameer definitely have a winner on their hands. I was hoping I'd get to ride 10 or 15 times if I was lucky - getting to ride it 52 times was just unbelievable! What a treat. Seriously, I would have ridden 52 more times in a heartbeat. The coaster really is that good.

 

The pics look great - so does the video!

 

Ryan

[fergusonat]

I'm so excited to ride RFII... only a few more weeks to wait!

 

 

Those of you who have alread ridden it: is the ending as sluggish as the POV suggests? That has worried me ever since the onride video surfaced

[CoasterLine]

Put simply: No. The POV makes the ride look a lot slower than it actually feels, the ride is actually pretty fast and doesnt really let up, plus the ending hops give some good airtime.

 

Along with that, the POV also doesn't do the views justice from the top of the lift, and the top of the turn around hill. The views of the lake are much larger and truely beautiful. One of the best views I've seen on a coaster before.

[supertrooper]

I think it looks like an excellent ride.

 

The only thing that bothered me about the video though, is when you zoomed in on Cameron's stomach and said "Something for the ladies". Shouldn't you have said "Something for the ladies and 20% of male TPR viewers" ?