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This is not the first time I've seen someone ask for advice about a bigger rider fitting into coasters. During TPR's ERT sessions I see quite often people won't fit and it's not even due to their size, it's due to other factors that could easily be avoided and you'll fit with fewer or no problems at all. Read below and if you're a bigger person at all, consider using these helpful tips next time you ride...

skyrocket010 said:
Apparently I’m too fat for steel vengeance lol my first ever walk of shame. I feel like I was nearly there and if I would’ve given it a little more effort I would’ve made it. But I didn’t want to be inconsiderate and hold people up since we had already waited an eternity. Any tips you larger guys could give that may work for when you come close to fitting on a ride?? I would like to try it one more time before I leave it’s the main reason I came.

- Were you wearing a belt? Take it off.

- Did you have ANYTHING in your pocket at all? Take EVERYTHING out of your pockets.

- Did you make sure the seat belt buckle wasn't right under where the bar needed to push down?

- Pull your shirt up a bit and make sure the material on your shirt and/or shorts isn't bunching up causing that bar not to go down just a little bit more.

- Lift your gut over the bar

- Scan the crew before you sit down. Make sure you're sitting on a side where it looks like the op could put more strength into pushing your bar down.

 

These are often the most common things I see during our ERT sessions when people can't fit. 99% of the time one of these things will resolve that issue.

The other thing to remember is this: If you are a bigger person and you know it, then you need to go into every park realizing that you may not fit on some rides.  This is not the parks fault.  Ride manufacturers often have regulations about what is and isn't "safe" for their attractions.  If you want to ride a specific ride and you cannot fit, and the above methods still aren't working for you, then it's time to hit the diet and the gym.  And that is, honestly, the best advice I can give.

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I have seen the walk of shame many times on New Texas Giant and Iron Rattler. Fortunately for me however, I'm 6'2" 185lbs. I seem to have the perfect body mass for a coaster enthusiast. I feel good knowing I can ride any coaster without issue. But I feel genuinely sorry for those who can't as I've often seen them crying over in the "Chicken Coop".

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But I feel genuinely sorry for those who can't as I've often seen them crying over in the "Chicken Coop".

I don't.

 

Speaking as a bigger guy myself, you either need to "be smart" about getting into a train to have the best possible chance to ride, or... if you get to the point where you really cannot ride due to your weight, do something about it. There's been a couple of times in my life where I've come close to having an issue and I immediately did something about it.

 

In almost 100% of the cases, if you can't fit on a ride then that is YOUR FAULT and you need to do something about it if you want to keep riding roller coasters. Don't blame the park or anyone other than YOURSELF.

 

The only other reason would be if you have some sort of medical issue, and in those cases, perhaps you shouldn't be riding roller coasters in the first place?

 

I'll bet at least 50% of those people who you've seen get the "Walk of Shame". if not more, probably wouldn't if they were just a bit smarter about riding by following some of the advice above. I mean, for example, we've had even seasoned "big guys" on our tours where I'll go to help them with a lap bar and I'll see the seat belt buckle RIGHT UNDER the lap bar stopping it from going down further. I'll be like "DUDE! WHAT ARE YOU DOING??!?!" and they'll move the seatbelt buckle and they'll get the green light just fine.

 

And like, if you're a big guy, and you've got a huge honkin wallet in your back pocket that is 1-2 inches thick (and trust me I've seen this) PUT THE WALLET OFF TO THE SIDE OR IN A LOCKER!!! Or if you're wearing a belt that is even a 1/2 inch thick belt buckle. All these are EASY things that can help you fit better on rides.

Edited by robbalvey
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Myself If I take the walk of shame. Then that coaster becomes a goal coaster for me. I will work hard to lose weight to ride my goal coaster. Right now that goal coaster is Time Traveler and Outlaw Run. I know what I have to do lose and be able to ride those coasters. 45 lbs. So by next year my goal is to lose that much weight. I'm going to buy a season pass since I spent the money to ride those coaster. Then I will have more ambition to reach my goal. I don't like too waste money. I had to take the walk of shame once on Titan at Six Flags Over Texas. New Texas Giant was the second coaster but it had a test seat. the It took me a couple of trips before I sat in that test seat at NTG entrance before I got the Green light. Titan took a few extra trips before I was able to ride that coaster. The ride operator of Titan gave me a good tip. Make sure nothing is in your back pockets and that when you sit down sit straight up with your back end tightly against the back of the seat. It worked for me. I was able to ride. It took a few more trips before I lost enough that I didn't feel sandwiched into the restraint. You know what reaching those goals it was nice to be able to sit down and ride my goal coaster. My new Goal coasters are Time Traveler and Outlaw Run at Silver Dollar City.

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Myself If I take the walk of shame. Then that coaster becomes a goal coaster for me. I will work hard to lose weight to ride my goal coaster. Right now that goal coaster is Time Traveler and Outlaw Run. I know what I have to do lose and be able to ride those coasters. 45 lbs. So by next year my goal is to lose that much weight. I'm going to buy a season pass since I spent the money to ride those coaster. Then I will have more ambition to reach my goal. I don't like too waste money. I had to take the walk of shame once on Titan at Six Flags Over Texas. New Texas Giant was the second coaster but it had a test seat. the It took me a couple of trips before I sat in that test seat at NTAG entrance before I got the Green light. Titan took a few extra trips before I was able to ride that coaster. The ride operator of Titan gave me a good tip. Make sure nothing is in your back pockets and that when you sit down sit straight up with your back end tightly against the back of the seat. It worked for me. I was able to ride. It took a few more trips before I lost enough that I didn't feel sandwiched into the restraint. You know what reaching those goals it was nice to be able to sit down and ride my goal coaster. My new Goal coasters are Time Traveler and Outlaw Run at Silver Dollar City.

 

Also, I think its a smart idea to hear from other larger enthusiasts and hear their experiences with certain coasters, which is why I'm pretty grateful this thread exists.

 

I've heard a lot of people saying that Twisted Timbers is pretty restrictive twoards those of a larger size, so thats why I decided to forego Kings Dominion this year, go to Hershey instead, and try to get my weight down from 285 to hopefully 255 and get my waist down from 45 inches to 40 inches by the time next summer comes around.

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My usual weight was 75kg, went down to 68KG for my wedding and ballooned to 96KG for a variety of reasons after my son was born over the next 2 years (working a second job to knock down the mortgage meant too little exercise, sleep and way too much junk food for one). I got my first walk of shame on an aqualoop 2 months ago (thankfully after 10 minutes in the inspection line and not the 40 minute slide line) because I can't get my wedding ring off my finger anymore and they're really strict about jewellery and clothes to prevent slidebacks (Saw a few girls turned away who had a bra not a swimsuit under their t-shirt since all clothing bar shorts and swimsuits have to be stowed). That was my wake up call to make me lose weight since my son is starting to want to go on the small children's rides now and obviously can't go alone since well for one he's two but also he hasn't quite mastered the understanding of I can't stand up when a ride is in motion and I'd hate for him to miss out on rides because his daddy can't fit below the bar. Especially since Asia can be a bit more restrictive, I know there's a couple of rides in China i'd be turned away from.

 

Definitely will keep these tips in mind since my wallet really sticks out from my pockets.

Edited by Garet
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I've heard a lot of people saying that Twisted Timbers is pretty restrictive twoards those of a larger size, so thats why I decided to forego Kings Dominion this year

Wow, really? We didn't have anyone that had any sort of issue with Twisted Timbers at all. In fact, I felt it might have been one of the LESS restrictive RMC's towards bigger riders.

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I'm starting to figure out it's not even my waist that gives me a ton of issues with rides it's mostly my chest, broad shoulders, and thighs. InvadR we really had to push to get the one click to ride, the bar wasn't even toughing my waist and when I try the TT test seat I feel like the bar hits my shins before it even gets close to my waist. Also I need to check again to really figure it out because it's not fun to do that in front of people.

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Great advice.

 

I was at an enthusiast event a few years ago which had a ride designer speak and take questions. Someone asked about what they were doing to make rides more accommodating for larger individuals. The speaker explained that ride manufacturers have a problem where if they just keep making bigger seats and restraints that smaller individuals no longer fit. If I remember correctly he stated that the larger seats and restraints are part of the cause behind the trend of newer rides having higher minimum height requirement. I do remember he pointed out the different size seats on some B&M coasters and said it could be taken even farther with the possibility of certain rows having much larger seats but those rows needing a different height requirement, which no park was willing to do right now.

 

I found his answer very well thought out and you could tell it was not the first time he had needed to answer the question. But what sticks out in my mind every time I think about this event, is the woman who asked the question and just so happened to be sitting in a scooter. She tried to argue with him, not really caring about anyone else just how do you accommodate me. In the end the moderator just cut her off and said next question. At some point people need to take care of themselves or just move on.

 

This is coming from a larger individual who has had to take the walk of shame off of Wicked Twister, and now carries a super thin wallet that does not fold and only has room for 4 cards. There is no need for a giant wallet in a theme park, leave it at home or in the car.

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Someone asked about what they were doing to make rides more accommodating for larger individuals. The speaker explained that ride manufacturers have a problem where if they just keep making bigger seats and restraints that smaller individuals no longer fit.

This is actually 100% correct as well. There have been some rides that Elissa and Kristen don't feel as secure because the lowest setting is actually not that comfortable on them because it's too loose and they get thrown around.

 

Honestly, the real answer to that question is "don't be fat." And again, this is coming from a larger guy who will be proactive to "do something about it" if I ever felt that I couldn't fit.

 

But what sticks out in my mind every time I think about this event, is the woman who asked the question and just so happened to be sitting in a scooter. She tried to argue with him, not really caring about anyone else just how do you accommodate me.

Of course she was in a scooter and only cared about herself. But really, if she actually cared about herself, she wouldn't need that scooter to shlep her around the park. Funny how every time we go to Europe or Asia, we'll be in those countries a good couple of weeks and we'll see our first ECV and go "Wow, is that the FIRST ONE of those we've seen in two weeks???" How is it that so many other countries don't seem to have this problem but we do, and no one wants to do anything about it expects the parks and ride companies to continue to accommodate that sort of irresponsible behavior.

 

I'm curious...what ride company was it?

Edited by robbalvey
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Recently, my wife and I took a trip to Cedar Point and Kings Island. CP was my dream park so this whole trip was planned by me and my wife wanted to come along to share in that "Dream come true" moment! My wife is 5'11", and is very curvy. Needless to say, while planning the trip, she had concerns about what she could fit on, which almost discouraged her from going a couple times. It probably didn't help also that I told her about the "Walk of Shame"! Since we had the trip booked and non-refundable FL+ passes she decided to go.

 

Now the only reason for the FL+ passes were because this was a one shot trip. Meaning, I wasn't spending multiple days at both parks. It was one day at each so I didn't want to chance it being a busy day and not getting to ride something, ESPECIALLY SteVen, which was a 45min wait in the FL+ line!!! So of course, like other people with fitment concerns, we try to fine online, other people's experiences with the rides at both parks. It was really helpful when there because my wife felt more confident when we chose which rides to get on. CP for example was easy because there is a lot of info on heavy riders and what can be ridden plus both parks had test seats at almost all their coasters, and even some flat rides!!

 

To help my wife out more, I told her that any of the rides she can fit on, we will ride them multiple times! The FL+ helped this plan out A LOT because I rode everything in the park (some twice in a row) in about half the day! Once that was done, my wife really loved Maverick so we rode that a few times! She knows that she married a coaster nerd and after the trip, instead of being discouraged from the number of rides she COULDN'T ride, she is more than determined to do what she needs to do so she can share more trips at more theme parks with me! This all coming from someone who ISN'T the biggest fan of the crazy coasters!

 

I will complain about one thing that I noticed. B&M's "Big Boy" seats. Now I'm sure everyone is familiar with the seat. Some models have 2 seatbelts, but I'm guessing the newer B&M's are just using a "longer" single seatbelt. The latter is a JOKE!!! The difference in length is seriously maybe 1/4 of an inch. Now I know that could be a difference for someone and I understand that safety is first but I just don't see it as being enough. I think I complained about this more because my wife couldn't ride ANY B&M and I really wanted her to! She had to settle for the older and rougher coasters, which eventually gave her a headache and a lot of bruises!

 

So when I started reading this post, I was kinda like "Well DAMN, that's rude Robb!!", but then thinking about it and seeing my wife's experience is a good example of how you can't blame theme parks for you not being able to fit! Can you imagine what rides would look like if they really catered to larger riders?!?! I agree with Robb... If you want to ride, you'll do what you need to do!!

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Some models have 2 seatbelts, but I'm guessing the newer B&M's are just using a "longer" single seatbelt. The latter is a JOKE!!! The difference in length is seriously maybe 1/4 of an inch.

Huh. All of the B&Ms at Cedar Point have big boy seats with two seat belts. I ended up sitting in the one for Raptor and I saw them on ValRavn and Rougarou also. This was recently about 3 weeks ago. Not sure what you saw but maybe you just missed those seats somehow? I don't even think I've ever seen a B&M Big Boy seat that didn't have the two buckles, actually. And the seat I was in for Raptor had a significantly longer seat belt.

Edited by robbalvey
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Some models have 2 seatbelts, but I'm guessing the newer B&M's are just using a "longer" single seatbelt. The latter is a JOKE!!! The difference in length is seriously maybe 1/4 of an inch.

Huh. All of the B&Ms at Cedar Point have big boy seats with two seat belts. I ended up sitting in the one for Raptor and I saw them on ValRavn and Rougarou also. This was recently about 3 weeks ago. Not sure what you saw but maybe you just missed those seats somehow? I don't even I've ever seen a B&M Big Boy seat that didn't have the two buckles, actually. And the seat I was in for Raptor had a significantly longer seat belt.

 

Damn, maybe I was wrong... I swear I saw them just having one red belt. My bad! lol

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Valravn have one red belt in each row, Gatekeeper has the red belts in the 4th row. Raptor and Rougoru have the double seatbelt in row 4 and another row. I got on Valravn on Sunday, but had to walk off the Gatekeeper 4th row. I am able to just barely make any seat on Raptor and Rougoru.

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Honestly, the real answer to that question is "don't be fat." And again, this is coming from a larger guy who will be proactive to "do something about it" if I ever felt that I couldn't fit.

 

 

Preach! It's not "fat shaming": roller coaster manufacturers have to work within certain parameters to make sure the seats/ restraints work for a certain range of body types (including super small people) and if you cannot fit it speaks to perhaps needing some dietary (or other) changes IF riding in these coasters is a goal.

 

Too many times I have seen "larger sized guests" (or, more likely, their companion) really lash out at the ride attendants and the park when a restraint doesn't fit, and I can't help but think (1) "well, there is a test seat in front that should have given a pretty good sense that this would be a tight fit" and (2) "no offense, but your body proportions are outside a reasonable standard deviation for the design of this ride -- it fits the VAST majority of people, which is perfectly acceptable for roller coaster designs."

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Valravn have one red belt in each row, Gatekeeper has the red belts in the 4th row. Raptor and Rougoru have the double seatbelt in row 4 and another row. I got on Valravn on Sunday, but had to walk off the Gatekeeper 4th row. I am able to just barely make any seat on Raptor and Rougoru.

Thanks for that. I didn't ride Gatekeeper on this last trip but I know I saw the double belts on Raptor and Rougarou. I rode Valravn a couple of times and I thought I saw them but honestly I might be confusing that for Griffon which I rode just a couple of days before and I know that had the double belts.

 

I can't speak for certain for the length of those belts but I know on Raptor, the normal seats are very snug on me and the big boy seat was not at all. I'm assuming there had to be at least another 2-3 inches on the Raptor belt.

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I think Griffon has the double belt on all three rows as well...

 

Raptor actually put the double seatbelts on for the first time in its history two or three years ago, so that was a nice surprise. The walk of shame is not fun... every eye staring at you... fortunately, I'm working at it. Occasionally I will try the test seat on the Intamins to see how close I'm getting, but those are too small for me.... i am shaped like a bowling pin, so I have very heavy legs and backside... I'm also 6 ft 1". so long legs can be an issue, too.

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Everything Robb said in the thread is excellent advice that any heftier rider should take to heart. I managed to lose a little weight before our recent honeymoon, but I was still over 300lbs (6'0, broad frame / shoulders too), but out of five parks and 41 different roller coasters, there was only one that I wasn't able to ride (Colossus @ Thorpe Park, which I realized even if I lost a lot more weight it STILL would've been a stretch trying to fit on that thing), all from doing tricks and tips like the ones Robb listed. I always wear shorts, usually Under Armour gym shorts or cargo shorts with no belt, don't keep ANYTHING in my pockets, and will do the "sit all the way back, lower the shoulders, and exhale all the way" to get the last bit.

 

I can certainly empathize with people struggling to lose weight - it's definitely hard, especially when struggling with food cravings. However, at the end of the day, no one is responsible for myself and how I got to this weight but me. I absolutely hate when I see larger people behave so entitled and indignant when they ask questions like the ones discussed earlier in the thread. To be honest, I actually appreciate that manufacturers and parks have taken the unnecessary extra steps to be as accommodating as they are with providing seats with less-restrictive restraints. They don't have to do things like that, and if you're annoyed that you may need to sit in the middle of a train or have fewer options as a result, use it as motivation to take the weight off.

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I can certainly empathize with people struggling to lose weight - it's definitely hard, especially when struggling with food cravings.

 

Dude Pizza is the worst. I need to think "well the more I eat of this the longer it will take to ride Twisted Timbers"

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I logged 36,000+ steps and a little over 20 miles of walking this weekend at CP. An amusement park is a great way to get out and lose some weight if you hate going to the gym. Especially if you have a seasons pass to your local park. Just go to the park and have a nice steady walk to each ride and you can lose some weight that way. I lost 5lbs this weekend from my amusement park workout. I was 6'0 200lbs going into this past weekend and weighed myself yesterday morning and I was 195lbs. My height is still 6'0 though

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As a rider of "exceptional size", I have taken that walk of shame many times.

Just to back up some of the things others have said, I had a bad experience opening weekend at KD this year, not only did I get denied on Twisted Timbers but I somehow didn't make it on I305. A friend from out of town was visiting the next weekend and I felt very cagey about meeting up with him and not being able to ride the two best rides in the park. I went anyway and was surprised to see that I was able to fit on both. I decided that my issue with not getting on I305 was primarily because of poor wardrobe choice and I got an excellent ride op for Twisted Timbers.

That said, I'm 6'2" and was weighing around 315-320 at the time. I went on a diet and exercise over the next few months and now don't even worry when I visit. I'm also pretty sure that without the weight loss I would have been denied on Wicked Cyclone last month.

I try to adhere to not taking my wallet, keys, and cell phone into parks.

I also know that my ideal weight for not getting denied any rides is around 260-265. If I'm above this I know I can't ride El Toro and SFA's Superman.

As mentioned, just serves as motivation!

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