A Rollercoaster Ride!'s topics - tribe.net

Some suggestions for ethical gift giving and supporting something positive.

Planet-Doctor — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 05:28:05 GMT

Hello all,

At this time of year it is often tough to find what you want or feel good about giving. Many of us prefer to give gifts that do some good in the world and I would like to offer a suggestion.

The link and search box below will place orders through amazon.com and will let you find most things that you are interested in, including products and sponsorships directly in support of The Realms of Legend, such as our sponsor a tree program.

The Realms of Legend is the project to build a historical and environmental education facility in the style of a themed entertainment venue which will showcase concepts for simpler living, eco friendly living and solutions for many of the problems our society faces in the coming years, all in a format of fun and engaging experiences.

Ordering via the search box at the link below will give the project a small commission and help us pursue the goal of educating a large number of people about the options we have for building a more healthy and sustainable future for all.

If you are looking for a gift that you can be sure will get there on time and allow the recipient to choose what suits them best you might consider one of the gift certificates. The E-Card form is instant and you don't have to waste paper or wait for postal services or you can choose a more traditional hard copy version.

So if you are considering giving some form of gifts during the holiday season or even in the future, please consider using the search box below. Your support will be greatly appreciated.

I hope you all have a very fulfilling holiday season.

http://www.geocities.com/crusader_magnus/index.html?1166117680670

Cheers!

posted in A Rollercoaster Ride! - 0 replies

El Toro Opens!

Jake — Wed, 14 Jun 2006 17:55:53 GMT

El Toro opens this week at Six Flags Jackson NJ
A giant hybrid wooden monster with a steel superstructure.
Touted as "The world's steepest wooden rollecoaster"(70 degree vertical drop) it's an Out and Back with a twisty extreme banked finale! 65 MPH thrills and hopes to be a winner among wooden coaster enthusiasts!

see it at www.sixflags.com

posted in A Rollercoaster Ride! - 0 replies

Today's announcement from Holiday World

Eric — Wed, 13 Jul 2005 17:44:23 GMT

Made my jaw hit the floor! I can't wait!

http://www.holidayworld.com/new2006.html

posted in A Rollercoaster Ride! - 4 replies

Wimpiest Roller Coasters.

Jake — Sat, 06 May 2006 17:12:18 GMT

What are your least favorite Rollercoasters that you think could have been built better!
Coasters billed as "Adult Rides" but are more family oriented. Or just Coasters that could have been made more exciting!
One such Coaster exist's right here in the Pacific Northwest. "Timberhawk-Ride of Prey" at Wild Waves/Enchanted Village the regions newest and largest wooden Coaster. The press release billed it as "the biggest and fastest wooden Coaster in the region"..well it turned out to be more of a "Junior Woody" with its lackluster 70 ft first drop,max speed of 48 MPH and barely banked turns.This Coaster rides more like a Parrakeet than a "Bird Of Prey".
Other Adult "Losers":
Space Mt-Disney World . A top "Speed" of 24MPH makes this indoor loser definatly an enclosed kiddy Coaster.
Big Thunder Mt Railroad-Disneyworld. low speeds and an aging design makes this lackluster ride famous by killing it's riders!.."fun" old-western theming though! that guy in the bathtub is a Riot!
Another wimpy is "Corkscrew" at Canobie Lake park NH,this Arrow dble Corkscrew was a front-runner back in it's day(1977) but is old,rattly and unexciting today.

Lets here it from Members of the Tribe..what's YOUR "Wimpiest" Roller Coaster?

posted in A Rollercoaster Ride! - 0 replies

Kingda Ka

Chrissy — Wed, 19 Oct 2005 18:49:20 GMT

Just wondering if anyone else got a chance this season to check out Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure and what they thought... I was getting peeved after waiting a couple hours and having it break and then waiting *again* but what a rush!

Chrissy

posted in A Rollercoaster Ride! - 1 reply

The New Space Mountain

Eric — Thu, 15 Sep 2005 01:28:31 GMT

About 2 years ago, Disneyland shut down Space Mountain and gutted the building, then rebuilt the ride from the ground up. I had a chance to ride the new version this past weekend. The result is quite impressive.

The actual ride layout is nearly identical to the old one. Everything else has changed, from the queue, to the rolling stock, to the visuals. The ride feels faster and it certainly smoother than before.

On top of that, they vastly improved the visuals in the places that needed it (the lifthills and the "re-entry") but simplified the rest with just masses of pinpoint stars.

Furthermore, the soundtrack has changed from Dick Dale surf guitar (which I liked) to something more appropriately "spacey".

The result is a incredibly well-themed, well integrated ride -- one that I think both new riders and fans of the old version will very much like.

Also, rumored, is the transformation every night from "Space Mountain" to "Rockit Mountain", where the visuals and the soundtrack will change. I'm not sure when (or even if) this will happen, but the rumors come from pretty reliable sources.

For now, Space Mountain is definitely worth a trip to Disneyland.

posted in A Rollercoaster Ride! - 5 replies

Trip to Busch Gardens Williamsburg

Eric — Mon, 22 Aug 2005 02:02:58 GMT

Hi,

I've posted some (somewhat long) comments about a recent trip to Busch Gardens Williamsburg on my website.

Rather that repost the whole long thing here, here's the URL:

http://eegah.org/rollercoasters/bgw.html

Eric

posted in A Rollercoaster Ride! - 0 replies

Cedar Point

JoolsterC — Tue, 03 May 2005 11:55:46 GMT

I'm planning on visiting the States this summer. I'll be in Ohio part of the time and heard that Cedar Point was THE rollercoaster park to go to. What's the lowdown on getting the most out of a visit there?

posted in A Rollercoaster Ride! - 5 replies

Park comparison sites

Planet-Doctor — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 10:44:29 GMT

Any sites that compare the features of various sites?

I am considering a trip to some this summer and want to make the most of my time/money.

Currently debating whether to do Cedar Point or Geauga Lake first. Both in Ohio of course.

posted in A Rollercoaster Ride! - 1 reply

Tomb Raider...

jenno — Fri, 02 Jul 2004 15:29:46 GMT

Has anyone tried the new "Laura Croft:Tomb Raider" ride at Canada's Wonderland yet? You're lying down, head first, inverted coaster....I'm trying to plan a trip to Wonderland sometime this summer (prolly towards the end of July) and it's definitly on my 'hitlist'...just wondered if anyone else has experiences they want to recount about it before I go myself...

Jenn

posted in A Rollercoaster Ride! - 6 replies

Heading for Cliff's!

Eric — Tue, 17 May 2005 19:03:03 GMT

I just booked a trip in early June out to Cliff's Amusement Park in Albequerque, home of the New Mexico Rattler; the last CCI coaster.

Even though Gravity Group and GCI seem to be taking up the slack, I've been a big CCI fanboy during the big coaster boom in the '90s. I'm expecting a mighty fine ride.

I'll post remarks when I get back.

posted in A Rollercoaster Ride! - 1 reply

Creepy photos of an old Japanese Amusement park

JasonP — Mon, 09 May 2005 17:48:38 GMT

http://home.f01.itscom.net/spiral/t_rando/t_rando1.html
http://home.f01.itscom.net/spiral/t_rando/t_rando2.html
http://home.f01.itscom.net/spiral/t_rando/t_rando3.html
http://home.f01.itscom.net/spiral/t_rando/t_rando4.html

posted in A Rollercoaster Ride! - 4 replies

Silver Bullet at Knott's

bingfutch — Wed, 06 Apr 2005 16:53:14 GMT

B&M's feet-dangler at Knott's Berry Farm is a bittersweet affair for me. I worked at the park before Cedar Fair took it over and began to Six Flags the hell out of it. I remember the mornings walking through the backstage area, past the preserving kitchens when they were still on-site. There was the day that I opened a door near the Goodtime Theater and found myself face-to-face with Marion Knott. The park was so beautiful, uncluttered, peaceful. Now, they're straddling coasters all over it - which is where the bittersweet comes in.

Silver Bullet is a cool little screamer, they did an amazing job of tucking into the nooks and crannies around Reflection Lake - but in doing so, they utterly robbed the area of its soft, hispanic charm. Ai!

Ah well - check out the CG, it's nothing if not exciting:

http://www.knotts.com/index2b.shtm

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New Rides?

kewlaidkid — Mon, 14 Mar 2005 20:58:20 GMT

Yo.....anybody. Any new rides opening this year in the Southeast? My trusty Ace Newsletter has lost its way........

posted in A Rollercoaster Ride! - 6 replies

Already planning

Eric — Sat, 05 Feb 2005 00:16:01 GMT

I just got my air tickets to Raleigh/Durham to do a mid-Atlantic to southern Pennsylvania coaster trip in June.

It has been eons since I've been to Kings Dominion and Busch WIlliamsburg.

There's bunches of stuff I'm looking forward to that I've not been on, but I think mostly Apollo's Chariot and Hypersonic.

Anyone have any comments on either of these rides?

posted in A Rollercoaster Ride! - 4 replies

Theme park workers

bingfutch — Fri, 17 Oct 2003 07:12:05 GMT

Anybody here actually worked for a theme park before? I spent ten years in the biz, hoping to make it a lifetime ordeal. Luckily, I'm guessing, things happened differently. Tell your gory guest services stories here!

posted in A Rollercoaster Ride! - 10 replies

Scariest Coaster?

frankenspock — Mon, 29 Dec 2003 15:48:19 GMT

Not scary good. Scary as in "Not fun; I thought I was going to die."

Mine would be the High Roller on top of the Stratosphere in Las Vegas.

posted in A Rollercoaster Ride! - 18 replies

ACE Members....

kewlaidkid — Thu, 13 Jan 2005 01:04:39 GMT

Any ACE members in the Southeast? Macon Georgia ACE freak here.

posted in A Rollercoaster Ride! - 0 replies

The Mummy at Universal Studios Hollywood (mild spoilers)

Eric — Tue, 16 Nov 2004 23:47:26 GMT

[Mild spoilers follow -- stop reading if this matters]

Although I'm posting this now in November, I managed to wander down to Universal Hollywood on a warm mid-October monday.

The park was nearly empty but no empty to feel deserted.

My whole reason for showing up was to check out the new dark ride meets rollercoaster -- The Mummy.

The show building itself isn't big, so I figured the ride would also be compact, which was true. So compact, it seems, that they didn't have enough space/time/money/whatever for a proper ending.

The ride begins impressively enough with a series of dark ride scenes with some slightly muddled sound and decent animatronics. Just as things get thick and there appears no way out, the coaster part kicks in, courtesy of some moderately good linear induction motors and some tight corners.

Some wonderfully frenetic zooming about is met by a wonderful room full of sound, fury, fire, a turntable, and then a gentle pull into the station. For those that have been on Adventure Express at King's Island, you'll know what I mean when I say, "You Will Pay".

This ending really peeved me. It made me so happy that I had spent a maximum of 5 minutes waiting for it. For such a good buildup, the anticlimax on this ride is just plain sorry.

Go ahead, ride it. Just don't wait more than 15 minutes for it.

posted in A Rollercoaster Ride! - 0 replies

Tremors

Eric — Thu, 09 Sep 2004 03:36:10 GMT

I finally made it up to Idaho to ride Tremors at Silverwood. It was certainly worth the wait!

Like much of CCI's work, this coaster starts of fun early in the day and by nighttime really has some teeth.

The layout is twisty and unpredictable. Combine that with several tunnels (including one halfway down the first drop) and we've got a truly worldclass wood coaster.

Another CCI masterpiece, The Timber Terror, is a straightforward out and back with some serious airtime.

The park itself is small and beautifully run. The only problem is the lack of decent food (which is a common amusement park problem).

Good stuff.

posted in A Rollercoaster Ride! - 0 replies

speed or the dip

Sat, 17 Jul 2004 02:59:35 GMT

Hi! newbie coming on for the ride!
What's better....the speed... really, really, fast or...
the BIG stomach flipping dips?
Personally I like both.

posted in A Rollercoaster Ride! - 2 replies

The Cyclone

balloonhedz — Thu, 08 Jul 2004 03:13:47 GMT

The 1927 vintage (now landmarked) coaster in Brooklyn's own Coney Island Astroland Park. Ive got some decent photos of it...anyone wanna see em Ill be glad to share em. Is it possible to love a coaster without riding it?

posted in A Rollercoaster Ride! - 5 replies

Skycoaster?

bingfutch — Mon, 27 Oct 2003 18:45:27 GMT

Has anyone here done one of those big Skycoasters?

I'd like to hear about some other experiences on this frightful thing. They still haven't built one bigger than the 300 foot tall one at Old Town here in Florida, but the 250 foot drop that I did in Vegas was enough for me, thanks!

posted in A Rollercoaster Ride! - 11 replies

The Hulk

bingfutch — Mon, 27 Oct 2003 18:51:07 GMT

This one's ranking up there as one of the top ten coasters on everyone's list. It's at Islands Of Adventure in Orlando and is the only coaster of its design, which is a surprise since its creators, Bolliger & Mabillard, are notorious for knocking out cookie-cutter designs of their creations. Apparently Universal wanted to be sure that it stayed unique.

http://www.darkstudios.com/c2c/hulk.html

If you've been on this coaster, would you rank it as one of your top ten?

posted in A Rollercoaster Ride! - 3 replies

Paramounts Kings Island

Stary — Mon, 14 Jun 2004 14:42:00 GMT

The Beast.

posted in A Rollercoaster Ride! - 2 replies

Great America

Danger Is My Middle Name — Mon, 26 Apr 2004 23:09:43 GMT

Well I was at Paramount's Great America last Saturday. Man, they are putting something new in each year! But my favorite is still the Top Gun rise; a top-rail coaster that leaves your feet dangling and they did something to it so it actually SOUNDS like a jet as it flies by you.

Such an awesome coaster, intense ride that always packs a punch and a surprise.

Any other Top Gun/Great America fans out there?

posted in A Rollercoaster Ride! - 5 replies

New to the Tribe...

Just_Tracy — Wed, 24 Mar 2004 17:14:05 GMT

Greetings, Gang!

Like the subject line says, I'm new to the Tribe, but a serious vet when it comes to coaster thrills! I believe my first ride was at the tender age of two and I've been addicted since. Personally, I'm a steel fan, but have experienced a hand full of woodys that rate WAY up there on my "woo-hoo!" scale. One of my Top 10 is the Thunderbolt in Kennywood. Awesome Woody.

Anyway, I just wanted to say "Howdy". I can tell I'll be happy here ;o)

~Tracy

P.S. Is anyone in the Tribe a member of Ace?

posted in A Rollercoaster Ride! - 11 replies

Some Great Coaster Models

Eric — Wed, 14 Jan 2004 01:14:24 GMT

Check out badnitrus.coasterbuzz.com.

This chap has been modeling coasters using 3D Studio Max.

The animation of X alone is worth the visit.

posted in A Rollercoaster Ride! - 3 replies

Knotts Coaster replaces Black Light Jesus

Dukey — Thu, 26 Feb 2004 05:52:32 GMT

The Lake of reflections has been drained and the Church has been moved behind the Independence Hall replica accross the street to make way for a new suspended coaster this summer. The Small chapel adjoining the church that used to house the unusual blacklight presentation of the ressurection is now a part of theme park history.

posted in A Rollercoaster Ride! - 1 reply

Gwazi!

Eric — Wed, 25 Feb 2004 22:59:30 GMT

I finally got to go on Gwazi at Busch Tampa (as well as most of the other coasters in the Orlando area) this last weekend.

In spite of many tepid reviews, I was quite impressed. Only Gwazi Tiger was open and even though it had some minor tracking problems, I found it a very well-paced and fun ride.

While Mike Boodley and GCI tend to play it safe in the airtime department, they often make it up with great twists, head fakes, and intense turns.

Has anyone else had as good a ride on Gwazi or am I the only one?

posted in A Rollercoaster Ride! - 2 replies

Famous suicide gambling table

Dukey — Wed, 18 Feb 2004 06:18:17 GMT

ever travel cross country getting your jollies by finding another coaster to ride but couldn't resist the temptation to check out the Gator Man of colorado or some old guys collection of life size biblical characters carved from soap. If so then join the brand new tribe tourist traps at touristtraps@tribe.net just started but will get good.

posted in A Rollercoaster Ride! - 0 replies

The ultimate question!

bingfutch — Fri, 17 Oct 2003 07:09:58 GMT

Welcome to the Coaster Central tribe! I can't believe there wasn't a coaster tribe here already, especially seeing as how many of you have coasters as an interest in your profiles! Well, we're ready to start building up our track records. Speaking of which - the ultimate question at this point is: which do you favor? Steel or wooden? Sign in here and let us know how you le-he-eannnnn......! YOWWW!

posted in A Rollercoaster Ride! - 40 replies

Random Thoughts About Top Thrill Dragster

Eric — Mon, 08 Dec 2003 21:41:29 GMT

Back about this time last year, as RCDB (http://www.rcdb.com) was showing construction photos of Cedar Point's Top Thrill Dragster, I was thinking to myself "Much Ado About Very Little".

In kindof the way that, IMO, Superman the Ride at Six Flags Magic Mountain, has a "been there, done that" effect on me, I didn't think that this concept would really be capable of thrilling, much less be worth the enormous expense that Cedar Point was investing. I mean, really: launch, up hill, down hill, brake. What could be more pedestrian?

I could not have been more wrong. In spite of being over before you can say, "to the moon, Alice, to the moon", the overwhelming thrill of such a launch and return renewed my faith in the "bigger, taller, faster" approach to building rollercoasters. Every second, from launch, to climb, to plummet, to brake, is full of incredible, intense, one-of-a-kind sensation. Even with the long waits (~1.5 hours), 4 rides was just not enough.

Curiously enough, just for a comparison of lovely contrasts, we included the fabulous Indiana Beach on last summer's coaster jaunt. Their amazing, intense, "Lost Coaster of Superstition Mountain" (LoCoSuMO) was a close second place to Top Thrill, for a fraction of the cost.

Word has it that S&S (the folks that slurped up Custom Coasters, Inc., the creators of LoCoSuMo) is offering a production model of the same. (and I know a perfect location at a northern California theme park in need of a decent wood coaster. :-)

Eric

posted in A Rollercoaster Ride! - 2 replies

Desperado!

Kate — Tue, 11 Nov 2003 18:32:45 GMT

We get to ride this amazing coaster today. :)

Well, maybe - only *IF* Miss T has a voice by then. She tired out her throat screaming at Matchsticks, then completely lost it on
"California Screamin' ".

Shall we stop at the State Line? Hmmm...

posted in A Rollercoaster Ride! - 4 replies

Dollywood in TN getting a woodie!

bingfutch — Thu, 04 Dec 2003 06:44:57 GMT

Dollywood theme park of Pigeon Forge, Tennessee is finally getting that long-rumored woodie in 2004: the Great Coasters-designed Thunderhead! The 3,230-foot-long, 55-MPH twister will be the main attraction of a new zone, dubbed "Thunderhead Gap" and feature a maximum drop of 100 feet. For the first time ever, this coaster will boast a "fly-through" station. At the mid-point of the course, trains will fly eight feet over the exit platform, at about 40 miles per hour, yet still beneath the station's roof.

Holy moses! Looks like Dollywood is growing up!

posted in A Rollercoaster Ride! - 0 replies

Hersheypark new coaster for 2004!

bingfutch — Thu, 04 Dec 2003 06:42:16 GMT

http://www.hersheypa.com/attractions/hersheypark/new_attraction/virtual_movie.html

Take a virtual ride on Intamin's newest Rocket Coaster (think Top Thrill Dragster) above! I'm thinking a trip to Pennsylvania is in the works.

posted in A Rollercoaster Ride! - 0 replies

Post your pics!

bingfutch — Fri, 17 Oct 2003 09:23:11 GMT

We've spent many a mile challenging the nation's coasters on the Coast-2-Coast Coaster Tour ( http://www.darkstudios.com/c2c ) and have taken many photos in the process of losing our lunches. Some of these are featured in our photo gallery. We'd like to see your stills of rollercoasters in action - just be sure to give yourself credit for snapping the pics!

posted in A Rollercoaster Ride! - 9 replies

Not a coaster but....

bingfutch — Tue, 11 Nov 2003 18:10:32 GMT

Sorry for long URL - but:

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/custom/tourism/orl-bizdragrace07110703nov07,0,2287081.story?coll=orl-business-headlines

Check this thing out - it's insane!

posted in A Rollercoaster Ride! - 2 replies

Oldest coaster you've ridden

bingfutch — Mon, 27 Oct 2003 18:48:39 GMT

You've gotta love the sleek, shiny, new state-of-the-art contraptions that are popping up at theme parks and carnivals every day - but there's something to be said for an old, rickety, classic coaster that has been around longer than you have!

Any stories to share about the classics?

posted in A Rollercoaster Ride! - 0 replies

Cedar Point

Kristy — Fri, 17 Oct 2003 14:46:16 GMT

I'm planning a trip to Cedar Point sometime next year. I know they are only open for a few months out of the year, but I'd like suggestions on when might be the best time to go that'll avoid the huge crowds. I know at least one of you has been there... what are your favorite coasters (and/or thrill rides) at the park (in order)?

Wheee!

posted in A Rollercoaster Ride! - 8 replies

Coast-2-Coast Coaster Tour site

bingfutch — Sat, 18 Oct 2003 05:46:20 GMT

http://www.darkstudios.com/c2c

Just wanted to post this link for reference. If you're a hardcore coaster fan, start from 1996 and work your way through. We hope to restart the tour next year and perhaps some of y'all will join us?

posted in A Rollercoaster Ride! - 2 replies