Sudden Death Experience

Charles Manson writes "I'm sure you and your readers have already heard about this evil monster, but I just stumbled upon a fantastic review of it. Cedar Point has always been an innovator, but god damn, this thing is just sick. I'm glad I only live a hundred miles away becuase I'll be practically living there this summer. My favorite quote of the article is 'If Hell has thrill rides, this brilliantly evil machine should be one of them.'" We mentioned the Cedar Point coaster earlier. The best parts of roller coaster riding are the little surreal notes, i.e. looking over the side and seeing 500 hats on the ground below.

Comments

Cedar Point

[zzxc]

The roller coaster exerts a maximum force of approx. 1.4 G's on the rider. Also considering the ride is 400 feet from the lowest point of the track to the highest, there's no way I want to go on it.

Cedar Point seems to have fewer and fewer sane-yet-not-kiddie rides. I was there last year and the only thing I rode was the "mine ride."

Re:Cedar Point

[Flounder]

Cedar Point seems to have fewer and fewer sane-yet-not-kiddie rides.

That's like saying there's fewer and fewer sane-yet-not-kiddie movies. There's no money in mild anymore. Over the top, push the envelope, burst a blood vessel and spray your fellow patrons. That's what sells. Not that I don't agree with you, I'm just stating facts. It's either an $84Mil opening for X-Men2 or $22.8Mil total box office for Being John Malkovich. Bigger, louder, faster, not necessarily better.

Kennywood in Pittsburgh is a great old-style park. Lots of older "sane" coasters, lots of rides for the kids, and pretty decently priced admission too. My kids loved it.

Re:Cedar Point

[Saige]

Then we did the mean streak, which sucked! Its like a rollercoaster during an earthquake, but wooden coasters usually suck like that.

The Mean Streak is a good demonstration why wooden coasters have been left behind. It set all sorts of records when it was built as the largest and fastest wooden coaster. And once upon a time, it was fun. I was there in May of the year it opened, and it was relatively smooth, and a lot of fun. I rode it a couple times that day.

The problem is that the speeds, coupled with the nature of the materials used, cause the structure of the ride to suffer. I've heard - though I am not certain - that they have like 6 full-time carpenders employed just for that ride alone, checking it every night for loose bolts and breaking wood. It is very high maintenance, and that still doesn't keep it in the shape they'd want it to be.

It's been said the ride is destroying itself due to the speeds and stresses on the material, and I don't expect it to last that long. They already have to change the rails every three years, as they degrade over time and make the ride just too rough. I've heard that riding it on that third year is pretty much a guaranteed method of getting a really bad headache. And given the fact that the ride gets rougher as the year goes on, riding in, say, October of that third year before they replace the rails is probably one of the roughest beatings you can take in a rollercoaster.

Though if you get on at the beginning of the year after a replacement, I'm sure it's still pretty damn fun.

Cedar Point

[Schezar]

I've been going to Cedar Point every summer for most of my life. My parents had their honeymoon there. I'd even go so far as to say that my best childhood memories arise from my times in that blessed haven of thrill rides.

Hands down, Cedar Point is the greatest coaster park in the world. I've been to various others (6 Flags, Canada Wonderland, King's Island...), but they just don't compare. Cedar Point has always had the biggest and the best. They've had the tallest coaster in the world on several occaisions, and still hold the record for most coasters in a park.

I was there the day the Magnum XL200 opened (before they activated the breaks at the top of the first hill to slow it down for safety). I was there two years later for the opening day of Mean Streak. I was there for... Well, you get the point: I'm a Cedar Point nut. (An old one, too. I've ridden a lot of rides that aren't even there anymore... Anyone else remember the potato-sack slide?)

Granted, the park has changed a lot over the years. Back in the day, ther were beer carts everywhere, and very few children outside of "kiddy-land." There were more open spaces and quiet areas. I remember watching the wild turkey roaming around Frontier Land. There was a sense of history (Cedar Point is a -very- old park) and decor.

Now, it's $3 just to get a soda from a machine, there are no open spaces (and no more turkeys), and they've added this garish Snoopy dome thing. The taste and decor are gone, as are the beer carts.. It's a commercialized "family" park. It's loud and flashy, and the crowds are sometimes almost unbearable.

Now, don't go modding me troll just yet ;^) I still go there every year, and I still love the rides. Cedar Point will always be tops in my book, because no matter what else they screw up, the coasters will always be there.

Unless one of those tornados decides to pop down.

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