Monday, June 3, 2013

May 2013 NewsPlusNotes Poll Results


In May 2013 we asked you guys what Six Flags wooden coaster you would like to most see get the "Rocky Mountain Treatment" as it's been called.  This is in reference to the extreme makeovers that the Texas Giant and Rattler have received, transforming those rides forever and radically changing their ride profiles.

I picked some potential candidates from most of the parks, and let you guys do the rest.

© Bing Maps
And without the drum roll please, the winner (by a decent margin at that) was Colossus at Six Flags Magic Mountain.  The twin racing coaster first opened in 1978 and while physically impressive and imposing, it isn't currently known for its smooth and enjoyable ride experience.

So how could Colossus benefit from the help of Rocky Mountain Construction?  Maybe the question is how couldn't it!  Jokes aside, it would be interesting to see the racing concept utilized with a new design, I can only imagine the wicked things they could come up with.  There's certainly plenty of structure to work with!

The second place finisher was The Boss at Six Flags St. Louis.  That ride opened in 2000 and was created by Custom Coasters International.  It has some really large drops and a unique layout, but the general consensus is that it is bumpy as all get out.

© Bing Maps
But if you really study the Boss' layout you can see how many opportunities there would be for a new Rocky Mountain style layout.  There's four pretty big drops and in between them there could be plenty of over-banks, and why not throw in an inversion or two?  And that helix at the end could be totally transformed as well.  Interesting.

Third place went to Rolling Thunder at Six Flags Great Adventure.  Another racing ride, though on a slightly smaller scale than Colossus, all of the potential for a crazy new layout still exists.  You can see the rest of the individual coaster results above.

Our new poll is up, and it dates back to the swinging '70s!


1 comments:

Bihner said...

CP's Mean Streak would have gotten my vote. I know the poll was directed at Six Flags coasters. But, what Rocky Mountain did for Texas Giant was amazing. The coaster is completely different ride and it's 'smooth as glass'. Iron Rattler is the same, but didn't really need the same overhaul. There was a rough spots and one 'pothole', but hey it's a woodie. The new ride is sweet but missing the distinct roar of a woodie.