West Coast Bash 2008
March 10, 2008
After a group photo in front of the Magic Moments theater, we got to put our dogs up and listen for a solid couple of hours as the SFMM staff gave us a long presentation about the Six Flags chain and the whole thrust to bring Magic Mountain back to its former glory. They were surprisingly frank about the problems the park needed to address and answered every question with good-natured aplomb.
Among some of the other things we learned:
Superman: The Escape isn't hitting 100 miles per hour, and just won't anymore. As Tim Burkhart set the record straight, he told us that if they can operate it at 85-90 miles per hour and keep up running most of the time, that's far better than pushing it to 100 and having it break down constantly. They realize it's a signature attraction and are in it for the long haul. Amen.
Bathrooms are going to get a major overhaul within a year or two.
Yes, a lot of rides have been removed as of late, but those holes will be getting filled.
Their Deja Vu is staying, simply because, as Mr. Burkhart proudly explained, their engineering staff knows how to keep it running. (This announcement earned great applause.)
There were plenty of exciting hints about things to come. As mentioned earlier, there will be another freefall attraction. More coasters are planned. That whole area back by the Jet Stream and Cyclone Bay will be looking very different soon.
And then they made the announcement about the evening ERT. Communal ecstasy.
That was followed by a presentation from S&S Worldwide. Stan Checketts was supposed to speak, but was called away on business at the last minute, so the head of sales (whose name I can't recall at this moment) graciously took his place. We got to see some very cool computer animation of their new "Crazy Canoe/American Eagle" coaster concept, which will be making its debut at a park in Europe soon. Even better, we learned that Indiana Beach's Steel Hawg, their first "El Loco" coaster, will soon be followed by another installation "out west." And even better still, they had a rendering for a "Mega El Loco," a 300-foot-tall monster that drew gasps of approval.
As a final treat, we got to watch about 20 minutes of old SFMM tee-vee commercials and local news broadcasts. Good fun.
During the backstage tours, we were supposed to head up the Sky Tower for an exclusive preview of the Magic Mountain history exhibit they've assembled. High winds kept that from happening, but as evening fell, so did the breezes and we got our chance after dark.
I won't show much - you should really see it for yourself - but here's a couple of highlights:
They did a superlative job and some of the old brochures and posters almost choked me up.
Evening ERT was insane. We literally rode to the point of exhaustion: Gold Rusher, Tatsu, Colossus, Riddler's Revenge, Ninja, Goliath, didn't even hit Scream, or Batman: The Ride, or Viper (Superman and Revolution did conk out early, but they tried). By the time 10:30 PM rolled around, I was a zombie.
One more time, a major thank you to everyone at Magic Mountain for day that will never be forgotten. This year, my season pass is getting a real workout.
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