in association with
Park Hoppin’
Compact coasters
Castaway Cove in Ocean City, New Jersey, would agree. That's because, as much as any year in recent memory, this year that rings true. He has added a compact SBF/Visa spinning coaster, and plans to open two more rollercoasters next year. The largest will be Gale Force, the first triple LSM launched El Loco coaster from S&S Sansei. Shoe-horned around that will be an E&F Miler family coaster. I think Jerry Brick, general manager of Lake Compounce in Bristol, Connecticut, would agree. Lake Compounce has introduced Phobia Phear, its first new coaster since 2000. It is New England's first launched coaster and also boasts the tallest inversion in the region. Phobia Phear is the latest incarnation of the Sky Rocket, a vertical coaster by Premier Rides. The first Sky Rocket appeared at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in 2012. Since then, these forward-backward-forward launch rides that rock riders through vertical twists and loops have shown up in Mexico, China, Germany and Virginia. More and more parks are choosing to add compact coasters. They don't
D
take a lot of space, yet they pack a thrill, they're easy to promote and, let's face it, they are more affordable. Just look at the variety of compact coasters that have recently become available. Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey, has introduced the second S&S 4D Free Spin coaster called The Joker. That's The Joker behind me in the photo. The small footprint coaster includes three layers of stacked track that feature hills, valleys and raven turns. There are beyond 90° drops and six induced flips. The first Free Spin appeared last year at Six Flags Fiesta Texas. Free Spin looks a bit like Intamin’s ZacSpin. Both rides feature a vertical
track layout on a compact footprint with seats that spin forward and backward over undulating track with freefall drops. Four ZacSpins currently operate worldwide, at Linnanmäki (Helsinki), Terra Mítica (Benidorm, Spain), Gröna Lund (Stockholm) and Six Flags Magic Mountain (California). Since 2004, the SkyLoop from Maurer has appeared at parks in
Germany, Finland, Australia, Spain, the United States and China. The small footprint ride consists of two support towers bookending a vertical loop with a corkscrew inversion at the very top. I can't speak for you, but I'm looking forward to the appearance next year
of the towering Skyscraper, the first Polercoaster from US Thril Rides. To be built on International Drive in Orlando, this compact vertical coaster will stretch 570 feet (170m) tall and begin with an inversion. Built on behalf of US Thrill Rides by Intamin, it will become the tallest rollercoaster in the world, Polercoasters are also planned for five other US cities including Atlanta, Atlantic City, New York, Las Vegas and Nashville. Don't get me wrong, I
love big, wild, sprawling coasters that wander all over and even spill outside the park. But sprawling upwards rather than outwards promises major new thrills. Reach for the sky!
OCTOBER 2016
uring a recent interview with Ed Hart, President and CEO of Kentucky Kingdom, he said that he had been told early in his career, "It’s all about the coasters." I suspect Scott Simpson of Playland’s
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64