Six Flags Magic Mountain: My Bodacious ACE Coaster Con XXXVII Trip Report - Part VII

Once upon a time,

in a land not-so-far away,

a young boy dreamt of roller coasters.

He rode the roller coasters at Disneyland and the roller coasters at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. He rode the roller coasters at Paramount's Great America, or at least the ones he was tall enough for. He even rode the roller coasters at "Castles 'n' Coasters" Phoenix, despite his mother's concerns about an amusement park letting her 4-year-old ride a looping coaster. 

The boy's upbringing consisted of watching roller coaster video tapes over and over while riding a spring-loaded rocking horse (to simulate the riding of a roller coaster, naturally). Two of the video tapes chronicled adventures of thrill-seeking individuals as they traversed the landscape of the roller coaster promised land, Six Flags Magic Mountain.

Magic Mountain was the stuff dreams were made of. Anaheim may have its kingdom of magic, but in Valencia, the magic cascades down from the peak of a mountain, lost deep in the pristine arid landscape of Santa Clarita. 

*cue inconspicuous shift to first person voice*

When I was 6 years old, my first true aspiration in life was realized: A trip to Six Flags Magic Mountain. We piled into the RV and drove 6 hours to Valencia. I will never forget my first glimpse at Magic Mountain from I-5 as it appeared over the horizon.  

Riddler's Revenge was the new ride that season, but I wasn't tall enough to ride it, which also meant no Batman and no Viper. That wasn't a problem, however; there were plenty of 48-inch-friendly rides to enjoy: Log Jammer, Spin Out, Freefall, High Sierra Falls, the Metro, Flashback, Sierra Twist (are you noticing a theme, here?), and so on. The trip was wonderful, and Magic Mountain was everything I'd dreamed of.

Two years later, we came back to Magic Mountain. My return included rides on the new-for-2000 Goliath, all of the 54-inch rides, and Psyclone, which had been closed on my first visit. This second visit was even more exciting than the first, but there had been some less-than-postive developments over the last two years: Spin Out and Flashback were dormant, rides like Psyclone and Colossus were not in very good shape, and the park seemed to have lots of run-down or shuttered areas.

Two more years passed, and things had gotten bad fast. As mentioned before, fresh-flagship-ride X was completely down for the count, which was absolutely devastating for 10-year-old me. To make matters worse, smaller rides all over the park were closed, which lead to even longer lines on the rides that were open. We waited in a 3 hour line for Déjà Vu, which I still believe to be one hell of a ride, but waiting that long for one ride is not how anyone wants to spend their day. The park was in truly rough shape; dirty walkways, closed buildings, and run-down areas everywhere. I left the park that day extremely frustrated. Where did all the magic go? Would it ever come back?

. . .

Fast forward to present day. Six Flags Magic Mountain has continued to see more than its fair share of ups and downs, but I was to understand that the park was in good shape these days.

To spare you the guessing, I'll go ahead and say right now that Six Flags Magic Mountain completely blew away my cautiously optimistic expectations. It was, for better or for worse, a completely different park from what I experienced in 2002. More importantly, it was an absolute joy. 

Enough with the words! Let's enjoy a marvelous day at Six Flags Magic Mountain!

Oooh! I'm so excited! And anxious! There's so much to do today!

Having gotten my much-coveted ride on X2, I was already feeling ahead of the game.

Valencia Falls! You're looking well. Orange and Green, like the Irish folk song!

Oh my! I sure don't remember this being here!

I don't remember any of this at all! But it sure looks cool!

On a totally unrelated note, has anyone seen Log Jammer? Or, like, the entire High Sierra Territory? I wanna say it should all be around here somewhere.

Anyways, Full Throttle is awesome! Right Tom?

I mean, it ain't no Log Jammer…….but damn! Great launches, great hang time, and sick air on the top hat. My only caveat is how many friggin' trees the park downed for this thing. Was it really necessary to completely level half of High Sierra Territory just so that FT could have a plaza that is literally one enormous, unbroken slab of concrete? *sigh*

C'est la vie. If Full Throttle wasn't the Top-20-kind-of-coaster it is, maybe I'd be more frustrated. The ride truly blew me away! And I'm not the only one. Let's take a closer look, shall we?

Looks like Ann is rather blown away too! Meanwhile, Tom and Flemming are just basking in that front seat.

This right here is one crazy "OH SH*T" moment. Not just because of the mad airtime, but also the hardcore slamming-into-the-lapbar time when you hit the brakes. 

Other than its abrupt end, the ride really delivers. The backwards launch is just divine!

This business right here is pretty insane, too. 

Full Throttle was sensational enough to get two re-rides out of me before it was time to move on! We've got lots of other spectacular rides to hit on ERT!

Oh sweet Jesus. I'm not sure how I feel about this. 

Speedy Gonzales, Six Flags Magic Mountain's nineteenth roller coaster, wasn't quite ready for us, but that just means more future credit whoring for us here in Bugs Bunny Land!

(Also, has anyone seen that giant fake redwood tree you can walk through? I coulda sworn it was right around here somewhere…)

Well, Goliath's still here. 

You got screwed, Magic Mountain. You and Six Flags Over Texas have the privilege of operating the only two hyper coasters in the country that don't have a lick of airtime. It's like Giovanola tried to build their own version of Raging Bull but forgot to put in any hills. 

Superman: The Escape was broken on my 2002 visit to Six Flags Magic Mountain. I was thrilled with the idea of the Escape From Krypton remodel, and now the ride runs consistently! Can't wait to finally ride again!

Oooh! A shiny new area! Much prettier than Gotham City, don't you think?

Green Lantern: First Flight was the coaster nobody expected when it was announced in 2010. TWO 4D coasters in ONE park? Incredible!

You know what's even more incredible? GL actually has theming! 

As a HUGE fan of Gröna Lund's "Insane," the only other Intamin ZacSpin with this layout, I couldn't wait to go for another ride!

These two are ready for their First Flight! Are YOU?

Green Lantern is an acquired taste. The intensity of this unsuspecting beast sent many an ACEr to the nearest bench that day. I rode it twice in a row and decided that was enough.

A few of the cars have had their soft shoulder restraints fitted with hard plastic sleeves, which make even less comfortable what is already an uncomfortable ride experience for most.

Insane, the menace of Stockholm, gives a much wilder ride than its stateside twin. My nine consecutive rides on Insane were each unique in their level of insanity, and a fair amount more comfortable with the ride's still-squishy shoulder restraints.

"Colossus is closing. The Moose out front shoulda told ya."

Colossus's run may finally be at its end, but frankly, its life was over by the 90s. A racing coaster that does not race is a travesty. 

It's a shame that I never got to experience Colossus backwards. I'm sure the heavy B&M trains from Psyclone give a wilder ride than the lightweight 80s Morgan trains (though I still believe the Morgans to be quite nice :} ).

To its credit, the side of Colossus that actually runs is in pretty good shape for its last season.

And, like I've said before, I'm a sucker for these trains. :}

Also, this happened! :}

(and look at how beautifully the park as restored this car! Hopefully we'll continue to see it preserved.)

"Oh, Goliath. If only somebody loved you."

One ride was enough for me. The other six make up the entire back car in this picture. :}

Switching gears: it's time to ride to the top of Samurai Summit with M&M and Josh! Let's go snag a ride on Tatsu before the general public overwhelms the line with their chaos and such.

God Bless Orient Express. It's one of Magic Mountain's oldest and most useful rides. 

There was a time when Six Flags Magic Mountain was a smorgasbord of peoplemovers: The Orient Express (Funicular), the Metro, two separate sky rides, the Dragon (yet another mode of transit to the top of Samurai Summit), and a couple of train rides. Orient Express is all that's left.

Hey look! It's Dan and Alexa! How was your ride on Tatsu, guys?

I'll tell you how their ride was! It was awesome!

Tatsu is one spectacular ride. Great location, great pacing, and an incredible pretzel dive that can silence even the loudest of G-force snobs!

*sigh*

We're gonna deal with this one later...

Let's just keep focusing on the splendor of Tatsu for a bit.

2006 was a great year for B&M. It gave us both Tatsu, and my favorite B&M, Phantasialand's "Black Mamba!"

You know what's even better than Tatsu, though?

    This.

In the battle for top coaster at Magic Mountain, there can be only one:

The Blackbelt of Coasters, NINJA.

There was no one coaster that delighted me more on my first visit to Magic Mountain than Ninja. Sixteen years later, the same is still true. I guess you could say I'm Ninja's Biggest Fan! ^_^

My love for Ninja outweighs the burden of every slumping tree on Samurai Summit. 

Of note, Ninja is now back up and running after its run-in with an earthquake-shaken oak, which occured not two weeks after these pictures were taken. 

This was already going to be a Ninja-heavy report, but the accident sent me into such a tizzy that I decided to go ahead and turn this report into an bonafide Ninja love affair. I figured, "Why not? I effing love this ride, so I'm going to post every damn picture I took of it." Taking time out of my busy day to stop and really appreciate Ninja was a high priority for me; now you, the reader, can stop and appreciate Ninja with me. :}

This now concludes the first part of the Ninja Show; more to come as the day progresses. :}

It wouldn't be a visit to Samurai Summit without a stop at the Fortress of Solitude. 

Superman: Escape From Krypton is awesome. It's even better than it was when I was six. 

But Full Throttle be all like "HEY! Pay attention to meeeee!"

And Goldrusher be like "I'm just glad I'm still here."

It's nice to know that 13 years after Premier Rides started showing up at Six Flags parks around the World, Magic Mountain finally got theirs. And it's even better than Mr. Freeze!

Goldrusher just makes me smile. It's a special little ride, too; It was the first Arrow Mine Train to use a steel support system instead of wood!

Suddenly Tatsu is like "Hello. I am the best B&M in the United States." 

But Riddler be like "I resemble that remark!" 

Walking down the backside of Samurai Summit (Which is affectionately referred to as "Heart-attack Hill"), we see the remains of the Metro "Four Winds" Station that was once inside the mountain. Like the Samurai Summit restaurant for which it was named, the Four Winds Station now serves a new purpose:

Full Throttle's launch tunnel! The Four Winds restaurant building itself serves a much less glamorous purpose as Fright Fest prop storage, but it along with the shuttered "Magic Pagoda" walk-thru serve as Fright Fest haunts! Might be worth coming back for that just to walk through the old buildings. :}

Sadly, not all old structures are serving a purpose. Dragon's lower station (the upper one was turned into Ninja's station) has been dormant since the opening of Ninja in 1989. It's a shame that they haven't just remodeled it into a sitting area or something. 

^_^

Hey! can anyone tell me how to get to Spin Out?! I thought it was right next to this sign!

In the area known as the "Spillikin Corners" when it opened back in 1978, you can still find a handful of its original craft stores, like the glass shop.

Like Dollywood's "Craftsmen Valley" area, Spillikin Corners was once full of different crafts shops, ranging from glass blowing to blacksmithing to leather working. Over the years, various crafts were dropped from Spillikin Corners, and by the time the area had become "Psyclone Bay," only a handful were left.

Speaking of which, Psyclone Bay's namesake may be gone for good, but the "beach-y" keen Jet Stream is still alive and well!

While Jet Stream never did get as much love as its Arrow Log Flume sibling on the other side of the mountain, this Super Flume gives an excellent ride and has a much higher capacity. AND it wraps around Ninja. What's not to love??

On that note, we now return to the Ninja Show! :}

Many of the trees in this picture are now either pruned back or completely gone. Take one last look!

Ninja itself is now in stable condition based on what I've heard, but hopefully a dwindling number of train parts won't send our marvelous blackbelt into early retirement. 

I would say that Ninja is my preferred Arrow Suspended over Bat, just by a hair. However I would consider them both to be Top-10 Steel Coasters.

Woohoo! It's an ALFE (American Log Flume Enthusiasts) party on Jet Stream! 

Since Team M&M and I crossed paths again with the Silly Homo-sapiens by the glass shop, I decided to bid M&M and Co. farewell for now and re-join the boys for another ride on Superman!

Plus Tom and I needed more pictures form outside the Fortress of Solitude.

Here's another Full Throttle picture just because. 

And more Gold Rusher!

And while I'm up here I better go ahead and ride Ninja again. :}

(this drawing of Ninja is on the white board inside the ride's control room. I feel like whoever drew this would really understand me as a person.)

Ninja's exit provides for some scenic views of Jet Stream! And some bamboo!

You can never have enough bamboo. :}

Tatsu's line has now reached full chaos mode, so there won't be another Tatsu ride for me until ERT tonight.

Gotta take another ride down the Orient Express. :}

Revolution just looks so wonderful…whyyy do the trains have to be so awful?

*is bitter*

I think Full Throttle will look better when it grows in a little. And the rest of Six Flags Plaza still needs a lot of work, for that matter. The vast area formerly occupied by Flashback, the Metro's "Whitewater Lake" station, and the Metro's maintenance bay remain blocked off and empty. This is a high-visibility area that begs for development!

I was fascinated with Flashback's peculiar design and considered it a priority on my first visit to the park. However, the ride's loud roar made it difficult for slide attendants to instruct guests on the nearby body slides of Hurricane Harbor (or so we were told), so for the preceding couple of years or so, Flashback was only allowed to run during the two-hour gap between Hurricane Harbor's and Magic Mountain's respective park closings. Bearing this in mind, we went back to Flashback as soon as Hurricane Harbor closed to find it deserted, but open. My parents and I boarded the ride's one train with a handful of other guests and braced ourselves.

My parents hated Flashback (which is reasonable; they both took several blows to the head from shoulder harnesses that were the exact same as those found on Revolution), but tiny 6-year-old me loved it! I was want to ride again, but as soon as we got off, we got word that Superman: The Escape, which had been broken all day, had finally opened. We dashed to Superman with the assumption that I would be able to ride Flashback again, but the opportunity never came. Flashback didn't operate for the next two days, and on my subsequent trips the ride was completely dormant. I was heartbroken. By the time the ride had finally been put out of its misery in 2007, however, I had made peace.

Now here's something new! Roadrunner Express!!

Excuse me, can any of you tell me where Yosemite Sam's High Sierra Falls is? I have a hankering for a good 'ole wet/dry waterside!

Actually, on second thought, my hankering for lunch is reaching critical mass! Let's assess the sushi situation at Magic Mountain's food court, "Food etc."

The sushi was fabulous. I got their daily special, which was called a "Dragon Crunch" roll, and a California Roll. Both were of high-quality and extremely flavorful. I love that they use minced krab salad in their California Roll instead of krab stick. :}

Good sushi = the happiest Alex!

Oh yeah, this is here too.

Tucked away by the exit for Colossus is Scream!, Magic Mountain's red-headed stepchild of a B&M floorless. Scream! is sad and has no friends.

During peak midday hours on a Saturday in June, Scream! had a 2 train wait for the back seat. The ride itself was good, but not as good as Medusa.

I think the ride was built as a high-capacity, low-maintainence distraction from the still-consistently-broken X and the low capacity Déjà Vu. If it weren't for the park's coaster record, I would expect to see this guy get shuttled off to another park some day. 

Lex Luthor: Drop of Doom, by the way, is pretty great. And by great, I mean horrifying. 

Hey, look! Ancient ruins!

What we're looking at here are the tragic remains of the Metro's "Contempo Pavilion" station, hidden amongst the trees behind the Colossus County Fair area.

If you look closely, you can see a bit of what's left of the Metro's track. In fact, the segment of track between this Metro station and the area right around the base of Superman's tower is still intact, though completely engulfed by trees.

Next door to the old Metro station are some early-era Magic Mountain artifacts that are still in tact!

But the closed Scrambler made me sad. :{

Riddler's ready for action, though!

At their worst, Magic Mountain's general clientele can be out of control, but at their best, they're rather entertaining. 

Unlike Scream!, Riddler's Revenge bears a significant presence at Magic Mountain, as it should. The ride's evolved Mantis/Chang layout can't be beat!

However, I distinctly recall coming off this guy with sore feet from the intense G-forces. Maybe this time it will feel more comfortable?

Turns out Riddler has aged magnificently. I enjoyed it much more than I did when the ride was only 2 years old. My re-ride on Riddler really made Scream! feel like a step down for the park overall. Maybe some kind of theme re-boot would bring out Scream!'s full potential?

I remember, plain as day, watching a brand-new Riddler's Revenge roar past from just a few feet away while waiting in line for Freefall, my very first drop ride. I miss the Six Flags Freefalls dreadfully.

EVERYBODY GO TO DORNEY PARK AND RIDE DEMON DROP. RIGHT NOW. <3

Tidal Wave! I remember waiting entirely too long for this in 1998. This time around the line was only a couple of cycles long.

But rather than ride, I just decided to enjoy the reactions from guests as the ride (and occasionally, some strategically-placed water cannons) soaked them to the bone! 

Growing up, I never understood why there was a random gas station at the exit of Riddler's Revenge. Now I know that it's actually a relic from Magic Mountain's original car ride, the Chevron Grand Prix! Sadly, the ride's original dual-track layout was bulldozed to build Tidal Wave, and its new home in Bugs Bunny Land only lasted through 2007, at which point  it was demolished for the short lived Thomas Town area (now Whistlestop Station).

Goldrusher <3 Forever.

Still as wonderful as the day it opened, I'm sure.

Apocalypse, on the other hand, probably wasn't even that wonderful to begin with.

Following the demolition of Psyclone, "Terminatior Salvation: The Ride" was expected to deliver Magic Mountain some wood coaster…well…salvation.

GCI did the best they could with what they had to work with, and it obviously beats the hell out of Psyclone, but frankly the ride is suffering.

Apocalypse's constant exposure to the desert sun has dried out the track a great deal, which has lead to chattering and a sluggish performance in the back half. 

It's really shocking to see how pale and dry the wood is on Apocalypse, especially when compared to the healthy, warm glow of Gold Striker, or even just the deep brown of older GCIs. Will Magic Mountain ever get the wooden coaster experience it truly deserves?

Our day has now brought us full circle! It's time for Part 3 of the Ninja Show!

This is my favorite part of Magic Mountain; it's here that one can expect to find the loveliest scenic views of Ninja! Pay no attention to the gaping maw left behind by Déjà Vu.

I'm not sure what this view looks like right now. I know for a fact that trees in the dead center of this picture of received buzz cuts, however. 

But let's not think about that right now. Let's pretend that all of the trees are still here. <3

I'm sure that designing Ninja around Jet Stream was quite the challenge, but Arrow rose to the challenge magnificently!

While Kings Island's Bat may have speed and height on its side, Ninja's layout may be the best of the remaining Arrow Suspended Coasters. 

Ninja's accident occurred just beyond where this picture was taken. Most of the trees in this picture have been pruned back considerably.

It occurred to me a few days after the accident that these are now some of the last HD photos of Ninja with all of its trees. I guess it was fate that I, Ninja's Biggest Fan, would be here just in time to do a photo shoot with all of his beautiful oak trees. <3

Ninja's first drop is a pretty gentle decline, but it pics up quite a lot of speed before it flies into it's signature 270º helix!

Tatsu watches over Ninja like a little brother of sorts.

Ok, Ninja! It's time for me to go! I'll be back for some night rides later!

Same goes for you, big bro Tatsu!

I wanted to go up in the Sky Tower, but just like my last 3 visits, it was closed.

Someday <3

I'm tickled by the fact that Tatsu's entrance is not actually in Samurai Summit, but rather, Rapids Camp Crossing.

The sounds of live folk music and the smells of fresh barbecue fill the air at Rapids Camp Crossing! I suddenly feel like I'm at Dollywood!

And both parks have colossal B&Ms flying overhead!

Normally I'm a big rapids ride fan, but I distinctly recall the one here being crap. Moving on...

Speaking of crappy ride experiences, redemption time for Viper has come!

It wasn't until I reached a certain height that I started to really enjoy giant Arrow Loopers. My ride on Viper as an 8-year-old was terrible, but I was confident that this experience would be totally different!

Oh! X2! Fancy seeing you in broad daylight for a change. :}

Oh, this brings back memories…of pain…

While I was taking pictures in Rapids Camp Crossing, I made friends with a ride operator who was on break. Turns out she was on her way to run Viper, so we walked to the ride together. She gave me the heads up that one of Viper's trains is running better than the other; the train with the advertisement for hair gel is apparently much rougher than the train bearing its true colors. I rode the green and red train in the front seat, and my ride was smoother than I could've ever imagined! Thank you for the tip, kind Viper ride operator! :}

That makes two great pieces of riding advice from two Magic Mountain ride operators (the other which came before Steve and I's X2 ride last night). Way to go, Six Flags! 

The sun is beginning to set at Magic Mountain, but around here twilight seems to last over two hours!

Now that I've worked my way back to the front of the park, there's only one thing to do.

Revolution was so painful that I truly couldn't wait for it to be over. It was so bad that it actually popped out one of my earrings, which I managed to catch before it sailed out of the train.

Tatsu, I'm really frustrated about Revolution. What should I do?

"Recompense injury with justice, and recompense kindness with kindness."

Time for dinner!

Everyone who attended Coaster Con got a white piece of Colossus's superstructure, but at dinner they were offering red handrail pieces as door prizes for answering trivia!!

The first trivia question was "What was the name of the original Magic Mountain ride that operated where the entrance to Goliath is now?"

I was the only one in attendance who raised their hand, and when the park representative called on me, I belted out 

BILLY THE SQUIIIIIIID!

Stunned, the park representative handed me my prize, and I dashed out to the car to stow it away. I knew my endless hours of Magic Mountain studying would come in handy some day.

:}

Walking out to the car, I enjoyed the view of the new Banzai Pipelines, which were added to one of Hurricane Harbor's existing slide towers this season.

The blue Banzai slide replaced "Venom Drop," a basic vertical speed slide. The yellow Banzai slide was squeezed in where there was originally no slide to speak of. :}

I remember fondly my Hurricane Harbor visit in 1998. I don't really get why some Hurricane Harbors are free with admission to their respective Six Flags parks, while some aren't. Maybe crowd control?

It won't be long now until the sun sets on Colossus.

X2, on the other hand, hopefully has a long life ahead of knocking the sh*t out of people. <3 

#signaturevipershot

This is one of the only places on the property in which you can actually get a good view of X2.

I've said many times before that Cedar Point has the best collection of Arrow Dynamics coasters in the world, but now I'm not so sure. 

Viper vs Corkscrew?

Ninja vs Iron Dragon??

No contests there.

Gold Rusher vs Cedar Creek Mine Ride?

Magnum XL-200 vs X2?

And what of Gemini?? It's a tough call. 

Back in the park, we took our second ride on Lex Luthor. Thank you single rider line!

In other news, Superman still sounds like a jet taking off. 

Now here's something I never thought I'd say: Let's ride Magic Mountain's Himalaya! This ride, now themed to The Flash, was dormant on all 3 of my previous trips to Magic Mountain. I didn't even know the ride was still operable until it was remodeled along with the rest of Gotham City!

The DC Universe remodel is probably the best thing to happen to Six Flags Magic Mountain in the last 10 years. It's the only area in the park with no shuttered remnants of rides past. 

The whole area is beautifully put together and full of nice touches!

I'm sure by now you've noticed the inconspicuous absence of Batman in this report; the ride was merely closed for the re-assembly of its pair of train chassis following its stint of backwards rides this past spring. Six Flags Over Texas is now the place to go for backwards Batman!

Green Lantern was built in a fairly large area of the former Gotham City that was serving no purpose other than storage. Hopefully we'll see more of Magic Mountain's dormant areas being brought to their full potential! 

Wonder Woman: Lasso of Truth, which originally opened as "Electric Rainbow," came to the park along with the Himalaya in 1974. How nice it is to see that these rides have both stood the test of time!

There's no place like a county fair at night. :}

Hooray!! The Scrambler lives! Oh, happy day. :}

I finished out our night with a total of one ride on Superman, one ride on Tatsu, two rides on X2, three rides on Full Throttle, and four rides on Ninja (the Ninja crew that night was full of awesome)! It was the be-all-end-all nighttime ERT session!

After disembarking Magic Mountain, we stopped at the Chevron on Magic Mountain Pkwy for some provisions! 

By the end of this fateful day at Magic Mountain, my faith in the place had been restored. Areas of the park are slowly being redeveloped, rides are being maintained and consistently operated, paths are clean, employees are friendly and talkative, food is of good quality, and the crowd control for a Saturday in June was superb. On top of all of that, the park took amazing care of us, serving us a good meal, warm hospitality, and such marvelous ERTs that there was never any concern of running out of time.

The magic is back! I feel like 6-year-old me again.

Tomorrow the SoCal party keeps on rollin' with a visit Knott's Berry Farm! Tune in for a day filled with classic rides, wild thrills, and lots of berry punch! :}