ROLLERCOASTERS: 24/10/16 Six Flags Great America visit

This Saturday I visited Six Flags Great America for the first time since around 2008 and with my girlfriend Pia. I decided to get myself a gold membership for 2025 and a photo pass to get myself reacquainted with coasters before spending on a flash pass. Pia felt much the same since it had been so long since her last park visit and we were unfamiliar with our tolerance for forces and speed. 

We arrived a half hour after park open and left around 10:30 PM at night. It was cool in the morning and afternoon and was very chilly by sunset and during the evening. Our visit coincided with Oktoberfest and Fright Fest celebrations so the atmosphere was quite electric -- especially in the evening. I faced some physical harassment in some lines which was quite irritating, but that problem was the children instead of the park. I had no issue at Coney Island, although I didn't stand in line for hours at Coney Island.

We headed straight for Raging Bull when we arrived -- it was already about an hour long wait. I rode it during my last visit in the front and really loved it. I wanted to feel those awesome airtime hills while riding in the back and it absolutely did not disappoint. The coaster roars a bit and I think one of the trains is particularly loud on the lift hill, but the ride was so smooth and free of vibrations. The pre-drop really pulls the rear of the train through it quickly and we were suddenly in free fall. What a rush! I found the airtime on the very tall hills that follow it just so exciting. Pia & I started the day on a high. I'm not so familiar with the ride that I could do a fun photo like these other riders... but we happily bounced our way over to Viper for our second ride of the day.

As a child, I remember Viper being too intense and scary for me and I felt sick from all the airtime. Now, I loved the airtime! While queueing for Viper, my most recent wooden coaster ride, Cyclone, was fresh in my memory. In a last moment decision, we sat in the middle of the train. We released from the station, rounded the first turn, climbed the lift hill, and were released at the drop. On the way down, I felt the all-too-familiar Cyclone rushing through me. It was in that moment that I realised Viper was a mirror layout Cyclone with slightly different cars. For Cyclone, the middle car is my favourite position. It was a perfect result just from trusting my gut, even if I didn't yet understand the reasoning.

I found the cars very uncomfortable for the lateral movement on Viper. I also think the headchoppers are somehow even scarier on Viper -- there's an I-Beam right after the drop that influenced me to duck in my seat. However, the track surface was so much smoother and overall the ride was more enjoyable for its lower vibrations. I found the second to last turn-around on Cyclone and the subsequent airtime hill much more intense and fun on Cyclone, however. I also really love the sort of athletic appeal of Cyclone in comparison to Viper. For me, standing up slightly in my seat to greet the airtime pops was an amazing experience on the Cyclone. I also loved to shift in my seat to brace myself against the lateral forces. Cyclone with a smoother track would absolutely dust Viper in every regard. Regardless, coasters are always a careful balance of its sensations.

We broke for a quick snack and made use of our dining pass. We ended up refilling our drinks only once and only getting one food item over the course of the day. We did lots of standing and waiting but weren't particularly low on energy at any point. I'll chalk that up to a healthy breakfast before we reached the park. I think if we had skipped breakfast or spent more time walking around the park we would have made better use of it, but I found it a good logistical insight for future trips. I did, however, enjoy the peace of mind that no matter how much food or drink I would end up having, it would never cost more than $45. Entrees hit around $20 so that dining pass could be quite crucial on the right day. We ended up staying all day and grabbing a drink refill & snack before heading home. It was very, very necessary by then. Not trying to handle cash or card in the dark was also a nice characteristic of the pass system.

Our next stop was Maxx Force. Neither Pia nor I had rode it prior, but it's appeal is obvious. The 60 mph heartline roll and following double inverting dive loop are visibly attractive elements, but the dog tongue after the step-up really sealed it for me. After launching 80 mph, inverting, and reverting, the brief moment of lingering up-right, 175 feet above the park, feels exactly like the immelmann turn implies -- jet flight. So awesome. Rolling out into a half loop for the drop feels just as incredible. The ride is themed like an open-wheel downforce car, but really it should be themed like a jet. I think that would really bring the whole ride together. More than Pia's words could convey, her smile in the on-ride photo will really tell you it was her favourite ride of our visit.

After Maxx Force, we headed to Superman Ultimate Flight where we would wait for 3 hours in queue. It was quite mind-numbing, but Superman is worth a wait. As you'll notice from the ride photo, the sun had set by the time we launched. Queue times suggested 75 minutes, but naturally cannot anticipate Flash Pass users or delays due to loading process and testing. While in queue, we saw three test runs. There's an odd building at the start of the queue which is very very loud due to the ceiling's pyramid shape and reflective surfaces. While we were inside it for a good half hour, we wore ear plugs that I had brought. I thought they might be useful for some of the rides with louder lift hills, but it ended up being more useful in queue... I highly recommend having a pair for yourself even if it's just for this building in the queue.

What can really be said about Superman that Superman doesn't already tell you? It is so expertly themed with its swooping initial drop and banked turns. The pretzel loop, a Superman flying technique right out of the cartoon, is such an incredible feeling. The only other front flip you might experience at the park is the Joker, but that is much more gymnastic than the incredible swoop and sensation of being pushed backwards into the restraint and diving into a front flip, facing upwards at the sky while rushing through the bottom portion of the loop. While riding, you might even feel so compelled to claim at the top of your lungs to be Superman yourself.

Our last ride of the day would be Goliath. We steamed our way over with flighty sprints in between walking through crowds. The Fright Fest actors were out in full force and spooked Pia and I both on seperate occasions. They're always well dressed and very active. My favourites were the Bubba cosplayers with their chainsaws. We saw them do their full revs and lumber towards screaming little girls for crowd pops constantly. They didn't chase me much because I was yelling "yeah!!!! hell yeah!!!!" the whole time. I liked playing him in Dead by Daylight, especially because they nailed the expressions of the actor playing the character that gave him so much emotion. I felt the actors at Six Flags did the same.

Superman Ultimate Flight was my first night-time coaster. Goliath would be my second ever night-time coaster and first ride on Goliath. During the Queue, I wasn't sure which seat I wanted to take. I think I was maybe scared of the front, but I always love the effects of being pulled through drops and elements that the back seats usually deliver. We were luckily first in the main queue when our train was being seated and the attendant generously assigned us the last row upon my inquisition. 

Goliath's smooth ride and unique elements made it my favourite ride of the day for me. In queue, we could hear the click-clack of the lift hill followed by a gentle whoosh as riders disappeared into the night. It really set the tone for the mammoth ride. The 60 foot lift hill was scary enough that Pia and I were saying we were scared to each other and that it was very scary. At night, it feels unreal to look so sharply upwards into the abyss of the dark night sky. In the back, we did not longer at the lift hill for long. The drop was so shocking I could hardly utter a sound -- I understood immediately the quietness of the riders. Through the tunnel and up the next hill to the first overbanked curve, I couldn't help but yell "that was awesome!" I yelled it after every element. The airtime hills, the dive loop, the zero-g stall, the next overbanked curve, at the station... amazing. My favourite ride of the maybe 10 I've rode that I remember. The dive loop in the back row felt so seamless, so floaty, it was something I was looking foward to experiencing since I saw videos of the feature on other rides online. The zero-g stall not only feels amazing, but it looks incredible for riders waiting in the queue. It's one of the few exposed elements of the ride that are plainly visible in the queue and it's of the car upside-down. It looks so cool, it feels so cool, just an amazing ride altogether. I'm so excited to go back with a flash pass and just hit rides in various rows all day long. Especially on Goliath. 

Pia and I usually do wherever we go, but we had the time of our life together at the park. Despite the low volume of rides on the attractions and mild harassment, we were blissed from start to finish. To even be in an amusement park is something that brings me cheer, to be around others having fun, and to witness others trying things for the first time and loving it.

I felt that we made the right choice to simply spend the day together leisurely and get on the rides we thought would be most fun. Eventually, we prioritised certain rides over the others since we knew we would not experience the whole park. Next time, we will. And perhaps even better, the new Wrath of Rakshasa will have opened. I'm really looking forward to getting onto Goliath in the daytime, as well.

Just a few days later I still remember the feeling of the ride throughout my body. I can practically play it back in its entirety. The feeling I got on Viper, like I was in NYC again riding Cyclone, reassures me it's something I'll likely remember for a long, long time.