silver2005

I think we should dub it the Ouimet cup at this point.

I had some bits of headbanging on Thunderhawk, but the restraints have some padding to ease things. It wasn't as bad in the middle of the train. Invertigo is much like that as well. My problem with it was the pacing. The long trains really slacken the pacing in the taller elements, particularly the roll over and the sidewinder. It was very funky in the front seat as you really fly up into those inversions, and as soon as you crest over the top, it really, really let up the speed, strong and sudden enough where you get forced into the restraints. In the back, it would pull you over very quickly and slammed you to the back of the seat. It was quite an intense ride aside from those elements and it was comfortable, though, I also hear that T-hawk is one of the better of the SLC's. In contrast, B&M's may have 8-9 cars per train, but with the 4 across arrangement allowing for each car being a row, the weight is much more centered thus they can keep their pacing even though elements are still massive (sans the v-seating on Behemoth, Diamondback and Intimidator). They also do this thing called heartlining where the transitions are centered around the riders' hearts resulting in far less head movement side to side.

Michigan's Adventure, CF's smallest and most neglected park, has better food service than KI. That should be all you need to know.

Just out of curiosity, with Kennywood's rain practices, do they always open at 10:30 or will they delay the opening if there's early bits of rain that die out?

I can confirm that, during the fleeting moments it was actually running, CP's has a pretty similar soundtrack to KI's.

I'd like to see Coney Mall be the spot for a flat package that included the area between Zephyr and WindSeeker as well as some of the area surrounding Backlot. I'd even throw in a wild mouse.

I found a decent hotel about 20 minutes from Pittsburgh and 30 minutes from Kennywood, somewhat near the airport west of downtown. This'll be a much easier trip in terms of routing since it's all interstate highways to Pittsburgh and my hotel is right off of I-376. Only 1 other major city in between (C-bus).

I'm slightly behind financially, but only enough where I'll probably be cheap in eating this trip. The raise I got at work should make up the difference. Just booked my Pittsburgh trip! And yes, I'll proudly be wearing Reds gear to the Pirates game. EDIT: Am I seeing this right that Kennywood's entrance is on the other side of the road from the rest of the park?

Question- why do they close off the WWC train crossing when the train is approaching the station?

^Did you read the whole thread? The trees in question are by the train and Mystic Timbers, pretty much on the opposite side of the park from The Bat.

Sounds like the first day of my trip last summer, though at least I had Voyage. Are Raven and Legend prone to downtime or something?

Probably gonna ride it early and get it out of the way. I'm also surprised by the ticket prices being lower than I thought. This trip is looking to be less expensive than I first thought, though, the hotel rates around Pittsburgh will make up for both Pirate and Kennywood tickets being lower price than I expected. I could use tips about downtown Pittsburgh (mostly involving dining and parking). Gonna spend the day exploring downtown before the Reds/Pirates game. Additionally, how much is parking at Kennywood?

I believe you can leave loose articles in the station on T-bird. I'm about 65% sure on that. I didn't have anything loose on me there. Also, I don't remember there being lockers atop of Mt Thunderbird.

^Got it covered, malem will be with me for that. Also, just out of curiosity, I've never been on a spinning coaster before, so what kind of experience can I expect from Exterminator?

Consider me jealous that you get to ride Superman and Boulder Dash in the same trip.

^What exactly is your itinerary? From KI to Montreal to Massachusetts?

Steel- 1. Diamondback- perfect blend of speed, airtime, positive g's, pacing, and smoothness. 2. Banshee- An intense blend of inversions and a high paced course 3. Vortex- A bit rough at places, but I still find it a fun experience 4. Flight of Fear- Awesome launch, the indoors allow a bit of misdirection, and the 2nd half is a pretty nice way to end things 5. Firehawk- like the flying coaster concept overall, a graceful ride, but a bit too much time spent on your back 6. Bat- A great suspended coaster, very smooth and in a good location, somewhat short though 7. Adventure Express- A good mine train coaster, also in a nice secluded location, a bit anti-climactic though, one ride where Ron Toomer transitions are welcome 8. Invertigo- A unique ride for sure being that there's only 2-3 left in the world still operating, but a bit too intense for me at times, can be a tad rough in the cobra roll as well 9. Backlot Stunt Coaster- A concept which I believe could have been done better. It has some nice moments like the helix, a surprising launch, the s-curves through the police cars is slick at night, and the tunnel is decent, but still lacking all around, also kind of an eyesore Wood- 1. Beast- A truly legendary coaster, such a great romp through the woods with the ultimate secluded location in the park and has some great big moments to make up for lacking in the airtime, also the best helix of all time 2. Mystic Timbers- GCI knows how to use those Millennium Flyers well with a course that doesn't let up from start to finish. Also above average in the theming for a chain park and the shed that gives it some character. The only reason I like Beast better is the differences in style. MT focuses more in intensity and not letting up while Beast is more of a journey with the bigger moments that are built up better 3. Racer- Has the airtime Beast lacks with the racing aspect to boot, but getting a tad rough and neglected. C'mon KI, put a little TLC into this sucker and it'll live up to its potential

I just remembered that Backlot's trains are already equipped to handle VR. They have the chassis design that once held on-board music/sound which would be ideal for housing VR equipment. The only problem with using Backlot is the waste of the real special effects.

This isn't really a choice based on what I'd want, but rather what makes sense logically. Flight of Fear and Bat are the 2 that make the most sense to add VR. FoF for being indoors and Bat for its mild and smoother track and layout compared to other coasters at KI. Adventure Express and Backlot would be close 2nds.

I rode Raven last to make it #70 and I still found it pretty good. Unfortunately, I only rode it once over 2 days due to maintenance issues. All 3 woodies deliver great night rides as well. silver2005, a Legend lover.

Gonna wait until the credit card clears from June before I make a final decision on Pitt. It'll be a toss up between Thunderbolt and Phantom on which one I will choose for #80. I may do a coin flip. I have extremely high hopes for both.

BTW, you have to be quite the trooper to head to T-bird at the rope drop.

Is it just me or is Diamondback the most downtime laden B&M ever?

^SIX is building Larson Loops left and right, FUN did the WindSeekers, Canada's Wonderland got Soaring Timbers this year, and there's probably more I'm not thinking of. Point being- the big parks, including the chain parks, still build big flats. HUSS rides, particularly the giant stuff like the Giant Frisbees and Top Spins, have proven a bit unreliable. However, there are other manufactures outside HUSS. Mondial, despite the hardships with the WindSeekers, seem to be on the uptick.

Well, it's not like you have to use what's already constructed there. That's plenty of room for a decent size flat. Look how big Flight Commander was in the first place.