- March 29th, 2010, 4:38 pm
#39347
41 photos from Intimidator construction tour http://www.flickr.com/photos/jhawkins/s ... 613199998/
53 photos from Intimidator media day http://www.flickr.com/photos/jhawkins/s ... 709086186/
74 photos from opening day http://www.flickr.com/photos/jhawkins/s ... 717108372/
You will have to forgive me if this trip report ventures a bit farther into coaster nerd territory than usual. In the late 90's I saw hyper coasters like Magnum XL 200 at Cedar Point and Steel Force at Dorney Park on television travel specials, and they really grabbed my attention. Then, in 99, I rode my first one when Apollo's Chariot opened at Busch Gardens. These days I travel a lot more, and have moved away from Charlotte, so Carowinds doesn't mean quite as much to me as it used to. At that time, though, when I was 13, my coaster riding was fairly limited outside of that park. Apollo's Chariot blew my mind, and naturally I had to have one of these rides in my home park. It seems that many others felt the same way, because by around 2000 or so the rumor mill was churning. It was to be an entire decade of rumors. Fast forward to 2010...
Rumor becomes reality.
The day before the public opening I had the opportunity to attend the media preview for Intimidator for Carowinds Connection, and after so many years of waiting, the tallest, fastest, and longest roller coaster in the southeastern United States was revealed. There was a ceremony with all of the usual speeches and festivities, and then it was time to ride.
I don't care even the least bit about NASCAR or Dale Earnhardt, but the theme works well with the ride.
This was to be my first ride on the new B&M speed coaster trains, which debuted on Behemoth at Canada's Wonderland and Diamondback at Kings Island. They improve loading times, make the train look more streamlined, and perhaps most importantly assure that everyone on the train has a great view and feels completely open.
The lead car is designed to resemble the front of a stock car, which is a nice touch.
There is assigned seating on Intimidator (except perhaps on days with light crowds), and I was lucky enough to be assigned the very back seat for my first ride. This is one of the better first drops on a coaster in the back seat. Incredible airtime.
Alan and I on our first ride. The coaster is everything I ever could have hoped it would be. I have been on 237 different steel coasters, and Intimidator jumps right into my top 3.
The general consensus seems to be overwhelmingly positive.
Many roller coaster fans in this area have been, to put it nicely, getting a bit bored with Carowinds in recent years. The last brand new coaster of a decent size was Top Gun back in 1999. This ride makes the long wait worth it. I believe it is once again a destination park.
The coaster itself should draw in record attendance numbers for Carowinds this season (season pass sales are reportedly up 30%), but in addition they will probably see another huge boost from NASCAR fans. On opening day I saw a lot of Earnhardt shirts and hats (not to mention many of your stereotypical southern NASCAR fans).
Carowinds always puts on a nice media event, and an Intimidator cake (already devoured here) complimented a variety of catered foods.
There was a band as well to entertain as if the coaster was not enough.
Intimidator is not the only new addition at Carowinds this year, as Nickelodeon gets the boot and Planet Snoopy takes over the children's area.
I like Planet Snoopy a lot better than Nick Central, but that may be because I had no idea what half those Nickelodeon shows were.
The view from this area has changed drastically in more ways than one.
One thing that has not changed is that the flyers are still awesome, but looking a bit sharper and less tacky now with their Woodstock theme.
The entire Planet Snoopy area is bordered by Intimidator, which towers over the park. It is hard not to be captivated by it each time a train goes by.
Media day just was not enough, so everyone was back for opening day on Saturday. Both days turned out to be absolutely perfect weather. It could not have been a better weekend.
We arrived at the park shortly before 9 AM to line up for Intimidator. My platinum pass, which I had purchased at Kings Dominion last fall, refused to work. Eventually I was given a paper ticket to get me in the park that day, and later in the day when I went to the season pass center, I was told there was nothing they could do to help me and that it will "probably" work next time. It's good to see that after nearly 20 years they still cannot figure out how to sync season pass systems from multiple parks.
A grand opening ceremony was held at Intimidator's station prior to opening. Over $10,000 was raised for charity in an auction for the 96 seats on the ride's first three public trains.
Kerry Earnhardt spoke, and then the ribbon was cut as Intimidator was opened to the public.
Advertising decals cover the sides of the lead cars on the train to mimic the contingency decal advertisements found on real NASCAR vehicles.
Loading up Intimidator could not be easier. Click down the simple lap bar, no seat belts to fumble around with, and every seat is easily reachable for the operators to check the restraints. This, combined with the fact that each train seats 32 people (and there are three trains), makes Intimidator a capacity machine. We figured that even when the line is to the entrance, it is probably only around a 45 minute wait.
There is a single rider line as well, which later in the day was down to almost no wait.
We rode shortly after opening and then promptly hopped back in line for a couple more rides. We were expecting the worst in terms of opening day crowds, but it turned out to be lightly attended. The parking lot was never more than half full. I guess people just aren't thinking of amusement parks quite yet. You can bet that the park will be a mad house in the summer, though, and I wouldn't want to be even within five miles of the place on a race weekend.
We headed for the flyers (now Woodstock Gliders) for a full group takeover. There are three rides that I go to Carowinds for: Intimidator, Afterburn, and this.
Behind the flyers, an Intimidator train twists down the second drop. This is the most unique part of Intimidator when comparing it to other B&M speed coasters. Near the front of the train, there is a huge pop of airtime at the top of the hill, then before you are back into your seat the train dives sharply to the right. It's a really cool moment.
I have been on six B&M speed coasters, and will ride Diamondback (and possibly Behemoth) in a couple of months. Intimidator is either my favorite or second favorite, as it is neck in neck with Apollo's Chariot. I liked it more than Goliath (Georgia), Nitro, Silver Star, and Raging Bull. While Intimidator does not have the extreme ejector airtime of Goliath's bunny hills, I am a fan of the larger drops and the greater sensation of speed that it has.
Alan, being the consummate employee that he is, spent a good part of the morning on his phone handling problems at work.
Getting back to the flyers now... Once thing that I have to really applaud Carowinds for is how they treat their flyers. While I have been to some parks that discourage or even forbid snapping the cables, the operators at Carowinds actually encourage riders and actively call out during the ride who is flying the highest.
It's called the power button. Turn it off.
We took a ride on Woodstock Express, or The Coaster Formerly Known as Fairly Odd Coaster Formerly Known as Scooby Doo's Ghoster Coaster.
I was not actually intending to color coordinate here.
The rest of the group just HAD to ride Snoopy's Junction, so we got on and found one part of the park that did not exactly receive a sufficient makeover during the offseason.
On this exciting adventure train ride, join Woodstock as he searches for and successfully finds...
Ragweed, wooden stakes...
And a great big empty field.
Continuing around the park, Afterburn/Top Gun is no longer the main star of the park, but it is still just as fantastic a ride as it was when it opened over ten years ago. The park now has two standout coasters that rank up with the best of their style around the world.
You're doin it wrong.
I forgot to take a picture of Thunder Road, but I need to comment on it as the three year rehab work to rebuild most of the track continued this offseason. The outbound run now is the best I can ever remember it, and what was a painfully rough ride a couple of years ago is now good fun.
Goodbye Scooby Doo, as his Haunted Mansion is now "Boo Blasters on Boo Hill". Who came up with that one?
The half assed name and story (BOOCIFER?) forebode a hastily done makeover of the ride inside, but that turned out to not be the case. In fact, everyone I was with agreed that it was better than its previous incarnation themed to Scooby Doo. The ride is a bit more targeted toward adults now, and there are some good effects near the end of the ride, including a nice using of smoke and lights.
None of us eat in the park very often, but when we do we usually eat at Wings near the waterpark. It appears to have gone downhill. This hilarious sign aside, the food was pretty much awful.
Carolina Cobra was closed (but I think it opened later). Too bad, I was really looking forward to a raging headache.
Hurler had some track work done at the bottom of the first drop and in the first turn, and seemed to be running slightly better than last year, but still a tad rough.
I think I amused everyone with a minor meltdown at what I thought was a Jesse Helms sign installed on the side of Goldrusher's station (that would have been the longest complaint form the park has ever seen), but then it was pointed out that it was actually for Jerry Helms, the longtime vice president of operations at the park. Cedar Fair loves to pay tribute to their higher-ups with these type of signs at the parks.
We did not ride Goldrusher because the line was too long.
Nor did we ride Ricochet for the same reason.
The same goes for the freshly painted Cyclone.
You would think that with the lines getting long for these rides, Intimidator would be a nightmare. We prepared for the worst.
What?
With the park not being too crowded, and most people seemingly at the back side of the park, Intimidator's line in the mid-afternoon was only 15-20 minutes, with the single rider line 0-10 minutes. I ended up riding 8 times on Saturday, after riding 8 times at media day.
The Skytower gives a good view of the half-filled parking lot and most of Intimidator's layout. All three of the camelback hills are fantastic. I am used to most rides getting significantly less eventful in the middle of the train. In fact, I don't know that I would have ever even tried riding this coaster in the middle, but with assigned seating it happened. I'm glad that it did, because it turns out that there is not a bad seat on the ride. The middle is unique in its own way, and gives a marvelous amount of floating airtime on the camelback hills that seems to start well before even hitting the crest of the hill and doesn't stop until you hit the valley after the drop and fall back into your seat.
Looking to the other side of the park from the Skytower gives a good view of Cyclone's new bright and disjointed paint scheme.
Speaking of new paint schemes, the newly named Flying Ace Aerial Chase in Planet Snoopy has one.
We could not call it a day without another flyer ride.
We wrapped up the day with some more Intimidator rides, and then I grabbed a few shots of the coaster from the parking lot on my way out.
I really cannot say enough about Intimidator. To the coaster enthusiasts who have been on other B&M speed coasters, you know what you are getting, and you know you are going to like it. Most people I talked to who have been on the other newest Cedar Fair B&M hypers, Behemoth and Diamondback, felt that it compared very much to them. For those reading this who are not exactly coaster nerds, though, even if you have given up on Carowinds in the past, it's time to give it another chance. This ride is so gloriously smooth that there isn't a single bump or flaw on it. The freedom of movement in the seats and restraints is unlike any other ride in this park, and the size dwarfs everything else around it (it's nearly double the height of the second tallest coaster in the park!). It is just pure speed and airtime.
This is the first time in three years that I have had a Carowinds season pass. Two years ago I did not even visit a single time. Now I can't get enough of it. I actually find that I am going to miss it when I leave at the beginning of May to spend the summer working at Cedar Point. Over the next month, though, I will be going as often as possible. For this park, Intimidator changes everything. Suddenly, one of the best rides I have ever been on is right here practically in my backyard.
53 photos from Intimidator media day http://www.flickr.com/photos/jhawkins/s ... 709086186/
74 photos from opening day http://www.flickr.com/photos/jhawkins/s ... 717108372/
You will have to forgive me if this trip report ventures a bit farther into coaster nerd territory than usual. In the late 90's I saw hyper coasters like Magnum XL 200 at Cedar Point and Steel Force at Dorney Park on television travel specials, and they really grabbed my attention. Then, in 99, I rode my first one when Apollo's Chariot opened at Busch Gardens. These days I travel a lot more, and have moved away from Charlotte, so Carowinds doesn't mean quite as much to me as it used to. At that time, though, when I was 13, my coaster riding was fairly limited outside of that park. Apollo's Chariot blew my mind, and naturally I had to have one of these rides in my home park. It seems that many others felt the same way, because by around 2000 or so the rumor mill was churning. It was to be an entire decade of rumors. Fast forward to 2010...
Rumor becomes reality.
The day before the public opening I had the opportunity to attend the media preview for Intimidator for Carowinds Connection, and after so many years of waiting, the tallest, fastest, and longest roller coaster in the southeastern United States was revealed. There was a ceremony with all of the usual speeches and festivities, and then it was time to ride.
I don't care even the least bit about NASCAR or Dale Earnhardt, but the theme works well with the ride.
This was to be my first ride on the new B&M speed coaster trains, which debuted on Behemoth at Canada's Wonderland and Diamondback at Kings Island. They improve loading times, make the train look more streamlined, and perhaps most importantly assure that everyone on the train has a great view and feels completely open.
The lead car is designed to resemble the front of a stock car, which is a nice touch.
There is assigned seating on Intimidator (except perhaps on days with light crowds), and I was lucky enough to be assigned the very back seat for my first ride. This is one of the better first drops on a coaster in the back seat. Incredible airtime.
Alan and I on our first ride. The coaster is everything I ever could have hoped it would be. I have been on 237 different steel coasters, and Intimidator jumps right into my top 3.
The general consensus seems to be overwhelmingly positive.
Many roller coaster fans in this area have been, to put it nicely, getting a bit bored with Carowinds in recent years. The last brand new coaster of a decent size was Top Gun back in 1999. This ride makes the long wait worth it. I believe it is once again a destination park.
The coaster itself should draw in record attendance numbers for Carowinds this season (season pass sales are reportedly up 30%), but in addition they will probably see another huge boost from NASCAR fans. On opening day I saw a lot of Earnhardt shirts and hats (not to mention many of your stereotypical southern NASCAR fans).
Carowinds always puts on a nice media event, and an Intimidator cake (already devoured here) complimented a variety of catered foods.
There was a band as well to entertain as if the coaster was not enough.
Intimidator is not the only new addition at Carowinds this year, as Nickelodeon gets the boot and Planet Snoopy takes over the children's area.
I like Planet Snoopy a lot better than Nick Central, but that may be because I had no idea what half those Nickelodeon shows were.
The view from this area has changed drastically in more ways than one.
One thing that has not changed is that the flyers are still awesome, but looking a bit sharper and less tacky now with their Woodstock theme.
The entire Planet Snoopy area is bordered by Intimidator, which towers over the park. It is hard not to be captivated by it each time a train goes by.
Media day just was not enough, so everyone was back for opening day on Saturday. Both days turned out to be absolutely perfect weather. It could not have been a better weekend.
We arrived at the park shortly before 9 AM to line up for Intimidator. My platinum pass, which I had purchased at Kings Dominion last fall, refused to work. Eventually I was given a paper ticket to get me in the park that day, and later in the day when I went to the season pass center, I was told there was nothing they could do to help me and that it will "probably" work next time. It's good to see that after nearly 20 years they still cannot figure out how to sync season pass systems from multiple parks.
A grand opening ceremony was held at Intimidator's station prior to opening. Over $10,000 was raised for charity in an auction for the 96 seats on the ride's first three public trains.
Kerry Earnhardt spoke, and then the ribbon was cut as Intimidator was opened to the public.
Advertising decals cover the sides of the lead cars on the train to mimic the contingency decal advertisements found on real NASCAR vehicles.
Loading up Intimidator could not be easier. Click down the simple lap bar, no seat belts to fumble around with, and every seat is easily reachable for the operators to check the restraints. This, combined with the fact that each train seats 32 people (and there are three trains), makes Intimidator a capacity machine. We figured that even when the line is to the entrance, it is probably only around a 45 minute wait.
There is a single rider line as well, which later in the day was down to almost no wait.
We rode shortly after opening and then promptly hopped back in line for a couple more rides. We were expecting the worst in terms of opening day crowds, but it turned out to be lightly attended. The parking lot was never more than half full. I guess people just aren't thinking of amusement parks quite yet. You can bet that the park will be a mad house in the summer, though, and I wouldn't want to be even within five miles of the place on a race weekend.
We headed for the flyers (now Woodstock Gliders) for a full group takeover. There are three rides that I go to Carowinds for: Intimidator, Afterburn, and this.
Behind the flyers, an Intimidator train twists down the second drop. This is the most unique part of Intimidator when comparing it to other B&M speed coasters. Near the front of the train, there is a huge pop of airtime at the top of the hill, then before you are back into your seat the train dives sharply to the right. It's a really cool moment.
I have been on six B&M speed coasters, and will ride Diamondback (and possibly Behemoth) in a couple of months. Intimidator is either my favorite or second favorite, as it is neck in neck with Apollo's Chariot. I liked it more than Goliath (Georgia), Nitro, Silver Star, and Raging Bull. While Intimidator does not have the extreme ejector airtime of Goliath's bunny hills, I am a fan of the larger drops and the greater sensation of speed that it has.
Alan, being the consummate employee that he is, spent a good part of the morning on his phone handling problems at work.
Getting back to the flyers now... Once thing that I have to really applaud Carowinds for is how they treat their flyers. While I have been to some parks that discourage or even forbid snapping the cables, the operators at Carowinds actually encourage riders and actively call out during the ride who is flying the highest.
It's called the power button. Turn it off.
We took a ride on Woodstock Express, or The Coaster Formerly Known as Fairly Odd Coaster Formerly Known as Scooby Doo's Ghoster Coaster.
I was not actually intending to color coordinate here.
The rest of the group just HAD to ride Snoopy's Junction, so we got on and found one part of the park that did not exactly receive a sufficient makeover during the offseason.
On this exciting adventure train ride, join Woodstock as he searches for and successfully finds...
Ragweed, wooden stakes...
And a great big empty field.
Continuing around the park, Afterburn/Top Gun is no longer the main star of the park, but it is still just as fantastic a ride as it was when it opened over ten years ago. The park now has two standout coasters that rank up with the best of their style around the world.
You're doin it wrong.
I forgot to take a picture of Thunder Road, but I need to comment on it as the three year rehab work to rebuild most of the track continued this offseason. The outbound run now is the best I can ever remember it, and what was a painfully rough ride a couple of years ago is now good fun.
Goodbye Scooby Doo, as his Haunted Mansion is now "Boo Blasters on Boo Hill". Who came up with that one?
The half assed name and story (BOOCIFER?) forebode a hastily done makeover of the ride inside, but that turned out to not be the case. In fact, everyone I was with agreed that it was better than its previous incarnation themed to Scooby Doo. The ride is a bit more targeted toward adults now, and there are some good effects near the end of the ride, including a nice using of smoke and lights.
None of us eat in the park very often, but when we do we usually eat at Wings near the waterpark. It appears to have gone downhill. This hilarious sign aside, the food was pretty much awful.
Carolina Cobra was closed (but I think it opened later). Too bad, I was really looking forward to a raging headache.
Hurler had some track work done at the bottom of the first drop and in the first turn, and seemed to be running slightly better than last year, but still a tad rough.
I think I amused everyone with a minor meltdown at what I thought was a Jesse Helms sign installed on the side of Goldrusher's station (that would have been the longest complaint form the park has ever seen), but then it was pointed out that it was actually for Jerry Helms, the longtime vice president of operations at the park. Cedar Fair loves to pay tribute to their higher-ups with these type of signs at the parks.
We did not ride Goldrusher because the line was too long.
Nor did we ride Ricochet for the same reason.
The same goes for the freshly painted Cyclone.
You would think that with the lines getting long for these rides, Intimidator would be a nightmare. We prepared for the worst.
What?
With the park not being too crowded, and most people seemingly at the back side of the park, Intimidator's line in the mid-afternoon was only 15-20 minutes, with the single rider line 0-10 minutes. I ended up riding 8 times on Saturday, after riding 8 times at media day.
The Skytower gives a good view of the half-filled parking lot and most of Intimidator's layout. All three of the camelback hills are fantastic. I am used to most rides getting significantly less eventful in the middle of the train. In fact, I don't know that I would have ever even tried riding this coaster in the middle, but with assigned seating it happened. I'm glad that it did, because it turns out that there is not a bad seat on the ride. The middle is unique in its own way, and gives a marvelous amount of floating airtime on the camelback hills that seems to start well before even hitting the crest of the hill and doesn't stop until you hit the valley after the drop and fall back into your seat.
Looking to the other side of the park from the Skytower gives a good view of Cyclone's new bright and disjointed paint scheme.
Speaking of new paint schemes, the newly named Flying Ace Aerial Chase in Planet Snoopy has one.
We could not call it a day without another flyer ride.
We wrapped up the day with some more Intimidator rides, and then I grabbed a few shots of the coaster from the parking lot on my way out.
I really cannot say enough about Intimidator. To the coaster enthusiasts who have been on other B&M speed coasters, you know what you are getting, and you know you are going to like it. Most people I talked to who have been on the other newest Cedar Fair B&M hypers, Behemoth and Diamondback, felt that it compared very much to them. For those reading this who are not exactly coaster nerds, though, even if you have given up on Carowinds in the past, it's time to give it another chance. This ride is so gloriously smooth that there isn't a single bump or flaw on it. The freedom of movement in the seats and restraints is unlike any other ride in this park, and the size dwarfs everything else around it (it's nearly double the height of the second tallest coaster in the park!). It is just pure speed and airtime.
This is the first time in three years that I have had a Carowinds season pass. Two years ago I did not even visit a single time. Now I can't get enough of it. I actually find that I am going to miss it when I leave at the beginning of May to spend the summer working at Cedar Point. Over the next month, though, I will be going as often as possible. For this park, Intimidator changes everything. Suddenly, one of the best rides I have ever been on is right here practically in my backyard.
