[Merthecat]

Crap

At least we can still claim the tallest FULL CIRCUIT coaster in the SE...

[Chris]

I'm confused... why is it not a full circuit?

[bobbyfoster]

It maybe the longest in the SE.

[Jarsh]

Even if this wasn't getting built, the new one at Carowinds wouldn't have been the highest. There is another one of these "Poler Coasters" being built north of Atlanta that will be around the 350' mark.

[Jonathan]

Weird. So that's 3 then? There's going to be one in Vegas too, I think. Carowinds can still get longest drop, though, because I don't think any of these things are supposed to have very big drops; just a lot of meandering around the tower.

[redrunner97]

They're roller coasters, but I dont think the Polar Coasters should be technically counted as such.
They are a weird new breed of ride, doesnt fit the bill of a traditional coaster to me, even if it is a car on a track, so is a Zamperla Disk-O, but its not counted.

[Jonathan]

They seem about as traditional as you can get to me. You go up a lift hill then you go through a course of turns, climbs, and drops powered by gravity.

[arby]

^same here. The PolerCoaster looks traditional to me. It is a full circuit with a lift hill. Instead of sprawling over many acres its sprawl is upwards. If you look closely at some of the concept art I imagine these could be quite thrilling. Can you imagine a 150' drop starting at over 150 feet and the bottom apex of the drop would still be 100' or more off the ground. I think these have the potential to be more intense than it looks on the surface.

I don't think most of us on here care about record breaking, but rather want a new coaster that is great.

[Jarsh]

From what I've read, both the 350' and the 520' versions will have inline "roll overs" at the very top of the "lift" therefore giving them the record of "Highest Inversion". Maybe Carowinds can go with the tallest, non-looping, coaster in the Southeast, haha.

[Jonathan]

This is a great example of why records are gimmicky and a silly thing to aim for when building a ride because they can so easily become irrelevant. Just focus on making a good ride and the project will be a winner. Look at how successful Maverick was.

[Mr.Nitro]

Yeah I definitely don't care about records, they have zero impact on the ride experience. We need a good, solid, thrilling ride that compliments the park and adds something different. I really wish it would be an Intamin!!

[tarheel1231]

Well I know coaster enthusiasts will love the new coaster but what about the general public? I'm not talking about just Charlotte, but in the entire southeast. Most people only care about tallest, fastest, or longest. From what I've heard, Kingda Ka is a terrible ride. But every time I hear a new coaster, people always get on facebook and yap about, "this sucks BUILD A KINGDA KA" or, "if you want to attract people build a Kingda Ka". I swear, sometimes the GP is so stupid....... On top of that, our park has to compete with Disney World Resort (which is fun if you're still 6 years old) and Universal in Florida. There's Dollywood as one of the world's top 3 parks. Plus, two Poler Coasters are coming to the southeast (one in GA, one in FL). I wouldn't worry about Six Flags all that much. A park of Carowinds's caliber should be pulling people from the all over the southeast and people from the D.C. area. This new coaster may or may not fix this. At least we'll still have the most coasters in the Southeast. That should attract people.


You can choose to disagree with me. I know several of you will.......

[arby]

The marketing department will come up with some gimmick for publicity, which is understandable. That's what marketing is about. I think what most are saying is not to build it to set a record, but rather to be a great ride. In the long run that will bring more people than a short term gimmick. I don't hear any of the GP talk about the 'tallest and fastest in the southeast' for Intimidator anymore but rather for it being a fun, reliable, reridable coaster.

[Jonathan]

Most people only care about tallest, fastest, or longest. From what I've heard, Kingda Ka is a terrible ride.

I don't buy this for a second. I don't think most people know or care.

On top of that, our park has to compete with Disney World Resort (which is fun if you're still 6 years old) and Universal in Florida.

No it doesn't.

It's debatable whether it even competes that much with Dollywood, which is a vacation destination rather than a regional day trip draw.

[RollerBee]

Carowinds' competition is Six Flags Over Georgia, Emerald Pointe and Tweetsie. Kings Dominion is a sister park so it isnt really competition, Six Flags Over Georgia is a stretch but I would say they are the biggest. Tweetsie is close enough to compete woth but they are mainly a tourist side-stop not major competition. Dollywood, Disney and Universal are destination parks, very indirect if at all competition. Emerald Pointe is the park's closest competition but they are a waterpark, I doubt Carowinds is too concerned with them. As far as Busch Gardens...apples to oranges.