How
extreme do you think roller coasters can get?
We’ve
been grappling with that question since 1989. That was the year that Magnum
XL-200 broke the hypercoaster 200-foot barrier. Up until then, when coasters
got taller, they also gained more loops. That was pretty much a given for
aspiring scream parks. Corkscrew changed the game when it debuted in 1975 at
Knott’s Berry Farm by adding inversions to a roller coaster, something that
hadn’t been seen since the circle-loops of the turn of the century. From 1975
to 1989, roller coasters getting “more extreme” meant they were taller or they
had more inversions. Usually both.
Every
other year, it seemed, some coaster somewhere in the country would either add
another 10 feet to the height record, or just one more inversion than the
previous record-holder. In fact, many of the new coaster designs took a back
seat to the thrill of going higher, faster, and upside-down more often.
Different
extreme designs like the stand-up coaster, the suspended coaster, the bobsled
coaster, and the heartline (Ultra-Twister) coaster were fun, but they often did
not make top headlines. The allure of the stand-up King Kobra at Kings Island
was soon forgotten when the park added the record-setting Vortex. The suspended
Iron Dragon quickly gave way to Magnum at Cedar Point.
Then
1989/1990 gave us the dual whammy of Magnum and Viper at Six Flags Magic
Mountain. Viper opened as the second-tallest in the world (after Magnum), but
pulled a ridiculous seven inversions
out of its hat. At this point, it seemed that a pendulum began to swing the
other way. Only once over the next decade would Magnum’s height record be
topped: by the Desperado at Buffalo Bill’s casino (of all places, I know. It’s
like Elton John performing live at the Katella Avenue Seven-Eleven). Though, it
should be noted that Magnum’s drop height record would also be broken by Steel
Phantom at Kennywood.
And
Viper had nary a challenger over the next decade to its inversions record,
being outpaced only by Dragon Kahn at Port Aventura in Spain.
Suddenly,
starting in 1990, amusement parks seem to want something different, not just the same old “add ten feet for the height
record and call it a day.” Throughout the 1990s, we certainly got our fair
share of hypers and many, many inversion, but the 1990s was also when we
started seeing a wooden coaster renaissance, and B&M’s stand-up, inverted,
and even floorless designs. We started seeing flying coasters in 2000. And
perhaps most important of all, we experienced the glory of Linear Induction
Motors.
Launched
coasters added an extra dimension to roller coasters. It was no longer even necessary to have a lift hill, yet still
be among the most exciting coasters on the planet! One could be launched into
giant inversions or straight up lift hills, with nary a chain in sight. And the
launches could happen at any time!
When
the launched coaster came to us in the form of Discovery Mountain/Space
Mountain in 1995, and then to the states as Flight of Fear in 1996, it was
dynamite for our imaginations. We knew roller coasters had pushed beyond their
pre-defined limits, almost like they suddenly gained super-powers. You could
launch tom 70 mph at any time! And this was something only 200-foot+ coasters
were allowed to do!
This
is where TLC’s Thrill Rides: Designing
Fear picks up. It’s another in a long line of ubiquitous 2000-era roller
coaster specials. But this is the only one, at least in my archive, that dives
right into the consequences of roller
coasters being too extreme. Yes, I have to admit, this show is very
uncomfortable.
We’re
releasing this show in deference to the 2017
Ohio State Fair Tragedy, when we all were reminded how dangerous amusement
rides can be. These really are scary machines. One loose bolt or one failed
brake can seriously injure passengers. It’s not a pleasant topic of discussion.
I
do like that Designing Fear chooses
to bring up a topic that nobody likes to talk about. In a way, it’s like an
amusement park episode of 60 Minutes.
However, Joe and I feel the presentation style of the show could have been
handled better.
The
topics of the show itself run the gamut, from how a coaster is designed, to the
effects that g-forces have on the body, to the future of extreme rides. Even a
biodynamics engineer is interviewed at multiple points to offer her take on the
coaster’s effect on the spine and the brain. We talk to coaster fans, writers,
designers, military engineers, and maintenance engineers. It jumps topics
frequently, sometimes without any warning or buildup. But the worst is when the
show randomly introduces tales of death and horror at the amusement park faster
than a scare-actor at HHN. An interview with a coaster maintenance manager is
followed by an upturned rapids vehicle incident. It doesn’t hang together. I
think the big miscue in Designing Fear
is that they were really making two shows: a show about thrills and g-forces
and a show about maintenance and safety. One show plays on the excitement one
gets for the amusement park, the other is a warning to be careful when playing
at the park because disaster can happen at any time. The viewer gets
emotionally frazzled when both are packed together.
But
even with its flaws, in the wake of the Ohio State Fair tragedy, I believe this
show is just as relevant as ever. Maintenance and safety continue to be main
topics of concern today, even with ever-advancing technology. And as we
continue to push the envelope in how extreme rides can be, we have to ask
ourselves, what is the line we’re not willing to cross? How extreme does a ride
have to be for us to hesitate and walk away? It’s an interesting topic of
discussion, and I think one that speaks to our base desires and psychology. How
extreme is too extreme for you? Answer the question honestly and you’ll find
out a lot about yourself.
--ParkScopeJeff (@ParkScopeJeff)
--ParkScopeJeff (@ParkScopeJeff)
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