Scary rides

[REGIE]

It’s a bit embarrassing to admit but I have never had the guts to do DC Rivals backwards.   I still find forward a little nervy but I do love it !  

But now I am hoping to get the guts up to finally concur my fear and go backwards.   Just wanted to know how other people have psyched themselves up for it or any other terrifying ride experience.  Do many of you even find any rides at all scary anymore?

  And also how is DCR backwards? Like is the drop much different to forwards? Is it scarier or not really. Thats the only thing is the drop backwards.  Is there anyway to make it less scary haha.   

[Dean Barnett]

The first time is still 'scary' for me on some attractions, even for revisits. Fury 325 is one of those along with most hyper's - but you get over it after the first time.

 

The key for rivals backwards - at least for the first time - is to keep your head planted in the headrest. 

[Brad2912]

As a kid and early teen I was petrified of the ideas of going upside-down on a ride so it held me back from riding Demon & Bounty’s at Wonderland. Eventually one I muscled the courage to do Demon, realised my fear was silly and I‘d been missing out on a great experience and since then I’ve never felt “scared” about going on any ride. 

of course there is an amount of nervous energy you feel before going on a new big ride like maybe your first hyper or launch etc, but it’s not a scared feeling for me. 

If I felt actual fear now, I don’t think I’d ride something as that isn’t a natural emotional response for me to any rides, so it would have to be coming from a place of concern about safety (maybe if I was travelling and in another country where I’d have concerns about maintenance or compliance etc)

As for DCR backwards, definitely had nervous excitement the first time but I lent into that and loved it. I’ve done it 3 or 4 times now. I couldn’t do it multiple times back to back as the disorientation throws my head out a big (a little like spinning rides do - something things come on with age with me) but it’s a bunch of fun. 

[REGIE]

Yeah cool glad I am not the only one who still finds ‘some’ rides a bit unnerving,

 that is true actually. Once you do the ride you were scared for, you always get off and realise it wasn’t that bad and wanna do it again.

   I have finally done DCR backwards.  It was incredible.  One of the Best experiences I have ever had.  Those twists and the non-inverting loop are far better backwards. No actually, everything is far better backwards.   Although I do slightly prefer the drop forwards. It feels longer because you can see the ground.   The chain lift is also a weird sensation backwards.   Overall I am glad I did it. I definitely needed lots of convincing but it was worth it. Though the price needs to be less.   It doesn’t cost them anymore having a backwards row. It’s not like a spinning seat that needs extra maintenance.  If it was $10-15 I would do it way more.  

Edited July 17, 2023 by REGIE

[Gtmichaels]

I can’t stand drop towers…

Still haven’t been able to get myself on Giant Drop, even Hair Raiser takes me out for the day. Can do any coaster, gigas and hypers around the world have been awesome and hands in the air fun, but those terrifying skinny towers in the air give me the absolute creeps. 

I remember only going on an upside down ride when I was in early high school, after that I went from always chickening out of Cyclone (when it was still called that) to riding every coaster at Movie World and Dreamworld that year. 

So yeh, probs gonna skip Lex Luthor when I visit SFMM soonish, however I’m pumped for X2😲

[Rivals]

I will say i use to do Rivals Backwards a lot when the ride first opened (probably because i was younger and it was fun with friends) but as the price has gone up and i’ve grown, it’s definitely a bit too intense for me. it’s a great experience and probably a one and done now.

I do agree on drop towers, whenever i’m forced on one it’s definitely an experience i feel like i should tell my therapist on our next session, especially Giant Drop. Batwing is a kids ride in comparison.

Another ride i get too nervous to ride is Doomsday, not because im scared of it, but with how unreliable and prone to break downs it is (like the 3 times it’s been stuck upside down) i’d rather pass that ride.

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

10 hours ago, REGIE said:

It doesn’t cost them anymore having a backwards row. It’s not like a spinning seat that needs extra maintenance.

They need staff to sell the wristbands, staff to check the wristbands and mark them off (finding a texta to scribble on a wristband takes time you know) or otherwise a device to scan an online purchase code. I assume given the different forces exerted on the backwards row that it would be subject to additional checks to the pylon and subframe.

Additionally, the backwards row resulted in one less row of seats which reduced capacity on the ride. 

The thing about the price is that its mostly intended as a barrier to entry. You can only fill two seats per train so you need to find the balance between 'affordable' and 'so popular it's sold out at midday' 

10 hours ago, REGIE said:

If it was $10-15 I would do it way more.

I'd say if it was $10-$15, everyone would do it way more, which would lead to it constantly being sold out, and then those who want to give it a go 'once' wouldn't have the opportunity.

6 hours ago, Gtmichaels said:

I can’t stand drop towers…

So yeh, probs gonna skip Lex Luthor when I visit SFMM soonish, however I’m pumped for X2😲

I don't know what it is - so many of my enthusiast friends are weird about drop towers... I guess I had Space Probe in my earlier years so maybe that's why i'm not bothered by them.

If it helps, my 7 year old went on Lex Luthor and just wanted to marathon it. Though the towers are roughly the same size, Lex is less 'whoa' than GD - it's not something I can put my finger on - but if there's any part of you that would try it - i'd recommend it. it's a great ride.

[Gtmichaels]

7 hours ago, Rivals said:

I do agree on drop towers, whenever i’m forced on one it’s definitely an experience i feel like i should tell my therapist on our next session, especially Giant Drop. Batwing is a kids ride in comparison.

I agree, I actually love S&S shot towers, I don’t get that sickly feeling that I do on other towers. It’s got a nice pop of floater air time at the top, and I could honestly probably fall asleep on all of them, even combo towers! I also loved Tower of Terror at Disney World, I even found it more thrilling that any S&S drop tower i’ve been on.

2 hours ago, DaptoFunlandGuy said:

If it helps, my 7 year old went on Lex Luthor and just wanted to marathon it. Though the towers are roughly the same size, Lex is less 'whoa' than GD - it's not something I can put my finger on - but if there's any part of you that would try it - i'd recommend it. it's a great ride.

I’ve definitely heard of Lex Luthor being much more tame than other shorter Intamin drop towers. I may crank the nerve for a ride as it does look like it has sick views, and when I return to Florida I was going to try and get on Falcon’s Fury because I’m actually really excited for it! It went down before I was able to get on it whilst I was in line for it last time I visited.

I think I would find it much less daunting by facing the ground, and not get that gross stomach feeling. Anyways, fingers crossed I have the nerve😵‍💫

Edited July 17, 2023 by Gtmichaels
Grammar

[STRAWS]

I can do any ride no problem but the only one which actually makes me nervous is the Giant Drop just the height and how it hangs you up there without telling you when you will drop the suspense of it I what makes it a great ride and that drop is insane.

Edited July 18, 2023 by STRAWS

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

1 hour ago, STRAWS said:

without telling you when you will drop

You actually don't hang there. When you feel like you've stopped moving, the gondola continues to rise - albeit very, very slowly. If you sit on the edge seats and look inwards over your shoulder you can see the tower behind you and you will see you are still moving.

The gondola keeps moving upwards until it reaches the release mechanism. The mechanism is a large mechanical release that, when the gondola makes contact, bumps the gondola as it slides into position, before reaching the release point about 1-2 seconds later. When you feel that clang, you know you're about to drop!

[STRAWS]

5 hours ago, DaptoFunlandGuy said:

 The mechanism is a large mechanical release that, when the gondola makes contact, bumps the gondola as it slides into position, before reaching the release point about 1-2 seconds later. 

So, it locks on to something on the tower and the mechanism of it drops you?

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

The catch car has a spring loaded hook. when it reaches the gondola at the bottom, it connects (and if you happen to be sitting in the gondola when it happens you'll hear and feel the loud clunk as it slides into position. )

When it reaches the top, the hook mechanism is disengaged. If you look closely at pictures of intamin giant drops you can see the hook in the catch car - and its why the gondola usually has a 'raised' part in the centre where the catch car hooks on.

What exactly triggers the catch car to release i'm not sure, but I assume it is something mechanical and fixed at the top of the tower as it isn't possible to trigger the release in any other position on the tower. 

[Whombex]

The curious part of the mechanism talk just above, was the East side of GD having that partial drop before the actual release.

 

Back on the original topic, the only thing I get apprehensive about on big rides is how nauseous it would make me feel. My first time on DCR was during soft opening, and I did it backwards. Was more thrilling than scary when deciding to ride. Knowing the safety standards and stats doesn't give me any fear of a malfunction (the odds are so very small), so I only "fear" my physical reaction to the ride.

Last time I did ST I knew I'd not be able to do an immediate re-ride - so did SV in between. If I was peer pressured into a re-ride, I'd have fear of having to make maintenance come to the exit with a mop and bucket! :p 
I'd fear carnival rides like Extreme Speed 2, No Limit and XXXL for this reason more than safety.

Edited July 29, 2023 by Whombex

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

On 29/07/2023 at 1:25 PM, Whombex said:

The curious part of the mechanism talk just above, was the East side of GD having that partial drop before the actual release.

Easily explained. The release mechanism worked the same way on both (as it does on all Intamin Giant Drops). The fake-out drop was simply another set of brake fins that 'caught' the gondola just below the release point for a moment before it slipped out the other side and continued to drop.

On 29/07/2023 at 1:25 PM, Whombex said:

the only thing I get apprehensive about on big rides is how nauseous it would make me feel.

I can't speak to your personal reaction, but in general the ride experience on GD isn't as disorienting to your inner ear as Rivals or ST. Because there's only one direction of motion, it's actually unlikely to make you nauseous (unless you suffer from vertigo)

[STRAWS]

Does anyone know why at the end of the day they send the catch car that takes the ride up to the top of the tower and leave it there every night but the Gondola where people sit stays at the bottom of the tower. I'm just curious. 

 

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

Simply - having the cable wound up inside the tower protects it from wind and weather. If the catch car sat at the bottom every night, there'd be ~119 metres of cable (times two) whipping around the tower all night.

(Ever seen a naked flagpole in the wind? the rope whips it back and forth against the tower!)

Although the tower has guide rails to support the cable down the length of the tower, there's only a couple of them and that still leaves large spans of cable flapping in the breeze. 

No, better to put it away at night.  hope this explains things.

[STRAWS]

7 hours ago, DaptoFunlandGuy said:

 

No, better to put \t away at night.  hope this explains things.

Oh yeah that makes sense. Thank you   @DaptoFunlandGuy for your response👍. I can see why as well those metal cables would go crazy during windy nights and maybe even damage the tower over. time.

[STRAWS]

I didn't think it was worth starting a new forum for this question but has Steel Tipan ever had a rollback and not made it over on the 3rd launch. I'm only asking because I have seen this happen on Superman Escape all the time. 

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

Given the nature of the system, i'm sure it's entirely possible that it has happened. If it hasn't, i'm sure it is still possible. I haven't seen it or heard of it happening though.