Six Flags Magic Mountain

Full Throttle

On the second day of my visit, I wanted to make sure I started my day on Full Throttle as it is one of the most popular rides during the day due to its location. The ride starts with a powerful launch out of the station and into the world’s biggest loop. This gives a nice sense of hangtime before we hit the ground again and make our way to the top of the mountain. Here we swing straight into a nice dive loop before entering a tunnel and coming to a stop. Seconds pass before we are launched again, but this time backwards. After almost reaching the top of the second inversion, we change direction again. This time we accelerate to top speed before turning and heading over the top of the loop. Enjoying the views, we soon hit the brakes on the descent and come to a halt shortly afterwards.

Full Throttle is a very fun coaster. I did not expect anything from this ride and was pleasantly surprised. The launch is powerful, the inversions are great and even the middle section where you go backwards is awesome. Unfortunately it is a short ride.

Canyon Blaster, Speedy Gonzales Hot Rod Racers and Magic Flyer

Interestingly, all the children’s roller coasters are located in the same corner of the park. Unfortunately, the largest of the three roller coasters, Speedy Gonzales Hot Rod Racers, was not in operation during my visit and the two smaller roller coasters, Canyon Blaster and Magic Flyer, were not allowed to be ridden unless accompanied by a child.

Buccaneer and Swashbuckler

Directly opposite the large entrance plaza of Goliath is the entrance to the two flat rides Buccaneer and Swashbuckler. While Buccaneer is a beautiful swing boat from Intamin, Swashbuckler is a classic American swing ride.

Goliath

Leaving the station, the train makes a right turn and then we hit the lift hill of the ride. Having reached a height of 235ft, the train begins its long and amazing descent into a tunnel that leads to a total height difference of 255ft. At a speed of 85mph the train heads upwards into an impressive looking overbank turn. After the turn the train heads down another drop followed by a fantastic airtime hill. A long climb then leads into the mid-course brake run and we were slowed down to almost a standstill.

The train continues at a slow pace before finally picking up speed in a hard left turn. In one fluid motion, the train changes direction and we plummet towards the ground. This is followed by a powerful and crazy 585° helix. Then the track turns upwards and banks to the left. After another powerful descent, the train makes an upward right turn that leads us into the final brake run of the ride.

What a ride! Goliath is a beast of a coaster. It is powerful, fast and perfectly paced. I cannot even describe how much I adore this coaster as it has jumped straight into my top 20 favourite coasters. It’s one of the best hyper coasters I’ve ever ridden. Man, I love this ride.

Lex Luthor Drop of Doom

The supporting structure of the Superman: Escape from Krypton rollercoaster houses the two tracks of the Lex Luthor Drop of Doom: one of the world’s tallest freefall towers.  

Having left the heavily themed queue behind us, we soon take our seats in the gondola. After checking our safety harnesses, we are soon on our way to the top of the tower. At a height of 400 ft we have a wonderful view over the park and the surrounding area before the drop begins. The hook releases the gondola and we plummet to the ground at a top speed of 85 mph before we reach the brakes and the breathtaking ride comes to an end.

Twisted Colossus

Colossus was the park’s big wooden roller coaster and made it one of the most famous theme parks in the world. In the 2010s, more and more wooden roller coasters were converted into hybrid roller coasters, including Colossus. Instead of two tracks, Twisted Colossus now consists of just one, meaning you can experience the layout twice in a row. The highlight: with the right timing, you can experience a merciless racing coaster.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have that luck and so our train travelled alone over the lift hill after a hilly section. After a slightly twisty first drop, it goes through a long valley and over a speed bump close to the ground before going up a hill and into a turning curve with a high-five element.  After another drop, the blue track goes over another speed bump and into a camelback, while the green track races over a double-down and a zero-G roll directly over the blue track. Now the blue track also goes into a roll, while the green track races over a hill. After a double-up, the two tracks separate and while the blue track now becomes the green track, the green track approaches the final braking section and then the station.

Twisted Colossus is a pretty cool coaster, but without the racing feature, it’s a very linear coaster with no big surprises. And that’s just not what you’re used to from an RMC. It’s a shame, because of all the RMCs I’ve ridden, Twisted Colossus is the weakest ride in my opinion.

Scream!

The Scream! roller coaster is probably the least appreciated investment in the theme park due to its location above a car park.

But the rollercoaster has it all. Once you have climbed the lift hill of the rollercoaster, you immediately plunge into the depths. With a lot of pressure, it goes through the valley and immediately afterwards into the large loop of the roller coaster. A climb to the left turns out to be a dive loop and immediately pulls us into the depths. With plenty of momentum, we then go through a zero-G roll and immediately afterwards into the rollercoaster’s cobra roll. A climb then leads us into a block brake, where we can only catch our breath briefly. We immediately descend in a steep curve. We then enter an intense helix just above the ground. After a change of direction, we enter the Interlocking Corkscrews. A short left-hand bend then leads us into the final incline of the ride, after which we reach the roller coaster’s braking section.

What a ride! The Scream! floorless coaster is an absolute fun machine with a breathtaking layout and a total of seven inversions. I loved getting on here again and again.

Batman The Ride

Just two years after the opening of the first Batman: The Ride at Six Flags Great America, the Dark Knight found his place at Six Flags Magic Mountain in 1994.

After climbing the lift hill, passengers can expect a pre-drop before the train finally plunges down the first drop in a steep curve. On the descent, passengers can experience high G-forces before entering the first loop. The second inversion, a zero-G roll, follows in no time at all. Then another loop is taken. The blood pressure in your feet rises abruptly as you go through a steep curve and a straight section of the track. It then heads mercilessly towards the bottom, where the first corkscrew awaits the rider. This element is pure madness if you are travelling at the back of the train, as the acceleration changes abruptly. The second corkscrew follows after a short right-hand bend. After that, a left-hand bend takes you straight into the braking section.

Batman: The Ride is still one of the best inverted coasters out there. The ride offers an intense ride layout with lots of positive G-forces on a relatively small footprint. Apart from the theming, the ride experience does not differ between the different rides, which is a good sign.

Wonder Woman Flight of Courage

The Wonder Woman Flight of Courage is the latest rollercoaster. The ride on the RMC Raptor Track begins immediately after a right-hand bend with the lift hill of the ride. After reaching the starting height of 130 ft in no time at all, we plummet down a very steep descent. After a quick ascent, it’s straight back down in a dive loop. With brutal airtime, we then go over a huge camelback and immediately afterwards into a zero-G stall. A steep ascent then leads us into a very tight turn. Now we descend again quite abruptly and immediately enter a zero-G roll. Another ascent then leads us into a block brake. Without much hesitation, we enter the next descent, after which another turn awaits us. Still very fast, we now race over a series of airtime hills. After a sharp left-hand bend, we reach the final brake.

Wonder Woman Flight of Courage is the better of the two RMC roller coasters in the park. The layout of the single rail coaster has a really nice flow. The inversions all ride very well and the airtime is also very nice. I at least really enjoyed the ride, even if I think it’s a bit of a shame that the DC Universe was literally torn in two by this coaster.

Teen Titans Turbo Spin, Crazanity and Scrambler

The path to the park’s next rollercoaster is lined with several flat rides. Here we encounter the Round-Up Teen Titans Turbo Spin, a classic Scrambler, as well as the Zamperla Giant Discovery Crazanity, which was unfortunately not in operation on the days I visited.

Riddler’s Revenge

The Riddler’s Revenge rollercoaster is one of the largest stand-up coasters in the world. After leaving the very long queue behind and wondering about the purpose of the rather strange station layout, the ride can soon begin.

After the lift has taken us to a height of 160 ft, we immediately take a steep turn towards the ground. This is followed by the ride’s large loop and, as with Scream!, we immediately enter a dive loop. Riddler’s Revenge goes one better and takes us straight into another dive loop. We then experience the world slightly upside down in an Inclined Loop. A wonderful turn then takes us into an ascending bend and immediately afterwards into the mid-course brake. With barely any reduction in speed, we descend once more and are immediately faced with a corkscrew. A left-hand bend close to the ground leads us into a camelback. After a helix and a left-hand bend, we plummet to the ground again and are thrown around in another corkscrew. After another right-hand bend, we reach the ride’s braking section.

Riddler’s Revenge is a really great rollercoaster. The ride is a very intense experience, which is further intensified by the standing riding position.

Justice League: Battle for Metropolis

Developed by the Sally Corporation, the Justice League: Battle for Metropolis dark ride combines large plastic scenes with 3D screens where you have to fend off all sorts of Lex Luthor’s gadgets before he manages to capture the entire Justice League with the help of the Joker. It’s great fun, as you’d expect from Sally, and a surprisingly well-made dark ride that can be found in many Six Flags theme parks.

Gold Rusher

The first roller coaster at Magic Mountain is the Mine Train Gold Rusher. The ride along the slope has a rather unusual layout with many, rather small drops and a serpentine route. After a block brake, the train turns into a very fast helix at the end, followed by a short uphill section before reaching the final brake of the ride and our strange but fun ride comes to an end.

West Coast Racers

Passing the Jet Stream log flume, which was unfortunately closed for the season, we are now drawn to the West Coaster Racers.

In principle, the roller coaster here follows the same principle as Twisted Colossus. However, here the second train waits in a separate area before entering the track in parallel. We are immediately accelerated by LSM and enter a high-five element. While the white track enters a roller, the yellow track races over a hill directly below. After a right-hand bend, both tracks race into the second LSM area. In a wonderful manoeuvre, both lanes then drive parallel overhead and immediately afterwards through two parallel helices. For the grand finale, the white track then drives over a hill, while the yellow track performs a roll directly over the hill. After a bend, the white track continues into the separated area and thus becomes the yellow track, while the yellow track now approaches the station.

Somehow I wish I could have experienced this racing feeling on Twisted Colossus too, because the ride on the West Coast Racers lives almost exclusively from the numerous near-miss encounters during the ride. In any case, the track has it all and the layout has some pretty cool elements despite the more or less very linear ride dynamics.

Apocalypse

The wooden roller coaster Apocalypse was originally opened as Terminator Salvation: The Ride. It replaced the Psyclone roller coaster, which was located at this spot in the park for many years. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to ride this roller coaster from the manufacturer GCI on the two days I visited.

Tatsu

Luckily, thanks to my Legacy membership, I still have a one-off Flash Pass to use for free. Otherwise I would have missed out on a ride on the Tatsu rollercoaster, as the waiting times for just one train were beyond belief.

The ride on Tatsu begins as soon as we enter the lift hill. Once at the top, we immediately plunge into a steep turn with the best view of the Intamin Rapids Ride Roaring Rapids. Immediately afterwards we fly very close to the Sky Tower in a corkscrew. After a left turn, we turn once on our own axis and then enter a steep turn. Another left turn leads to the highlight of the ride: the Pretzel Loop. With the best view of the loop of the New Revolution rollercoaster far below us, we plunge into the depths. With a lot of pressure, we ride through the valley lying on our backs. Shortly afterwards, we repeat the experience in reverse order. Back in the air, we immediately enter the next roll. After a right turn and a small climb we reach the final brake of the coaster.

Tatsu is a very good flying coaster. Its location high up on the mountain enhances the feeling of flying during the ride. The ride itself has some nice elements and, thanks to the pretzel loop at the end of the ride, a very varied and intense layout.

Sky Tower

Behind Tatsu is one of the entrances to Samurai Summit, where Intamin’s Sky Tower dominates the park. Unfortunately, the tower has not been accessible since 2014.

Ninja

The second attraction at the Samurai Summit is the suspended coaster Ninja from Arrow Dynamics.

The ride begins with the first of the two lift hills. Once at the top, we immediately take a steep right-hand bend. After a helix, we swing along the slope parallel to the Jet Stream log flume. A left-hand bend then takes us to the lowest point of the ride, where we immediately turn into a right-hand helix. After a short straight under the log flume’s lift, we whizz back along the surface of the water. A short incline and several dynamic curve changes later, we slowly but surely approach the braking section at the bottom of the slope. Shortly afterwards, we enter the second lift, which takes us back to the station level, marking the end of our great ride on the family-friendly roller coaster.

Superman: Escape from Krypton

When Superman The Escape opened in 1997, it was the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the world alongside Dreamworld’s Tower of Terror (later Tower of Terror II). Together, the coasters held the speed record until the opening of Dodonpa at Fuji-Q Highland in 2001 and the height record until the opening of Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point in 2003. In 2010, the coaster was overhauled and equipped with new trains. On Superman: Escape from Krypton, you could now mainly experience the ride travelling backwards until one of the cars was turned around again in 2021.

As I was able to experience Tower of Terror II on the last day of operation, I was really looking forward to a ride on Superman: Escape from Krypton. Unfortunately, the coaster was not in operation on any of the days I visited.

Roaring Rapids

One of the most interesting rapids rides I have ever seen is Roaring Rapids. You can’t see anything of the ride from the outside as it was built on a plateau high above the park paths. Only the stairs leading up to the attraction are visible. The ride in the large boats is quite simple, but a lot of fun. The level of wetness was pleasantly limited.

New Revolution

Probably the most classic roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain is the Revolution. As the first looping roller coaster of modern times, the Schwarzkopf roller coaster attracted everyone’s attention in 1976 and became world-famous thanks to the film Roller Coaster.

The ride on the Revolution begins as soon as you enter the lift hill, which takes you up to a height of 110 ft. Once at the top, the ride heads towards the ground in an increasingly steep curve. Afterwards, we take a fairly leisurely ride over a hill and then immediately enter the second, even steeper descent. After narrowly missing the station, we ride over another hill. We then take a left-hand bend that runs very close to the ground. After a climb, we approach what is probably the most important descent. On a long straight, we get faster and faster and then race through the first modern loop in the history of the world. A long uphill left-hand bend leads into an equally long right-hand bend, in which we adapt to the terrain. A tunnel is followed by a long straight that leads through the loop. A short dip to the right then takes us into the fast-paced finale of the helix. Shortly afterwards, we reach the final brake and our solid ride draws to a close.

Viper

The large Arrow looping coaster Viper was the main reason for me to finally visit Six Flags Magic Mountain.  The coaster, which opened in 1990, is unfortunately nearing the end of its life and after the closure of the fantastic Vortex looping coaster at Kings Islands, Viper was at the top of my to-do list.

As soon as we get to the top of the lift, we quickly descend in a terrifyingly steep turn. After a very intense descent, we enter a seemingly endless ramp, at the end of which the first loop mercilessly presses us into our seats. After a wide left-hander, we enter two more loops that are also very intense. After an uphill section, we are pulled through a block brake, which slows us down slightly. After a left-hander and a short right-hander, we enter the Batwing, which turns us upside down twice. The grand finale is a bend that takes us straight into the double corkscrew of the track. After a long straight we pass under the lift and immediately enter the braking section of the ride.

The ride on the Viper is even better than I expected. The coaster is mercilessly intense, has a very good pacing and runs absolutely smoothly. An absolute top coaster and the one I rode the most during my visit to Six Flags Magic Mountain.

X2

Right at the entrance to the park’s car park is the X2 roller coaster, the first 4th Dimension Coaster to be delivered and a crazy ride with a layout that is really untypical for a roller coaster. In the park itself, you first have to cross a bridge to get to the coaster. Unlike Fuji-Q’s Eejanaika coaster, the queues here are pleasantly short, so you can get on the ride quite quickly.

The ride starts with a 180° turn. You enter the lift in a supine position before being propelled 250 ft into the air on your back. Although this happens very quickly, you still have enough time to take a good look at the amusement park in front of you – a fantastic sight.

A short pre-drop gets the coaster going again and we are back in our original riding position before we are flipped upside down to the ground or to the row in front of us on the next hill. This riding position is then maintained for most of the steep drop, with one roll over in the lower third to ride through the following valley looking slightly upwards. In the inside raven turn, the direction of travel of the track changes once, but the element is still experienced horizontally. The train itself, now suspended underneath the track, goes down an incline and then through a camelback, while we race forward through the dense forest of columns, rolling beautifully in a 360° rotation. We continue forward again into a steep and banked turn. Continuing forward, we cross a forceful valley above the station. On the following hill the track changes direction in a fly-to-lie element and we make a lively 180° turn. We then ride backwards through a valley and immediately up another hill, at the end of which is the entrance to the outside raven turn. In this version of the Raven Turn we are also held horizontally while the train happily changes its position and continues under the track. At a much higher speed we race towards another Fly-to-Lie element which, combined with the rotation of the gondola, allows us to gently glide into the braking section.

X2 is one of the most intense roller coasters I have ever ridden. The ride is extremely powerful, completely disorientating and surprisingly smooth. You just don’t feel overwhelmed, even though you’re sitting like a pasha with your legs spread wide. The minimalist but rather complicated safety bar adds to the fun and respect for the ride, even if you have been on it many times before. As after a ride on the Eejanaika, the conclusion is the same: the ride is awesome!

Pictures Six Flags Magic Mountain

Conclusion Six Flags Magic Mountain

Six Flags Magic Mountain is a beautiful amusement park. Opened in the 1970s, the theme park utilises the available space very well, creating a pleasant atmosphere. Due to the large crowds on the first day of my visit (caused by the long event opening hours) and the reduced capacity on almost all roller coasters, I didn’t get the best impression of Six Flags Magic Mountain. However, this changed the very next day, when I was able to do everything without any major waiting times and was through with almost everything by lunchtime. It was just a shame that some of the roller coasters were unfortunately closed during my visit.

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