Day 1 - Six Flags Elitch Gardens
skip the following Elitch Gardens photographs
The park is situated literally 5 minutes from the main downtown area of Denver, the skyscrapers of the city bizarrely forming a themed backdrop for the park. I didn't realise until now that this park isn't actually the original Elitch Gardens but is a relocated version, and is why the original Mr Twister is no more but there is a Twister II.
It wasn't quite what I was expecting. It's a fairly typical mid-sized Six Flags park in the middle of what seems like an industrial estate with no hint of any "gardens" anywhere - maybe the original Elitch's had more landscaping.
The weather wasn't what I was expecting either! Cold, overcast, and sporadic heavy rain and thunderstorms which eventually forced the park to close early. However, the welcome we received from park staff was far warmer and I am very grateful for their hospitality.
The Coasters
Our first ERS of the trip was on Twister II. It's a fun woodie with plenty of nice drops and wild moments, although no real airtime. Then again, I wouldn't expect any on something called Twister! There is a rather insane tunnelled corner to end with that had the train noticeably grinding its side wheels.
And the first Vekoma SLC of the trip! Mind Eraser - Raymond mentioned it gave him cauliflower ears, I replied it gave me cauliflower hips. Not so much headbanging, but it's one of those with a strange shuffling motion which causes more bum-banging.
The first Vekoma Boomerang of the trip too. Boomerang, no less. Eminently rideable!
A blast from the past in the form of Sidewinder, an Arrow shuttle loop. Enjoyable, but a noticeable lack of acceleration now that I'm used to hydraulic launches!
The next coaster gets my vote for the most "interesting"! Flying Coaster, a compact Zamperla flying coaster. This has an unusual loading mechanism whereby you step vertically onto the vehicle while it is still moving and eventually it tips forward into a flying position. The lift hill is also unusual - it's a spiral that works on the same principle as the Mack systems as seen on Euro Mir and Eurosat. A rotating contraption in the middle of the spiral latches onto the vehicle and pulls it up the spiral. And the actual ride...well, it could have been a lot of fun but I just found the transitions too abrupt and severe and caused quite a few jolts. The track layout is quite compact, like a mouse, and consists of some shallow dips, heavily banked corners and two very elegant heartline rolls.
Other attractions
Well, I had a few heated debates on this one. But I've decided that Intamin's Half Pipe is not going under the coasters section. Have a look at my Coaster Count page for an explanation of what I consider the definition of a "roller coaster" to be. I'm sorry but I just don't consider a vehicle that gets shot up a slope only to fall down and get shot up again to be a roller coaster! No more than a tracked pirate ship is. But this was actually my joint favourite ride at the park, it's great fun and I loved it. It's simply a large U-shaped track with a vehicle that is constructed to look like a rather large skateboard. At either end of the skateboard is a circular arrangement of seats, facing outwards, and the circle is allowed to spin freely once the ride is in motion. The vehicle is launched from the bottom up one side by magnetic power. At the top of the spike, obviously it stalls and freefalls down again. At the bottom, a further boost of magnetic force launches it up the other side. And so it continues, rocking forwards and backwards around this U-shape. Yes, think of what a skateboard rider does in a half-pipe! It was a more aggressive ride than I imagined it would be. It blasts you up the sides with quite a lot of force, and the curve at the bottom of the U-shape is more abrupt than you think it is and you get a sudden blast of G. It's very fast. But the best bit is the freefall at the top of the spikes. Gorgeous and sublime! Especially while spinning. In fact, this ride does feel exactly the same as a Gyro-Swing or Giant Frisbee. It has exactly the same motion if you think about it.
And my other joint favourite ride at the park? Well, of course, it has to be Tower of Doom, an Intamin Giant Drop. And unusually for a Six Flags park, all carriages were running and it wasn't even a busy day. I just can't get enough of these rides. Why can't we have more of them in the UK? And preferably within 10 miles of where I live.
Is it just me, or is the latest Six Flags marketing campaign "Mr Six" quite scary? I haven't seen the TV adverts, which are meant
to be very good, but this character staring at me from huge billboards around all Six Flags parks we visited on this trip gave me a shiver...
Further reading:
- The Official Elitch Gardens web site.
Lakeside Amusement Park
Not content with just one park today, in the evening we stopped off at Lakeside which is just down the road from Elitch Gardens. This park is very Art Deco and has many old and traditional fairground rides such as The Whip, Dive Bomber, a classic carousel, etc. It's a labour of love for its owner, having been in the family since the early 20th century. A huge kitsch tower dominates the entrance to the park, even more kitsch when lit up at night. In fact, the whole park glows with neon in all colours when dusk falls, and it reminded me of a smaller Kennywood or Blackpool. A steam train runs around the lake, from which there are spectacular views of the park itself from the opposite side of the lake.
The Coasters
A very vintage steel wild mouse called Wild Chipmunk gave us all lots of laughs. The cars were extremelly well padded, with cushioning everywhere. The ride's climax is a very sharp and steep helix.
Another vintage coaster - Cyclone, a woodie on which we were given an ERS before the park opened for the evening to the general public, and again after the park had closed. It has a wonderfully Art Deco station and lovely motifs on the railings (see pictures). I think a lot of people liked the ride but it was too old, rough and violent for my liking! In some places, it looked like the track had subsided, with lopsided straight sections. The first drop has a wicked left hand twist on the way down followed by a very flat left hand corner at the bottom traken at speed, causing a lot of bruised ribs! The end section of bunny hops produced standup airtime in the front seats.
Other attractions
There is also a powered coaster at the park called The Dragon. This is seemingly driven by a cog wheel on the train, like a rack-and-pinion railway I suppose, and did tend to create much vibration in riders' buttocks!
skip the following Lakeside photographs
- The Official Lakeside web site.