Coaster reviews

Smoothness Dead spots

This is certainly one of the roller coasters of all time! Vapor Trail doesn't really do much, but at least it's exceptionally smooth. 4/10 - this ride was the first time I've ever been asked to be a supervising companion for someone's child that didn't meet the solo height requirement; she was very sweet and held on to my arm the whole time, but I couldn't help but wish it had happened at Pteranodon Flyers instead

First Drop Pace Masterpiece

Iron Gwazi is the most relentless and best paced coaster I've ever ridden. The ride kicks off with one of the best first drops I've experienced which, in the back row, provides an absurd yank over the crest, crazy sustained ejector, and several insane headchoppers. The pull-out is also the most forceful element of any RMC I've been on due to how tight the profiling is. The rest of the layout is a flurry of ejector moments, wild inversions, and even more terrifying headchoppers experienced at a breakneck pace. This ride has no dead spots, no weak elements, no filler track, and almost no room for improvement. Though the ride hardly feels short, a thousand or so more feet of track featuring some more airtime and another inversion might make this the best coaster on the planet, but even without that it is still an absolutely incredible ride. 10/10 - shoutout to the 48.1 inch tall girl sitting in front of me who was marathoning all afternoon

First Drop Intensity Ejectors Rattle Discomfort

This is a properly demented roller coaster. The entire ride experience of El Toro is one of shock, thrill, pain, and joy. The airtime sequence of drop to camelback to camelback is, without question, the best in the world. The sheer sound that the upstop wheels screech out communicate just how absurd the ejector is on this beast. The rolling thunder hill compliments that opening showcase expertly, absolutely yanking you over the crest in the back row. The twister section is actually absurdly forceful, which is not something I expected from a ride that is always heralded as an airtime machine. And, to be clear, the first drop is the best I've ever experienced. The fact that you start getting pulled over the element before you've even finished the turn-around in the back row is hilarious and incredible. This glorious display of G-forces does not come without a cost, however. Toro is one of the roughest roller coasters I have ever ridden. You feel like you lost a brutal fight by the time you hit the brake run. There isn't even a headrest, and yet I had an awful headache after riding three times in a row. I did not care. This ride is excellent. 10/10 - because of the shirt I was wearing one of the ops starting calling me "Twisted Timbers" and pointing me to empty seats so I could reride; she is an icon

Airtimes First Drop Hangtime Rattle Harness

This is a coaster that feels held back by several small things that stack up to prevent this from being a world-class experience. To start with the positive, the layout is great. There are some stellar moments of airtime and hangtime across this course which are especially potent in the back row. I love off-axis hills and this ride has too gorgeous ones near the end. Unfortunately, this ride had a pretty upsetting rattle that detracted from airtime moments heavily. But that was nothing compared to the restraints. I had heard bad thing before, but I truly did not realize how much the raptor harnesses hurt airtime moments. I love RMC airtime so much, but the pops on this ride felt so much tamer because of the fabric digging into my shoulder blades. JDC is still a great ride, but I'm disappointed by how much better it could have been with a few tweaks. 8.5/10 - thank you so much to the op who, without my asking, let me get back row because of the nice conversation we were having; you are a legend

Airtimes Intensity

Nitro is a really solid B&M hyper. Each hill gives excellent floater and delivers a smooth and comfortable experience. The finale is definitely one of the stronger ones as far as B&M hypers go, too. The main thing that sets Nitro apart from its kin is that double upward helix. Though it is far from the sheer intensity of the reverse maneuver on SFOG's Goliath, it is still far more forceful and intense than most other rides of this model. 8.5/10 - why did the guy sitting next to me absolutely smack the ever-loving crap out of his friend's neck on the brake run

Inversions Intensity Rattle

Batclones, as always, are incredibly forceful and whippy. They are easily one of the best cloned rides in the industry, and I am always happy to see one at a park. This one, for whatever reason, probably had the worst rattle of any B&M I've been on, but thankfully it didn't detract from the experience all too much. 8/10 - I am always happy to see the Batman fridge in the station

Inversions Intensity Headbanging Discomfort

I consider myself to be the biggest defender of stand-ups. I think they have really good forces and fun inversions if you learn how to position the seat properly and ride defensively. Green Lantern really puts that to the test. This is perhaps the most actively engaged with defensive riding I've ever had to be on any roller coaster; in order to appreciate this layout you really need to be fighting back against every single transition. Even with all of that done, the layout itself is just pretty good, and much weaker than one like Georgia Scorcher. 7/10 - more coasters should just have random yellow-painted loops in their layout

Theming Layout

This is easily the best Mack Wild Maus I've ridden. The attention to detail in the theming actually blew me away; I did not expect that from a Six Flags park. The ride ran at a comfortable speed, so I found the turns much more enjoyable than Ricochet at Carowinds. If there isn't a line outside then I recommend giving this one a shot, it's pretty fun. 5/10 - Six Flags wild mouse pre-show was not what I was expecting I will be honest with you

Inversions Masterpiece Ejectors

This is perhaps the best possible mid-scale RMC that could ever be built. Wildcat utilizes the footprint of its predecessor so expertly and efficiently that every single thing RMC is known for is able to be jam-packed into this layout. This ride features an awesome first drop, breathtaking high-speed inversions with the underflip and the zero-G rolls, absolutely absurd airtime on the camelback and wave turns, and masterful hangtime on the stall. Add in some funky laterals that I will always be a sucker for and nearly perfect pacing and you get one of the greatest rides of all time. 10/10 - I didn't even mention that this ride has the best loose article solution I've ever seen with giant, free, double-sided lockers just before the station; why is this thing so good in every way

First Drop Intensity Ejectors

Though the new lap bars have absolutely made Skyrush a more bearable experience, it is still far from a comfortable one. The negative and positive Gs back-to-back are still so absurdly strong that it feels like your body is being ripped in half. The first drop genuinely feels like the ride is derailing partway through for some inexplicable reason and the rattle is so strong that it can give you a headache. I would not have this ride any other way. This stupid hunk of yellow steel is truly one of the greatest roller coasters ever made, and I hope it continues to last a long time. 10/10 - I am so happy that the mini restraint release on the brake run is still here; it's such a funny little thing

Inversions Launch Layout Too short

Storm Runner, despite being quite short, is a phenomenal launch coaster. Obviously that ever-rarer hydraulic launch is the highlight, but this ride packs in 3 unique and awesome inversions in its short layout. The flying snake dive is easily one of the coolest elements on any ride in the world. That's not even mentioning how strong the airtime on the top hat is. Any accelerator absolutely must be experienced in the front row to grasp the full picture, and Storm Runner is no exception. 9/10 - shoutout to the guy waiting for front behind me that got really pissy when he asked if he could cut me in line and I said no

Fun Layout Disappointing!

For whatever reason I found Thunder to be substantially less enjoyable than Lightning, though I suppose a year had passed since my last ride. As everyone has said before, the airtime in this layout really isn't that great, but it makes up for it with some awesome dueling moments that I will forever and always be a sucker for. It definitely isn't the best GCI out there, but it is certainly worth a ride. 7.5/10 - it would be insane if this got RMC'd and there were two in the back of this park but I know that's just a pipe dream

Airtimes Location Duration

Comet is a really solid, really fun wooden roller coaster. The location over the water and under Skyrush is definitely my favorite part, but there is also a nice helping of airtime throughout the layout. It's also quite a long ride, so you feel like you get your wait's worth by the time you hit the breaks. I am really bummed I skipped this last year when it had the buzz bars; the individual lap bar came down quite hard during my ride and I can't help but wonder how much better the single-position bar would have been. 7/10 - this is the most slanted station I have ever seen in my life; it has to be a tripping hazard for ops

Fun Smoothness Capacity Discomfort Dead spots

I'm not that big of a fan of spinning wild mouses, and Laff Trakk reinforces that. There really isn't much here for me to appreciate. The indoor theming is kinda fun, and the track is very smooth, but there are a ton of dead spots and the spinning is very minimal. It's definitely not worth the wait that this thing can build up, especially if Wildcat is a walk-on next door (which it was). 5/10 - my friend who hates roller coasters rode this one with me and I think she's traumatized for life now

Fun Intensity Dead spots

Though I've only been on a couple, I'd be shocked if this isn't the best Vekoma Boomerang. The theming is very cute, and the vape tunnel is a neat little addition to an otherwise boring and repetitive ride experience. Boomerangs, as always, pull great forces, but they will forever and always be a one-and-done for the credit. 6.5/10 - why did the TikTok lady say "Green! Apple! 😀" at me

Smoothness Tear it down! Dead spots

This was probably the most boring Arrow Mine Train I've experienced. It doesn't really do anything at all; not even the ending helix pulls forces. At the very least it's relatively smooth for an Arrow, but besides that there isn't anything remarkable about this coaster. 3.5/10 - I say tear it down but frankly I have no clue what you could fit in this plot of land

Airtimes First Drop Fun Dead spots

This is what I wanted Apollo's Chariot to be. A few unique elements for an out-and-back hyper plus B&M's perfected floater hills. My only complaint is that while the helix around the kisses fountain is fun, it is rather forceless. It's very cool to have two hypers a rock's throw away from each other that have completely different experiences; after riding this and Skyrush in the same day I see why this was needed. 8.5/10 - this review is dedicated to the teenage boys that tried to cut me in line and then started making homophobic comments

Nice surprise! Location Layout Rattle Capacity Reliability

I'd only ever done this ride once roughly 6 years ago, and I went in expecting little. I was actually blown away by how much I liked it. Maybe it's the fact that it's the only flying coaster I've ever done, but Nighthawk is just a really enjoyable experience. Minus the corkscrews at the end it has a fantastic layout, and flying over the water is amazing, especially at night. The rattle is intense, but with little to bang up against it actually didn't bother me as much as I thought it would. The two most obvious issues are its awful capacity and tendency to break; I've rarely been in queue for this thing without it going down, and I've only ever seen it run two trains once. Overall, Nighthawk is a very underrated coaster at Carowinds, but probably not worth the 90 minute average wait. 8.5/10 - why does the restraint have a nipple

Airtimes First Drop Intensity Rattle

This is definitely the star attraction of this otherwise incredibly lacking lineup. Despite the obviously comical straight track, this layout packs some serious forces. Though the first airtime hill only gives really weak floater, the first drop is incredibly strong, the helices are absurdly intense, and the airtime finale is really good with some sweet laterals thrown in for good measure. This was the only ride at Six Flags America I wanted to and got to reride, but given how bad the rest of my experience at this park was, I can't even recommend driving a half-hour off the interstate for an Intamin hyper of all things. 9/10 - I sat on a bench for an hour waiting for this ride to reopen when I really just wanted to leave the park as soon as possible

Launch Intensity Disappointing!

I was led to believe Joker's Jinx would be a better version of Flight of Fear, but I found the opposite to be true. Sure, there aren't any trims, but I found that the ride carried its speed throughout the layout worse anyways. The launch was less interesting and felt less powerful, and the outdoor setting, while allowing for cooler headchoppers, was just less fun than the indoor show building. It's worth riding if you're at the park, but if you value your time on this earth you won't be at this park anyways. 7/10 - shoutout to the ride op who did not tell us to keep our heads back and almost gave the girl sitting next to me whiplash

Fun Intensity Discomfort

Given how much I like Nighthawk, I was really excited for Batwing. In my opinion, the leanback of the Dutchmen is much more comfortable than the raising of the B&M flyers. Despite those pros, I found Batwing to be an overall less comfortable experience than its sibling at Carowinds. The vertical loop of course remains awesome, but the in-line twists where actually more uncomfortable than Nighthawk's corkscrews. Despite the less-present rattle I was just overall less able to enjoy the layout, which certainly wasn't aided by the much less interesting location over a grass plot. I still recommend the ride, but not enough to advise traveling to this awful park. 8/10 - fun fact! This same model of train (the ones leftover from Firehawk) sit under Fury 325's lift hill to this day

Inversions Nice surprise! Harness Rattle

Skywinder was a pleasant surprise! Vest restraints really allow you to appreciate the strong forces and unique inversions of the SLC layout, even with a rattle present. I'm sure with OTSRs this ride would have been unbearable, but I think it's absolutely worth a ride now that it's been redone. 7/10 - who is Professor Screammore I don't know my Six Flags America lore

Airtimes Fun

It's always a pleasant surprise when a piece of coaster history still provides an excellent ride. Wild One runs decently smooth and has some really fun airtime and laterals throughout its long layout. That's without even mentioning how nice this thing looks splitting the park in half. The paint may be heavily worn, but I think that really adds to the aesthetic. 7/10 - it's pretty embarrassing that this is the best wooden coaster in the park

Duration Rattle

Roar is, in fact, not very good! I didn't even ride in a wheel seat and this thing was phenomenally rough. There's basically no airtime to speak of, which is pretty disappointing given how good GCIs tend to be in that regard. I think this layout has potential, but it needs to be retracked and slightly reprofiled to have the airtime pop better. Either that or bite the bullet and just RMC the thing. 5.5/10 - it's truly impressive that the worst GCI and worst B&M are right next door

Intensity Headbanging

At long last I have finally found it: the not very good B&M. Firebird's layout is alright, and the intensity is pretty good, but this is the only B&M I've been on that riding defensively was almost entirely futile. It wasn't *awful*, but my ears were definitely throbbing by the time I got off the ride. 6.5/10 - I didn't even know a ride like this was allowed to have 1 op check the entire train; SFA never ceased to amaze me

Fun Discomfort

I would be lying if I said I didn't have a good time on this thing. Ragin' Cajun gave me by far the most spinning of any spinning ride I've ever been on. It was genuinely absurd and unsettling, but it was kind of a blast because of it. There's also an insane ejector hill at the end of the layout that really took me by surprise. 5.5/10 - shoutout to the ride op who was told the seatbelt came undone during the ride and just said "okay" and kept loading guests

First Drop Pace Intensity

If Fury is the perfect giga coaster, I305 is the absolutely insane and deranged sibling that tries to kill you and is somehow better for it. If you trade a varied and majestic layout for insane intensity and laterals so strong they give you airtime, you get this monster. Some may say that the over-the-shoulder restraints hurt this ride's quality, but I firmly believe lap bars on this thing would result in countless spinal injuries. To this day this is the only coaster I am ever scared to ride. The sheer power and intensity is downright horrifying, but that's what makes the ride so good; there is no other coaster like this one on the planet and there never will be. 10/10 - as of my last visit I can officially say I have fully passed out on this thing! Do not ride this coaster 3 times-back-to-back dehydrated and on an empty stomach

Layout

At the risk of sounding like an incredibly whiny thoosie, this ride could actually be so much better. For whatever reason Wilderness Run at Carowinds is substantially better in every regard. It actually has some forces and is substantially longer, while GPC is pretty much nothing at all. I totally understand I'm not the target audience, but the kids deserve better. 2/10 - it only took 3 different visits for me to finally be allowed to get this credit

First Drop Fun Ejectors

Twisted Timbers is probably the best ride in the world for pure ejector. Practically every element is profiled flawlessly to provide incredible moments of airtime, especially that iconic triple camelback. There isn't much else going on in this layout, however. Aside from a few funky laterals and great hangtime in the front row of the first drop, this ride is just airtime after airtime after airtime. But that airtime is exceptional, so I can't complain. This ride being in the same park as the best ride in the world for positive Gs is a truly insane one-two punch. 10/10 - literally what is that big ping pong ball in queue

Airtimes Fun Rattle Discomfort Tear it down!

My opinion on this ride has changed in both directions. For one, I've since done Twisted Timbers so I am devastated by the untapped potential here. On the other hand, I've also experienced this ride in more conditions, both at its worst and best. If you get a back-row wheel seat ride on this coaster early in the day, it's bad. There is no other way to say it. However, if you ride in the front of the train after it has been running all day long in the hot sun, this coaster is actually pretty fun. It has some pleasant airtime in the front, though nothing too crazy. The jackhammering is still frequent, but the rebuilt turnaround is certainly much more pleasant this year. Hurler isn't a ride I prioritize every visit, but if I have time for a night ride I will definitely seek it out. 6/10 - they really looked at this thing and said it was Wayne's World themed, huh?