The Intimidator 305 Experience

OK, better late than never, right?

About a month ago, I decided to go to the Kings Dominion media event, because Intimidator 305 simply is "the" coaster story of the year. Generally speaking, I've tried to not be in the content creation business with CoasterBuzz, as the whole point has always been to link to it (thus "portal to the thrill"). But I figured screw it, since ad revenue in December was off the charts awesome, and these things generally work well as a networking opportunity to build relationships.

I flew out of Seattle on Wednesday afternoon, and was pleased that security was a non-issue. I really dislike flying out of the S terminal, because it's always crowded, as are the underground shuttles. It's funny how the airport mostly reminds me of interviewing at MSFT. It'll take some getting used to as "my" airport, and the origin instead of the destination.

My stop in ATL wasn't horrible, though you still spend so much time taxiing there because of its size. At least you don't have to wait in line on the runway as you do at ORD. RIC is a nice little airport, and I just barely made it at quarter to midnight to pick up my car. Seems Travelocity managed to make my pick-up time 8 a.m., so they weren't even expecting me.

I stayed in the Country Inn across from the park, which seemed nice enough. Being on Pacific time, and newborn time on top of that, I was skeptical I'd get much sleeping done. I was right. At 2 a.m., a freight train passed by that literally shook everything. The pen on the night stand was moving. That's the first -1. I got up at 5, getting maybe two hours of sleep, and planned to meet Ken (ridemcoaster) to go in early. Wasn't expecting to ride or anything, but thought it'd be neat to take some "night" photos. As I contemplated just waiting for the regular start time of the event, I noticed something on the floor near the bathroom. That something started scurrying toward me. It was a giant cock roach. We're talking small rodent size. Gross. I'm still trying to get my money back, because that's unacceptable.

In any case, my Simon-induced sleep deprivation made it pretty easy for me to be awake, and I really had no issue, even if it was 3 a.m. Pacific time. We met up with John, the PR guy and his new intern (her first day), and we met up with some folks from the DC Fox affiliate back at the ride. Some ride mechanics appeared to be testing electrical restraint stuff on one of the trains. I got some nice photos of the lift at night, some of which are on CoasterBuzz.

We spent some time shooting the shit with the TV folks, and Ken and I were going to do a live hit with them after sunrise. Had lots of really good conversation with the photog about gear, and how the attitudes were slowly changing about what constitutes "real" equipment. It was also quite validating to hear about how much his station had bought into using P2-based gear. I can't believe I've had a P2 camera now for four years, and a part of me wishes that I could have brought it with me.

We also spent some quality time talking to the Ernhardt kids who were there. Good people. There are few things I could care less about than NASCAR, but they were still interesting to talk to.

Our first ride was actually televised. Ken got to ride with the anchor in the front, the Ernhardts in the second row, and just then Tony and his friends showed and we filled the second car. It was pretty cool later to see our first ride captured by helicopter. I've done a lot of live stuff over the years, but that was definitely a first.

The first thing you'll notice is how fast the lift is, which instantly made me confident about their ability to move people. It's even faster when they only run one train. There are so many things mechanically that have evolved about the ride system since they built Millennium Force, and the handful of other rides using the cable lift. For all the crap I give Intamin, it does at least appear that they're learning.

The first drop feels exactly like MF. It was virtually indistinguishable. After that, it's like you're riding a much taller Maverick. The first turn pulls serious G's the entire way around, and unless you do the defensive pilot muscle squeezing, you will get tunnel vision. It's so strange how your field of vision just keeps getting narrower until you hit the release point up the next hill. The airtime there is ejector air, and surprisingly brief.

The next part of the ride is a series of quick turns and direction changes, again, much like Maverick only with a much longer train. Turns 4 and 5 are very abrupt, and I worried about the head banging potential. And yes, for my height at least, there is some head action if you don't ride it defensively, especially toward the front. This is really the only part of the ride that I think holds it back, and it just seems so unnecessary. It could be the greatest steel coaster in the world if it weren't for this.

After those turns, you climb another tall hill, which has some magnetic trimming on it that enthusiasts are already bitching about. I don't think it detracts that much from the ride. This hill and the one after it again create strong pops of brief airtime, followed by a right then left turn into the final brakes. There's another crazy pop of air as you hit those brakes, mostly in the front.

By the time we rolled back into the station, Tony and I pretty much agreed that this was the love child of Maverick and Millennium Force, and that indeed means all of the awesomeness it implies (assuming you love those two rides). Total slam dunk, and it puts Kings Dominion into the big leagues in a way that I think it should have been years ago.

People are anxious to ask me if I think it's better than Millennium Force, and I have to say not quite. It's SO close though. If you have to ride defensively on a steel coaster, I dunno, it just takes me back to the Arrow days. If you pull those damn shoulder bars off, which don't act as active restraints anyway, this is the best coaster in the world, no contest. But for as much as I like to point that out, I also don't want to appear that I'm dogging the ride at all. I mean, close second still means better than most everything else out there. It really is that good. It's just frustrating because it could be the best evar, not second place. Of course, some people don't think that highly of Millennium Force, but any ride where you don't have enough fingers and toes to count the seconds of airtime sits pretty high on my list. I happen to like lots of B&M's that other people find "boring," so to each his own.

They had the Eiffel Tower open as well for some hot photo action. It's so weird to go up there and not see Kings Island! The park really looks fantastic, much more than it did during my last visit nine years ago. Cedar Fair has done a fantastic job giving it the polish and fit it needed. Dominator looks just beautiful there, and locals say it has been running much smoother than it ever did at Geauga Lake. I have to say, that if their operations match the feel for the park, it has absolutely "arrived," and the DC and Richmond areas are better for it. It's really lovely.

At the end of the day, it was totally worth the trip, and I look forward to a day where I can bring Diana along (who was later there in the 70's or something), and perhaps even Simon some day!