Magic Mountain: my roller coaster riding logMagic Mountain: my roller coaster riding log

Full Throttle gets going immediately. The launch sends the train into its huge loop, and for a few seconds almost everything in front of me is sky. That feeling of flying was the best part.

The climb is already part of the pleasure: the park gradually opens out in front of me. Then the seats rotate as the train moves through the course, so the changing orientation becomes the ride itself. I really liked it.

I like the two-team racing idea, especially getting to go around twice. The West Coast Customs pit stop gives the race a setting, too. A coaster with some background to it, for once. It is a good ride, though not one of the most memorable here.

Twisted Colossus really has that hybrid character: the big wooden framework, with steel track threaded through it. The combination feels comfortable and smooth. Two passes in one ride were enough to get my fill. My favorite in the park.

The end-of-the-world theme works for this one. It has that old wooden-coaster feeling, then charges ahead as if it wants to find out just how much wood can take. “力大砖飞” was the phrase that came to mind: enough brute force to make a brick fly. I liked it.

Goliath climbs high, then makes good use of the height. That first plunge is the part I remember most. It feels older, but still reasonably well looked after.

Viper was fine. Nothing particularly stood out, and there is not much more to say about it.

Nothing really to praise or complain about. It felt like a normal roller coaster.

Being suspended like this reminded me of The Flying Dinosaur. The feeling was quite nice, but it barely felt intense, almost like a children’s ride. Overall, fairly ordinary.

Scream was not fun. The motion felt very rough, and it kept turning and turning and turning until I was dizzy. I was still dizzy after getting off.

The standing position left me feeling half-crouched and already uncomfortable. Then the side-to-side motion kept knocking my head against the pads. One of the worst of the day, down there with Scream.

The position felt wrong from the start: legs spread wide, with the restraint pressing separately against the top of each thigh. It felt as if all the load was concentrated there, and my thighs were still uncomfortable afterward. The ride itself was not especially smooth either. No, not this one.

Gold Rusher has the old-fashioned character I like in Magnum XL-200, at a much gentler pace. The mine-cart train follows the hills through a series of turns, keeping the surroundings close before ending in a descending spiral. That small-scale feel is a big part of its charm. I liked this one a lot.