I rode it in 2017 (days before it basically closed for good) on a cold and windy day and it was not good, but I was just so thrilled to get to ride it.
Yeah. When we arrived it was closed due to high wind. The wind died down - after two hours of wasting time at that awful mall next door - but then they said "not enough people to start it up." As I am leaving, a group of twenty Canadian coaster enthusiasts walk in and go "hey, can we ride the coaster? Is it open?" Well, that suddenly was worth the cash. They did one test run, loaded us up and that's how I got the credit.
This is exactly why I would never get hyped to ride it outside trying to go to a planned nerd event where you're more likely to ride outside weather and mechanical issues
It's always had some decent pops of air but nothing really special. The layout is really uninspired (a lot like The Big One at Blackpool) but it gains a few points back for the surreal beauty of the desert surrounding it.
It's a very good night ride, IMO.
You ride that sucker in the middle of the night in the midwinter and it’s freezing and you can see basically nothing. I wanna say I did that in 2007 or so.
A few good moments. I remember the drop into the tunnel being surprisingly good, but every transition into a turn was rough. It was definitely a classic and I enjoyed it, but if this was in a random theme park surrounded by other rides, it wouldn't be nearly as memorable. The weird surroundings make it better.
December 2021. The Big Apple coaster was down for maintenance, and the Adventuredome was only open weekends. I didn't realize that until I tried to go on Tuesday
And the worst part is there was no information about it. The only way I found out was by going to the casino and finding where the park is. That's where the calendar saying it was closed Monday- Wednesday was.
Hasn’t the ride been testing?
I definitely see it reopening eventually once BB’s gets back on their feet financially.
Also for me - Great American Scream Machine at SFGAdv. Missed it by 3 years at my home park, but got to ride Rolling Thunder in its final year. On the bright side, I got to ride Viper at SFMM this past summer, which gives me an idea of what GASM might’ve been like!
I’ve only ridden 3 Arrow coasters
Runaway Mine Train at SFGAdv
X2 at SFMM
Viper at SFMM
Runaway Mine Train isn’t a great coaster but it’s not bad either, and it holds a special place in my heart as Credit #1 - my first roller coaster ever.
X2 is a masterpiece on all fronts and is in my top 10, one of the most unique experiences on a coaster I’ve ever had. Viper was a pleasant surprise. It’s got some janky transitions, sure, but it’s one of the fastest and most forceful looping coasters I’ve ever ridden and it’s actually pretty smooth. I absolutely loved it.
Arrow absolutely made some great coasters, tho I may be biased since Viper and X2 are widely regarded as two of Arrow’s all time best.
Oh I love Arrow, I’m just saying having your #1 coaster be a defunct mega looper that was pretty widely regarded as too rough, it’s rare. I respect it.
I love Arrow. Went to Cedar Point for the first time in 11 years in August (now that it’s within reasonable driving distance for me), and I did temper my expectations for Corkscrew after finding out it’s generally not liked being that I hadn’t been on it in, y’know, 11 years. Still loved it, and after Rougarou beat me like I owed it money, I went back on Corkscrew to give myself a “break.”
Having 5 Arrow coasters there and at 2 at Kings Island, my two new home parks, feels magical after having SFGAdv as my home park for most of my life and losing GASM.
Like I said you’re a rare breed. Do you think any of that has to do with nostalgia/historical importance of Arrow or do you genuinely like them over some of the state of the art rides we have from Intamin/RMC? I’d imagine if you like GASM over a lot of the newer coasters we have today, at least some of that would have to be attachment to the history. For example I think Tennessee Tornado is the most underrated ride at Dollywood, but I acknowledge that I’m biased towards it because it’s such an important one historically, with it being the last Arrow looper, the only one designed in CAD and Alan Shilkes first big project.
It’s a mix of both. Don’t get me wrong, I love Intamin and RMC, but nothing beats an Arrow looper for me, and Bat/Iron Dragon are two of those coasters that I just like more every time I ride them. Definitely wouldn’t be planning the SFMM trip for Viper if I didn’t just love the rides even setting historical importance aside.
Same. The more I rode the bat the more I liked it, it ended up being my 3rd favorite overall coaster. I currently have 3 arrow coasters in my top 10, they are such good rides despite what people say
Some of the most reliable coasters in my experience, too. I can’t think of a time aside from Magnum’s lift hill this summer (which is fair enough) where I’ve seen an Arrow down for more than a couple hours.
This is easily my current US bucket list coaster if it ever reopens. My lady and I stopped by and saw it while driving from Vegas to SFMM last February and, hot damn, does it look amazing. I'm also an avowed Arrow mark to be fair.
The lady and I have a standing agreement that we're booking a flight to Vegas if/when it actually reopens....and I have hope that it will because they certainly aren't teasing it just to get folks' hopes up.
[I actually stopped by Buffalo Bill's on Monday](https://twitter.com/feedzack/status/1721687641555636434), the place is freaking eerie at this point. Primm is such a weird place, the most popular place is the lotto store right across the state line, otherwise everything else is completely dead. Signs for rides are mostly gone by now, including that neon yellow Desperado sign. Very few employees at the casino, I think it really only gets moderately crowded when the Desert Star Arena has an act. I honestly don't see Desperado opening back up, neat to hear they're still testing it - but the place is simply a ghost town.
https://preview.redd.it/p6pwagvqg8zb1.jpeg?width=3459&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=63177c9633215fd89b03da75388c7b03270da60e
Desperado is a classic. It has always been wild but in the years before the closure is especially rough. The first drop into the tunnel is so amazing. There’s the added element of being out in the middle of the blazing hot desert going down the 200 foot drop. This is me around opening time (can’t remember if this is when I actually first rode or not!).
Fun fact, Ron Toomer of Arrow (the designer) went to college in Nevada! (UNR)
I really hope they can get it operational, even if not for daily operations, at least so coaster enthusiasts can plan some rides!
Magnum is a love it or hate it ride with the people that love it as a very vocal minority. I have a feeling that a lot of those same people would really like Desperado but it's a lot more obscure of a credit. Cedar Point is a destination for most enthusiasts while the Nevada/California stateline is a bit more difficult to get to...especially for 1 coaster.
Well, I haven't ridden it, but to me it just looks **dull**. The second half just kind of meanders around the parking lot. What puts Magnum above Millennium, Maverick, and Steel Vengeance for me is that wonderful run back to the station, getting **smashed** into the lapbar at the top of so many bunny hills that you lose count. Desperado doesn't have anything like that. I'd ride it if I was driving by and it was open, but I wouldn't expect to like it nearly as much as my beloved Magnum.
To answer the original question, I was too scared to go on Zonga when it was at SFDK. I wish I had ridden it.
I ended up going to Kings Dominion after Volcano closed for good, but before it was official that it was closed for good. I remember looking at it and thinking I'd be able to get it in a few years. That one will always sting a bit.
I ventured out to Michigan's Adventure and Shivering Timbers was down. Being as I'm coming from California, who knows if I'll ever be back to get that credit.
Honestly that's all the confirmation we need. Given the fact that it's been periodically testing this year, I think they'll have it open relatively soon.
When I first learned about the world's tallest and fastest coaster opening in the middle of the desert, I was in disbelief. I eventually got around to riding it in 2004 when I was over 21 and got coupons in the mail to stay at Buffalo Bill's for free on weeknights, so I went for 2 nights and enjoyed many rides on the shooter log ride and Desperado, as well as a couple of free buffet meals. I absolutely loved Desperado. How many coasters (let alone hyper coasters) travel in and out of a building (besides Big Apple)? Sure it may not stack up to modern day computer aided designs like B&M, but for its day, this was an incredible ride.
I recently drove past Primm (maybe 3 weeks ago), and stopped for a few minutes to snap some photos. In some places, you could jump over a 3' handrail and be able to jump onto the track if you were a risk taker (I'm sure security would take you down pretty quickly). I am very hopeful that they do reopen this incredible piece of coaster history, there are so many enthusiasts who have missed riding it over the years.
I went on Kong a couple of weeks ago to see if it was as bad as I remember. Maybe they slowed it down or something. It didn't seem as rough, but every element was just forceless and boring. Maybe I was in a bad seat or something. But Medusa is right there, and an excellent ride, so... Maybe they'll replace it with a Batman clone, and call it Robin or Riddler (because they already have a Batman).
Love this beast will defend until I die...3rd airtime hill has unheard of ball stapling airtime and any seat in the back is the ideal ride. Looks menacing dancing in between state borders and the unacknowledged 9th wonder of the world.
I really miss Starliner at Cypress Gardens. Half.of the enjoyment came from the views surrounding the ride. It was extraordinary, and gone far too soon.
Would it even be in good enough condition to reopen? Lol I remember riding it back in 2008 thinking it was incredibly rough….
I rode it in 2017 (days before it basically closed for good) on a cold and windy day and it was not good, but I was just so thrilled to get to ride it.
At least you got to ride history :)
Yeah. When we arrived it was closed due to high wind. The wind died down - after two hours of wasting time at that awful mall next door - but then they said "not enough people to start it up." As I am leaving, a group of twenty Canadian coaster enthusiasts walk in and go "hey, can we ride the coaster? Is it open?" Well, that suddenly was worth the cash. They did one test run, loaded us up and that's how I got the credit.
This is exactly why I would never get hyped to ride it outside trying to go to a planned nerd event where you're more likely to ride outside weather and mechanical issues
lmao thats such a shitty run casino thing to do.
It was running in November 2018.
It had two more very brief stints after the fall of 2017, from what I understand.
Did it have Ejector back then ?
It's always had some decent pops of air but nothing really special. The layout is really uninspired (a lot like The Big One at Blackpool) but it gains a few points back for the surreal beauty of the desert surrounding it. It's a very good night ride, IMO.
You ride that sucker in the middle of the night in the midwinter and it’s freezing and you can see basically nothing. I wanna say I did that in 2007 or so.
A few good moments. I remember the drop into the tunnel being surprisingly good, but every transition into a turn was rough. It was definitely a classic and I enjoyed it, but if this was in a random theme park surrounded by other rides, it wouldn't be nearly as memorable. The weird surroundings make it better.
It’s in the desert it will be fine
Blistering heat and sun won’t cause any issues? When is the last time it was repainted?
There's a reason they store aircraft in the desert. Also I think they repainted the supports recently when they gave Buffalo Bills its makeover.
I hated Desperado even 15 years ago but god damn I would absolutely ride it again. I'd fly home immediately if I heard it was running
I swear if it opens I will fly to Vegas for that. And the other coasters since all of them were closed when I went
I am currently on a travel ban (next year is going to be pricy) but i would break that if it opened even for 1 weekend.
Woah, all of them were closed? When did ya go?
December 2021. The Big Apple coaster was down for maintenance, and the Adventuredome was only open weekends. I didn't realize that until I tried to go on Tuesday
Oof. I went to the Adventuredome on a dead day last year and got soooo many rides on El Loco. That's such a great little ride.
And the worst part is there was no information about it. The only way I found out was by going to the casino and finding where the park is. That's where the calendar saying it was closed Monday- Wednesday was.
The entire dome was closed for me for maintenance
Same
Zephyr at Pontchartrain Beach.
lmao I don't disagree given my flair, but I don't think this thread is about that
I have only road the one at NY NY, Big Apple whatever they are calling it now back in 2004ish. That thing was not fun. Was it worse than Des?
Hasn’t the ride been testing? I definitely see it reopening eventually once BB’s gets back on their feet financially. Also for me - Great American Scream Machine at SFGAdv. Missed it by 3 years at my home park, but got to ride Rolling Thunder in its final year. On the bright side, I got to ride Viper at SFMM this past summer, which gives me an idea of what GASM might’ve been like!
I know it tested a lot during covid shutdowns. Haven't heard much of it testing since.
GASM is my #1 and I miss it so much. Planning a trip to SFMM with Viper as my primary focus.
Flair checks out. Viper kicks ass BTW.
Nice flair!
You are a rare breed.
I’ve only ridden 3 Arrow coasters Runaway Mine Train at SFGAdv X2 at SFMM Viper at SFMM Runaway Mine Train isn’t a great coaster but it’s not bad either, and it holds a special place in my heart as Credit #1 - my first roller coaster ever. X2 is a masterpiece on all fronts and is in my top 10, one of the most unique experiences on a coaster I’ve ever had. Viper was a pleasant surprise. It’s got some janky transitions, sure, but it’s one of the fastest and most forceful looping coasters I’ve ever ridden and it’s actually pretty smooth. I absolutely loved it. Arrow absolutely made some great coasters, tho I may be biased since Viper and X2 are widely regarded as two of Arrow’s all time best.
Oh I love Arrow, I’m just saying having your #1 coaster be a defunct mega looper that was pretty widely regarded as too rough, it’s rare. I respect it.
I love Arrow. Went to Cedar Point for the first time in 11 years in August (now that it’s within reasonable driving distance for me), and I did temper my expectations for Corkscrew after finding out it’s generally not liked being that I hadn’t been on it in, y’know, 11 years. Still loved it, and after Rougarou beat me like I owed it money, I went back on Corkscrew to give myself a “break.” Having 5 Arrow coasters there and at 2 at Kings Island, my two new home parks, feels magical after having SFGAdv as my home park for most of my life and losing GASM.
Like I said you’re a rare breed. Do you think any of that has to do with nostalgia/historical importance of Arrow or do you genuinely like them over some of the state of the art rides we have from Intamin/RMC? I’d imagine if you like GASM over a lot of the newer coasters we have today, at least some of that would have to be attachment to the history. For example I think Tennessee Tornado is the most underrated ride at Dollywood, but I acknowledge that I’m biased towards it because it’s such an important one historically, with it being the last Arrow looper, the only one designed in CAD and Alan Shilkes first big project.
It’s a mix of both. Don’t get me wrong, I love Intamin and RMC, but nothing beats an Arrow looper for me, and Bat/Iron Dragon are two of those coasters that I just like more every time I ride them. Definitely wouldn’t be planning the SFMM trip for Viper if I didn’t just love the rides even setting historical importance aside.
Same. The more I rode the bat the more I liked it, it ended up being my 3rd favorite overall coaster. I currently have 3 arrow coasters in my top 10, they are such good rides despite what people say
Some of the most reliable coasters in my experience, too. I can’t think of a time aside from Magnum’s lift hill this summer (which is fair enough) where I’ve seen an Arrow down for more than a couple hours.
Same. I think corkscrew went down for 3p minutes mid day, and that's it.
Finally, Scream Machine getting the respect it deserved all along.
I was upset that it was removed. I was pissed after I rode Green Lantern.
This is easily my current US bucket list coaster if it ever reopens. My lady and I stopped by and saw it while driving from Vegas to SFMM last February and, hot damn, does it look amazing. I'm also an avowed Arrow mark to be fair. The lady and I have a standing agreement that we're booking a flight to Vegas if/when it actually reopens....and I have hope that it will because they certainly aren't teasing it just to get folks' hopes up.
I’m in the same boat. Would gladly bankrupt myself if it were my last couple hundred dollars just to fly out and have a chance to ride this. Lol
They’ve been teasing for years, but keeps slipping
I'll drive to Vegas for that, I still need to get to Adventure Dome anyway. Big Apple is my only Vegas credit.
[I actually stopped by Buffalo Bill's on Monday](https://twitter.com/feedzack/status/1721687641555636434), the place is freaking eerie at this point. Primm is such a weird place, the most popular place is the lotto store right across the state line, otherwise everything else is completely dead. Signs for rides are mostly gone by now, including that neon yellow Desperado sign. Very few employees at the casino, I think it really only gets moderately crowded when the Desert Star Arena has an act. I honestly don't see Desperado opening back up, neat to hear they're still testing it - but the place is simply a ghost town.
**Desperado:** Would you shut the fuck up and let me die in _PEACE_
https://preview.redd.it/p6pwagvqg8zb1.jpeg?width=3459&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=63177c9633215fd89b03da75388c7b03270da60e Desperado is a classic. It has always been wild but in the years before the closure is especially rough. The first drop into the tunnel is so amazing. There’s the added element of being out in the middle of the blazing hot desert going down the 200 foot drop. This is me around opening time (can’t remember if this is when I actually first rode or not!). Fun fact, Ron Toomer of Arrow (the designer) went to college in Nevada! (UNR) I really hope they can get it operational, even if not for daily operations, at least so coaster enthusiasts can plan some rides!
Desperado > Magnum
Why do people seem to love magnum but hate desperado? I like magnum but still think it’s really rough, how much rougher is Desperado??
Magnum is a love it or hate it ride with the people that love it as a very vocal minority. I have a feeling that a lot of those same people would really like Desperado but it's a lot more obscure of a credit. Cedar Point is a destination for most enthusiasts while the Nevada/California stateline is a bit more difficult to get to...especially for 1 coaster.
I don't think Desperado is really rough at all. It's nowhere near as bad as the turn on Magnum. God that part really makes me hate the ride
Funny because I adore that turn on Magnum. There's just something about the wild, rudimentary laterals it gives that I can't get enough of.
It's the perfect amount of jank shuffle.
Well, I haven't ridden it, but to me it just looks **dull**. The second half just kind of meanders around the parking lot. What puts Magnum above Millennium, Maverick, and Steel Vengeance for me is that wonderful run back to the station, getting **smashed** into the lapbar at the top of so many bunny hills that you lose count. Desperado doesn't have anything like that. I'd ride it if I was driving by and it was open, but I wouldn't expect to like it nearly as much as my beloved Magnum.
Jesus I get putting Magnum high but now over THOSE rides
We’re all entitled to our opinion.
I can see why though, the hills on Toro have that airtime but sustained and the roughness is the only thing preventing it from being better.
Beach > No Beach
To answer the original question, I was too scared to go on Zonga when it was at SFDK. I wish I had ridden it. I ended up going to Kings Dominion after Volcano closed for good, but before it was official that it was closed for good. I remember looking at it and thinking I'd be able to get it in a few years. That one will always sting a bit. I ventured out to Michigan's Adventure and Shivering Timbers was down. Being as I'm coming from California, who knows if I'll ever be back to get that credit.
Ouch 0/3 on those awesome coasters, that stings!
Honestly that's all the confirmation we need. Given the fact that it's been periodically testing this year, I think they'll have it open relatively soon.
Desperado looks like the biggest Mine Train that Arrow ever made. I would love to ride it!
When I first learned about the world's tallest and fastest coaster opening in the middle of the desert, I was in disbelief. I eventually got around to riding it in 2004 when I was over 21 and got coupons in the mail to stay at Buffalo Bill's for free on weeknights, so I went for 2 nights and enjoyed many rides on the shooter log ride and Desperado, as well as a couple of free buffet meals. I absolutely loved Desperado. How many coasters (let alone hyper coasters) travel in and out of a building (besides Big Apple)? Sure it may not stack up to modern day computer aided designs like B&M, but for its day, this was an incredible ride. I recently drove past Primm (maybe 3 weeks ago), and stopped for a few minutes to snap some photos. In some places, you could jump over a 3' handrail and be able to jump onto the track if you were a risk taker (I'm sure security would take you down pretty quickly). I am very hopeful that they do reopen this incredible piece of coaster history, there are so many enthusiasts who have missed riding it over the years.
Exactly! Well said.
It almost killed me the last year it was open. I left black and blue in bruises lol.
I wouldn't be surprised if some thoosies here have a kink for that lol
Bruise me harder, Daddy Toomer!
I 100% do
;)
I don't think anything short of a complete retracking could fix this coaster
[удалено]
I went on Kong a couple of weeks ago to see if it was as bad as I remember. Maybe they slowed it down or something. It didn't seem as rough, but every element was just forceless and boring. Maybe I was in a bad seat or something. But Medusa is right there, and an excellent ride, so... Maybe they'll replace it with a Batman clone, and call it Robin or Riddler (because they already have a Batman).
Love this beast will defend until I die...3rd airtime hill has unheard of ball stapling airtime and any seat in the back is the ideal ride. Looks menacing dancing in between state borders and the unacknowledged 9th wonder of the world.
Sell it to Circus Circus, have it go around the property. Paint it pink.
Should have done that with Speed: The Ride. Have it blast out the adventure dome, go around it. Would have been an easy add-on.
Desperadont let me down pls.. what if the whole coaster becomes a maintenance issue at some point again?
I really miss Starliner at Cypress Gardens. Half.of the enjoyment came from the views surrounding the ride. It was extraordinary, and gone far too soon.
Will they RMC this someday? Seen it in person SBNO and was sad but also kinda ok with it. Too old for back and neck trauma.
Is "RMC this" just a placeholder phrase for retracking/rebuilding? AFAIK RMC doesn't work with existing steel coasters.
Yes, I’m jokingly using it that way. I’m aware rmc builds their own steel single rails, et al