On this particular day, GOLIATH has over an hour wait time.
In booking my hotel room, I figured the address “Industrial Circle” wouldn’t have much meaning behind it-yet how wrong I was. Our hotel was conveniently located in the middle of about five adult clubs, and a liquor store to boot. It didn’t matter to me; I gained sure comfort looking upward to the sky across the Chattahoochee River to see Six Flags over Georgia’s (SFOG) new premier attraction, GOLIATH, protruding the nighttime skyline with an illuminated lift.
Morning arose and the short drive of five minutes was easy going, but something was more unusual compared to last time I had visited the park. Guests entering the parking lot would drive straight under GOLIATH’s track, sitting less than 30’ above the roadway. At the turnstiles I had presented my e-ticket I printed out on my computer, and gained easy, painless entry into the park. As I passed through the metal detectors (something I hadn’t needed to do at any park before), I noticed one thing: massive crowds. Six Flags over Georgia’s promotional Spring Break Week coincides with the Atlanta District Schools spring break, easily bringing in the crowds. As one ACE member says,
“Six Flags has become the new daycare for the parents. They drop their kids off in the morning and pick them up at night.”
At the top of the lift, riders are at the highest point around for miles.
As I raced toward GOLIATH, I made my way into the front of the line, except the line wouldn’t open till 10am; Season Pass holders get to enjoy ERT from 9-10am. Not a bad idea, but a bad one when it appears over half of SFOG’s guests carry Season Passes. At 10am the line opens to one day ticket holders and I’m up at the loading docks.
As I look at the 9-row train, I see how immaculate the train’s fiberglass body panels have been painted. I look upwards to the top of the lift and question whether or not that is really 200ft, because it almost seems to dwarf all other claimed 200ft coasters. Back to the station, I see the ride operators working fairly fast, loading and unloading the train. Due to the lack of a mid-course block, GOLIATH only runs two trains, dispatching the one at the station when the other comes back to the brake run. This method seems to work great, but annoys me when they do happen to stack two trains. Dispatch times are roughly about 2-2.5 minutes, making it fairly easy to get the trains unloaded and loaded again.
The most continuous airtime of the entire ride.
I think it will be almost inevitable that I’ll get a chance to ride the front row this fast again, so I take the opportunity to grab it as my first ride. The seats of this Bolliger and Mabillard are amazingly comfortable, even more so is the lapbars are the most comfortable I’ve felt to date. As we near the top of the lift, I take a moment to look around and see what a great view the ride offers. Soon enough, we are cresting the lift. So, what’s it like? I’ll leave my generalizations to the end of my review.
In the front row, you experience about a half second of hanging as the rear of the train comes over the top of the lift. The first drop doesn’t seem that steep or lengthy, but butter smooth. Cresting the second hill, you are immediately taken out of your seat for a brief moment, and then drop back into the longest drop of the ride. This drop is ultimately the best on the ride just for sheer fun and the bank to the left. As you start reaching the top of the hill, you think “Shouldn’t we be slowing down?” Wrong, at the top of the hill you experience the most continuous airtime on the whole ride. The first time you ride it, you are breath taken by the airtime.
The next feature of the ride happens to be the 540-degree helix. As you get the top of the helix, you feel a little airtime. The track happens to take a brief turn to the right then left, as part of Bolliger and Mabillard’s new style of “heartlining.” Though it doesn’t take anything away from the ride, and is definitely noticeable, it almost tricks you for a split second as to what direction you might take next. Into the helix you feel the G-Forces get heavier as you plummet downward. Halfway through the helix you are greeted with a few great head chopper elements, being that of the supports.
The 540-degree helix is a superb element.
When you come out of the helix you come across the only trim brake on the ride. On the earlier part of the day I didn’t hear the trim kick on, but later in the day when I heard it turn on, I didn’t feel any slowing at all! Onto the next hill and you experience even more ejector. Coming off the hill into the horseshoe turn, you cross over a manmade dam and stream. Just a small touch of detail Six Flags went to put into the ride. Coming into the horseshoe turn, you don’t experience much of anything. To say the least, it’s not impressive, but there’s nothing bad about it. You’re in and out before you really think about it.
The next set of three camelbacks gives you the strongest ejector airtime of the whole ride. These series of hills pass right over the roadway, a walkway, and parts of Georgia Scorcher, although you’ll be too concerned with holding on to care about anything else. The train will take a final turn to the left, but just when you think it’s over, you get a great jolt from your seat out from a final kicker hill into the brake run.
For those of you thinking about riding GOLIATH, some things I can say about the ride is that it is without a doubt, the smoothest coaster I’ve ever ridden. In comparison to other B&M Hyper coasters, this ride beats Apollo’s Chariot hands down simply because of its airtime. GOLIATH is one of the most enjoyable coasters anyone could ride, although it does lack that pure thrill factor a looping coaster has.
The horseshoe turn is neutral feeling.
Back in line of GOLIATH, I stand looking around the perimeter of the area that once belonged to the Great Gasp. The theme: well, I’m not exactly sure but I think it’s the Industrial 50’s based on the Bel-Air text on certain signs and cold-forged metal trim. Six Flags has décor’d the area with miscellaneous fair-style games, filling in the area nicely despite only having one attraction.
This time I was in the ninth and final row of the train aboard GOLIATH. How’s it feel? The airtime is immensely magnified in the rear of the train. On the second camelback after the horseshoe turn, I remember literally coming close to being ejected from my seat. Perhaps the most noticeable section of the ride is the final kicker hill into the brake run. Right as the rear row of the train goes over the top of the hill; the front of the train hits the mag-brakes and begins to slow down, almost launching rear row riders further out of their seats.
The second camelback after the horseshoe turn dwarfs the Georgia Scorcher.
GOLIATH is indeed a great coaster, but how has it affected Six Flags over Georgia? Well, I’m not sure it has affected it any. Walking around SFOG you see enough rides to sooth the sole of any thrill seeking enthusiast. The park carries good theming throughout, and unique, natural beauty. It easily sounds like the makings of a Six Flags Flagship park. Well, it has the potential, but it easily lacks the staff. Because of a guest vomiting on Batman: The Ride, it took one of the personnel over 30 minutes to clean the ride. Not to mention, they cycled empty cars without buckling the harnesses. On other rides they failed to check restraints all together. Even at certain rides dispatch times fell well over the three minute mark. I even remember watching a ride mechanic dispatch the Georgia Scorcher with the restraints fully open.
A couple weeks ago I had spoken with one of the Media Relations personnel of Six Flags over the phone, but when I attempted doing a series of follow up calls, they were all ignored by false lies of the receptionist. I remember her asking my name and organization, only to return a few minutes later saying the person I requested was in a meeting. Six Flags over Georgia has all the makings, but the horrible staff hinders if from ultimately being one of the best. Perhaps this is something for top executives of the Six Flags chain to come in and take a look at, or even a visit from Snyder himself…
