Six Flags America Announces Apocalypse

The end is near as Six Flags America prepares to face the Apocalypse in 2012! Mayhem comes to Maryland’s favorite theme park in the form of a 100-foot mean machine roller coaster. Guests will take a stand against the end of the world in an all-new, stand-up, steel adventure.

Upon approaching Apocalypse, located in the Skull Island area of the park, guests will wind through a queue stepping further and further into an end of the world scenario. Just when it looks bleak, riders will break out to make the final stand against obliteration. They’ll stand four abreast together, while making the 100-foot ascent to the ride’s apex. For two minutes, they’ll hurtle along the 2,900-foot steel track, feeling the rush of 55 miles-per-hour speeds, hairpin turns, and pulse-pounding inversions.

The Apocalypse is planned to begin at Six Flags America on Friday, May 25, 2012 with a grand opening observance in the morning as the park opens and a thrilling display of fire in the sky that evening. 2012 Six Flags America Season Pass holders will be invited to be amongst the first to brave the ride in a two-day preview event on Saturday, May 19 and Sunday, May 20, 2012. Season passes are on sale today at sixflags.com/America.

Apocalypse has been designed by Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M) of Switzerland. This is Six Flags America’s first B&M coaster as well as the park’s first stand-up coaster. Apocalypse promises to add to a whole new high-intensity thrill to Maryland’s favorite theme park, complementing the park’s arsenal of world-class roller coasters, thrill rides, and water park. The seven current roller coasters at Six Flags America are anchored by the 200-foot SUPERMAN: Ride of Steel; and highlighted by BATWING, Maryland’s first flying coaster; and the classic wooden Wild One, which celebrates its 95th year of thrills in 2012.

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Revolutionary Wing Coaster Coming to Six Flags Great America in 2012

Get ready to take flight! Six Flags Great America announces plans to add a state-of-the-art roller coaster for the 2012 season. X-Flight is a ground-breaking wing coaster featuring cutting-edge technology. The Gurnee theme park is the first to announce plans for a wing coaster in the U.S.

X-Flight will take riders on a flight that defies gravity, with no track above or below them. Riders sit in pairs, suspended on either side of the track with their feet dangling, as they begin their climb up a 12-story plunge launching them into speeds of 55mph through 3,000 feet of intense drops and five inversions, including a barrel roll and zero-g roll. One of the most adrenaline-pumping moments on the ride is an extreme fly-through where the coaster speeds straight toward a structure, before making a last-minute vertical flip to fit through a keyhole cut-out.

“Six Flags Great America has a long history of introducing legendary rides and first-of-its-kind roller coasters,” said Hank Salemi, Six Flags Great America Park President. “What makes
X-Flight so unique is soaring through 3,000 feet of high-speed drops, loops and turns, with nothing above or below you. The coaster’s train actually looks like a plane with seats suspended on either side of the track. It’s like nothing you have ever experienced before. We are thrilled to bring this revolutionary wing coaster to our guests for the 2012 season.”

X-Flight is designed by acclaimed Swiss manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard, who also designed Six Flags Great America favorites: Raging Bull, SUPERMAN: Ultimate Flight and BATMAN: The Ride. The wing coaster will make its home in the County Fair section of the park. Construction begins this Fall. X-Flight is scheduled to open Spring of 2012.

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Leviathan for Canada's Wonderland in 2012

Vaughan, ON (August 18, 2011) - In 2012, Canada’s Wonderland will unveil one of the biggest and tallest roller coasters in the world: Leviathan. When the Park opens in May 2012, Leviathan will dominate the Park’s landscape, taking riders to breathtaking heights and speeds never experienced before at Wonderland.

The excitement begins on Leviathan’s first lift hill as riders climb to a record breaking height of 306 feet (93.3M) followed by an exhilarating 80 degree drop. Reaching a top speed of 148 kilometers per hour, riders will experience extreme coaster thrills on 5,486 feet (1,672M) of track that includes a series of giant camelback hills reaching heights up to 180 feet (54.9M), and an astonishing overbanked hammerhead turn at 115 degrees that will cross above the Park’s front gate at 147 feet (44.8M) high.

“Leviathan will be our 16th coaster and now positions Canada’s Wonderland as one of the top three coaster destinations in the world.” said Raffi Kaprelyan, Vice President and General Manager, Canada’s Wonderland. “We will go higher, longer, and faster than ever before when we launch Leviathan in 2012. With the addition of this new coaster and our diverse collection of rides, shows and attractions, we continue to show why Canada’s Wonderland is the destination of choice for those seeking world class thrills and family entertainment."

Leviathan is designed and manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard, of Monthey, Switzerland. The highly recognized industry leader in roller coaster development also constructed Behemoth, which premiered at Canada’s Wonderland in May 2008.

Construction is well underway at the park, with a completion date of May 2012. Guests who would like to experience Leviathan before the Park opens next year can visit leviathan.canadaswonderland.com to view ride renderings, specifications, construction updates, and experience a virtual ride simulation.

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The Swarm for Thorpe Park

The UK's first winged rollercoaster, THE SWARM, takes you on a death defying flight through apocalyptic devastation.

Be picked up and dragged on the wings of THE SWARM as you’re left exposed and vulnerable to the extreme near misses and gut wrenching inversions as it rips through the sky on its
mission of complete annihilation.

Experience the unique head first, inverted drop from 127ft as you are flung into this merciless flight for your life. War is coming... Spring 2012.

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Thorpe Park announce B&M Wing-Rider - LC12

In line with THORPE PARK’s Medium Term Development Plan, application for full planning permission for a new rollercoaster in 2012 has been submitted to Runnymede Borough Council. This can be viewed on the Runnymede Borough Council website, www.runnymede.gov.uk (ref: RU.11/0101).

The German manufacturer Bolliger and Mabillard have been commissioned to build
the unique new rollercoaster due to their consistent record of delivering extreme
rides of the highest quality. Subject to planning permission, the ride will open in
Spring 2012 and will be located on one of the new development islands adjacent to
Stealth, measuring just under 40 metres in height.

Mike Vallis, Divisional Director, comments:

“THORPE PARK has developed significantly over the last decade to create the ‘must
do’ destination for thrill seekers in the UK. We have focussed our investment on
delivering exciting new rides and attractions including SAW – The Ride: the world’s
first horror movie themed rollercoaster, Stealth: one of Europe’s fastest
rollercoasters, Colossus: the world’s first 10 looping rollercoaster and Nemesis
Inferno the 4.5 G-force experience.

This new development for 2012 will further add to the Park’s impressive ride portfolio and firmly establish the THORPE PARK as the nation’s Thrill Capital with a wide range of adrenaline pumping rides.”

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B&M Prototype for Gardaland - Raptor

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Six Flags Great Adventure announces The Green Lantern for 2011

DC Comics' Super Hero GREEN LANTERN will focus the might of his Power Ring at Six Flags Great Adventure in 2011 with the launch of an exciting new thrill ride. Towering 15 stories high with over three quarters of a mile of twisting green steel, this new stand-up coaster will take you on a journey of epic proportions.

Standing 154 feet tall and reaching speeds of 63 mph, GREEN LANTERN will rank among the tallest and fastest roller coasters of its kind anywhere in the world. Unlike traditional seated coasters, GREEN LANTERN allows you to stand throughout the entire course of the ride that delivers a ride experience unlike any other. The two minute and thirty second thrill begins with a pulse-quickening
45 degree vertical drop before rocketing you through five inversions – including a 121-foot-tall loop, a 103-foot dive loop, a 72-foot inclined loop and twisted double corkscrews.

Guardians of peace and justice, the GREEN LANTERN CORPS is a group of intergalactic police officers charged with the protection of the universe. A GREEN LANTERN must be someone who has the ability and willpower to overcome great fear. Recognized as the greatest member of the GREEN LANTERNS CORPS, HAL JORDAN was the first Earthman ever inducted into the Corps. and founding member of the JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA. Green Lanterns are fitted with a weapon unlike any other in existence, a ring that channels pure willpower in the form of solid green energy that can manifest any construct the bearer imagines.

GREEN LANTERN is guaranteed to deliver a smooth, white-knuckled adventure – but this time standing up while upside down!
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FlowRider now open at Wet'n'Wild Water World

Endless Waves at Wet’n’Wild*

Wet’n’Wild has opened an amazing new FlowRider located next to the Wave Pool.

Guests can ride the endless waves, rushing down the man-made torrent of water on a specially designed board.

Wet’n’Wild offers a mix of Body Board sessions for less experienced riders and stand-up Flow Board sessions for those who know how to ‘Flow’.

See how long you can survive the deluge!

*Pay as you play attraction


Rider Requirements:

• Guests must be a minimum of 110 cm to participate in a Body Board session and a minimum of 140 cm to participate in a stand-up Flow Board session.
• For safety reasons, this attraction is restricted by height, weight and physical limitations eg: pregnancy, neck or back disorders. Eyewear, goggles, hard or fibreglass casts and prosthesis are not permitted. Large jewellery items, watches, necklaces, bracelets, body piercings hairclips clips or pins or religious and cultural ornamentation are also not permitted.
• Due to the nature of this attraction, expectant mothers are not permitted to ride.
• Guests must adhere to all operating procedures as directed by staff.

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Carowinds Introduces Intimidator

The skyline of Carowinds will drastically change for what will be a historic and record-breaking 2010 season, as the amusement park announces plans to debut the Intimidator™, the Southeast’s tallest, fastest and longest roller coaster, in the Spring of 2010. Topping the list as the largest single capital investment in Carowinds 37-year history, the Intimidator™ is named in honor of NASCAR®’s most beloved driver, Dale Earnhardt, “The Intimidator.”

This massive attraction will stand 232-feet (23-stories) tall at its highest peak and send guests plunging down a 211-foot first drop at a 74-degree angle, reaching speeds in excess of 75 miles per hour. The second (178-feet) and third (151-feet) hills are also taller than any roller coaster at Carowinds. With 5,316 feet of track the Intimidator™ will feature high speed twists and turns including seven steep drops – one for each of his NASCAR® championships — and an intense finish through a diving spiral. The ride experience will last more than three minutes, and replicate the speed and intensity of a fast-paced NASCAR® race.

“The Intimidator™ will dominate the skyline and strongly position Carowinds as the thrill capital of the Southeast — the statistics speak for themselves,” said Bart Kinzel, Carowinds’ vice president and general manager. “This unprecedented addition represents the sizable commitment of Cedar Fair Entertainment Company toward building and expanding the product offering at Carowinds and solidifying us as the premier regional amusement park.”

The trains on the Intimidator™ will feature unique, open-air stadium-style seating with a simple T-bar style restraint that extends from the floor between the rider’s feet with the bar resting across the rider’s lap. These ‘side-less’ trains take away a feeling of protection for the riders and allows them to experience an unobstructed view of all the thrills and excitement of this record-breaking roller coaster. The trains will also be fashioned to mirror Dale Earnhardt’s 1998 RCR No. 3 Chevrolet Monte Carlo.

“We’re excited to see this new roller coaster celebrate the speed, excitement and legendary career of Dale Earnhardt,” said Jeff Steiner, executive vice president and general manager of Dale Earnhardt, Inc. “There are millions of fans that still honor their racing hero and this is a very engaging and interactive way for them to connect with the spirit and passion of the Intimidator™.”

The 10-acre attraction will be located on the midway across from the entrance of Nighthawk and will race over the skyline of the Park from the north main entrance to the south entrance paralleling the guest parking lot. Featuring a bold red track and grey support structure, the Intimidator’s™ 232-foot lift will overshadow the Park’s skyline, dwarfing its neighboring roller coaster, Afterburn at 144-feet.

“The name Intimidator™ is significant of the most exciting, aggressive, and skilled driver to ever race on a NASCAR® track, Dale Earnhardt,” Kinzel said. “There is no better way to communicate the enormity of this ride than to give it a face that its riders can truly connect with. The Intimidator™ will include a heavily-themed midway, complete with a Victory Lane and a video tribute to Dale Earnhardt’s racing accomplishments.”

Guests will have the opportunity to see this historic ride being built from the ground up as they attend on operating days throughout the Fall. Those who cannot wait until 2010 may take a virtual ride on the Intimidator™, access exclusive updates, features, virtual renderings, ride statistics, and more at intimidator.carowinds.com.

Construction has already begun on this world-class roller coaster and will continue throughout the winter months. The Intimidator™ is expected to open to the public in the Spring of 2010.

The Intimidator™ is designed and manufactured by Bolliger and Mabillard of Monthey, Switzerland, a recognized industry leader in roller coaster development and the same firm that brought Afterburn to Carowinds in 1999 and Vortex in 1992.

Carowinds is owned and operated by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, a publicly traded partnership that is listed for trading on The New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “FUN.” In addition to Carowinds, Cedar Fair owns and operates ten other amusement parks, six water parks, one indoor water park resort, and five hotels. Cedar Fair also operates the Gilroy Gardens Family Theme Park in Gilroy, CA under a management contract.

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