| This article is about the hyper roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain. For more uses of "Goliath", see Goliath (disambiguation). |
Goliath is a steel hyper coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain, located in Goliath Plaza. It opened on February 11, 2000, and was designed by Werner Stengel and manufactured by Giovanola.
The ride has a sub-tropical theme that is characterized by ruins of an ancient Mayan civilization. During a brief period from its opening on February 11 to May 13, 2000, Goliath's 255-foot and 85 mph first drop was recognized as the longest and fastest on a closed-circuit roller coaster in the world. Millennium Force at Cedar Point eclipsed these records when it opened on May 13, 2000, with a drop of 300 feet and speeds of 93 mph.
History[]
On January 29, 1999, Giovanola roller coaster track arrived at Six Flags Magic Mountain. It was then confirmed that the new attraction would be a hypercoaster.[2]
On November 11, 1999, Six Flags Magic Mountain announced that the new coaster would be named Goliath.[3] The ride officially opened on February 11, 2000.[4]
Ride experience[]
Leaving the station, the train makes a nearly 180 degree right turn. The train then ascends the lift hill, reaching a height of 235 ft (72 m). Ascent slows toward the top of the hill, a safety feature that reduces stress on the chain; it is also an attempt to reduce positive g-forces and increases rider anticipation. The train begins accelerating down the initial 255 ft (78 m) drop, into an underground tunnel, reaching a speed of 85 miles per hour (137 km/h). Upon exiting the tunnel, the train heads upwards into a banked right turn that towers above Twisted Colossus (formerly Colossus). After completing the turn, the train heads down another drop, flattening out to pass by the onride camera. An airtime hill and banked left turn (rather than a helix on "Titan") follows into the mid-course brake run. The train is decelerated quickly and makes a hard left turn out of the brake section. Another 180 degree banked turn directs the train into a 585 degree, descending helix. Then, the track turns upwards and banks left. After an ascending right turn, the train reaches the final brake run.
History[]
Construction in 1999.
A small error was made while the ride's parts were being manufactured by Giovanola. The very last track piece before the final brake run was about 6 inches (150 mm) too short. The mistake was found while the final piece was being bolted to the ride, and a supplementary track piece had to be made to fill the 6-inch (150 mm) gap.
Goliath was closed for repainting by Baynum Painting in 2009 and again on November 4, 2024. It was scheduled to re-open on December 31, 2024, but this was delayed to January 12, 2025.[5][6][7] Windy conditions that led up to nearby wildfires caused the re-opening to be repeatedly delayed again.[8][9]
Awards[]
| Golden Ticket Awards: Top Steel Roller Coasters[10] | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2019 |
| Rank | 18 | 14 | 14 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 24 | 24 (tie) | 30 | 33 | 29 | 40 | 41 | 41 | 43 | 49 (tie) |
Appearances in media[]
- Appeared as "Aquaman: The Ride" in Entourage (Season 3: Episode 3, "Dominated").
- Appeared as the "Spine Twister" in the Zoey 101 episode "Roller Coaster".
- Appeared as "The Scream Monster" in the 2011 film Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer.
- Appeared in James Corden's Carpool Karaoke segment with Selena Gomez.
Incidents[]
- Main article: Incidents at Six Flags parks
- On June 2, 2001, a 28-year-old woman died from existing brain damage while riding Goliath. Guests reported that staff continued to operate the ride after the incident.
- On April 4, 2015, one of Goliath's trains got stuck on the lift hill during a test run, due to a chain malfunction that required the entire chain to be replaced. The train was eventually brought down and the ride remained closed until the lift hill was fixed. However, Giovanola, the company that manufactured Goliath, had recently went bankrupt, so the chain had to be ordered from a different manufacturer. The ride eventually reopened on July 18, 2015.
Trivia[]
Goliath in the Six Flags Magic Mountain scenario in RollerCoaster Tycoon 2.
- Goliath appears in RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 as a pre-built ride in the Six Flags Magic Mountain scenario.
Gallery[]
Videos[]
Photos[]
References[]
- ↑ Six Flags Magic Mountain Update, The Coaster Kings. 2015-03-21.
- ↑ Giovanola Track Spotted At Six Flags Magic Mountain. Ultimate Rollercoaster.
- ↑ Six Flags Magic Mountain Announces Another Giant. Ultimate Rollercoaster.
- ↑ Six Flags Magic Mountain Opens The New Giant (February 11, 2000).
- ↑ Goliath, Baynum Solutions. Accessed 2024-11-19.
- ↑ Thrill Rides - Six Flags Magic Mountain, Six Flags Entertainment Corporation. Archived 2024-12-23.
- ↑ Updated Dates for Goliath and Apocalypse! by Daerruption, Reddit. 2024-12-31.
- ↑ Yeah, there's still some sections that they need to finish. The windy days have made the final touches a bit difficult. by BluWizard10, Reddit. 2025-01-12.
- ↑ Last minute work to get Goliath back up and running by Pippinitis, Reddit. 2025-01-20.
- ↑ Golden Ticket Winners, Golden Ticket Awards, Amusements Today. Accessed 2023-02-27.
See also[]
- Titan, a nearly identical hyper coaster at Six Flags Over Texas.
- Goliath Jr.
- Goliath Plaza
External links[]
- Goliath - Six Flags Magic Mountain at Six Flags
Goliath (Six Flags Magic Mountain) at Coasterpedia- Goliath at the Roller Coaster DataBase
- Goliath (Six Flags Magic Mountain) at the Roller Coaster Wiki
- Goliath (Six Flags Magic Mountain) at Wikipedia
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