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Retracking started right before COVID hit in 2020 and, after being put on hold, was finished around Memorial Day 2021. The work they did was mostly on the second drop, the turn after the tunnel, and the larger bunny hill before the final turnaround. It’s still a damn rough ride and I wish they retracked more of the layout, but you can feel that the retracking made the ride smoother in some isolated segments, namely that bunny hill which almost feels out of place because of how smooth it is compared to the rest of the ride.
I feel like they did a lot of work over this off-season as well which is what caused a slightly delayed opening this year. I could be wrong.
 
Yes. The old ones used Rogers voice. Now they use a guy named Jack. He has a spiel over at Drop Tower as well. They were changed in 2019.
 
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It’s bumpy for sure, but I don’t mind it. Really enjoyed my ride on it today. It’s as crazy as ever. But wish I could ride it in the dark again. I guess Saturdays maybe you can.
 
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I rode in the back on Sunday and...........yeah it wasn't running that well. The violent car wreck involved a tractor trailer this time instead of minor collision.
 
I enjoyed it last weekend, seemed the same as it had always been. After reading the notes here, I was ready to exit the ride in pain. But no moment was as bad as the Racer 75 pothole I experienced later in the day, and in fact I didn’t find any moment to be particularly bad on Grizzly at all. Good ride.
 
If certain spots need attention over and over, Titan track would make a lot of sense, for example the spots on Roar that have already been retracked twice in the last decade despite other spots also needing attention. The problem with Grizzly is it just gets minimal attention. They've now retracked 2 miles or so of woodies at KI with the new Gravity Group methods, but will they ever get to KD? If Grizzly was made sweet and Racer raced properly every day, it would make THE difference in comparing KD to Carowinds or BGW.
 
Racer is fine with wood retracking and is running the best it has in years. Grizzly has spots that literally throw my kids head into my shoulder and seem like a crap shoot if I’m going to end up with a broken rib. Those spots need to recontoured as they are not an enjoyable part of the ride.
 
I went from hating this ride and wanting it removed to now thinking it’s one of the best rides in the park. I rode only in the front of the cars, and it didn’t beat me up like I remember. The key is to not ride on a wheel seat and it won’t be smooth, but it won’t feel like a car crash like some rows do.
 
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I went from hating this ride and wanting it removed to now thinking it’s one of the best rides in the park. I rode only in the front of the cars, and it didn’t beat me up like I remember. The key is to not ride on a wheel seat and it won’t be smooth, but it won’t feel like a car crash like some rows do.
This has always been a must do ride for me, I'd tell my wife to take the kid(s) on the cars or something else nearby. It can be rough in spots like you said, but I think the ride is short enough that it never bothers me. If the ride was completely smooth, it just wouldn't be as fun. I remember riding it when I was younger, it would have been the year anaconda was being built, so it was really the best thing they had at the time. It wasn't as good then IMO because it rode smoother and there was actually a bit of a line back then.
 
This has always been a must do ride for me, I'd tell my wife to take the kid(s) on the cars or something else nearby. It can be rough in spots like you said, but I think the ride is short enough that it never bothers me. If the ride was completely smooth, it just wouldn't be as fun. I remember riding it when I was younger, it would have been the year anaconda was being built, so it was really the best thing they had at the time. It wasn't as good then IMO because it rode smoother and there was actually a bit of a line back then.
I’m not sure the ride needs to be butter smooth, but right now there are 2 or 3 spots that are just too aggressive. I’d like this ride to be in the long term plans for the park, but ridership is low even on busy days, whereas even Racer can draw a line. If they spent a little money on a rehab and reinvigoration, then the ride could have a long term future beyond a small handful of enthusiasts.
 
I’m not sure the ride needs to be butter smooth, but right now there are 2 or 3 spots that are just too aggressive. I’d like this ride to be in the long term plans for the park, but ridership is low even on busy days, whereas even Racer can draw a line. If they spent a little money on a rehab and reinvigoration, then the ride could have a long term future beyond a small handful of enthusiasts.
The lack of throughput probably isn’t helped by the fact you have to go through a gift shop to get the ride entrance- and the ride entrance is a basic arch that has the grizzly logo over it. Not exactly visible.
 
The lack of throughput probably isn’t helped by the fact you have to go through a gift shop to get the ride entrance- and the ride entrance is a basic arch that has the grizzly logo over it. Not exactly visible.
Way finding for Grizzly is definitely an issue, though if a ride such as Twisted Timbers had a similar setup, I’m sure guests would still find their way there in droves. It’s really more an issue for Grizzly itself, since few guests are seeking out the ride to begin with anymore.
 
Racer is fine with wood retracking and is running the best it has in years. Grizzly has spots that literally throw my kids head into my shoulder and seem like a crap shoot if I’m going to end up with a broken rib. Those spots need to recontoured as they are not an enjoyable part of the ride.
I actually did break a rib while riding in the back row back in July, funnily enough.
 
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Way finding for Grizzly is definitely an issue, though if a ride such as Twisted Timbers had a similar setup, I’m sure guests would still find their way there in droves. It’s really more an issue for Grizzly itself, since few guests are seeking out the ride to begin with anymore.
Twisted Timbers hurts me way more than Grizzly. Grizzly could use more retracking, sure, but it’s very fun. The entrance through a gift shop is definitely an issue for ridership. The day I went, Twisted Timbers had no line either.
 
I personally love Grizzly, where it’s a must-ride every time I find myself at the park.

Is Grizzly rough? Absolutely! But that’s part of it’s charm -- where I’ve found to be a manageable roughness (unlike some woodies which are just insanely rough) by simply learning how to ride it in a certain way.

Sitting in the front row of any car (even the back car, which is my personal fav), where I can brace strongly with my legs and thus reduce my points of contact with the seat to primarily just my back. In this way I almost float just slightly above the seat surface, where all the bumps are easily absorbed.

Long ago, before I found a technique that worked for me, I‘ll admit I was in the same camp to completely retract it. But ever since, I absolutely adore Grizzly and hope KD makes no drastic changes to it.

Otherwise I love how appropriately named the coaster is -- that is, if you were to ever ride an actual grizzly bear in the wild, would you expect anything less than the bucking, wild experience that you receive from this particular grizzly? 😉
 
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