It does really feel like that one short bit was left in for those who would complain it's too smooth. How rough was it before, I'll show you. The rest is fine for now and old track starts before that one bad valley too. There is one short top board replaced in the final return, must have been really bad -- or maybe just a lot easier to fix.
Grizzly
- Thread starter I305Evan
- Start date
I finally got the chance to ride the newly renovated Grizzly. I don’t want to be the contrarian to the popular opinion on here, but… I hated the changes. They ruined my baby.
The intensity is gone. I used to adore the way the ride just threw you in seemingly every direction at once — especially the way you hurtled into the second drop and through the tunnel so violently that it seemed like the car in front of you was traveling in a different horizontal plane than you. The train now calmly glides through the motions. Now you can actually catch your breath and think while you ride, whereas before, your entire mind was preoccupied with holding on for dear life and processing WTF was happening.
That’s not to mention that insane transition that used to snap you sideways in that big turn out of the tunnel. Now it’s just a wide, gentle, gradual turnaround. And don’t get me started on the loss of all those trees…
The one saving grace is the new drop, which not only has some awesome yank-you-out-your-seat forces to it (reminiscent of Rebel Yell/Racer 75’s first drop before it was reprofiled), but contributes some truly elite headchopper moments both at the beginning and near the end of the ride.
But damn, as someone who had learned how to ride Grizzly just right and to absolutely love its WTFness, I’ll sure miss the way it was. It had a one-of-kind charm to it that’s gone now. Grizzly used to be my #2 in the park, behind Twisted Timbers. I don’t think I’d even rank it in the top half of the park’s coasters anymore. Old Grizzly was crazy. Violent. Surreal. New Grizzly is smooth. Calm…. Boring.
Look, I get it. I’m in the minority. I’m sure most riders will vastly prefer the new Grizzly to the old one. The average rider can actually now ride this, reride it, and take the whole family without risking some serious bruises or headaches. And with the new broadened appeal of Grizzly, the coaster probably has a new lease on life. And I would still take Grizzly in its current form over no Grizzly, any day of the week. So if this renovation saved Grizzly from removal, so be it.
But, just to buck the popular opinion one last time, I’ll close with this: I’m praying that they don’t touch the last third of the coaster — the one last reminder of the bonkers coaster that Grizzly used to be.
The intensity is gone. I used to adore the way the ride just threw you in seemingly every direction at once — especially the way you hurtled into the second drop and through the tunnel so violently that it seemed like the car in front of you was traveling in a different horizontal plane than you. The train now calmly glides through the motions. Now you can actually catch your breath and think while you ride, whereas before, your entire mind was preoccupied with holding on for dear life and processing WTF was happening.
That’s not to mention that insane transition that used to snap you sideways in that big turn out of the tunnel. Now it’s just a wide, gentle, gradual turnaround. And don’t get me started on the loss of all those trees…
The one saving grace is the new drop, which not only has some awesome yank-you-out-your-seat forces to it (reminiscent of Rebel Yell/Racer 75’s first drop before it was reprofiled), but contributes some truly elite headchopper moments both at the beginning and near the end of the ride.
But damn, as someone who had learned how to ride Grizzly just right and to absolutely love its WTFness, I’ll sure miss the way it was. It had a one-of-kind charm to it that’s gone now. Grizzly used to be my #2 in the park, behind Twisted Timbers. I don’t think I’d even rank it in the top half of the park’s coasters anymore. Old Grizzly was crazy. Violent. Surreal. New Grizzly is smooth. Calm…. Boring.
Look, I get it. I’m in the minority. I’m sure most riders will vastly prefer the new Grizzly to the old one. The average rider can actually now ride this, reride it, and take the whole family without risking some serious bruises or headaches. And with the new broadened appeal of Grizzly, the coaster probably has a new lease on life. And I would still take Grizzly in its current form over no Grizzly, any day of the week. So if this renovation saved Grizzly from removal, so be it.
But, just to buck the popular opinion one last time, I’ll close with this: I’m praying that they don’t touch the last third of the coaster — the one last reminder of the bonkers coaster that Grizzly used to be.
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At the end of the day, they’re preserving a classic coaster. I’m just happy it’s sticking around.
I preferred the Grizzly of early 2018, with the perfect roughness. But by the end of Haunt, it had transformed into the front row is rougher than the back, pogo stick ride it was to be, and worse, for the next few years. I definitely prefer the new version, but think it was good they didn't retrack the end yet, although I have to wonder if they actually rode it before deciding what to fix, with perhaps the roughest spot of all still there.
I'm sure it will reacquire its bite. Only the exit of the fan turn was overdone, and I did nearly break a shoulder there with 2 peoples' mass slamming it into the side, so it did need something.
Has anyone kept their hands up through the tunnel? I barely can resist the urge to duck at its end.
I'm sure it will reacquire its bite. Only the exit of the fan turn was overdone, and I did nearly break a shoulder there with 2 peoples' mass slamming it into the side, so it did need something.
Has anyone kept their hands up through the tunnel? I barely can resist the urge to duck at its end.
Near the front is rough in the section that hasn’t been retracked but I noticed the worst jackhammering is in the section right were the retracking stops. After you turn the first corner after the retracking stops it’s smooth sailing back to the station.
Depends on how you look at it since one could say it's part of standard woody maintenance but also they did a bit more than replace old wood.
Finally got some rides in, and honestly I didn't experience any major roughness on the unfinished back portion. It was a bit rattly like you'd expect from a woody, but no jarring potholes or anything. It was really only the dead stop at the beginning of the final brake run that was an issue, but that's more an operations decision than a track issue.
Finally got some rides in, and honestly I didn't experience any major roughness on the unfinished back portion. It was a bit rattly like you'd expect from a woody, but no jarring potholes or anything. It was really only the dead stop at the beginning of the final brake run that was an issue, but that's more an operations decision than a track issue.
How would you compare a Grizzly retrack to a new Snoopy or Soak City attraction. I thought it was a pretty good investment that honestly wasn’t marketed well enough.
Rode it again yesterday. Great ride but the last half needs re-tracking. I hate the jack hammering. For the parts of the ride that are greatly stressed they should consider titan track to preserve the quality of the ride and lower maintenance costs (too late now unless they use it in the second half)
Where was the jackhammering?
I rode closer to the back two times on the same day and it was fine, I was actually more concerned about how slow we were going up the second hill that I thought we may actually get stuck where they installed anti-rollbacks.
I rode closer to the back two times on the same day and it was fine, I was actually more concerned about how slow we were going up the second hill that I thought we may actually get stuck where they installed anti-rollbacks.
With GG doing the refurb project at Lake Compounce, does that imply that Grizzly will not get completed this off-season, or could GG do two of these projects at the same time? I mean, we don't know if this was even the plan to begin with, but if it was, and I hope it was, would Grizzly not get done this year as result?
Everything I have heard points to all the planned work for Grizzly being completed already.
How so? Why replace track/structure that has no need to be replaced? The high stress/problem areas have all been renovated perfectly. I think what's been done to Grizzly is great improvement and feels like a complete project to me.
Tons of people have reported the final third of the ride being rough and uncomfortable. I haven't been down to KD to form my own opinion, but it's been a fairly consistent criticism online.
Because the last half/third is pretty damn rough still, especially in comparison. It's night and day when you transition to that part of the track. I agree it's a big improvement, but stopping with only 2/3 done is weird.
I almost forgot that Grizzly's gift shop used to be an arcade before Dinosaurs Alive was built.
I’ve been looking for a picture of the building when it was Grizzly Arcade. Nice find!
That is an AWFUL sign though.
That is an AWFUL sign though.