Riding Backwards

I think that Cedar Point should turn a roller coaster backwards during Halloweekends to give a different ride experience. And I also heard somewhere that they are thinking about putting one track of the Gemini backwards and leaving one forward. What are your thaughts ?

Blue Streak would be cool backwards, but it probably would never happen.

Right on, I was thinking Blue Streak would be great backwards, just for Halloweekends though. I think it would attract more riders that way.

I think Gemini would be great. I even wrote to CP a ong time ago to suggest doing something like this to increase ridership. It's a great coaster and backwards would be great.

You have to take into consideration, roller coasters were DESIGNED to go a certain direction. Turning a train backwards can and will effect aspects on the ride. Although it's pretty cool idea, it would just take alot of time to dismantle the train from the track, and turn it around.

To turn a train around you'd also have to rework the anti rollbacks.

I remember watching a show about the EuroDisney park talking about when they turned the trains backwards on a rollercoaster there. Apparantly a lot of testing has to be done because a ride becomes rougher when a rider is unable to see the upcoming directional changes. The disorientation is cool, but can become dangerous on a rougher ride, especially one with many quick lateral G forces and direction changes.

I've ridden The Screamin Eagle backwards, at SFStL. It was turned around a season for fright fest and called "The Eagle Screamin: It's Backwards"

http://rcdb.com/quicksearch.htm?quicksearch=screamin+eagle

Thats awsome, I think CP should look into doing that with Blue Streak for the next Halloweekends. I think the Blue Streak would be awsome backwards.

Didn't we already concur that this couldnt be done?

They should switch the trains on Raptor and Mantis for Halloweekends! ;)

I love riding Racer at PKI backwards. It is one of my favorite coasters. I can only imagine what Gemini or even better Mean Streak would be like backwards.

I think that the Blue Streak would be great backwards. It is such a great ride as it is and I am not talking about for the whole season only for Halloweekends. I think this would also bring more business to Blue Streak and remind people that it is still there. Also I really think that Mean Streak would be even worse of a ride if we turned the trains backwards on it because I think it would make the ride alot rougher than it already is. Gemini may also be good backwards.

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Cory Marshall

As big of a roller coaster fan I am... I would NOT ride Mean Streak if they switched the train around. That would be deadly! lol Just kidding.

Now, I could see them turning one of the Gemini Trains around, ala the Racer down at PKI. That would be fun... but that ride is already popular... so we don't need to spice it up.

I think the best candidate would be Blue Streak!

blue streak could use a little pick me up.

DT could be run backwards, might make it semi-interesting.

I might be in the minority here but I do not like backwards coasters. I've been on The Racer at PKI and Rebel Yell at PKD backwards and at some basic level in my brain it just seemed so wrong! It was impossible to relax not knowing what was coming next and I was afraid of risking a neck/back injury by looking over my shoulder. Never Again! *shudders*

I definitally think the easiest coaster to turn around would be DT. It actually might be better for them to leave it this way if it draws more people to ride it. It would certainly make the ride more thrilling. I have always thought, and also even wrote a letter to CP a while ago, to turn one of the trains on Gemini backwards, but just for Halloweekends.

yeah DT would be cool backwards

Why would DT be the easiest to turn around? You think you can just turn them around because it runs in a trough instead of on actual tracks? What happens when the chain breaks and because the anti-rollbacks are facing the wrong way it goes crashing back down into the station?

I personally think Blue Streak would be the most fun backwards. Its a fun ride as it is and it would be fun to ride backwards.

So what is the difference between DT and BS? Couldn't BS crash back into the station?

Maybe they would have the foresight to change the anti-rollbacks along with the direction of the train.