How was your ride?

I rode it a lot this weekend, between ERT, passholder night Friday, and FLP on Saturday. Even on Friday afternoon when we waited in the regular queue (which was not quite full) it was less than an hour wait.

On the restraints, they do seem almost identical to the Wild Eagle restraints, and I vastly prefer them to anything that gets close to my ears (I'm looking at you, Raptor and Maverick). I will say that I experienced a little bit of what people are talking about a few times with feeling compressed down into the seat by it, and I never experienced that on WE. I honestly can't say I remember the vests on WE ever locking into place (GK's don't do so immediately), but it may simply be that GK is so much more intense--as a ride, there is no comparison, GK is twice the ride WE is.

At first I was a little confused and it sounded to me like it was compression from the front that was bothering people (particularly with respect to breathing). I can't really see how that could happen--unless you have a very large abdomen, one that sticks out well past your chest, anyway (mine doesn't).

The difference from WE is that you are so often hanging from the restraints on GK. It depends on which seat and which side (I've found the front left to be the best seat IMO), but I think this hanging effect, particularly on inversions, is what is causing so much discomfort for people. Because of the intensity of the ride, you can very well find your vest getting locked in a way that compresses you down (not back) into the seat, and that's where the breathing difficulty comes in.

I want to be clear when I say breathing difficulty, I'm just saying it's uncomfortable to take a deep breath. No one should be having actual difficulty breathing at any point of this ride, restraints or not, and if you are, you probably have other health issues that should have kept you off the ride in the first place.

Yeah, I wasn't having trouble breathing, just still trying to catch my breath from the early morning sprint. lol

GateKeeper is without a doubt better than Wild Eagle at Dollywood.

As far as comparing it to the other CP coasters, on my list it comes in 4th.
1. Maverick
2. Millenium Force
3. Raptor
4. GateKeeper
5. Magnum

And really 3, 4 and 5 are pretty interchangable, I love them all.

I will say that I liked GateKeeper better in the very back seat than the front seat. The seats are spaced far enough that you still get a good view, and the ride was more intense from the back.

Was at the park Sun & Mon. Rode GK 3 times each day. Wait was actually very short (15 min or less) Sun evening, but didn't ride more because the restraints hurt my collar bone. I'm 5'11 170# - so pretty average, but it really hurt. As far as the ride itself, I thought it felt like a slow lumbering Raptor... and I actually like Raptor better. Love that CP added a new coaster, but it doesn't make my top 5.

I am 5'-9", 150 # and it was digging into my collarbone pretty good. My son, all 4'-5" and 70# said it was hurting him as well on the collarbone. We did not experience the issue with the vest hurting our chests.

I rode Gatekeeper only once because of the the long lines. I thinks it's awesome, but my collorbone was definitely sore after.

Really, try holding onto the vest around shoulder level. Keep it held out a little, and I can assure you that you won't have any discomfort as long as you do this properly. Plus it allows for more airtime since you aren't pressed completely into your seat.

It's been a while since I rode Gatekeeper. The last time I rode it was Media Day and I am feeling the itch to ride it! I will be there on Monday for sure and I'm going to ride it! That's how good a ride Gatekeeper is! When my co-workers have asked me what's it like, I say that it's exactly what it's cracked up to be. You definitely feel like your flying! Anybody else going?

I don't understand the complaint about collar bones at all. But maybe it's because of my build that it probably doesn't effect me.

I agree with that. It's one of those things where, if ignored it's not so bad but I suddenly found myself trying to expand my chest and take a deep breath which was difficult and it becomes a wee bit of a claustrophobic feeling.

I rode the ride Yesterday May 24, and with taking the hint on pulling the vest a little bit out when your in the station may have helped. But since I only rode it once I didn't notice any discomfort.

By the way, I'm 5'10", 200 lbs, with a 38-40 inch waist, and had no problem getting into the harness. And like I said earlier i didn't notice any problems with the harness hurting me.

One thing I'll note though, It seems lie gate keeper REALLY does not like temperatures around 50 F and Moderate winds of 20 mph in any direction.

Rode gatekeeper yesterday, played the planko game once and luckily won two front of the line passes while waiting to enter the park. Worked out because we had 4 in our group. Well I was pleasantly surprised by this ride. All 4 of us were wowed! Rode back row right side. First drop was amazing. The vests didnt really bother me other than they felt like they weighed 100 pounds. Looking forward to riding again in the near future and trying different seats

I rode again this past weekend and I have to say that the right side is a better experience for me than the left side! And this time, the vests were hurting my collar bones, but it was worth it because of the amazing ride it provided.

I rode it on Memorial Day and thought it was a pretty good ride. I rode in the back right. We waited 20 minutes so it was worth the way. My favorite part was definitely the drop. Also, the restraints were a problem for me too.

As I posted on my trip report from May 18-19, my son and I both had discomfort in the collarbone area after riding GK. I felt the pain immediately following the first ride in the front left seat. I just try to hold the restraints out so I can get them over my shoulders so they don't rest on my collarbones. My son is about the same height as me, a few pounds lighter and he said the same about the restraints.

I still like Raptor better. And Maverick. And MF. I can't do Mean Streak or Magnum. They hurt!

I have ridden, only once, on the back right. I am going again soon and wondering which seat, on the left side, is best.

My ride in general was amazing, the only problem I had was slight suffocation on the break run. I loved the second pass over the entrance, It feels like you are going to fall out of the seat if it were not for the vests.

The second pass is my favorite part of GK. IMHO, back right outer- most intense, left inner front- smoothest.

My favorite is the back left outer. The wing over drop is awesome in this spot, as well as being pulled out of the 2nd pass over the gate.

Rode it a total of twelve times, three each in the front left, front right, back left, and back right. Any of the backs is what you really want, but the back right kicks ass. The front seat provides a bit more of a hanggliding feel while the back seat is more of a true flight. The first drop is my favorite part of the ride, and the ride is glass smooth. But overall, I'd place GateKeeper in my top ten, and while it is a great addition to the park, it isn't all of that for real. The intensity isn't there yet, like on Raptor.

I love Gatekeeper! I rode twice yesterday in a matter of 15 minutes and I still think the right side is my favorite. I got a chance to ride left front and that was an awesome experience too, especially through the keyholes. I found that if I hold the vest out with my hands until I get to the top of the hill, that it will be a more enjoyable ride for me.

My only complaint about Gatekeeper yesterday was the girl working crowd control on the right side around 9 o'clock who was very rude (I believe her name was Shantae or something). Hopefully all ride hosts and ride ops can get on the same page and enforce the same rules for everybody.