Super Himalaya

Whats up with Vertigo? Where did it go???? Yes that is supposed to be funny.

http://www.cedarpoint.com/_upload/blog/NBP304.jpg if you are worried about a winter photo and the lack of the Himalaya, here is from the CP blog in Demember 2007. Super Himalaya getting it's Winter maintenance. Alas it was still there operating in 2008.

RideMan said:
You think Himalaya looks stripped down in the winter, you should see the Wave Swinger.

Or in some years, the Monster.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Don't you mean the lack of the Wave Swinger ;)

Flyswatters look awesome. Where is the closest one to here? I've seen videos of them. How is the capacity though, they look like the cycle from start to finish is quite lengthy.

^Not to mention they have a rather dubious reliability history. I dont think there is any of them in America anymore (SFNE used to have one that was originally at SFAW.)

Was looking through the historical photos on the site. It is too bad the ride does not look like it did when this picture was taken. I know Cedar Fair has been "picking" older rides and refurbishing them. The latest "Country Fair" section at Carowinds truly embodies the beauty of flat rides. I think they did okay with Tiki Twirl, but even then it wasn't nowhere close to its original "flahsy" beauty.

Am I the only one who feels that part of the joy of flat rides is their nostalgic lights, and Vegas-like quality that makes them fun to watch?

Maybe a brand-new music express should replace the aging Himalaya?

I'd just like them to actually have some upkeep with Super Himalaya. They can look great and are always an absolute blast. However, burnt out, dark lights, and Justin Bieber do not make that ride.

The playlist pre 2012 was fantastic..I still have a good bit of it..somewhere.

A new bright LED lighting package would be nice.

Has Super Himalaya always been in its current spot?

This is its fourth spot.

It started its CP life in 1970 where the picture shows, near the marina gate. Then it moved to the corner where Gatekeeper is now, next to Matterhorn and Jumbo Jet. Then it was relocated to the Gemini midway where the entrance to Camp Snoopy is now. Then finally to its current spot.

kylepark said:

A new bright LED lighting package would be nice.

See I agree and disagree here. The LED packages look great, but generally in most practices remove the bulb look and replace it with panels, which I think could make the ride look alot younger than it is, and not have that "classic" look.

Then problem #2 is they COULD use the LED bulbs, if you've been to KI, their Carousel was fitted with these style bulbs I believe 2-3 years ago, or somewhere in between. The problem with those I've noticed is they don't last long. Shortly after that change happened, bulbs started dying. Then just from a video last year, quite alot more of them have stopped working and weren't replaced. I'd like to say we've left the Kinzel era of burnt lights everywhere, so seeing that at KI, I kinda have second thoughts regarding it.

I'm not a fan of the LED lights on rides. (In my bathroom and on my Christmas decorations they're fine).
A lot of traveling shows have retro fitted rides with them and they're so bright it's headache-inducing garish. I recall seeing a himalaya ride at the Florida State Fair that had way too many lights, in bright green and purple, and it was hard to look at. Awful.
Kings Island did their Troika and Scrambler with them and once again, as far as I'm concerned, ruined the rides' appearance. I guess for flats I prefer single colors, not the programmed color changes that do nothing for the ride or the area.

Now, having said that, the more successful application is on the high billboard rides like Windseeker and Giant Wheel. Those lights are at a distance from the midway, are less in your face, and the programs are fun to see from a distance.

Incandescent bulbs will very soon (if not already) be no longer available on the planet, so there's that, too...

I like the current lighting on Super Himalaya. It makes the ride look colorful and old.

I love that picture from 1970, I can't quite picture the location, I wonder if that is Cadillac Cars behind it.

Something else doesn't look right. Notice the spelling: Super-Himalaja. Not as drastic a name change as Calypso to Tiki-Twirl.

Is the current Super Himalaya the original ride or has it been replaced with a different version at some point in time?

The actual name was Super Himalaja. The ride is European, of course, and may have been used. Something tells me it may have been at Palisades first, and I may be wrong about that, but the timing is right. The park was known for picking up used flats then. (I guess they are now as well, right?)
Included that year were Calypso (2) and Schwabinchen, also Mack rides, so it may have been a package deal. The rack brochure for 1970 featured stock catalogue photos of the new rides but a Musik Express with black tubs was pictured, not the Himalaja that showed up. Along side was a shot of Schwabinchen, but the brochure listed it as Hully Gully. So this high school freshman fanboy was left to wonder what was really going on there and had to wait for our annual trip to find out.

I was excited to see so many, (ten), new rides for the centennial season, but was sad that Scamper went away too. Wildcat (1) showed up that same year as a replacement, although in a different spot.
Super-Himalaja was on the other side of the marina path from Cadillacs/Turnpike, behind Dodgem II. It went very, very fast and was known for burning out motors. Much faster than the tamer, stripped down version we see now. The only other Himalaya I've seen since that moves as fast is Hit in 2000, also a Mack ride, that travels with North American Midway Entertainment. I thought I was gonna fly out of that thing.

Pete: it's the same ride, and it's hard to believe it's coming up on 50 years old. The outside flash was stripped when it moved from the beach side to Gemini midway, and the top was altered to a Tudor-style design. What is it now, plain blue?