"World's First Terra Coaster"

Saw an ad for CP yesterday in a magazine that kinda threw me for a loop... (no pun intended)

It wasn't a full page ad, such as this one, but the first paragraph is worded the same as was in the ad that had me going "Huh?"

http://www.nxtbook.com/freeport/greatlake/2007discoverohiotravelplanner/index.php?startpage=9

Read the first paragraph... What context are they using "terra coaster" in? What about this makes it a world's first? If they're using 'terra' as in terrain... well, it's certainly not the world's first terrain coaster, nor the first to have artificial 'terrain' built around it... so what's the marketing angle here?

It's just a clever play on words. AKA: Marketing.

I wouldn't even consider Maverick a terrain coaster. Its hard to call something built on a flat patch of land a terrain coaster.

Seems like they are taking some VERY creative liberties. I agree that it is hardly a terrain coaster. If it is, it most certainly isn't the first in the world. It isn't even the first in the midwest as I would call all of Kennywood's coasters terrain coasters.

I'm not sure where they came up with that one.

Well, at least we know CP still wants to have "records" with their coasters. That's actually quite funny.

It's cool to see they're marketing all the Ohio parks together though. I wonder if they're seeing an increase in season pass sales with the Maxx Pass or not?

I like that, it makes CF seem like they own the Amusement Park industry in Ohio, which they do. =]

I wonder if Intamin...excuse me, IntaRide, is dubbing it a terra-coaster. If so, then it is a world's first.

Also, I'm starting the clock to see how long it takes before someone makes a big deal confusing it with "tera". ("If MF was a 300' Giga Coaster, how can Maverick be a Tera Coaster at only 105' ?") :)

Are you serious? The height of the lift hill has nothing to do with being a terra coaster. The fact that most of the ride hugs the ground, is what makes it a terra coaster. Besides a few times when the coaster might go up about 40ft, the ride cruises very low to the ground making it feel like you are going very fast.

The "Ultimate" at Lightwater Valley in the UK (one of the longest steel coasters in the world at over 7,000 feet) was built in 1991 and is most certainly a "terrain" coaster.

Go over to rcdb to check out pictures of it.

Something is fishy with this.

Just from looking at the pictures, I'd say that "The Ultimate" is definitely the first Terra coaster (if it does in fact mean terrain).

Chief, its not fishy, just good old fashioned American mis-direction marketing.

C'mon, people - its just a silly marketing brochure. It's not like they're calling Guinness, or something.

There is nothing "fishy" going on here. It's called "advertising".

Well aren't you all very kind?

If Magic Mountain had done the same thing I suspect they would be called on the carpet for it both here and on Coasterbuzz.

No, logic would lead people to realize that they're not claiming this to be an actual record. Sort of like when someone calls their product the "best".

Except "best" is a subjective term. "World's First" is not subjective. Either you're the first, or someone did it before you.

The problem with this is that we don't know what they are implying by "terra" coaster. Is that a lift and launch coaster? Is it a ground hugging coaster? Is that a red LSM coaster built on a peninsula in Sandusky, OH?

If we knew what they meant we'd be able to determine the truthiness of the claim.

Argh - I give up...

I realize what you are saying, that CP isn't claiming a "record" (at least not until the banner goes up, or DK mentions "Worlds First Terra-Coaster" in his opening speech) but they did still put it in print.

So should they be off the hook because its only in print?

I like the point about it hugging the ground. The news report in the 'newschannel 5' thread says something about it seeming like you are going faster. thats probably what terra means.

No, they should be off the hook, because its an ambiguous/subjective claim. Define "terra coaster". If you define it as a coaster that hugs the ground, what are the criterion (numbers, please) for a coaster to be considered as such?

I can point to another coaster that hugs the ground just as much (if not more since its 3000 feet longer). If we are considering Terra to be a ground hugging coaster, then if I can find one that's been around for 16 years AND hugs the ground, this wouldn't exactly be a "World's First".