WT Seats?

From what I've heard, the WT seats will be very different than from Raptor or Power Tower....I've heard that they are cramped, and will even cause it where certain people make not get to ride. Well, I'm 16 and 216 pounds (stupid question)....will I be able to ride??

Also, how high are the seats from the floor. I'm 5'7, so will I have trouble getting on them?

------------------
ENJOY THE REST OF YOUR DAY HERE AT CEDAR POINT...AMERICA'S ROCKIN ROLLER COAST. *CLEAR*

There's no way to tell until you get there. But, yes, they are smaller than Raptor. I saw some people not able ride who didn't even look big and other normal size people who said it was tight for them.

------------------
Virtual Midway
http://www.virtualmidway.com

The seat itself is OK, but the shoulder bar doesn't extend forward far enough, so it's really pinched up by the shoulders. Today my arms are sore because the bar was way too tight for me just to get the belt to fasten.

Also, a caution: They put out the test seat at lunchtime yesterday, and when I tried it out I had no trouble at all. This is after knowing that it's a real challenge for me to get the belt fastened on the train. I hope this is one issue the park is planning to address because as it is now, anybody with broad shoulders is gonna have trouble.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

That's the weird thing. I saw people who don't even look that big who could not ride.

AS Rideman said its all in the shoulders. Here is a tip if you have trouble. To get the bar to come down more, instead of pushing down in front towards you, push down from the very top of the shoulder bar (the part that extends outward from the seat)

For the Ride ops..Last year on S:UE after trying with all my might to push my friends restraint down from the middle, a ride op came around and barley touch the lower most part on the side of the belt of the restraint to lock it.

With the passenger pushing down and the ride up pushing in, this is the best chance I think for those who have a tight fit.

Are the seats the exact same as on Superman:UE? I'm going to Six Flags tomorrow and if I can fit into that, then I want to be sure that I can fit into WT. Thanks.

------------------
Michael McCormack CP '02:
Magnum XL 200:
Millennium Force:
Wicked Twister:

I am starting my diet today.

If I cannot fit, I might have to do something drastic....

------------------

I'm 6'1" 265, does anyone think I have any chance of riding that thing?

Well, I'm thinking if some of those somewhat chucky newscasters could ride it, I think we could too. ;)

------------------
ENJOY THE REST OF YOUR DAY HERE AT CEDAR POINT...AMERICA'S ROCKIN ROLLER COAST. *CLEAR*

I found on Superman yesterday, its all in the legs. If you have fat thighs you may not ride. I ALMOST didn't make it. Intimin made the seat belts too short. IMO, they should have been at least an inch or two longer.

------------------
Michael McCormack CP '02:
Magnum XL 200:
Millennium Force:
Wicked Twister:

they should have been at least an inch or two longer

Or, they could have just placed it in the middle like on Raptor. That provides more room without the fear of someone falling through.

------------------
Virtual Midway
http://www.virtualmidway.com

Here's a question - My friend, who is coming out from California, is like 6' 5" or so. Another attendee of our little Convention is like 6'2" and I'm roughly the same height.

Any advice for us Towering Riders? Are the shoulder harnesses gonna kill us?

Not that I'll let THAT stop me from riding . . .

Ron

------------------
Dream Out Loud

MF: 14 - Shootin' for 10,000
Wicked Twists:

I think it has as much to do with height as it does weight (within reason of course). I am 6'1" 260 and rode it with no problem. I was nervous because I had trouble with some seats on S:UE last year and heard this was even tighter.

Here's another data point -- I'm 6' 2", 247 lbs (chest size 47") and had no problems on any of my WT laps today. BTW, I was able to buckle myself each time without help.

Having said that, each person is different -- those with large shoulders/chests may have problems. Make sure you try the "test seat" out front if you have doubts -- there were quite a few people that couldn't ride after waiting in line. I doubt many of them tried the test seat beforehand...

BTW, kudos to the crew who kept things moving at a good clip. Not quite 1000 by my calculations (pretty close though!), but exceptional for an "opening day". Great job!

------------------
Hey, I heard a rumor that Millenium Force is sinking... (how long will it take before a "sinking Twister" rumor is heard? Maybe it's happened already? LOL!)

I couldn't ride WT yesterday. 5'8", 250 lbs, 44" waist. These seats are the smallest in the park. I had no problem riding anything else though. I was surprised because last year I had no problem riding S:UE at SFWoA.

I myself am 6'1 and 270 lbs. and I did not really have any problems fitting into the seat I could even fasten that belt with any help.

"HUZZAH!"

I had an extremely difficult time getting into my seat because of how high they are off of the platform. I am about 5'3

I had to "jump" into the seat as well. For Pointman, I think it's all how the weight is distributed. I wonder if my husband is going to be able to ride. He's 6'5" and 260 lbs, waist size 44. He said he'll try it once.
------------------
I'd rather die living than live like I'm dead

I'm 5'10" 250# with a chest of 50", waist of 40-42. The seat was fine for me. The only problem was pulling the lap bar down over my shoulders low enough to secure the seatbelt. It was a bit difficult but I was able to do it myself. I was worried about it since I heard that the RideOps won't do it for you if you can't do it yourself. My friend told me if I wanted to keep riding coasters that I needed to stop working out. I am, by no means, a huge body builder, and am nothing compared to some people that are out there, so I can foresee a lot of people not being able to ride due to chest size. And to think all this time I thought my gut would be the problem.

An extra inch or two on the seatbelt would be great. If they are worried about it being too loose for smaller people they can make it adjustable or have an add on belt like they do on Volcano at Paramount's King's Dominion.

Another option, which we were going to try is the bigger person gets on the first seat quickly and pulls down the bar. As your friend passes to get to the next seat, have him nonchalantly push down your bar as you go for the seatbelt. This shouldn't cause too much attention towards your plight and get you on the ride.
I have my pic in my "info" profile here. Maybe my size will help others figure out if they can fit or not. I was glad I could fit but I was really expecting to be let down.
*** This post was edited by Digital Daredevil 5/6/2002 12:03:35 PM ***

I'm 5'12" (too short to really pass for 6'0" :) )with a 38"W, about a 51" gut and very large thighs. But none of that made any difference because for me what causes the trouble on Wicked Twister is the 8" thickness between back and chest and my 27" shoulder height from the seat. When I force the bar down and get the belt fastened, I'm badly pinched, but I have a good 2-3" of space between the bar and my gut, and the bottom of the bar isn't even close to being on my lap. On Wicked Twister, be advised, it isn't the beer belly that will keep you from riding, it's the height and broad shoulders. The arm extending from the pivot point forward to the shoulder bar is too short. Fixing that problem would allow the bottom of the bar to come down more for most riders.

So all you, "Why don't you just lose some weight" people can shut up on this one; the big problem is with dimensions that most people can't change.

Wicked Twister is yet another textbook case of why shoulder bars are not a very good design for securing riders of varying shapes and sizes........

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Hmmm, Maybe swimming a mile a day to lose weight isn't gonna be the answer. I did notice they made some adjustments to the test seat after I tried it in the morning. I'll try again Saturday, I'll be there first thing thanks to Joe Cool.
*** This post was edited by PointMan 5/6/2002 2:22:44 PM ***