Six Flags Sasquatch
Posted by: Loren Coleman on September 25th, 2008
Sasquatch sighted at Great Escape
Park adding thriller; First ride addition at facility since 1999
QUEENSBURY – Great Escape’s newest and tallest thrill ride, Sasquatch, will be located near the front of the park near where the Rainbow ride once stood and park officials said they expect it to become an “iconic symbol” of the park.
Six Flags officials released more details about Sasquatch, the first thrill ride to be added to the Route 9 park since 1999.
Sasquatch is a drop-style ride made of two steel towers that will stand 192 feet tall. The Sasquatch will accelerate riders from ground level to the top of the towers in fewer than three seconds.
After riders reach the top, they will plummet back down with a 2 g-force before experiencing a series of air-cushioned bounces up and down the tower.
Riders will feel pinned to the seat on the way up and weightless while riding the beast back down. The forceful heavenward blast will create a force on the rider of 4.5 g-forces.
The ride will need town Planning Board approval. The board will review a site plan for the ride at a meeting in October to ensure the addition of the Sasquatch complies with a master plan approved in July 2001 for the park.
According to plans submitted with the Queensbury Planning Board, the ride will have a capacity of 32 passengers, and a two-story structure with a glass ceiling will be located to the east of the Sasquatch. The structure will house machinery and the ride operator, who will be able to view the ride at all times.
The plans also state that the Great Escape does not plan to relocate the Rainbow ride to another place in the park.
Many of the park’s newer attractions in recent years have been focused on younger guests, with the creation of Looney Tunes National Park, the Wiggles World, and water rides, said Tim Drawbridge, public relations manager for the park.
“It’s going to satisfy and quench the thirst of those looking for something else that’s new or would add to the Comet, the Boomerang or the (Steamin’) Demon,” Drawbridge said.
The park next year will also feature a revamped beer garden, which will be transformed into a food and entertainment venue. A mini-food court will replace the current cafeteria-style area, and the beer garden will be air-conditioned.
Another addition to the Great Escape schedule is the Holiday in the Park, to be held in winter 2009.
The event will be open to both the general public and season pass holders and will stretch the park’s season to make it the longest on record.
Holiday-themed shows, traditional food, choirs, carolers, time with Santa and a sledding hill will be included. Dates and open rides are not yet available.
A ride similar to Sasquatch was involved in a serious accident last year at a park in Kentucky. A teenage girl’s legs were severed above the ankle at Six Flags in Louisville on the Superman Tower of Power.
But Drawbridge said he isn’t concerned about the safety of Great Escape’s new ride.
“It’s back at the manufacturer right now being put through various tests to make sure everything is safe and functional,” Drawbridge said. The ride will also be inspected by the state and will later be inspected by the park, he said.
Alyson Martin
The Post Star
About Loren Coleman
Loren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading living cryptozoologist. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct).
Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013. He returned as an infrequent contributor beginning Halloween week of 2015.
Coleman is the founder in 2003, and current director of the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine.
I’m still upset that Six Flags Astroworld here in Houston is, gone. We had a similar ride called the Dungeon Drop, one of my favorites. I’m sure the Sasquatch ride will be a real thriller.
We still have a lot to clean up here in Houston post hurricane Ike. Many of my friends still don’t have power. I know these are weird/crazy times in our country right now but please keep us in your thoughts.
I think a drop on the Sasquatch ride would help clear my head. 🙂
Not in a million years!