That's what Magic Mountain was asking in 1986 when it opened Shockwave, the first stand-up, looping coaster on the West Coast. Myself, I LOVED this ride. I had a season pass in 1986, 1987, and 1988 (though in 1988 I traded my season pass in for an employee I.D. in July). Shockwave was removed in late 1988, making way for absolutely nothing until 1991, when the area was used to house Psyclone.

Shockwave now resides in Texas at Six Flags Houston as Batman the Escape (after a stop in New Jersey). They have different trains, but it's basicaly the same ride. I really have no good reason to be fascinated by this ride other than the fact that the concept blew me away when I heard about it way back when. It was strange enough to hear about a STAND-UP coaster, but this one had a loop. I have heard numerous times what a nightmare this ride was as far as upkeep. Welding, welding, and a little more welding. Shockwave was brought to you by those wonderful bunch 'o engineers known as Intamin A.G. Their name is synonamous with...Anyway, it was quite a job to keep this thing going from what I've read. I still wish the effort was put into it. People remember the ride well, and where else on the west coast can you find a stand-up coaster?

Only at 2 places: One is Paramount's Great America in Northern California. It is called Vortex, and is a B&M creation. The ride is pretty fun, though short. And it features what is definately the smallest loading platform I have ever been on, Flashback at SFMM included. And the other place: Magic Mountain. Oh yeah, they have opened a little something at Magic Mountain called The Riddler's Revenge. Perhaps you've heard of it. It is the largest stand-up roller coaster in the world. This one was designed by the swiss firm that broke off from Intamin, B&M. And even though it is a great ride, it is a different kind of great ride compared to Shockwave. I guess I mean that Riddler doesn't have the same fascination aspect Shockwave did.


Here's some of the mighty Shockwave's stats:
  • Speed:55 MPH
  • Ride Time (With Lift):2 Min.
  • Track Length:2300 ft.
  • Largest Drop:90 ft.
  • Height of Loop:66 ft.
  • G Forces (positive, of course): approx. 3.4
As for those trains:
  • Weight:18,600 lbs each
  • Riders:24
  • Capacity:1200 per hour

Below is a Shockwave pic from Robb Alvey's web site.

Shockwave


Below is a black and white picture of Shockwave in action. More to come, as I find them.

Shockwave






Now when AstroWorld got the ride and it became Batman the Escape, they got new trains. Magic kept the old ones. How do they look today? Judge for yourself. Not exactly showroom condition, but they really serve no useful purpose now.








If you have any old pictures of Shockwave and don't mind sharing them, please email me. Thanks for stopping by.


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