Home Features In the Parks Twisted Colossus Opens This Weekend At Six Flags Magic Mountain

Twisted Colossus Opens This Weekend At Six Flags Magic Mountain

May 22, 2015

Something twisted this way comes. If you have been following our coverage over the past few months, you know that Twisted Colossus is a reinvention of the classic, original Colossus, once the worlds tallest fastest, longest wooden roller coaster in the world. The iconic wooden structure has been repurposed and now helps support nearly 5,000 feet of mind bending steel track, with 18 moments of airtime, a Top Gun Stall loop, the western hemisphere’s only high-five element, a Zero G roll and a 116 foot drop.

This was also our first look at the new “Screampunk” area of the park which features a re-themed Gearworks Theatre, and the new gourmet sandwich shop Twisted Wiches.

Park President, Bonnie Rabjohn, addressed the crowd and set the stage for the first official launch of Twisted Colossus.

A gigantic lever on the stage awaited the big moment.

The lever was pulled and the first trains went up the hill.

Fireworks were shot for the first train.

More fireworks as the trains rounded the track toward the crowd.

Twisted Colossus with Scream in the background.

Screampunk District

The new Screampunk area is, of course, the same path that lead to the original Colossus. There is now a more mechanical feel to the area. Pipes and dials protrude from the planters and flower beds, more thematic touches include a gigantic mechanical vehicle, and a brand new façade for the theatre.

These characters were out and about during the press event.

The whole area has been re-landscaped. In the background is Twisted Wiches gourmet sandwiches.

Even the restrooms in the area have been fully renovated. Nicely done too.

In the past/future all women will wear mohawks.

Men will look like Grizzly Adams with a top hat.

Gearworks Theatre

Here we see the Gearworks Theatre. The exterior of the building has been given a totally new look. Orange, yellow, and oxidized metal carry the Screampunk theme.

KWERK Preview

Inside the theatre a brand new acrobatics show is set to debut. We were not shown a full version of the show, so we cannot truly give a proper review. Suffice it to say that what we did see was entertaining enough, and would easily be a welcome respite from the hot summer sun.

Twisted Colossus

Now on to Twisted Colossus. When we heard that Colossus would be leaving for a new hybrid coaster our hearts sank. It was only after we heard that Rocky Mountain Construction was teaming with Six Flags to create a new hybrid version of the classic woodie that we began to get excited.

Here we see the re-themed entrance to the queue.

Yeah, they ACTUALLY attempted a bit of themeing in the line. Neat stuff.

The queue now weaves in the center of the old platform and uses the right hand side loading area as its only boarding spot.

The trains are gorgeous and keep the Screampunk theme going.

In typical Rocky Mountain Construction fashion, the seats are amazingly ergonomic.

There are NO over the shoulder restraints. Instead there is this snug lap bar, shin guards, and a nifty seatbelt. That’s it. Your upper torso is free to flail about in the twisted goodness to come.

Let’s Ride

MiceChat Administrator Hastin Zylstra and MiceChat photographer Matt Jurgens take us through our first ride on Twisted Colossus.

We begin up the blue lift hill on the right.

Through the hi-five turn, down, then into the Top Gun Stall Loop.

On the video below, Norm and Hastin take you on a ride of Twisted Colossus. The audio is wonky because the mics were actually mounted to the body of the train on the seat divider between us. Apologies ahead of time.

This is the best coaster to hit Magic Mountain in years. It is probably the best since Tatsu in 2006. Nowhere in the park, or in the state for that matter, can you enjoy such insane, gravity defying, maneuvers in such relative comfort. The smooth-as-glass track and the high-tech seats make this attraction infinitely rideable.

While the racing is certainly a nice thought, we doubt that it will be consistently obtainable. With three trains circulating, it is unlikely that the ride operators are going to be able to meet the 60 second load/unload time required to keep the racing feature going. We remain hopeful but are advising riders not to expect it. You’ll be too busy screaming your head off to notice anyway.

This is a thrilling, white-knuckle, edifice to roller coasters. An intricate, kinetic sculpture of wood and steel that will generate screams of exhilaration for years to come.

Twisted Colossus is officially set to open Saturday, May 23rd, 2015.