X

Many a man would call me coaster crazed, but you know what even the smallest of coaster fans would be able to appreciate a work like this. Six Flags Magic Mountain's newest coaster known as X is a steel beast, a marvel of mankind, a 4-D coaster.

Magic Mountain may be well known to many as the park currently in the race for most coasters in one park. Cedar Point is currently tied with Six Flags at 15 coasters, however if you compare both parks new coasters I'd have to give major kudos to Magic Mountain for an original innovation, and a fun looking one at that. (For more information on Cedar Point's Wicked Twister you can find a review here or go to Cedar Point's Webpage.)

What makes X so unique isn't its height or enormously wide track, but the train in itself which presents a brand new riding experience. The 4-D Coaster is a marvel of mechanical engineering in which the seats rotate forward or bacwards 360 degrees. The whole time these seats rotate according to its specified programing, the coaster acts like a normal coaster traveling up and down hills and through turns and loops.

As you can see from the picture on the left, the cars on the train.do not rotate all at the same time, but gradually after the cars successfully pass certain points on the track. So while you are going down the first hill you may be completely upside down, where as when it starts to level out at ground level you start rotating onto your back.

The sheer complexity of the ride is a wonder in itself. The enormous train design and the extremely wide track make the view awe-inspiring.

Hopefully in the fiuture we will see more of this type of coaster reaching parks across the United States. Until then Six Flags Magic Mountain in California is the place to be..