[gabed]

So here’s my thoughts.

It is a lot shorter (height wise) than I was expecting, but the more I look at it the more I think that will play to it’s advantage. The whole ride looks to be very tight and whippy, like Mack’s take on Maverick. We needed a launch coaster for a very, very long time, so to finally have one feels like a breath of fresh air.

Can’t wait to get more info on this whole Blue Ridge Junction area.

[hikernut79]

Love everything about the coaster, except one thing, the launch speed. i know people are saying it won't make much difference because of the compactness of the ride, and it will have incredible hang time, but i'm still not sold on that slow launch speed. i don't care what it does during the rest of the ride, for me the launch is what makes such rides.

CopperHead Strike has BackLot coaster speed, and I've never been overwhelmed with that coaster. I mean it's cute and all, but it's not something I look forward to.
i want my breath to be taken in those first seconds. With Volcano, that launch is what makes the ride. I really don't care what it does after that.

The second launch seems a lot more interesting and should deliver a good little pop. I 'm really curious why they made the first launch so slow? I just hope the train makes it through those loops on a cold March morning. Am I missing something the rest of the world is seeing? Am I alone in the way I feel?

Perhaps, based on the layout, it is not even possible to make it faster without causing other problems. Before someone goes off on the 'enthusiast always want the fastest, tallest rant' that is not the case here. That speed seems kind of slow for a non kiddie attraction. Hell the giant frisbees announced yesterday go 75 miles per hour. IMO, that would be a lot more thrilling. BTW, I'm not a fan of I-305, I think it is too intense, if that gives you some idea about my ride tolerance. I just did not expect to wake up this morning and see Carolina Slinky Dog Dash.

Other than that, it's a nice family attraction.

I know Maverick goes 70 mph out of the second launch but for most of the ride it's not going that fast. Obviously this ride will not be as intense as Maverick but to compare it Slinky Dog is just silly (I realize you may have been somewhat kidding).

I see the ride having plenty of force considering the compact layout. The mention of Verbolten's launch may be a good comparison here. I do not see the launch as being the most critical element of the ride like some do. It's a fun element but it doesn't have to peel my eyelids off to give a good ride through the layout of the coaster.

I'm most impressed with the airtime hills and the hangtime in some of the inversions. Oh and the theming is excellent! Can't wait to ride it.

[tarheel1231]

The Blue Ridge Junction retheme makes me think Afterburn is getting a new theme as well. We already have two hawk-themed coasters so I don’t know where they could go from here.

[Panthersfan43]

The Blue Ridge Junction retheme makes me think Afterburn is getting a new theme as well. We already have two hawk-themed coasters so I don’t know where they could go from here.

did they confirm blue ridge junction will be crossroads?I am worried the flyers might not be coming back

[uscbandfan]

Weren't they going to rename "Flyers" to "Eagles"? Eagles are certainly part of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

[super7]

Love the theme. Cedar Fair has really stepped up their game with theming their rides and park areas. They did an excellent job with new County Fair. Twisted Timbers at Kings Dominion is top quality themed.

Hate the name. Why oh why didn't they revive White Lightnin' with this excellent theme......

Blue Ridge Junction.....glad they are also concentrating on themed areas. Liked the Country Crossroads name better. BRJ was used for the frontier section before and that name didn't really fit it as good as Frontier Outpost. But again, thumbs up for also concentrating on themed areas.

[ThatCoasterNerd]

Weren't they going to rename "Flyers" to "Eagles"? Eagles are certainly part of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

They were originally called Woodstock Gliders, and they are confirmed to be coming back as Flying Eagles, as seen in the 2018 Ride Safety Guide (I’m not too sure how to attach a picture of the Safety Guide, but if you go to this link: https://cdn-cloudfront.cfauthx.com/bina ... -guide.pdf and scroll down you can find it) And since it’s in the 2018 Safety Guide, I expect them to be coming back for Winterfest this year. They already have a large circular concrete pad and queue posts up for what will supposedly be the flyers.

[RiDeWaRrIoR]

The Blue Ridge Junction retheme makes me think Afterburn is getting a new theme as well. We already have two hawk-themed coasters so I don’t know where they could go from here.

did they confirm blue ridge junction will be crossroads?I am worried the flyers might not be coming back

Well somethings coming...

[bradbeane88]

Found this to be interesting this area right here according to google earth equals just over 7 acres. I do believe this is where they are talking about the new area.

*I think afterburn will stay as is right now and will not be included in the new area. Possible dino area will be part of a new area in the future and include afterburn in that.*

[Hiveminded]

I’m pretty sure they would have mentioned Afterburn if it was going to be rethemed.

[dirkdiggler1992]

I think it looks incredibly fun. The park needs more coasters that are simply fun for everyone, this checks those boxes with the curvier than expected layout, launch with airtime hill (yeah some random coaster out there also features something simailr but who cares), granny’s themed shed, etc. I hope they stick to the renderings, trees, farm and all.

Also love the airtime moments they were able to fit in the layout, wasn’t expecting the double up lol. The views from the ground will be great too. Amazing pics next season.

[tylerSC]

Very pleased with the overall theming and layout of the ride. But somewhat disappointed with the speed of the launch and height of the ride. But perhaps it was not intended to be super intense like Fury. Otherwise they could have hired Intamin to build the coaster in the style of Maverick. But is the speed and height comparable to other Mack launch coasters? But great to see a looping and launch coaster come to Carowinds and looks like a great ride.

[dirkdiggler1992]

Yes this has comparable stats to other similar scale Mack’s like Icon or Time Traveler. Cedar Fair wanted a fun reliable launcher for the park and Mack was probably the best candidate for them. Don’t expect CF to work with Intamin again anytime soon.

[Panthersfan43]

I hope this ride will have some sort of light package outside of the headlights

[RiDeWaRrIoR]

That would be awesome if it did have a light package of sorts!

On another note, looking at the renderings what do you guys think this might be... I know this could have been an "early" rendering and things may change, just unsure what exactly this is, like an overflow but very strange... or a fast lane entry or something...