Islands Of Adventure
June 4th, 1999
S T A T S
| Islands Of Adventure June 4th, 1999 S T A T S |
B&M has got your air-time. And they've pulled off yet another coup, another first. Dueling inverted coasters paired with an elaborate myth and comparable theming. Our first taste of steel for this year's tour would come courtesy of the Swiss Screammakers and as we walked through The Lost Continent, there was an unshakeable feeling that we were being followed. It was pretty early in the morning and most of the goggle-eyed tourists had run madly for The Incredible Hulk since it was sitting there boldly on the left screaming "ride me!" We would save the power of that punch for later and savor the double threat of the beasts that dwell just two themed islands away. Just our crew and a few park employees cranking open shutters and taking opening counts on registers. I still felt like we were being shadowed closely and turned to look behind us every now and again. As we approached the Enchanted Oak Tavern, that same peripheral glimmer suddenly became the shape of a man, an old man to be exact. With a long flowing beard, stately robes and a pointed hat, it didn't take long to figure out who this was. "A challenge awaits you," said Merlin the Magician as we arrived at the entrance of the most elaborate queue in theme park history. Marking the entranceway to the ride is an ancient stone gate with imposing sculptures of the two dragons, Fire and Ice. A flame dances atop one column while a crystalline ice gem crests the other. Just beyond is Merlinwood Castle and the twisting, intertwining red and blue track of the two coasters. It's quite an astonishing sight to see even without the trains running. A couple of elements looked tied neat as a bowtie, not much clearance there. Soon, our patience was rewarded with the trademark pneumatic whine of the lift cranking up and soon, two gorgeously decorated trains began to come into view. Once at the top, they dropped and began swooping through the elements, passing unbelievably close to each other as they twisted and dove. We began to assess parts of the ride that seemed the most grueling and some visual study had us pumped for the Fire Dragon's air-time deluxe bunny-hop and Ice Dragon's near-miss of the castle wall. Approaching the castle, we became aware of the bells and other noisemaking instruments that hung in the trees. Apparently, these were placed here by villagers so that the wind off the dragon's wings would shake the trees, alarming the bells and bits of glass, warning of the dragon's approach. The castle is absolutely huge, housing 3,180 feet of queue. As we stepped inside the castle, I heard a voice say "turn back."
Not on your life.
Inside the castle
Choose your fate Ice Side: drops to the right 95 feet and into a powerful scream-inducing dive at 55 m.p.h., it's an ingenious little drop that will have you gasping for breath, and then there's the total terror of Scaling The Castle Wall, which makes you cringe at the very possibility of Medieval Road Rash. The visual payoff of the Fire Side's bunny-hop flyby is better as you twirl through a heartline spin, and the final double corkscrew sets up the thrill nicely. Of course, front seat gets that priceless moment of "OH MY GOD!" at the bottom of the twin vertical loops. It's the defining moment of the ride and no matter where you're at on the train, you'll feel the surrealism and will reflect back on the moment often throughout the day. With a capacity of 3,264 riders an hour, there never seems to be a line for Dueling Dragons, so if you're into surreal, this is a bi-partisan trip that you'll want to take over and over again. Simply watching the red and blue tracks play host to train after train of gleefully screaming, unbelieving riders is a treat. But we needed to move along around the perimeter of the park in time to meet up with Mark Watson, who not only helped design Dueling Dragons, but also was director for the entire Marvel Super Hero Island.
There, we'd meet up with the most bodacious monster that B&M has ever created.
The rollercoaster design team of Bolliger & Mabillard could be considered the Rolls-Royce of thrill makers. They first set tongues to wagging with the now-infamous Batman: The Ride concept inverted coaster that began popping up all over the country in various layouts. With every new design, they continue to perfect their ingenious craft, supplying us with whisper-smooth rides and hair-raising negative G's that give enthusiasts that much sought "air-time." 
Stained glass windows on our right suddenly come to life, shifting around and showing us pictures as Merlin tells us, "This forest is enchanted. And living within it are two fierce dragons. One breathes fire, the other breathes ice. In order to escape, you must prove your bravery by mounting the back of one of the creatures and riding it to freedom." The shadows of the two dragons cloud the vision and the glass shatters. We move on, deeper into the recesses of the castle where each dragon has a lair filled with the bodies of knights and other mortals who dared to challenge the beasts. The Fire Dragon's lair is hilariously gruesome with the bones of would-be heroes blasted into the walls in all sorts of painful positions. The Ice Dragon's encomium is slightly more chilling, if you will, with foes frozen stiff and strung up like Christmas decorations. There was no wait at all, in fact--we seemed to be the only ones in the castle, except for Merlin, who kept appearing to instruct us on our escape. We asked him which dragon was our best ticket out of harm's way. "Fire, always Fire before Ice," he said. We had some questions about this bit of wisdom, but he quickly turned into a peripheral blur and was gone. The labyrinth wound deeper still and now even underfoot were bones, the remains of those who have gone before. Pretty sick stuff for a queue, but it sets the mood and tone just perfectly. Considering that we entered across a drawbridge, the deeply plunging tunnels of bedrock indicate that we're now underground. I was told that the elaborate design was pulled in for much less than you'd expect, for the detail is far greater than any movie set. 
That's what the sign says, one path leading to Fire and one to Ice. Stammerin' Banzai took the Fire side, I chose the side with the better viewpoints, in my opinion. The cars are designed to resemble the two dragons as they clutch you in fiendishly uncomfortable places. Once dispatched, we began to climb the 125-foot lift and noticed the cars jockeying back and forth. We were informed beforehand that each train was weighed and adjusted on the lift to guarantee hair-raising fly-bys and by golly, it works ever so well. Fire Side peels off to the left, dropping 105 feet and nails 60 m.p.h., making it the faster dragon. This guy likes to soar and dip, you'll know that when you hit the infamous Bunny Hop and wonder if you're ever going to touch the seat again. Though visuals are not as obvious during the flatspins, all you need is a front row seat to appreciate the rush of seeing a blue mirrored image speeding towards you at hideous speed. I swear to you, this is as surreal as reality gets. By the time that coaster train is full sized and in your face, you can kind of relate to the four people who are staring, wide-eyed at you thinking the same thing, "HOW LONG ARE YOUR LEGS?"
Resist the urge to pull up, because that just makes you look like a big chicken in the photograph. The space between dangling feet is 12 inches. Yeah, but what about sandals? I'd avoid riding on NBA day.