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Superman: Escape from Krypton

Coordinates: 34°25′30″N 118°35′53″W / 34.424996°N 118.59802°W / 34.424996; -118.59802
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"Superman: The Escape" redirects here. Not to be confused with Superman Escape or Superman: The Last Escape.

Superman: Escape from Krypton
Previously known as Superman: The Escape (1997–2010)
The 415 ft (126 m) tall tower of Superman: Escape from Krypton prior to the addition of Lex Luthor: Drop of Doom
Six Flags Magic Mountain
LocationSix Flags Magic Mountain
Park sectionSamurai Summit
Coordinates34°25′30″N 118°35′53″W / 34.424996°N 118.59802°W / 34.424996; -118.59802
StatusTemporary Closed
Opening dateMarch 15, 1997 (1997-03-15)
CostUS$20,000,000
General statistics
TypeSteel – Launched – Shuttle
ManufacturerIntamin
ModelReverse Freefall Coaster
Lift/launch systemLinear synchronous motor
Height415 ft (126 m)
Drop328.1 ft (100.0 m)
Length1,235 ft (376 m)
Speed100 mph (160 km/h)
Inversions0
Duration0:28
Max vertical angle90°
Capacity1,050 riders per hour
Acceleration0 to 100 mph (0 to 161 km/h) in 7 seconds
G-force4.5
Height restriction48 in (122 cm)
Flash Pass Available
Must transfer from wheelchair
Superman: Escape from Krypton at RCDB

Superman: Escape from Krypton, originally known as Superman: The Escape, is a steel shuttle roller coaster located at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California. When it opened in 1997, it was the tallest roller coaster in the world, and its maximum speed of 100 mph (160 km/h) was tied for the fastest with Tower of Terror II, a similar roller coaster which opened two months earlier at Dreamworld in Australia. Both were the first to utilize Linear Synchronous Motor (LSM) launch technology to propel vehicles, although the intended opening date in 1996 at Magic Mountain was postponed due to issues with the launch system.

Superman: The Escape closed in late 2010 for refurbishment, and it re-emerged in 2011 as Superman: Escape from Krypton. The refurbished ride introduced new trains that face backward and a new color scheme. As of 2023, Superman: Escape from Krypton has the third-tallest height, the fourth-fastest speed, and the third-longest drop of any operating roller coaster in the world.

History

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Superman: The Escape (1997–2010)

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During early planning, Six Flags Magic Mountain considered building a new roller coaster named Velocetron themed to The Man of Steel comic book series.[1] Ultimately, the name Superman: The Escape was chosen, and the ride was announced on January 5, 1996.[2] It would surpass Desperado and Phantom's Revenge to become the fastest roller coaster in the world and the first to reach 100 mph (160 km/h).[2][3]

Superman: The Escape was designed by Swiss manufacturer Intamin,[4] and construction began in late 1995.[5] During the final stages, the last section of track was installed at the ride's highest point on May 3, 1996.[6] Originally, the ride was scheduled to open on June 1, 1996,[3] but it was delayed due to troubles with the launch system.[7][8] In late 1996, there was a preview for season pass holders.[4] After 10 months of testing and reengineering, the ride opened on March 15, 1997.[4][7] Upon opening, it was recognized as the fastest roller coaster in the world.[7][9] However, its delayed opening allowed Tower of Terror, which also reaches 100 mph (160 km/h), to open earlier at Dreamworld in Australia.[9] Although tied with Tower of Terror as the fastest roller coaster in the world,[4] Superman became the first to exceed 400 feet (120 m) in height and opened as the tallest roller coaster in the world.

The tower when it was known as Superman: The Escape

By early 1999, the ride remained closed for maintenance. After new brake fins were installed, one side reopened in late February. On March 22, 1999, Six Flags Magic Mountain announced that Superman: The Escape was fully operating with both sides running.[10]

In June 2004, Superman: The Escape's seat belts were modified because of an incident on the Superman – Ride of Steel roller coaster at Six Flags New England. California State Regulators asked the park to make modifications to the rides' restraint systems to prevent a similar incident in the future.[11]

Just after July 4 weekend of 2010, Superman: The Escape ceased operations with no reason given.[12] A sign posted in front of the ride indicated that it would not reopen until the 2011 season, with hints that there would be improvements made to the ride experience.[13] After Superman: The Escape's sister ride, the Tower of Terror II at Dreamworld, underwent a major refurbishment in 2010 which entailed a new vehicle which launches backward, speculation turned to the possibility of a similar modification to the Magic Mountain ride.[14][15] Six Flags Magic Mountain officials quickly denied rumors that it would receive a Bizarro retheming, similar to roller coasters at other Six Flags parks.[13]

Superman: Escape from Krypton (2011–present)

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On October 20, 2010, Six Flags Magic Mountain officially announced the refurbishment and re-theming of Superman: The Escape, in addition to the construction of two new roller coasters. As part of the refurbishment, the ride was renamed to Superman: Escape from Krypton and featured new backward launching cars and a new color scheme.[16][17] The upgraded ride reopened to the public on March 19, 2011.[4][18]

Superman: Escape from Krypton closed again on February 5, 2012 (almost a year after the refurbishment), to prepare for the new 2012 attraction Lex Luthor: Drop of Doom.[19] Two drop towers, also built by Intamin, were integrated into the existing sides of Superman: Escape from Krypton's structure.[20] The ride reopened when construction was finished on July 7, 2012.[19]

To enable the construction of the Full Throttle roller coaster, Superman: Escape from Krypton was temporarily closed from December 2012.[21] It reopened in mid-January 2013, with Six Flags Magic Mountain stating the ride might have intermittent closures as the construction of Full Throttle continued.[22]

Ride experience

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Queue and station

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Superman Escape From Krypton Queue

At the entrance to the ride, the Superman "S" shield is imprinted and now painted onto the ground. The entrance area and queue are modeled after the Fortress of Solitude, Superman's headquarters. The queue line winds through the building and forks, giving guests the option to wait in line for either the left or right side. During slow days and in the off-season, there may be only one side operating. The fork is followed by a long tunnel down each side of the fortress, which is often kept cold from the air-conditioning. Guests then head into the waiting area, where they are separated into four rows and board after the doors open.[23] The station is lit green, modeled as Krypton, the planet that is full of Kryptonite rock that can take away Superman's powers. Inside is a crystalline-looking environment which recreates Superman's fortress in the Arctic.[23] If the Velocetron name had been chosen, the queue and station would have had ancient ruins and a giant laser. A page on display in the SBNO (Standing but not operating) Sky Tower, the park's observation tower, shows the concept art for Velocetron.[1]

Layout

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Superman: Escape from Krypton as viewed from the Sky Tower.

The roller coaster has two parallel tracks, which are identical. The vehicle is accelerated by Linear Synchronous Motors in reverse or forwards depending on the side riders choose out of the station from 0 to 100 miles per hour (160 km/h) in approximately 7 seconds. Riders experience a g-force of 4.5 during the launch. The vehicle then climbs up 415 feet (126 m) at a 90-degree angle. Riders climb this vertical section facing directly downward, before slightly stopping near the top of the tower. During the vertical section of the ride, riders experience weightlessness for about 6.5 seconds. The vehicle drops 328 feet (100 m) and is slowed down before re-entering the station.[3][4][24]

Vehicles

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The roller coaster originally featured two vehicles, each with three rows of four seats and one row of two seats for a total of 14 riders per vehicle.[25] Both vehicles were built to only launch forward. After the ride was refurbished in 2010, new "streamlined" vehicles with the Superman logo were introduced. The new vehicles were designed with low-profile sides to enhance the open-air feeling.[16] Although they are wider, the row of the three seats in the older vehicle was reduced to two, lowering the total number of riders to 14.[23] Both of the new trains were configured to launch backward, although they were designed to launch forward as well. In late August 2021, the left side vehicle of Superman was once again placed forward, allowing riders to choose if they want to experience a forward or backward launch. This is the first time riders can choose between two different ride experiences.

Track

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The steel track is approximately 1,235 feet (376 m) in length and the height of the tower is approximately 415 feet (126 m).[4] The tower is in an "L" shape with two parallel tracks. When the ride opened, the entire structure was painted white.[26] After the ride was refurbished, the top third of the structure was painted red, the track was painted yellow and the rest was painted blue.[18]

Records

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When it opened, Superman: Escape from Krypton was tied with Tower of Terror II as the fastest roller coaster in the world. The shared record stood for four years until Dodonpa opened in Japan in 2001, featuring a maximum speed of 106.9 mph (172.0 km/h).[27] Superman: Escape from Krypton was also the tallest roller coaster in the world with the longest drop until the 420-foot-tall (130 m) Top Thrill Dragster opened at Cedar Point in 2003.[28] The ride remains ranked in three major categories among steel coasters.

List of world records

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Preceded by World's Fastest Roller Coaster
Tied with Tower of Terror
March 1997 – December 2001[32] 		Succeeded by
Preceded by World's Tallest Roller Coaster
March 1997 – May 2003[33] 		Succeeded by

References

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  1. ^ a b "Velocetron", The Magic of the Mountain Museum, Valencia, California: Six Flags Magic Mountain
  2. ^ a b "Superfast roller coaster coming". Los Angeles Daily News. January 5, 1996. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
  3. ^ a b c Gerber, Larry (May 14, 1996). "Race for best ride status has heart rates soaring". Kentucky New Era. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Marden, Duane. "Superman: Escape from Krypton  (Six Flags Magic Mountain)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  5. ^ "'Superman' Ride Boasts Super Speed". Los Angeles Times. January 5, 1996.
  6. ^ Gerber, Larry (May 4, 1996). "Theme park tops off one for record books". The San Bernardino County Sun. The Associated Press. Retrieved November 28, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ a b c "Fastest roller coaster finally ready to ride". The Union Democrat. March 12, 1997. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
  8. ^ Darmiento, Laurence (July 28, 1996). "Superman may sit out summer". Daily News of Los Angeles. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved January 27, 2013.
  9. ^ a b "Dreamworld Disputes Claims Made by US Theme Park" (Press release). Dreamworld. October 1997. Archived from the original on February 5, 1998. Retrieved March 23, 2013.
  10. ^ "Superman The Escape Returns To Full Operation". Ultimate Rollercoaster.
  11. ^ "Superman Coaster Closed for Check". Daily News of Los Angeles. June 3, 2004. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved February 26, 2013.
  12. ^ "Superman: Escape from Krypton at Coaster-Net". Coaster-Net. Retrieved December 7, 2012.
  13. ^ a b "Superman coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain to get major makeover in 2011". Los Angeles Times. August 3, 2010. Archived from the original on May 26, 2011. Retrieved December 7, 2012.
  14. ^ Trenwith, Courtney (August 10, 2010). "Reverse the terror". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved October 3, 2010.
  15. ^ Jabour, Bridie (September 17, 2010). "Dreamworld launches new Terror". Gold Coast Bulletin. Retrieved September 17, 2010.
  16. ^ a b MacDonald, Brady (October 19, 2010). "Six Flags Magic Mountain to run Superman coaster backward". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 7, 2012.
  17. ^ "Magic Mountain reveals new Green Lantern ride". KABC-TV. October 20, 2010. Retrieved October 21, 2010.
  18. ^ a b "Six Flags Magic Mountain: Superman coaster set to reopen in March". Los Angeles Times. January 12, 2011. Retrieved January 13, 2011.
  19. ^ a b Dahlin, Kurt (February 4, 2012). "Superman Closing On Feb 5th For Lex Luthor Construction". The Coaster Guy. Retrieved February 7, 2012.
  20. ^ MacDonald, Brady (September 1, 2011). "Six Flags Magic Mountain adding new thrill ride for 2012". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 2, 2011.
  21. ^ "Thrill Rides". Six Flags Magic Mountain. December 2012. Retrieved December 30, 2012. Superman: Escape from Krypton is temporarily closed.
  22. ^ "Superman: Escape from Krypton". Six Flags Magic Mountain. January 2013. Archived from the original on January 10, 2014. Retrieved April 6, 2013. SUPERMAN: Escape from Krypton will be closed intermittently during Full Throttle construction.
  23. ^ a b c Dahlin, Kurt (April 6, 2012). "Ride Profile: Superman: Escape From Krypton". The Coaster Guy. Archived from the original on October 28, 2012. Retrieved November 27, 2012.
  24. ^ "Superman: Escape from Krypton POV". The Coaster Views. March 21, 2011. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved December 9, 2012.
  25. ^ "Superman: Escape from Krypton at Ultimate Roller Coaster". Ultimate Roller Coaster. Retrieved December 9, 2012.
  26. ^ Marden, Duane. "Superman: The Escape  (Photo)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  27. ^ Marden, Duane. "Dodonpa  (Fuji-Q Highland)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  28. ^ Marden, Duane. "Top Thrill Dragster  (Cedar Point)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  29. ^ Marden, Duane. "Record Holders  (Statistic: Height, Type: Steel)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  30. ^ Marden, Duane. "Record Holders  (Statistic: Drop, Type: Steel)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  31. ^ Marden, Duane. "Record Holders  (Statistic: Speed, Type: Steel)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  32. ^ Marden, Duane. "Record Holders – Steel – Speed". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved November 4, 2010.
  33. ^ Marden, Duane. "Steel Record Holders – Height". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved September 20, 2010.
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