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Wicker Man - General Discussion - Part Two

Wicker Man's lift hill jerks back and forth due to the chain tensioner preventing the chain from snapping, and I believe the lift system has had modifications made since the coaster's opening. I imagine the changing angle of the lift has something to do with it. On a different note, since Wodan's chain snapped last year, GCI sent out a memo stating all GCIs must have a new chain guard system fitted to the lift hill before 2021. This new chain guard system can so far only be seen on Texas Stingray, as it is currently the only GCI to open since Wodan's chain snapped. So expect the lift hill to look a little different next year.
 
Matt N said:
just because a ride is faster and longer in track length, doesn’t mean that it gives you more riding time than a shorter, slower ride. Length isn’t everything; duration is much more indicative of how much actual riding time you’re getting, in my opinion.
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Doesn't give you more riding time, does give you more of a ride.
 
pluk said:
Doesn't give you more riding time, does give you more of a ride.
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I’m a little confused here; what do you mean? Do you mean that the coaster’s physical size is larger in spite of a shorter ride duration?
 
Matt N said:
I’m a little confused here; what do you mean? Do you mean that the coaster’s physical size is larger in spite of a shorter ride duration?
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He's basically implying that height and speed exclusively make a ride better, which is far from fact. The logic he's using would make Blue Fire a lot better than Icon since it is larger and "more of a ride", which is nuts.
 
It’s all down to personal opinion, really; one person might prefer Blue Fire, while another might prefer Icon. One might believe that height and speed make a good coaster, another might not.

There’s no real right or wrong answer here, if you ask me. Everyone’s entitled to their own opinion on these things.
 
ATI said:
He's basically implying that height and speed exclusively make a ride better, which is far from fact. The logic he's using would make Blue Fire a lot better than Icon since it is larger and "more of a ride", which is nuts.
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Exclusively? Nope, not at all, but thanks for putting words in my mouth.

The question was why does Wicker Man get derided for being short, the answer is because it is short but lasts a while because it is also slow. As a piece of hardware it is not of the scale I'd have liked for the first new woodie in decades.

It is short in length, and in action, compared to the rides he was making a comparison with, and that's pretty much a fact. Whether you like speed and action is a matter of taste, for sure, which will be your personal opinion of 'better'.
 
pluk said:
Exclusively? Nope, not at all, but thanks for putting words in my mouth.

The question was why does Wicker Man get derided for being short, the answer is because it is short but lasts a while because it is also slow. As a piece of hardware it is not of the scale I'd have liked for the first new woodie in decades.

It is short in length, and in action, compared to the rides he was making a comparison with, and that's pretty much a fact. Whether you like speed and action is a matter of taste, for sure, which will be your personal opinion of 'better'.
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Ah, I can see where you’re coming from now; apologies!
 
I have no idea what is wrong with Wicker Man but I have always wondered if the constant stream of mist over and around parts of the track would do the structure any good. I know the wood used is treated but it must have some effect still?
 
Managed to ride Wickerman for the first time on Sunday, we joined the queue at 6.30pm, and I thought it was really good.

The views from the queue are good, giving you a chance to see the ride going round and the themeing.

Considering I have not done any of the bigger coasters (apart from Oblivion) for the last 2 or 3 years, it packed a punch I was not expecting. It felt fast and felt long. It certainly feels a lot faster than Thirteen, although when you look at the stats there is not much in it.

Annabelle also loved it, and is now unsure whether she prefers 13 or Wickerman. The first time she went on, I think it gave her a little shock how intense it was, but she got on again with Lisa and all the way to the car she was telling us how good it was, and switching between which coaster she liked most.

I am looking forward to riding it again, so hopefully it is not down for to long.
 
IanB said:
Managed to ride Wickerman for the first time on Sunday, we joined the queue at 6.30pm, and I thought it was really good.

The views from the queue are good, giving you a chance to see the ride going round and the themeing.

Considering I have not done any of the bigger coasters (apart from Oblivion) for the last 2 or 3 years, it packed a punch I was not expecting. It felt fast and felt long. It certainly feels a lot faster than Thirteen, although when you look at the stats there is not much in it.

Annabelle also loved it, and is now unsure whether she prefers 13 or Wickerman. The first time she went on, I think it gave her a little shock how intense it was, but she got on again with Lisa and all the way to the car she was telling us how good it was, and switching between which coaster she liked most.

I am looking forward to riding it again, so hopefully it is not down for to long.
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Glad you all enjoyed it, hopefully you'll get to experience the pre-show another time (it's off due to social distancing). :)
 
Someone over on TTSP who was at Towers yesterday said that it looks like one of the turns is being completely rebuilt from scratch, either the turn after the first drop of the turn out from the airtime hill through the centre of Big Bob. Considering it's only 3 years old, the fact it needs a whole section replaced is very concerning.
 
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skyscraper said:
Someone over on TTSP who was at Towers yesterday said that it looks like one of the turns is being completely rebuilt from scratch, either the turn after the first drop of the turn out from the airtime hill through the centre of Big Bob. Considering it's only 3 years old, the fact it needs a whole section replaced is very concerning.
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Can confirm, saw them chopping down trees in the gardens today to use on the Wickerman.
 
skyscraper said:
Someone over on TTSP who was at Towers yesterday said that it looks like one of the turns is being completely rebuilt from scratch, either the turn after the first drop of the turn out from the airtime hill through the centre of Big Bob. Considering it's only 3 years old, the fact it needs a whole section replaced is very concerning.
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Hiya - I’m said person! As I said on TT, it looked as though the track had been pulled up from the supports and was being retracked/replaced (supporting rumours). Based on the view from the sky ride it looked as though the section had been removed and replaced toward the end of the day today. As I said on there, take it with a pinch of salt because the view of that section of track isn’t spectacular from the sky ride, just mentioning what I could see. Yesterday much like reported on Facebook the same track piece was under a white tent with consistent construction noise coming from said tent.

So that’s what I saw going on anyway. Didn’t notice any trees being cut down in the gardens though ;)
 
It's not too concerning really, it's a wooden coaster which is intended for timber sections to be renewed after time, but this particular section must be experiencing more stress than expected for whatever reason (remember there were some last moment track changes which could have played a part). I'm sure they know what they're doing!
 
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