Mystic Timbers First Rider Auction
Coaster101 writers Nick and Kyle recently participated in the Mystic Timbers First Rider Auction. Kings Island and Cedar Fair Charities joined up with the Andy & Jordan Dalton Foundation to give us fans a chance to raise money for a great charity and be some of the first people to ride the new wooden coaster. All fundraisers combined raised $60,000 to benefit the Andy & Jordan Dalton Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing life-changing experiences to seriously ill and physically challenged children and their families in the Cincinnati area.
The Daltons were present at the event to accept a giant check and ride the coaster. Here’s a clip of the Bengals’ QB thanking the fundraisers and a few shots of the coaster. Thanks to both organizations for putting this wonderful event together and allowing us the opportunity to participate.
More Thoughts on Mystic Timbers
What did you think of the theme of Mystic Timbers?
Kyle: It is very engaging from the beginning, the beginning being the plaza surrounding the ride. From outside the queue, guests can see the old shed and warehouse along with the crashed truck and very cleverly designed ride sign.
Nick: I thought the theme of the coaster was nearly perfect – there’s not much more you could do to theme a wood coaster better than Mystic Timbers.
Anything that surprised you about Mystic Timbers?
Nick: I was surprised by, believe it or not, the lift hill. It was so cool to me how they integrated the lift into the story in a way I’d never seen done before. There’s really four sections to the lift: You begin ascending slowly while an audio recording is played, warning our truck to turn around and for us to go back to playing videos games. Then the lift speeds up and we think “ok, here we go.” But as we approach the summit the chain slows down again. What’s happening? The voice is heard again, this time warning “Do NOT go in the SHED!” The lift speeds up AGAIN and we’re quickly plunging down the spiraling drop. Totally unexpected.
Kyle: The thing that surprised me the most was how smooth the ride was. If you take a look at the amount of quick twists this coaster has and the fact it is wood, it is incredibly smooth, both in transitions and feel.
Nick: I’m wondering if Mystic Timbers has the fewest number of cross-overs for a coaster built by GCI. There are only two on this mostly out-and-back layout.
What was your favorite part of Mystic Timbers?
Nick: I absolutely loved the outbound run, from the second drop to the tunnel stretch is incredible. This includes what GCI is calling the “quadruple S-turn” in which the pacing is aggressive, it’s very Voyage-esque. The only bad thing is the first half of the ride is so good, to me it makes the second half seem a little disappointing because it fails to live up to the amazing first half.
Kyle: I have to agree with Nick on this one, the journey out is simply coaster perfection. I will say though, that the final drop over the river was a fun ending. After going through a layout with a lot of small ups and downs, it makes the last drop seem longer and is a nice surprise to end the ride.
What about re-rideability?
Kyle: I could stay on this coaster all day. It has just the right amount of intensity to be thrilling while maintaining one of the most enjoyable rides I’ve been on.
Nick: Agreed. Thursday night we rode it ten times and I could’ve done more with no ill effects. In fact, I’ll say that Mystic Timbers is probably the smoothest traditional wood coaster I’ve ever been on. And you’ll want to ride it more than once for the shed.
Without giving away too much, what did you think of the shed? Did it meet your expectations or did it fall short?
Kyle: It met my expectations. I really tried hard throughout the creation of the ride to not set my hopes too high and make the shed into something that it could not and would not be. But, for what it is, it is very well done with a great attention to detail and story line. You will want to ride multiple times to see everything that is in there and make sure you ride in different rows of the train too.
Nick: I enjoyed the shed and it really grew on me with each successive ride. I noticed new details every time. It’s a great addition to the ride experience. Besides, what’s the alternative, sitting on a boring brake run staring at the back of the head of the person sitting in front of you? I wouldn’t be mad if they added a shed to almost every roller coaster. My advice for those who haven’t ridden it yet: if your expectations are logical about what is realistically in the shed versus what you want to be in the shed, it won’t be a disappointment. It’s not like they came up with the shed then designed the rest of the coaster around it. They designed an awesome roller coaster then they decided to take what would’ve been the most boring part of the ride and dressed it up and had some fun with it.
And now the hard question: If you had to pick one coaster to ride at night before the park closed, what Kings Island coaster are you going to choose?
Kyle: Oh man… Banshee, Diamondback, The Beast and Mystic Timbers are all good contenders. If I have to choose though I will always choose The Beast. There is nothing better than going through that double helix in the dark; it’s probably my favorite roller coaster element.
Nick: That’s a tough one. I guess it depends on what you’re in the mood for. If you want pure airtime fun, choose Diamondback. If you want intensity, choose the Beast. If you want a little bit of everything including a fun story-line choose Mystic Timbers.
Have you ridden Mystic Timbers yet or are you going to this season? If so, what are your non-spoiler thoughts on what’s in the shed? Let us know in the comments below!
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