20 in 2020: Goliath at Six Flags Magic Mountain

The next stop in our series of coasters celebrating their 20th anniversaries in 2020 takes us to Southern California. On February 11, 2000, the fastest, longest dropping closed circuit coaster in the world opened:

Goliath at Six Flags Magic Mountain

The main drop of Goliath with the mid-course brake run behind it. (courtesy Jeremy Thompson from United States of America / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0))

So, admittedly, Goliath only held those titles for a few months before Millenium Force at Cedar Point eclipsed it. But, 20 years later it remains the longest drop on a closed circuit coaster in California, and speeds faster than any other closed circuit coaster in the state. Not bad for 20 years old!

Goliath was the 13th coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain when it opened at the park. This was around the height of the coaster wars, where Magic Mountain vied with other parks (mostly Cedar Point) for the title of roller coaster capital. Compared to many of the other additions around that time, Goliath was a traditional coaster. No crazy launch like Superman: Escape from Krypton, just a typical chain lift. No stand-up or inverted seats like Riddler’s Revenge or Batman: The Ride, just normal sit down cars. It was even kind of “kid-friendly,” with a 48″ height requirement. What made it stand out was the 235 foot height, 100 feet taller than the wooden behemoth beneath it, Colossus.

For the opening day Magic Mountain invited hundreds of “Davids” to brave Goliath in the February rain (courtesy the Santa Clarita Signal)

Ride Experience

Goliath is one of those rare coasters with that drops further than its height. It towers at 235 feet tall, then drops a full 255 feet through an underground tunnel at the bottom of the hill. It reaches speeds up to 85 mph as it races through the 120 foot long tunnel.

Goliath on opening day (courtesy the LA Times archive)

At the time, LA Times staff writer Jeffrey Gettleman wrote, “The coaster races faster and faster toward a tunnel that looks the size of a snake hole. You duck, you scream, you suck your arms in as the car shoots through the tunnel.”

Goliath pulls up into another giant hill where it makes a 180 degree turn into another drop. This second hill feels almost twice the height of the turn around on Colossus below it (these days Twisted Colossus).

The second hill and turn around on Goliath towers over Twisted Colossus below it.

The train drops out of the turn around and rises into an airtime hill. Opening day rider David Gomez Sr. told the local paper at the time, “You can’t even move. You feel the pressure on your body. The g-forces that hit you are unbelievable.”

A bending upward incline takes the train into a mid-course brake run. These days the brakes dramatically slow down the train, sometimes even bringing it to a near full stop. The train exits the brakes into a pair of 180° banked turns before a massive 585° descending helix. It pulls out of the helix into another series of twisting turns as it climbs back to the station. Despite all these twists, the ride remains solidly smooth to this day.


Goliath Stats and Facts

  • One of only three roller coaster built by Giovanola, the ride is almost identical to its sister hyper-coaster, Titan, at Six Flags Over Texas (opened in 2001).
  • Designed by famed roller coaster designer Werner Stengel
  • 235 feet tall, but a 255 foot drop
  • 61 degree drop angle
  • 85 mph max speed
  • 4,500 feet long
  • Can operate with 3 trains, 5 cars per train, with 6 riders per car in a 2×3 configuration.

These days Goliath doesn’t impress quite as much as most hypercoasters. It isn’t nearly as forceful and doesn’t feel as fast as others, it’s slowed down over the years, and the mid-course brake run hurts the pacing of the ride a lot. But, the height remains impressive at Magic Mountain and the giant helix is a great element. It feels like Magic Mountain should have topped Goliath’s height and speed these days, and I keep waiting for that to happen, but for now, it remains the king in those categories among the traditional coasters at the park. Plus, the giant Goliath entrance sign is still some of the better theming at Magic Mountain!

Have you ridden Goliath at Six Flags Magic Mountain? What do you think of it? How does it compare to the rest of the class of 2000?

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