By Michael P Coleman
I was a fan of Six Flags’ Roar roller coaster. It was an old school wooden monster that was always the first thing I wanted to ride when I visited the park. Years ago, one of my little ones lost a pair of brand new sunglasses on that ride, and she accidentally slapped me in the face trying to catch them as they flew off of her head and we flew over that first hill — but that’s a story for another time! Suffice it to say that I and my family had a LOT of fun on that ride over the years. So I was sad last season when the park closed it.
I should have known that, in typical Six Flags fashion, they’d replace it with something even better. In this case, they’ve taken the concept of recycling to a whole new level. The park’s new JOKER coaster opens to the public this Sunday, and is a new hybrid that combines the original wooden substructure of Roar with a specialty steel track in the iconic green and purple of the classic DC comics villain. It’s the park’s second DC-themed ride, joining Superman’s Ultimate Flight.
THE JOKER features chaotic twists and turns along 3,200 feet of track, a 78-degree drop of almost 100 feet, 15 separate moments of airtime, and speeds up to 53 miles per hour. It delivers three inversions a wild Zero G barrel roll.
THE JOKER also introduces the first ever step-up under-flip, an inverted roll that takes riders horizontally, and a unique breaking wave turn – the only one of its kind on the West Coast.
Needless to say, Six Flag Discovery Kingdom’s new JOKER coaster is something you HAVE to experience this summer! Look to sacculturalhub.com for a full review — as well as information on other travel / tourism / vacation-related fun throughout Northern California!
For tickets or more information on Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, go to sixflags.com/discoverykingdom
Michael P Coleman is a Sacramento-based freelance writer and lifetime roller coaster enthusiast! Connect with him at michaelpcoleman.com or on Twitter: @ColemanMichaelP
