A good review for this ride has been a long time coming. To begin with, I was lucky enough to be able to ride this monster back in its inaugural year of 2006. It instantly jumped into my Top 10 since I had only ridden about 50 coasters total. It stayed there for a long time and is currently ranked # 11 in my overall rankings, # 4 among my steel coasters, and # 6 according to The Amusement Today Golden Tickets. It is hard to believe that a world-class steel coaster is located a mere two hours from my house.
Thanks to the closeness of this ride, I currently have 83 laps on Goliath. Yep, 83. On the first day I ever rode it with one of my younger cousins back in 2006, we put 6 laps on it which i thought was pretty decent. This past opening day however, Guy and myself rode it 50 times since there were no lines. the ops were nice enough to let us stay in our seats since no one was waiting, and well, we did. And had a great time. Around lap 38, I actually begin to feel nauseated due to the huge hills located throughout the course. We took a quick break, walked around a little and I was able to suck it up and finish up our 50 laps. Other the Cannonball up at Lake Winnie, I have ridden Goliath more than any other coaster.
The ride itself features a number of large hills with the second drop actually being longer than the first which is a rarity on a coaster. The ride actually leaves the park, travels out to the interstate, and then turns back to re-enter the park and finish its course. Highlights of the ride include the third drop which takes all the way to the surface of the pond located on the other side of the parking lot, the downward helix which is the best of its type on any B and M hyper I have ridden, and the banked curve which gives the feeling that you are about to fall out of the car. The final bunny hops are taken very quickly and offer some of the best floating air on the entire ride.
Goliath is just a great coaster. It is smooth throughout, yet offers enough intensity to satisfy even the most hard-core enthusiast. I really do not understand the theme (space ships and 60's themed music on a ride name Goliath?) and the drops are not as severe as those on Nitro up in Jackson, New Jersey. However, the ride experience itself is the best of all the B and M's I have ridden placing it in the upper echelon with a very high 9 grade. Hopefully, my home park will continue the upkeep of this wonderful coaster.
Ride Goliath below.
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