Vortex Review

We're here at California's Great America to ride Vortex. You straddle the seat to a comfortable setting, pull down the OTSR, and then we're off! Around the turn we go and into the lifthill we climb. While it's not a very high climb, you still get a good view of the parking lot. Then we reach the top. We dip down the pre drop, tilt to the right and fall down the frst drop. We gain a good amount of speed for a small drop. But before anything else can be said, we fly into a vertical loop. One moment, we're head over heels, the next thing, you know, you're back on the ground right side up. Then you get jolted to the right, then jolted to the left where we surge into a turnaround, as we head down again, we get another jolt to the right. Many people complain about headbanging during this jolt and turnaround. I'm not going to lie. You do get some headbanging in this section of this ride, and if you're sensitive to headbanging, (Most coaster enthusiasts are) it will hurt. But I'm going to tell you something everyone else forgets to leave out. You're having fun, so the headbanging doesn't matter. After the turnaround, I can only remember turning into this twistyness. It seemed like a spiral helix that led us into another sharp turn. That turn flings us into a corkscrew. Now this corkscrew is awsome. You actually get a little airtime at the top. But beware. If you are wearing sunglasses, they will fly off during this corkscrew. And if you're lucky, the people in the back row will catch them. After that, you just surge into an upward spiral before dropping back down. Then we rise up into a hill where we get a little more airtime. However, it is here that we meet the brake run and realize that our ride is over. While there is a much better stand up coaster down in Southern California, Vortex is still a fun little stand up coaster. I'd recommend riding this if you're at California's Great America. I also recommend putting your sunglasses in your pockets as you might not have someone to catch your sunglasses when they fly off in the corkscrew.

7/10

Location: California's Great America

Opened: 1991

Built by: B&M

Last Ridden: May 16, 2010

Vortex Photos