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"Superman: The Escape"
Posted by Neil Cole
Superman: Escape from Krypton (originally known as Superman: The Escape) is a steel shuttle roller coaster built by Intamin at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California, United States. When it opened in 1997, it was the tallest and joint fastest roller coaster in the world. It is similar to Tower of Terror II, which opened two months prior at Dreamworld in Australia. These two coasters were the first to utilize Linear Synchronous Motors (LSM) technology to propel vehicles to top speed. It was originally intended to open in 1996 but was delayed due to several issues with the launch system. The ride closed throughout the latter half of 2010 for the transformation into "Superman: Escape from Krypton" from "Superman: The Escape". The refurbished ride opened on March 19, 2011 with new trains that face backwards. The ride was also redecorated with a new color scheme.
As of 2013, Superman: Escape from Krypton has the third tallest structure, the joint fifth fastest speed and the third longest drop.
While in the planning stages, the ride was going to be named Velocetron and themed as The Man of Steel. The ride was announced on January 5, 1996 as Superman: The Escape, breaking records as the first roller coaster to reach 100 miles per hour (160 km/h), passing Desperado and Phantom's Revenge at 82 miles per hour (132 km/h). The ride was designed by Intamin, a Swiss roller coaster firm. It was originally intended to open on June 1, 1996. However, due to a range of problems with the launch system, its opening was delayed. In late 1996, there was a preview for season pass holders. After 10 months of testing and reengineering, the ride opened on March 15, 1997. After its opening, the media claimed Superman to be the fastest roller coaster in the world. However, since it was delayed, a similar roller coaster known as Tower of Terror, which also has a 100-mile-per-hour launch (160 km/h), had opened about a month earlier at Dreamworld in Australia. Superman therefore lost its claim as being the first roller coaster to reach 100 miles per hour (160 km/h), although it was then tied with Tower of Terror as the fastest roller coaster in the world. However, the ride became the first roller coaster in the world to go over 400ft, therefore becoming the tallest roller coaster in the world at the time.
In June 2004, Superman: The Escape's seat belts were modified because of an incident on the Superman – Ride of Steel roller coaster at Six Flags New England. California State Regulators asked the park to make modifications to the rides' restraint systems to prevent a similar incident in the future.
Just after July 4 weekend of 2010, Superman: The Escape ceased operations with no reason given. A sign posted in front of the ride indicated that it would not reopen until the 2011 season, with hints that there would be improvements made to the ride experience. After Superman: The Escape's sister ride, the Tower of Terror II at Dreamworld, underwent a major refurbishment in 2010 which entailed a new vehicle which launches backwards, speculation turned to the possibility of a similar modification to the Magic Mountain ride. Six Flags Magic Mountain officials quickly denied rumors that it would receive a Bizarro retheming, similar to roller coasters at other Six Flags parks.
On October 20, 2010, Six Flags Magic Mountain officially announced the refurbishment and re-theming of Superman: The Escape, in addition to the construction of two new roller coasters. As part of the refurbishment, the ride was renamed to Superman: Escape from Krypton and featured new backwards launching cars and a new color scheme. The upgraded ride reopened to the public on March 19, 2011.
Superman: Escape from Krypton closed again on February 5, 2012 (almost a year after the refurbishment) to prepare for the new 2012 attraction Lex Luthor: Drop of Doom. Two drop towers, also built by Intamin, were integrated into the existing sides of Superman: Escape from Krypton's structure. The ride reopened when construction was finished on July 7, 2012.
To enable the construction of the park's 2013 roller coaster, Full Throttle, Superman: Escape from Krypton was temporarily closed from December 2012. It reopened in mid-January with Six Flags Magic Mountain stating the ride may have intermittent closures as the construction of Full Throttle continues
At the entrance to the ride, the Superman "S" shield is imprinted and now painted onto the ground. The entrance area and queue are modeled after the Fortress of Solitude, Superman's headquarters. The station is lit green, modeled as Krypton, the planet that is full of Kryptonite rock that can take away Superman's powers. Inside is a crystalline-looking environment which recreates Superman's fortress in the Arctic. If the Velocetron name had been chosen, the queue and station would have had ancient ruins and a giant laser. A page on display in the Sky Tower, the park's observation tower, shows the concept art for Velocetron
