Special Features: Goliath slays! – Wes takes on the new giant of the South

Posted at 12:53 PM EDT (1653 GMT)

May. 11th, 2006 -- To all in the South, there’s a new kid in town, and this dude is big ... dare I say a GIANT.

After keeping up with much of the buzz over the new Bolliger and Mabillard hyper coaster being built at Six Flags Over Georgia, I was really psyched and ready to ride this new mega coaster.

A few friends and I were present for “Spring Fling” sponsored by the American Coaster Enthusiasts and the park.

On arriving to the new area for Goliath, you may notice how huge the station is. Never has a station looked more appropriate for its namesake.

Theming, while sparse, can be picked up on. The ride seems to have a '50s/space/alien theme to it. It’s like a cross between "The Twilight Zone" and "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow." Most of the theming comes from overhead speakers where various music, announcements and more are played. That gives you the impression that we may have alien activity in the area.

The park has provided two generous queue areas: one providing shade coverage, the other with sparse coverage closer to the station.

I personally liked the whole color scheme of the station, queue and the trains. You could almost imagine this ride fitting in well in the 1950s, if hyper coasters had existed then.

But enough of the preliminaries, on to the ride.

After we finally got the all-clear, I was on the third train out of the station.

Secured in the oh-so-comfortable lap pillow-type B&M restraints, you take a left turn out of the station start up the lift hill, then tilt back into a reclining position not quite as severe as that of Millennium Force.

The lift hill is quick and efficient. Before you know it, you have reached the 200-foot summit of this monster.

The lift hill feels minimalist. Not since my first ride on Millennium Force have I felt so vulnerable on a coaster.

Before we can even contemplate what is happening, we take our first dive of 170 feet. Airtime abounds on the first drop, and it is nowhere more noticeable than in the back row. But we’ll get to the back row later.

After our dive, it’s back up and over the top of Georgia Scorcher's lift. We then realize how small Georgia Scorcher really looks compared to this giant of a coaster.

Next up is the biggest drop on the coaster, 175 feet. At this point the track leaves the park and hops over the entrance road that leads into the park.

To the left we take a banked, sweeping turn then up into another airtime hill. Down we go over a huge pond where geese and other wildlife tend to be. Thankfully we didn’t have a repeat of the Apollo’s Chariot experience, where a goose flew into the face of Fabio, the famous Italian model.

Next up we head up into the helix.

This helix to me was different than any other hyper/giga helix I had experienced. Most helixes I have experienced start out at the bottom and then rotate up. This does the opposite. We start at the top with a left turn and then proceed into a downward spiral.

After exiting the helix we head up to another airtime hill this time with a little surprise.

After cresting the hill and heading down again, the park left one of their existing trees hanging over the track! While there is plenty of clearance, I never seemed to be able to remember that. Every time I rode, I thought I was going to smack into that tree.

After the tree near-miss, you head into what I call the “junior hammerhead.” Those familiar with the overbanked turns of Millennium Force or the hammerhead on Nitro will probably have a good idea of this element.

The element is nothing short of jaw dropping the first time you maneuver it. The way that it slings your body out to the side is totally unexpected, while not being uncomfortable in any way.

The best way I could describe it is to take a hammerhead, cut it in half (height-wise) and then make its banking similar to Millennium Force’s overbanked turns.

Next up is the home stretch, and is it ever a stretch.

After hopping back over the front entrance road during the junior hammerhead, we head into three intense bunny hills. This is when we are really thankful that our restraints work and are as comfortable as they are.

With the brake run in site, you careen over a "junior bunny hill." That is the only way to describe it. It is the only element I’ve seen on a B&M that I would really call violent. Some will love the sudden throw-you experience, some will not. You notice it most in the back row.

After the junior bunny hill you hit the brake run, and this giant’s mayhem is at last over.

Speaking of the back row, we now come to my favorite spot on the trains to experience the ride.

While most hyper/giga coasters have floater airtime or ejector airtime, they have never in my memory had both on the same hill!

While the front and middle seats provide sweet floater airtime (up to four seconds on each hill), the back is a whole other beast.

On almost every hill when seated on the back rows, your airtime starts off as floater airtime. However when cresting the hill, it turns into ejector airtime!

That quick snap is there every time and pulls you down each and every hill after experiencing floater airtime on the way up the hill.

I’m not sure what the guys at B&M have been up to, but they have certainly created a monster, er ... masterpiece.

I am a huge fan of hyper/mega coasters and this coaster is no exception. B&M and Six Flags have created a ride that they should be proud of. It will continue to please guests for many years to come.

For more information please visit Six Flags Over Georgia.