Goliath (Six Flags Magic Mountain)


Goliath is a steel roller coaster located at Six Flags Magic Mountain theme park in Valencia, California. Manufactured by Giovanola of Switzerland, the hypercoaster is located in the Goliath Plaza section of the park and opened to the public on February 11, 2000. Its sub-tropical theme is characterized by ancient ruins of Babylonian / Mediterranean style. The ride is nearly identical to Titan at Six Flags Over Texas, but it lacks a 540-degree upward helix prior to the mid-course brake run and features a slightly shorter track layout.
For a brief period, Goliath was widely recognized for having the longest drop at and the fastest speed of among all closed-circuit roller coasters in the world. Millennium Force at Cedar Point eclipsed both records three months later when it debuted on May 13, 2000, with a drop of and a maximum speed of.

Ride experience

Leaving the station, the train makes a nearly 180 degree right turn. The train then ascends the lift hill, reaching a height of. Ascent slows toward the top of the hill, a safety feature that reduces stress on the chain; it is also an attempt to reduce positive g-forces and increases rider anticipation. The train begins accelerating down the initial drop, into an underground tunnel, reaching a speed of. Upon exiting the tunnel, the train heads upwards into a banked right turn that towers above Twisted Colossus. After completing the turn, the train heads down another drop, flattening out to pass by the onride camera. An airtime hill and banked left turn follows into the mid-course brake run. The train is decelerated quickly and makes a hard left turn out of the brake section. Another 180 degree banked turn directs the train into a 585 degree, descending helix. Then, the track turns upwards and banks left. After an ascending right turn, the train reaches the final brake run.

Photos

Operation

Incidents

On June 2, 2001, a 28-year-old woman died from a heart attack while riding Goliath. The park closed the ride for several hours and reopened it the same day after it passed inspection.
On April 4, 2015, one of Goliath's trains got stuck on the lift hill during a test run due to a chain malfunction which needed an entire chain replacement. The train was eventually brought down and the ride remained closed until the lift hill was fixed. However, Giovanola, the company that designed Goliath, went bankrupt, so the chain had to be ordered from a different company. The ride eventually reopened on July 18, 2015.