Coasters
...e train crested, the lift fell silent, and instantly, so did the crowd. All stared quietly as it plunged 90 degrees, 200 feet to the earth. Then, at once, reaction: "Oh ... my ... God." Riders on X don't sit on top of the coaster track, or suspended underneath it, as they would on traditional coasters. Instead, they ride on the side of the track, in seats that rotate 360 degrees during the ride. And, if that weren't enough, there's that face-first initial drop. OK, I'll fess up. The first time I heard about this design, I envisioned spinning in a clothes dryer that had been dropped on to a track. Fortunately, X isn't nearly so upsetting. X's rotating seats allow the ride to switch from a backward coaster to a traditional front-facing one without jarring stops or momentum changes. Leaving the station facing backwards, the train rounds a turn and begins its ascent up 190 feet, before reaching the crest of the lift hill. Traveling backwards you get an impressive, sweeping view of Six Flags Magic Mountain, and are not afforded the comfort of seeing what's to come. Reaching the apex your heart begins to skip beats as the train disengages from the lift and finally you’re off. A short drop into a dip is quickly followed by a maneuver that few will forget. Before plunging off the near vertical first drop, the seats you're strapped in suddenly flip forward placing the rider in a position few will be comfortable with. Chills run up your spine, as you realize there is nothing between you and the ground below, as you hang into the restraint disoriented by this sudden surprise. Try not to loose focus now, as the train is about to fall off a steel cliff and drop like a brick. The first drop is insane, descending 215 feet at a near vertical 88.5 degree angle, to a top speed of 76 mpg. But get this; just as you reach full velocity, your seat completes that forward flip that you began 200 feet above! Before you’ve got a clue about what just happened, you’re back in the upright position, soaring into the first, massive 185 foot turn. Fly birdie, fly as the train gains altitude and soars through the turn placing us in what feels like a flying position. Look down from eighteen stories, spread those arms out and fly. Uh, maybe you should scream…SCREAM! Coming out of the first turn, the seats rotate backwards as they descend into a valley in the track, but don't relax as the next surprise awaits. As the train rockets into a bunny hop, the seats do a complete back flip that is filled with beautiful airtime. This flip is a perfect floater, graceful and smooth. Heading out of the bunny hop, you glide through a banked turnaround which leads straight into the ride’s twisting front flip. This is the most disorienting element I have ever experienced. Midway through, your seats rotate, leaving you once again facing backwards. So now you realize this ride filled with surprises. The intensity never lets off as the train rounds a sweeping turn high above the st...