How big is El Toro?

First in an occasional series

Six Flags Great Adventure -- that bastion of everything that is trouble and chaos, yet sometimes happens to have quite good rollercoasters -- is currently buildings its final biggie. Ok, not really final, but this is probably going to be it for a few years. No more getting a major every other year, half of which are great (Medusa, Nitro), half of which have potential greatness but don't work (Batman and Robyn: the Chiller, Kingda Ka), and half of which we knew from the beginning would dissapoint (Superman: Ultimate Flight).

Let's talk wooden coasters. Rolling Thunder is charming, and all that, but it runs awfully. The park could put some serious work into it and make good things happen, but they haven't. So the park has needed a good woodie (oh, get over it. that's what people call wooden coasters. it's not going to change). And that's what they're getting.

Enter El Toro. What GA was always missing. It starts as a classic out-and-back -- straightforward hills -- only really, really big. But then in the second half it turns into somehting of a twister. It will be the third-tallest wooden coaster in the world.

Construction has been going throughout the off-season. Right now the lift hill is built, but the first drop isn't. Here's the scene:



El Toro is on the right. It may be small compared to Kingda Ka, but it towers over Rolling Thunder. Sweet.