Goliath

David doesn’t stand a chance.
In the historical allegory, the human kicks the giant’s ass with a stone & sling.
In Great America’s coaster adaptation, the giant kicks the human’s ass with a dive loop & near-​vertical drop.
But is it the best coaster at Illinois’ Six Flags? Some people might say so, but X-​Flight still takes the cake in my opinion. Check out the impressive rap sheet for Goliath:
~Special ride elements~
*165ft chain lift at a 45° incline
*180ft drop @ 85° into an underground tunnel
*Overbanked fan turn
*Dive loop
*Zero-​G stall
*Overbanked fan turn
Rocky Mountain Construction is responsible for designing and erecting this ride, having previously done stellar re-​work on The Rattler (SFFT in San Antonio) and The Texas Giant (SFOT in Arlington). RMC is notorious for incorporating intense elements into their wooden coasters that are normally reserved for their steel counterparts, and Goliath is no exception. Navigating the dive loop gives some great visuals, and the zero-​G stall is a very fun, very unique inversion that will undoubtedly get your pulse pounding. The first drop is great, but not quite as thrilling as the one on Iron Rattler, in my opinion.
The trains are comfortable and the individual hydraulic lapbars (as opposed to ratcheting ones) give a nice sense of security. Expect to wait no less than 90 minutes on a normal day, as it’s still the park’s most popular coaster and limited to a 2-​train operating cycle, but the single rider line is a HUGE help for coaster junkies like me. Station crews did an admirable job dispatching the trains in a timely manner. If I had one criticism, it’d be the ride’s relatively short duration. It’s an exhilarating 1 minute 45 seconds to be sure, although given the fact that this is a true ‘hybrid’ coaster (wooden supports, steel track) I can’t put it in either of my Top 10 lists.
An absolute must-​ride on your trip to SFGAm, but beware of long lines!

Favorite roller coaster I had the chance to ride in this park. Although my family had to wait in line about an hour and a half, the ride was well worth it. From what I can tell, Goliath is the top attraction at this park. It has an 85 degree drop, high speeds, and upside down spins. You’re sure to scream all while loving every moment of it!

This is the best roller coaster at 6 flags. It will blow your mind. The first drop is incredible and the smooth corkscrews/​inversions with only a lap bar are incredible.

Scared the poop out of me. Truly a frightening drop at the beginning and a heart stopping outer loop. GREAT FUN.

This roller coaster has competition between this ride and Raging Bull. I have no idea which one is better!
Goliath is NOT the tallest, but it is the fastest and steepest wooden coaster in the world. Goliath’s highest speed is 72mph. This ride is the 3^rd tallest wooden coaster in the world at 165 feet. The drop is 180 feet, so it’s the tallest drop on a wooden coaster in the world. The angle for the drop is 85 degrees.
In my opinion, the drops and the two inversions are INSANE! There is a unique Zero-​G Stall inversion on Goliath. There is a fun dive loop too! The tunnels remind me after the first drop of Raging Bull.
All in all, very cool ride! I’ll be on this ride again!

This was a great addition to the park in what was once the old Iron Wolf location. I do not miss Iron Wolf, especially since Goliath is 20 times better (if not more) than Iron Wolf was. It is an amazingly fast, steep and out of control ride. It is the tallest, steepest and fastest wood coaster in the world and with the inversions it makes it an awesome ride.

RIDING THE BEAST
The ride has had wait times up to 4 hours and it’s well worth it. Dare I say this is the best ride in the park. Yesterday I got an early jump on everyone by arriving at 9:30am with the park opening at 11am. I was lucky enough to get to ride on the first train of the day and in the front row.
My first recommendation is you must have arms up the whole time because it adds to the thrill. The first drop is simply amazing. You will feel like you have jumped out of an airplane as you fall face first to the ground. The ride just gets better from there. There is no shoulder harness, so you will be going upside down on a wooden roller coaster. Oh yeah this ride is the bomb right now. Luckily I didn’t have to wait 4 hours but for the thrill I might just do it.
I decided to ride all the other coasters after Goliath and my final judgement is this is the best coaster in the park. If you haven’t ridden it, you only have a few more weekends in 2014. So get strapped in, lift those arms and enjoy the ride.

WHAT JUST HAPPENED?
This is a super smooth wood coaster. As steep as it is, I would estimate that the actual length of the track which is 85 degrees is very short. The reason I mention this is that the first hill isn’t that exhilarating. The psychological build up was worse than the actual ride.
As for the rest of it, it zips, twists, inverts and then it’s over. It’s a good rush, but wouldn’t count as my favorite coaster in the park: Viper and Eagle give you more air time for a wood coaster, Vertical Velocity is more of a thrill, the weird inversion on Superman is still one-​of-​a-​kind, and the Raging Bull reigns supreme.
Oh and be prepared to wait! Over two hours for a 90 second ride kinda takes the thrill away. It’s a good ride, but I walked away wondering, «What just happened?»

Goliath was so much fun! I’m usually not the kind of girl who *screams* during rides but this one made me because it was THAT good. And of course, we had to sit in the VERY FRONT. I had to experience that steep ‘drop” no matter what! Especially if i was in line for almost an hr. Half way during the line, they experienced some technical difficulties which took another 20 – 30 mins on top of the original wait time.
So upon entering, theres a guy passing out «boarding passes» to ensure no one cuts lines. When you get close to the end of the line before walking up to the ride, there’s another guy collecting the passes in order.
If you happen to be at 6 flags, you MUST wait in line and go on this ride! It will NOT disappoint you at all! That 2−3hr wait is well worth it! =)
It was super fun, super scary and super fast!

Holy speed, height, and turns in my stomach.
We got to the park right as it opened, and stood in line for close to 3 hours to get on this bad boy. Now normally I am certainly not a wimp, and in order to prove it, I sucked it up and went with my boyfriend and his brother to challenge this coaster. I was pretty secure in line, no butterflies, no worries. until I got close enough to see how high it really was, and that’s when it started to sink in. I was going to do this. but with my eyes closed. It was much faster and much more crazy than anticipated. I would give it 5 stars, because for those who are into being whipped around at insane speeds it would probably be amazing, but for me it was a wild fists clenched eyes closed hands shaking experience. Not to say I wouldnt go again though. now that I have done it once, it cant get any worse!

This ride is so scary, but SO much fun! The line is super long but you can’t complain, it’s totally worth it. My throat hurt after screaming so much, but i just couldn’t stop smiling after the ride was over.

The world’s tallest fastest steepest wooden coaster — or that’s what the AD says. Travelling at 78mph with 82m drop — I wouldnt be suprised if this was the main attraction or the newest at the park. We waited almost 1.5hr to get on this ride. I am proud to say I survived x). But an incredible adrenaline rush, but I kinda felt there was nothing to hold onto. The gravitational force was soo much here, but I would definitely recommend this if you are a COASTER person.

I’m not an adrenaline junkie. You won’t find me jumping out of airplanes or riding on the back of a motorcycle. Seatbelts are our friends! However, I love love LOVE rollercoasters. I’ve been following Goliath’s construction and waiting anxiously for its debut. And let me tell you… it was worth waiting all winter (and then another almost three hours in line). I went to Six Flags after work on Sunday, all by my lonesome, just to ride Goliath.
I have a soft spot in my heart for wooden roller coasters. My favorite ride at Six Flags used to be Viper, but after riding Goliath, Viper is like taking a ride on a paint mixer. Goliath is smooth as silk. I’ve never been on a ride that goes upside down that DOESN’T have a shoulder harness. I think that the clever lap bars actually contribute to the smoothness of the ride, since your head isn’t banging back and forth between shoulder bars. The first drop as well as the inversions were mind blowing! I was giggling like a dummy the whole ride. No shame.
Don’t be afraid, people. I felt completely safe on Goliath, but also quite comfortable. The employees make sure that your seat belt is super tight, and your lap bar is down as far as it will possibly go. It’s not the «click click» lap bar of years’ past. There’s no limit as to where it can reach.
HOWEVER. There is another bar that goes across your shins. I’m afraid people with crazy long legs may have an uncomfortable ride, or may not be able to ride at all, because the rules say the lap bar has to be on your thighs and your feet have to be flat on the floor. That might lead to some unfortunate squishing of the lower legs. Also, beer drinkers and funnel cake enthusiasts may have to lift their guts and rest them gently on top of the lap bar to fit. I kid you not. It is displayed that way on the «proper riding position» illustration. I also saw an employee ask a «hefty» guest to lift his arms so they could get the lap bar under his gut. Embarrassing, but hey, at least he got to ride!
Right now, Six Flags is being very gung-​ho about queue security and order. There are temporary queues set up in front of the now-​defunct railroad station. There are security guards stationed at the ride entrance to distribute boarding passes, and at the bottom of the stairs (which lead up to the station) to collect them. No line jumping! They gon’ find you!

Dear Gladiators, we need YOU to come join us as we battle with GOLIATH!
Who cringes over wooden roller coasters? I do!
Who takes that comment back forever now? I do!
4.5 hours later, as they worked out the maintenance issues, and we worried over weather warnings in line — we made it to the loading cues! I think this triple world record breaking coaster will actually rapidly be rated a 4^th world record breaker voted as world’s best ever wooden coaster of ALL time!
Smooth, fun, AWESOME!
Cheers!