X2 at Six Flags Magic Mountain was the world’s first 4th dimension coaster. And this attraction
is pure insanity. X2 is one of the most disorienting rides in the world with the
rotating seats. Sometimes you’re above the track. Sometimes you’re below the track. But there’s a
good chance you’ll be holding on for dear life as this coaster throws you about like a ragdoll.
While X2 is beloved by daredevils, this coaster had a rocky start at Magic Mountain
and it unfortunately bankrupt Arrow Dynamics. So in this video, I will review X2.
Arrow Dynamics was the foremost designer of steel roller coasters for almost 3 decades. They
introduced the world’s first tubular steel track coaster in the Matterhorn Bobsleds at Disneyland
in 1959. They introduced the world’s first modern inverting coaster in Corkscrew at Knott’s Berry
Farm in 1975. They repeatedly broke the inversion records with their massive multi-loopers. And in
1989, they introduced the world’s first hyper coaster in Magnum XL-200 at Cedar
Point. When you needed a steel coaster, there was a good chance you’d call Arrow.
By the mid-1990s, Arrow had fierce competition in the steel coaster market.
Companies like Bolliger and Mabillard and Intamin were offering smoother and more refined layouts.
Arrow knew they needed to up their game. In 2000, they signed a contract with Six
Flags Magic Mountain for one of the most ambitious coasters ever built.
Named X, this would be the world’s first 4th dimension coaster. Designed by Alan Schilke,
this supersized coaster would seat riders on the side of the train and the seats were capable of
rotating forwards or backwards in a controlled spin to augment the ride’s elements. This was
achieved using two extra rails on the track and a mechanical rack and pinion gear mechanism.
X was scheduled to open in the summer of 2001, but the coaster wouldn’t officially
open until early 2002. X’s technical difficulties swelled the cost of the project
and ultimately bankrupted Arrow Dynamics. X had a rumored final price tag of $45 million.
While X opened to rave reviews, it was a maintenance nightmare.
The coaster would routinely open late or not at all. And sometimes when it opened, it only
had one train in use, which created 3-4 hour lines for the park’s new signature attraction.
X was seemingly closed more in its early years than it was open. Magic Mountain actually
sued Arrow Dynamics and then tried to buy the blueprints themselves to fix their problematic
coaster, which was tearing itself apart. X’s extremely heavy trains were causing the
ride to develop stress fractures in the trains, track, and supports. Something had to be done.
For the 2008 season, Magic Mountain spent $10 million to have S&S upgrade X into X2. S&S
had purchased Arrow’s assets and in 2006, they had successfully built a larger, wilder,
and more reliable 4th dimension coaster in Eejanaika at Fuji-Q Highland.
The X2 upgrade would have several improvements. One, this fearsome coaster would finally get a
paint scheme fitting for a ride as intense as this. X had an awkward yellow and pink
paint scheme that seemed more suitable for a kiddie coaster. X2 is the first coaster many
people see as they pull into the Magic Mountain parking lot, so the blood red track and black
supports make a stronger first impression. Two, X2 would receive new trains. These
trains would be much lighter to reduce wear and tear on the structure. And they would
also feature a pneumatic restraint system that wouldn’t jam like X’s old mechanical restraints.
These trains are what significantly improved this 4D coaster’s uptime.
Three, the ride received multisensory effects. The trains received on-board audio. The soundtrack
included portions of Harry Connick Jr’s It Had to Be You, Metallica’s Enter Sandman,
Aerosmith’s Love in an Elevator, Beastie Boys’s Sabotage, and Rage Against the Machine’s Wake Up.
While the mash-up of songs was random, they fed into the energy of the coaster. Unfortunately,
the audio was sporadic from day one and it has been a few years since it worked for me.
The ride also received flame effects before the final raven turn.
This effect works in roughly half my visits.
Four, the ride received a separate unload platform to increase the coaster’s throughput. The ride is
still programmed to stop here, but now riders once again load and unload in the same spot.
X2 tends to have one of the longest lines at Six Flags Magic Mountain, which is understandable
given its uniqueness and popularity. The ride routinely has an hour wait by the early afternoon
most days. Occasionally, the line will die by the mid-afternoon, but it’s inconsistent. In my most
recent weekday visits, it was a walk-on near close one day but an hour wait the next day.
The walk to X2 is long. The ride’s entrance is all by itself at the end of a bridge.
And then the queue is pretty long too. It offers some good views of Viper, which is
more interesting to look at than the billboards highlighting what a boring Type A person does for
fun versus an extreme Type X person does for fun. Towards the end of the main queue, the line splits
into two separate queue for each side of the load platform. Sometimes there’s a grouper who directs
you to a specific side, but if I have my choice, I choose to go to the right and through the tunnel.
The right side has a shorter physical distance since it’s a compact staircase
versus the long ramp on the left side. More guests also tend to head up the ramp since they don’t
always realize they are allowed to go through the tunnel. In terms of the ride experience,
I don’t have a preference if I’m on the right or left side of the train.
The best way to guarantee a ride on X2 with minimal wait is to head there first. If X2
opens with the park, you can usually get a few laps before crowds arrive. You can also
use this strategy with Twisted Colossus, but I prefer to start with X2 for a few reasons.
One, X2 builds a line faster since it’s closer to the main entrance.
Two, X2 has a lower capacity. X2 has 3 trains, each seating 28 riders.
If you visit in the summer, X2 usually has two trains running. But in all my fall, winter,
and spring visits, X2 has run just one train. Three, X2 is less reliable.
It’s far less prone to mechanical issues now, but it is one of the most sensitive rides in the park
when it comes to wind-related closures. I’ve had this happen in some of my winter visits.
Four, you have limited options to skip X2’s line. It is not included on the membership
skip-the-line passes. And for the longest time, Flash Pass users had to pay a $15
upcharge on top of the overall device cost, just to skip X2’s line once. Now, X2 is included on
all tiers of Flash Pass as a single reservation. The load platform for X2 is pretty interesting.
Off to the side are a bank of lockers. You used to have to purchase a locker for any loose articles,
but now they allow you place them on the side of the load platform.
Since boarding and exiting riders access these lockers from the same spot, exiting riders
still have access to the air gates. This is a blessing on quiet days and a curse on busy days.
On quiet days, the employees allow guests to get right back in line,
which saves you one heck of a walk. On busy days, this set-up can lead to queue
jumping if the employees aren’t paying attention. I have a slight preference for the back row on X2
since it’s a little more intense back there, but I have a major preference for the inside seats.
The biggest Achilles heel with X2 is its roughness. Like a lot of wing coasters,
the ride is bouncy. And it’s way bouncier on the outside seats. Since X2 has hard
plastic seats, this can get uncomfortable, particularly towards the end of the ride.
X2 has unique restraints. It’s an adjustable-height butterfly harness.
And you feel very exposed with this restraint system. Your entire lower body is surprisingly
free for the experience, which makes for some intriguing airtime during the ride.
X2 dispatches in reverse and begins by turning out of the station. You then ascend the 175 foot or
53 meter tall lift hill. And this lift offers stunning views of Magic Mountain,
particularly if you’re riding during sunset. It’s one of the best views you can get on any coaster.
Once at the top, the ceremony begins with a tiny pre-drop.
And if you’re in the back, you’ll get a little bit of float on this element.
But it’s the calm before the storm, as it leads into one of the craziest drops in the world.
X2 features a near-vertical drop with a max angle of descent of 88.5 degrees. And it’s massive too.
It stands a whopping 215 feet or 66 meters tall. Those stats alone are impressive, but it gets even
better when you add in the rotating seats. As you head down the drop, the seats rotate
forwards so you’re staring directly at the ground. It’s one of the scariest visuals on any attraction
and it always gets my heart pounding. It’s especially sweet in the back since you get a
little bit of floater airtime as well. But the drop gets even crazier.
Halfway down the drop, you perform a fast and wild forwards flip. It feels so wrong to perform
a flip at 76 mph or 122 kph, but that’s exactly what X2 does. It always takes my breath away.
You finish the drop on top of the track heading backwards
and the pullout has some very strong positive Gs. I always grey out heading into the next element.
This is also one of the bumpier parts of the ride if you’re in an outside seat.
The next element is a supersized inside raven turn. You exit the element beneath the track
heading forwards. And the resulting drop is marvelous. You get good sustained floater airtime
in every row. And remember, because of the restraints, you will physically feel your
legs and butt leave the seat a few inches. X2 then glides over a giant camelback while the
vehicles simultaneously perform a backflip. The result is several seconds of sustained
floater airtime while gracefully performing a flip. It’s super disorienting and pure
bliss. I think the airtime is a little stronger towards the back, but it’s great in all rows.
That’s followed by the one dud element on X2, the turnaround.
It’s rather slow and forceless. Eejanaika actually fixed this turnaround, by making it near vertical
and adding a seat rotation. On X2, this turnaround gives riders a chance to catch their breath.
You then regain your speed through another camelback.
You enter this element going forwards beneath the track and exit it above the track going backwards.
For riders, this element feels like a zero-G roll between the flipping and sustained floater
airtime. Unlike the prior camelback, the airtime is a bit stronger up front this time.
And you’ll see the fire effects go off exiting this element if you’re lucky.
You then head into the most intense part of the ride, the outside raven turn. Unlike the
first raven turn that is massive in scale, this one is super compact and the train is
absolutely whipped through it. The sustained positive Gs on this element are incredible.
But if you’re on an outside seat, brace yourself. The pullout is very bouncy and downright painful.
There’s a high likelihood your calves will slam against those hard plastic seats.
You then rapidly twist into the brake run. This inversion has strong laterals and also lifts
riders out of their seat. On one of my rides, my legs were even dangling off the vehicle from the
abruptness of this element. But like the prior raven turn, this is another bumpy one if you’re
in an outside seat. You then hit the brake run, ending your 3610 feet or 1100 meters of insanity.
So what would I rate X2? I would give this coaster a 9.5 out of 10. This is one of the most ambitious
coasters ever built and it’s easily one of the most thrilling. This ride performs elements that
just sound wrong. Whoever thought of creating a hyper-sized, near-vertical drop that also flips
riders is a madman. And the rest of the layout has you scratching your head which way is up
and which way is down. The rest of the ride combines well-timed flips with crushing positive
Gs and some underrated airtime to create a ride you won’t soon forget.
The only reason I won’t give this ride a perfect score is the bumpiness,
especially on the outer seats. For some, this can be a deal breaker. But I’m willing to endure it
for the insanity X2 delivers. Eejanaika is the superior ride. It’s
bigger and wilder. But it’s also rougher. That is why both rides place similarly in my rankings.
S&S hasn’t built one of these since 2012 and I’m hoping more are built in the future.
These rides may carry a hefty price tag, but they’re a thrill-seeker’s dream.
So those are my thoughts on X2, the crazy 4th dimension coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain.
Have you ridden X2? Do you think it’s one of the most intense coasters in the world?
I would love to hear your thoughts on Arrow’s final coaster down in the comments.
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