Adirondack Outlaw is a Funtime Vomatron that was installed at the Great Escape for the
2021 season.
This attraction is similar to the Fabbri Boosters and Gravity Works Skyscrapers out there.
Except Adirondack Outlaw is a higher capacity version, which allows it to operate at Great
Escape NOT as an upcharge attraction.
With Six Flags St. Louis also getting one of these Funtime models for the 2022 season
in Catwoman Whip, it’s possible this could be the next ride that Six Flags clones across
their parks.
But is that the right move?
In this video, I will be reviewing Adirondack Outlaw.
Great Escape announced Adirondack Outlaw in August of 2019.
But this 16 story thrill ride was immediately met with opposition.
Great Escape strategically wanted to place this ride in Ghost Town so the ride could
be highly visible from Route 9.
But their original location was a little too visible, as there were concerns it would be
visible down by Lake George.
The original location would have been right in front of Desperado Plunge’s final turn,
which is where the new entrances for Steamin’ Demon and Adirondack Outlaw are currently.
So Great Escape moved the ride over to where Steamin’ Demon’s old entrance used to
be.
This location was located a little down the hill, which allowed Adirondack Outlaw to satisfy
the town’s height ordinance.
And the ride is plenty visible too.
In fact, I’d argue it looks better in this location.
The old location would have run perpendicular to Route 9 while the new location runs parallel
to the road, so the ride looks even more imposing at that angle.
As I mentioned earlier, this type of ride is usually an upcharge.
That’s because they usually seat no more than 8 riders per cycle.
Thankfully, Six Flags went with a larger version that seats 16 riders.
Each end of the arm seats 8 riders back to back.
But is this capacity enough?
It works at Great Escape, but I have my reservations if this ride is cloned at a larger Six Flags
park.
16 riders per cycle is less than optimal for a high profile ride like this.
And Adirondack Outlaw is also a painstakingly slow loader.
Only one arm can be loaded at a time and it’s a cumbersome process since the station platform
takes a while to raise and lower.
Great Escape currently does not have this ride on their skip-the-line pass due to capacity
concerns and even when I hopped in line right before closing, I still had to wait almost
an hour.
And there couldn’t have been more than 100 people ahead of me.
This ride’s capacity really is that poor.
One thing that also slowed down the loading process was that each arm had to be balanced.
When the park realized I was riding alone, they had to call an employee to ride with
me on the other side.
By balancing the ride vehicles, it makes the ride a little less wild.
As for the restraints, this ride has your average over-the-shoulder restraints which
is fine since they aren’t bulky enough to inhibit the sensations or view.
But what does inhibit the view is the policy that glasses are not allowed even with a strap.
To my knowledge, this is the first ride at Great Escape and the entire Six Flags chain
that bans glasses under all circumstances.
It was a bummer since it made it harder to appreciate the views, but even at 144p- my
vision is that poor- I could tell it was gorgeous.
Every cycle sends riders both forwards and backwards.
You start by going one direction for roughly 1.5 minutes and then you pause at the top
while the other side loads.
You then go in the opposite direction for roughly 1.5 minutes as well.
Most parks with this type of ride load both arms back to back before cycling the ride.
I think I prefer that approach more so you get 3 straight minutes of insanity, but the
key is that you get a nice long cycle even if it is broken up.
Adirondack Outlaw takes a little bit to get going but eventually you hit the ride’s
top speed of 52 mph or 84 kph.
This isn’t quite as fast as other rides like it, but it feels plenty fast on-ride.
Especially since the cars sort of wobble on the downswings.
Where the lack of speed impacts the ride experience is in the intensity department.
This model isn’t as wild as the Fabbri, Gravity Works, or Zamperla models I have ridden
elsewhere.
It doesn’t have the insane positive Gs on the downswings that feel like they’ll rip
your legs off.
The positive Gs are merely decent, but I think that’s probably a wise move given the family-friendly
clientele Great Escape tends to attract.
It’s not the usual Six Flags crowd at this park!
Where this attraction shines is at the apex.
Once the ride hits its top speed, you consistently get one flip over the top each rotation.
The flip is smooth and gradual.
It doesn’t really have a violent whip to it like some of the other skyscrapers, instead
it feels graceful and offers a pinch of hangtime.
But at those heights and speeds, even a gradual flip is still fairly thrilling and a ton of
fun.
And each of these flips are paired with stunning views of the park and Adirondack Mountains.
Great Escape really is located in a beautiful region and this is one of the best rides to
admire that view.
So what would I rate Adirondack Outlaw?
I would give this flat ride an 8 out of 10.
I’m a big fan of booster rides and this one does a lot of things well.
This one isn’t an upcharge, has a much longer cycle than usual, and offers stunning views.
I do wish this one was a little more intense both in the positive G and flipping department,
but it’s still a very wild ride that immediately becomes the park’s best flat ride and second
best attraction overall after the Comet.
While this ride experience would be welcome at other Six Flags parks, I do have my concerns
about the low throughput being an issue at the larger Six Flags parks.
Great Escape is one of the smallest Six Flags parks and this ride generated lengthy queues
there.
This ride would be a nightmare at a larger park if it’s not an upcharge.
So those are my thoughts on Adirondack Outlaw.
What are your thoughts on this Funtime Vomatron or any of the other ones out there?
I would love to hear your thoughts down in the comments.
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