Xtremely Good News for Magic Mountain's Coaster Fans

There's another coaster on the way to Six Flags Magic Mountain. According to the Los Angeles Daily News, Six Flags honcho Mark Shapiro confirmed that the SoCal park will be getting a new thrill machine in 2009. Magic Mountain used to bill itself as the "Xtreme" park and highlighted its impressive collection of wild and wacky coasters. When Shapiro came on board in late 2005 however, he pointed to the park chain's tilt towards teen thrill seekers as one of the reasons for its amassed debt and embarked on a plan to draw more families through the turnstiles. Magic Mountain’s "Xtreme" tag was gone, and kiddie faves The Wiggles and Thomas the Tank Engine were in. At one point, the CEO was even considering the sale of the California park as a way to help whittle Six Flags' debt. With his announcement, Shapiro is making his long-term commitment to the park clear and is apparently hoping that a major coaster will keep the turnstiles turning in 2009. Pre-Shapiro, Ohio's Cedar Point and Six Flags Magic Mountain were battling it out for coaster supremacy. With the recent removal of the hideous Psyclone wooden coaster and its Flashback steel coaster, Six Flags has pared its arsenal down to 15 thrill machines and has ceded the coaster crown to Cedar Point, which boasts 17 roller coasters. For 2007, Magic Mountain is pouring $10 million into X, one of the most unusual--and thrilling--coasters in the world.

• X at Six Flags Coaster Review
• Goliath at Six Flags Coaster Review