New "NITRO™" Extreme Thrill Coaster
To Blast-Off In 2001 Season
Park Introduces Value Pricing with Free Safari Experience for Theme Park Goers
Jackson, N.J. - On the heels of two historic and record-breaking years of major expansion, Six Flags officials once again seized center stage today announcing a colossal new addition at Six Flags Great Adventure theme park - NITRO - the most explosive coaster on the planet. Officials also announced an unprecedented new value-pricing program making the Six Flags Wild Safari free to theme park ticket purchasers.
"Six Flags isn't a company to sit on its laurels," stated Bill Muirhead, vice president and general manager, Six Flags in New Jersey. "Our announcement of a substantial new ride at our New Jersey theme park shakes the theme park industry at its core where three consecutive years of expansion is nothing short of historical."
Six Flags Great Adventure will turn the heat up in 2001 with the powerhouse new super roller coaster NITRO. "This is no ordinary roller coaster," Muirhead said. "It's more than just a powder-keg of thrills, it is nuclear in terms of the overall intensity and exhilaration of the ride experience."
NITRO! The Next Sphere of Thrills
The single largest addition in the 27 years at Six Flags Great Adventure, NITRO takes thrills to a whole new stratosphere. NITRO transforms the "mega coaster" -- an industry term meaning to tower in excess of 200 feet -- into a cutting-edge ultra thrill machine. Completely unique in design, NITRO will take thrill-lovers on a white-knuckled ascent 230 feet (23 stories), only to dive 215 feet back to Earth at hyper-speeds approaching 80 m.p.h.
The ultra-intense, mile-long journey packed with relentless thrills features seven steep and dramatic drops for long "air time" -- when a rider lifts off the seat from negative gravitational forces -- and several extreme maneuvers including double highly-banked "flat loops," or pair of horizontal loops, an S-curve and high-speed "hammer head" featuring intense, tight twists and turns. Heightening the thrill, riders rocket through the maze of twisted steel in a revolutionary carriage composed of four-abreast, tilted-back seats and a simple lap bar. These open-air seats allow maximum air-flow, free of traditional confining fiberglass enclosures, but push the fear threshold since there's nowhere to hide, and nothing on which to cling.
Already the talk of the industry, NITRO has coaster experts stepping forward claiming it is the hottest new super thrill coaster for 2001. Coaster historian and life-long enthusiast Paul Ruben, editor of Park World magazine, raves, "Six Flags is taking the thrill ride to an entirely new level -- it's pushing the envelope big-time!" Adds Steve Urbanowicz, author of The Roller Coaster Lover's Companion, "NITRO overdoses on adrenaline producing a white-knuckled ride from start to finish! I dare you to catch your breath!"
"NITRO completes a world-class 12-pack of thrill machines, ranking Six Flags Great Adventure 'The Mother of All Coaster Parks,'" Muirhead said. NITRO is the brainchild of the amusement industry's premier roller coaster manufacturer B&M (Bolliger and Mabillard) of Switzerland. NITRO will join the esteemed ranks of 1999's smash-hit Medusa®, the world's first top-rail floorless coaster, and the famous Batman the Ride®, one of the first suspended looping coasters that has ranked among the park's most popular rides since 1993.
"NITRO is a monument to Six Flags' commitment to bring the biggest and boldest cutting-edge thrill coasters anywhere in the world, or universe for that matter," Muirhead said. "This ride is off the charts -- a new breed of thrill experience. An absolute-must-do for thrill-seekers world-wide," he added. NITRO is slated to debut on the park's opening day, April 7.
"FREE SAFARI" Offer Extended to All Theme Park Guests in 2001!
In an unprecedented move by Six Flags officials, theme park goers for the first time ever will gain free admission to the Wild Safari during the 2001 season, creating an extraordinary entertainment offer. "Six Flags is known not only for bringing innovative thrill rides and attractions every year to millions around the world, but also for value entertainment the whole family can enjoy. This year, we're delivering family value by offering the Six Flags Wild Safari free with the purchase of a theme park ticket," announced Muirhead. "There's no greater value anywhere in the theme park industry."
A visit to the Six Flags Wild Safari is one of the most enthralling, amazing and educational theme park experiences in existence. The 350-acre wildlife preserve is the world's largest drive-through safari outside of Africa, featuring more than 1,200 animals from six continents. Its unique drive-through configuration makes it completely different from a visit to the zoo, as animals can walk right up to guests' vehicles for an up-close and personal experience. Guests in 2001 will enjoy the incredible antics of such safari favorites as giraffe, elephants, rhinos, ostriches, tigers, camels and baboons free with their theme park ticket.
Six Flags Great Adventure and Wild Safari will kick-off their 28th season on April 7. For more information, call 732/928-1821 or visit the Web at sixflags.com.
Six Flags is owned by Six Flags, Inc. the world's largest regional theme park company with 37 parks, including parks in the United States, Latin America and Europe. Six Flags parks serve 19 of the 25 largest metropolitan areas in the United States. The parks annually host approximately 50 million guests worldwide. A publicly held corporation with corporate offices in New York City and Oklahoma city, the company's stock trades on the NYSE under the symbol: PKS.
Six Flags ® & © Six Flags Inc. 2001
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Attractions, shows, operating hours and prices subject to change without notice.
Due to maintenance and other circumstances, some rides (including new rides) may not be open to the public.