Ninja (Six Flags Magic Mountain) Explained

Ninja
Location:Six Flags Magic Mountain
Section:Samurai Summit
Type:Steel
Type2:Suspended
Status:Operating
Opened:May 21, 1988
Manufacturer:Arrow Dynamics
Designer:Arrow Dynamics
Model:Suspended Coaster
Track:Terrain
Lift:Chain lift hill
Height Ft:60
Drop Ft:85[1]
Length Ft:2700
Speed Mph:55
Inversions:0
Duration:1:30
Angle:36
Capacity:1,600
Cost:$6 Million USA
Restriction In:42
Gforce:2.9
Trains:3
Carspertrain:7
Ridersperrow:2
Rowspercar:2
Virtual Queue Name:Flash Pass
Virtual Queue Image:Fastpass availability icon.svg
Virtual Queue Status:available
Transfer Accessible:available
Rcdb Number:129
Coordinates:34.4222°N -118.5983°W

Ninja is an Arrow Dynamics steel suspended roller coaster located at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California. It is the fastest roller coaster of its kind in the world, joint with Vortex at Canada's Wonderland, both with top speeds of 55 mph (89 km/h).

History

On December 9, 1987, Six Flags Magic Mountain announced that Ninja would be added to the park.[2] The attraction opened on May 21, 1988.

The coaster is located in the Samurai Summit area of Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California. Upon opening, Ninja was the fifth of the ten original Arrow suspended coasters. It is somewhat unusual in that it uses two lift hills — one at the beginning of the ride and a second one just before the end, to return the train to station elevation.

Ninja's station building previously served as the upper station for Six Flags Magic Mountain's Dragon tram. The tram carried passengers up and down the hillside until its closure in 1981, and its abandoned lower station can still be found near Jet Stream's station and Ninja's final brake run.

Ninja is the only Arrow Dynamics suspended coaster west of the Mississippi River. The other three suspended coasters in North America (Vortex at Canada's Wonderland, Iron Dragon at Cedar Point and The Bat at Kings Island) are all east of the Mississippi.

The station building is designed to resemble elements of Japanese architecture, and features several large renditions of classic Japanese woodblock prints of popular Kabuki actors of the Edo period, mostly by Tōshūsai Sharaku.

Soon after Six Flags Astroworld was shut down in 2005, the trains from their suspended XLR-8 were brought to Six Flags Magic Mountain to be used on Ninja.

Ninja received a fresh coat of paint for the 2007 season; the ride was repainted with bright red track and white supports.

In 2008, Six Flags Magic Mountain installed a new control system for Ninja.

Incidents

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: June 10, 1988. Ninja brings a new twist to Magic Mountain. The Los Angeles Times. August 25, 2020. Newspapers.com.
  2. Web site: Flory. Susanna. December 11, 1987. Magic Mountain Announces Plans For New $5.1 Million Coaster. The Signal. Signal Staff Writer. February 16, 2021. Newspapers.com.
  3. News: Associated Press . Man struck by roller coaster at Magic Mountain . September 3, 2008 . September 4, 2008 . Los Angeles Daily News . Los Angeles Newspaper Group . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080907123727/http://www.dailynews.com/ci_10375320 . September 7, 2008 . mdy-all .
  4. News: The Coaster Blog . Man Struck by Roller Coaster at Six Flags . August 31, 2008 . August 31, 2008 . The Coaster Blog . The Coaster Blog.
  5. News: Robert Lopez. Magic Mountain riders rescued after Ninja roller coaster derails. July 7, 2014 . July 8, 2014 . LA Times.
  6. News: Six Flags Magic Magic Mountain Ninja Roller-Coaster Accident: 4 Hospitalized . July 7, 2014 . July 8, 2014 . KABC-TV Los Angeles.
  7. Web site: Ninja Reopens At Six Flags Magic Mountain. July 19, 2014 . July 20, 2014 . The Coaster Guy.