High Anxiety at Magic Mountain

Roller-coaster fanatics call it “air time” or “full gonzo.” It’s that millisecond of panic, the blank fear that strikes when you go weightless from negative G-forces or plummet with blurry velocity.

There is also the matter of nausea. A high-speed corkscrew or double loop-to-loop is likely to leave you queasy.

“That’s a normal inner-ear reaction,” says one rider.

Magic Mountain has built its reputation on providing such experiences. Today, the Valencia amusement park will open its eighth roller coaster and become, according to Park World magazine, the first park to debut three coasters in three years.

Flashback, this summer’s high-tech addition, is scary even before you get on. Its thick blue track rises eight stories before twisting downward at impossible angles. Stanchions shake and railings shudder as the bright red cars thunder along.

The turns are so violent that riders must be locked in place by padded shoulder and lap harnesses. Earrings must be removed.

All of this is in preparation for an innovation called “the hairpin drop.” By way of new coaster technology, riders flip upside down as they accelerate into a free fall, making for a terrifying face-first sensation. This maneuver repeats six times in a span of 90 seconds, with various bumps and banks thrown in, before Flashback finishes with a 540-degree upward spiral.

“Anything that raises your anxiety level, makes you feel out of control, all of that adds up to the appeal of a roller coaster,” says Paul L. Ruben, an editor at Park World. “Flashback is a good example of the unusual lengths that coaster designers are going to to steal your breath away.”

Which raises a question: Can so-called thrill rides be too scary for a place that bills itself as a family attraction?

“Too scary?” asks Eileen Harrell, a Magic Mountain spokeswoman. Her tone of voice suggests that no such concerns cross the minds of the park’s executives. “We go for the thrill. With roller coasters, some people would go a million miles an hour if they could.”

Magic Mountain does offer tamer coasters. But this is an amusement park that in 1989--while Disneyland frantically tinkered to subdue the splash of Splash Mountain--was guaranteeing that its somewhat similar Tidal Wave would drench customers from head to toe.

Coaster fans crave such excess.

“Roller coasters provide the kind of adventure that most of us can’t get in our day-to-day lives,” says Randy Geisler, a longtime member and former president of the American Coaster Enthusiasts. “We want them to push excitement to the n th degree.”

But thrills don’t come cheap. The newer, faster coasters are constructed of expensive equipment such as synthetic gear that won’t melt under intense heat and computers that control the cars.

Flashback cost $4 million, requiring 130 tons of steel tubing, 900 yards of concrete and a sophisticated braking system. Access to Flashback is included with the $24.50 price of admission to the park. Riders must be at least 48 inches tall. The roller coaster was built by Intamin AG, a Swiss company responsible for several other rides at the park.

In 1990, Magic Mountain built the $8-million Viper, the world’s largest looping coaster. Last year brought the addition of the $5-million Psyclone, a copy of Coney Island’s classic ride. With Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm and the Universal Studios Tour in the Southland, park executives say they have been forced to expand their offerings to stay competitive.

The park’s roster also includes Revolution, the first modern looping coaster, and Ninja, in which the cars are suspended from their track.

“It’s a roller-coaster buffet,” Ruben says.

Just make sure you don’t eat beforehand.