Back to the Mountain
Six Flags Magic Mountain reopens on the first day it is allowed to do so by the state, and roller coaster fans are ready
The simple joy of riding a roller coaster returned after more than a year of coronavirus closures as Six Flags Magic Mountain became one of the first amusement parks in California to reopen amid declining COVID-19 cases and increased vaccinations.
Magic Mountain reopened on Thursday for season passholders and members after a 383-day closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic that stretched from March 14, 2020 through March 31, 2021. The park reopened to the general public on Saturday.
For many Southern California theme park fans, the pandemic became real when Magic Mountain, Disneyland, Universal Studios Hollywood and Knott’s Berry Farm closed in March 2020. The reopening of Magic Mountain marks the symbolic bookend of a yearlong theme park drought that also signals the light at the end of the tunnel for the pandemic.
Magic Mountain member Haig Jarekian, 13, had waited a year for this day.
“The first day he found out the park was going to reopen he made a reservation,”
said his mom, Suzy Jarekian, of Reseda. “He was very excited.”
By lunchtime Haig had already conquered six rides.“I want to do Twisted Colossus and Goliath next,” Haig said.
With a record 19 roller coasters to choose from, what was the teen most looking forward to? The boneless wings at High Octane Wings across from Full Throttle.
Around the park, thrilled fans screamed on Scream, howled on Goliath and were hootin’ and hollerin’ on Gold Rusher regardless of any mitigating masks or state guidelines discouraging shouting or screaming.
Greg Wright, Magic Mountain’s director of operations, held a social distancing sign and welcomed visitors back at the front gate with a mix of delight, relief and pride.
“It‘s a little emotional,” Wright said. “I haven’t seen some of my team in 13 months.”
Arrivals were staggered every 15 minutes. Visitors arriving by car were turned
away and told to come back later if they showed up at 10:30 a.m. with a 3 p.m. reservation.
The goal was to reduce as many pinch points and limit crowding as much as possible. Visitors flowed through a temperature tunnel and a contactless security zone without stopping. Seven open turnstiles meant there was rarely more than one group in any one line.
COVID-19 related changes could be seen everywhere. Tables were added to create cordoned off outdoor dining areas. Crews sanitized ride vehicles every 30 minutes — or more often for less busy kiddie rides. Signs reminding visitors to wear masks were attached to poles every 50 feet or so. Hand sanitizer stations dotted the midway.
Mask adherence was virtually universal — with only a few exposed noses or masks under chins. Audio announcements reminded visitors to wear masks and maintain social distancing.
Social distancing meant coaster capacity was reduced
by half to two-thirds. Goliath loaded only one family or party per 6-seat car — meaning a full train that normally holds 30 might go out with 7 people aboard. Twisted Colossus filled every other row — allowing for more throughput. The Justice League dark ride — which was down early in the day — brought riders waiting in outdoor queues through the preshow without stopping and loaded them directly on the attraction.
The top of the 235-foottall lift hill for Goliath offered a bird’s-eye view of the park’s Los Angeles County vaccination site — a sea of orange traffic
cones and drive-thru tents. The 57 mph Twisted Colossus didn’t budge the masks of riders. West Coast Racers kept riders outdoors to avoid extended indoor waits.
On day one, all of the visitors were season passholders or members — old pros at judging ride queues and knowing what was worth the wait and what could wait for another day. Crowds were light but not out of the ordinary for a midweek spring day. Some restaurants and shops remained closed due to sparse foot traffic.
Lines formed quickly for Full Throttle near the entrance, the wood-steel hybrid Twisted Colossus and the West Coast Racers racing coaster — the park’s newest ride that opened in late 2020.
Attendance increased throughout the day as staggered entries continued every 15 minutes — but it never felt crowded. By 3 p.m., the socially distanced lines were nearly as long for food as they were for rides.
Longtime season passholder Renee Martinez and her family rolled snake eyes
on their first day back at Magic Mountain — waiting in lines for Lex Luthor: Drop of Doom, Justice League and X2 only to have all three rides go down.
“It was not a great experience,” said Martinez, 36, of Lancaster. “We usually have no complaints. … We just had bad luck.”
They gave up after 3 hours of standing in the sun wearing masks without getting on any rides.
“We’re going to get some ice cream,” Martinez said.
Magic Mountain President Don McCoy, who started at the park during the pandemic, said about 1,200 employees have been called back or hired, down from a typical summertime high of a little more than 3,000.
Magic Mountain and other California theme parks are masters of crowd control and queue management — key capabilities in the coronavirus era, according to McCoy. Safety was the top concern before the pandemic and remains so now.
“We know what to do in this environment,” McCoy said.
“The first day he found out the park was going to reopen he made a reservation. He was very excited.”
— Suzy Jarekian