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Knott’s Berry Farm | MonteZOOMa: The Forbidden Fortress | Schwarzkopf Launch Refurb | 2024?

Snoo

The Legend

Changa

Mega Poster
Montezooma sounds a bit too far gone for a rebuild to be financially invisible. It's certainly possible, but refabricating, the missing parts from scratch, providing the intended upgrades (at a higher cost than what kumbak presumably offered), and with the existing budget presumably up in flames? That would leave a considerable financial deficit that an old, refurbished ride would have to recoup.

Depending on how TT2 is in operation. My guess would be that Montezooma gets canned, and the site is eventually used for a Double heart model. It seems to fit the space, fills a similar coaster gap as montezooma would, gives the park a standout ride that would advertise itself on the park skyline, and hopefully be a comparatively cheap investment (at least, according to Zamperla's promotional material).
 

CaliAngel

Roller Poster
It's super awkward that even as of yesterday, if you ride the Sky Cabin, the narration talks extensively about Montezooma's Revenge.
Next time you go you should record the Sky Cabin narration on your phone and upload it on YouTube. I might not get there in time to do it.

It will soon become a thing of the past, and we probably will never hear it again.

I recorded the Montezuma track they played as the ride was running the last time I rode it because I figured it might be my last.

"Please prepare for launch. Place your head against the headrest behind you, and hang on to the handrail in front of you."

"The train is rapidly approaching the station. Please do not lean on or over the loading rails."

Probably not exactly what it says, but you get the gist. I absolutely loved that track, it never changed since the first time I rode the ride.

Revolution at SFMM used to have something similar, I'm not sure if they still play it there.
 

rideguy70

Mega Poster
As memory serves, that's pretty accurate... although I don't believe they said "Please" in the "Please prepare for launch).

SFMM did used to have a recording for Rev, but I haven't heard it played in years.

And when I did most recently ride the Sky Cabin, the ride op (likely deliberately) spoke over the recorded narration when it talked about Monte. 😄
 

Jarret Stroud

Roller Poster
welp...i dont think its gonna ever reopen now

Unfortunately I think you’re right. I doubt I ever want to visit Knotts now. They give us no updates on the refurbishment and now they are basically confirming the ride’s demise via removing the ride off the map. I hope we are wrong and that it will return but I seriously doubt it.


Screw Knotts. Screw Kumbak!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

CaliAngel

Roller Poster
I cannot believe there was not ONE person in management or maintenance that was supervising the construction/destruction, or aware of what Kumbak was SUPPOSED to do ie removing track and literally stopped them the second they lit the torch near the loop. I mean there was NOBODY at the park that saw them start chopping the loop that went "Wait! STOP!" ?

This was a great ride for kids who wanted to break into the more thrilling roller coasters, but also just a great look back in coaster history as far as ride experience. The ride still had plenty of great forces, I loved that backwards loop, and that back spike in the very last row of the train was just fun.

I'm probably being dramatic, but this is an absolute travesty. Literally a historical ride, not only for coaster manufacturing, but the park as well. There was NO REASON any of this needed to be done, at all. A proper refurb to the mechanics and an investment in the ride for parts that could have been manufactured was all it needed, and it probably could have lasted another 10 or 20 years. They didn't even need new trains, they've always ran just fine. I mean, I can't think of a more reliable ride. If the park was open, for the most part, so was Monty.

From reading that linked thread, it sounds like people are thinking this may end up in litigation, and if true apparently Knott's can't touch the ride until it's finalized, which of course, will take years. So maybe not all is lost in the far future, but as far as the soul of the ride, that unique Schwarzkopf loop, and that noise it made that you could hear outside the park for decades, that will be gone forever.

Knott's and the manufacturer they cheaped out on to "re-do" the ride royally effed this up, and man it just does not sit well with me at all.
 

Lofty

CF Legend
Kukmbak didn't? It was Taziker...

But your point still stands. The PM is responsible for this, too.
 

TPoseOnTantrum

Giga Poster
From Cedar Fair’s Q3 2024 report (pg 22);
The loss on impairment / retirement of fixed assets for 2023 was $18.1 million compared to $10.3 million for 2022. The loss on impairment / retirement of fixed assets for both periods included retirements of assets in the normal course of business, including a specific terminated project at Knott's Berry Farm in the current year.
Current outlook is pretty ugly indeed.
 
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