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Olympia-Looping at London's German Christmas Market

furie

SBOPD
Staff member
Administrator
Moderator
Yeah, it reminds me almost exactly of Magnum Force, only with extra loops.

I couldn't understand why everyone raved about it. I thought it was quite good fun, but nothing incredible. So yeah, I think that the memory of it is better than the ride was. Though I still reckon they're good rides. I preferred Bullet, but I love shuttle coasters and I know they're crap, but don't care.

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Gareth Devey

Roller Poster
Rode O/L on Friday and all i can say is WOW for a mobile coaster that thing is soooooo smoooth, rode at the rear and the forces at times definitely on par with nemesis and i never thought i would say that ever. Definitely worth the £9, and thanks to everyone for the advice i paid with contactless and didn't have to wait at all.
 

Thekingin64

Strata Poster
Was so happy to be able to get on this at the weekend. Being tall, my first thoughts afterwards were that I can see why everyone complains about those restraints! Din't think they were too bad at first but they really started to crush me after a while! Can't be as bad as Alpine Thriller though where I couldn't even properly fit in the train, let alone the restraints!

Ride itself is fun though and surprisingly smooth. Being sat near the back meant it is surprisingly forceful as well! Definitely worth the £9!
 

SaiyanHajime

CF Legend
Yeah, it reminds me almost exactly of Magnum Force, only with extra loops.

I couldn't understand why everyone raved about it. I thought it was quite good fun, but nothing incredible. So yeah, I think that the memory of it is better than the ride was. Though I still reckon they're good rides. I preferred Bullet, but I love shuttle coasters and I know they're crap, but don't care.
I vaguely recall discussing with you which of the two Flamingoland Schwarz' were better... Probably at the live - the live where Bullet valleyed later in the day and we took the group photo outside it??

I wasn't impressed with Bullet, though I'm a bit shuttleist anyway. Magnum was literally my favourite ride when I first rode it, but it was removed shortly after and I think my CC was like 50 at the time. Still, I liked it, a lot... And I'd prob like Olympia more if it wasn't £9. I really enjoyed a pineapple yesterday, mostly because it was reduced to 20p.
 

Tomatron

Giga Poster
Rode it on Tuesday with Liz, and my opinion remains the same. Still unbelievably smooth for what it is, and while it's one of the best presented coasters out there, it's not the holy grail like some people are making it out to be.
 

Lofty

CF Legend
^ I know that if I were to reride Magnum Force now, I'd likely be disappointed. I used to absolutely love it, but that was pre-enthusiast and I've ridden s**tloads more since, finding most Shwarzkopfs to be vastly overrated.
Literally this.

Every single Schwartzkopf I've been on, minus Lisebergbanan is utterly overrated - I remember really loving Magnum Force but not having much to base it off at the time.
 

Benenen

Hyper Poster
I've been on this twice now and I quite like it. The big things for me on a ride are theming and airtime so this was never going to make a huge splash in my rankings but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

I loved the RCT1 vibes from the trains, the loop supports and those strange looking brake runs that come up at the sides, it was so cool to see all this previously fantasy stuff IRL.


I was also surprised by the odd but laterally forceful transitions between the double loops, thought that was awesome and a bit different.

I'm not sure how I feel about this coaster, on the one hand it's amazing that such a rideable coaster can be portable and it looks stunning face on at night but I think I'd rather ride any of the UK B&Ms instead, its great but nowhere near best in the country.


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JoshC.

Strata Poster
Went to Winter Wonderland today just for Olympia Looping. It's my first time ever going to WW, and I absolutely HATE going into Central London, so I was sort of dreading the whole experience.

I got there about half 2ish, took a good 15 minutes to get in at the main gate. Olympia was only running 2 trains, so didn't get to see it in all its glory (and really a shame I couldn't brave going there at night for all the lights), but managed to get in the 6th car which was something I guess.

To be honest, as a coaster, I found it very...average. The 2nd and 3rd loops are very forceful, but aside from that, it's all very bog standard, and quite repetitive to be honest. And those shoulder restraints are truly awful! But even then, I was still able to really appreciate the sheer grandeur of the ride - it truly is impressive for a travelling coaster, and it's something to tick off the bucket list I s'pose.

Didn't bother with any of the other creds - literally got off Olympia and left to go back home because of my hatred for the London crowds. Didn't really choose a good day to go to Central London I guess...
 

SilverArrow

Certified Ride Geek
Have said this to people already on other media but the addition of the extra cars at the back increases the intensity of the back considerably. Would recommend doing the back if you can.
 

MouseAT

Hyper Poster
I had a day trip down to London today to see what all the fuss was about.

It's a pretty cool ride. Smooth, with some decent forces, and it's definitely one of those bucket list rides you have to tick off at some point. It seemed a bit deceptive as well - it didn't seem to have any moments where I really felt I was being forced down into the seat, but I found myself getting a bit light headed around half way through from all the Gs.

I wouldn't go out of my way to ride it again though.
 

CoasterCrazy

Giga Poster
Also managed to get a lap on it yesterday night, right in the back row! I was expecting it to be absolutely rammed, but it was actually only running two trains, so the queue wasn't a problem.

It was what I was expecting really. It's not a top 10 coaster by any means, but a fantastic ride nonetheless and probably the most visually impressive coaster I've had the pleasure of riding. Really enjoyed the loops, particularly the second (blue) and fourth (green) which are taken at a faster speed - you really are yanked through them! Some good moments of airtime in the back as well, with the drop, helix, high speed turn and the first (black) loop for its sheer size, also being highlights for me. For me, it was a bit rough around the edges, which was a little bit distracting, but I also had no problems with the restraints.
My biggest complaint is the lack of variety in the layout (as well as the price!), but for a travelling ride it's awesome! Definitely worth the trek and the £9 for the cred.

If anyone's interested, I made an off ride video as well:

 

Howie

Donkey in a hat
My turn.
Had a couple of laps on it this evening... f***ing loved it! If it wasn't so darned expensive I'd have happily whored the thing all night long.
I knew I'd like it - love a good Schwartz', me - but it was actually a helluva lot better than I expected. Taller, smoother, faster, more forceful and just downright bigger than I imagined it would be.
Not just that, but it's so completely different to anything else that currently operates in the UK which makes it an essential 'must have' cred for any goon.
And of course, the night time views of Winter Wonderland and the surrounding area it offers are to die for.

As certain members of this forum are keen to point out (as often as possible), I'm of an age group that was nurtured on Schwartzkopf coasters so I'll admit that there is a certain degree of nostalgia attached to my fondness of this thing... but so what? Nostalgia is as good a reason as any to like a roller coaster. 9/10.

Also did Wilde Mouse XXL and I really enjoyed that too. Normally I don't like Mice, horrible things, but this one is excellent. Again, surprisingly smooth for a travelling coaster (especially a travelling mouse!), and the fun-house style queue line is just brilliant. Why hasn't every coaster got that?
8/10.

Those were the only 2 'creds' we went on, but we did do some other stuff.
The StarFlyer was a priority for me. Remember on the Sweden Live when I sh*t out of the StarFlyer at Grona Lund? Yeah, I was angry at myself for that, so I went some way to making amends for my cowardice by riding this one. It was good. I enjoyed it... but man, those chains still look far too flimsy for my liking.

We went on the drop tower, it was very scary but the views were amazing.

We went on the gyro-swing 'XXL' (like a giant version of Thorpe Park's Vortex) and that too was pretty amazing. Can't beat a good gyro swing!

Finally we went on that big f***er that's either called 'Blizzard' or 'Gladiator' depending on which side you're looking at it from. You know the one - it looks like a Fabbri Boost only it's bigger and made by Mondial. It was awesome, and it offered even better views of London than all of the other tall stuff.

We then drank some gluhwein, ate some Churros and sodded off back to the hotel.

It was a fun evening, truly enjoyed it.
Might even go back again tomorrow :)




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Howie

Donkey in a hat
Just out of interest, does anybody know where OL is going next?
Since it left London I can't seem to find any schedules or info regarding future venues. And like, where on earth do they put it when it's not being used??
 
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