Day Six - Yomiurilan, Sega Joypolis
Day Six - Yomiurilan, Sega Joypolis
Marlon Scott
Nice relaxing (but hot!) visit to Yomiuriland. White Canyon was a fun twister-type wood coaster loosely based on the Texas Cyclone. It was rough in a few seats but overall rideable. Horrible headrests plus rollbars over your heads though.
Bandit was a scenic, fast steelie with a few moments of airtime. It was exhilarating streaking through the trees with the scent of jasmine flowers in the air.
Cheri Armstrong
Yomiuriland was very HOT. The coasters were much better than I expected. I liked the White Canyon, reminded me of the Riverside Cyclone, with the Morgan trains. The Bandit was actually quite fun.
Lisa Broadrick
Yomiuriland was a cute little park; the Momonga was actually quite a fun little coaster with none of the pain you'd expect from a togo. Bandit on the other hand was like getting a mammogram! The restraint came down so hard and completely mashed me! To all my fellow FF's, we're gonna have to plan a club trip out here! I haven't found anything to complain about here! Everyone is so friendly here!
Dan Harvey
At Yomiuriland I did my first ever bungee jump! Although it was probably 100 feet, it was still a little scary looking down from the tower. What made it even harder to do is that the 2 people running it didn't speak any English at all, so I wasn't quite sure exactly what they were telling me to do. But once gravity took over, that was it. It was a blast! And at only 900 yen, such a deal! White Canyon was fun to ride, a bit on the rough side, but still better than SFNE's Cycone! Hi Mom, Dad, Amy, Christina and Timothy!!!
Patrick Flumet
Premier woody du Japon. Merci pour ca. En plus après avoir vu "Bandit" en photo pendant si longtemps, maintenant je peux dire: I rode it!
David Hamburger
Yomiuriland was dead. If we hadn't been there, the ride ops probably would have fallen asleep. Or died of heat exhaustion. Blazing hot day at a spread out park. Luckily, they had good frozen drinks all over the place! White Canyon was ok, but rough. And it certainly doesn't hold a candle to the Coney or Georgia Cyclones. Bandit was pretty good. But if it hadn't had those painful OTSH's, it would have been much better, since the turns caused quite a bit of head banging. SL Coaster stood for slow and long. And watch out for that branch that hit me in the face - HARD! I LOVED the cute park mascot: Landog, who was on signs all over the park. Sega Joypolis turned out to be a lot more fun than we expected, mainly because of the Half-Pipe Canyon ride which was awesome! Two people stood on this giant skateboard and pushed the button on the board with your feet at the right time to make it spin at the tops of the pipe, with points for the best turns. My team won 2 of the three rides I took! Speed Boarder was certainly unique, if a bit painful. And I did this weird walkthrough attraction, which put us into a horror movie, complete with a cell phone that foretold our doom. (Well, I assume that it did, since I don’t speak any Japanese!) I could have easily stayed for 2-3 times as long here, even though we had originally expected to be bored there. It just goes to show you how sometimes parks are so much more than just their 'credits.'
Matt Crowther & Betsy Abrams
This was our third visit to Yomiuriland, but the last time we visited in 1999 it was rainy and gloomy, so it was nice to have a clear (if hot) day, as this is a scenic park with a lot of trees and terrain for good photographic opportunities. The park was very uncrowded (we outnumbered the Japanese civilians), so we could get as may rides as we wanted. The Bandit is still perhaps Togo's best creation, it has gotten slightly rougher over the years, but is still a very fun and fast ride. White Canyon, despite the funky Morgan trains with the rollbars, was running well, not as rough as anticipated. All in all a very good visit.
Jeppe Nygaard
So this is my first report too. Japan has so far been a fantastic place. The people are very polite, and always paying great respect to theirs surroundings. The Subway is spotlessly clean and safe. I am very impressed. We have now done 4 days of parks. Tokyo Disney was Nice, The now Vinnie The Pooh ride with "Honny Pots" moving randomly free around the ride was very cool, Best was Tickers Room. The park was almost dead. Great. Next day was Disney Sea, and it was absolute amazing. By far the best THEME park I had ever encountered.
The Volcano setting of a Jules Verne adventure just blew me away. WOW !! Best ride was Journey To The Center of The Earth, which I managed to ride 4 times. The Indiana Jones ride was very cool too. The new coaster Raging Spirits was a disappointment. Great theming, bad coaster. Unfortunately the evening show was canceled, due to high wind.
Yomiuriland was a typical amusement park to me. The Steel coaster Bandit was huge but not very good. Woodie White Canyon was quite good, except for the Morgan trains.
Then back to Tokyo Dome to ride Intamin's "Thunder Dolphin". Fantastic setting on top of the buildings. It was really very good. The best coaster so far.
The trip has been worked out very well so far, thanks to everybody who made it running.
Looking forward for tomorrow, but we have to get up at 5:15 URGH !!!!
Stor hilsen til alle jer derhjemme, hvis der er nogen fra Danmark som kigger med.
Stort knus til Johanne.
Steve Gzesh
I hit my latest milestone at Yomiuriland: #500 on Bandit! I definitely timed things well to hit the best coaster in the park for this milestone. The big controversy is whether it's kosher to count Skycycle as a coaster since it's pedal-powered. My take is that since it has a bona fide lift hill and you can coast on it, it's countable - even if you can pedal your way around the circuit. At least I only counted Momonga (the stand-up and sitting loop coaster) as only one coaster. Onto Tokyo Dome now to get one more chance to ride Thunder Dolphin, which has all appearances of being a worthy milestone coaster, too!
B. Derek Shaw
Two years ago (May 2003), when I toured Japan with Matt, Betsy and Lisa, Yomiruland was not on the agenda since they had been there previously. I was real happy to get there today to get my fifth out of six Japan wood coaster credits. (It will be a long time I'm afraid, to get to Jupiter, way in southern Japan.)
The park was a sheer delight! I had a really nice time. White Canyon was decent; Momonga was odd with the stand-up and sit down tracks alternating in the station with an on-going transfer track. Bandit! was great in the front and much rougher in the rear, while SL Coaster was fun, dropping immediately out of the station with the lift near the end of the ride (ala Ninja). Even the kiddie coaster was great fun, although it was odd riding with the Beach Boys blaring through the sound system in the station! The sky ride was spectacular, with a great view of the Yomiuri Giants baseball stadium and the Tokyo skyline in the distance. I also enjoyed the modern-ish tumble bug ride. Unfortunately no decent souvenirs, however I have lots of great memories in my mind (and on digital photos)!
Andrew Weiss
Tokyo Disney Sea was great, some of the best theming I have ever seen in a park. Acouple of great dark rides, Journey was the best. The coasters sucked. All of the shows were wonderful. Yomiuriland was very hot. Liked White Canyon, Bandit would have been good, but restraints made it painful. The people are so polite and nice, even the teenagers, unlike American kids. I am waving so much, I feel like Miss America.
Richard Bannister
Sega Joypolis describes Speed Boarder as the first sideways roller coaster in the world. With a little bit of luck it'll also be the last. A whole new meaning to "Useful addition to the park!".
Eugene Robinson
This is a trip I would never take on my own as I am visually impaired. When it's planned like this it's a lot easier for me. It's been a nice trip so far and one that I won't let my vision ruin.
Favourite Park so far is the Tokyo Dome City, and the best theme park has to be DisneySea. Best coaster has been Thunder Dolphin.
Gloria Nakamura
The sl coaster at yomiuriland is basically a stuck in traffic ride. You come out of the station and it brakes, you go at little further and it brakes again and then you get wacked in the head by a bamboo branch (on the left?) because it's been so long since they ran it that the foliage hadn't been cut in awhile. So after a few rides it had to close so the trees could be cut back. The end is a lift hill just to get back into the station. It was so strange I wouldn't have missed it for anything..except for thunder dolphin.
David Finkelstein
A side note for the Dark Ride and Funhouse Enthusiasts in DAFE. There are plenty of interesting experiences. Some of these parks have multiple rides and walk throughs. There are western style with the usual ghouls and stunts. There are uniquely Japanese style that can best be appreciated if you are familiar with the Ring and the Grudge, etc. They are big on stretching necks, decapitations and haunted/damned young women/geishas.
Of special note: Hanayashiki had a Japanese walk through with a sumo's but landing above your head and a large women showing off her "attributes." There was a seance room where you had to wear headphones. Tokyo Dome had the House of 13 doors, a walk through with actors jumping out at you and several surprises I never saw before in the states. There was also Zombie Paradise, an excellent elaborate ride with several encounters with an elaborate Zombie King and a lesson in how zombies prepare banquets. Yomiuriland likes "magic fingers" vibratory effects :). Disneyland had what you would expect. DisneySea had 3 good rides: 20,000 Leagues, Journey to the Center of the Earth, and Indiana Jones.
Coasters have been interesting, to say the least: in ranging from the mediocre to the appaling so far. To date, the only thing remotely impressive was Thunder Dolphin, and some of what we could not ride at Toshimaen. Bandit was aptly named, it stole my airtime.
David Cornell
Yamiuriland was a great park. Wonderful view of Tokyo, lots of coasters, dark rides, and flat rides. The dog mascot was fun. I liked the dog themed Merry-go-round with the dogs barking to famous songs, like Rhapsody in Blue and "How much is that doggie in the window". I found an extra roller coaster, Sky Cycle. The cars are 2 side by side seat pedal cycles on a tube track. It rolls, and coasts down hill. It has a lift hill and skid breaks. The other coasters were OK. They were fun to ride but had far too much restraint. Overhead when we did not go upside down. The wood coaster had a roll cage.
Then we went back to Tokyo Dome City to ride the coaster we missed due to rain. They were great, best of the trip so far. Thunder Dolphin has the best Intamin seats. Two extra feet!! of seat belt compared to MF. The LIM coaster has much more room than Vertical Velocity and its clones. The seat belt latch was mounted in the forward maximum length position.
At night we made it to Sega Joypolis. The sideways coaster was very fun and unique. I must return to Tokyo and spend a day at Tokyo Dome and another at Sega and the mall and boardwalk there.
Talhat Mahmood
Bandit is a coaster that over the years I had seen many pictures of in different coaster books and guides. Yesterday I succeeded in riding this famous coaster. The Bandit is very well laid out coaster, the only thing letting it down are the horrible restraints. White Canyon is a coaster that maintains it speed throughout the ride, although a little rough, but a very enjoyable ride. The park itself is a very nice mid-size park with a spectacular view of Tokyo.
Next stop was our second visit to Tokyo Dome, the first being rained out. Just like to thank Justin for re-scheduling it for us. Thunder Dolphin is a great coaster in probably the best location in the world. Even more spectcular at night.
The last stop of the day was Sega Joypolis, which has the world's only sideways coaster. The ride itself very unusual and bizarre. I also tried out the half pipe skateboard me and my partner managed to get 46 points, and won by a large margin.
Keith Johnson
I liked Yomiuriland, but I would have enjoyed Bandit more if it didn't have the over the head restraints. I also liked the SL coaster because I have never been whipped by a branch whilst riding a coaster.
I really liked Thunder Dolphin at Tokyo Dome, and the only down side about it is that I did not get enough rides.
Sega Joypolis had a great half pipe skateboard ride, I have never worked so hard on a ride before. It was amazing to ride something while trying to win at the same time. They had a great haunted walk through, similar to the Ring movie.
Malcolm Marr
Apparently bamboo can grow up to one foot a day, in that case it had been a few days since the SL Coaster had been checked at Yomiuriland since there was a huge piece of it growing over that track. The best seat on that ride was in the second row as it was there that the bamboo would whip you in the face. The park is alright, nice park mascot, and plenty of room for future expansion. Bandit is OK but has too many straight sections. It did pick up speed in the afternoon and was causing people to pass out through the helix. The afternoon was spent back at Tokyo Dome where those who hadn't ridden it earlier in the week got their chance to ride Daphne's Japanese Thunder cousin. I prefer it at night time where it offers an similar experience to The Big Shot at Vegas where you get a great view over the city. "Do not run through the attraction, do not touch anything in the attraction, but most importantly of all, do not beat up the little girl" was the warning given to us on the scary Ring themed walkthrough at Joypolis. I was expecting to spend a fortune on the machines here but the selection was pretty lame, however the selection of simulator rides was great with Dark Chapel being the best, and you're unlikely to ever get it in the UK, unless it is slapped with a 15 rating. Each station on the Japanese Metro plays it's own jingle to indicate the doors closing. When I told Keith (who was very tired) that the jingle at Shibuya was steel drums, he asked me if I managed to take a picture of it. Fool!
Andreas Lindemuth
Yomiuri Land was not exactly crowded, so the visit turned into an all-day ERT. Bandit is a good ride that could be much better if Togo had dared to include drops that are steeper than 45 degrees. The view onto Tokyo from the lift hill is stunning. White Canyon took care of my first genuine Japanese coaster bruises, one on the left leg, one on the right leg, both being produced within the same second while exiting turn number three. Better ride than expected though. Highlight on SL coaster was a tree branch, see above.
The Sega Joypolis sideways coaster is ... interesting, but it would not be too much of a shame if it stayed the only of its kind.
All in all, there were four haunted walkthroughs today, two at Yomiuri Land, two more at Joypolis, while only the latter two can compete for the top rank in the best Japanese hauted walkthrough contest. However, prime candidate for that position is waiting next week at Fuji-Q.
Brian Sisk
We're rolling along through beautiful Japanese countryside. Mountains, lots of green, farm land. There are small cemeteries in the middle of rice fields with tall headstones, making use of every inch of land. The Japanese people are very friendly-everyone loves to wave their hands side to side. I have no idea what they are saying but I wave back and everything is ok. We visited three parks yesterday. A beautiful hillside park-the Bandit is incredibly fast and smooth. The White Canyon was a pleasant surprise-a nice woodie. We went to Sega Joypolis at night-there is a great view of Tokyo at night-fantastic. And thanks to Justin for reorganizing our time to get us back to La Qua to ride Thunder Dolphin which was shut down due to rain our first time there. It's a great Intamin hyper. I've always seen pictures of that neat drop through a building-it was fun to experience it.
Andycoasterboy-san
Moshi-moshi - day 4 and Yomuriland -after the obligatory group shot outside the park we venture into a small and compact park with a great woodie 'white canyon' with a very weird roll-bar system!! Bandit is a great terrain steel coaster with a great first drop - a very early version of Goliath at Magic Mountain. Very hot which is a relief from the rainy start we have had to the trip. Then a short drive to a great piece of grey still in Tokyo which is Thunder Dolphin. After we all had rides on both including Linear Gale - we head to Sega Joypolis and the very weird Board Rider - start going sideways then half way through turn and continue going forwards -why?? Only the Japanese can tell you! Jeff the Sapporo is very nice as is the live Octopus legs ;) you'd love it.. arigato until day 5.
Lee Bennett
After 15 years waiting I finally got to ride The Bandit. What a ride!!!
John Gerard
Yomiuriland-a big park with a small park's sensibilities. Bandit was fun with some good drops and a couple good airtime pops. White Cyclone was pretty intense but unfortunately, like the Texas Cyclone used to be, there were obstructed views from every seat but the front. Made it a little hard to ride. The Togo standup/sitdown coaster was fun but short. Pretty smooth, too! The SL coaster was very quirky-watch out for those branches! And, did the "bicycle" track ride count as a coaster?
Rob Derman
Big accomplishment today... I reached number 250, and Kevin reached number 300, on the same coaster. We made it a big one, the Thunder Dolphin at Tokyo Dome City, definitely in my top ten steel list... I am VERY grateful to Justin and Carole for allowing us to make up the rainout earlier in the week...
David Rager
The sun was out in full force today. I finally needed the sun screen and sun glasses. I'm glad we got back to La Qua today. Thunder Dolphin is running better than it was when I visited a couple years back. Hi Mom.
Bob Hofman
We have seen just about everything in the weather. Overcast, rain, wind, wind and rain, and today was the sun. Hot and humid. Yomiuriland was empty. There was probably 130 people in the park and 117 of them were our group. Most rides were a walk on except for the slow load times. They were not in any rush to get you on and off the rides. The best part of the day was the return to LaQua to ride Thunder Dolphin. It was worth going back for. Hi to all back home. Having a great time.
B. Derek Shaw (part two for Thursday}
It was nice to get back to Tokyo Dome City, albeit a short time, to take in the coasters that were closed earlier in the trip, due to inclement weather. I was glad to get some rides on Thunder Dolphin. Although not the best Intamin hyper coaster ever built, it is still a thrilling ride, sandwiched in between the mall buildings of La Qua and the busy city streets of Tokyo. It was great to go through the big hole in the side of the building. I also enjoyed the trick track on the roof top with the weaving back and forth effect. I imagine the placement of this coaster is a small taste of what the old Hong Kong Airport located in downtown Hong Kong might have been like. A great time!
Speed Boarder at Joypolis was as unusual and rough as I remember it from 2003, however the Half Pipe ride was great fun and exercise at the same time. (This is about as close as I will ever get to skate boarding.) Again, all three parks were awful with souvenirs - very, very little. I'm not happy, but my wallet sure is!
Bob Roginski
Many thanks go to Justin for arranging a make-up visit to Tokyo Dome City. Thunder Dolphin is a "must do" attraction that would otherwise have been missed. I was also able to experience the Linear Gale Intamin shuttle coaster which was somewhat disappointing in that it failed to rise more than halfway up either of its reverse points.
Jan Rush
While I was waiting in line for Thunder Dolphin (second seat from the front), the ride operator was holding a small toy dolphin. She wiggled it upwards, and then dropped it. I laughed; I didn't have to know a word of Japanese to understand that gesture. The ride attendants weren't quite sure what to make of the loud, clapping, coaster enthusiasts. Thunder Dolphin is a blast. Many thanks, Justin, for arranging our return visit to Tokyo Dome City.
Don Gworek
I have a web site of photos from the trip at snagson1.com/Japan
Jan Duncan
What a beautiful day yesterday - no clouds, hot & bright. Yomiuriland seemed like it was just open for us, very in matching caps, wearing backpacks and holding hands while following their teachers like little ducklings. I will remember the Joypolis visit for a tasty seafood curry we enjoyed overlooking Tokyo bay - glittering lights on the bridge, with the skyline in the background.
Stefan Rothaug
Gestern war der erste richtige "Achterbahntag". Morgens fantastisches Wetter und kurze Wartezeiten in Yomiuri, mittags Thunder Dolphin - eine unglaubliche Bahn - und abends Joypolis: Speed Boarder ist absolut verrueckt. Die Passage mit Aussicht auf die Bayfront von Tokyo ist wundervoll!
Thomas Enders
Dies war ein Tag mit einem wirklichen Highlight der Reise: Thunder Dolphin.
Ein Intamin-Coaster der echt Spass macht. Von oben bei voller Fahrt auf die Strassen von Tokyo zu sehen ist atemberaubend. Zum Glueck hat die Zeit gerade fuer zwei Fahrten gereicht. Danke Justin, fuer den extra eingefuegten zweiten Besuch vom Tokyo Dome.
Dolores Damm
A bloody hot humid day at last filled coaster riding (and no rain). Stand up sit down looping surrounded white cyclone with padding everywhere from top to bottom, ending the evening sitting sideways being jerked around. Ouch! Send for a chiropractor.
Hector Jimenez - Dia 5
Otro dia caloroso en Japon. Compre casi $25 dolares en botellas de agua pero todoavia tuve que sentarme porque tenia tanto calor. Me gusto todo en lo que me monte menos el ultimo del dia pero fue una experiencia unica. Ya estoy haciendo tramites para volver en unos anos cuando tenga el dinero y el tiempo.
Mark Brown
Bandit Roller Coaster is pretty hot, but the girls were hotter! Japan is a great place; like to come back later to do more sight seeing, after I learn the language. So far I've been able to avoid the crazy toilets that they have out here. It has been a challenge to get food here, because I'm having trouble asking for what I want to order. Very few Japanese know what I'm talking about. But it's still a lot of fun. More later.
Anneliese Heiner
Yomuriland's mascot is a small white dog with multicolored flecks. The dog's likeness appeared throughout the park - on ride information boards, as small sculptures on the sidewalks (complete with multicolored paw prints preceding the sculptures) and as animals on the merry-go-round. The music on the merry-go-round was of a dog barking! Mr. Giggles, otherwise known as Ricky Cooper, was especially delighted by this.
There was a bunch of preschoolers in the park; they were very cute in their matching clothes and hats. They also had matching backpacks, which were lined up ever-so-neatly on the ground. The kids were highly amused by the bunch of gaijin adults riding the kiddie powered coaster; they pointed, laughed, and waved at use.
Bandit was lots of fun, starting with a beautiful view of Tokyo from the top of the lift hill. My favorite part of this coaster was the valley in the middle of the ride; the track is straight, and you have a great view of the upcoming track and how it goes through the trees. My ears almost popped on this part of the ride.
Another entry to the is-it-a-coaster list was the elevated bike ride. Yes, it is mostly human powered, but it has a track, a lift hill, brakes, and hills.
Tim Herre
Yumiuriland is a strange place: It looks like a traditional park and then there is that huge terrain coaster called Bandit that somehow doesn't fit the place. But it was great fun, albeit the awful overheads. White Canyon is a great Cyclone clone and its brutality rules! The haunted houses were a disappintment though, I hope for better ones in the next parks. After Yumiuriland it was time for a second visit to Tokyo Dome City, and what a great decision that was - two thumbs up to Garvanovic-san for sorting that out. Thunder Dolphin is one of my favourite coasters now, I was lucky to get the front row and got the ride of my life. It certainly beats Expedition G Force by great amounts, although that may have something to do with all the 14year old internet fan boys loving EGF, which makes it a less adorable ride for me. Linear Gale was on a lame setting, so that ride was, although actually Intamin-built, TOGO (try once - get off).
Final destination of the day was tha fab SEGA Joypolis with their weird Skateboarder Coaster. Although it was pretty crap, I loved it because of its strange, like-no-other concept. We did both walk-thoughs they had, Van Helsing and Final Call, with the latter being downright scary! The haunted house quality is one the rise, and we haven't been to Fuji-Q Highlands yet ...
Paul Asente
Watashiwa Landdog ga daisuki desu!!! Landdog, the ubiquitous mascot of Yomiuriland, is a rainbow-striped woofie with either too much mascara or too much caffeine. Let other people rhapsodize about Bandit and White Canyon...what other park has a Merry-Go-Landdog, that lets you ride Landdog while being serenaded by his charming voice? Where else for can you ride Landdog around the park for a mere 200 yen? Landdog and Honey Coming on the same day...can it get any better than this???
Christopher Smith
Hey Ho; well my last update came from the tour bus, this one comes from a slightly inclined Bullet Train at a few hundred miles per hour on the way to Osaka. Over the last few days I've been to Yomiuriland, this park had a good steel coaster, and more importantly I was able to try a shot and drop tower to psyche myself up for the > 100m drop tower on the last day. We also had time to race some yamiuris, although it seemed that they were in heat (pictures should explain). Following that we shot over to Tokyo Dome to ride Thunder Dolphin, this was the best ride so far and mainly involved the dilemma of weather to watch the awesome downtown Tokyo Skyline or the next drop as we swooped around the buildings. To finish up the day we had a night on the arcades at Sega Joypolis where full sized cars, ride on half pipes and coasters abounded.
Tim Galvelis
Yomiuri Land, well after almost 20 years of waiting to ride Bandit, looking at all of those amazing photos, wondering how amazing the ride must be, I finally got to ride it. What a complete let down. Bandit is an amazing structure, but the ride itself is worth the credit, the forget it. The SL Coaster is an odd attempt at making an odd coaster. White Canyon just so happened to be the best coaster in the park that day, behind the Standing Loop Coaster. The Big Wheel, and Sky Ride served their photographic purposes.
Thunder Dolphin, despite the opinions of the experts that have already ridden Thunder Dolphin, it really is an excellent coaster. Yeah the trick track is slow, but it does work being that high up above the city streets. I just wish it was a little longer, then it probably would have rivaled some peoples #1 steelies.
George Greenway
Yomiuriland has the second woodie of my trip, having survived Jupiter in Kijima, I'd hoped for a step up. It was full of energy and rough, alas i couldn't re-ride it. the park is well laid out and as all have been so far really quiet. the coaster which had us all baffled was the SL. it had brakes out of the station and the lift hill to get you back into it. the day was getting hotter now the rains had subsided and we were ready for the second park, Sega Joypolis. I'd been to this before but never rode the coaster. It's a sideways travelling model and gives the rider a good thwack in the neck on some of the corners. i was not brave enough to re-ride. i spent the rest of the time on the game sections, scoring 97% on jurasic park before get eaten by a t-rex.
Matt Crowther & Betsy Abrams
Wish I had more time at Sega Joyopolis. The Halfpipe Canyon was a bigger draw for me than the Speed Boarder coaster (which was fun). The Canyon is half ride, half game. Two people stand in restraints attached to a skateboard platform that rode a halfpipe track while attached upward to a pendulum type apparatus. The skateboards rode further up the sides of the halpipe and depending on some fancy footwork by the riders, one can spin the board around at the apex of the hills. I just liked how a recorded voice behind your head kept screaming, 'OK, Roger!'