Getting THUNDERSTRUCK at Carowinds! My Experience, July 2024

[@mirroruptoyourmirror]

I worked at Carowinds over the summer and I remember hearing that you were in the park that day, super bummed that I didn't see you, but I was at Carolina Cyclone and I can't blame you for skipping that one

[@MattBayman]

“Thunder stuck” had me laughing out loud!

[@MarsJenkar]

As I was thinking, "What a terrible pun. I wish I'd thought of that."

[@keithkeene7185]

😂😂

[@Ryzohm0141]

Afterburn's B&M roar just dominates Aeronautica Landing

[@nebel358]

when you said "it has a drop it has some things" you seemed so upset😆

[@AirtimeThrills]

just mimicking her snobbiness

[@edvaira6891]

Chris, you need to do one of these where Sophie takes the lead and tells YOU where to go!!

[@JJJJ-he8bz]

That Superman clip should be used to describe the beast😂

[@remishuffy22xu]

But the helix makes up for it

[@hurricanegproductions5525]

Even when it doesn’t rain at Carowinds, it rains.

[@CoasterFreak59]

Thunder Striker is a name I’m going to have to get used to. I will forever keep calling it Intimidator.

[@gametime2473]

It's the worst name of all time. Thunder doesn't strike, that's LIGHTNING!

[@wickedsickfunkyfreshroller2037]

@@gametime2473 If I learned anything from Lightning McQueen..

[@ItsSiebay]

At least it’s not Project 305

[@CoasterFreak59]

@@ItsSiebay I’m SO much more uncomfortable saying Project 305.

[@gametime2473]

@@ItsSiebay Yeah, who did Cedar Fair hire to rename these coasters lol. They should be fired immediately.

[@gametime2473]

Carowinds is my home park and I can tell you that Fury is one of those rides that usually gives good rides. Sometimes it gives mediocre rides and sometimes gives rides that you will never forget. I have had rides on Fury that took my breath away and made me feel like death could be imminent on that first right bank. So cute how you involve your kids in your coastering. I might be the only parent ever that had to drag my kids to parks riding coasters but when they talk about it now as adults, they remember it fondly.

[@soylentbob6725]

Fury 325 absolutely rips. Love it.

[@Keystone_Koasters]

At least we can call it thunder stacker now

[@thesledgehammerblog]

They were cranking out the trains last time I was there in August. I'm guessing someone was trying to push the capacity...

[@CommanderCoaster]

Trim striker perhaps?

[@Daniel_Coasters]

@@CommanderCoasteridk they toned it down. I don’t think we can meme this ride anymore.

[@CarolinaCycloneJames]

Vortex got a refurb this year Including new harnesses I think. Which is why it's running better. I was so blown away that I rode a second time to confirm it's not as bad

[@russ4moose]

@CarolinaCycloneJames Ok. That makes sense because when I rode it in 2022, it was awful.

[@daleeckholm26]

Yup! Carowinds has been my home park since moving here in '99! I LIVE so close I can be in line in 30 minutes! Only way to get a BETTER RIDE on FURY 325, is to put your LEGS UP IN THE AIR (HANDS TOO!) on the drop, curve before going down under the ground at the entrance, and the last two hills before returning to the station!! TRY IT!! IF YOU GOT THE GUTS!! Tell me if I'm wrong! I'm 62 and can still do it!!

[@benlorenz123]

I rode Fury 51 times in 2 days and I can say with confidence that it is one of the best rides ever created

[@OklahomaCoasterFan]

That ending was so worth sticking around for!

[@drippybacon5206]

Never been to Carowinds, but fury looks awesome and I would love to go one day

[@fox117-s4l]

I love you involve your daughter with your passion. I hope my girl will do it when she gets older

[@ryanmoening7381]

My lil girl just got her credits on Hurler, Carolina Cyclone, Flying Cobras, and Goldrusher. She was so excited to ride her first coaster that goes upside down! She has been wanting to ride Fury since she was 2. Still not tall enough yet! Next year we are going to Ohio and she can ride Millennium Force!

[@Ryl_MM2]

Next time I go to Carowinds, I’m just gonna say “thunderstruck” in my best Brian Johnson impression when going down the first drop.

[@michael7054]

Great video! Its great to see you all had a good time! I really enjoyed watching this! Im looking forward to the next video!

[@ariw9405]

Amy is way braver than I am! Congrats on your way to 300!

[@JuggsMX]

I drove 6 hours from VA to Greenville SC to meet up with a friend, then drove the hour up to Carowinds the next day. For me Copperhead Strike was actually my favorite at the park, number 2 behind P305. It has decent inversions (I'm an inversion nut), ehhh launches (I still like them better than a lift), and great pops of ejector airtime. It also helps that the trains on it is the most comfortable I've been on, but I'm 6'4 280lbs. Fury was too much of a thigh crusher for someone of my size to enjoy it, I had bruises for a week after that.

[@zachyboi3489]

I was there!!!! It was my birthday. My day would've been a lot better if I saw you there though

[@priorityrecords1]

Kitty Hawk should have been number 300 for Sophie. What a special ride!

[@KirkoChainz12]

Finally some respect on afterburn most intense ride in the park

[@Nicklmeyer]

The Zamperla slander 💀😂

[@christiwright3604]

😂”ThunderStuck” 😂

[@Thrillversee]

Loved this can’t wait to go soon

[@ItsSiebay]

Sophie just made me feel weak for being lowkey nervous about riding Fury. I still haven’t been to Carowinds yet. 😅

[@christianortiz-v1l]

They should play thunderstruck in the station for Thunder striker.

[@PigStateOfficial]

Nah I was singing that song in my head and then you started blasting it. 💀

[@lightningboat]

Carowinds seems like a great park

[@priorityrecords1]

The bouncing buggy ride( 7:37) is one of my favorites. If you get that thing going you can bounce like crazy

[@kevinmorris6984]

Really didn’t enjoy back row rides on Copperhead last year overall. It was underwhelming like you’ve mentioned before. But I rode it row 1 this month and it’s ABSOLUTELY a front row ride. Was running smooth and the ejector was nice. Plus the park was dead so we got to lap it twice. I’ve learned that row 1 is the Jekyll version 😎. Also, In-trim-adator did NOT hit the mid course brakes on my visit. Its a totally different ride without the trims

[@russ4moose]

The best thing I can say about Hurler is that it's a roller-coaster that won't cause you very much discomfort.

[@Bowmanfan48-88]

It’s my home park! Wish I could have caught you there!

[@rhodium785]

5:26 this is my home park and they’ve actually been doing a good job at keeping the new Zamperla rides open all the time

[@NoahRhodes-wb1hb]

Carowinds is my home park so I personally refuse to call intimidator anything else. Also if you didn’t know the two trains on after burn are completely different experiences and the red train runs slower and rougher while the blue train runs fast and smoother.

[@AirtimeThrills]

Did not know that

[@hmsverdun]

Sophie get back in my state. Sophie-steps out into the other state. Saw it coming but still funny. Glad you are managing to get her to come aound on Fury-adds Carrowinds to the US road trip list(next is Japan-hello Eijunika,Thunder Dlphin and Flying Dinosaur).

[@AirtimeThrills]

Ah yes Japan can't come soon enough...only 10 months away

[@TheBolligerMabillardLover]

​@@AirtimeThrillsDid yawl book your flights yet? The cheapest I saw so far was Singapore airlines from LA to Tokyo for $1100-1200.

[@mattyorshin]

Fury is my fav steel coaster.

[@matymil]

7:15 I love the soundtrack at Aeronautical landing, I'm probably one of three people that recognizes the Last Starfighter theme song that they play there

[@Ryzohm0141]

I just realized that the Carowinds' Hurler station is just the Twisted Timbers station without the apple theming

[@pixelthecat7752]

Almost like Twisted Timbers was built on top of Hurler

[@TheRealestHooman]

Carowinds DESPERATELY needs a modern wooden thrill coaster from gci

[@Daniel_Coasters]

I agree!

[@kmslacrosse43]

Carolina is considered "First in Flight", while Ohio is considered the "birthplace of aviation". Wright brothers born in Ohio, but flew their first plane in North Carolina, I believe. The only thing that's important is who's "best in flight" (aka which state has the best coasters) and that is without a doubt Ohio 😎

[@ItsSiebay]

Carowinds and Canada’s Wonderland have so many mid to low tier coasters that could be expended for something better. They’re so close to being elite parks. They just need one more elite coaster to up their lineup. Though I guess CW is getting Alpenfury so Carowinds is definitely the next in line besides Kings Island.

[@nicoleloves2pac]

cool! i hope you enjoyed your trip!

[@srellessemaj]

When is the Dollywood vlog coming out??? I was just there yesterday.

[@AirtimeThrills]

@@srellessemaj 1 month

[@olethr0s]

Great video. Thunderstruck is def the unofficial song for Thunder Striker. My B&M hot take: Alpengeist and Montu are the prettiest but Raptor, Talon, Batman and Afterburn are all better layouts. No losers here though, they all rule.

[@dominicjannazo7144]

Carowinds must be a nightmare for school trips, as kids can get separated from the group in an entirely different state.

[@alexatl89]

I'll say this: the seats on Hurler are VERY well padded.

[@Artbyhurricanyounot]

IVE SAID IT ON YOUR CHANNEL BEFORE AND ILL SAY IT AGAIN, CAROWINDS MISSED AN AC/DC OPPORTUNITY. Side note, I think the best way to describe how it feels to ride Fury is simply the guitar solo of “free bird.” I will not elaborate

[@triplea9209]

Thunder Striker’s a smoother Diamondback. It clears it for me just because of that. Otherwise they basically feel the exact same.

[@bigc1280]

Thundersticker? as the sticky trims?

[@CoasterBlox]

Carowinds is a really good park! If anyone is thinking about visiting I highly recommend!

[@CoasterBroCam]

I LOVE THUNDER STRIKER!!!!!!

[@brianstephenson8201]

Went there mid June for the first time. Vortex wasn't bad for what it is, and I know I'm in the minority but Intimidator was better than Fury, Except at night, Fury was like a totally different ride than in the day. Both Hawks were terrible, along with the boomerang and Cyclone. Agree about Hurler, not rough but not fun. I think you're crazy bc Copperhead Strike was so fun with the slow hangtime moments

[@mitchellries256]

I've only been on 230 roller coasters at the age of twenty-eight. Your daughter has ridden more than me.

[@Colaholiker]

I bet your dad, unlike Sophie's dad, doesn't make a living making coaster videos... 😅 Neither does mine, and so I'm at almost 730 at the age of 45.

[@JerzeyBoy201]

Ngl, I’m normally on Sophie’s side, but Fury being BORING!! Is Diabolical 😭😭. You’ve turned her into a thrill monster 😂.

[@AirtimeThrills]

Indeed. Or she is being rebellious

[@JerzeyBoy201]

@@AirtimeThrills lol I think it’s safe to say, it’s a bit of both 😂

[@iliketrains3546]

Fury: best layout of all time, consists of a drop, overbank, turn, overbank, turn, turnaround, overbank, airtime hill, helix etc

[@nicsamazingpinballchannel7688]

Carowinds is an excellent park and if Hurler gets the RMC treatment, Vortex and Nighthawk are replaced with a launch coaster/Intamin, and maybe a dark ride added it will be comparable with most any elite park. I think it will happen now that Carowinds is HQ for the new Six Flags.

[@Daniel_Coasters]

Thunder striker is my favorite hyper, and I’ve been on diamondback. I personally don’t understand the diamondback hype, Thunder Striker is smoother and it had better airtime. But I only ridden diamondback once cause I got a bad headache after it.

[@user-pl5ds8iz6q]

I agree IntimiStriker is superior to Diamondback. It's an elite Hyper imo and never understood the hate. I found Diamondback to be a bit mid tbh

[@Westkid3057]

I went in June. Lines were minimal, even for a weekend. Hurler was actually pretty smooth. I really wish I had a better ride on Thunder Striker. It is the worst hyper I've been on(yes, I have this below Steel Force in my rankings). I got back-to-back back row rides, with a mostly empty train

[@MattMcIrvin]

Hey, I can do the "two states at the same time" thing right in my town! Right between the pot dispensary and the place that used to be a crazy mortgage broker with conspiracy signs! woot (you can probably guess which side is Massachusetts and which side is New Hampshire)

[@KingoftheHatch]

Carowinds is home park for me, i still cant get my daughter on Fury but she hop on the death trap Drop Tower so idk

[@overdramaticpan]

I went here last summer - first time I've been to a theme park, despite being a huge coaster nerd (technical stuff and whatnot). Ended up only riding the arrow mine train and the Vekoma junior invert - god that thing was awful. Mine train was good though.

[@EmberMcLain87]

as far as woodstock goes i'd say yes it needs 2 trains. i got the credit for it in 2021 when it was running 1 train, and man was it miserable. i think i waited close to 90 mins to ride it, and that was just after rope drop.

[@AirtimeThrills]

that's brutal. I guess on a busy day it's useful as long as they actually open the gates before the 2nd train hits the brakes

[@Zibspires]

No Carolina Cyclone? It's the most underrated Arrow looper :(

[@AirtimeThrills]

We rode that in 2022 so we skipped it for time. We did have a long drive to Dollywood so we were just gonna hit her new creds and rides on the best coasters

[@philip_becker]

What month did you go? The park looks dead. Wondering for a family trip next year. Thanks

[@AirtimeThrills]

Late july

[@Sugerloadedgirl789]

Sophie is getting there on the conditioning of loving Fury 325. Me? It wound up stealing Steel Vengeance’s crown! Fury is in a league of its own!

[@mikewalker4950]

Diamondback>Fury. There, I said it. SFOG Goliath too, but all three are really close.

[@scottyjbd]

*ahem* Mr Pythagorean Theorem, weightlessness begins at .999999999999999 G’s. Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone you forgot.

[@Colaholiker]

I don't know what it is with the restraints on those hang&bangs. As there seem to be more than just the two obvious variants (the classic OTSR as on Kiddy Hawk) and the top-hinged lapbar as on Steel Lasso. I basically found out the hard way on my road trip. At Carowinds, they made me stand up to that measurement sign, and I was just shy of being too tall to ride. But when I sat down, there was no way to get the restraint to latch properly, as it was stapling down on my shoulders. (Nothing giving me sleepless nights as I was able to ride it some years ago) A few days later, I tried riding the very same model (I think they are even from the same year) at Wild Adventures in Georgia - and to my total surprise, despite visually having the same restraints, they hadn't posted a max rider height, and the restraints fit comfortably. Sure, they also had the same head-bang potential that Kiddy Hawk has, and they don't give you the same freedom as the top-hinged lapbar design, but I would have never expected there to be such a big difference.

[@GHOSTTRAINPRODUCTION]

I worked at Vortex and scrambler in 2013 best job i ever had. Then Carowinds killed my baby thunder road years after i quit. If they ever try to remove vortex i might protest lol

[@CNSPORTZEDITZ]

Thunderstruck would honestly be a good name for Intimidator.

[@thecoasterauthority]

are you going to kings dominion and busch gardens williamsburg on this trip? edit nvm finished the video - i hope sophie enjoys her 300th at dollywood! when will you all be visiting the virginia parks next?

[@elmerm6876]

You should do a video ranking every six flags coaster with a unique name. So excluding Batman, Superman, Goliath, etc…

[@supremefan]

My kids love Hurler for some odd reason.

[@ChairmanChico]

Just wait until it gets warm… is my protip for Copperhead Strike.

[@Colaholiker]

I was there this year on a pretty warm day - so warm in fact that they announced people should get free water from any drinks outlet to stay hydrated - and Copperhang Strike was just a painful series of extended hangtime moments. Sorry Mack Rides, I know you can do A LOT better than this.

[@TheBolligerMabillardLover]

​@@ColaholikerThey did with blue fire at Europa Park, and even that is a little uncomfortable in a few spots because of the restraints.

[@dindog22]

someone on Thunder stuck probably had their phone out

[@cfrankbii9613]

Copperhead strike is underrated. First two cars have some of the best ejector anywhere.

[@Colaholiker]

Can you still call it ejector when the train is upside down and you are just pulled out by gravity? When I rode this year, it was purely hangtime, nothing else. I have ridden quite a number of Mack coasters, but this is far below the bottom of the list.

[@Verdelite]

picking any row but the front for a gigacoaster is ridiculous the whole point of it is speed

[@darkridedan1]

I would have thought Sophie, confused fury, and thunder striker. Had I not watched the video. To each her own.😂 I watched the whole video to get a nighthawk review. Dang! I love that thing. You hawk haters are crazy.😅

[@stepforwardentertainment715]

“Open one week, and not open again til next year” Me: “I get it!”

[@DonOmegaMedia]

Carowinds needs to nix the Vortex, or at least rename/retheme it "The Nutcracker" and sell themed jockstraps. They should dump The Hurler and Night Hawk as well.

[@danedane55]

i have like 15 credits, one being big apple coaster, so my brain cell count matches my coaster count

[@Ryzohm0141]

When you have three elite B&Ms and one super bad one

[@mmphysell]

Because we are gluttons for true punishment, we have ridden many, many Boo Blasters out there. Kings Dominion's was probably the best because of the queue theming. Kings Island's is probably the worst because so many elements were broken or not working, surprising considering how solid Kings Island operations usually is. Carowinds' was probably more fun than Hurler.

[@nyxmike]

They really should play Thunderstruck in the Thunder Striker station

[@kotchapakmaneechote2062]

It seems like both Intimidator and Thunder Striker as a name makes for some great dad jokes, and it's crazy you used Thunderstruck for this, did we learn nothing from Queen?

[@AvoidTIMtation]

Thunder Striker sounds like Carowinds only had 30 seconds to come up with a new name lol

[@RMCHurler]

RMC Hurler

[@topgunjoeicdbko]

When you guys ganna go get voltron?

[@AirtimeThrills]

No plans as of now

[@TheBolligerMabillardLover]

I'll have to get back to Europa Park someday to ride this based on everybody's rave reviews of it. I was there in October and I think it was finished and testing, but they waited until the 2024 season to open it, which I guess makes sense. Europa Park is amazing and definitely worth another visit since I had less than a full day there. My Dad and I drove down our first day after landing in Frankfurt and getting the rental car that same morning. It would be nice to have 2-3 days at Europa Park to go on ALL of the rides and not just the coasters, and to take in more of the themed European countries and restaurants.

[@topgunjoeicdbko]

@@AirtimeThrills I smell plans are now starting!! Lol

[@topgunjoeicdbko]

@@TheBolligerMabillardLover I've never been to any of those parks. But you can do it for the same price disney cost for the week lol

[@keithkeene7185]

Summertime fury = 🐐

[@Ayybel]

I am on team Sophie for Fury 325!

[@wickedsickfunkyfreshroller2037]

Congratulations, your opinion is wrong

[@Ayybel]

@@wickedsickfunkyfreshroller2037 that’s the beauty of opinions

[@Cheezbat]

Man, your daughter is so lucky… When I was her age, I was at zero coasters… I’m now 41 and closing in on 300… I’m guessing she’s already surpassed me… So jealous lol… Anyway, yeah hurler is just kind of a boring coaster not all that painful just boring. The Carolina coasters are horrible. Carolina cobra and Carolina cyclone hated both of them… My ride on afterburn was exceedingly shaky… My friend really disliked it… I think his favorite coaster in the park was thunder striker… Mine has to be fury 325… But copperhead strike is a very close second.

[@CoastarTestGuy]

I can’t believe he went to Carowinds

[@rmel8139]

I was underwhelmed with Fury, I think it got overhyped. I'm a sucker for a coaster with a view so just looking at the parking lot put it down pretty far in my rankings.

[@TheBolligerMabillardLover]

Agree!

[@keithkeene7185]

Boo blasters is pretty fun also

[@spentron1]

No other row can prepare you for the rush of Fury's front row. But the wind deflection is worse than the Intamin gigas in other rows.

[@DonOmegaMedia]

That's why I wear sunglasses on it, my guy. They have straps in the shops if you need.

[@katashworth41]

I’m oddly sentimental about Thunderstruck, the pub where I met my partner plays it all the time.

[@etymonlegomenon931]

The word is "boyfriend"

[@katashworth41]

@@etymonlegomenon931 I’m not a teenager, and we’ve been together 10 years.

[@etymonlegomenon931]

@@katashworth41 So, husband?

[@katashworth41]

@@etymonlegomenon931 why are you so interested in my relationship, get a hobby that isn’t asking invasive questions on KZbin.

[@Thrillversee]

@@etymonlegomenon931this is a coaster channel no need to get like that man 😕