Six Flags Magic Mountain officials recently previewed the construction of Twisted Colossus and its first-ever Holiday in the Park event.

Twisted Colossus

Colossus was officially closed down Aug. 17 of this year after SFMM officials announced their plan to reinvent the nearly 40-year-old coaster.

Construction crews are currently working on Phase One of three for the ride.

The first of the three phases involves the lift to the bottom of the first drop, followed by phase two with the bottom of the first drop to the zero G section and finally the third phase will be the section that bring the track back to the lift for a second ride and will complete the return track to the station.

“Even though it’s cracked in some places, the wood is really good for it’s age,” said Construction Manager Bruce Thompson who has been working on the ride with Director Tim Dofflow. “Well, strangely enough the fire (was a success) because we had a huge grease issue at the top and it sort of took care of that for us.”

Colossus was reportedly caught on fire by a welder nearly a month after it’s closure, Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station officials said.

Twisted Colossus, the next generation of the beloved wooden roller coaster that thrilled millions of guests in its 36-year reign at the park, will be a unique technological marvel combining an iconic wooden structure with state-of-the-art iron horse track, according to the news release. The advanced technology, available exclusively at Six Flags, provides ride experiences never before possible on wooden coaster, such as over-banked turns and inversions. Twisted Colossus will feature numerous exciting components including a “Top Gun Stall”, a “High-Five” element, and a zero G roll.

“At Six Flags, innovation is in our DNA and with Twisted Colossus, innovation will go to an extreme level with record-breaking elements, faster speeds and steeper banks,” said Park President Bonnie Rabjon. “This cutting edge technology marries the best of both classic and modern coaster designs. It is definitely a twist on a traditional wooden coaster experience.”

SFMM officials plan to close the Scream roller coaster on Jan. 5 to continue the renovation in the area.  Officials plan to rename the area “Steampunk District.”

Much of the area will be repainted, said SFMM Spokeswoman Sue Carpenter.

Holiday in the Park

Six Flags Magic Mountain officials have announced they’ll be hosting their first Holiday in the Park event this winter and have covered areas of the park in more than one million lights.

Four areas of the park will be decked out in holiday decorations, all with their own theme.

The four areas include Holiday Square in the Main Gate area, Winter Wonderland near Katy’s Kettle, Full Throttle Snowy Nights and Rockin’ Universe: A Spectacular of Lights in DC Universe.

SFMM crew members began working on ideas for the four areas in January, with the running dates scheduled from Nov. 28-Jan. 4.

Crew members for the project included Lighting Designer Zach Moore, Entertainment Creative & Special Effects Production Designer Mark Wing and Manager of Entertainment & Special Effects Scott Sterner.

“It’s something that we do as a park. We determine who are we, we try to stick with our brand, stick with what look like and what the audience expects of us,” Sterner said. “That’s why we always have an edge to what we do so in with that, Mark and his creative team will go into their creative cycle now is what does that look like.  Do we want to stick with the thrill, do we want to stick with the edge. What is going to be unique from our competitors.”

Six Flags Magic Mountain Gives Sneak Peek For Twisted Colossus,Rockin’ Universe: A Spectacular of Lights has a five-minute light show that rus four times every hour, park officials said. Areas including Holiday Square, Winter Wonderland and Full Throttle Snowy Nights will get snow three times an hour.

Winter Wonderland will have a location to meet Santa Claus while Holiday Square will have christmas carolers singing music that sounds more like a “Top 40” hit than a classic carol. Full Throttle Snowy Nights will have a stage where dancers will perform.

In front of DC Universe is the park’s “hero tree” where Santa Clarita Valley heroes and Gold Star recipients from the Los Angeles County Fire Department, Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station, California Highway Patrol and military veterans have their names on ornaments. Lights on the tree were inspired by superheroes including Green Lantern and The Flash among others.

“This experience is a unique experience,” Sterner said. “It’s an experience that we can’t describe to you, you have to see it.”