Six Flags: Great Adventure never really had a "flagship attraction". The biggest thing they had going for them was the Safari Kingdom, which features hundreds of different animals in semi-natural environments. Of course, a drive-through Safari doesn't really make tons of cash. SF:GAdv needed something that would make them known world-wide. Sure, "Great American Scream Machine" is a nice Arrow multi-looper, "Batman: The Ride" is an ok B&M inverted, and "Rolling Thunder" at least races, but Great Adventure still needed something to really bring in the crowds. They got it.

Bolliger and Mabillard have become two (well, one actually) of the biggest names in the rollercoaster industry. When they created their inverted coaster, they broke all the rules. However, B&M, as their known in the industry, wanted a coaster design that combined the "open" feeling of an inverted coaster while, at the same time, giving the rider the ability to see the track. That idea led B&M to create Medusa, a floorless coaster.

Riders sit in standard B&M seats complete with the normal B&M shoulder restraint and seat belt. In fact, the only thing that's really weird about this coaster is the fact that THERE IS NO FLOOR! It's sooo cool to look down and see track, mere inches away from your feet.

After what seems like an eternity, we finally get to board our train. After all the riders are seated, the floor angles up and disappears below the track -- it's a great effect. We travel down a small dip out of the station and make a quick turn to the left.

While we travel up the lift hill, we slowly make our way to the top. Ever so slowly, we dip downward, curve to the left, and drop hard! As we fly down the 143ft. drop, we hit a top speed of about 60mph. Immediately, we fly up into the 100ft. loop. This loop is awesome. If your in one of the rows near the back, stick your legs straight out and try to touch the car in front of you!

We're still cruising out of the loop when we fly up and to the right. At the top, we enter a half-twist into a great half loop that brings us back down to Earth. This is one of the greatest diving loops ever built. We skim the ground, still cruising along very quickly, when we ascend skyward once again. This time, a Zero-G roll greets us. This is the single greatest inversion ever created. Super-smooth, super-quick, and absolutely no head banging are the things that set this inversion apart from all the rest.

Finally, we fall back down to the ground once again, only to -- you guessed it -- ascend into yet another inversion: the Cobra Roll!

This inversion, while nice, is not really the most thrilling. What set's this apart is the fact that the ride entrance is located underneath the Cobra Roll. The first part of Medusa you see is this impressive looking element.

After racing up one side, careening to the right, and blasting downward once again, we run into Medusa's mid-course brakes. The brakes give us a nice "catch your breath" effect before we tumble right into the second portion of the coaster.

The second portion of Medusa contains one of the most visually impressive parts of a coaster ever -- the corkscrew. Not only does Medusa have two corkscrews, these corkscrews are interlocking. The weave in between each creating an effect that is... well... see for youself.

It's quite cool to say the least. Dropping down out of the brakes, whipping up into the first corkscrew without a single break of the incredible smoothness, is one of the best experiences to be had on this machine. After completing the first corkscrew, another turn puts us right in line for the second one. Up we go, down we come and up once again into the final station brakes. That's a ride on Medusa!

Medusa was the world's first floorless coaster. Since then, B&M has created "Medusa West", a much better(from what I hear) version of the already stupendous one in the east. Even though floorless coasters have only been around since 1999, their numbers have grown quite rapidly. "Batman: Knight Flight" opened in Six Flags: Ohio for the 2000 season and "Superman: Krypton Coaster" opened in Six Flags: Fiesta Texas for the 2000 season. Both are next-generation floorless coasters and show noticeable improvements over the original.

Since Medusa, Six Flags: Great Adventure has grown by leaps and bounds. Adding "Batman and Robin: The Chiller", a set of LIM propelled coasters that hit a top speed of 70mph and perform multiple inversions, and for the 2001 season, "Nitro" the tallest B&M speed coaster ever constructed. At 230ft, "Nitro" is one of the tallest, fastest, and longest rollercoasters in the area. As the years go by, it will be interesting to see what this Six Flags park does next!