Outlaw Run Ride Review: The Good Guys Always Win

by Brian Bass
Outlaw Run sparked excitement way before any press release or official announcement was made. As the lift hill went up and the 153 was installed last summer, the speculation and details flooded the forums. Every construction update my anticipation grew greater and greater. I remember the first picture I saw of the half-completed drop and thinking how incredible it looked. Once the official announcement was made and they shocked the world with the full layout, especially the double barrel roll, I knew I had to experience this coaster. Flash forward to March 13th, 2013…here I am, just 15 days after having my tonsils removed, standing in awe of the impressive structure that is Outlaw Run.

We entered in the back of the park through a service road entrance, resulting in seeing the double barrel roll element first. “It's massive,” is all I kept thinking to myself. I was not aware of how great the incline was for this element, and as we journeyed up to the entrance of the ride I found myself unable to turn away from this mesmerizing structure. We spent the majority of the day capturing the atmosphere, the details, and the amazing individuals behind the creation of this innovative yet world-class thrill ride. It was a surreal moment when I was finally able to sit down, lower the restraint and experience Outlaw Run. There is no easy way to describe the experience, nor can I do justice to this amazing coaster…but I shall try.

The lift hill was much quicker than I expected, and the pre-drop at the top is the perfect lead into what might be one of my favorite first drops on a ride. It's fast, it's intense, and most of all it's fun. Every element provides a purpose and excitement. I was most fascinated in the 153 element and it honestly felt very similar to entering a barrel roll, and was much larger than I perceived. I couldn't believe the amount of ejector air throughout the entire duration of the ride, especially on the wave turn. Aside from the first drop, diving through the structure entering the wave turn was my favorite segment of the ride, but that's not to take away from the amazingness that is the entire layout. We hit the final high speed low float, which caught me by surprise and provided a wonderful pop of air, then it was into the barrel roll.

The first one is taken with wonderful speed and while going uphill, is a graceful element yet provides a visual unlike any I've seen before. What really caught me off guard more than anything on this ride, was on the back half of train, the amount of hang time on the second roll. It seriously felt double in length just due to the time spent in the roll because of the quick loss of momentum. As we entered the breaks and slowed to a stop I just sat in awe of everything I just witnessed. Impeccably smooth, fun for the whole family, intense but with a very high re ride factor and although short, a very satisfying layout. All day we watched as we media and workers circled from exit to entrance over and over again, trying out the front the back and everywhere in-between. Silver Dollar City has a winner on their hands, and Rocky Mountain, with their first full custom design, boldly proves their existence in the world of coasters and I can't wait to see where they go next.

*edit* Today I had the fortunate ability to experience the front row, and it easily brought this coaster way up on my top 10. From the drop to the last roll the front row provides an incredible, insanely awesome experience that no POV or single post can come close to doing justice to. It's a fast paced, action packed intense layout but can be experienced over and over again…especially in the front!