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[FriscoFan]

I'd keep Fire In the Hole. By the way, I recently heard that a movie about the Baldknobbers was being filmed in the Harrison, AR area.

Ship it on the Frisco!!!
Murphy J.

[mike_kelly87]

You know as a a kid i loved FITH. But when I finally went back it always seemed a lot less of a ride. I have finally figured out why, it's because it is. If you look at the pic I took at the SDC Ace event in the backstage tour you will see where a section of the ride has been painted with grey paint...

[Junior]

Yes, there have been alterations to the ride since it began. I think the ride may be somewhat shorter now, as they try to get more people on to it. It is a capacity thing. Moving many, many more people through the attraction than the old days when not as many folks as today visited the park.

[mhguy77]

I understood that the faces of these 2 rides changed not just because of additions but the fake rock work didn't age well. In fact it fell on the front of FITH ,maybe 7-10 years ago.  The rockwork you could see on the old picture with the slope right above the building facades just collapsed, it was visible during the later part of the season. It was not pretty.  I think the same was the issue at the flooded mine.  They can maintain some of that concrete screen rock but a lot of it just gives in time, small cracks grow and the frame bends and then you have a little cave in or really ugly sag.

[Junior]

I think the fake rock is called "gunnite." I may have that spelled wrong. It is wet concrete sprayed or blown onto a metal mesh framework, which I think is often attached to a wooden frame. It lasts a pretty long time. The concrete is painted, too. As a teenage and young adult guy, I walked all over that stuff at the float trip, diving bell and flooded mine. It did easily support me, it did not give way at all. However, as mentioned above, after a while the weather gets into it. Cracks develop. Hey, concrete "rots" after awhile, and weakens. Remember there was a waterfall at Grandfather's Mansion, and a rocky outcropping outside the Springhouse restaurant entrance, and the Infinity Room at the tree house was made of the stuff, too. All gone, folks! That cave at the old float trip, now AP, lasted from 1969 until at least what, 2005? That's pretty good, but I know to cut costs the maintenance folks replaced the old stuff as it wore out. Too bad some of the old character of the park is lost when that stuff is torn out and replaced.

[mhguy77]

Too bad some of the old character of the park is lost when that stuff is torn out and replaced.

I agree it does take its tole on the character of the park.  They do a great job with the wood and metal but that old rock " said" SDC to me.  I liked the look, you knew it wasn't real but it was acceptable to the eye, it looked old.  The wood works but only goes so far.  I think they could still use accents of the gunite rock out of areas that it wouldn't, or couldn't be walked on and wouldn't carry loads of stress.  I am partial to the simple effect it gave to the park.

[rubedugans]

Like the treehouse...we know it isn't wood now...but at some point, we stopped seeing it as wood, and it turned into concrete in our minds. The Gunite, otherwise known as shotcrete is cheaper, and more easily sculpted like the Animal Kingdom tree and expedition Everest at DW.