Six Flags Magic Mountain has released new details about Thrill Glider, a first-of-its-kind suspended motorbike coaster.
The coaster was originally announced in 2024 and supposed to open this year, but late in 2025 the opening date was being pushed back to 2027. Six Flags reaffirmed the 2027 opening window in its latest release, which also confirmed the ride would be called Thrill Glider, matching the name for the coaster model built by Netherlands-based ride maker Vekoma.
One of the five inversions on Thrill Glider (Six Flags)
Riders will straddle motorbike-like seats while being suspended under the track, combining elements of straddle, inverted, and flying coasters. Six Flags said the ride will feature five inversions — a wing-over, zero-g roll, overbanked stall turn, barrel roll and upward barrel roll — along its 3,380 feet of track, reaching a top speed of 50 miles per hour.
Six Flags Magic Mountain Park President Brian Oerding said in a statement: “Thrill Glider is more than a new attraction. It is the latest milestone in Six Flags Magic Mountain’s renaissance and a reflection of the park’s enduring role as an industry innovator. With a decades-long reputation for introducing record-breaking attractions and genre-defining rides, Magic Mountain is uniquely positioned to pioneer an entirely new coaster category and bring Thrill Glider to life.”
Close-up view of the coaster cars on Thrill Glider (Six Flags)
Thrill Glider is being built on the site of Magic Mountain’s demolished Golden Bear Theater, between Full Throttle and the Lex Luthor Drop of Doom. It will restore the park’s roller coaster count to either 17 or 18, depending on the eventual fate of X2, which has been closed since July after two riders reported suffering life-threatening brain injuries after riding.
If the coaster debuts on schedule, it would be the first Vekoma Thrill Glider anywhere in the world. Two other Thrill Gliders are set to debut in the coming years, one at Futuroscope in France in 2028 and another at Efteling in the Netherlands in 2029.