QUEENSBURY, N.Y. – Growing up in nearby Salem, Bridget Dunigan has been a frequent passenger on the Great Escape's Steamin' Demon roller coaster.
"I love roller coasters!" Dunigan said. "This coaster has always had a special place in my heart; it was the first one I've ever been on when I was a kid."
On Tuesday, Dunigan and two of her friends, Lily Howder and Devin Goodman, were among the first to try out the 32-year-old thrill ride's new virtual reality upgrade.
"I'm excited to see how my body reacts to not being able to see where I'm going," Dunigan said.
"I'm a little nervous,” Howder said before her ride. “I haven't been on many roller coasters, so this will be interesting."
Renamed the Revolution Virtual Reality Coaster, Samsung Gear VR headsets transport riders into the cockpit of a fighter jet in the midst of an intergalactic battle.
"It’s a giant city under attack, and you get to fly through it," Howder said.
"It's really taking virtual reality to the next level,” Great Escape marketing manager Dave Johnson said. “If you're just sitting in a chair with virtual reality, you don't feel those sensations, but here you feel and you see this intergalactic battle take place."
"It’s the most realistic alien fighting I've ever experienced," Goodman joked.
One of nine Six Flags coasters that sync the virtual reality scene to the ride's twists and turns, this is the only one in the Northeast featuring an upside-down loop.
"It felt completely different than a regular roller coaster," Goodman said.
"It was a little disconcerting, but so much fun, because I know this roller coaster and I know the path, but it completely threw me off," Dunigan said. “I had no idea what to expect."
Years after her first trip on the Steamin’ Demon, Dunigan and her co-pilots were once again left wanting more.
"It’s cool to see how technology and roller coasters intertwine,” Howder said. “It was crazy, just crazy."
"I will definitely be back and bring my friends," Dunigan said.