ROLLER COASTER REVIEWS

Sunday, October 21, 2012

MY TOP TEN ROLLER COASTERS

MY TOP TEN ROLLER COASTERS

I have compiled three lists, one including both wooden and steel coasters, and two separate lists for my favorite wooden and steel coasters.  I feel certain that Ravine Flyer II  would be on one of my lists if I ever got the opportunity to ride it.

TOP TEN ROLLER COASTERS OVERALL

1. El Toro - Six Flags Great Adventure
2. Outlaw Run - Silver Dollar City
3. Leviathan - Canada's Wonderland
4.. Intimidator 305 - Kings Dominion
5.  Millennium Force - Cedar Point
6.  Boulder Dash - Lake Compounce
7. Bizarro - Six Flags New England
8 Nitro - Six Flags Great Adventure
9. Skyrush - Hersheypark
10. Apollo's Chariot - Busch Gardens, Williamsburg



TOP TEN WOODEN COASTERS

1. El Toro - Six Flags Great Adventure - exceptional for both design and ride experience, with extreme         ejector and floater airtime
2.  Outlaw Run - Silver Dollar City - this is so good that I had a hard time deciding between Outlaw Run and     El Toro;  the first drop on Outlaw Run is even steeper than that on El Toro and the barrel roll is awesome 3. Boulder Dash - Lake Compounace I rate this higher than The Voyage not only because of the extreme, relentless airtime but because I  found it to be more fun to ride
4. Goliath - Six Flags Great America - an amazing, record-breaking ride with a dive loop and zero-g stall
5. The Voyage - Holiday World - superior for size, speed, scenery, overbanked turns and ride length
6. Shivering Timbers - Michigan's Adventure - notable for number of consecutive drops, ejector airtime and double helix
7. Thunderhead - Dollywood - great ride with overbanked turns and station fly-through
8. The Beast - Kings Island - wild ride through the woods and in the dark
9. Phoenix - Knoebels - extreme airtime, hold on
10. Coney Island Cyclone - Brooklyn - an oldie but goodie with plenty of thrills



TOP TEN STEEL COASTERS

1. Leviathan - fast, smooth, furious and fun with numerous elements; also beautiful to behold
2. Intimidator 305 - Kings Dominion - notable for phenomenal first drop,  numerous twists in track and extreme intensity
3. Millennium Force - - Cedar Point - high marks for scenery, diversity and overall ride experience
4.  Bizarro - Six Flags New England - commendable for fabulous first drop, overbanked turns and special          effects
5. Nitro - Six Flags Great Adventure - outstanding for number of drops, hammerhead turn and helix
6. Skyrush - Hersheypark - the most intense steel coaster I have thus far ridden
7. Apollo's Chariot - Busch Gardens Williamsburg - great ride with some nice turns and scenery
8. Maverick - Cedar Point - a wild and crazy ride like no other
9. Storm Runner - Hersheypark - intense launch coaster with steep drop and cool inversions
10.Talon - Dorney Park - great inverted coaster that will make you feel as if you are flying.  Seriously underrated.

STORM RUNNER

Storm Runner, Hersheypark


This is the third hydraulic launch coaster I had ridden.   A first-timer on Storm Runner, I was sitting next to a seasoned veteran who advised me to keep my head back in preparation for the launch, and this was probably good advice.   The train travelled just a short distance from the loading area onto the launch pad and I was high on anticipation.   One thing which has always struck me about launch coasters is that no matter how many times you ride them, the launch always comes as a surprise because it’s difficult to time how many seconds you’re going to be sitting there before the train takes off.  Anyway, there we were and zoom!   Storm Runner launches you from 0 to 72mph in less than two seconds and it’s quite a thrill.   Obviously, it’s not as staggering as the launch on strata coasters such as Kingda Ka and Top Thrill Dragster, but it’s still an exciting launch and it was enough to give me a rush of adrenaline.   Once launched up the hill, the coaster plummets 180 feet at a 90-degree angle.    (Interestingly, although the coaster is 150 feet tall, the drop is 180 feet.)  This drop was phenomenal and the rest of the ride was a lot of fun, enough to put a big smile on my face.

Storm Runner features 3 inversions, including a 135-foot tall cobra loop, heartline roll and snake dive.  (This last is an element with which I had had no experience.)  I enjoyed all of these, particularly the heartline roll.  (I love heartline rolls and zero-g rolls.)   Everything happens so fast, and the ride is so short, that before you know it you’re back at the station.  Short or not, it was a very good ride which exceeded my expectations.  4 out of 5 stars.   For more information about rides at Hersheypark, visit www.hersheypark.com



FAHRENHEIT

Fahrenheit, Hershey Park


This coaster is remarkable for both the angle of ascent and angle of descent.    The 121-foot vertical lift is unlike anything I had ever experienced.  (The closest I had come was Mystery Mine at Dollywood, where the ascent was indoors and not as long or steep.)    On the way to the top, you are going straight up and looking right at the sky.   I found this pretty intense.   And because I was sitting in the back of the train, the front had already begun its descent while I was still vertical.  The drop at a 97-degree angle is one of the steepest on an inverted coaster, at least in the United States, and one of many thrill elements of the ride.   The ride features airtime hills and a total of 6 inversions, most notable of which are a cobra roll, 2 corkscrews and a Norwegian loop.  (Norwegian loops are fairly uncommon.) They were all thoroughly enjoyable and the ride proved to be very smooth.

The ride itself is short - just over a minute - as are the trains (I believe that the park usually runs three), which accommodate 12 riders (6 rows of 2 across) but exciting enough to be worth the wait.  Fahrenheit is hot although the ride name derives not from the temperature but from the degree of ascent and descent. 4 out of 5 stars.  For more information about rides at Hersheypark, visit www.hersheypark.com




GREAT BEAR

Great Bear, Hersheypark


Now that I’ve become somewhat acclimated to riding below the track – something which I had resisted for a long time – I decided to try out this suspended inverted coaster.  It looked as if it might turn out to be a fun ride.   And it has some historical value, as it was the first coaster of its kind to be erected in Pennsylvania.

The ride begins with the train ascending the chain-lift hill and entering a short helix before dropping 120 feet and going up into a 100-foot vertical loop.   There are 4 inversions, the other three being an Immelmann loop, zero-g roll and corkscrew.   I found these all to be very pleasurable, especially the zero-g roll.   As I had anticipated, Great Bear was a fun ride – nothing exceptional, but a fun ride nevertheless.  (Unfortunately, the layout is such that I was not able to get a good photograph of the coaster in its entirety.)   First photograph courtesy of Coasterimage.com.  3 out of 5 stars. .  For more information about rides at Hersheypark, visit www.hersheypark.com




Tuesday, October 2, 2012

SKYRUSH PHOTO SHOOT

Skyrush Photo Shoot October 1, 2012

When I got an email from ACE to the effect that Indigo Films was going to be filming Skyrush for Travel Channel and needed volunteers who were prepared to ride this coaster over and over, I jumped at the chance to get involved.   As many of you know, Travel Channel televises the programs Extreme Coaster Wars and Insane Coaster Wars.   The opportunity to possibly be on TV was too good to pass up, and even if I don’t make the final cut, I’m happy to have been selected and to have had the experience.   We all met near the employee entrance to Hersheypark on October 1, 2012 at 8:15am.   After some preliminaries, the project got underway.   One of the first things those who had ridden Skyrush previously were asked to do was vote on the coaster by computer.   Then the camera crew filmed short interviews with those who had ridden and those who had not, asking the newbies about their expectations of the ride.  Although it was chilly at that time of day, we were asked to remove our jackets so that this would look like summer.

Once everything had been set up for the film shoot, we all got to ride over and over.   Initially the crew mounted a camera behind the first row of Skyrush but later removed it.   In any case, I believe that the majority of rides were shot from the ground and while we did have the opportunity to try different seats, the crew wanted certain people to remain in the same seat for several consecutive rides.   There was also a helicopter overhead.   The whole thing was an absolute blast!   I can’t remember the last time I’ve had this much fun.  11 rides on Skyrush in a short time was coaster nirvana except for the restraint being painful on one of the rides.    This coaster is extremely intense – undoubtedly the most intense one I’ve ridden – and because of the extreme turns and insane airtime, the restraints are very tight.   I do think that Hersheypark has made some improvements, as the seat that gave me trouble last June – the front row right wing seat – did not cause me any trouble during this film shoot.  

 Indigo Films did an outstanding job – the crew was very professional and at the same time very personable – as did the staff at Hersheypark, who were welcoming, provided refreshments and operated the ride on a day when the park was closed to the public.  And I got to meet some fellow members of ACE.  It was quite an experience.  Thanks to all involved.   For more information about rides at Hersheypark, visit www. hersheypark.com