This
coaster is noteworthy for being the first one on the East Coast to break the
200-foot barrier. Now that it’s 15 years
old and a multitude of other coasters with 200-foot + drops has sprung up, it
no longer seems so remarkable. I had expected
the first drop of 205 feet to be somewhat more exciting than it was; I didn’t
feel the same intensity as I felt on the first drop of Nitro, Apollo’s Chariot
or other coasters of similar height.
However, I think that this was partly because I started out in the front
seat and the train hangs over the drop for what seems like several seconds
before plummeting 205 feet into a tunnel.
The back seat is a different story but I’ll get to that in a bit. Despite my disappointment in the first drop,
I thought that the coaster was well designed with a couple of outstanding
elements. There are some good airtime
hills and the 510-degree helix was wonderful.
After the second hill following the brake run, the train enters another
tunnel and goes over some bunny hills before returning to the station. And on the subject of the station, I was
impressed by the speed and efficiency with which the train was loaded and
dispatched.
As for the back
seat, this is where you want to be to get the maximum ride experience. From the back of the train, the 205-foot drop
and everything else is significantly better.
There is delicious airtime, both floater and ejector. I was getting bounced in my seat and could
even see the lap bar, although locked, actually move up and down on the airtime
hills. (This is the only hypercoaster I
can recall riding on which the lap bar never touches the rider’s body.) This was so much fun!
One other
thing I noticed about Steel Force is that it felt a bit bumpy at the top of
some of the drops, lacking the smoothness I have come to associate with steel
coasters. Still, it’s a good ride and I would
definitely recommend it. 4 out of 5
stars. For more information about rides
at Dorney Park
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