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