Rollercoasters

[carrot]

I know I can't be the only one here who's nuts about 'em.

There's one crazy ride at Six Flags Great Adventure called Kingda Ka. Launches you from the station at 128 miles per hour in 3.5 seconds, 456 feet into the air (over 40 stories) at a 90º angle, and you glide back into the station 30 seconds after launch. Rode it 7 times this season. Not my absolute favorite, but a thoroughly enjoyed one.



What's your poison?

[Trashman]

Do you go up and then come back down facing the opposite direction (on the same side of the track), or does it make that turn at the top of the track? This ride looks like the one they call "Superman" at the Six Flags in Valencia, CA (near Los Angeles) (it's called Six Flags Magic Mountain). On the Superman ride, if you go up facing forward, you roll back down in reverse (on the same side of the track.)

[TigerhawkT3]

My sister is pretty into roller coasters, and she convinced me to try them out with her several years ago. Most of my experiences are at Great America, with the Demon, Invertigo, Top Gun, etc.

I haven't been on a roller coaster in years, probably because my sister went to college about 4-500 miles away at UCSD (she has since graduated). I remember those coasters being very violent, shaking you back and forth and bumping your head against the padded sides (especially Top Gun). My new hobby, shooting, can be MUCH louder, but I find it both more relaxing and more enjoyable.

I remember having fun saying things like "uh-oh..." and other random stuff in the middle of the expectant hush at the top of the first dive.

[Bright Scouter]

Cedar Point is the closest "major" coaster park for us. Michigan's Adventure is really close, and it's fun, but,,,, Millennium Force is still one of my favorites. I can't ride it anymore since they changed the belt system. But I will be able to next year. Top Thrill is similar to what you guys are showing and talking about. The other two that I absolutely love are Rock 'n Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror in Disney World. They are my two favorites.

[darkninja67]

Personally I love them. I just get a bit more sick going on them at my age.
I have not been to Great Adventure in some time.

They also have El Toro there which is a crazy woodie.

[Flying Turtle]

Haven't ridden one in years, but loved them as a kid. I grew up riding them at Kennywood amusement park near Pittsburgh. I think a few of the oldest great wooden coasters are still there. I especially liked the Pippin. Once way back around 1960 my Dad took me to Coney Island where we rode the famous Cyclone. Quite the ride.

Geoff

[carrot]

Kingda Ka has two very similar launched coasters that preceded it -- Cedar Point's Top Thrill Dragster and Knott's Berry Farm's Xcelerator. It goes over the hill, and unlike Superman: The Escape at Six Flags Magic Mountain, you do not really get a feeling of zero gravity.

Darkninja, I hear you on El Toro... It's one of my favorites.

Trashman, have you been on X at SF:MM? I was there a week ago and it is really incredible.

Bright Scouter, Cedar Point is on my list of destinations...

[mchlwise]

My wife and I spent our anniversary on Monday at Six Flags Magic Mountain in California.

She LOVED Superman.

The best roller-coaster either of us have ever been on by far...

TATSU

It was absolutely amazing.

You get into the thing on a seat that's suspended from the overhead track. Then you pull down the shoulder bars, but at the same time there are shackles that are clamping around your shins. A little scary at first, because you are unable to move just about anything. Not for the claustrophobic. Then, when everything's clear, the seats tip back 90 degrees so you are facing straight down at the ground. It's a lot more comfy than you would think.

Next, the thing pulls out of the station and starts up the first hill. If you felt claustrophic and restrained, you lose that sensation IMMEDIATELYas you begin the climb into the trees, and the ground drops out. I don't know how tall the thing is, but the people in the park below you look like ants, and you start to feel like you're not anywhere near secure enough.

Then... you go over the hill.

The sensations are absolutely amazing. It's not just riding a roller-coaster, you're FLYING! The imagery on the coaster is of a dragon, and it really feels as if a dragon has you in it's grasp and is giving you the ride of your life.

At one point, you have the most amazing experience: the ride flips you over and drops into an inside loop. Instead of being on the outside of the loop since the car is suspended, you are the inside. What this does is it reverses the g-forces and suddenly instead of hanging in the harness, you're pushed against the back of the seat HARD. I would say it's close to a 2 negative G loop, which is just nuts. The most you can hope for on anything else is maybe .5 negative, but this one is STRONG. They were able to do it because of the unique design. The ride is mostly near 1 positive G and you're held by the harnesses, but this one loop pushes you back. The sudden different sensations are incredible.

Finally, the ride is different in the way it uses the terrain. Most rides are in a fairly tight space with loops and spins coming fast and hard. This ride is spread all across the mountain, so they're spread out and large and there is a feeling of gliding and flying, not just twisting and turning.

An absolutely amazing ride.

[Sigman]

What Bright Scouter said! Check this Cedar Point link. There's different galleries, animation, & point of view videos for the different coasters.

Scroll down & look at the Millennium Force , MagnumXL-200, Maverick, Raptor, Top Thrill Dragster, & more point of view videos. I love these POV videos! Pretty cool...

[adirondackdestroyer]

Funny this thread comes up right now because I'm actually going to Six Flags Great Adventure next week! I can't wait to ride the Kingda Ka!!! Looks amazing.
I haven't been on a real coaster in quite a while but I grew up near Columbus Ohio and went to Cedar Point many times. I haven't been since 1998 but I always loved the Magnum XL growing up! They have added quite a few new rides since my last visit so I can only imagine how awesome it is now.

[carrot]

Kingda Ka is really a fantastic ride, but make sure not to overlook El Toro, the looping coasters Batman and Medusa, and the steel behemoth, Nitro. If I weren't going on vacation I'd probably be planning a repeat visit. I'm aiming to hit Six Flags New England while I'm in Massachusetts instead.

[PhotonWrangler]

I loved coasters as a kid but I can't handle them now.

Back in the 80s I was attending a conference with a co-worker that was held at Opryland in Nashville. While we were tooling around the area, we walked through an unmarked gate and suddenly found ourselves in an amusement park. Neither of us expected this, and we both looked at each other and immediately thought "Coasters!" We had a lot of fun there.

[Trashman]

Nope, Carrot, the last time I went to SF Magic Mountain, X was brand new and just happen to get shut down before we got to get on it. (before we got in line, too, thankfully!) As soon as my nephew gets tall enough to ride some of the hairier ones, I'll probably go again.

[darkninja67]

Kingda Ka is really a fantastic ride, but make sure not to overlook El Toro, the looping coasters Batman and Medusa, and the steel behemoth, Nitro. If I weren't going on vacation I'd probably be planning a repeat visit. I'm aiming to hit Six Flags New England while I'm in Massachusetts instead.

I have been to SF NE about 3 times since moving up here and I miss Great Adventure a lot whenever I go to New England. There are just so many more exciting rides in Great Adventure.

[Uncle Bob]

Riverview amusement park in Chicago back in the 50's and 60's had some great rollercoasters... the Comet, the Bobs, the Silver Streak and a beginner rollercoaster called the Greyhound. What fun when you're a kid.

[yuandrew]

I DARE you to watch this very closely in full screen:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...arch&plindex=6

Hmm, the ride inspector's point of view video is a little more scary when he points the camera downward:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ki3g_aMo_9Y

[Coop]

There are a few nice coasters here in the Netherlands....

In 'de Efteling' (the best known dutch themapark) there is:
- Python, it was the fastest coaster in europe when it was built (decades ago), recently it hit the news with a fuckup by the crew, allowing the coaster to do a run with safetyharnesses not engaged.
The ride: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98t-0NRvxLI
The screwup: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ey-h92bKZ7w

- Pegasus, a nice small wooden coaster, I was in the park one day when it was really quiet, and they had it run 17 times in a row without stopping, great fun!
The ride: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsvEfsDAk1I

- Vogel Rok (named after the Rocs, the giant birds from the tales of Sinbad), indoor coaster in darkness with some nifty light effects and a nice soundtrack.
The ride with the lights on: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OShNHmyT_Tg

- De Vliegende Hollander (the Flying Dutchman), a combined coaster/water ride. Inspired by the legend of the flying dutchman. The buildup of tension on this ride is great, and decor is beautiful, but the ride itself is a bit of an anticlimax as it's too short.
the ride: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7jdqDLXiv4

- Bob, not really a coaster, but a bobsled, still fun tho'.
the ride: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ibI_kteDmQ

Walibi Flevo (used to be part of Six Flags)
- Goliath, Hightest coaster in the Netherlands (46m), steep drops, good airtime.
the ride: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHdewb6g8zI

- Robin Hood, lovely Wooden coaster, over a kilometer track length
The ride: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMxa-v-g-4A

- Xpress, Tight corners, climbs and drops. This coaster has a very small footprint for its track length. No going uphill first, you get launched from the starting point.
the ride: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvGG--Vtm78

- Flying Dutchman Goldmine, this one has little to do with the legend of the flying dutchman. It was inspired by the racing Mine cars you often see in movies.
the ride: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SADhSDmk1nw

- El Condor, Suspended under the track, inverts 5 times throughout the ride.
the ride: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqNQc82uncY

There are a few more themeparks, but none of them have very special coasters. A few other coasters on this side of the big pond that deserve a honorable mention are Space mountain: the 2nd mission, Big Thunder Mountain & Indiana Jones and the temple of Peril in Disneyland resort Paris, Anaconda in a themepark near Metz, france (it changed name so often that I really dont know what its called these days) this coaster is kind of special, as it is the biggest wooden coaster in europe and can reach speeds up to 110km/h, which is pretty darn fast for a woody....