New #1 steelie

[TC10K]

It finally happened. Something knocked Expedition GeForce off my #1 steelie list.
It was a complete shock to me, as I expected to like this coaster, I did not expect to love it.

Yet, I hit the brakes on my first ride on SkyRush and was completely amazed. Then I rode the back row (first ride was up front) and it was even better. Several rides later, it was still just as good. That's when I realized that not only would my top ten need to be reworked, but that this ride would simply drop in at Number One and everything else would shuffle down a spot.

I had heard horror stories about the restraints. Yes, they come down during the ride. No, they don't hurt... well, after around 15 rides in a row, my legs were sore, but no more than they'd have been on a Schwarzkopf or RMC ride). Also, when you get to the brake run, they pop the bars to let your legs free, just in case it came down enough to be uncomfortable. Seriously, the restraints are a non-issue now. Everyone who hated it before can go back reassured that while the restraints are still a bit annoying, they don't kill the ride experience any more.

I'd seen plenty of YouTube videos of this ride and frankly, they're a big yawn. This is one of those rides like The Ultimate, where videos just don't show you much. Long, lazy turns, only a couple of hills, basically just a big figure-8 and not much else. Whatevs. At least that's what I thought.

The first drop is just sinister. It's really steep and tries its damnedest to launch you onto the nearby road. When you finally realize you're still in the train, it kicks right a bit and you hit a really effective continuous ejector air hill. This is like Titan/Goliath speed hill on steroids. Ejector air that holds you hostage for awhile.

From extreme negative Gs to extreme positive Gs, you hit the first turn (over the water) and the train feels more like a wood coaster. It shakes and rattles and reminds you that you're at its mercy. It comes out of this (repeat rides cause gray-outs here) into a second ejector air-plus hill, this one with a headchopper. Diving out of this, more positive Gs await followed by a twisting 90deg-or-so banked bunny hop that is not, I repeat NOT, engineered around the heartline. You are going to get flung back and forth as it twists into and out of this maneuver, each time convinced that the train will go one way and you will go another. Another swoop over the water with more positive Gs leads to an Intamin specialty: bunny hop with a twist at the top. There are these on the Supermen as well as EGF, but none are as effective, due mostly to the high center of gravity on these trains. More "holy shit, I'm going to go out the side of the car" feelings, only this time with ejector airtime thrown in.

No time to recover from that before you hit the big bunny hop and get even MORE ejector air before a slight left turn takes you to the brakes. Yes, it's a fairly short ride for a hypercoaster, but I'm not sure most people could take much more of this kind of intensity anyway. It's almost a relief to hit the brakes, a feeling that I've also had many times on Voyage, Outlaw Run, and others. It definitely works on the theory of "leave them wanting more" without being so short as to make you feel you got ripped off.

I got somewhere between 15/20 rides on it and eventually made myself get off and go home because I knew I was going to feel it the next day as it was. I *did* feel it, too, but it was more exhaustion than soreness. Next time, I'll just ride it all day long and schedule a "down time day" afterwards to recover.

[ansley]

I totally agree about SkyRush, I came of that ride truly THRILLED, first ride that did that in quite a few years. I actually rode Ex. GForce for the first time last year, and rode SkyRush two years ago. My biggest complaint with Skyrush: it's too short therefore doesn't feel like a complete coaster. I have it at #3, mainly for that reason but it is a close #3. I have GeForce #1, and SFNE Superman #2. I haven't ridden Superman since it became Bizarro, and it was still very good on my last visit but that was quite a while ago. For sheer forces, Skyrush is #1, for overall quality I have to drop it a couple of spots.

Ted

[dr. m]

Yay! I love reading reports about how awesome Skyrush is. I'm so proud to have it at one of my home parks. I think the wing seats are riding a bit rougher this year than last year but not by much. I agree the restraints are not much of an issue anymore. Nothing like when it first opened... opening season in June I rode it one time, ONE TIME, and after an hour ride home walking from the car to the house, my thighs were still very sore. I really hated it. But the softer retraints combined with knowing what to expect now makes it my overall number 3 favorite coaster.

Also I don't think it's possible to design the twists on a wing coaster around the heartline because of how wide the trains are. That's part of what makes the ride so batshit insane, especially in the wing seats.

[surfd...@aol.com]

I'm really looking forward to riding it during the ACE day in just under 3 weeks. My last visit was a week before SkyRush opened.

[skiguy777]

Glad you had a good visit. If you know which way the track is going, and follow in that direction, then the legs don't get killed as much. But if you put your hands up and let the ride throw you around, then the restraint clamps down. That's why they have all those pictures in the queue telling people to hold on.

Agree, that watching some rides on video doesn't do them justice, and this is one of them. The same can be said for the iron horse steel conversions of Iron Rattle and New Texas Giant. They don't look like much on the video, but when you're riding, they're great.

Also agree with Ansley about comparing shorter more intense Intamin rides, versus a full ride. I have Skyrush as #6 for Intamin rides. There's still...
Millennium Force (CP)
Bizzaro (SFNE)
Kingda KA (SFNJ)
Maverick (CP)
Volcano (KD)
Sky Rush (Hershey)

And I don't have I-305 in there because it was down last year. I'd rank Sky Rush even with I-305 in terms of intensity and length of ride. I'll have to think it over for my 2014 list. Plus I just rode IR and NTG and they blew me away. So many good coasters, hard to slot them all.

[TC10K]

Ted, I also had EGF #1 and SFNE Superman at #2 for a long time.
Rode the Bizarro version and it dropped WAY down on my list due to the trains.

Not everyone had issues - I'm 6' tall and have size 13 feet. I had great difficulty wedging my feet into the car and my shoulder blades were at exactly the right height to be battered by the added speaker system in the seat backs. Also, the way I had to fold myself into the car insured that the lap bar was uncomfortable and crushing my bladder. When that's the case in the station, you can imagine how uncomfortable/painful that airtime was!

When a ride that I used to crave because of the airtime suddenly makes me wish that it didn't have any airtime, it's time to drop it several notches on my list. I was really disappointed, as we had ERT on it and I could only manage about 3 rides before I had to abandon it for other stuff.


Now my top five steel are [1] SkyRush [2] EGF [3] Anaconda (S.Africa) [4] Lightning Run [5] NTG

[ldnayman]

I'm glad that everyone is so fond of Skyrush, but the complaints about the restraints STILL stand - they can be painful depending on how long you've been riding, where you sit, or what color the clouds are that day. The ride is very short, and it's just not that much fun (for some people) to be flung left and right by their thighs like a rag doll for 45 seconds.

As long as masterpieces like Diamondback, Apollo's Chariot, Alpengiest, Magnum, And Millenium Force are around, Skyrush will never be a "#1 steelie."

It's simply not all things to all people - it'll forver be a "niche" coaster.

[surfd...@aol.com]

Millennium is spelled with two n's. :-)

[ansley]

Here's how I look at. Skyrush is clearly one of the best hyper coasters out there, the ride is fantastic, but extreme! About 7 years I go I started having back problems, and for a while it was pretty bad. Could I ride the best coasters, especially wood, after that? I could only ride maybe once or twice on my favorite woodies, just a bit too extreme for my back. However, that doesn't mean that it isn't the BEST coaster or my favorite. It just means that this 43 year old(now almost 50) out shape person can't handle it. Why would I make a gentle coaster my #1 when I know it's not the best, and that the normal person would have no problem with it? IMHO Phoenix should never be #1, not even top 5. Why? because while a fun quality coaster with some great spots of airtime, it is really lacking against the best and most extreme woodies out there. I like the B&M hypers too, some are in my top 10. However, I don't think I have one B&M hyper above any Intamin because frankly the drops are tamer, the airtime is tamer, and they really aren't as good. (I have yet to ride Leviathon and a few of the B&M hypers). My point is that just because you can't handle the forces on a ride doesn't make it less good. If I could no longer ride Skyrush then it would still be my #2 or 3! Luckily my back is much better now and it rarely causes me a big problem, although I do avoid rear axles seats now. I don't consider Skyrush a niche coaster, it is a major coaster at a major park built by a major manufacturer and it is very popular.

Ted

[GodsOnSafari]

> I could only ride maybe once or twice on my favorite woodies, just a bit too extreme for my back. However, that doesn't mean that it isn't the BEST coaster or my favorite.

Couldn't we say that about anything? "Hades 360 and The Boss don't suck, everyone that rides it is just a huge pussy."

>Why? because while a fun quality coaster with some great spots of airtime, it is really lacking against the best and most extreme woodies out there.

Some people, myself included, don't necessarily equate "extreme" with being the best. Look, I'm a huge Voyage fan, but that doesn't mean even I need to fill my top 10 steel with Intamin hypers that have garbage pacing simply because they try to launch me out of the seat harder and keep me there with poorly designed restraints.

>I don't consider Skyrush a niche coaster, it is a major coaster at a major park built by a major manufacturer and it is very popular.

I haven't ridden it yet, so I can't say very much, but it seems a polarizing ride much the way the old Riverside Cyclone was in the Morgan train days. That too was a fairly significant coaster at a well attended amusement park.

[ansley]

On Monday, June 9, 2014 8:15:23 PM UTC+1, GodsOnSafari wrote:
> > I could only ride maybe once or twice on my favorite woodies, just a bit too extreme for my back. However, that doesn't mean that it isn't the BEST coaster or my favorite.
>
>
> Couldn't we say that about anything? "Hades 360 and The Boss don't suck, everyone that rides it is just a huge pussy."
>

No, your equating extreme with roughness, I'm not. Extreme in design and ride does not always equal roughness. Rides that push the limit are extreme IMHO, and clearly are the "best", at least by my definition. I thought most enthusiasts wanted more of X, more of Y, and more of Z, however we might not all agree on what X,Y,Z are, but when is less (for good qualities) better? By your definition every jr coaster could be the best? Might be your favorite, but I would argue clearly not the best by almost any definition. Everyone should have a quantitative way to measure "best". I'm saying that it at least *should* be fairly easy to recognize a coaster that falls at least in the "amongst the best" category. Yes, we will differ, but clearly I believe some designs are better than others simply for they offer "more"! Skyrush is such a ride. Some coasters will always be amongst my favorites, even if I couldn't ride them now....extreme coasters in early-90's I'd have a hard time riding today include the CI Cyclone, Riverside Cyclone, GA Cyclone, and the Wild One. Back seats were extreme and clearly amongst the best coasters at their time. Could everyone ride them? Clearly no, but I'm arguing that even if you can't handle rides, or many rides, they are still the best. If those coasters ran today as they did at that time, they would all probably be in my top 10 maybe higer, maybe lower, but clearly some of the best. IMHO clearly *better* than more mild rides. I would argue that "best" and "favorite" are not defined the same way. Sometimes people ask me what the "best" coasters are, and I don't necessarily reply with my current favorites. I reply with what are widely considered the "best" regarded AND usually fairly extreme rides.

For the record I had some average to high thigh pain when riding SkyRush, but I recognize that it was an extremely incredible experience and my overweight and old body had trouble with it. My son and neice, both young and in good shape loved it and had no pain whatsoever. After our first ride the only people I visually complaining about leg pain (June 2012) were old and/or overweight people. That does not make it a bad coaster or poor coaster. I'm extremely happy that they made such a ride where the warnings are truly needed, unlike 95% of other coasters that anyone can ride. I'd prefer to see more rides that have insane maneuvers like that, both wood and steel, loopers and non-loopers.

> >Why? because while a fun quality coaster with some great spots of airtime, it is really lacking against the best and most extreme woodies out there.
>
>
> Some people, myself included, don't necessarily equate "extreme" with being the best. Look, I'm a huge Voyage fan, but that doesn't mean even I need to fill my top 10 steel with Intamin hypers that have garbage pacing simply because they try to launch me out of the seat harder and keep me there with poorly designed restraints.

Don't agree about garbage pacing or horrible restraints, most people are perfectly fine with restraints and I see nothing wrong with Intamin pacing. I like the fact that their coasters vary and don't all feel the same. They simple push the limits more than others, exactly what most enthusiasts always seem to be looking for!

>
>
>
> >I don't consider Skyrush a niche coaster, it is a major coaster at a major park built by a major manufacturer and it is very popular.
>
>
>
> I haven't ridden it yet, so I can't say very much, but it seems a polarizing ride much the way the old Riverside Cyclone was in the Morgan train days. That too was a fairly significant coaster at a well attended amusement park.

Except I think Skyrush is much higher in the polls then what I would consider a polarizing coaster. I would consider something like "the Boss" or "Hades" more polarizing. Actually Maverick and Fahrenheit seem to be a bit polarizing as well. Some consider them the best loopers in the US, others don't like them too much... The Beast is another good example. Usually coasters that are ranked very high are not *that* polarizing, but I did expect Skyrush to do better in the golden tickets so maybe it could fit the definition.

Ted

[dr. m]

I don't know that "niche" is the quite the right word but Skyrush definitely is very polarizing. Roller coasters are a pretty personal thing, there's a bare minimum a ride needs to be to be one of the "best", and everything beyond that will be totally subjective. For instance, I've never ridden Diamondback but I certainly wouldn't consider Apollo's Chariot, Alpengiest, or Millenium Force to be "masterpieces". I like Skyrush more than any of those because it's faster and scarier, and that's what I personally like about coasters. Magnum is the one ride out of that list, and one of two rides total, that I might put ahead of Skyrush, but amusingly enough that's another ride that sometimes gets criticized for being extreme to the point of being uncomfortable.

[dr. m]

Even while you're at the park, you seem some coming off Skyrush hyped up and excited, and others even in the same group looking like they just swallowed a lemon.

[TC10K]

I've been on all of the "masterpieces" you mention...

Not only do I rank Skyrush higher than any of them, but this "niche" coaster also ranked higher than any of them on Mitch Hawker's poll as well.

Actually, while Hawker's poll lists Skyrush at #5, some of those voters had only ridden it with the original restraints. It ranked #4 when you only look at the voters who rode it last year.

I'm not sure how any coaster that comes in at #5 can be called a "niche" coaster.


As for those "masterpieces", not one of them is in my top ten. People like different things and Skyrush is pretty much everything I want in a steel coaster.

[GodsOnSafari]

>
> No, your equating extreme with roughness, I'm not.

Plenty of people do that. Look at every debate about Voyage ever.

>Rides that push the limit are extreme IMHO, and clearly are the "best", at least by my definition.

I don't agree at all. Texas Titan has more substantial sustained positive g-forces than any other coaster I've ever been on. It is extreme as all hell. It also doesn't rank well for me.

>I thought most enthusiasts wanted more of X, more of Y, and more of Z, however we might not all agree on what X,Y,Z are, but when is less (for good qualities) better?

When it doesn't cause me physical discomfort. The pushing of negative G forces on roller coasters is something a lot of people are geeked about. I find the increasingly restrictive restraints that are coming with them to suck. I'd rather have "less" forces and a single, stationary lap bar that lets me feel them comfortably than something that pulls -1 G while my lower body is pinned between lap bars, seat belts, and shin/foot restraints. This isn't a race car, it's a roller coaster.

>Everyone should have a quantitative way to measure "best".

I guess I don't have that. I don't assign snowflake ratings or rate laterals/motion changes/airtime in some sort of hyper nerd algorithm that tells me what ride is best. Why would I even bother? I can't even get consistently good rides on some attractions from week to week, much less year to year. Especially with wood coasters.

>Clearly no, but I'm arguing that even if you can't handle rides, or many rides, they are still the best.

I loved the Riverside Cyclone, but the backseat on that ride with Morgans wasn't any less rough than riding the Boss today in an axle.

> I'm extremely happy that they made such a ride where the warnings are truly needed, unlike 95% of other coasters that anyone can ride.

I don't ride amusement rides for some sort of masochistic joy of self punishment. I do it because it is supposed to be fun. This goes back to the ancient debates about rides like the Revere Beach Lightning: they probably sucked, but boy were they intense!

> Don't agree about garbage pacing or horrible restraints, most people are perfectly fine with restraints and I see nothing wrong with Intamin pacing. I like the fact that their coasters vary and don't all feel the same. They simple push the limits more than others, exactly what most enthusiasts always seem to be looking for!

I thought 12 years ago after riding Goliath and EGF that the Intamin hypers all have a similar feel to them. Any steel coaster company that uses the same trains, track design, and hill/element designs is gonna feel similar. All the Arrow loopers feel basically the same except one. Same with Vekoma loopers IMO. Same with B&M hypers, Maurer-Sohne spinning coasters, mine trains, on and on.

> Except I think Skyrush is much higher in the polls then what I would consider a polarizing coaster.

Do you think Voyage is polarizing? Because I sure do. It's done pretty OK in the polls....

>I would consider something like "the Boss" or "Hades" more polarizing.

How are they polarizing? No one likes them. Hades 360 finished in 168th place or something like that in Mitch's Poll.

[ansley]

First, you're pulling a pretty infamous technique here where you only quote portions of my response, an ignore some of my key points for which you seemingly have no response. Like after I said everyone should have some X,Y, and Z way to come up with the best, and then pointed out that if you don't like more of something then jr. woodies should or could be the best by your definition. Especially if you don't know how you come up with the "best" coasters, or at least that's what you to have implied. Also, you said that if cause you physical discomfort.... Not sure what you meant because you went on to describe a coaster ride, but I guess you meant they wouldn't be your best or favorites. My entire point on talking about my back, and people in good shape, is that Skyrush and other intense coasters don't cause most people physical discomfort, or that is any sort of problem whatsoever. If coasters are causing physical discomfort to that level I would suggest not riding,nor ranking them. For that reason I won't rank flat rides I can't ride, nor put them down or say they're aren't the best. I simply can't ride them ,or don't feel comfortable doing so.

For the time I could not ride some coasters due to discomfort, I didn't think they were't good anymore, or change my rankings. Why would I? They didn't change, I did? I know it's all subjective, and others don't rank coasters the same way. What I'm saying is that sometimes there are coasters that I have issues with but I wouldn't dare say they suck, or aren't clearly a great coaster, simply for the fact that I can't ride it or don't prefer it. I will fully admit that El Toro is one of the best woodies, even if it's not in my top 10. It's a quality coaster, and deserves a high ranking. I can see that. I would assume that those people who bash Skyrush would at least recognize it is one of the "best", even if they don't rank it high. I used Phoenix as another example for me, and why it is not the "best" for me, but I recognize that is a very good coaster and high ranking. I actually really love Goliath at SFMM, love the extreme G's. Not uncomfortable for me, nor ever made me come even close to passing out. I think that is great for the big drops and the extremie
G's. I think it's a bit presumptuous for others to pan the ride, and rannk it lower, simply because they otherwise can't handle an element on the coaster. Another example, I can't really handle the 3rd row on Magnum, but I love the coaster and simply ride in the 2nd row, or 2nd to back seat. Still a great coaster and I haven't lowered my ranking because I can't handle all the rows anymore... My point is that all coasters are not for everyone, but why do people go ape shit over something they can't ride but like 80-90% of the population has no problem with? I still think Magnum is great ride, and would rec0gonize that even if I could never have handled it. Hey, I couldn't fit on MF and TTD on my last visit, but I still have then ranked high! Should I put them down or rank them lower because I can't ride them?

Also, I don't use any hyper nerd algorithm, but it's pretty easy most of the time to notice MORE airtime, or MORE postive G's, or MORE loops, or MORE laterals. If didn't care about then a normal train ride downhill could possibly be the "best". Not in my world,I it must have something, preferably lots of somethings to make it one of the "best".

As for Hades and the Boss, when they opened they were very polarizing, I know many who had them in their top 5 or top 10, especially for Hades. I wasn't talking about Hades 360. The numbers were more split. I would argue that a coaster that is as popular as the Voyage or Skyrush is not really polarizing if only a small percentage of people don't like them or ride them. It just seems that group is more vocal then when talking about other coasters.

[GodsOnSafari]

> First, you're pulling a pretty infamous technique here where you only quote portions of my response, an ignore some of my key points for which you seemingly have no response.

Some of it isn't pertinent to my response. I don't need to discuss with you about whether or not someone can rank a junior wood coaster #1.

>Especially if you don't know how you come up with the "best" coasters, or at least that's what you to have implied.

I have preferences as a rider for certain things. Other people have other preferences. I'm not interested in devaluing someone else's preferences. I'm certainly willing to question someone's opinions based on experiences (or lack thereof), but not their preferences for what they want in rides.

[quote]Also, you said that if cause you physical discomfort.... Not sure what you meant because you went on to describe a coaster ride, but I guess you meant they wouldn't be your best or favorites. [/quote]

I was explicitly clear. Being "extreme" does not a great ride make for me.

>My entire point on talking about my back, and people in good shape, is that Skyrush and other intense coasters don't cause most people physical discomfort, or that is any sort of problem whatsoever. If coasters are causing physical discomfort to that level I would suggest not riding,nor ranking them.

LOL, what are your criteria for an legitimate criticism of a ride for inflicting pain vs. an illegitimate criticism?

>For that reason I won't rank flat rides I can't ride, nor put them down or say they're aren't the best. I simply can't ride them ,or don't feel comfortable doing so. <

If I could not physically ride something because of my state, I wouldn't rank it because I couldn't ride it. If I can ride plenty of things and am in generally fine health and find a ride to be suboptimal, I'm not interested in vetting that opinion among peers before having it.

>
> For the time I could not ride some coasters due to discomfort, I didn't think they were't good anymore, or change my rankings. Why would I? They didn't change, I did? I know it's all subjective, and others don't rank coasters the same way. What I'm saying is that sometimes there are coasters that I have issues with but I wouldn't dare say they suck, or aren't clearly a great coaster, simply for the fact that I can't ride it or don't prefer it. I will fully admit that El Toro is one of the best woodies, even if it's not in my top 10. It's a quality coaster, and deserves a high ranking. I can see that. I would assume that those people who bash Skyrush would at least recognize it is one of the "best", even if they don't rank it high. I used Phoenix as another example for me, and why it is not the "best" for me, but I recognize that is a very good coaster and high ranking. I actually really love Goliath at SFMM, love the extreme G's. Not uncomfortable for me, nor ever made me come even close to passing out. I think that is great for the big drops and the extremie
>
> G's. I think it's a bit presumptuous for others to pan the ride, and rannk it lower, simply because they otherwise can't handle an element on the coaster.

Presumptuous? I don't want to go on a ride that causes me to lose consciousness. There's zero interest from me in having a roller coaster do that.

>Another example, I can't really handle the 3rd row on Magnum, but I love the >coaster and simply ride in the 2nd row, or 2nd to back seat. Still a great >coaster and I haven't lowered my ranking because I can't handle all the rows >anymore... My point is that all coasters are not for everyone, but why do >people go ape shit over something they can't ride but like 80-90% of the >population has no problem with?

80-90% of the population doesn't have a problem with any rides, including those generally considered terrible. I seriously doubt Great America in Santa Clara has spent 15-20 years fielding complaints about Grizzly from anyone but enthusiasts.

>I still think Magnum is great ride, and would rec0gonize that even if I could never have handled it. Hey, I couldn't fit on MF and TTD on my last visit, but I still have then ranked high! Should I put them down or rank them lower because I can't ride them?
>

Why should I even rank coasters based on my own preferences? Why should I rank them at all? I guess I don't, so I solved that conundrum.

>
>
> Also, I don't use any hyper nerd algorithm, but it's pretty easy most of the time to notice MORE airtime, or MORE postive G's, or MORE loops, or MORE laterals. If didn't care about then a normal train ride downhill could possibly be the "best". Not in my world,I it must have something, preferably lots of somethings to make it one of the "best".
>

If a Mauch Chunk Railroad style attraction still existed, it might be terrifying enough to be among "the best". It would certainly be more thrilling than The Beast.

>
> As for Hades and the Boss, when they opened they were very polarizing, I know many who had them in their top 5 or top 10, especially for Hades. I wasn't talking about Hades 360. The numbers were more split.

I'm specifically discussing Hades 360. It is effectively the same ride with a barrel roll and new trains. BTW, want to take any bets on where Hades first showed up on Mitch's poll?

[ansley]

Agree with you about the Beast! Hades was #7 and it's still 31. Apparently Mitch had both in this year's' poll. Not sure why he did that.

[thekma...@gmail.com]

GodsOnSafari wrote: "Hades 360 and The Boss don't suck, everyone that rides it is just a huge pussy."

Or is from Connecticut! lololol!

[David H.--REMOVE "STOPSPAM" to reply]

On Mon, 9 Jun 2014 10:39:07 -0700 (PDT), ldnayman <tixm...@gmail.com>
wrote:

>I'm glad that everyone is so fond of Skyrush, but the complaints about the restraints STILL stand - they can be painful depending on how long you've been riding, where you sit, or what color the clouds are that day. The ride is very short, and it's just not that much fun (for some people) to be flung left and right by their thighs like a rag doll for 45 seconds.
>
>As long as masterpieces like Diamondback, Apollo's Chariot, Alpengiest, Magnum, And Millenium Force are around, Skyrush will never be a "#1 steelie."
>
>It's simply not all things to all people - it'll forver be a "niche" coaster.

It's funny that you mention those. It really explains a lot about your
preferences, since NONE of those coasters have any extreme forces, other
than Magnum.

Alpengeist and Magnum are the only ones of those that even make my top 50,
at 10 and 41 And Alpie's behind most of the more aggressive B&M inverteds
of that era on my list. Apollo's at 73. Diamondback's at 78. MF is at
94.

People just like different kinds of coasters. I can appreciate fun, but
not terribly aggressive coasters, but they're never going to make it
anywhere near the top of my list.



"With the first link, a chain is forged. The first speech censured,
the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us
all irrevocably." -Capt. Jean-Luc Picard
"The Drumhead", _Star Trek: The Next Generation_

[surfd...@aol.com]

Most of my favorite coasters are aggressive or extreme in at least some way.

Batman the Ride (extreme force inverted, other than Montu none of the other ones I've ridden even come close)

Bizarro SFNE (extreme airtime and negative Gs)

Beast (extreme forces on the helix)

Cyclone (extreme everything)

Riverside Cyclone (pre 2001). (Extreme moments of airtime and directional changes)

Kumba (old school B&M forces all over)


Just a few examples. I do draw the line at the B&M flyer pretzel loop as far as forces, but I understand that some may like it. Also I did not like the helix on the SFMM Goliath. And I usually skip Kingda Ka when I visit SFGAdv. Also, I've skipped the Zamperla Volare credit at Coney Island because I know it'll e too uncomfortable (not to mention $7 to be uncomfortable). So we've all got our limits to what we like, but the more extreme up until that point, the better.

Some of my favorite flat rides are extreme, also. top scan, Super Loop On top, Shake... All extreme, and the more extreme the better. But I say no to the Rotor. Too much.

[TC10K]

re: Hades was #7 and it's still 31. Apparently Mitch had both in this year's' poll. Not sure why he did that.

He was trying to treat them as two different coasters, since the addition of the inversion and a whole new type of train made it a different-enough ride experience that he wanted to get some idea of whether the changes helped or hurt the ride.
So one ranking was for the old version, one ranking for the new version.

[GodsOnSafari]

Mitch's poll is as good as we've got, but I'm also cognizant of the fact that Hades dropped over time not merely because it is "aggressive" but because Mount Olympus has historically terrible maintenance. It gets buoyed though in a way that a coaster in a more populous market might not though thanks to most people returning only occasionally to the region to ride it. In that sense, it might as well be in China or France. Without a huge group going to ride it all at once in its latter years, it'll stay highly ranked on those early rides. It won't be subject to the TDZ Effect.

[TC10K]

I think perhaps we need to differentiate a couple of terms here, because some folks use them interchangeably or get them confused...

"Best" and "Favorite"

If I were to make a list of what I think are the "best" coasters, it would likely look very different than a list of my "favorite" coasters.

"Best" implies quality. If you're looking at that, then you can probably add in some quantifiable factors that have nothing to do with opinion: stuff like downtime, maintenance costs, throughput, rider popularity, increased attendance, lack of need for changes in later years, etc etc etc.
"Favorite" implies a different set of criteria, almost all of which rely completely on the individual tastes of the person doing the ranking. Stuff like airtime (some people like ejector, some like floater), restraints (how comfortable they are likely depends on body size and condition), layout (love high G-forces? Not everyone does), intensity (graying out will boost some people's ranking, but kill it for others), etc

Case in point: Lightwater Valley's "The Ultimate"
This ride would never, ever, ever be listed as one of the best coasters. The pacing is horrible. The lifts are ungodly slow. The trains are odd and far too long. The first half of the ride doesn't do anything. The second half of the ride is full of incorrectly-banked turns, jarring transitions, and killer laterals. The end of the ride is so miscalculated that a third lift hill was needed to haul the train up that last few feet into the station. It's truly pitiful, that ride, when looking at it from a quality standpoint.

But I fucking LOVE it. It's solidly in my top ten favorites, even though... actually partly BECAUSE it's a crap ride. Seriously, the thing is just so wrong on so many levels that it gives me the giggles and makes me wonder if this is how things would turn out if I had a big back yard, a shit-ton of money to build a coaster, but not enough to hire a proper engineer to design it. It's unique, quirky, and batshit crazy and I adore it.... but it's near the bottom of any list I'd make of the "best" coasters.

So I always balk a bit when I see someone's personal top ten listed as "Ten Best" when it is actually "My Ten Favorite".

If you're really listing the BEST coasters, then we can all debate what goes on that list. We have things we can point to that will make/break our case for inclusion on the list...
but if it's a list of someone's FAVORITE coasters, then we should just look at it and acknowledge that the author's list is 100% FOR THAT PERSON and will be completely different for anyone else. There is really no reason to debate someone's list of favorites.

[TC10K]

Looking at my above post, I think this also goes to explain why the GTA results differ so much from Hawker's...

The GTA ballot asks you to consider all kinds of things like the impact the ride had on the park, operations, setting, etc etc etc
Hawker just wants to know which coaster you prefer.

Yes, there are other factors that affect the rankings on those polls, but this is an angle I don't see brought up much.

[TC10K]

re: algorithms for determining ranking position of a ride

I don't have one. There are so many different kinds these days, I can't imagine a single algorithm I could come up with that would help me decide how to rank Tatsu, I-305, and Banshee against each other.

What I do is start at the top of my list (which is now Skyrush) and whatever new coaster I just rode and ask, "If I could teleport myself to either of these coasters for a ride right now, which would I choose?" If the answer is the new coaster, then it would be my new #1. If I'd rather ride Skyrush, then I move down one spot (to Expedition GeForce, my #2) and ask that same question. I keep doing it until I get to a point where I'd rather ride the new entry than the one I just compared it to. That's where the new one would fit in my list.

Pretty simple, really.

[GodsOnSafari]

On Thursday, June 12, 2014 8:20:12 AM UTC-4, TC10K wrote:

> If I were to make a list of what I think are the "best" coasters, it would likely look very different than a list of my "favorite" coasters.
>

Anyone who tries to create an objective "best coaster list" based on shit like throughput, gate figures, and popularity with general public is wasting their time. Just put "Disney" into RCDB's search function and read what comes out in that instance.

[TC10K]

Depends... if you simply count bodies, the Seven Dwarves is going to have a much higher attendance increase figure than Outlaw Run did...

But if you look at it in percentages, OutRun's impact on attendance is likely to be far greater than 7D's will be.

No list is ever going to be perfect, simply because everyone's criteria is different and some of the stuff isn't quantifiable - also, as has been mentioned before, rides can behave quite differently depending on a number of factors like time of day, weather, where you sit, when it was last greased, etc etc

[ldnayman]

On Wednesday, June 11, 2014 7:29:56 PM UTC-4, thekma...@gmail.com wrote:
> GodsOnSafari wrote: "Hades 360 and The Boss don't suck, everyone that rides it is just a huge pussy."
>
>
>
> Or is from Connecticut! lololol!

Lots of people from CT hate Wildcat at Hershey.

What the fuck is up with that?

That thing is the perfect wooden coaster - fast and out of control.

[ldnayman]

On Wednesday, June 11, 2014 11:44:11 PM UTC-4, David H.--REMOVE STOPSPAM to reply wrote:
> O

>
> It's funny that you mention those. It really explains a lot about your
>
> preferences, since NONE of those coasters have any extreme forces, other
>
> than Magnum.
>

This is true - I don't like the more extreme (as in blackout) coasters - Batman, I305 (It's a great ride but I hate blacking out on that first turn so it's one and done for me every visit)....but I don't mind "forces." Texas Giant, Maverick, even old school Vortex at KI - if they don't make me want to barf I like them. Stuff like Kumba, Batman, or even the tight helix on Nitro make me feel kind of nauseaous.

I really DO like Skyrush (it doesn't make me sick) but I hate the restraints, been saying that from weekend one.

[GodsOnSafari]

On Thursday, June 12, 2014 9:00:47 AM UTC-4, TC10K wrote:
> Depends... if you simply count bodies, the Seven Dwarves is going to have a much higher attendance increase figure than Outlaw Run did...
>

Maybe it does. Percentage-wise and total numbers-wise Gringott's probably beats both. Ranking coasters based on industry success is stupid. I don't care if a coaster makes $.01 or $1 billion. I care if it is a ride I enjoy. People need to leave that smarter than thou, Googlefied business analyst shit at home in the enthusiast community. The free market demands the shittiest possible amusement park experience you and I's sucker asses will pay for. If that's the ideal, fuck the ideal.

[skiguy777]

It helps to break the coasters in to categories. It is kinda weird how the GTA asks each person to only rank 10 coasters. Then they take all the results and make it a point system giving a top 50.

I factor in the overall experience of the park if two rides are similar or there is a tie.

For 2014, my web page will have a new category for Rocky Mountain Coasters.

I have 65 USA Steel Coaster on my list right now, and for 2014, I'll be adding Banshee and the new category for RMC. Right now, these coasters were in my "Other" category, but Alan Schilke is the man, and there's going to be more of these coasters in the future.

There's simply too many great coasters to have a top list of 10 or 20. That's why it's cool to have them all broken out into categories and rank them that way.

[thekma...@gmail.com]

Idnayman wrote: "

Lots of people from CT hate Wildcat at Hershey.

What the fuck is up with that?

That thing is the perfect wooden coaster - fast and out of control. "

CT folks don't *get* roller coasters. I know - I live here!

I'm certainly an aberration here: Love coasters, follow Nascar, etc. LOL

[David H.--REMOVE "STOPSPAM" to reply]

Yeah, that's where the separate listings is somewhat misleading. I think
that most of the people who rode it last year weren't ranking it badly
because of the inversion or the trains, but because of the crappy
maintenance. But so few enthusiasts have been back to the area that their
rankings are based on rides they got years ago.

See Bizarro New England for a great example. Heck, most chain park woodies
too.

[TC10K]

That's why I like to look at Hawker's "Ranking based only on rides ridden this year" list, too. That really gives a better snapshot of how well a ride is maintained and/or how it's running.

I know that BoulderDash went WAY up on my ranking after riding it last summer. Not only was it well-maintained, but it was AMAZING. I liked it before, quite a bit, but it was just short of my top ten. Now it's #3.

Speaking of which, I wonder when he'll post the most recent "only this year" wood results?

[Wolf]

"GodsOnSafari" <godson...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:4c496aba-58c1-494f...@googlegroups.com...

> I haven't ridden it yet, so I can't say very much, but it seems a
> polarizing ride much the way the old Riverside Cyclone was in the Morgan
> train days. That too was a fairly significant coaster at a well attended
> amusement park.
>

If it helps, I'm pretty neutral about it. =)

--
|\-/|
<0 0>
=(o)=
-Wolf

[Wolf]

"TC10K" <minico...@mac.com> wrote in message
news:1e2c4428-152f-48e5...@googlegroups.com...

> Looking at my above post, I think this also goes to explain why the GTA
> results differ so much from
> Hawker's...

The way they count votes is entirely different.

[skiguy777]

On Sunday, June 8, 2014 1:21:40 PM UTC-4, TC10K wrote:
> It finally happened. Something knocked Expedition GeForce off my #1 steelie list.
>
> It was a complete shock to me, as I expected to like this coaster, I did not expect to love it.
>
>
>
> Yet, I hit the brakes on my first ride on SkyRush and was completely amazed. Then I rode the back row (first ride was up front) and it was even better. Several rides later, it was still just as good. That's when I realized that not only would my top ten need to be reworked, but that this ride would simply drop in at Number One and everything else would shuffle down a spot.
>
>
>
> I had heard horror stories about the restraints. Yes, they come down during the ride. No, they don't hurt... well, after around 15 rides in a row, my legs were sore, but no more than they'd have been on a Schwarzkopf or RMC ride). Also, when you get to the brake run, they pop the bars to let your legs free, just in case it came down enough to be uncomfortable. Seriously, the restraints are a non-issue now. Everyone who hated it before can go back reassured that while the restraints are still a bit annoying, they don't kill the ride experience any more.
>
>
>
> I'd seen plenty of YouTube videos of this ride and frankly, they're a big yawn. This is one of those rides like The Ultimate, where videos just don't show you much. Long, lazy turns, only a couple of hills, basically just a big figure-8 and not much else. Whatevs. At least that's what I thought.
>
>
>
> The first drop is just sinister. It's really steep and tries its damnedest to launch you onto the nearby road. When you finally realize you're still in the train, it kicks right a bit and you hit a really effective continuous ejector air hill. This is like Titan/Goliath speed hill on steroids. Ejector air that holds you hostage for awhile.
>
>
>
> From extreme negative Gs to extreme positive Gs, you hit the first turn (over the water) and the train feels more like a wood coaster. It shakes and rattles and reminds you that you're at its mercy. It comes out of this (repeat rides cause gray-outs here) into a second ejector air-plus hill, this one with a headchopper. Diving out of this, more positive Gs await followed by a twisting 90deg-or-so banked bunny hop that is not, I repeat NOT, engineered around the heartline. You are going to get flung back and forth as it twists into and out of this maneuver, each time convinced that the train will go one way and you will go another. Another swoop over the water with more positive Gs leads to an Intamin specialty: bunny hop with a twist at the top. There are these on the Supermen as well as EGF, but none are as effective, due mostly to the high center of gravity on these trains. More "holy shit, I'm going to go out the side of the car" feelings, only this time with ejector airtime thrown in.
>
>
>
> No time to recover from that before you hit the big bunny hop and get even MORE ejector air before a slight left turn takes you to the brakes. Yes, it's a fairly short ride for a hypercoaster, but I'm not sure most people could take much more of this kind of intensity anyway. It's almost a relief to hit the brakes, a feeling that I've also had many times on Voyage, Outlaw Run, and others. It definitely works on the theory of "leave them wanting more" without being so short as to make you feel you got ripped off.
>
>
>
> I got somewhere between 15/20 rides on it and eventually made myself get off and go home because I knew I was going to feel it the next day as it was. I *did* feel it, too, but it was more exhaustion than soreness. Next time, I'll just ride it all day long and schedule a "down time day" afterwards to recover.

I just visited Ohio, Buffalo NY, and Pittsburgh. If you like Sky Rush, you'd also like ROS at Darien Lake. Most people don't talk about it, but the ending has the same kind of pops found on Sky Rush. The ride goes drop, turn, massive air time hill, helix, massive air time hill, helix, turn, bunny hill, turn, bunny hill, bunny hill. You really get thrown around on the 2nd half of the ride if you're not holding on. So if you haven't been to Darien Lake to ride ROS, it's worth the visit. Plus you can head over to Niagara falls, which is what I did.

That being said, I've updated my steel list, and even broke all the coasters in the "other" category into their respective companies. Here is my current 2014 list.

http://www.nogodforme.com/USA_Steel_Coaster_List_2014.htm

I've got ROS and Sky Rush together, could almost move them above Volcano, but it's really a toss up at that point. Volcano has multiple launches, also intense ride.

[David H.--REMOVE "STOPSPAM" to reply]

On Sun, 22 Jun 2014 18:38:48 -0400, "Wolf" <bill.b...@gmail.com> wrote:

>"TC10K" <minico...@mac.com> wrote in message
>news:1e2c4428-152f-48e5...@googlegroups.com...
>> Looking at my above post, I think this also goes to explain why the GTA
>> results differ so much from
>> Hawker's...
>
>The way they count votes is entirely different.

That's a big part of it, but as time goes on, I think they've got an
entirely different panel of voters on each as well.

Most of the old-school ACE/ECC/RRC coaster fans have completely given up on
the Mitch poll. Either it's too much work, or they think that TPR has
taken the poll over, or they just don't care. Most of those people taking
the Mitch poll are newer enthusiasts driven there by various web coaster
forums.

And let's be honest, the crowds have vastly different tastes in coasters
these days.

[TC10K]

re: If you like Sky Rush, you'd also like ROS at Darien Lake.


I love me some DLROS! It's in my top ten.

You can see it here: http://coasterguyonline.com/favorite-coasters/

[TC10K]

re: Most of the old-school ACE/ECC/RRC coaster fans have completely given up on

the Mitch poll. Either it's too much work, or they think that TPR has
taken the poll over, or they just don't care. Most of those people taking
the Mitch poll are newer enthusiasts driven there by various web coaster
forums.

Yeah, and that's a shame. I think a lot of the "don't care" has come from the feeling that TPR has too much influence. I have seen numerous instances when there will be a flurry of posts about [coaster] as being the greatest thing ever, then Blobb will come in and post that he thought it was meh. Suddenly, everyone piles on about how lackluster the coaster is and even the original ravers tone down their admiration of the ride. Add that to his rabid push to get out the vote and I'd say that TPR members constitute a pretty solid percentage of the voters on that poll.

I also notice that there are folks (especially in the wood poll) who have ridden maybe 15-20 woodies. Well, hell. There's really not much point in counting those ballots, is there? But they do. Yes, I get it that the algorithm is supposed to make up for that, but I still think it skews the results a bit.

What's really funny (and sad) about the whole TPR influence thing is how Alvey will champion a particular coaster (or more truthfully, try to de-throne a particular coaster) and the celebrations that ensue over there when the results come out the way he wants. That whole El Toro vs Voyage thing a couple years ago was just pathetic. I mean, seriously... why would you care so much which one gets the higher ranking? Oh, wait. Because you're not on good terms with Holiday World, that's why. It will be interesting to see if he tries to knock El Toro down now that Six Flags has apparently cut him off from getting new POV videos.

[skiguy777]

On Sunday, June 8, 2014 1:21:40 PM UTC-4, TC10K wrote:
> It finally happened. Something knocked Expedition GeForce off my #1 steelie list.
>
> It was a complete shock to me, as I expected to like this coaster, I did not expect to love it.
>
>
>
> Yet, I hit the brakes on my first ride on SkyRush and was completely amazed. Then I rode the back row (first ride was up front) and it was even better. Several rides later, it was still just as good. That's when I realized that not only would my top ten need to be reworked, but that this ride would simply drop in at Number One and everything else would shuffle down a spot.
>
>
>
> I had heard horror stories about the restraints. Yes, they come down during the ride. No, they don't hurt... well, after around 15 rides in a row, my legs were sore, but no more than they'd have been on a Schwarzkopf or RMC ride). Also, when you get to the brake run, they pop the bars to let your legs free, just in case it came down enough to be uncomfortable. Seriously, the restraints are a non-issue now. Everyone who hated it before can go back reassured that while the restraints are still a bit annoying, they don't kill the ride experience any more.
>
>
>
> I'd seen plenty of YouTube videos of this ride and frankly, they're a big yawn. This is one of those rides like The Ultimate, where videos just don't show you much. Long, lazy turns, only a couple of hills, basically just a big figure-8 and not much else. Whatevs. At least that's what I thought.
>
>
>
> The first drop is just sinister. It's really steep and tries its damnedest to launch you onto the nearby road. When you finally realize you're still in the train, it kicks right a bit and you hit a really effective continuous ejector air hill. This is like Titan/Goliath speed hill on steroids. Ejector air that holds you hostage for awhile.
>
>
>
> From extreme negative Gs to extreme positive Gs, you hit the first turn (over the water) and the train feels more like a wood coaster. It shakes and rattles and reminds you that you're at its mercy. It comes out of this (repeat rides cause gray-outs here) into a second ejector air-plus hill, this one with a headchopper. Diving out of this, more positive Gs await followed by a twisting 90deg-or-so banked bunny hop that is not, I repeat NOT, engineered around the heartline. You are going to get flung back and forth as it twists into and out of this maneuver, each time convinced that the train will go one way and you will go another. Another swoop over the water with more positive Gs leads to an Intamin specialty: bunny hop with a twist at the top. There are these on the Supermen as well as EGF, but none are as effective, due mostly to the high center of gravity on these trains. More "holy shit, I'm going to go out the side of the car" feelings, only this time with ejector airtime thrown in.
>
>
>
> No time to recover from that before you hit the big bunny hop and get even MORE ejector air before a slight left turn takes you to the brakes. Yes, it's a fairly short ride for a hypercoaster, but I'm not sure most people could take much more of this kind of intensity anyway. It's almost a relief to hit the brakes, a feeling that I've also had many times on Voyage, Outlaw Run, and others. It definitely works on the theory of "leave them wanting more" without being so short as to make you feel you got ripped off.
>
>
>
> I got somewhere between 15/20 rides on it and eventually made myself get off and go home because I knew I was going to feel it the next day as it was. I *did* feel it, too, but it was more exhaustion than soreness. Next time, I'll just ride it all day long and schedule a "down time day" afterwards to recover.

Great web page making your own poll. Others need to do the same thing and ignore peer pressure. When I made my page, I used the GTA and Mitch's poll to make sure I had all the relevant coasters, but I didn't use them for the rankings. In fact, most of the positions can be a toss up in the middle of each category.

The problem with the GTA's, is there's more than 10 coasters that are great. So narrowing the list down to a top 10 never works. I've got 69 coasters on my steel list, and they're all great. How can you narrow that down to 10?

The other problem today is deciding if you like a long smooth ride, or a short intense ride. For example, Robb went on I-305 at Kings Dominion and said it "craps all over Millennium Force." Well, it does if you like a short intense ride. But personally, I like MF better with the long floater hills. The fans agree because right now, MF is #1 in the GTA's.

ROS at Darien Lake does the same thing (long floater hills) until the 2nd half of the ride where you get bunny hills that deliver pops of airtime instead of a smooth lifting motion. That ride has the best of both worlds.

The same thing can be said about the newer B&M hypers. They also figured out how to deliver huge airtime hills, the best example of this is Diamond Back at Kings Island. Stadium seating, tons of air time, very popular in the polls. In that case, people pick Behmoth because it's the tallest. I stay with Diamond Back because of the over all park experience, and the setting in the trees.

Here's another example of how close a ride can be in the polls. If you like a short intense ride, then you'll pick Iron Rattler at SFFT. If you like a longer ride, then you'll pick New Texas Giant at SFoT. Both are great rides, hard to pick one over the other.

[TC10K]

I had forgotten that Robb said that I-305 craps all over Millennium Force.

Everyone mark your calendars. Robb and I agree on something.


I like a nice, long ride and I like airtime and I like floater hills and I like a nice setting and all of those things.

But I really, really, REALLY just do NOT get all the love for Millennium Force. I found it to be exciting, yes, and fun. I didn't find it to be amazing. It's not even in my top ten. Come to think of it, neither is I-305, but it's several notches ahead of Millie. I think 305 might've made my top ten without those shoulder restraints, though. What's the point of airtime if you're holding me down by my shoulders?

[surfd...@aol.com]

I'm also not a huge fan of the Millennium Force hype. It is ok. It's fun, smooth, fast, yes. Definitely worth a ride each visit. But not the greatest thing. Has never been in my top 10 or even a contender (and I rode it in 2001 initially).

[David H.--REMOVE "STOPSPAM" to reply]

On Tue, 24 Jun 2014 18:59:38 -0700 (PDT), surfd...@aol.com wrote:

>I'm also not a huge fan of the Millennium Force hype. It is ok. It's fun, smooth, fast, yes. Definitely worth a ride each visit. But not the greatest thing. Has never been in my top 10 or even a contender (and I rode it in 2001 initially).

It's my #94.

[David H.--REMOVE "STOPSPAM" to reply]

On Tue, 24 Jun 2014 05:00:06 -0700 (PDT), TC10K <minico...@mac.com>
wrote:

I'd say to all of this what I say about any poll or election. If you don't
like the influence that the people you disagree with have, then the way to
combat that is NOT to not participate. All that does is make what you're
complaining about inevitable.

As for Voyage, yes, TPR has had a big influence on its ranking. But there
are also a whole lot of old-school enthusiasts who hate TPR who hate Voyage
as well, or at least don't like it particularly much.

[skiguy777]

On Sunday, June 8, 2014 1:21:40 PM UTC-4, TC10K wrote:
> It finally happened. Something knocked Expedition GeForce off my #1 steelie list.
>
> It was a complete shock to me, as I expected to like this coaster, I did not expect to love it.
>
>
>
> Yet, I hit the brakes on my first ride on SkyRush and was completely amazed. Then I rode the back row (first ride was up front) and it was even better. Several rides later, it was still just as good. That's when I realized that not only would my top ten need to be reworked, but that this ride would simply drop in at Number One and everything else would shuffle down a spot.
>
>
>
> I had heard horror stories about the restraints. Yes, they come down during the ride. No, they don't hurt... well, after around 15 rides in a row, my legs were sore, but no more than they'd have been on a Schwarzkopf or RMC ride). Also, when you get to the brake run, they pop the bars to let your legs free, just in case it came down enough to be uncomfortable. Seriously, the restraints are a non-issue now. Everyone who hated it before can go back reassured that while the restraints are still a bit annoying, they don't kill the ride experience any more.
>
>
>
> I'd seen plenty of YouTube videos of this ride and frankly, they're a big yawn. This is one of those rides like The Ultimate, where videos just don't show you much. Long, lazy turns, only a couple of hills, basically just a big figure-8 and not much else. Whatevs. At least that's what I thought.
>
>
>
> The first drop is just sinister. It's really steep and tries its damnedest to launch you onto the nearby road. When you finally realize you're still in the train, it kicks right a bit and you hit a really effective continuous ejector air hill. This is like Titan/Goliath speed hill on steroids. Ejector air that holds you hostage for awhile.
>
>
>
> From extreme negative Gs to extreme positive Gs, you hit the first turn (over the water) and the train feels more like a wood coaster. It shakes and rattles and reminds you that you're at its mercy. It comes out of this (repeat rides cause gray-outs here) into a second ejector air-plus hill, this one with a headchopper. Diving out of this, more positive Gs await followed by a twisting 90deg-or-so banked bunny hop that is not, I repeat NOT, engineered around the heartline. You are going to get flung back and forth as it twists into and out of this maneuver, each time convinced that the train will go one way and you will go another. Another swoop over the water with more positive Gs leads to an Intamin specialty: bunny hop with a twist at the top. There are these on the Supermen as well as EGF, but none are as effective, due mostly to the high center of gravity on these trains. More "holy shit, I'm going to go out the side of the car" feelings, only this time with ejector airtime thrown in.
>
>
>
> No time to recover from that before you hit the big bunny hop and get even MORE ejector air before a slight left turn takes you to the brakes. Yes, it's a fairly short ride for a hypercoaster, but I'm not sure most people could take much more of this kind of intensity anyway. It's almost a relief to hit the brakes, a feeling that I've also had many times on Voyage, Outlaw Run, and others. It definitely works on the theory of "leave them wanting more" without being so short as to make you feel you got ripped off.
>
>
>
> I got somewhere between 15/20 rides on it and eventually made myself get off and go home because I knew I was going to feel it the next day as it was. I *did* feel it, too, but it was more exhaustion than soreness. Next time, I'll just ride it all day long and schedule a "down time day" afterwards to recover.

It's hard for me to participate in the polls because I'm way down here in South Florida and don't take but 2-3 coaster trips a year, even though I've been on a bunch, don't get to ride many each year. I have to fly everywhere except for Tampa and Orlando. People in the north east can drive. I was just at CP talking to someone from PA. All the parks are within 4-5 hours and he takes his family camping many times a year.

In my case, instead of bickering about the poll on a coaster web site, I made my own and talk about it on sites like Trip Advisor. Here's the Sandusky forum.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g50940-i266-Sandusky_Ohio.html

Someone in there just thanked me for my page at the end of this thread.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g50940-i266-k6022622-o50-Cedar_Point_or_Six_Flags_Great_America-Sandusky_Ohio.html

In my case, the order won't matter of the GTAs, as much as what new rides make the list that I'll need to check off. To me, it's more about a bucket list.

[David H.--REMOVE "STOPSPAM" to reply]

On Mon, 23 Jun 2014 13:31:25 -0700 (PDT), skiguy777
<skig...@bellsouth.net> wrote:

>I just visited Ohio, Buffalo NY, and Pittsburgh. If you like Sky Rush, you'd also like ROS at Darien Lake. Most people don't talk about it, but the ending has the same kind of pops found on Sky Rush. The ride goes drop, turn, massive air time hill, helix, massive air time hill, helix, turn, bunny hill, turn, bunny hill, bunny hill. You really get thrown around on the 2nd half of the ride if you're not holding on. So if you haven't been to Darien Lake to ride ROS, it's worth the visit. Plus you can head over to Niagara falls, which is what I did.
>
>That being said, I've updated my steel list, and even broke all the coasters in the "other" category into their respective companies. Here is my current 2014 list.
>
>http://www.nogodforme.com/USA_Steel_Coaster_List_2014.htm
>
>I've got ROS and Sky Rush together, could almost move them above Volcano, but it's really a toss up at that point. Volcano has multiple launches, also intense ride.

You didn't go to Canada's Wonderland while you were there, with two B&M
hypers just down the street?!?

[GodsOnSafari]

> You didn't go to Canada's Wonderland while you were there, with two B&M
>
> hypers just down the street?!?
>

Three hours of driving and border crossing isn't what I'd call "down the street", especially with it being the wrong way on his driving path.

[coastercrazy28]

On Monday, June 30, 2014 3:14:16 PM UTC-4, GodsOnSafari wrote:
> > You didn't go to Canada's Wonderland while you were there, with two B&M
>
> >
>
> > hypers just down the street?!?
>
> >

I believe just down the street would be more like Martin's Fantasy Island...

[David H.--REMOVE "STOPSPAM" to reply]

If your trip already involves Kings Island, Cedar Point, Kennywood, and
Darien Lake, and you're already going to Niagara Falls, then yes, Canada's
Wonderland is, relatively speaking, down the street. Especially for two
major coasters of a type he's said he enjoys a lot

Of course, he probably doesn't have a passport, which might complicate
things.

[ldnayman]

On Tuesday, July 1, 2014 12:32:46 PM UTC-4, David H.--REMOVE STOPSPAM to reply

> Of course, he probably doesn't have a
> passport, which might complicate
>
> things.
>

True.

Motherfucker can't even get into New Mexico.

[skiguy777]

On Sunday, June 8, 2014 1:21:40 PM UTC-4, TC10K wrote:
> It finally happened. Something knocked Expedition GeForce off my #1 steelie list.
>
> It was a complete shock to me, as I expected to like this coaster, I did not expect to love it.
>
>
>
> Yet, I hit the brakes on my first ride on SkyRush and was completely amazed. Then I rode the back row (first ride was up front) and it was even better. Several rides later, it was still just as good. That's when I realized that not only would my top ten need to be reworked, but that this ride would simply drop in at Number One and everything else would shuffle down a spot.
>
>
>
> I had heard horror stories about the restraints. Yes, they come down during the ride. No, they don't hurt... well, after around 15 rides in a row, my legs were sore, but no more than they'd have been on a Schwarzkopf or RMC ride). Also, when you get to the brake run, they pop the bars to let your legs free, just in case it came down enough to be uncomfortable. Seriously, the restraints are a non-issue now. Everyone who hated it before can go back reassured that while the restraints are still a bit annoying, they don't kill the ride experience any more.
>
>
>
> I'd seen plenty of YouTube videos of this ride and frankly, they're a big yawn. This is one of those rides like The Ultimate, where videos just don't show you much. Long, lazy turns, only a couple of hills, basically just a big figure-8 and not much else. Whatevs. At least that's what I thought.
>
>
>
> The first drop is just sinister. It's really steep and tries its damnedest to launch you onto the nearby road. When you finally realize you're still in the train, it kicks right a bit and you hit a really effective continuous ejector air hill. This is like Titan/Goliath speed hill on steroids. Ejector air that holds you hostage for awhile.
>
>
>
> From extreme negative Gs to extreme positive Gs, you hit the first turn (over the water) and the train feels more like a wood coaster. It shakes and rattles and reminds you that you're at its mercy. It comes out of this (repeat rides cause gray-outs here) into a second ejector air-plus hill, this one with a headchopper. Diving out of this, more positive Gs await followed by a twisting 90deg-or-so banked bunny hop that is not, I repeat NOT, engineered around the heartline. You are going to get flung back and forth as it twists into and out of this maneuver, each time convinced that the train will go one way and you will go another. Another swoop over the water with more positive Gs leads to an Intamin specialty: bunny hop with a twist at the top. There are these on the Supermen as well as EGF, but none are as effective, due mostly to the high center of gravity on these trains. More "holy shit, I'm going to go out the side of the car" feelings, only this time with ejector airtime thrown in.
>
>
>
> No time to recover from that before you hit the big bunny hop and get even MORE ejector air before a slight left turn takes you to the brakes. Yes, it's a fairly short ride for a hypercoaster, but I'm not sure most people could take much more of this kind of intensity anyway. It's almost a relief to hit the brakes, a feeling that I've also had many times on Voyage, Outlaw Run, and others. It definitely works on the theory of "leave them wanting more" without being so short as to make you feel you got ripped off.
>
>
>
> I got somewhere between 15/20 rides on it and eventually made myself get off and go home because I knew I was going to feel it the next day as it was. I *did* feel it, too, but it was more exhaustion than soreness. Next time, I'll just ride it all day long and schedule a "down time day" afterwards to recover.

Did you people not read what I said. I drove 1,167 miles on the trip, 5 hours each morning, plus an extra 3 hours the last afternoon going back to Columbus. Once I reached Buffalo, that was it. I headed back to Kennywood, then to Columbus because that was the airport.

The rental car is more if you drop it off at a different location. I fly into and out of the same airport. So yes, it may have only been 90 minutes across the boarder, but then I would have been 10 hours form Columbus.

I do have a passport. If I flew into Buffalo, then I may have done it. I want to finish off my USA Steel List, then I'll think about going to Canada. Won't go to Mexico, no way.

I was happy I got everything done. Didn't even have plans to visit Kennywood until the last day when I was ahead of schedule.

[dr. m]

Maybe I'm just young and adventurous (naive, dumb, etc) but I'm actually MORE excited at the prospect of flying to Mexico for some RMC goodness then flying to Texas or the midwest. Would I want to live there, no, but just to visit, why not? New country, different culture, some ancient historical sites to check out while I'm at it, and the food, mmmmmmmmm...

[thekma...@gmail.com]

dr. m wrote: "Maybe I'm just young and adventurous (naive, dumb, etc) but I'm actually MORE excited at the prospect of flying to Mexico for some RMC goodness then flying to Texas or the midwest. Would I want to live there, no, but just to visit, why not? New country, different culture, some ancient historical sites to check out while I'm at it, and the food, mmmmmmmmm... "

^^^that's the right attitude :)

[skiguy777]

On Sunday, June 8, 2014 1:21:40 PM UTC-4, TC10K wrote:
> It finally happened. Something knocked Expedition GeForce off my #1 steelie list.
>
> It was a complete shock to me, as I expected to like this coaster, I did not expect to love it.
>
>
>
> Yet, I hit the brakes on my first ride on SkyRush and was completely amazed. Then I rode the back row (first ride was up front) and it was even better. Several rides later, it was still just as good. That's when I realized that not only would my top ten need to be reworked, but that this ride would simply drop in at Number One and everything else would shuffle down a spot.
>
>
>
> I had heard horror stories about the restraints. Yes, they come down during the ride. No, they don't hurt... well, after around 15 rides in a row, my legs were sore, but no more than they'd have been on a Schwarzkopf or RMC ride). Also, when you get to the brake run, they pop the bars to let your legs free, just in case it came down enough to be uncomfortable. Seriously, the restraints are a non-issue now. Everyone who hated it before can go back reassured that while the restraints are still a bit annoying, they don't kill the ride experience any more.
>
>
>
> I'd seen plenty of YouTube videos of this ride and frankly, they're a big yawn. This is one of those rides like The Ultimate, where videos just don't show you much. Long, lazy turns, only a couple of hills, basically just a big figure-8 and not much else. Whatevs. At least that's what I thought.
>
>
>
> The first drop is just sinister. It's really steep and tries its damnedest to launch you onto the nearby road. When you finally realize you're still in the train, it kicks right a bit and you hit a really effective continuous ejector air hill. This is like Titan/Goliath speed hill on steroids. Ejector air that holds you hostage for awhile.
>
>
>
> From extreme negative Gs to extreme positive Gs, you hit the first turn (over the water) and the train feels more like a wood coaster. It shakes and rattles and reminds you that you're at its mercy. It comes out of this (repeat rides cause gray-outs here) into a second ejector air-plus hill, this one with a headchopper. Diving out of this, more positive Gs await followed by a twisting 90deg-or-so banked bunny hop that is not, I repeat NOT, engineered around the heartline. You are going to get flung back and forth as it twists into and out of this maneuver, each time convinced that the train will go one way and you will go another. Another swoop over the water with more positive Gs leads to an Intamin specialty: bunny hop with a twist at the top. There are these on the Supermen as well as EGF, but none are as effective, due mostly to the high center of gravity on these trains. More "holy shit, I'm going to go out the side of the car" feelings, only this time with ejector airtime thrown in.
>
>
>
> No time to recover from that before you hit the big bunny hop and get even MORE ejector air before a slight left turn takes you to the brakes. Yes, it's a fairly short ride for a hypercoaster, but I'm not sure most people could take much more of this kind of intensity anyway. It's almost a relief to hit the brakes, a feeling that I've also had many times on Voyage, Outlaw Run, and others. It definitely works on the theory of "leave them wanting more" without being so short as to make you feel you got ripped off.
>
>
>
> I got somewhere between 15/20 rides on it and eventually made myself get off and go home because I knew I was going to feel it the next day as it was. I *did* feel it, too, but it was more exhaustion than soreness. Next time, I'll just ride it all day long and schedule a "down time day" afterwards to recover.

Well, you might survive if you don't travel "Off the Beaten Path."

You could walk into a store, and a little girl will say you were trying to rape her. Then the police will show up, arrest you, and put you in prison. Why? So they can extort money. Don't laugh, it's happened.

This is one case where I'd only go with a large tour group. I'd go directly from the airport, to the park, back to the hotel for a night, and fly out the next day.

Do not shop in the little stores, do not "hang out" or travel "Off the Beaten path" looking for "culture." You'll get it, in the form of a prison.

[TC10K]

While Skiguy's examples are rare and more extreme that you should really worry about, I'll say that I've been to Mexico a couple of times and in both cases I couldn't wait to get the hell out of there and come home.

Note that I wasn't in the touristy places like Acapulco... but in Guadalajara, Taxco, Mexico City, Cuernavaca, etc.
The border towns like Nuevo Laredo are the scariest.

I'm going down there in October with a group and we're hitting something like 30 coasters, and I'm really looking forward to it because of multiple Schwarzkopf coasters, Medusa, etc - and there will be entire parks we'll visit that I wouldn't have dared try to do on my own or with a couple friends.

But yeah... doing that trip as part of a group is the ONLY way I'd be doing that trip. Skiguy and I actually agree on a point. Please mark your calendars.


...and this is from a guy who went overseas for the first time, rented a car, and did 70 coasters over five countries in just two weeks. Travel and foreign cultures don't bother/scare me at all - Mexico does.

[dr. m]

I kind of assumed there would be enough tourist traffic that you would be able to plan in such a way as to basically ensure your safety. Knowing where to stay, where to avoid, etc.

[TC10K]

Most areas of Mexico where the parks are (except for Mexico City) aren't the kinds of areas that will be full of tourists.

Some things I saw while down there:

Complete disregard for any and all traffic laws. Makes Italy look tame.

Armed guards with automatic rifles outside the grocery stores.

Restaurant getting a delivery of plucked chickens... out of an un-airconditioned u-haul type truck with two workers sitting on top of the pile of chickens in the back.

My cab making a left turn from the center of a four-lane road when the light turned green.

A friend of mine explaining to me why his phone is still in the name of the dead person who lived there a decade ago (long story, don't remember the details, but remember thinking he was just making shit up).

Rampant line-cutting at the park.

My lap bar on la Montaña Rusa coming up (and locking) in the middle of the ride. On returning to the station, the ride op kicked it to get it back down, shrugged, loaded more people and sent the ride out.

Saw a US guy get arrested for some complete bullshit, hand the arresting officer a wad of money, then walk away free while the officer pocketed the money.

On the train (Amtrak-like train, not park train), the porter came through and collected all the garbage. He took several large bags of trash to the last car of the train, opened the door, then stepped out onto the platform at the rear of the car (where I was standing). He nodded to me, then proceeded to throw all the bags of trash off the back of the train.

In spite of all the above (and other stuff that doesn't come to mind right away), I did have moments of time on those trips that were fun and exciting. Watching the morning crew raise the flag in Zocalo is hysterical (the tourists aren't up that early, so the good crew does the flag lowering in the evenings. The morning crew was TERRIBLE and I'm pretty sure the guy with the trumpet had never played one before).
Some of the historic sites were interesting as well (particularly the temples of the sun and moon) and the anthropology museum in Mexico City is awesome.
Also, all the OJ is fresh squeezed, the coffee is strong, and Pizza Hut serves breakfast pizza.

[dr. m]

^Got a big kick out of reading your anecdotes. When I do make the trip it'll probably just be for one or two parks, a museum or historical site, and that's it. Won't go too far from any heavily trafficked areas and, apparently, at least I'll have a few good stories to tell when I'm done. ;)

[Wolf]

>>> Looking at my above post, I think this also goes to explain why the GTA
>>> results differ so much from
>>> Hawker's...
>>
>>The way they count votes is entirely different.
>
> That's a big part of it, but as time goes on, I think they've got an
> entirely different panel of voters on each as well.
>
> Most of the old-school ACE/ECC/RRC coaster fans have completely given up
> on
> the Mitch poll. Either it's too much work, or they think that TPR has
> taken the poll over, or they just don't care. Most of those people taking
> the Mitch poll are newer enthusiasts driven there by various web coaster
> forums.
>
> And let's be honest, the crowds have vastly different tastes in coasters
> these days.

That doesn't change the fact that if you gave the GTA panel Mitch's ballot,
you'd end up with entirely different results between the two.

[anonimo]

On Sunday, June 8, 2014 1:21:40 PM UTC-4, TC10K wrote:
> It finally happened. Something knocked Expedition GeForce off my #1 steelie list.
>
> It was a complete shock to me, as I expected to like this coaster, I did not expect to love it.
>
>
>
> Yet, I hit the brakes on my first ride on SkyRush and was completely amazed. Then I rode the back row (first ride was up front) and it was even better. Several rides later, it was still just as good. That's when I realized that not only would my top ten need to be reworked, but that this ride would simply drop in at Number One and everything else would shuffle down a spot.
>
>
>
> I had heard horror stories about the restraints. Yes, they come down during the ride. No, they don't hurt... well, after around 15 rides in a row, my legs were sore, but no more than they'd have been on a Schwarzkopf or RMC ride). Also, when you get to the brake run, they pop the bars to let your legs free, just in case it came down enough to be uncomfortable. Seriously, the restraints are a non-issue now. Everyone who hated it before can go back reassured that while the restraints are still a bit annoying, they don't kill the ride experience any more.
>
>
>
> I'd seen plenty of YouTube videos of this ride and frankly, they're a big yawn. This is one of those rides like The Ultimate, where videos just don't show you much. Long, lazy turns, only a couple of hills, basically just a big figure-8 and not much else. Whatevs. At least that's what I thought.
>
>
>
> The first drop is just sinister. It's really steep and tries its damnedest to launch you onto the nearby road. When you finally realize you're still in the train, it kicks right a bit and you hit a really effective continuous ejector air hill. This is like Titan/Goliath speed hill on steroids. Ejector air that holds you hostage for awhile.
>
>
>
> From extreme negative Gs to extreme positive Gs, you hit the first turn (over the water) and the train feels more like a wood coaster. It shakes and rattles and reminds you that you're at its mercy. It comes out of this (repeat rides cause gray-outs here) into a second ejector air-plus hill, this one with a headchopper. Diving out of this, more positive Gs await followed by a twisting 90deg-or-so banked bunny hop that is not, I repeat NOT, engineered around the heartline. You are going to get flung back and forth as it twists into and out of this maneuver, each time convinced that the train will go one way and you will go another. Another swoop over the water with more positive Gs leads to an Intamin specialty: bunny hop with a twist at the top. There are these on the Supermen as well as EGF, but none are as effective, due mostly to the high center of gravity on these trains. More "holy shit, I'm going to go out the side of the car" feelings, only this time with ejector airtime thrown in.
>
>
>
> No time to recover from that before you hit the big bunny hop and get even MORE ejector air before a slight left turn takes you to the brakes. Yes, it's a fairly short ride for a hypercoaster, but I'm not sure most people could take much more of this kind of intensity anyway. It's almost a relief to hit the brakes, a feeling that I've also had many times on Voyage, Outlaw Run, and others. It definitely works on the theory of "leave them wanting more" without being so short as to make you feel you got ripped off.
>
>
>
> I got somewhere between 15/20 rides on it and eventually made myself get off and go home because I knew I was going to feel it the next day as it was. I *did* feel it, too, but it was more exhaustion than soreness. Next time, I'll just ride it all day long and schedule a "down time day" afterwards to recover.

When exactly did the restraints become a "non-issue?" I was there on June 2, and I was in agony after just the first hill or 2. No way I could do a second ride. Or did I get on the train that had the old restraints, or something? (Definitely would be a top 5 ride for me, if it wasn't for those extremely painful -- at least for me -- restraints.)

[dr. m]

The trains are both the same. I think it might be a combination of how much the ride op staples you, and how much fun you're having. I rode it 8 times last time I went and my brother was done after 4 because his thighs were hurting too bad. He claimed he was fine until he got one bad ride where the ride op got overzealous. It's not like I couldn't feel it in my thighs too but I love the ride so much I hardly noticed. Not sure what the answer actually is.

[David H.--REMOVE "STOPSPAM" to reply]

True. but ultimately, when you have people with very different interests
on each panel, you're going to get different results as well.

Certainly, the methodologies are very different and give very different
results. They both do what their polls are supposed to do.

The GTA's give a sense of what the BIG coasters are in terms of both
quality and popularity among enthusiasts. I don't think that there's any
doubt that Millennium Force is easily the most popular coaster in the world
among coaster enthusiasts. But Mitch's poll really takes into account the
relative quality of each coaster among those who have ridden them, which
gives a better view of how those who have actually read them liked them.

But ultimately, when large groups of people are deliberately avoiding a
poll, it's going to dramatically change the results, especially if their
opinions are different from those who are still participating.

The kind of crowd that rank Magnum, Mindbender and Apollo's Chariot highly
are not participating, especially in Mitch's steel poll.

[TC10K]

re: When exactly did the restraints become a "non-issue?" I was there on June 2, and I was in agony after just the first hill or 2. No way I could do a second ride. Or did I get on the train that had the old restraints, or something? (Definitely would be a top 5 ride for me, if it wasn't for those extremely painful -- at least for me -- restraints.)

I was there just three days later on June 5.

I rode it nearly 20 times before my legs got sore. Even then, it wasn't a painful soreness, just a bit uncomfortable. I quit riding more because of an encroaching headache from the G-forces than from the thigh soreness.

[skiguy777]

What's happening with Mexico, is the tourist areas are dying, because American's are staying away. This leaves the riff raff who will do anything to survive. They don't understand that if they hold up American's at gun point, they won't come back. Or the little girl in the store who says an American wanted to rape her. They hold an old man in jail, and the reports end up here, where I repeat them. All of these things happened, it's in the news. It's worse since there are less tourists down there. In the past, Mexico put up with American's in their country, because they wanted the money. But since the boarder fence went up, and we told them to GTFO, they're pissed.

Stay in a large group, and if a cop claims you did something stupid, be ready to take out your cameras and send the footage home before they arrest the entire group and put you in a prison camp. I would have cameras out at all time streaming footage directly home to an FTP site.

Do not travel "off the beaten path", do not visit any little stores alone, and don't talk to any little girls who will claim you solicited them for sex. Stay in the resort areas in large groups.

Back here in the states, Boycott Mexican produce until our Marine comes home. When I visit Costco and Whole Foods, I only buy Avocados from Peru and Tomatoes from California. If it says Mexico, I don't buy it.

[skiguy777]

On Sunday, June 8, 2014 1:21:40 PM UTC-4, TC10K wrote:
> It finally happened. Something knocked Expedition GeForce off my #1 steelie list.
>
> It was a complete shock to me, as I expected to like this coaster, I did not expect to love it.
>
>
>
> Yet, I hit the brakes on my first ride on SkyRush and was completely amazed. Then I rode the back row (first ride was up front) and it was even better. Several rides later, it was still just as good. That's when I realized that not only would my top ten need to be reworked, but that this ride would simply drop in at Number One and everything else would shuffle down a spot.
>
>
>
> I had heard horror stories about the restraints. Yes, they come down during the ride. No, they don't hurt... well, after around 15 rides in a row, my legs were sore, but no more than they'd have been on a Schwarzkopf or RMC ride). Also, when you get to the brake run, they pop the bars to let your legs free, just in case it came down enough to be uncomfortable. Seriously, the restraints are a non-issue now. Everyone who hated it before can go back reassured that while the restraints are still a bit annoying, they don't kill the ride experience any more.
>
>
>
> I'd seen plenty of YouTube videos of this ride and frankly, they're a big yawn. This is one of those rides like The Ultimate, where videos just don't show you much. Long, lazy turns, only a couple of hills, basically just a big figure-8 and not much else. Whatevs. At least that's what I thought.
>
>
>
> The first drop is just sinister. It's really steep and tries its damnedest to launch you onto the nearby road. When you finally realize you're still in the train, it kicks right a bit and you hit a really effective continuous ejector air hill. This is like Titan/Goliath speed hill on steroids. Ejector air that holds you hostage for awhile.
>
>
>
> From extreme negative Gs to extreme positive Gs, you hit the first turn (over the water) and the train feels more like a wood coaster. It shakes and rattles and reminds you that you're at its mercy. It comes out of this (repeat rides cause gray-outs here) into a second ejector air-plus hill, this one with a headchopper. Diving out of this, more positive Gs await followed by a twisting 90deg-or-so banked bunny hop that is not, I repeat NOT, engineered around the heartline. You are going to get flung back and forth as it twists into and out of this maneuver, each time convinced that the train will go one way and you will go another. Another swoop over the water with more positive Gs leads to an Intamin specialty: bunny hop with a twist at the top. There are these on the Supermen as well as EGF, but none are as effective, due mostly to the high center of gravity on these trains. More "holy shit, I'm going to go out the side of the car" feelings, only this time with ejector airtime thrown in.
>
>
>
> No time to recover from that before you hit the big bunny hop and get even MORE ejector air before a slight left turn takes you to the brakes. Yes, it's a fairly short ride for a hypercoaster, but I'm not sure most people could take much more of this kind of intensity anyway. It's almost a relief to hit the brakes, a feeling that I've also had many times on Voyage, Outlaw Run, and others. It definitely works on the theory of "leave them wanting more" without being so short as to make you feel you got ripped off.
>
>
>
> I got somewhere between 15/20 rides on it and eventually made myself get off and go home because I knew I was going to feel it the next day as it was. I *did* feel it, too, but it was more exhaustion than soreness. Next time, I'll just ride it all day long and schedule a "down time day" afterwards to recover.

Bump.

I updated my list here.

http://www.nogodforme.com/USA_Steel_Coaster_List_2014.htm

and moved Skyrush up in the rankings.

The reason? Kingda Ka now has that stupid loading pattern, where the ride can not operate when the drop ride is going. How sad, that's the equivalent of having the ride out of action to me.

I kept Kingda Ka near the top of my poll to reward the height record, but screw it, that's going away next year when the polar coaster comes on line.

It's really sad to see the world record height coaster fall into such a mess.

I show up a SFNJ and they only have a couple trains on it, with only one side of the loading station working. How pathetic.

Then I go to CP and they have 5 trains running on TTD, and there's a buzz about the ride. People cheering, it's the ERT ride for season pass holders when the park closed. I got many rides at 10pm when the park closed, there was a bunch of people who stayed getting many ride.

Not to mention, if you look at their streaming web camera, it often points at the TTD loading station, which is fascinating to watch.