Rollercoasters

[Vltros]

This week I went to "Port Aventura" a theme park in the region where I live. I love rollercoasters and I really like the sensations and the shot of adrenalin they produce. So I though we could all share our experiences and see which country has the craziest rollercoaster.

Last year in "Port Aventura" they opened 2 new rides: a giant drop ride and a speed rollercoaster.

"Furius Baco" it's the name of that rollercoaster and... oh man! What an experience. It's one of the fastest rollercoasters in the world: it accelerates from 0 to 135km/h (84 mph) in 3.5 seconds. And actually it's the fastest rollercoaster with an inversion in the world. The acceleration is brutal. It accelerates so fast you can't move for some seconds until you get used to the speed. And when the twist comes...buffff You turn into some sort of ragdoll because you can't control your body. Insane!!

+ YouTube Video

"Dragon Khan" it's the name of another rollercoaster in the same park. When it was first opened it was the coaster with the biggest number of inversions (eight). It is quite a different experience from "Furius Baco" because it doesn't go that fast (65 mph) and when you are seated you can barely move. The ride twists and turs so much that when it finishes your head takes some seconds to return to it's normal state.

+ YouTube Video

[jeffy777]

I love rollercoasters as well.

Theme Parks I've been too:

King's Island (near Cincinnati, OH)
http://www.pki.com/

Cedar Point (Sandusky, OH on Lake Erie)
http://www.cedarpoint.com/

Six Flags Great America (near Chicago, IL):
http://www.sixflags.com/greatAmerica/index.aspx

[Lupin_IV]

I think Hersheypark may have the craziest traditional coaster right now.

Fahrenheit
Length: 2,700 feet (823 meters)
Height: 121 feet (37 meters)
Max speed: 58 mph (93 km/h)
Lift angle: 90°
First drop angle: 97°

Yes, those numbers are correct; the lift is vertical and the first drop does curl under itself.

[Firecat]

I loved going to Canada's wonderland. Haven't been there is so long, and I hear they have a lot of new rides. I live in Orlando, but don't really go to the Disney parks often. I do have a seasons pass for Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure...and the new simpsons ride is opening this month, so I'm gonna check it out. Sea World has a new waterpark out as well, I think they have this slide which goes underwater passed dolphins or something...

[Crazyjeeper]

I also love roller coasters. Sadly, I haven't been on too many great ones. I have only been to Six Flags, Fiesta Texas, in San Antonio and Six Flags over Texas in Arlington.

[Alok]

I was at Europapark yesterday, where I rode the Silverstar half a dozen times. It's unbelievable how addictive adrenaline rush is.

Location Europa-Park
Park section France
Type Steel
Manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard
Model Hypercoaster
Track layout Out and Back
Lift/launch system Chain lift hill
Height 239.5 ft (73.0 m)
Drop 219.83 ft (67.00 m)
Length 5,315 ft (1,620 m)
Max speed 78.9 mph (127.0 km/h)
Duration 2:53
Max vertical angle 68.5°
Capacity 1750 riders per hour
Max g-force 4G
Height restriction 4 ft 7 in (140 cm)

[NecroJoe]

I LOVED Six Flags Great America in Illinois, but I drove to LA from San Francisco to specifically ride "X" at Six Flags Magic Mountain.

You know those Ferris wheels where instead of seats then have the egg-cages that flip end over end? Well, this roller coaster has seats that also flip upside down...and they are suspended over the edge of the tracks.

The first time I ever heard of it, I thought "Within 30 days, someone will die on it."

After noone did, I wanted to go. :-p

+ YouTube Video

[American TG Man]

Normally, I can't bring myself to ride a metal coaster, yet I have no qualms about riding a wooden coaster. No idea why, it's just that way with me. My favorite coaster so far is Boulder Dash at Lake Compounce, in Connecticut. A few things I like about it include the fact it follows the terrain. Whereas the lift hills on most coasters are elevated well above the ground, this one rises maybe 5-10 feet the whole way up. Also, most of the ride is hidden from view, including the 115-foot first drop. That, and 60 mph on a wooden coaster (a type notorious for a rough ride) is bloody terrifying (but massive amounts of fun )

/Is now planning to ride The Beast at some point in the future.
//Any park that gives out free soda as well is good in my book.

[cvrefugee]

I hate the wooden coasters because they're so damn rough. I swear they have a kidney dialysis station at the end of the ride because half of the riders go into complete renal failure.

[Crazyjeeper]

Originally Posted by cvrefugee

I hate the wooden coasters because they're so damn rough. I swear they have a kidney dialysis station at the end of the ride because half of the riders go into complete renal failure.

I love wooden roller coasters, and I don't think they are too rough. Might have something to do with the fact that I drove a Jeep that rode like the axles were welded to the frame for 2 and a half years.

[KaJuN]

Originally Posted by American TG Man

Normally, I can't bring myself to ride a metal coaster, yet I have no qualms about riding a wooden coaster. No idea why, it's just that way with me. My favorite coaster so far is Boulder Dash at Lake Compounce, in Connecticut. A few things I like about it include the fact it follows the terrain. Whereas the lift hills on most coasters are elevated well above the ground, this one rises maybe 5-10 feet the whole way up. Also, most of the ride is hidden from view, including the 115-foot first drop. That, and 60 mph on a wooden coaster (a type notorious for a rough ride) is bloody terrifying (but massive amounts of fun )

/Is now planning to ride The Beast at some point in the future.
//Any park that gives out free soda as well is good in my book.

Suggestion: when you ride The Beast ride it at night and sit in the back.

[Serj]

The Beast and the Vortex are really the only rollercoasters that I totally can never miss when i goto King's Island. In My eyes, Paramount slowly destroyed the integrity of that park, and I pray that Cedar Fairs will bring it back to glory...although that might impose issues with Cedar Point. On the upshot, King's Island has ALOT MORE LAND to build stuff on, where as Cedar Point has to destroy something whenever they wanna build something else. Someone get Arrow Dynamics on the Phone and tell'em to take their lessons learned playbook on suspended coasters and build a Supersized redeux of The Bat.

[jeffy777]

Originally Posted by American TG Man

/Is now planning to ride The Beast at some point in the future.
//Any park that gives out free soda as well is good in my book.

The Beast is an amazing classic. I've ridden it quite a few times and it's well worth it if you're in to wooden rollercoasters

[Karoug]

Rollercoaster tycoon 3 FTW!!

[Vltros]

Originally Posted by NecroJoe

I LOVED Six Flags Great America in Illinois, but I drove to LA from San Francisco to specifically ride "X" at Six Flags Magic Mountain.

You know those Ferris wheels where instead of seats then have the egg-cages that flip end over end? Well, this roller coaster has seats that also flip upside down...and they are suspended over the edge of the tracks.

The first time I ever heard of it, I thought "Within 30 days, someone will die on it."

After noone did, I wanted to go. :-p

OMG! This one looks sick!!! Altough it looks like it goes quite slow. Which is not at all a bad thing bearing in mind you go backwards and flipping seats!

About wooden Coasters I also think they are quite rough and sometimes they are even painful. The only wooden coaster I've been to its "Stampida" in the same park as the other 2 coasters I posted. What's best about this one is that it's in fact 2 wooden coasters glued together. There are two different tracks (one blue and one red) which start and end at the same place but follow different paths. The coolest thing about it is that they start at the same time so it's like some sort of race to see which one finishes first. It all depends on the weight of the people because the winning ride (either blue or red) is quite random.

[watisdis]

Originally Posted by jeffy777

Cedar Point (Sandusky, OH on Lake Erie)
http://www.cedarpoint.com/

Nothing that I've riden in my life can compare to Millenium Force. The initial drop is an adrenaline rush like no other.

Height 310 ft (94 m)
Drop 300 ft (91 m)
Length 6,595 ft (2,010 m)
Max speed 93 mph (150 km/h)

(Yes that really is an 80 degree drop angle)

hi-res pic

+ YouTube Video

[KaJuN]

^ Did you go on Top Thrill Dragster? Holy crap! The acceleration is simply unbelievable. 0-120 in 4 seconds. I love the part when you're going straight up and you can see the earth falling away from you.

Magnum is pretty sweet too. You have the speed of a steel coaster with the roughness of a wooden one. But my favorite at Cedar Point is Raptor. Even if you sit in the front you can't see the track for most of the ride because it twists and turns so much. Awesome!!