allaboutmusic

Up until last year, I'd only had very limited experience with rollercoasters. I went on an old wooden one with my parents when I was in my early teens, and that was about it - my parents were never really theme park people and so I never really thought too much about it.

Fast forward to last year, when I went with friends to Thorpe Park, here in the UK on the outskirts of London. The rollercoasters terrified me - they were fast, high and twisty and I thought I might die on one. Nevertheless, I've always believed that what scares you is usually good for you, and decided early on to go on anything.

Best decision I could have made that day. Especially Stealth, which goes from 0-80mph in under 2 seconds and shoots you up a giant arch, then plunges you back down again. Thought it looked very scary, but turned out to be a huge adrenaline rush.

I've since been back three times, and have also been to Disneyland Paris (where they also had great rides with even better theming and production). I am still hoping to go to Alton Towers at some point, and I'm starting to research other roller coasters in other countries and am hoping to visit some.

Anyone else here into roller coasters?

PonyPotato

I LOVE rollercoasters.

I grew up about 40 minutes from Kings Island, where they have the longest wooden rollercoaster in the world - The Beast (it was also the fastest until they built another at the same park, Son of Beast). They also have plenty of other great rollercoasters, including an awesome new one this year called Diamondback.

I hate heights, but I love rollercoasters. I still hope to get to Cedar Point before the end of the season this year, as they have some of the most impressive rollercoasters in the world (and I have a season pass). Exciting!!

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LoganSnake

Never been on one. Frankly, they scare me.

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Meditrina

I don't ride roller coasters. I don't like to go upside down and fast. I probably could deal with the ups and downs, just not the loop-di-loops. There is a show on Cartoon Network called Brain Rush. Kids go on wild roller coaster rides, and have to answer questions while on it. It's crazy. They can hardly answer any of them because they are too busy screaming.

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Jetée

Eh, in my limited experience with 'em, 'snot good.

This happened to me as I rode in my first true thrill ride, and then two more other coasters, consecutively, within the span of 15 minutes.



I was twitching and beyond queasy, I had to find the nearest bench and repose, else I would've spun around flightlessly, then collapsed. I stayed there for a good 20 minutes, and it was perhaps the better part of my stay at the park that day, other than the first half of the daydreaming session, where my head was throbbing and it felt as though stuff wanted to erupt from my nose.


I see no need for me to ride another coaster again, though a zipline/cable car would be grand.

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Tully Mars

The faster, more loops the better, IMO. Only thing I don't like about them is their location... fucking theme parks... full of fucking clueless tourists. The land of large obnoxious crowds, their demon seed offspring, $9 hot dogs and $6 beers.

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Jetée

Oh, my. I saw this just yesterday for about two minutes before I changed the channel again.

That's a bad premise for a game show, but somehow, it's great premise for a roller coaster ride if you can win money by just riding on one and thinking for a minute.

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As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world (that is the myth of the Atomic Age) as in being able to remake ourselves.

—Mohandas K. Gandhi

Punk.of.Ages

I really love roller coasters. The speed and twirls don't bug me at all.

It's ferris wheels that scare the shit out of me...

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Meditrina

Why?

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Punk.of.Ages

I hate hate hate heights. On roller coasters I don't mind because its so fast, but on ferris wheels I have to sit there, really high up, for extended periods of time...

It's not for me.

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"Punk rock music is great music played by really bad, drunk musicians." -Fat Mike

Meditrina

That is a very good explanation.

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LordEden

Love them. I'll try anything once. Did the 13 story free fall thing, that was intense.

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mixedmedia

I LOVE roller coasters. Every mother-loving one of them. Bring 'em on!

The Hulk at Universal Studios is one of the best around here, but unfortunately it is about 30 seconds too short, in my opinion.

The the first one I ever rode was The Scream Machine at Six Flags in Atlanta. Kind of changed my life.

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Grancey

The Scream Machine!!!! I would ride and then get back in line to ride again. Over and over. It was great. But the best, for me, was the rollercoaster at Miracle Strip at Panama City Beach. It was built in 1963 and didn't have all the newfangled twists and turns and upside downs, but it was great. It met it's demise a few years ago when a developer bought the park. An amusement park ghost town stands there now. Sigh..........

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IdeoFunk

For some reason old rickety wooden rollercosters give me the jitters like no other. Even though you know they've been inspected by safety officials, I think it's because they always rattle like nuts and seem about to collapse in on themselves.

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Punk.of.Ages

That's half the thrill for me. Like, newer coasters have the whole twists, turns, and loops element. Old wooden ones have their seemingly unsafe nature.

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"The fact is that censorship always defeats its own purpose, for it creates, in the end, the kind of society that is incapable of exercising real discretion..." - Henry Steel Commager

"Punk rock music is great music played by really bad, drunk musicians." -Fat Mike

Grancey

Where is Cyn? He's a rollercoaster fan.

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Quiet, mild-mannered souls might just turn out to be roaring lions of two-fisted cool.

Punk.of.Ages

He's sleeping, I'd bet...

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"The fact is that censorship always defeats its own purpose, for it creates, in the end, the kind of society that is incapable of exercising real discretion..." - Henry Steel Commager

"Punk rock music is great music played by really bad, drunk musicians." -Fat Mike

dlish

as much as i love the thrill of rollercoasters, by about the tenth time, im ready to spew

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genuinegirly

I'm a big fan - been to Six Flags Magic Mountain on numerous occasions - that's where all the good rides are in SoCal. Also frequented Disneyland, Knotts Berry Farm, and Universal Studios as a kid - not as much fun as an adult, save the nostalgia aspect.

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ratbastid

LOVE LOVE LOVE roller coasters. LOVE.

We go up to Busch Gardens Williamsburg fairly frequently. Major good times.

ObieX

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Jimellow

I'm partial to wooden roller coasters. They throw you around to the point of being bruised, the retaining bar feels flimsy, and the rear cars going airborne numerous times over the course of a ride assure you that death is imminent. It's awesome!

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allaboutmusic

This is something I have been reading about, how the ride changes whether you sit at the front or the back. I like sitting in the front row, but seems there are benefits to the rear seats as well.

Reese

I'll be riding The Voyage wooden coaster at Holiday world Tuesday..

I can't wait!(I'm totally gonna vomit!)

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little_tippler

Just watching those vids makes me a little sick.

I am a total wuss when it comes to these. I have zero tolerance, even on a small one I feel so awful I just want to get off. This is also wasted on me because I close my eyes and scream, so I'm not even looking.

That Voyage thing is fucking scary. It's interesting when it goes into the darkness the first time...I actually jumped there. Would be an interesting concept, a roller coaster in total darkness. Now that would be mega awful.

I have no idea why I can't enjoy them at all, they just scare the crap out of me. My body has no tolerance for that kind of thing. I read once that some people have a higher need for adrenaline than others. I guess I must not need much at all.

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We are ever unapparent. What we are
Cannot be transfused into word or book.
Our soul from us is infinitely far.
However much we give our thoughts the will
To be our soul and gesture it abroad,
Our hearts are incommunicable still.
In what we show ourselves we are ignored.
The abyss from soul to soul cannot be bridged
By any skill of thought or trick of seeming.
Unto our very selves we are abridged
When we would utter to our thought our being.
We are our dreams of ourselves, souls by gleams,
And each to each other dreams of others' dreams.

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allaboutmusic

Dude, that looks like an AWESOME coaster, and huge.

Thorpe Park has one called X:\No Way Out, which is not only in the dark, but backwards. It is also probably the least dramatic coaster they have there.

levite

I love a good coaster. I mostly stay away from theme parks, because while I love rides, I hate crowds and mindless materialism, and theme parks tend to be endless founts of both. But once in a while, my yen for thrills will win out, and I go to Disneyland or Disney's California Adventure, or Magic Mountain, or Universal-- I never thought Knott's was much good.

Space Mountain rocks, and the major coaster at California Adventure is good. But Magic Mountain rules for coasters: Tatsu, Viper, X2, Scream, Revolution, Goliath, Colossus...man, that is good stuff!

Coasters aside, I also love that Haunted Hotel ride at Disney, where you freefall for 13 stories...that is more than a little fun.

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absorbentishe

I live an hour away from the self proclaimed "america's roller coast" park, aka Cedar Point. I think in my life, I've ridden about 200 roller coasters. Love em, even the bad ones, but Cedar Point is by far the bestest evah!

Reese

Well, Unfortunately, I didn't get to ride the Voyage yesterday. I did get to ride The Raven and Legend which are smaller but still very fun wooden coasters. The Voyage was on the very far side of the park though and by the time we got over there a storm was rolling in. We felt pretty lucky at the time because the line was VERY short considering it's such a huge attraction. The only line was like 8 people per cart so we were going to get to ride after 4 or 5 trips. We were next in line when their storm warning went off and they shut the ride down. I guess it could have been worse. We could have been the people stuck on the coaster in the middle of it when they hit the kill switch. We thought about waiting the storm out but it was already getting late and we didn't know how long it was going to last so we just called it a day and accepted defeat.

One other thing.. I don't think I've been chatted up by so many hot women in my life. Maybe We should add theme parks to the where to meet women thread. Sure, 90% of em are married but that's still a ton of single mothers and single aunts and single big sisters.

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PonyPotato

I finally will be going to Cedar Point for the first time ever next weekend (Aug 15) and I CAN'T WAIT!!!

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"Without passion man is a mere latent force and possibility, like the flint which awaits the shock of the iron before it can give forth its spark."
— Henri-Frédéric Amiel

mrklixx

We have a big wooden coaster here called "The Boss", and after I rode it. I felt like I had been on the losing end of a fight. I did not ride it a second time. Don't get me wrong, I like roller coasters in general, I just don't want to feel like I've been beat to hell after riding one. If I ever get the urge for that sensation, I'll roll down a hill in a big truck tire filled with bricks, and I won't have to wait in line for an hour.

I have a condition that makes it impossible for me to ride any of the "dangly feet" type coasters, so all the rally cool ones like Hulk are no-go for me, which sucks.

Of the ones I can ride, I think Space Mountain is the best. I like the uniqueness of being in total pitch black, and the track is so close that you can hear it whipping past your head.

Another one that I like that alot of coaster enthusiasts probably turn their nose up at is Rock and Roller coaster.

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CinnamonGirl

Love them. Love them. LOVE THEM. I live about 45 minutes away from King's Island, and we were there every week or so when I was a kid. My favorite coaster there is probably the Beast...or maybe the Vortex.

I've been to Cedar Point once, and definitely need to go again. Kinda funny-- we spent the entire day riding roller coasters & other thrill rides, and I had a blast. Last ride was the Matterhorn (spinny ride), and I thought I was going to lose it. Bleah.

Dragster and Magnum were my favorites at Cedar Point...oh, and Wicked Twister. We rode that one four times in a row, since there was no line

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Jetée

Um... I just found this yesterday; I wasn't actively looking for it, I swear.

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As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world (that is the myth of the Atomic Age) as in being able to remake ourselves.

—Mohandas K. Gandhi

absorbentishe

Hey PonyPotato, looks like I might be going to CP on the 15 as well. Perhaps we can meet up and I could give you some pointers??

PonyPotato

Some pointers on what?

I'm listening!

__________________
"Without passion man is a mere latent force and possibility, like the flint which awaits the shock of the iron before it can give forth its spark."
— Henri-Frédéric Amiel

mixedmedia

hey!
those aren't bikinis!
stupid men.

__________________
Most people go through life dreading they'll have a traumatic experience. Freaks were born with their trauma. They've already passed their test in life. They're aristocrats. - Diane Arbus
PESSIMISM, n. A philosophy forced upon the convictions of the observer by the disheartening prevalence of the optimist with his scarecrow hope and his unsightly smile. - Ambrose Bierce

absorbentishe

Rides to hit first! Go to the back of the park first, Maverick! Then Mean Streak, mine ride. Gemini, cork screw, dragster.

That's the way we go, the lines are shorter at the back of the park first thing. Millennium is always at least an hour, so it doesn't matter what time you hit that, and the same with Magnum.

Expect to do a lot of walking, wear comfy shoes and lots of sunscreen!

Here's the link to all the coasters, but there are plenty more things to do there.
Roller Coasters, All the Rides, Cedar Point

Fujicakes

I ventured to lots of the theme parks in So Cal. Six Flags Magic Mountain has some incredible rides (X2, Viper, Goliath, Batman, etc.) as does Disneyland (Space Mountain!). I recently went to Knotts Berry Farm for the second time but I still haven't gotten on a lot of the good rides, which disappoints me greatly. Universal Studios doesn't have a lot though.

I'm a bit of a coaster junkie, but unfortunately I haven't been to many theme parks outside of So Cal.

Mister Coaster

How'd I miss this topic?!?!

Although family life has put a serious handcuffing on how many coasters I ride per year, I still am a roller coaster enthusiast. I've ridden 168 rollercoasters and am looking forward to number whatever comes next. I hope to ride Terminator at Magic Mountain soon, looks great.

Cybermike, you missed a good one with The Voyage, although I actually liked Raven the best there. Voyage was almost TOO much of a good thing. Shivering Timbers is my favorite.

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