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How high is your personal roughness tolerance on roller coasters?

Matt N

Matt N

TS Member
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Shambhala (PortAventura Park)
Hi guys. A recent discussion I was having a few days back in the Blackpool Pleasure Beach thread about the roughness of the park’s wooden coasters, and the differing opinions on the matter, spurred me to create this thread asking; how high is your personal roughness tolerance on roller coasters?

I must admit, mine is not very high at all. There are definitely a fair few rides I don’t enjoy because I find them too rough for me. Grand National and Infusion are two notable examples, and many others like the Big One, Steeplechase and Big Dipper also fall into this category for me within Blackpool. Outside of Blackpool, rides like Colossus at Thorpe Park, and all 3 of the Gerstlauer thrill coasters I’ve ridden (Speed, Saw and Smiler) fall into this category for me, as well as pretty much any wild mouse coaster. Even though I still enjoy it, I do personally find that even Nemesis, a coaster often cited as being “glass smooth”, has head banging in places that can definitely detract from the experience for me. Megafobia, despite the fact I absolutely loved it in the front and middle rows, even in some rows towards the back, is a coaster that I found a little too rough to fully enjoy in the very back row, and I think the way that those PTC trains take some of the turns can be a slight detractor dependant on where you sit (again, this was a problem that was far worse in the back).

However, there are some coasters that I have heard referred to as rough that I honestly did not have a problem with. Notable examples here include:
  • Avalanche at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, which while it does have a slight rattle, didn’t detract from the ride for me, and I find it tremendous fun; against the common grain, it’s my #2 in Blackpool behind only Icon! However, I’ve heard other people say it’s one of their least favourite coasters due to how rough it is.
  • Mine Blower at Fun Spot Kissimmee, which while it wasn’t glass smooth, just felt like a regular modern wooden coaster to me; no undue roughness anywhere in the ride, and no pain when hitting the brake run. I did admittedly sit in the very front row, however; it might be rougher towards the back. I’ve heard other people say it’s unbearably rough.
  • Wicker Man at Alton Towers. I’d heard people saying that this had become back-breakingly rough in parts of the layout, and it was so unbearably rough that people were actively skipping rides on it, so with my naturally low roughness tolerance, I was very nervous to reride. However, I rode towards the back of the train (not very back row, but towards the back; row 8 & row 9), and it was fine; again, just felt like a regular modern wooden coaster to me, and I think the trains track so well that it prevents any real pain. It wasn’t glass smooth, but a wooden coaster is never going to be (aside from RMCs and Intamin prefabs); no pain at all, and I was even more buzzing getting off than I was in 2018! In fact, I’d say it was one of the less painful rides at Alton Towers for me; I probably felt more pain getting off The Smiler and even Nemesis!
But how high is your roughness tolerance? I think this could be an interesting thread, as I know some on here like a rougher ride!
 
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Mine is low like yours @Matt N, partly why I still haven't braved Smiler yet. :p
Roughest coasters I've done so far are Big Dipper and Ultimate.
 
skyscraper said:
Mine is low like yours @Matt N, partly why I still haven't braved Smiler yet. :p
Roughest coasters I've done so far are Big Dipper and Ultimate.
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I’ve never actually done The Ultimate, but it doesn’t really look like my kind of coaster; POVs alone imply that that second half is absolutely brutal!

Also, have you done Grand National? I personally found that far rougher than Big Dipper when I last rode them both.
 
The Ultimate - great
Grand National, Big Dipper - tolerable and enjoyable
Furious Baco, Colossus, Infusion - horrible

Totally depends on the type of roughness for me. I don't mind my body getting bashed to bits as part of a fun coaster so long as my head gets left alone. The worst types of rides are those that constantly bash your head against OTSRs. Headache guaranteed.
 
Matt N said:
I’ve never actually done The Ultimate, but it doesn’t really look like my kind of coaster; POVs alone imply that that second half is absolutely brutal!

Also, have you done Grand National? I personally found that far rougher than Big Dipper when I last rode them both.
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Yeah I wouldn't recommend the Ultimate Matt. Last time I rode the second half was so rough I genuinely worried about concussion. :oops:

I haven't ridden Nash, no. Just haven't found the courage.
 
I was brought up with woodies,

There wasn't any steel coasters around when I grew up (if there were, not many or definitely not at any of the attractions that I visited as a child) . I rode my first steel coaster when I was 16 yrs old at Margate Bemboms Brothers Dreamland. I had the opposite complaint, the steel ones were too smooth for my liking. It's not a good rollercoaster if you don't come off with a few bruises.

For me Blackpool woodies are rough, and not forgetting one of my favourite rough rollercoaster, the mouse which I always came off with bruises.
 
Infinite when there isn't headbanging involved. With OTSRs, one ride is more than enough for me these days on The Smiler, for example.
 
Pretty high, I think. I'm usually just happy to get on a coaster at all. Also, besides Millennium, which is apparently a pretty smooth Vekoma, my first rides were Shockwave and Klondike. So far, only Goudirix was a bit much to keep reriding but we still went on it three times in a row. I had to say no more and I'm the one who dragged my mate to the park!
 
I've done back to back rides on things like T'Ulty, National, Mouse etc. The only rides ever to get to me was Infusion (restraint to the temple) and Bandit (made me feel ill as it rammed a restraint into my stomach)

As said above, I'll be way more forgiving to a good coaster like Ulty (despite it trying to eject you and destroy your knees) than something utterly meh
 
I feel like my tolerance is quite high, but there are certain rides like Saw which make my head hurt, I come off feeling woozy and a bit battered. colossus I enjoy, theres a certain way of riding it through the rough patches around the cobra roll otherwise it seems fine, the blackpool woodies are a fun kind of rough aside from Nash which is painful.
 
I find the smiler jolty but not so bad that it's painful. I find nemesis smooth, it's not glass smooth but it's that intense it's impossible to be (I think if nemesis was glass smooth it wouldn't be the beast it is). But when it comes to woodies... I found the roughness of the grand national almost funny, I love it if I'm honest, But I also think it needs a re-track. Wickerman is very smooth when it comes to wooden coasters. So overall I'd say my tolerance is pretty high. If the overall experience and layout of the coaster is good then I think a bit of roughness or rattle as people call it, can be tolerated.
 
I've said this on this forum a number of times before, you all need to learn how to ride a rollercoaster, it's the same rules when you ride a horse, motor cycle or a boat at rough seas, you need to learn to move with the motion of the rollercoaster as oppose to against it.
 
Blackpool have too many now.

- Grand National is a no go for me these days. It's just horrible and I refuse to ride it.

- Big One is getting there too due to the restraints. I'm 6ft 5 so my legs are long and those restraints are brutal. It's just a rattling mess these days.

- Funnily enough Big Dipper I don't find too bad. It's a bit rough, yes, but it's definitely manageable.

- Infusion is fine if you are on front row I find. The further back in the train you sit the worse it gets.

- Revolution isn't great on the head/shoulders either.
 
Benjsh said:
- Revolution isn't great on the head/shoulders either.
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Weirdly, I actually found Revolution more comfortable than expected for a 1970s Arrow roller coaster!

It wasn’t glass smooth, but whenever I’ve been on it, it’s only really had a bit of a rattle as opposed to being out and out rough or having lots of painful headbanging. It’s one of the smoother coasters at Blackpool for me, actually, and I don’t dislike it at all! I admit the loop can sometimes be a touch too intense for me, but it’s not quite constantly intense enough or forceful enough to be a dealbreaker for me like it is on some rides (I’m thinking of stuff like Olympia Looping here), and I think the amazing pops of airtime at either end make the ride worth it for me; they’re actually really, really strong!

However, I admit that I am quite a bit shorter than yourself, at only about 5’9”. My dad is more comparable to yourself, at around 6’6”/6’7”, and I seem to remember him having issues with those cars; his shoulders pushed the restraint way above the rest of his body, and I seem to remember him finding the legroom very tight. Do you have similar issues?

Then again, you also cite the Big One as being problematic for you due to your height, and that’s one of my dad’s all-time favourite coasters, along with Grand National, so who knows?
 
Matt N said:
Weirdly, I actually found Revolution more comfortable than expected for a 1970s Arrow roller coaster!

It wasn’t glass smooth, but whenever I’ve been on it, it’s only really had a bit of a rattle as opposed to being out and out rough or having lots of painful headbanging. It’s one of the smoother coasters at Blackpool for me, actually, and I don’t dislike it at all! I admit the loop can sometimes be a touch too intense for me, but it’s not quite constantly intense enough or forceful enough to be a dealbreaker for me like it is on some rides (I’m thinking of stuff like Olympia Looping here), and I think the amazing pops of airtime at either end make the ride worth it for me; they’re actually really, really strong!

However, I admit that I am quite a bit shorter than yourself, at only about 5’9”. My dad is more comparable to yourself, at around 6’6”/6’7”, and I seem to remember him having issues with those cars; his shoulders pushed the restraint way above the rest of his body, and I seem to remember him finding the legroom very tight. Do you have similar issues?

Then again, you also cite the Big One as being problematic for you due to your height, and that’s one of my dad’s all-time favourite coasters, along with Grand National, so who knows?
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Different strokes for different folks and all that jazz I suppose.

I don't care too much for Arrow and all that nostalgia like the PBE lads do. Means very little to me. Vekoma are the same too. Lots of people love their older classic coasters and i dislike most of them. They just don't ride well enough.

I am a B&M fanboy and always will be. They are the go to manufacturer for me. Smooth, comfortable and the most re-rideable coasters on the market still to this day.
 
Benjsh said:
Different strokes for different folks and all that jazz I suppose.

I don't care too much for Arrow and all that nostalgia like the PBE lads do. Means very little to me. Vekoma are the same too. Lots of people love their older classic coasters and i dislike most of them. They just don't ride well enough.

I am a B&M fanboy and always will be. They are the go to manufacturer for me. Smooth, comfortable and the most re-rideable coasters on the market still to this day.
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I admit I’m fully with you there! While I appreciate what they did for the industry, I don’t have that much enthusiasm for old Arrows & Vekomas either, in terms of actual ride experience; they tend to be a bit too rough for me, on the whole!

B&M are still my favourite manufacturer of the ones I’ve experienced; they may not be doing fancy new elements like quadruple downs and zero-g stalls and all of those fancy things, but they provide good quality, comfortable, reliable, thrilling and rerideable coasters, and that’s fine by me!

As the saying goes; if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!
 
Mack fall into the "consistently uber smooth" category as well. Icon is definitely the smoothest coaster I've ridden so far, and all their coasters are smooth in some way. :)
 
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