What is your favourite atypical coaster seating position/design?

[Matt N]

Hi guys. There are a number of different seating positions and designs on coasters, but the most common by far is the good old sit-down coaster. Most coasters see riders sat in a regular seat above the track, and I’ve also noticed that many of the most highly ranked coasters in enthusiast polls are also regular sit-down coasters. However, a number of other seating positions and designs exist, so I’d be keen to know; what is your favourite atypical coaster seating position/design? What is your favourite coaster seating position that isn’t a classic, above-the-track sit-down coaster?

For clarity, I am classing anything that isn’t classed as a sit down coaster by RCDB to be an “atypical” coaster seating position/design. The different non sit-down seating positions/designs that RCDB lists are as follows:

• Inverted
• Suspended
• Wing
• Flying
• Stand Up
• Bobsled
• Pipeline

You may not agree with those as being the only “atypical” riding positions/designs; indeed, I do not entirely agree with those (my main disagreement is that I would consider motorbike coasters, such as Velocity at Flamingo Land, to be a different riding position to a regular sit-down). However, to keep the definition fairly universal, I decided to keep to RCDB’s ride design categories for the poll.

In terms of my answer, I’d have to go for the good, solid Inverted Coaster on this one. Inverts are generally really solid rides for me, and they can provide some fun forces and a good sense of speed!

If I were to walk through the others:

• Suspended: These are basically the same as Inverted, but often aimed towards a milder demographic. These can be quite good fun!
• Wing: I really like the idea of the Wing Coaster, and I do love the sense of speed and exposure provided by the train design, but the ones I’ve done are let down slightly by the fact that I’m not hugely keen on B&M’s vest restraints.
• Flying: I’m not a huge fan of flying coasters. I find the prone position quite uncomfortable, and I generally find them quite uncomfortable coasters even at the best of times.
• Stand Up: Standup coasters are similar to flying coasters for me in that I’m not a huge fan of them and I find the position inherently quite uncomfortable. With standup coasters and flying coasters, the key word for me is “uncomfortable”.
• Bobsled: I do have a soft spot for a bobsled coaster, but they’re never anything overly ground-breaking.
• Pipeline: I’ve never done a pipeline coaster, so I can’t really pass judgement on the ride design.

But I’d be keen to know; which atypical coaster seating position/design is your favourite?

 

[Zeock]

Probably inverted, considering that Nemesis is currently my favourite coaster.