Ian
TS Team
- Favourite Ride
- Dizz, Bobby’s Yarn Land
My top ten coasters eh? Well prepare yourselves for controversy! 
1: The SWARM - THORPE PARK - What's not to love about it? Smooth, fast, forceful, well themed. Has a lot of height, and probably the most unique start of any coaster I've been on! That first inversion is just... Wow!
2: Oz'Iris - Parc Asterix - Another what's not to love ride. It has the whole package! I really want to see how it looks in a few years when all the plants start to grow and such. It looks beautiful already, so it'll be interesting to see if it can look any more amazing!
3: Air - Alton Towers - A real monument to modern engineering. It shows what a roller coaster can achieve when married with the right technology. The ride is butter smooth, the seats are the comfiest I've experienced, the landscaping and layout are graceful and a feast for the eyes. Sure, a little more theming wouldn't go amiss, but the landscape alone sells the ride.
4: Black Mamba - Phantasialand - Wow. Just wow. It takes landscaping and terrain interaction to a whole new level! Combine that with the seamlessly smooth ride experience, and the lavishly detailed theming and you have a truly breathtaking ride. So why do I rank it under Oz'Iris? It just lacks something... I'm not 100% sure, but I think it's a unique element. Oz'Iris has the continual curving lift top, the angled drop out of the loop, and the roll which goes the opposite way. Black Mamba just uses more standard elements. Don't get me wrong, it uses them very well! Better than any other Inverted Coaster. It just needs that one unique feature to give it that last punch.
5: Colossus - THORPE PARK - I don't care what anyone says, Colossus is a brilliant ride! It's no B&M, granted, but it's not that rough. It's no worse than most other non-B&M inverting coasters. Like with Air the landscaping is beautiful, and the coaster entwines with it seamlessly. I just wish Thorpe would go back and clean up some of the theming, and give it a lick of paint. It's a beautiful looking ride, which could easily be made to look even better.
6: Nemesis - Alton Towers - Low you may think. Well maybe it is. There's no denying Nemesis is a bloody good coaster. It packs some serious punch, and the interaction with its surroundings is incredible. But I honestly can never say I have come off it enjoying a ride in the way I have enjoyed a ride on the other two inverters above it. Maybe it's the fact I greyout on every ride, but it looses some enjoyment sadly. Plus, I think it's one of the most "bigged up" rides out there. I first rode it having read many reviews, and hearing many a tale of this mind blowing roller coaster. And in truth? I actually came off feeling a little disappointed! Sorry Nemmy, but you don't quite cut it for me
7: Space Mountain - Parc Disneyland (Paris) - DUN DUUUUUUN, DAHDAHDAH DUUUUUN, DUN DAHD'HNA DADADADH! Love it, love it, love it! Like with Colossus I found no aspect of the ride painful or rough (Except maybe the massive step down into the trains! ). It vibrated a bit, yes, but it didn't at all feel like it threw me around. But this is more than just a roller coaster in the dark. It's a show! The whole experience from start to finish is a well choreographed piece of theatre or film. Right down to the music and sound effects. Boarding Space Mountain I don't feel like I'm about to ride a multi-inverting roller coaster. I feel like I am about to watch my favourite film or play. And every time I get off I'm positively grinning from ear to ear.
8: Goudurix - Parc Asterix - Right, where to start. Yes it's a little bumpy. There's no denying it isn't. But it's still a bloody good ride! The complete knot of track is just a feast for the eyes from around the lake. The station building looks really great from the outside. It's nothing special I guess, but it's aesthetically pleasing non the less. The ride itself is relentless. From the moment you pull out of that first drop it's just inversion after inversion after inversion. I love it!
9: Winjas - Phantasialand - Yes, you read that right. A spinning coaster is in my top ten. And not just any spinning coaster. Only a Maurer Sohne spinning coaster! But why?! I normally hate spinning coasters with a passion! Well I'll tell you why. Winjas is a unique spinning coaster for several reasons. Not only does it have several special features which I'll come to shortly, but it's a spinning coaster which doesn't make spinning the focus of the ride! You could easily put some Maurer Maus cars on it and I think it would still have a similar effect. It wouldn't be as good, but I don't think it'd loose much. Because the spinning aspect isn't the main focus of the ride it doesn't feel the need to constantly throw you into corners and flick you around in a dizzying frenzy, as so many other spinners do. Instead it meanders it's way around, chucking in the odd sharp turn here and there, but on the whole just gently rotating as the ride goes. Moving onto the special elements, well from the lift hill you know this is going to be a special MS spinner. Those lifts are a brilliant way of getting the ride off to a start. The sensation of moving straight upwards while simultaneously tilting forwards is most peculiar. But it means from the moment the lift parks at the top you are thrown right into that action, plummeting down the first drop. Then the two different Trick Tracks. Both are brilliant, and really take you by surprise if you aren't expecting them. Fear is my favourite (See-Saw), though I do like Force too. If you ask me though Maurer got them the wrong way around. I find the tilt to be much more thrilling than the see-saw. Especially if you get thrown headlong to the side by it. It caught me every time! Then even on the brake run the ride has that one last surprise in store, with the track bouncing on the spot while you roll back into the station. It's a brilliant pair of coasters, and is for me the saving grace for Maurer's spinning coasters... And I guess it has some nice theming and interaction too All in all though I could happily ride these pair all day long.
10: Tough one... But it's probably: Colorado Adventure - Phantasialand - Well I think this puts any other mine train coaster I've ridden to shame, and that includes Paris' Big Thunder Mountain! It's a great example that you can create a very intense and thrilling ride without even needing inversions. Seriously, for anyone who questions it just try riding back row with no hands! The airtime and sudden transitions really took me by surprise! It's a shame I couldn't put this a bit higher really... Who knows; after Chiapas when it looks like there's going to be some more theming added to the ride maybe it'll pop up a couple of places!
1: The SWARM - THORPE PARK - What's not to love about it? Smooth, fast, forceful, well themed. Has a lot of height, and probably the most unique start of any coaster I've been on! That first inversion is just... Wow!
2: Oz'Iris - Parc Asterix - Another what's not to love ride. It has the whole package! I really want to see how it looks in a few years when all the plants start to grow and such. It looks beautiful already, so it'll be interesting to see if it can look any more amazing!
3: Air - Alton Towers - A real monument to modern engineering. It shows what a roller coaster can achieve when married with the right technology. The ride is butter smooth, the seats are the comfiest I've experienced, the landscaping and layout are graceful and a feast for the eyes. Sure, a little more theming wouldn't go amiss, but the landscape alone sells the ride.
4: Black Mamba - Phantasialand - Wow. Just wow. It takes landscaping and terrain interaction to a whole new level! Combine that with the seamlessly smooth ride experience, and the lavishly detailed theming and you have a truly breathtaking ride. So why do I rank it under Oz'Iris? It just lacks something... I'm not 100% sure, but I think it's a unique element. Oz'Iris has the continual curving lift top, the angled drop out of the loop, and the roll which goes the opposite way. Black Mamba just uses more standard elements. Don't get me wrong, it uses them very well! Better than any other Inverted Coaster. It just needs that one unique feature to give it that last punch.
5: Colossus - THORPE PARK - I don't care what anyone says, Colossus is a brilliant ride! It's no B&M, granted, but it's not that rough. It's no worse than most other non-B&M inverting coasters. Like with Air the landscaping is beautiful, and the coaster entwines with it seamlessly. I just wish Thorpe would go back and clean up some of the theming, and give it a lick of paint. It's a beautiful looking ride, which could easily be made to look even better.
6: Nemesis - Alton Towers - Low you may think. Well maybe it is. There's no denying Nemesis is a bloody good coaster. It packs some serious punch, and the interaction with its surroundings is incredible. But I honestly can never say I have come off it enjoying a ride in the way I have enjoyed a ride on the other two inverters above it. Maybe it's the fact I greyout on every ride, but it looses some enjoyment sadly. Plus, I think it's one of the most "bigged up" rides out there. I first rode it having read many reviews, and hearing many a tale of this mind blowing roller coaster. And in truth? I actually came off feeling a little disappointed! Sorry Nemmy, but you don't quite cut it for me
7: Space Mountain - Parc Disneyland (Paris) - DUN DUUUUUUN, DAHDAHDAH DUUUUUN, DUN DAHD'HNA DADADADH! Love it, love it, love it! Like with Colossus I found no aspect of the ride painful or rough (Except maybe the massive step down into the trains!
). It vibrated a bit, yes, but it didn't at all feel like it threw me around. But this is more than just a roller coaster in the dark. It's a show! The whole experience from start to finish is a well choreographed piece of theatre or film. Right down to the music and sound effects. Boarding Space Mountain I don't feel like I'm about to ride a multi-inverting roller coaster. I feel like I am about to watch my favourite film or play. And every time I get off I'm positively grinning from ear to ear.8: Goudurix - Parc Asterix - Right, where to start. Yes it's a little bumpy. There's no denying it isn't. But it's still a bloody good ride! The complete knot of track is just a feast for the eyes from around the lake. The station building looks really great from the outside. It's nothing special I guess, but it's aesthetically pleasing non the less. The ride itself is relentless. From the moment you pull out of that first drop it's just inversion after inversion after inversion. I love it!
9: Winjas - Phantasialand - Yes, you read that right. A spinning coaster is in my top ten. And not just any spinning coaster. Only a Maurer Sohne spinning coaster! But why?! I normally hate spinning coasters with a passion! Well I'll tell you why. Winjas is a unique spinning coaster for several reasons. Not only does it have several special features which I'll come to shortly, but it's a spinning coaster which doesn't make spinning the focus of the ride! You could easily put some Maurer Maus cars on it and I think it would still have a similar effect. It wouldn't be as good, but I don't think it'd loose much. Because the spinning aspect isn't the main focus of the ride it doesn't feel the need to constantly throw you into corners and flick you around in a dizzying frenzy, as so many other spinners do. Instead it meanders it's way around, chucking in the odd sharp turn here and there, but on the whole just gently rotating as the ride goes. Moving onto the special elements, well from the lift hill you know this is going to be a special MS spinner. Those lifts are a brilliant way of getting the ride off to a start. The sensation of moving straight upwards while simultaneously tilting forwards is most peculiar. But it means from the moment the lift parks at the top you are thrown right into that action, plummeting down the first drop. Then the two different Trick Tracks. Both are brilliant, and really take you by surprise if you aren't expecting them. Fear is my favourite (See-Saw), though I do like Force too. If you ask me though Maurer got them the wrong way around. I find the tilt to be much more thrilling than the see-saw. Especially if you get thrown headlong to the side by it. It caught me every time!
Then even on the brake run the ride has that one last surprise in store, with the track bouncing on the spot while you roll back into the station. It's a brilliant pair of coasters, and is for me the saving grace for Maurer's spinning coasters... And I guess it has some nice theming and interaction too All in all though I could happily ride these pair all day long.10: Tough one... But it's probably: Colorado Adventure - Phantasialand - Well I think this puts any other mine train coaster I've ridden to shame, and that includes Paris' Big Thunder Mountain! It's a great example that you can create a very intense and thrilling ride without even needing inversions. Seriously, for anyone who questions it just try riding back row with no hands! The airtime and sudden transitions really took me by surprise! It's a shame I couldn't put this a bit higher really... Who knows; after Chiapas when it looks like there's going to be some more theming added to the ride maybe it'll pop up a couple of places!
