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Your Top Ten Coasters
- Thread starter Adam
- Start date
Matt N
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Shambhala (PortAventura Park)
In typical Matt N fashion, I need to make a change (change in italics):
- Mako - SeaWorld Orlando (10/10)
- Silver Star - Europa Park (10/10)
- Wodan Timbur Coaster - Europa Park (10/10)
- Icon - Blackpool Pleasure Beach (10/10)
- Wicker Man - Alton Towers (10/10)
- Mine Blower - Fun Spot Kissimmee (9/10)
- Montu - Busch Gardens Tampa (9/10)
- SheiKra - Busch Gardens Tampa (9/10)
- Oblivion - Alton Towers (9/10)
- Blue Fire - Europa Park (9/10)
- Nemesis Inferno - Thorpe Park (9/10)
- Nemesis - Alton Towers (9/10)
- The Swarm - Thorpe Park (9/10)
- Kraken - SeaWorld Orlando (8/10)
- Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts - Universal Studios Florida (8/10)
- Revenge of the Mummy - Universal Studios Florida (8/10)
- Rita - Alton Towers (8/10)
- Incredible Hulk - Islands of Adventure (8/10)
- Kumba - Busch Gardens Tampa (8/10)
- Cheetah Hunt - Busch Gardens Tampa (8/10)
- Cancan Coaster - Europa Park (8/10)
- Thirteen - Alton Towers (8/10)
- Rock’n’Rollercoaster - Disney’s Hollywood Studios (7/10)
- Slinky Dog Dash - Disney’s Hollywood Studios (7/10)
- Megafobia - Oakwood (7/10)
- Arthur - Europa Park (7/10)
- Pegasus - Europa Park (7/10)
- Avalanche - Blackpool Pleasure Beach (7/10)
- Storm Chaser - Paultons Park (7/10)
- Flight of the Pterosaur - Paultons Park (7/10)
Skyscraper
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Nemesis
I use Coaster-Count, which is easy to use.
Welcome to Coaster-Count!
Keep track and count your ridden roller coasters, plan your next theme park trip and compare with your friends on Coaster-Count, the leading and most popular coaster counting site on the net.
coaster-count.com
Burbs
TS Team
- Favourite Ride
- Steel Vengeance
I find coaster-count clunky, awkward and generally quite unfriendly to use. I gave up with it a while ago as it seemed that unless you paid to use it it was largely pointless.I use Coaster-Count, which is easy to use.
Welcome to Coaster-Count!
Keep track and count your ridden roller coasters, plan your next theme park trip and compare with your friends on Coaster-Count, the leading and most popular coaster counting site on the net.
@Davezilla personally I use ridecount and my own personal spreadsheets as I can track precise statistics with that.
Hmm, maybe this could be a really (really) geeky thread...
Skyscraper
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Nemesis
Like @Matt N I don't ride or count caterpillar coasters anymore. I've done slightly bigger (and themed) ones though, like Octonaughts and Troublesome Trucks.
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Benjsh
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Steel Vengeance
I prefer to look at the top 100 steel and top 100 woodies in the world and see how many I have done. Not as many as I'd like to have done but I'd say a decent amount having visited quite a number of US parks.
BigShadowtinytree
TS Member
1. Shambhala (PortAventura)
2. The Smiler (Alton Towers)
3. Nemesis (Alton Towers)
4. Red Force (PortAventura)
5. Wickerman (Alton Towers)
6. Dragon Khan (PortAventura)
7. Oblivion (Towers)
8. Storm Chaser (Paulton’s Park)
9. Rita (Towers)
10. Thirteen (Towers)
As you can see I’ve not ridden many coasters outside of the UK, only theme parks I’ve been to abroad are PortAventura in 2018 and DLP in 2011ish. I didn’t include any of the DLP coasters as I can’t remember them well enough to be able to give an honest rating.
There are many coasters in the uk I’ve not ridden yet too, I’ve not done any at Thorpe, I’ve not done Icon at Blackpool (although I don’t expect it to rate highly - we’ll see), I’ve not done Megafobia at Oakwood, Vampire or Dragon’s Fury at Chessington or any of the coasters at Flamingo Land. These are all on my list to do though, as well as Florida next year, so my rankings will no doubt change significantly in future. Especially once I’ve ridden Iron Gwazi, Velocicoaster and Mako - I’m most excited about experiencing those three and I expect great things.
2. The Smiler (Alton Towers)
3. Nemesis (Alton Towers)
4. Red Force (PortAventura)
5. Wickerman (Alton Towers)
6. Dragon Khan (PortAventura)
7. Oblivion (Towers)
8. Storm Chaser (Paulton’s Park)
9. Rita (Towers)
10. Thirteen (Towers)
As you can see I’ve not ridden many coasters outside of the UK, only theme parks I’ve been to abroad are PortAventura in 2018 and DLP in 2011ish. I didn’t include any of the DLP coasters as I can’t remember them well enough to be able to give an honest rating.
There are many coasters in the uk I’ve not ridden yet too, I’ve not done any at Thorpe, I’ve not done Icon at Blackpool (although I don’t expect it to rate highly - we’ll see), I’ve not done Megafobia at Oakwood, Vampire or Dragon’s Fury at Chessington or any of the coasters at Flamingo Land. These are all on my list to do though, as well as Florida next year, so my rankings will no doubt change significantly in future. Especially once I’ve ridden Iron Gwazi, Velocicoaster and Mako - I’m most excited about experiencing those three and I expect great things.
Matt N
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Shambhala (PortAventura Park)
Being the indecisive soul that I am, I sat down and looked at my rankings, and I've once again made changes...
- Mako - SeaWorld Orlando (10/10)
- Silver Star - Europa Park (10/10)
- Wodan Timbur Coaster - Europa Park (10/10)
- Icon - Blackpool Pleasure Beach (10/10)
- Wicker Man - Alton Towers (10/10)
- Mine Blower - Fun Spot Kissimmee (9/10)
- Montu - Busch Gardens Tampa (9/10)
- SheiKra - Busch Gardens Tampa (9/10)
- Oblivion - Alton Towers (9/10)
- Blue Fire - Europa Park (9/10)
- Nemesis - Alton Towers (9/10)
- Nemesis Inferno - Thorpe Park (9/10)
- Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts - Universal Studios Florida (8/10)
- Revenge of the Mummy - Universal Studios Florida (8/10)
- Rita - Alton Towers (8/10)
- The Swarm - Thorpe Park (8/10)
- Kraken - SeaWorld Orlando (8/10)
- Incredible Hulk - Universal's Islands of Adventure (8/10)
- Kumba - Busch Gardens Tampa (8/10)
- Cheetah Hunt - Busch Gardens Tampa (8/10)
- CanCan Coaster - Europa Park (8/10)
- Thirteen - Alton Towers (8/10)
- Megafobia - Oakwood (7/10)
- Rock'n'Rollercoaster - Disney's Hollywood Studios (7/10)
- Arthur - Europa Park
- Pegasus - Europa Park
- Slinky Dog Dash - Disney's Hollywood Studios (7/10)
- Avalanche - Blackpool Pleasure Beach (7/10)
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train - Disney's Magic Kingdom (7/10)
- Flight of the Pterosaur - Paultons Park (7/10)
Yes nemesis above nemesis inferior, finally, Matt you are redeemed in my books.
Pawkins
TS Member
I have a genuine crippling FEAR of rollercoasters, so I'll post my pathetic list so far for all to enjoy.
1: Wickerman - Just slaps, rode it more than any other ride, it took my coaster virginity in 2019 after being tricked into the queue line. Holds a special place in my heart because of this.
2: Icon - Cannot describe the anxiety I felt queueing for this, but what a great ride. Haven't tried Enso yet, maybe next time! First traditional inversion I would say.
3: Rita - I don't get all the hate, that launch made me feel like I was going to crap out my own spine, and the first hill launched me into those dodgy shoulder restraints, great times.
4: Thirteen - I had spoiled the surprise for myself, but still great fun.
5: GalacticAir - Meant to be chill and easy, scared the life out of me, kind of fun. Like all of the ride except that corner you take on your back. Technically my first inversion I guess? Not sure a flyer counts.
6: Vampire - What a legend! As old as I am, and nearly as fun.
7: Avalanche - Not sure what I like about it, it's just cool!
8: Grand National - Loved this in 2021, had high hopes for the re-track but it did nothing as far as I can tell.
9: Big Dipper - That first and second drop are great, rest is a bit boring and uncomfortable however.
10: The Walking Dead - Fun little coaster, I don't know what I was thinking coming to Thorpe... Not my cup of tea!
Had to really think about this, barely had enough credits to populate the list! Not sure what I should try next. I'm due to go to Orlando this year, God help me.
1: Wickerman - Just slaps, rode it more than any other ride, it took my coaster virginity in 2019 after being tricked into the queue line. Holds a special place in my heart because of this.
2: Icon - Cannot describe the anxiety I felt queueing for this, but what a great ride. Haven't tried Enso yet, maybe next time! First traditional inversion I would say.
3: Rita - I don't get all the hate, that launch made me feel like I was going to crap out my own spine, and the first hill launched me into those dodgy shoulder restraints, great times.
4: Thirteen - I had spoiled the surprise for myself, but still great fun.
5: GalacticAir - Meant to be chill and easy, scared the life out of me, kind of fun. Like all of the ride except that corner you take on your back. Technically my first inversion I guess? Not sure a flyer counts.
6: Vampire - What a legend! As old as I am, and nearly as fun.
7: Avalanche - Not sure what I like about it, it's just cool!
8: Grand National - Loved this in 2021, had high hopes for the re-track but it did nothing as far as I can tell.
9: Big Dipper - That first and second drop are great, rest is a bit boring and uncomfortable however.
10: The Walking Dead - Fun little coaster, I don't know what I was thinking coming to Thorpe... Not my cup of tea!
Had to really think about this, barely had enough credits to populate the list! Not sure what I should try next. I'm due to go to Orlando this year, God help me.
Skyscraper
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Nemesis
Coaster bot recently did a good video on how to overcome the fear of coasters, might be a helpful watch for you;
Matt N
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Shambhala (PortAventura Park)
OK; I'll just put my top ten in this post, then! I think I need to update my descriptions, anyway... I haven't justified my top 10 in a while, and not since the new additions!
Matt N's Top 10 as of May 2022 (Coaster Count: 91)
(New entries and description updates in italics, moved entries underlined)
- Mako - SeaWorld Orlando: My first and last rides on this coaster were in August 2016, but the 3 rides I had on Mako stick out to me as 3 of my favourite coaster rides ever even 5 years on; my first ride in particular gave me a hit of pure joy no coaster has since! As for why this coaster sticks out compared to the rest; where do I begin? As soon as you board the train, the restraints are some of the most gorgeously comfortable coaster restraints I've ever sat in, and when the ride itself kicks into motion, there's so much amazing stuff going on; the sustained airtime is phenomenal throughout, with the first drop, first big hill and speed hill sticking out as 3 particularly biblical airtime moments (I know floater is often considered weak airtime nowadays, but 13 year old me remembers it feeling like I was being catapulted into space, and floating in the air for what felt like forever!), and even away from airtime, the sense of speed is amazing, and the ride is so blissfully smooth, negotiating each element with what feels like flawless precision! And on the whole, while it may not be an intense g-machine, Mako is a coaster where I felt a strong urge to run back round and give it another go each time I did it, more so than any other coaster I've been on; I think the balance between thrill and fun factor/rerideability is just perfect! Prior to riding this, I was a little lost as to why enthusiasts revered airtime so much, but Mako was the coaster that converted me, and made me understand that love for airtime that most enthusiasts have!
I'll admit that I'm unsure if this should still be number 1 what with how long it's been (with some of the amazing coasters below like Icon, Wicker Man et al, I worry that this wouldn't stand up if I were to ride it today), but I've decided to keep it here for now on the basis of the memories. What do you guys think?Having recently ridden Silver Star and adored it, I am feeling a fair amount more confident about Mako's placement; the B&M Hyper experience still holds up! 10/10 - Silver Star - Europa Park: I had high hopes for Silver Star what with Mako being my number 1, but at the same time, noone seems to especially rate it, so I had somewhat lowered expectations, and I was also extremely nervous to see how the B&M Hyper experience held up 6 years on from Mako. However, I shouldn't have had a single worry; Silver Star was a huge surprise for me! It well and truly blew me away, and the B&M Hyper experience well and truly lived up to my memories of it! I said a lot about Mako in the paragraph above, but by extension, a fair amount of that could describe Silver Star as well, as it encapsulates a vast percentage of Mako's great qualities; it has sublime sustained airtime, it's got an awesome sense of speed, it's smooth, it's rerideable, the trains are awesome, and it has so much more! One other thing I love about Silver Star is its ending and consistent pace; as well as the sublime sustained floater in the first half, you also have some phenomenal pops of ejector after the MCBR, which are both phenomenally strong and surprisingly sustained, as well as a fun s-bend that sends you flying into the brake run! In terms of why it's below Mako; we're honestly talking very pedantic differences here. While SS has sublime and breathtaking airtime, I'd say that no individual moment of airtime on SS had quite the same impact as some of Mako's very strongest airtime moments, like its first drop and first hill, and I'd also say that while SS is very smooth and comfortable on the whole, Mako has this sublime feeling of 100% glass smoothness that Silver Star can't quite compete with, and that was one of the things I loved about it. Nonetheless, though, Silver Star is a truly stunning coaster, and it well and truly had Mako quaking in its boots more than any ride I've ridden post-Mako; while it is #2 rather than #1, there's very little in it, and that verdict was reached after much deliberation! What a stunning ride type the B&M Hyper Coaster is; Mako and Silver Star are both truly phenomenal! 10/10
- Wodan Timbur Coaster - Europa Park: Unhinged. Nuts. Crazy. Those are just some of the adjectives you could use to describe Wodan, yet I'm not sure any of them quite do it justice! Wodan is easily the most relentless roller coaster I have ever been on; this is a layout that has not a single dull moment, and it feels truly out of control from start to finish! The twists and turns are really fun too, and the ride is absolutely packed with airtime; every element seems to hurl you out of your seat with an awesome pop of strong ejector, even in places where you might not necessarily expect airtime! The first drop is awesome, with an awesome moment of airtime going down it, the turns in the middle are so fast and ride great, and the little airtime pops towards the end are awesome and provide some sublime ejector airtime! Overall, Wodan is an exceptional roller coaster, and while I wouldn't call it intense in the traditional sense, it is absolutely demented! Yet it's also so much fun and so rerideable; I love it, and it's an easy steal for #3, as well as my #1 wooden coaster spot! 10/10
- Icon - Blackpool Pleasure Beach: Controversially, I do really love Icon! I’ve ridden it 4 times on 2 separate visits to Blackpool in 2018 & 2019, and it’s really struck a chord with me, hitting all the right notes each time! It’s fast, it’s thrilling enough to give you a kick but not too intense to be fun, it’s smooth, it’s rerideable, it has some amazing ejector airtime, the trains are lovely, the rapid transitions are great, and on the whole, I see little not to like about Icon from my personal perspective! Sure, the launches aren’t the punchiest (although I don’t personally think they’re as feeble as they’re often made out to be), and the ride as a whole isn’t exactly an intense, pedal-to-the-metal g-machine, but I just find it tremendously, tremendously fun, and it puts a smile on my face and gives me an urge to reride every time! And surely coming off a coaster smiling and wanting to go round again is the most important indicator of enjoyment, is it not? 10/10
- Wicker Man - Alton Towers: I’m not usually a hardcore wooden coaster fan like a lot of enthusiasts, but I’d have to say that Wicker Man is most definitely a ride I make an exception for; I find it tremendously fun, fairly smooth and comfortable in wooden coaster terms, and very rerideable! The ride is really, really fast, it has some smooth yet exceedingly fun transitions, many surprising pops of ejector airtime, and as I’ve said with the rides above, it strikes the perfect balance between thrill and fun factor, in my opinion! And on the back row in particular, this coaster is a real hoot, with some excellent airtime moments, although I think every row is fun on Wicker Man, personally! Overall, I think Wicker Man is a hugely fun ride; even if it isn't the most intense coaster, it always puts a huge smile on my face! 10/10
- Mine Blower - Fun Spot Kissimmee: I know that
23 wooden coasters in my top510 might possibly contradict my earlier statement about not being a hardcore wooden coaster fan, but Mine Blower isthe otheranother ride that I’d say I make an exception for! I should preface what I say about Mine Blower by saying that I only had one ride on it, in the front row, with a practically empty train. However, in spite of this; Mine Blower did impress me, and I think there’s a lot to like about it! The ride is fast-paced from start to finish, and I absolutely love that bouncing, darting sequence of airtime moments the ride incorporates! I also love the ride’s sole inversion; that zero-g roll provides a really excellent moment of sustained hangtime! I know it’s in stark contrast to the more abrupt, erratic sensations in the rest of the layout, but I really like how the start of the ride contrasts with the rest of it! I was slightly worried about Mine Blower’s roughness prior to riding, as I have a low roughness tolerance and I’d heard numerous reports about Mine Blower’s roughness, but on the front row, I’d personally say I didn’t find it overly rough; no more so than something like Wicker Man, anyway. One slight caveat I admittedly have is that I don’t like the trains as much as the GCI trains; the restraints are a bit tight, and I think the GCI rolling stock generally feels a bit more comfortable, in my opinion. Overall, however; even though I’d say the two GCIsjust edgesbeat it for me in terms of woodies (the trains are far more comfortable, and I also really like the smooth twisty bits on Wicker and Wodan, and I think the pacing is on another level on Wodan in particular), I was very impressed by Mine Blower, and I’d say it’s a more than worthy candidate for a favourite woodie! 9/10 - Montu - Busch Gardens Tampa: My memories of Busch Gardens Tampa are getting hazier with time, as it’s close to 5 years since my first and only visit, but I do remember very much liking Montu! I remember it being relatively smooth, as B&Ms mostly are, but also packing a real punch! It was a long ride, but one that kept its momentum throughout, and it had many awesome inversions and moments of positive force! The one ride I had certainly sticks out as my favourite ride I’ve had on a B&M invert, and I remember really liking it at the time, but I’m unsure whether I’d rank it quite as highly now, as my tastes have changed slightly towards rides with more negative g’s and a wider variety of forces on offer as opposed to rides with little aside from positive g’s. Still, Montu is a fab invert, in my opinion! 9/10
- SheiKra - Busch Gardens Tampa: As I alluded to in my musings about Oblivion above, this is probably a tentative ranking until I get a reride on SheiKra, but in spite of me now saying I rank Oblivion a bit higher, I did still really like SheiKra, from memory! The ride is massive, which adds a certain element of fear to it, and I remember the drops and big, swoopy elements being really nice! I really do need a reride, though; based on my recent experience with Oblivion, it might well end up pushing SheiKra up a few spots… 9/10
- Oblivion - Alton Towers: Perhaps oddly given the one-note nature of it, Oblivion is a coaster I've really grown to love with time!
This could admittedly be a tentative opinion until I get back on SheiKra, but to be honest, I actually think I like Oblivion more nowadaysI think I like SheiKra slightly more, but Oblivion is fantastic in its own right; I love how concise it is, and although it doesn't do a lot, I think Oblivion does everything it has in its arsenal extremely well! The sense of speed on the drop is phenomenal; my dad always says to me whenever we ride it together that Oblivion feels like the fastest coaster he's ever done, and I can certainly see why he thinks that, as it really feels like you're flying at warpspeed through that tunnel! The airtime is also great, in my opinion; the drop itself provides an excellent moment of strong sustained airtime, and the hill into the brakes also provides a surprising bonus pop! The ride is also really smooth and comfortable, in my opinion; for a coaster of 23 years old, I think it's aged phenomenally, and I think that as OTSRs go, B&M's traditional ones are about as unobtrusive and comfortable as they come! Overall, while it might be short, I think Oblivion is certainly sweet! 9/10 - Blue Fire - Europa Park: This is a lovely ride! The launch is punchy, the inversions are nice, the trains are comfortable, the hangtime is nice, it's smooth... Blue Fire is just overall a really, really nice coaster. It's rerideable, it's fun, and definitely something I enjoyed; what's not to like? And that last roll is amazing; definitely up there as one of my favourite inversions! However, if I'm being phenomenally picky, it just lacks a little something to make it truly top-tier for me, and I can't quite put my finger on what. I did feel that it lacked airtime for a ride of its type (although it's not really designed to be an airtime machine, I guess), and 1 or 2 of the transitions felt slightly unnatural, but I'm not sure that it was either of those things on its own. It might not help that it's in the same park as the absolutely phenomenal one-two punch of Silver Star and Wodan, but it's definitely not quite hitting my 10/10 tier based on the rides I had, and I definitely rank it lower than Icon, which surprised me slightly based off of most people seemingly preferring Blue Fire. Nevertheless, it's a really excellent coaster that I thoroughly enjoyed, and certainly deserves its place at #10; it's a great ride! 9/10
To be honest, those two are possibly the hardest double act to rank in my top 10. They're phenomenally close; one day I could rank Nemesis higher, whereas I might rank Inferno higher the next! The worst time, though, is when I reride each one... whenever I visit Thorpe, Inferno seems to go on top, whereas Nemesis goes on top whenever I visit Towers!
Matt N
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Shambhala (PortAventura Park)
I also decided to try something else last night. Now, I wasn’t on here in my early years of theme park enthusiasm, so while I didn’t actually keep a top 10 until 2016, I’d ridden vastly less coasters in my earlier years, and I do have a fair recollection of what I thought of things at the time. So with that in mind, I decided to try and do 2 retrospective lists; a top 8 from 2013, when I’d only visited Alton Towers and my coaster count was only 8, and a top 10 from 2014/15, when I’d been to a few more parks and my coaster count was 25.
For clarity, this is not me simply ranking the coasters I’d ridden at the time according to my current preferences (the lists would look very different if I had done that). I tried putting myself in my own shoes from when I was between 10 and 12 years old, and based on what I remember my thoughts on rides being at that particular time, I decided to try and formulate a list that accurately reflected my preferences at the time. And even though I do of course say so myself here, I’d say that both are surprisingly accurate given what I remember my thoughts being!
Let’s start with the top 8 from 2013…
Matt N’s Top 8 from 2013
Age at the Time: 10 (I was only just tall enough to ride the largest coasters…)
Coaster Count: 8
Park Count: 1 (Alton Towers)
Matt N’s Top 10 from 2014/15
Age at the Time: 11/12
Coaster Count: 25
Park Count: 6 (Alton Towers, Chessington, Thorpe Park, Universal’s Islands of Adventure, Universal Studios Florida, Disney’s Animal Kingdom)
(New entries in bold, moved entries in italics)
It’s also interesting to think back to what kinds of rides I rated highly back then, and to see how some things that now rank fairly highly for me took a bit of time to grow on me as opposed to being instant hits…
For clarity, this is not me simply ranking the coasters I’d ridden at the time according to my current preferences (the lists would look very different if I had done that). I tried putting myself in my own shoes from when I was between 10 and 12 years old, and based on what I remember my thoughts on rides being at that particular time, I decided to try and formulate a list that accurately reflected my preferences at the time. And even though I do of course say so myself here, I’d say that both are surprisingly accurate given what I remember my thoughts being!
Let’s start with the top 8 from 2013…
Matt N’s Top 8 from 2013
Age at the Time: 10 (I was only just tall enough to ride the largest coasters…)
Coaster Count: 8
Park Count: 1 (Alton Towers)
- Rita - Alton Towers: As surprising as this might be now, Rita was actually my first ever number 1 coaster, and was my favourite coaster at Towers initially! I was just absolutely blown away by that hydraulic launch!
- Nemesis - Alton Towers: One thing that has remained constant over the years is that I’ve always at very least really liked Nemesis. Even when I was 10 and oblivious to its sheer level of hype, I remember being blown away by the sheer speed and intensity of the ride! I think Rita’s launch just edged it for the first time ride on both, though.
- The Smiler - Alton Towers: I rode this for the first time after a 2 hour queue at the end of our 2nd Alton Towers day in 2013, and I absolutely loved it! I loved the intensity, I loved the relentlessness of it, and I loved the overall feel of the ride! It didn’t quite leave the same impression on me as the above 2, though, which is why it’s #3.
- Air - Alton Towers: I always loved this ride when I was younger, for some reason! I remember finding the flying position a cool novelty, and I always remember liking its smoothness and fun factor, but I don’t think the intensity was high enough for it to go any higher than #4 for me at the time, really.
- Oblivion - Alton Towers: I was terrified to ride this for the first time (that drop into the hole looks so scary!), but I remember stepping off underwhelmed. “Is that it?” was the main thought passing through my 10 year old mind…
- Thirteen - Alton Towers: Despite being rather underwhelmed by Oblivion above, I would still have said that it ranked slightly higher for me than Thirteen. Thirteen never made a particularly strong impression on me when I was younger, and rightly or wrongly, 10 year old me had the view that “higher height restriction automatically equals better ride”. I mainly remember the crypt scaring me a bit when I was younger…
- Sonic Spinball - Alton Towers: I liked this somewhat more as a younger child than I do now, and I did always appreciate it for what it was, but I definitely saw it as a lower-tier ride compared to the big 6 at the time.
- Runaway Mine Train - Alton Towers: I always had a soft spot for this, but I think I appreciated it a lot less at the time; as with Spinball above, 10 year old me simply saw it as a lower-tier ride compared to the big 6.
Matt N’s Top 10 from 2014/15
Age at the Time: 11/12
Coaster Count: 25
Park Count: 6 (Alton Towers, Chessington, Thorpe Park, Universal’s Islands of Adventure, Universal Studios Florida, Disney’s Animal Kingdom)
(New entries in bold, moved entries in italics)
- The Swarm - Thorpe Park: I was well and truly floored by this when I first rode! I loved the winged seating position and the sense of speed, and at the time, it was the smoothest roller coaster I’d ever ridden! Some of those elements also felt truly insane at the time; my thoughts were something like “A drop where you turn upside down and then fly towards the ground at speed? A roll that hurls you out of your seat over the station? Utterly insane stuff!”, and I was well and truly blown away!
- Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit - Universal Studios Florida: I was truly wowed by this when I first rode! I was pretty scared, but I absolutely loved HRRR after my first ride! From memory, it’s the first time I ever remember feeling airtime on a ride and picking up on it, with the non-inverted loop providing what felt like an amazing jolt of airtime, but that wasn’t really what did it for me. I think it was more the general size, speed and intensity of it that stuck out to me the first time I rode; I remember thinking it was absolutely massive, and so fast, and I remember being mind-blown at how a ride that massive had only a lap bar!
- Stealth - Thorpe Park: I don’t have too much to say about my initial opinions of Stealth other than that I loved launches and this had an incredible one, so it was right up my alley!
- Nemesis - Alton Towers
- Rita - Alton Towers: During the 2014/15 period, the tables did turn a tad at Alton Towers, with me beginning to rate Nemesis over Rita. I don’t know why; perhaps riding Stealth kind of ruined Rita for me at the time? I still loved it, though… that launch was such a gut punch that still had me shocked every time!
- The Smiler - Alton Towers
- Incredible Hulk - Universal’s Islands of Adventure: As I said with Stealth, I loved launches at the time, and this had a very decent one! I also loved the intensity and found some of the inversions really great fun!
- Nemesis Inferno - Thorpe Park: Interestingly, my initial thought when getting off Inferno for the first time was “it rides more like Air than Nemesis”. I found Inferno fun at the time, but I preferred the intensity of the original, and I found it more comparable to Air intensity-wise at the time.
- Air - Alton Towers
- Revenge of the Mummy - Universal Studios Florida: I did like this when I rode it for the first time, but I never remember enjoying it quite as much as the 2 more out and out thrill rides above. With that being said, however, I thought it was a fun ride; once again, anything with a launch was a winner for me at the time, and I did find the layout quite fun too!
It’s also interesting to think back to what kinds of rides I rated highly back then, and to see how some things that now rank fairly highly for me took a bit of time to grow on me as opposed to being instant hits…
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Matt N
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Shambhala (PortAventura Park)
Probably a combo of both, to be honest; I do like this thread!You either have too much time on your hands or only ever Think about posting here Matt.
Although in my defence, my last post in here before the recent Europa buzz of April 2022 was in August 2021, so I did manage an 8 month break from posting in here!