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Nicole Simeone
Five Coasters I’d Love to Ride Right Now
- ,
- , Amusement Parks
Another Sunday has come, and once again I’m sitting scrabbling to find something to write about. The scenery is more beautiful than on previous Sundays. I’m lounging on our deck surrounded by freshly planted flowers and tiki decor. I could almost forget everything going on in the world right now. But not quite. Afternoons spent lazing on our deck until now has been a luxury even we deny ourselves. If we had a weekend without plans, we would inevitably fill out docket to the point of exhaustion.
This is especially true in the spring. I have no doubt if COVID-19 had not struck, we would have driven down to Agawam, Massachusetts, to start taking advantage of our Six Flags season pass this weekend. What else do you do on the first warm, sunshine-filled weekend of spring?
But COVID-19 did strike, and our amusement park passes will be sitting dormant for who knows how long. And here I am sitting on the deck being annoyingly serenaded by a chorus of frogs. To mitigate said annoyance, why don’t we take a look at five favorite coasters so we can at least get in some virtual travel.
To housekeeping, this is not a ranking list. That is just not feasible when crossing coaster genres. What you get here is a list of arbitrary, personal favorites that is by no means exhaustive. Feel free to chime in the comments on some of your favorites. And, while I was brainstorming, I actually came up with a list of ten. Since I started writing pretty late in the day, I opted to cut the initial list to five. Don’t fret, you’ll get the other five next Monday.
Tatsu – Six Flags Magic Mountain
My first time on a flying coaster was around 2004 or 2005 at Alton Towers in Staffordshire, England. At the time, I was blown away. If I was writing this article then, Air, now called Galactica, would definitely be on this list. But, I’ve continued exploring amusement parks, Air has dropped down on the list considerably. First being replaced by Six Flags Great Adventure’s Superman. Only to then be replaced by Six Flags Magic Mountain’s Tatsu.
Flying coasters, as you might be able to guess, simulate the theoretical experience of humans, well, flying. Passengers load into the car with their seats oriented like any other coaster. There is an overhead chest harness to clue riders into an atypical experience. Once seatbelts and harnesses have been buckled, locked, and checked, ankle restraints shift into place. Then, seats are mounted into position with feet angled backward, bellies parallel to the ground, and heads forward. The car then trucks out of the loading station and on to the lift hill.
For any folks of the non-thrill ride persuasion reading, you might be asking, wouldn’t all of these flying coasters be the same, and it is impossible to pick a favorite? Well, that question could be asked about most of the coasters on my list. For this type of coaster, Tatsu shines above the other coasters of the same make.
The track design between Tatsu and Superman are incredibly similar. As they are owned and operated by the same park, that’s not shocking. Six Flags, in particular, has a habit of placing the same ride in several of their parks. There is one difference that pushes Tatsu ahead of its East Coast counterpart: footprint.
There is something to be said for a smaller, tighter footprint on coasters. The thrills come in quicker succession and never let up on its passengers. But, for the flying coaster, I think that Tatsu’s elongated track and drop increases its appeal rather than takes away from it. Its swoops and loops last that much longer, extending the weightless sensation that makes Tatsu so thrilling.
We had planned to take a trip out to LA this year with Magic Mountain a definite on our itinerary. I was very much looking forward to taking another ride on this beauty. Maybe 2021 will be our year for that.
Wicked Cyclone – Six Flags New England
When Six Flags announced they would be closing the Cyclone down, I was irate and distraught at the same time. The ride was one of my favorite coasters. If pushed, I often say I enjoyed the old wooden classic above that of the Superman/Bizarro thrills on the other side of the park. Luckily for all parties involved, the closing of the Cyclone was so it could be converted into a hybrid coaster rather than be demolished entirely.
A hybrid coaster consists of a wooden frame but steel tracks, which allows faster speeds and things like barrel rolls. The Cyclone was the first coaster on the East Coast to go through this conversion process. And, as much as I enjoyed the wooden iteration, I am a huge fan of what this coaster has become. For the conversion to take place, the Cyclone’s first drop height and overall length were reduced; however, the loss was for the greater good. The coaster’s thrill level increased tenfold and absolutely reinforced the coaster’s namesake.
Some folks might balk at my choice of favorite hybrid. Cedar Point’s Steel Vengeance and King’s Dominion’s Twisted Timbers get a lot more press for their larger and steeper designs. Both coasters are fantastic rides, and I am not knocking either of them. There is just something about the Cyclone for me that puts it above the others of its kind.
It does have a much smaller footprint to work with compared to its California and Virginian kin, compacting the twists, turns, rolls, and drops. So, while the larger footprint works to the Tatsu’s benefit, the smaller one benefits the Cyclone, at least from my point of view. And, maybe my point of view is a bit colored by nostalgia, but it’s my blog, so I get to let that kind of thing happen.
Big Thunder Mountain – Disneyland Paris
This might seem like an unusual choice given the coasters listed above. Disney is very much a family-oriented park, and its definition of thrill ride is not quite the same as the rest of the amusement park circuit. Big Thunder Mountain is, by almost every description, a tame coaster. Even my mother enjoys the mine train, and she is not a thrill ride person. But, I am not going for the biggest thrills here. This is a list of favorites, after all.
Not all iterations of a ride with the same name are created equal, which is why I make a distinction here. An apology to the rides in Orlando and Anaheim, but Paris has you beat hands down. The Parisian version edges out the other two for minor adjustments here and there.
The first difference that added a bit of flavor to this childhood staple is that the ride was built so that it was surrounded by a small lake. Passengers board the runaway train on the lake’s edge, requiring each train to take a pitch-black tunnel out to the rest of the coaster. An excellent way to set the scene for a rip, roaring ride through a mine. Adam and I boarded as the sun began to set, continuing that eeriness. The coaster also benefitted from being a newer iteration than those most of us are familiar with. Big Thunder was fitted with special effects to simulate lit dynamite as we careened through the caverns.
For a ride that should have been old hat, I walked off the wildest train in the wilderness surprised and delighted. So much so, we made a point to ride it more than once before we said adieu to Disneyland Paris.
Boulder Dash – Lake Compounce
Found at the oldest amusement park in the United States, which is also the location that saw the demise of Milly Vannelli, Boulder Dash is a coaster not to be missed.
This ride hasn’t undergone any type of hybrid conversion and nor do I think it would benefit from that kind of work given its layout. The ride’s thrills and excitement coming more from its speed and use of camel humps. Not to mention the rocky hills surrounding the coaster. The gargantuan track winds through the foresty edge of what qualifies for a mountain in Connecticut before turning and speeding along the lake’s edge. Boulder Dash lasts over two minutes long, which is unusual for any type of ride, let alone a coaster.
Riding this coaster is always paired with the delights of The Haunted Graveyard in October. This means my experience with this ride is exclusive to chilly weather at dusk or full-on nighttime. I can’t speak to how it rides during the day, but it doesn’t really matter. Fun is fun whether the sun is out or not.
Top Thrill Dragster – Cedar Point
Another potentially controversial pick from me is the Top Thrill Dragster out in Sandusky, Ohio. Once upon a time, this coaster held the “Tallest and Fastest Coaster in the World” accolade. Six Flag Great Adventure snagged that from Ohio with the installation of Kingda Ka by a few feet and a few miles per hour. I’ve ridden both coasters multiple times, and I have to say, Top Thrill Dragster edges out Kingda Ka for me.
Something is terrifying about strapping into a ride, launching you 420 feet at 120 miles per hour with only a seatbelt and lap bar. The same set up used on the Superman in Six Flags New England which is half the height and speed. Its East Coast counterpart is equipped with an overhead, chest plate restraint as well as a seatbelt. I won’t say that is necessarily comforting either. Both rides drummed up a nervous, excited fear I had not felt in a very long time. The more severe appearing restraints of the Kingda Ka, though, does offer a claustrophobic type of security that takes away from the overall experience.
Top Thrill Dragster is a much smoother, cleaner ride. The speed and the height rattle every single sensation you could have on a coaster. Beyond the size and speed, Top Thrill Dragster adds track twists on the ascent and descent to scramble riders even more. But it doesn’t leave you physically aching after disembarking, something Kingda Ka can’t boast.
This was another coaster we were hoping to hit up this year, but are probably going to be denied in 2020. All the same, I’ll be ready for this one when we go.
Superman – Six Flags New England
It was a big deal when the Superman coaster went up out in Agawam. New England was going to get a hypercoaster. That designation is given to coasters that reach heights upwards of two hundred feet.
Like the DC hero, the coaster did not disappoint. Superman the Ride drops riders two hundred and twenty one feet. Passengers fly along the bank of the Connecticut River as fast as seventy seven miles an hour.
All of the classic design techniques found in traditional wooden coasters appear in the Superman. Obviously, they are all elongated either length and/or height wise and most certainly sped up. The designers have pulled together a hell of a ride with this one.
I’ll never get tired of riding this ride. Generally, amusement park season is kicked off by riding this coaster. Sigh…if only that were true now.
And that’s all she wrote…till next Monday when I continue on with my list of favorite coasters I wish I could ride right now. Stay safe and well, Nerd Girls!