It was over a year ago that the blueprints for Alton Tower’s new coaster were revealed. At the time everyone thought it would have eight inversions which was impressive considering that manufacturers rarely venture above seven.
A few days ago Alton Towers released The Smiler app for Android and iOS. This game allows one to ride a very basic version of the ride and gain points to buy elements which enhance the layout. From what’s been constructed of the ride so far, the layout seems pretty accurate. I haven’t played it enough to buy all the elements but those who have say that the ride will have a few more than eight inversions.
Thanks to thesmiler.com for the picture.
ThemeParks-UK has finished the game and they say that there will be fourteen inversions. Yup, that’s twice as many as any coaster we possess in the USA. If the app is accurate to the real life version the inversions are as follows: Heartline Roll, Inverted Drop, Pretzel Loop (two inversions), Batwing (two inversions), Corkscrew, Inverted Drop, Sea Serpent Roll (two inversions), Cobra Roll (two inversions), Barrel Roll, and a Corkscrew/Barrel Roll combo.
Overall, it looks like an insane ride. In addition to the inversions, The Smiler will also have this weird contraption:
Called The Marmaliser, it’s supposed to have the ability to make soon-to-be-riders smile. How will it do this? No one’s really sure yet. Don’t worry if your confused about the layout, inversions, and scenery, you’re not the only one.
After all of this, The Smiler will certainly be better than Alton Tower’s last coaster. Here’s a No Limits POV:
What do you think? Does The Smiler look too intense or does it look exiting? Please comment. Thanks for reading! 
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Every year in February, I post a list of my top ten most anticipated new coasters for the year. So far, 2013 look like it’ll be great with tons of new rides opening around the world. Here are my picks:
10: Flying Over the Rainforest at Ocean Kingdom
Flying Over the Rainforest would probably be higher on the list if more information was known or if it were closer to America. It’s a B&M Wingrider and includes three inversions, a Dive Drop, a Zero-G Roll, and a Heartline Roll.
9: White Lightening at Fun Spot Action Park
Fun Spot Action Park is a go-cart park in Orlando. This year however, it will open two coasters. One family ride and White Lightening, a woody. Built by GCI, it’ll be a smaller coaster that should provide lots of airtime.
8: Hades 360 at Mount Olympus
If this had been a completely new coaster it would rank near the top of my list. However, Hades has already been open for eight years. Mount Olympus is just adding a Zero-G Roll. That’s right their modifying a wooden coaster to go upside down. Woodies with inversions seem to be a trend this year (like Wingriders last year.)
7: Storm at Etnaland
This is one of those rides that hasn’t gotten much attention yet looks like it’ll be fun. In its relatively short layout, it manages to include at least five airtime moments, a heartline roll, and a helix.
6: Gold Striker at California’s Great America
Gold Striker will be a wooden twister coaster. California’s Great America has gone since 2000 without a new coaster so it is long overdue.
5: Full Throttle at Six Flags Magic Mountain
Six Flags Magic Mountain has more roller coasters than any other park on the planet. Full Throttle is the park’s eighteenth coaster! It’s also includes some unique elements including an odd diving inversion, a backwards launch, and an airtime hill over the world’s largest vertical loop.
4: Smiler at Alton Towers
We’ve known about Smiler for a while. It’s been over a year since the blueprints were leaked. Overall, it looks like an excellent ride. The track will contain eight inversions, two lift hills, and lots of turns. There will also be a special element that will allow more inversions.
3: Iron Rattler at Six Flags Fiesta Texas
Iron Rattler is a Rock Mountain Iron Horse coaster. This type of ride has wooden supports and steel track. It’s only the second of these rides ever to be built and the first to include an inversion. The ride will also have four overbanked turns and loads of airtime.
2: Gatekeeper at Cedar Point
Because Cedar Point is a very famous park, Gatekeeper is by far the most famous coaster opening this year. Like Flying Over the Rainforest, it is a B&M Wingrider. However, Gatekeeper is much larger. It’s elements include the world’s tallest inversion, five other inversions, two keyhole elements, and a helix.
1: Outlaw Run at Silver Dollar City
Outlaw Run is without a doubt my most anticipated new coaster for 2013. Somehow they managed to fit a ton of exiting elements into the layout, here are some of the best:
- World’s second fastest woodie
- World’s steepest wooden drop
- World’s first Outside Banked Turn
- World’s only inverting woodie
- World’s first wooden overbanked turn
- Nine airtime moments
- Double Barrel Roll
Another entry for Rocky Mountain Coasters, Outlaw Run is the ride to watch this year. Here’s an incomplete POV
So that’s my list, what do you think? What are your top picks?
Check out my most anticipated rides for 2012 here.
What do you think? Please comment. Thanks for reading!
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Two years ago today, on February 5th 2011, I started the Coasterblog. If you really care, you can read more about the beginning here. I’ve published over 200 posts in this time, however there are some that stand out as my favorites. Here are my top ten favorite and most memorable posts from the past two years.
#10: SheiKra
I had to include this post because of its long history. It was the most read post of 2011, my first year. Before Millennium Force, this was my favorite coaster. Read SheiKra.
#9: El Toro
It’s no secret that I’ve become an El Toro fanatic since riding it last summer. One of the few coasters that I’ve ridden that gained a perfect 10 out of 10 review, the ride is insane. For some reason I am always referring to the post. Maybe it’s because I want a picture from it. Maybe it’s because I need to remember how fast it went. Most likely though, it’s because it is a great ride. Read El Toro.
#8: Legendary Coasters
A top ten list of coasters that have had the most influence on other rides. It includes famous rides such as The Beast, Coney Island Cyclone, Magnum Xl 200, and Big Bad Wolf. In fact, it’s the only list to ever gain a sequel (sort of) in the Most Legendary Newer Coasters. Read Legendary Coasters.
#7: X2
The reason that this is one of my top ten favorite posts is simple: it shows how different my writing style was when the blog was started (this was my second post.) It’s a great ride but my review is a bit confusing to read. Read X2
#6: X-Flight is Landing at Six Flags America
With only ten views, this is one of my least read posts. It does have an interesting story though. I normally only write one post per day however, I didn’t know that Six Flags would announce their new attractions when the day began. After they were announced, I couldn’t wait until the next day to write about X-Flight, the coolest looking of the new rides. I actually wrote this post while riding in a car in Chicago (the city where the ride would be built.) Read X-Flight is landing at Six Flags. Great America.
#5: Ninja at Six Flags over Georgia
The only 1 out of 10 coaster that I’ve ever ridden, Ninja was a horrible ride. However, I do like the review just because I kept on needing more derogatory adjectives to describe it. Again, it’s one of the first reviews that I wrote. Read Ninja.
#4:x Maverick
Maverick’s review is likely not too special to anyone else. The reason it has taken the #1 spot is because it was a year in the making. When I first rode maverick in 2010, I wasn’t impressed at all. However, everyone else seemed to love the ride. I pretty much promised myself that I wouldn’t write a review until I had ridden it again. When I did re-ride in 2011, my opinion changed drastically. Now it is one of my top ten coasters. Read Maverick.
#3: Top 10 New Coasters for 2012
So many great coasters opened last year that it was very difficult to narrow it down to a top ten. In the end though, the list covered just about all the rides that I was exited about. It became my most read post soon after its publishing, it still holds that title today. It is also my most commented upon post with ten comments. Read Top 10 New Coasters for 2012.
#2: Millennium Force
It was my very first post (which is why it’s so memorable.) It also takes the crown as longest review I’ve ever written. Because I hadn’t gotten my review format or writing style down yet, it is very different from practically everything I’ve written. Plus, it’s my favorite coaster on Earth, that’s got to count for something. Read Millennium Force.
#1: The 5 Best Ride Manufacturers
Here it is, my single favorite post ever. While some will find it surprising that this is my #1, that doesn’t change that it is. I was trying to find a good topic to write about when this idea popped into my mind. For some reason, not many people have written about it before and the subject of ride manufacturers is one of my favorites. It took me a while to write because I knew it needed to be interesting. After it was finally finished, it received a tremendous amount of views (for this site at least.) Because of all these factors, it is my favorite. Read The 5 Best Ride Manufacturers.
Honorable Mention:
Crazy Water Slides, Top Thrill Dragster, Early Leviathan Reviews, The Top Ten Rivalries In Theme Parks
So there you have it, my top ten. I’m sure some of these posts left you scratching your heads so I would like to hear from you what your favorite posts have been.
What do you think? Please comment. Thanks for reading!
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Coaster Competitions are pretty much the same as the Coaster Critic’s Coaster Showdowns (I get a lot of ideas from his site). I will compare and contrast two coasters that are alike in one way or another. Griffon and SheiKra are two dive coasters at Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Busch Gardens Tampa. They are both great rides.
Theming:
Griffon’s station is themed to look like a European building, it is made of wood and stone. After the first drop, the pathway that the ride dives under is also themed. Other than that, there really isn’t much theming. SheiKra’s station looks like an African building, like Griffon, it is made of stones and wood. When the coaster dives down its second drop, there are ruins that it flies through. For this round I have to choose SheiKra.
Drops:
Normally, this category would be “setting,” however, both rides are on relatively flat ground so it wouldn’t make one ride better than the other. Because these are dive coasters, I’ve changed the category to drops. Griffon’s first drop is five feet taller at two hundred five feet tall, it also dives under a pathway. Its second drop is one hundred thirty feet and is also vertical. SheiKra’s first drop is two hundred feet tall. Its second drop is one hundred thirty-eight feet tall but it isn’t quite ninety degrees, however, it does dive through the aforementioned ruins. These ruins give SheiKra the upper hand in this category.
Layout:
Griffon has a two hundred five foot lift hill. It also includes two Immelmann loops, one more than SheiKra. There is a splashdown at the end. SheiKra has a two hundred foot lift hill. It also includes an Immelmann loop. There is a splashdown at the end on this ride too. Because it has an extra Immelmann loop, Griffon wins this category.
So SheiKra is the winner!
You can read my review of SheiKra here.
You can read my review of Griffon here.
Thanks to Wikipedia and TieKu 001 for the picture.
What do you think? Should Griffon have won? Please comment. Thanks for reading!
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Unique Coasters is a type of post where I highlight a certain coaster that is unique. They aren’t necessarily the largest or most insane coasters but they are all one of a kind. Winjas is a pair of dueling, indoor, spinning coasters at Phantasialand in Germany.
The Ride:
Because it is indoors, Winjas’ layout can be hard to decipher. Both tracks use elevator lifts to reach the highest point in the track. While the ride is rising, the cars tilt forward to connect to the track at the top. After a drop, both sides navigate tight turns before a large helix around a Vekoma drop tower. At the final set of block brakes, the track tips again. One track teeters forwards and backwards, the other tilts sideways. After navigating a few more turns the track reaches the station.
Why is it unique?
Well, Winjas has extremely elaborate theming. The ride is made to look like it takes place in an underground city called Wuze Town. Also, there are few, if any, other spinning coasters that duel. Aside from that, it is indoors and the track has all of those special tricks.
You can see other pictures of Winjas at the RCDB.
You can see other Unique Coasters Posts here.
What do you think? Do you know of another unique coaster? Please comment. Thanks for reading!
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Every year there are two major polls that list the top ten roller coasters. The more famous is the Golden Ticket Awards, taken by Amusement Today magazine. Enthusiasts tend to bash the GTs because they tend to lean toward US coasters. The other poll is taken by Mitch Hawker and is considered more accurate although it’s only listed wooden coasters in the past few years. To vote, one lists all of the coasters that he/she has ridden, then places them in order of best to worst. Then the results of each caster are compared to other rider’s lists to find what the best overall ride is.
If that’s still hard to understand, here’s how Mitch Hawker puts it:
Each coaster is compred one at a time to every other coaster to see whether more people who have ridden both of them preferred one or the other. A coaster is given a “Win” for each coaster that more mutual riders ranked behind it, given a “Loss” for each coaster that more mutual riders ranked ahead of it, and given a “Tie” for each coaster that the same number of mutual riders ranked above it and below it.
Coasters are ranked by their overall winning percentage (where ties count as half of a win and half of a loss). In the event that two coasters end up with identical winning percentages, the tie is broken (if possible) by determining which of the two won the mutual rider comparison between those two coasters.
Here are the winning results from this year:
So the only ride in the top ten that I’ve been on is El Toro (Six Flags Great Adventure) It’s #1 on the Golden Ticket Awards too. Coming in at the bottom of the list is Anaconda at Walygator Parc in France. Here’s a POV in case you are one of the (apparently) lucky people who hasn’t ridden it:
What do you think? Which coaster do you think should have won? Please comment. Thanks for reading!
When Cedar Point announced their new-for-2013 Wing Coaster, many enthusiasts wondered how it would change the park’s skyline. Now that Gatekeeper is under construction, pretty much everyone is amazed with how nice the entrance will look.
So far they have completed the track on the lift hill, the first drop, the Immelmann Loop, the airtime hill, and the beginning of the first corkscrew.
It will be the world’s tallest Wing Rider at one hundred seventy feet. That first inversion/drop thingy will also be a record breaker.
Because I live in Florida, I often forget that there is snow elsewhere. Often people don’t realize that Cedar Point’s rides are built in freezing temperatures.
So far that’s what’s been built of the two towers that riders will fly through. It’s not much yet but they’ll be bigger eventually.
Thanks to CoasterForce for the pictures
Here’s an animated POV of Gatekeeper:
<iframe width=”560″ height=”315″ src=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/b9fLbdwq8_k?list=UUyR9C6ocv0yTbn6YDWDZbAQ” frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen>
What do you think? Please comment. Thanks for reading!
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2012 was a very big year for coaster and theme park enthusiasts. Some have even gone so far as to state that it was the best year in recent memory (I’d still say 2006 takes that title.) Here are some of the biggest events of the past year, all dates listed are when the rides and attractions opened to the general public:
March 24, May 16 – The Two Wing Riders Opened
As the nation’s first Wing Rider coaster, Wild Eagle opened in late March to rave reviews. It won the Golden Ticket Award for best new ride.
X-Flight opened at Six Flags Great America, it features a unique Wing Over inversion/drop combination. It also includes four other inversions and a keyhole fly through element into its layout.
May 6 – Leviathan Opened
2012′s biggest roller coaster, Leviathan opened at Canada’s Wonderland. At 306 feet tall, 92 mph, and 4,586 feet long, the ride is the world’s fourth giga coaster.
May 24 – Transformers: The Ride Opened
Universal Studios Hollywood opened the state of the art dark ride. Transformers uses the same technology as the Amazing Adventures of Spiderman at Islands of Adventure. Some reviewers have stated that the special effects make the ride seem real.
May 26 – Skyrush Opened
Another type of winged coaster, Skyrush’s outer seats are the only ones that extend to the sides. The inner rows have floors. Because the ride was quite possibly the most intense coaster that opened this year, the trains were outfitted with more comfortable restraints.
June 15 – Cars Land Opened
Cars Land is a highly themed area at Disney’s California Adventure. The main attraction is Radiator Springs Racers, a car ride that uses the same technology as Test Track at Epcot and Journey to the Center of the Earth at Tokyo DisneySea. Other rides include Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree and Luigi’s Flying Tires.
July 7 – Lex Luthor: Drop of Doom Opened
Lex Luthor: Drop of Doom is the world’s tallest drop tower. At 400 feet tall, the ride provides five seconds of free fall. It even reaches terminal velocity on the way down! The Coaster Guy named it as his Single Best Ride Experience of 2012.
December 6 – The First Stage of the Fantasyland Expansion was Completed
The Magic Kingdom’s Fantasyland is still in the process of being renovated with all new rides and attractions. There is a Little Mermaid ride and a Beauty and the Beast themed area. When the expansion is completed, the area will also be home to The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train coaster.
So much happened in 2012 that I know I’ve probably forgotten some rides. If you know of another major ride that opened this year please comment!
What do you think? What other important events happened in 2012? Please comment. Thanks for reading!
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When I was writing my post about my single favorite ride on a coaster I got to thinking about how great that ride’s first drop was. I also thought about what other first drops had taken my breath away. Here’s a list of my top seven favorite first drops.
#7: Fahrenheit at Hersheypark
Fahrenheit’s first drop happens to be the steepest on this list at ninety-seven degrees. A vertical climb takes us up to the top of the ride’s one hundred twenty-one foot lift. The drop provides surprising amounts of airtime. This first drop helped Fahrenheit to become my favorite coaster at Hersheypark.
#6: Maverick at Cedar Point
Maverick’s drop is unique in that the trains are launched into it. The 105 foot lift hill is more like a launch, it uses LSMs to boost the trains to the top. Once there, the coaster drops riders down at ninety-five degrees. The rest of the ride is pretty intense too.
#5: SheiKra at Busch Garden’s Tampa
For some reason, SheiKra’s drop seemed more intense than Griffon’s, even though Griffon is a bit taller. The thing that makes this drop so great is that there is a brake at the top that slowly tilts riders out over the edge of the two hundred foot drop. Ah yes, did I mention that it is floorless?
#4: X2 at Six Flags Magic Mountain
By far the most unique coaster on this list, X2 is a 4th Dimension Coaster. This means that the seats can freely rotate three hundred and sixty degrees forward and backward. Imagine that plus a 215 foot vertical drop and you’ve got X2. At the top the seats rotate so that riders are facing straight down before the track even starts falling. Then the riders are flipped upside-down for the actual free fall.
#3: Skyrush at Hersheypark
The newest addition to this list, Skyrush opened in 2012. Despite having painful restraints, the ride’s first drop is excellent. The ride uses a cable lift to pull the trains to the top, they reach the two hundred foot apex in less than ten seconds. The first drop is at eighty-five degrees. The airtime is excellent all over the train.
#2: El Toro at Six Flags Great Adventure
As the coaster that inspired this list, El Toro should be placed near the top. In fact, it almost was number 1. The trains are so long that the back seats are yanked down the one hundred seventy-six foot drop. The airtime here is simply the strongest that I’ve ever felt.
#1: Millennium Force at Cedar Point
The tallest coaster on this list, Millennium Force deserves the #1 spot. The drop is taken at eighty degrees, that isn’t that steep compared to some of the other rides on the list so why is it the best? First, it is on the shores of Lake Erie so it’s very picturesque and you feel like you’re about to fall into the water. Second, it has two full seconds of weightlessness, that’s about the longest that I’ve ever felt on a coaster. Finally, it is three hundred feet from top to bottom. Overall it is the best.
So pretty much my top three coasters have cable lift hills. There really need to be more rides with this feature since it is fast and quiet.
What do you think? Which coasters do you think have the best first drops? Please comment. Thanks for reading!
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A few weeks ago The Coaster Critic, Dillon from Theme Park Rides, and I decided to all post articles on the single most memorable ride of 2012. Check out the links at the bottom of this post to check out their favorites!
Most years this would be a difficult topic to write about but for 2012 I know exactly what my answer will be. My single favorite ride on a coaster this year was my very first ride on El Toro at Six Flags Great Adventure. The hype for this ride was huge. Everyone seemed to agree on two things, it was very smooth, and it had possibly the best airtime of any coaster.
The first ride that I took on El Toro was in the very back seat on the left side. At the first drop, the train dives towards the ground at an insane seventy-six degrees. When this happens, the back seat gets pulled down by the rest of the train. I can say without a doubt, that is one of the most intense first drops ever (it’s even better if you hold your hands up!)
The airtime on the ride was not exaggerated at all. This ride literally feels like it wants to throw you out of the park on every hill. I was speechless when my train finally reached the bake run. You know a ride is special when that happens.
Here’s a video (The POV starts at 1:13):
Check out what other people’s favorites were!
Theme Park Rides’ Favorite Ride of the Year
The Coaster Critic’s Favorite Ride of the Year
The Coaster Guy’s Favorite Ride of the Year
Coaster101′s Favorite Ride of the Year
What do you think? What was your single favorite ride this year? Please comment. Thanks for reading!
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