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Rides that still genuinely scare you...

Scared is also not quite the right word for me, but I can feel a little nervous or jittery on a coaster only if it's my first ride ever and if the coaster involves some extreme element that I've never experienced before. Examples would be waiting for that launch on Top Thrill Dragster and wondering if I was going to grey/black/pass out in I305.

The only exception to this is X2, which I find rather overwhelming every time I ride (here, too, scared is not the right word, unless you count being a little scared I'd have a heart attack from the intensity).
 
It might surprise you, but Gemini Blue.
Whenever I ride it, it always feels like the train is going to fall off because of how jittery it is up the lift hill.
 
X2 is the only time I've ever been legitimately scared on a roller coaster. Looking straight down 200 feet with nothing but those small restraints. Terrifying. I love it.

I recently rode a Slingshot ride that also scared me. It was mainly because it was at a really sketchy park. The ride literally had duct tape in many places and was run by a remote control and a lever. But, it was genuinely one of the best experiences I've had on a ride. There's that initial launch upwards and the insane airtime on top and then the infinite flipping. It's SO AMAZING.

Also, really any carnival ride. There is just such a sense of danger to those. This is especially because I grew up on the ones in Mississippi. As you can imagine, they were sketchy and downright terrifying.
 
^Pfft, that looks fine. Compared to this:
Hixee said:
At one point (hard to check on mobile) CF's most popular YouTube video. And rightly so!
Waterfall is fab and terrifying.
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Haunted houses with real actors inside. Animatronics in haunted houses are fine, real actors not. I know they are just people like you and me, but I forget all about that in actual houses. Waiting in line for haunted houses is about the only way to get me quiet!
 
Another vote for X2. It's the only time I've been and continue to be legitimately uneasy on a roller coaster... the first time, I found the segment from the crest of the lift to the drop absolutely terrifying, and it still makes me horror-movie caliber tense even though I know what's going to happen. There's something about it cresting, not being able to see anything but the sky, but knowing you're about to plunge.

Anyone who's ridden X2 can say that looking down isn't scariest -- looking up exclusively is.
 
Kingda Ka got me, I was sitting in the launch and had a bit of a oh **** moment. Absolutely loved it tho. Only coaster to ever scare me and thats why I love it
 
CoasterB said:
Kingda Ka got me, I was sitting in the launch and had a bit of a oh :emoji_poop: moment. Absolutely loved it tho. Only coaster to ever scare me and thats why I love it
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Ha, I almost think Dragster is more effective with this in that it gives you that tension and the false sense that the Christmas tree will warn you. Except it blows through the sequence before you can even process what it means and it becomes a distraction really quickly to suckerpunch you when it's for real. Haha.
 
I have to say that I am so pleased to hear other people name X2 as their exception. I kind of thought I was losing my mind with my perception of that ride.

When it comes to coasters, my attitude has always been 'the more intense, the better.' But when I first rode X2 (back when it was X), I was shocked to find out that I could barely handle the intensity, and as I thought of myself as a badass coaster veteran, I couldn't figure out why other people seemed so unperturbed. Then in the last couple of years, I rode it with my eight-year-old nephew who came off with a smile saying it's 'awesome!' Meanwhile, here's me having to admit to myself that this is the only coaster for which mentally I'm just trying to survive until the end, rather than relaxing and enjoying it as I do all other coasters.

I don't even know how to rate X2. I respect it and I do think it's 'awesome' as an extraordinary ride. But I can't say that I enjoy it.
 
X2 is underrated in the great coaster and also horrifying coaster category because enthusiasts are disproportionately Midwestern and East Coast-based since SFMM is rather isolated in terms of amusement parks primarily focused on roller coasters. So, generally anything at SFMM gets shafted in rankings.

TC, Riddler, Tatsu, Goliath, X2, Apocalypse, and Full Throttle are so ignored that the explanation is really only that SFMM gets shafted because there aren't enough enthusiasts in its catchment area.
 
Mack said:
X2 is underrated in the great coaster and also horrifying coaster category because enthusiasts are disproportionately Midwestern and East Coast-based since SFMM is rather isolated in terms of amusement parks primarily focused on roller coasters. So, generally anything at SFMM gets shafted in rankings.
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Agreed. And despite what I just said about my experience on it, I am pleased when I see other enthusiasts rate it highly. For the most part, though, I see enthusiasts either ignore it, dismiss it as GP bait, or criticize it for being "rough" (i.e., jerky). I'm glad to see it seems to get some love on this forum.
 
^Just feel the need to wade in on this X2 love. What a ride! Extreme, intense, huge, just... overwhelmingly good. Yeah, it scared me. Big time.
 
It's pretty obvious. If you ever look at something like the AT rankings, usually 90% of the top 25 voted roller coasters are North American and east of the Mississippi, and usually X2 is the one of the first west of the Mississippi to make an appearance.
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Just.....no. You shouldn't be able to vote if you haven't ridden everything you are ranking. All this poll tells me is that it was primarily answered by Midwesterners and the East Coast. The correct response to "Phantom's Revenge and Magnum XL-200 are better than X2," is "That is false." (And no Twisted Colossus or Tatsu? Are you out of your f---ing mind? The only explanation is that the voters have not been to SFMM).
 
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Just remembered this monstrosity ('Rocket on a String' at Wonder Island in St Petersburg).
FWHrop0.jpg
yoybnF6.jpg

(not my photos, courtesy of Google)
Obviously we went on it but it was probably the most terrifying ride experience I've had to date. Don't think I'd repeat.
 
Never seen that one before! Wow, I wonder if there are any others of the travelling star flier type around?

There's a stat page for the Slingshot. It goes up to 70kmph!

That company have some really disgusting rides on their site. The Vomatron booster thing, eurgh!
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Mysterious Sue said:
Just remembered this monstrosity ('Rocket on a String' at Wonder Island in St Petersburg).
FWHrop0.jpg
yoybnF6.jpg

(not my photos, courtesy of Google)
Obviously we went on it but it was probably the most terrifying ride experience I've had to date. Don't think I'd repeat.
Click to expand...
Just to help you put at ease, a cable once snapped on the aforementioned ride... ;)
 
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