So I went on a trip to the US this past summer, riding many of my bucket list coasters so I thought I may as well update my rankings.
(New additions are in Bold)
1. Lightning Rod- This coaster really blew me away, the ride is a barrage of non-stop ejector. Some of the highlights of the ride include the drop which delivers phenomenal sustained ejector in every row, the massive wave turn which give amazing laterals and ejector and obviously the quad down which provides some of the strongest ejector out there. The coaster is perfectly paced, really intense and smooth. I can not fault the ride, and every time I rode, the coaster took my breath away therefore securing this ride as my number 1.
2. Skyrush- Skyrush is by far the most intense coaster I've ridden, it starts with by far the best drop on any coaster I've ridden, providing an insane moment of ejector half way down the drop; every time before the drop I was slightly nervous because of how intense it was. Skyrush has the perfect combination, positives and laterals throughout the ride, never relenting until the end. Despite its intensity, Skyrush didn't blow me away quite as much as LRod mainly because Lightning Rod maintains its speed perfectly which makes the ride slightly more exciting.
3. Storm Chaser- Holy ejector! This ride is some of RMC's finest work, delivering so much airtime throughout the ride. The drop was surprisingly fun, however the ride really picked up some steam going through the first airtime hill which has perfectly sustained and really strong ejector. The twisted hills on this ride provide an amazing combination of laterals and airtime, having really strong ejector on the hills, and the turn between the two hills having surprisingly strong laterals. The finale of the ride was also phenomenal, with the trick track double up having the strongest airtime on any coaster I've ridden. I would say this ride is really well paced, even the "dead spots" on this ride which are the overbanks and inversions were really fun. As the park was empty, I was able to get 38 rides on this beast, and I was able to get loads of room on many of my rides, solidifying this ride as a top 3 coaster for me.
4. Steel Vengeance- Steel Vengeance is definitely one of the most impressive rides out there, it features so much airtime and is still really intense. The problem with this ride for me is that it is not nearly as intense as any of the rides I rank near it, however the sheer quantity makes up for it. I'd say the first half is what really makes this ride, it has some of the best sustained ejector out there. The 2nd half is also really fun, however I felt it could be more intense. And when this ride is trimmed, the 2nd half is much worse. Overall I still loved this ride, however it isn't really as much of my style of ride.
5. Voyage- At first I was disappointed by this ride, however I soon learnt that this ride warms up a lot during the day. When this ride is warmed up it provides a great mixture of sustained ejector, quick pops of ejector, laterals and positives. The twister section of this ride is insane, I was flung around constantly during the tight turns and airtime hills of the ride. The final 3rd of the ride is also amazing, and the ride maintains its speed perfectly. This ride at night is a completely different story, what was already phenomenal became even better as it runs so fast and you can not see what element are coming, I'd go as far as saying its the best experience on a coaster. The one trimless night ride I got was even better, and if I ranked this ride based solely off my night rides it'd definitely be my favourite coaster.
6. Schwur Des Kärnan- Despite the coaster moving down 5 spots in my rankings, I still love it due to its unique layout featuring some of Europe's best airtime, laterals and positive forces. This coaster has some amazing moments, however the elements that really stand out are the non inverting sea serpent roll which features strong ejector while the train is violently snapping from side to side and the two back to back overbanks which start with amazing positives, a violent pop of ejector and then brutal laterals. My only problem with this ride is in the second half there are a couple of less intense elements, however the highlights of this ride are some of the best on any coaster.
7. El Toro- This ride features some really strong airtime and surprisingly strong positives for a woodie. However my biggest gripe with the ride is while the airtime is really strong and sustained, it isn't very violent, and its a slower build up to the ejector. Also the ride has a few less exciting elements, however I would definitely not consider them boring.
8. Fury 325- Despite objectively this ride not being anything incredible, it is just so fun due to the sheer speed of the ride. The coaster also features some great forces which really add to the sensation of speed.
9. Twisted Colossus- I really enjoyed this ride, it has a couple great drops, and a plethora of fun, strong ejector moments, most notably the dive off the raised section on the blue side which has great sustained ejector. This ride also has some great inversions, probably some of the best on any RMC. This coaster isn't as high as some of the other RMCs as the airtime isn't quite as strong and the double ups at the end of both layouts do slightly let up.
10. Lightning Run- This coaster blew me away, it starts of with a really intense drop into a layout filled with strong positives, great ejector and violent laterals. The coaster's middle section does't maintain its speed too well, however some of the elements in the middle section such as the wave turn are amazing, and the airtime finale of this ride is really fun, having some insanely strong airtime. This ride feels like a smaller scale RMC but with positive forces as well, which makes up for some of the ejector moments on this ride being slightly less strong than a couple RMCs.
11. Twisted Cyclone- While the first half of this ride is nothing outstanding, the second half of Twisted Cyclone is a bombardment of airtime and laterals, violently throwing you in every direction. This coaster features some strong airtime for an RMC, however it isn't quite as strong as Storm Chaser's or LRod's airtime causing this ride to drop a bit in my rankings.
12. Wildfire- Wildfire definitely has one of the best starts out of any coaster, with it having a crazy drop with really strong airtime, an amazing zero g stall, and the really whippy outward banked wave turn which has amazing ejector and whip when exiting the element. However after that, all of the elements are relatively weak, providing some of RMC's weakest airtime. There are still a couple of good moments in the second half, such as the outward banked hill after the 2nd inversion, and the final inversion, however nothing lived up to the first 3 elements.
13. Phantom's Revenge- This ride was another coaster that disappointed in the morning, however as the ride warmed up it changed completely. The ride has some great airtime and some surprising positives, on top of all that, the ride is right on the hillside, making for some great view. The restraints on this ride, were fantastic, with me being able to easily get plenty of room on every ride, which really enhanced the experience.
14. Hyperion- For me this ride has the same issue as Wildfire, with only a few of the elements on this ride being outstanding. The drop, first hill, twist and dive and final 2 hills on the ride are all unbelievable, however moments such as the speed hills and the floater hill are pointless, therefore detracting from the experience as a whole.
15. X2- This coaster makes absolutely know sense, I only got to ride it once, and I still can't understand what happened to me during that ride. I feel that this ride will move up when I get the chance to re ride it.
