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Top 10(ish): 2024 Edition - page 124

Time for an end of year update I think...

1. Steel Vengeance - I'm convinced this will never be topped.

2. Skyrush - It completely blew me away. Terrifying first drop with NSFW airtime.

3. Untamed - Pint sized Steel Vengeance, great fun.

4. Taron - Was bombing around the track on my last visit. Won me back around to maintain a top 5 spot.

5. Hyperion - Best airtime moment in Europe.

6. Zadra - Big, fast, intense.

7. Magnum XL 200 - Those triangle hills at the end lol.

8. Phoenix - This ride is pure fun.

9. Karnan - The most unique coaster in the world, nothing quite like it.

10. Phantom's Revenge - There are 4 or 5 coasters that could round off the top 10 but this one stands out as the most fun.

Honourable mentions: Storm Chaser, Helix, Maverick, Mako.
 
I reckon this'll see me out for 2021.

1. Steel Vengeance, Cedar Point
2. Taron, Phantasialand
3. Zadra, Energylandia
4. Fury 325, Carowinds
5. Dinoconda, China Dinosaurs Park
6. Lightning Rod, Dollywood
7. Boulder Dash, Lake Compounce
8. Skyrush, Hersheypark
9. Voyage, Holiday World
10. Top Thrill Dragster, Cedar Point

11. Helix, Liseberg
12. X2, Six Flags Magic Mountain
13. Wildfire, Kolmarden
14. Untamed, Walibi Holland
15. Hyperion, Energylandia
16. Montu, Busch Gardens Tampa
17. Storm Chaser, Kentucky Kingdom
18. Formula Rossa, Ferrari World Abu Dhabi
19. Soaring with Dragon, Hefei Wanda Theme Park
20. Nemesis, Alton Towers

New entries for 2021 in bold. Zadra's brilliant, but coaster isn't a good as SteVe and 'experience' isn't as good as Taron/Klugheim. Hyperion is great, but the drop, first hill and turnaround are the best bits, the rest isn't actually world class.
 
Not too experienced but here's my weird top 10:

1. Nemesis (Alton Towers)
2. Icon (BPB)
3. Smiler (Alton Towers)
4. Revolution (BPB)
5. Wickerman (Alton Towers)
6. Avalanche (BPB)
7. Oblivion (Alton Towers)
8. Galactica (Alton Towers)
9. Nickelodeon Streak (BPB)
10. Rollercoaster (Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach)
 
Munchen LoopingTravelling Fairs
IconBlackpool Pleasure Beach
The SmilerAlton Towers
Saw - The RideThorpe Park
Nemesis InfernoThorpe Park
OblivionAlton Towers
RevolutionBlackpool Pleasure Beach
OzIrisParc Asterix
Wicker ManAlton Towers
Cannonball ExpressPleasurewood Hills
ShockwaveDrayton Manor
StealthThorpe Park
Wilde Maus XXLTravelling Fairs
NemesisAlton Towers
Dragon's FuryChessington World of Adventures
VampireChessington World of Adventures
Storm ChaserPaultons Park
Roller CoasterGreat Yarmouth Pleasure Beach
CobraPaultons Park
ODYSSEYFANTASY ISLAND
GoudurixParc Asterix
The SwarmThorpe Park
ColossusThorpe Park
Big OneBlackpool Pleasure Beach
Spinball WhizzerAlton Towers

Only one new entry but I wanted to join the "table format gang" to make things easier to read, and less cluttered. I think this will see me out into 2022.

The addition of Odyssey pushes Magic Mouse (Dreamland) out of the top 50.
 
Ok I finally got around to updating my top 10

  1. Voyage
  2. Zadra
  3. Steel Vengeance
  4. Lightning Rod
  5. Skyrush
  6. El toro
  7. X2
  8. Fury 325
  9. Mystic Timbers
  10. Boardwalk Bullet

Pre-Poland trip we just got back from, steel vengeance was 1, but Zadra made me rethink RMC and coasters a bit which put voyage at the number one spot, mid course trims and all. Magnum was at the 10 spot.
 
Another question @Serena; did you not go to Plopsaland to do Ride to Happiness? Or did RTH simply not do it for you?

Also, how come Kondaa didn’t make the top 20?

Sorry to ask so many questions; I only just had a proper look at your post, and was merely interested to hear your opinions!

Plopsaland is only open on weekends at the moment so we couldn't make it work on that trip sadly. We did drive past it and get a good look at RTH though! And will be visiting very soon for their Christmas event, so my Top 20 may change again after that!

Kondaa is cool and intense, but it just didn't give me that feeling of joy. I rode it 3 times but after each ride I didn't feel in a rush to run back on. It's kinda like a modern EGF, and EGF has never made my top 20 either. I would take a nice big Intamin like Hyperion over Kondaa or EGF anyday.

Funnily enough, Kondaa wasn't even my favourite ride in the park! That honour belongs to the massive drop tower Dalton Terror which I rode 5 times haha.
 
A change to mine after my recent trip to Sweden

1. Wildfire - Kolmarden
2. Hakugei - Ngashima Spa Land
3. Zadra - Energylandia
4. Flying DInosaur - Universal Studios Japan
5. Taron - Phantasialand
6. Untamed - Walibi Holland
7. Furius Baco - PortAventura
8. Shambhala - PortAventura
9. Balder - Liseberg
10. Eejanaika - Fuji-Q Highland

Am I a stereotypical rmc fanboy now my top 3 is rmc?
 
Terrible form of me updating my list after the Halloween cut off (or a single park visit; nobody wants constant re-rankings), but further to my weekend at Alton Towers I do have a minor shuffle to properly reflect my rankings as they stand:

1 - Zadra

2 - Hyperion

3 - Lech Coaster

4 - Nemesis

5 - Expedition GeForce

6 - Shambhala

7 - Incredible Hulk

8 - Montu

9 - Taron

10 - Wodan

I agree to be fed to the coaster gods as punishment.
 
I went to Belgium and a couple other parks last week
  1. Skyrush
  2. Ride to Happiness- this ride is just insane, it has some of the strongest airtime moments on any coaster and then most of the inversions are great. Also the restraints are probably my favourite on any coaster. It isn’t higher mainly due to the first half after the top hat, as it does not live up to the rest of the ride.
  3. Lightning Rod
  4. Zadra
  5. Steel Vengeance
  6. Storm Chaser
  7. Kondaa- this ride massively exceeded expectations, loads of ejector, with it being really strong in the first half, and the layout is almost flawless having no real dead spots. It did feel like it was lacking some laterals, and the ending also let it down as the bunny hills are terribly shaped.
  8. El toro
  9. Voyage
  10. Hyperion
  11. Lightning run
  12. Untamed
  13. Expedition Geforce
  14. Twisted colossus
  15. Lech Coaster
  16. Taiga
  17. Der Schwur Des Kärnan
  18. Fury 325
  19. Twisted cyclone
  20. Wildfire
  21. Phantoms Revenge
  22. Maverick
  23. X2
  24. Kingda Ka
  25. Red Force
  26. Goliath (WH)
  27. Magnum XL 200
  28. GhostRider
  29. Storm runner
  30. Junker
 
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Hooray my first top 10 update since Corona was just a beer:

1. Hyperion
2. Helix
3. Untamed - yeap this lived up to the hype; brutal from start to finish, and I love how it just gets more and more frantic as the ride goes on.
4. Troy - 4 night rides with all the lights, sound and fire effects might have unfairly elevated this, but it was just amazing.
5. Expedition Ge Force
6. El Toro
7. Taron - this wasn't a new cred this year but I got to re-ride it and confirmed it's an absolute World Class coaster, but not a realistic contender for Europe's best coaster IMHO (ducks for cover).
8. Shambhala
9. Cú Chulainn
10. Flying Aces
 
Final update for 2021:

1. Steel Vengeance
2. Skyrush
3. Lightning Rod
4. Voyage
5. VelociCoaster
6. Ravine Flyer II
7. Twisted Timbers
8. Maverick
9. Storm Chaser
10. Nemesis

11. Phoenix
12. Mako
13. Phantom's Revenge
14. Wicked Cyclone
15. Nitro
16. Mystic Timbers
17. Millennium Force
18. Twisted Cyclone
19. Top Thrill Dragster
20. Goliath

21. Montu
22. Storm Runner
23. Fury 325
24. Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure
25. Lightning Run
26. Diamondback
27. Superman: The Ride
28. Stealth
29. Manta
30. Apollo's Chariot


Got 8 rides on VelociCoaster this past weekend. I don't consider this the case for the coasters above it (except maybe Vengeance), but VelociCoaster is a perfect ride, and a big part of that is beyond the coaster itself. The theming, the area, the views, the queue, the interactions with the guests and pathways. The whole ride is just masterfully crafted. And of course the ride is incredible. There's not a single element that I dislike... even the little s-bends at the beginning are cool, thanks to the raptor near misses.

The pacing is so good too. The first half rides a lot better than it should, but that second half is awesome. Highlights for me are the second launch, top hat (huge airtime in the back row), and the ragdoll stall and final roll. I still can't believe Universal put in a coaster as good as this. Only reason it's not higher is because 1-4 are ultimately more insane.

But Hagrid's? While it's not the best when it comes to intensity, it was one of the most pure fun rides I've had in years. Got a total of two rides, and my first ride on the motorbike I had a huge smile from start to finish. I even knew about the surprise elements, but I'd never seen a POV so had no idea what the overall layout was like. I was a big fan of Dragon Challenge, so I wasn't expecting Hagrid's to be as good, but it was so much better. (And I genuinely considered putting it above Fury lol).

Kumba and Intimidator 305 drop out of the Top 30. Kumba was hanging on by a thread for a couple years now, but it's time has come. And 305 was barely in the Top 30 for four months. :p
 
But Hagrid's? While it's not the best when it comes to intensity, it was one of the most pure fun rides I've had in years. Got a total of two rides, and my first ride on the motorbike I had a huge smile from start to finish. I even knew about the surprise elements, but I'd never seen a POV so had no idea what the overall layout was like. I was a big fan of Dragon Challenge, so I wasn't expecting Hagrid's to be as good, but it was so much better. (And I genuinely considered putting it above Fury lol).
Can confirm - I got to see this goon's grin first-hand during that first ride. It was sooooo cute!

To pick back up on how my coaster rankings have faired in 2021, here's my top 30, with new adds of VelociCoaster and Mako:

RankCoasterPark
1Steel VengeanceCedar Point
2VoyageHoliday World
3VelociCoasterIslands of Adventure
4Storm ChaserKentucky Kingdom
5MaverickCedar Point
6X2Six Flags Magic Mountain
7Outlaw RunSilver Dollar City
8SkyrushHersheypark
9Fury 325Carowinds
10Intimidator 305Kings Dominion
11Ravine Flyer IIWaldameer
12Millennium ForceCedar Point
13Top Thrill DragsterCedar Point
14Twisted TimbersKings Dominion
15Iron RattlerSix Flags Fiesta Texas
16New Texas GiantSix Flags Over Texas
17Storm RunnerHersheypark
18TatsuSix Flags Magic Mountain
19AlpengeistBusch Gardens Williamsburg
20Steel CurtainKennywood
21KrakenSeaWorld Orlando
22BansheeKings Island
23Incredible HulkIslands of Adventure
24MakoSeaWorld Orlando
25GoliathSix Flags Over Georgia
26ThunderheadDollywood
27Mystic TimbersKings Island
28Apocalypse the RideSix Flags Magic Mountain
29AfterburnCarowinds
30Magnum XL-200Cedar Point

A few additional tweaks to the rankings this year:
- I bumped Goliath SFoG down a few ticks, below Mako. Both are excellent in their own ways, but have to give a nod to Mako as the new B&M hyper to beat - delivered a number of great rides.
- Orion went up in the rankings from 48 to 40 - it turns out riding a full train of riders versus Covid-protocol half-train capacity really does make a difference!
 
I don't really do a top 10 but I think more in tiers. but i might be able to squeeze a top 10ish from that.

God Tier
Nemesis - Alton Towers
Starry Sky Ripper - World Joyland
Mindbender - Galaxyland
Kumba - Busch Gardens Tampa
Fury 325 - Carrowinds

Amazing Tier
Olympia Looping - Various Places
Bullet Coaster - Happy Valley Shenzhen
Jungle Dragon - Happy Valley Chongqing
Fireball - Happy Valley Shanghai
Hyperion - Energylandia
Intimidator 305 - Kings Dominion
Superman Krypton Coaster - SFFT
White Lightning - Funspot Orlando
Riddlers Revenge - SFMM
Desperado - Buffalo Bills

Great Tier
Monster - Walygator
Taron - Phantasialand
Mako - Seaworld Orlando
Montu - Busch Gardens Tampa
Batman: The Ride - SFOG (They are all good but this one seemed to have an extra kick for some reason)

Turns out its a top 20ish
 
I don't meant to be rude, @roomraider, lots of respect for you, but... are you okay?

That list is chaos. :D
Meh I've never had a "normal" list or "normal" preferences haha.

My ride preferences are like my mustard preferences, I mostly want a ride or mustard to be so intense it gives me a nosebleed like English mustard.

There's a few exceptions such as White Lightning which is just pure unadulterated wholegrain mustard joyful fun.

Maybe I'm not alright 😂
 
For data collection purposes, I'll just count them in the order of appearance.

Good thing we have technically passed the cutoff date, meaning this will be an issue to be resolved in late 2022. By then, you might have produced a more conventional list.

Oh, and I better get going with this year's data collection one day. It's been a few weeks since October 31 already. I blame all the work around completing my PhD, which technically ended two weeks ago.
 
Sounds like I missed the cutoff for the aggregated CF rankings, but no worry. Here's how my top 20 sits as of now:

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Velocicoaster found a solid footing at #4. As @Hyde mentioned in his trip report, it's a master class of a ride, but the rides above it (and a lot below it) simply have more power to them. I would have preferred a little bit more intensity, but it's by no means a bad thing that it isn't more intense. If anything, it's a more rideable coaster the way it is.
 
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