downunder

I am a lot less excited about I305 now, boo trims! The complaining is inevitable but as far as I am concerned - justified. Maybe Dick Kinzel doesn't want to have I305 higher than Millennium Force on coaster polls, along with not wanting I305 actaully taller than MF.

^I'm basing why I think I305 might top Millie IMO simply because it looks like it does more, but only time will tell. I've been to CP '03, '04, '05, and '07 & I don't think I've had a great ride on MF since '03 - though bear in mind a bad ride on MF craps over most everything else I've ridden anyway.

Nice site, I really like GCI's approach to building coasters and their passion. It's nice to see some TPR members are living their dream. Now get back to work and make sure the new coaster at Efteling is ready for the TPR Europe Tour.

One thing I have a reasonable degree of confidence about is that I305 will be better than Millennium Force, and hopefully it won't crawl over those big airtime hills like poor old Millie seems to every time I ride it.

If your photo is anything to go by, you must ride it a lot (Steeeve!). I'm amazed anything could supplant Goudurix at the bottom of the table. I was surprised Ninja from SFOG rated near the borttom, I mean it's crap but not that crap. I'm always torn between mediocrity and level of painfulness for my bottom coaster, this year I went for extreme mediocrity combined with a seriously large unacceptable level of wetness.

I'm very much looking forward to rider reactions to this coaster and the subsequent analysis. I'll be over in October for Halloween, maybe I'll have to head north east from LA instead of east to Orlando - that ghastly Intaminless wasteland.

Awesome photo, boy is it flat but maybe the flat trajectory of some of the airtime will give airtime like Millie's last hill going past the station.

^Ten Tornado was #125. I think Bizarro, which has new trains doesn't have the old leg irons of SROS?

I was checking out how close Eagle's Fortress came to being number 1, it had a 4-4 tie with Bizarro but what really killed it was a 2-1 loss (Bizarro had no losses) to Mammut (the Italian Minetrain, that is), damn you Mammut fanboys!

^GASM is hardly the coaster equivalent of an orgasm unless you are seriously sick puppy. Okay so how did the top coasters on Mitch's poll that I have actually ridden (it really shows how many quality steel coasters I have yet to ride) compare to my rankings of them: 1 Bizarro (SF New England) My ranking #2 6 Piraten (Djurs Sommerland) #1 10 Millennium Force (Cedar Point) #7 13 Behemoth (Canadas Wonderland) #6 15 Goliath (Six Flags Over Geo) #8 16 Apollo's Chariot (Busch Gardens Euro) #46 17 Maverick (Cedar Point) #4 19 Nitro (Six Flags Great Ad) #11 20 Tele2 Insane (Grona Lund) #34 25 Phantom's Revenge (Kennywood Park) #10 26 Ride of Steel (Darien Lake) #9 27 Griffon (Busch Gardens Euro) #25 30 Storm Runner (Hersheypark) #17 31 Top Thrill Dragster (Cedar Point) #5

You just made me love Liseberg even more, they are excellent photos.

I like Magnum, I like agressive ejector airtime, I don't have a problem with the pain - I've marathoned the ejector seat in the past but if you're not ready for it you may have a problem. We should just call magnum the 69'er now, I'm always up for a gratuitous double entendre, "What are you riding?" "Oh I'm doing a 69 marathon". "Alright dude!" Insane is a funny coaster, I prefer crazy drops, airtime and acceleration - Insane flips you around and gut punches you now and then. It's intense but it definitely didn't scare me, it didn't help I had drank a bottle and a half of wine before the night ERT session, thanks to our gracious and wonderful hosts. Tranan was a lot better than I thought and it shows in the poll. Piraten and Bizarro were hard to split for me, I need more Intamin hypers and megalites in my credit list. I'm going to approach GeForce like I did Balder last year with a healthy dose of skepticism - Balder exceeded my expectations wildly.

Magnum at number 69, how appropriate, or inappropriate perhaps. On the midwest tour, I got a couple of fellow Sydneysiders to lose their Magnum virginity in the ejector seat (1.3). Poor Chris, I think he got neutered on Magnum, the on-ride photo was a rictus of pain. Insane is a funny coaster, it's intense but not a ride I found hugely enjoyable. My poll should change a lot this time at the top end, with Expedition GeForce, Nemesis, Katun, iSpeed, and Blue Fire among the credits I will obtain.

I've only been on 9 of the poll's top 20, though that should change quite a bit this year. I rate my top 4 woodies ahead of any steel coasters I have ridden. Probably the one I find surpising to be in the top 20 was Apollo's Chariot, maybe it rides better at other times because it was very sluggish when I rode it. So how did my top 20 fare: 1. Piraten (Djurs Sommerland) Poll - #6 2. Bizarro (SF New England) #1 3. X2 (Six Flags Magic Mo) #44 4. Maverick (Cedar Point) #17 5. Top Thrill Dragster (Cedar Point) #31 6. Behemoth (Canadas Wonderland) #13 7. Millennium Force (Cedar Point) #10 8. Goliath (Six Flags Over Geo) #15 9. Ride of Steel (Darien Lake) #26 10. Phantom's Revenge (Kennywood Park) #25 11. Nitro (Six Flags Great Ad) #19 12. Mindbender (Six Flags Over Geo) #52 13. Vortex (Canadas Wonderland) #154 14. Magnum XL-200 (Cedar Point) #69 15. Lynet (Farup Sommerland) #56 16. Afterburn (Carowinds) #35 17. Storm Runner (Hersheypark) #30 18. Kingda Ka (Six Flags Great Ad) #68 19. Fluch von Novgorod (Hansa-Park) #41 20. Flight of Fear (Kings Island) #166

^Bas, they more than enough B & M, now behave. Matt, I'm really happy for you, it looks like you have a great set up. Looking forward to hearing about all the adventures.

Now Matt remember your real mssion while you are down there in Florida, convince the major parks they all need Intamin woodies and hypers. I expect them to be operating by the time I get there in October.

That's good to know, I'll be doing GeForce for the first time this year and Walibi Goliath too. The most dramatic difference I have experienced was Vortex at CW, I'm at a loss to explain why there was such a huge difference. I don't think Mean Streak get better at night, and Beast was visually impressive at night but was still brutal.

Great report, it was really good view of the park. Sounds like with the cold and the wind the coaster wasn't at it's best more Steel Draggin' but still good. This is one place place I'd definitely like to check out in Japan. If they had queues like that at Fuji-Queue it would probably still be 2 hours to get on. Have you been to Fuji-Q yet?

Vortex night ERT was amazing, a big surprise.

Mate, pretty much every wood coaster I have ridden at night were signifcantly better than in the day. Examples from my own experience, Phoenix, Hades, Boulder Dash, Lightning Racers, Wildcat (Hershey) nad Ravine Flyer II. I've only ridden it in the day but El Toro has to be much better at night. I've found the same with steel coasters as well, for example Vortex at Canada's Wonderland, an arrow suspended, was meh in the day but at night it was like some pushed the fast forward button. I've come to the conclusion that most coasters are better at night and that if you are going to ride do some of the great coasters like El Toro or SFNE Bizarro or Boulder Dash, try and plan for some night rides.

come on now, that's not funny. Really... I'm serious ^Perhaps we could spare these coasters the ignomy of complete destruction, tear them down but relocate them to Australia - we have no wood coasters or B & M. Revolution isn't too bad, the OTSR's are the killer. Zamperla Volares should be melted down and never seen again, these things even look like a torture device - I'd expect to see one in one of those SAW movies.

I thought it would be a giant Megalite but it looks less hilly than a megalite. I hope the ride totally sucks because KD is really hard for me to get to and it would be nice to have no compulsion to return to KD because I will have to go if I305 is awesome (note: if you don't like my statement read the disclaimer at the bottom of the page).

On top of visiting the UK and then doing the TPR Europe Trip, I've just booked my frequent flyer flights to the US for October for Halloween Horror Nights loving, west and east.

^^I agree, I definitely think the trend towards low to the ground coasters has at least been done partially out of cost considerations - I could see Intamin pitching ideas to parks on that basis. Fortunately the results have been pretty exciting as well. Hopefully we'll see some more Intamins of the like in 2011.

I did from Miami to Los Angeles on a Trek America tour years ago and there is a lot of things against driving. There is a lot of dead space going through Arizona, New Mexico and Texas (I didn't check where that road you mentioned goes though). The best stuff in the southern United States IMO are in the corners sort of. On the west I liked San Diego, San Fran, Yosemite, Vegas, Grand Canyon & Monument Valley. In the east - New Orleans, Orlando, Miami, Atlanta and Florida Keys (I can't comment on Nashville or Memphis). Personally I'd do a loop on the west coast starting in Los Angeles, then go over to the east coast and do a loop starting in Orlando. Just my opinion.