Canobie Coaster

The first snowfall in New England always gives drivers amnesia and everyone forgets how to drive. Instead of driving a little slower and more carefully, I see people tailgating, weaving, and speeding, which results in several accidents. Oh look, snow is falling now...

I spit out my drink when I read this. Why on earth does that franchise get two sequels before the Incredibles even get one sequel? Especially when the first sequel is the single black mark on Pixar.

Twisted Colossus SeaWorld Orlando

Twisted Colossus Wild Adventures

I remember a rumor that Six Flags tried to cut costs that year and wanted to cancel Raging Bull but it was too late, so they downsized Georgia Scorcher which was originally supposed to be the size of Chang and Riddler's Revenge. Not sure how true that was, but interesting nonetheless You know, I've always thought it was odd for Six Flags to go for a smaller stand-up after the progression the coaster type had gone though. So that totally makes sense. And honestly it's better than the larger ones. It's the only perfectly smooth one.

Toughie, but I'll go with Flight Deck. One of the most intense coasters out there. Universal Studios Orlando (just the studios side)

Gunstock Mountain Resort I actually visited this one before my trip to Canada, but forgot to post it. Gunstock just opened a mountain coaster (like a lot of the northeast ski resorts) in mid-August. I made it up within a week of the ride's opening to try it out. I had never been to Gunstock before, but it's a really nice resort with the aforementioned mountain coaster, an insane air bag ride, and a super long zipline. Named the Mountain Coaster, Gunstock's model is another Wiegand and it's pretty average as far as mountain coasters go. The ride has a great setting, a few small dips that come close to giving airtime, and some decent laterals. But there's nothing that really makes it stand out from other mountain coasters. It is the closest one to me though and Gunstock has something that other resorts can't offer, the Bigairbag. Gunstock is home to something that seemingly belongs in the "Never in America" category, but amazingly they have it. Named the Bigairbag, this isn't like a stunt man's jump onto an airbag (though they do have one of those). No, this is so much better. The park slicks up a downhill ramp with water, you board an inner tube, and then you fly down the hill and off a jump. You get a few seconds of air and then crash into the air bag. The park did an excellent job explaining how to ride safely (both from the operator and the waiver), so I really enjoyed the ride. It's a really unique rush that feels a lot rawer and freer than most rides out there. Definitely look up a video of this if you've never seen it before. The resort also has a super fast zipline running from the summit of the mountain to the base where they boast riders can reach speeds of 70 mph. This was a pretty expensive zipline, so I skipped it but it may be something I'll try in the future. Some more activities in the adventure park. I grabbed a tube and held on for my life since they really slicked that track. You hang in the air for a few seconds before landing on the bag. This is the Big Air Bag, something that I thought belonged in the "Never in America" category. The coaster had a nice setting as usual. Newly opened, the Mountain Coaster was pretty average for this type of coaster. The real reason I'm here. The park boasts that this zipline can reach 70 mph. I'll have to try it sometime!

The New England Sky Screamer isn't too bad at New England in the colder weather since it runs backwards for Fright Fest and you don't get the wind in the face, but the Windseeker at Canada's Wonderland was absolutely frigid at the start of October. I agree that coasters aren't too bad unless it's snowing. If it's snowing, you will definitely feel the cold even on a smaller coaster.

Phoenix Islands of Adventure

Okemo Mountain Resort About a half hour down the road from Killington is another mountain resort, Okemo. Killington seems more well known in the area for the skiing, but Okemo had a larger assortment of summer activities highlighted by the Timber Ripper Mountain Coaster. Okemo also had a ropes/adventure course, bungee jumping tower, air bag jump tower, mini golfing, and a few other activities. Finding the Adventure Zone area was a little challenging since the area is hidden from the parking lot, so be warned if you try and grab one of Vermont's only two credits. The Timber Ripper Mountain Coaster is superior to its brother down the street. A Wiegand model, the Timber Ripper felt quite a bit taller than many of the other ones I've been on. The lift hill lasted an eternity like usual, but I definitely noticed the lift being steeper. Once the train crested the lift, the cart absolutely hauls it down the mountain through the first half. The turns have some really powerful laterals if you don't brake (and if you're on this site, I'm assuming you don't). However, there is then this long, straight flat section where the cart loses a lot of speed. The cart thankfully picks it back up for the end, but I just wish it didn't have that lull. It's still in the top third of mountain coasters I've been on, but it had the potential to be the top one without that section. I should also note, that this review covers my second ride. My first ride was ruined by an incredibly slow cart that was braking the whole way down. When the staff noticed this, they gave me a second lap for free which was much appreciated. I also decided to try the Big Air Bag jump. They didn't really go over the proper form for jumping. They used to have an older airbag where form was critical, but the new one made it safe to land either back or feet first. I have to say, despite only being 20 feet up, this was a heck of a lot scarier than a roller coaster. The jump was definitely a rush and I'm glad they have the new air bag since I completely butchered my form and landed feet first. Onto the photos! Okemo Resort! The Adventure Zone is hidden behind that lodge. The absolutely terrifying air bag jump. I have lots of respect for movie stunt men. Mountain coasters are an absolute pain to photograph. But like most of them, this one had a really nice setting. Obligatory station shot. Okemo's summer area was larger than Killington. In the top left you can see the Timber Ripper coaster, which is one of the best mountain coasters I've come across.

^ I still need to try one of these in the winter. The coldest I've been on was the Berkshire Thunderbolt one at the end of October and it was 40ish out. I didn't realize Killington did that, but it makes sense now. A few coworkers went there a few weeks ago after we had our first (and very small) snowfall. I've never skiied, but if I did a course that crazy would be at the top of my list. I wonder how close that is to the Beast coaster.

Banshee Valleyfair

California- Twisted Colossus Connecticut- Boulder Dash Florida- Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit Georgia- Goliath Kentucky- Storm Chaser Maine- Excalibur Maryland- Wild One (Superman was closed; if it's as good as Darien's it would be the best in state) Massachusetts- Wicked Cyclone New Hampshire- Roar-o-saurus New Jersey- El Toro New York- Comet North Carolina- Fury 325 (and it's almost entirely in North Carolina) Ohio- Millennium Force Pennsylvania- Phoenix South Carolina- Intimidator (technically 100% in South Carolina) Tennessee- Tennessee Tornado (should have been Lightning Rod, grrrr) Vermont- Timber Ripper Mountain Coaster Virginia- Apollo's Chariot (yes I've been on Intimidator 305, not my cup of tea) Canada- Leviathan

Fury 325, my favorite coaster anywhere. Dorney Park

Honestly the Windseekers freak me out more than the Star Flyers, and that even includes when SFNE runs their 400 ft one in reverse for Fright Fest. I think they freak me out more than the Star Flyers since they had so many issues when they first opened (excessive swinging, getting stuck, etc). I will take them over Star Flyers still. Massive drop towers still can scare me. The top one is Lex Luthor. Zumanjaro may be taller, but Lex Luthor has a far scarier location since that tower feels like its going down when Superman comes by.

Killington Resort After a slow time crossing the border the night before (apparently a day trip to La Ronde looks odd), I spent the night at a hotel in Vermont and began the journey home. My journey home conveniently added Vermont's two mountain coasters. The first stop was the Killington Resort to ride the Beast Mountain Coaster. Killington is a pretty popular ski resort in New England and the entire town was filled with ski shops and small restaurants. Finally I made it to Killington. Along with the mountain coaster, there were some other attractions such as bungee trampolines and dry sledding, but I was only there for the mountain coaster. The Beast definitely was worth the visit. An Aquatic creation, the Beast is an above average mountain coaster. The lift hill traveled along side an open hill, but the downhill course was well covered in the woods. The descent lasted longer than several other mountain coasters and built up some pretty good speed, especially on a fairly large (for a mountain coaster) drop midway through the course. I think the larger drops are why I tend to prefer the Aquatic mountain coasters to the Wiegand ones. Onto the photos! My chariot awaits. The Beast's station. Welcome to Killington! An overview of Killington's other offerings. This looked weird and claustrophobic. As you can see, the place was booming when I visited.

Well a triple train would be better as well, but the one train 2 cars is terrible capacity The cycle time is so fast and these are so quick to load that even the 12 person train has a better throughput than you'd think. The line didn't go beyond 30-45 minutes a few summers ago when I was there. Lake Compounce's was at most a 1 train wait at the Graveyard when I went.

When I visited the park at the end of June, I went on a weekday. GhostRider was closed for the first 2-3 hours. Once I saw it running, I ran over and the wait started in the downstairs shed. It took an hour and a half to get through the queue with 2 trains running. I attributed that to the ride having just returned from the reboot, but it seems that it hasn't gotten any better. I absolutely loved the ride and would have wanted to ride it a second time, but it wouldn't have been possible without risking missing my flight home.

Yes I was referring to Roar-o-Saurus. Both coasters have a compact double out and back layout, so the video reminded me a lot of Roar-o-Saurus just with a higher first drop and that barrel roll. The two in New England are both very smooth a few years after opening but Florida's would probably be running year round, correct?

Wow this coaster looks amazing. The two Gravity Groups up here in New England are airtime machines and this one has an extra 40 feet in height and a barrel roll. Should be a major hit for the park. I've never been to either Fun Spot location when I've gone to Orlando, but I really think I need to.

I kind of wish I got to experience Coney back in the Astroland and Shoot the Freak days just to see how different it was. But what it is now is truly an amazing boardwalk with a great mix of classic and new rides.

To each their own. I'd just prefer a small hill or anything over straight track, even if it is above water.

I figured it was a Facebook popularity contest as well but I don't understand why the park would encourage people to vote for Monstre over Goliath. Monstre and all of the rides (that were actually open) operated right up to closing, so maybe I just got lucky.

They didn't have to since I was the only driver on the highway. They just did it right at the booth. I crossed the border in Vermont and didn't see another car on the road for almost 40 minutes.

I don't regret my decision and will go back to Montreal another time. Though I think border patrol agrees I was crazy to just go to Montreal for La Ronde. When I tried crossing back to the US at night, they asked why I only spent one day in Canada and my purpose for visiting. When I said La Ronde, the officer couldn't believe I drove all that way for the park. They then proceeded to thoroughly search my entire trunk, which of course had my gym bag, work bag, travel bag, and a shovel (you can never be too prepared in New England)... That was an interesting experience and a lot more difficult coming back from Niagara Falls.