Top 5 wood and steel coasters

[coasterbill]

Top 5 steel lists always make me look like I never travel since Cedar Point and BGT dominate the list but...

 

Steel

1) Millennium Force

2) Maverick

3) Fury 325

4) Kumba

5) Montu

 

Honorable mention to Wicked Cyclone and I305 which I could have easily put at #5 but I'm a sucker for Montu's pretzel / batwing / whatever.

 

Wood

1) El Toro

2) Phoenix

3) Thunderhead

4) Boulder Dash

5) Twister (Knoebels)

 

Lightning Rod may end up on this list if they ever successfully launch a train.

[chickenbowl]

This exact ranking is in my signature! But I'll write it out some details

 

Steel:

1. Intimidator 305

- Pushes the boundaries of intensity. It's insanely fast and insanely forceful. Never been on anything as exhilerating

2. Maverick

- What a fun coaster! Crazy transitions! Great airtime! Long layout that never lets up!

3. Skyrush

- Maybe the strongest airtime that ever existed?! The coaster tries to throw you across the park

4. Medusa Steel Coaster

- Best paced steel RMC. Near perfect layout, great mix of inversions and airtime. Best part is that there's no slow parts!

5. Mega-Lite, Happy Valley Shanghai

- 100' airtime machine! Brilliantly tiny coaster that has a deceiving amount of airtime! I couldn't stop laughing with how much fun I was having

 

Wood:

1. Outlaw Run

- Very intense with amazing pacing! I love the use of terrain and very unique layout

2. El Toro

- What hasn't been said about this coaster? A modern classic. The first series of straight airtime hills exemplify my enthusiasm for roller coasters

3. Phoenix

- A perfect coaster. Understated, simple, and incredible

4. Voyage

- This coaster goes beyond imagination. A myriad of tunnels and airtime deep in the forest. Probably the most ambitious wood coaster ever built

5. Coaster, Playland

- Much like Phoenix, a true classic. It has ejector airtime and single position lapbar. This coaster is what those old, rough wood coasters want to be.

[DoinItForTheFame]

This is such a hard list for me to make. . . But I'll give it a go. . Let's see:

 

Top 5 Wood:

1. Outlaw Run

2. Beast

3. El Toro *sighs*

4. Lightning Racer

5. Blue Streak

 

Top 5 Steel:

1. Top Thrill Dragster

2. Maverick

3. Griffon

4. Diamondback

5. Firehawk

[Condor]

Steel:

1. Skyrush

2. Maverick

3. Intimidator 305

4. Medusa Steel Coaster

5. Millennium Force

 

Wood:

1. Voyage

2. Boulder Dash

3. El Toro

4. Phoenix

5. Outlaw Run

 

I might actually see some movement on this list for the first time in a couple of years when I head to Germany and the Netherlands this summer. Expedition GeForce, Taron, Goliath (Walibi), Karnan, and Colossos are all contenders.

[JT325]

I just lump em together these days. Based on how much I enjoy each ride, not the first time I ride it, but years later in some cases.

 

1. Thunderbolt - Kennywood

2. Blue Streak - Conneaut

3. Mind Bender - SFOG

4. Legend - Holiday World

5. Twister - Knoebels

6. Voyage

7. Phoenix

8. - things start blending together about here. I would add somewhere Phantom's Revenge, Maverick, Magnum, Whizzer... I have a thing for older "classic" rides, especially if they don't have a seat divider! I've ridden so many great rides over the years, and have had "special occurrence" rides on the likes of the Beast, American Eagle, and a few more. But they don't normally give that awesome of a ride, so I don't list them at the top of my favorites. Anymore.

 

My top coasters have drastically changed over the years. It used to read like this: CI Cyclone/Tx Giant/Timberwolf/Beast/Ga Cyclone... but man have those rides changed since 1990! Sad :/ Mind Bender has always been my favorite steelie though!

Edited February 1, 2017 by JT325

[9Armgeddon4]

Steel

1. Fury 325

2. Maverick

3. I305

4. Montu

5. Batman The Ride

 

Wood

1. El Toro

2. Screamin' Eagle

3. Great American Scream Machine

4. Hoosier Hurricane

5. American Eagle

[Intaman]

Steel

1) Millennium Force

2) Maverick

3) Skyrush

4) I-305

5) Banshee

 

Wood

1) Voyage

2) El Toro

3) Balder

4) Outlaw Run

5) Phoenix

[Keetz]

Steel:

1) Skyrush

-For when you want to feel like you are being dragged into hell - ride in the back left seat with your hands up

2) Intimidator 305

-I prefer being blackout

3) Maverick

-Small and compact, but oh so satisfying

4) Millennium Force - Front seat at night

-Bugs make a great moisturizing face mask, but a terrible toothpaste

5) Fury 325

-Who knew B&M could break out of their mold

 

Wood:

1) Lightning Rod

-Alan Schilke did some crazy stuff with those TN hills. I'm sorry so many people didn't get to ride in 2016.

2) El Toro

-Airtime fart noises sooth my soul

3) Thunderhead

-This ride is everything that Lightning Rod isn't and makes for a great 1-2 punch

4) Ghostrider

-I rode in 2007 and remember it being relentless

5) Coney Island Cyclone

-Pure fun with a rough and tumble feel

6) Lightning Racer

-A modern day classic

PS Chickenbowl your font choices are on point

[boldikus]

Since its slow as hell at work today (surprising for the 1st of the month) I'm gonna flesh this out a bit.

 

Maverick - Absolute perfection. There is a reason its my #1 - it has it all. And before you say a big drop, I say a small but perfect drop. Also fast paced, insane transitions, long, amazing airtime, that tunnel launch, just a completely unique and riveting experience from beginning to end. The back seat of this thing is out of this world. The planet needs more of these. Bigup the soft straps!

 

Skyrush - No matter how many times I ride Skyrush I always get butterflies in my stomach as we load, knowing what a completely bonkers experience I am about to have. I have seriously considered moving to Hershey because of this thing and this park. Much respect to the "death seat" and all, but after our last visit this has become a front seat ride for me. And I'm normally a backseat rider on almost everything. Thanks to that weird kink in the track that tosses you forward no matter where you are sitting the drop is just as great, and the rest of the ride is mind blowing up front. Smooth, absurdly intense, true fear-of-death feelings throughout. If you want to see your life flash before your eyes multiple times in under a minute, and walk away unscathed (well, maybe bruised) get yourself to Hershey and ride this freaking monster. I absolutely do not even try to ride hands up - when someone describes the experience as "being thrown around like a ragdoll" they are 110% on point.

 

I305 - More of an endurance challenge than an enjoyable ride, this coaster pushes intensity to the extreme. Not particularly amazing airtime, but its there. However the speed consistent throughout most of the ride, and balls-to-the-wall transitions absolutely elevate this to elite coaster status. The Intamin rocket coasters may pack a more intense experience into a much more brief moment, but this monstrosity is relentless, and long. I envy those that can ride without at least graying out. After my first few rides I couldn't help but repeat "I can't believe they built this thing". I also have a giant boner for cable lifts - love being yanked up and tossed over a drop and I305 executes that feeling perfectly.

 

Phantoms Revenge - A one-of-a-kind location to go with a one-of-a-kind coaster. Great in the front or back. The first drop took me a bit by surprise with more speed/whip than the POV leads you to believe, while the second (big) drop is accentuated by the fact that you're basically tearing down the side of a cliff through the structure of another freaking coaster. The airtime hills from here until the brakes are otherworldly. Brutally wonderful sustained ejector air. Overall a little short but the demented layout makes up for that.

 

Millennium Force - A little overhyped for me after years of hearing about it, but it holds its own as an elite thanks to its first amazing drop, relentless speed and its unbeatable views of both Lake Erie and The Land Before Time, not to mention those epic night rides... just keep your mouth closed!

 

* * *

 

El Toro - Olé m*therf*ckers! This ride is the bomb diggity to the 9th power. I am proud to have such an astonishing ride a short 45 minute drive from my house. Not much to say that hasn't been said already. You have either ridden it and understand or haven't and won't until you ride it. Giddy up.

 

Lightning Racer - Its probably the racing aspect that really puts this one up there for me, but its also really held up well and is pretty damn smooth considering Wildcat a couple hundred feet away is only a few years older. The layouts pack in little pops of nice air, laterals, and it does a nice job of keeping its speed throughout. Riding @ night with the tracer lights is goosebump-inducing.

 

Wild One - Absolutely classic. 100 years old. Some really good airtime. Really smooth for its age. That helix of death. As good as a "classic" out-and-back wooden coaster can get.

 

Jack Rabbit (KW) - The double drop. The fact that a coaster exists that has both that element and only a seatbelt for a restraint is a wonderful thing. The rest of the ride is whatever (ok, its a classic...) but that drop alone is worth a stop @ the park IMO. Believe me.

 

Great White (Moreys) - Nostalgia is a bitch. In the enthusiast community this ride gets little love, but even before its recent retracking I always got time for a ride on the wooden coaster I've likely ridden more often than any other. Its not steep, fast, and only has a few brief airtime moments but there's so much to appreciate: the drop out of the station into the tunnel, the view of the beach/ocean from the lift, some really serious laterals around the first three turns, the almost-ejector air off the turn before the bunnyhops, and the "surprise" drop right before the turn into the brakes. Night rides are fantastic. A usually short wait time is the cherry on top. Big shouts to Mom and Dad for moving a 10 minute walk away from the thing.

[storms555]

speaking of top 5 ill list the top 5 coasters mentioned here i wish to ride one day but never did yet in order (steel or wood)

1.Fury 325

2.I-305

3.El Toro

4.Skyrush

5.Lightning Rod (although i hear that coaster doesnt always work well but still looks really fun)

Bonus rides in my "i want to try" list

1.X2

2.the Superman ride at MM although its considered "on trick pony" looks cool for the speed and height

3.Kingda Ka

4.Diamond Back at Kings Island

5.any other RMC or/and the future RMC'd Meanstreak

[coasterer]

I love lists and ranking things.

 

Steel.

 

(runner up Shanghai's Mega-lite)

5. Fury 325 - what a magnificent ride.

4. Storm Runner - balls out nuts and one of the most unique rides ever.

3. Katun - This thing is the king of inverts, no question. As spectacular, sprawling, and comprehensive as they come

2. Medusa Steel - The pacing is simply sublime, and the setting and the forces are just amazing

1. Goliath (Walibi) - This is the perfect coaster. As classic as they come. The standard by which I measure all "normal" layouts.

 

Wood.

 

5. El Toro - The airtime is just remarkable.

4. Boulder Dash - At its best, way more interesting and out of control. Love the setting

3. T-Express - One heck of an impressive ride.

2. Lightning Rod - Holy Lord, just bury me. Simply amazing

1. Voyage - The longest, most immense, never-ending, intense, other-worldy, amazing creation I've ever been on. Legendary

[thrillseeker4552]

I'm not big into ranking coasters, but I'll give this a shot. This list can pretty much change at any point in the day.

 

Steel:

5. Wicked Cyclone

4. Maverick

3. Kingda Ka

2. Nitro

1. Skyrush

 

Wood:

5. Wild One (SFA)

4. Apocalypse (SFMM)

3. Lightning Racer

2. GhostRider

- big gap -

1. El Toro

 

I really need to get one some good wooden coasters (Voyage, Phoenix, few more GCIs). El Toro is awesome, but the rest on the list really can't compare.

[I Like Theme Parks.]

Wood:

1. El Toro - Six Flags Great Adventure - Some of the most insane airtime, amazing speed, one of the most perfect layouts ever, twisty awesomeness, epic forces, etc. This is easily my most loved coaster.

2. Boulder Dash - Lake Compounce - Best terrain and location ever, tons of great airtime moments, strong feeling of speed, nice laterals. It is a bit rough, but people really overreact to that. I can't wait to try the re-tracking.

3. Phoenix - Knoebels - It's so well kept up! Ridiculous airtime in the second half, but the whole thing is tons of fun! There's also some good laterals in there. The buzz bar trians are also a bonus.

4. Comet - The Great Escape - It's the ideal old-school, rough-around-the-edges woodie. Apply everything I said about Phoenix, but with normal PTC trains, not quite as intense, and not as smooth.

5. Thunderbolt - Kennywood - Greatest laterals on any coaster ever, insanely unique layout, and there's some airtime as well. The trains are also sweet. The terrain interaction is wonderful, and it has amazing pacing. The slow parts make the fast parts really stand out, especially at the end. The out-and-back section in the first part, twister part in the middle, and the larger out-and-back part at the end brings it full-circle, and it's like a whole journey.

Other favorite wooden coasters:

6. Thunderhead - Dollywood

7. Wild One - Six Flags America

8. Wooden Warrior - Quassy

9. Twister - Knoebels

10. Grizzly - Kings Dominion

11. Avalanche - Timber Falls

12. Lightning Racer - HersheyPark

13. The Great White - Morey's Piers

14. Jack Rabbit - Kennywood

15. Hellcat - Clementon Park

16. Roar - Six Flags America

17. Skyliner - Lakemont Park

18. Flying Turns - Knoebels

19. Racer - Kennywood

20. Blue Streak - Cedar Point

 

This post takes up a lot of space and looks ugly already, so I'll say the top steel later tonight.