"Intense" vs "Aggressive" Rides

[larrygator]

^Chuck - Completely agree expect when it somes to B&M stand-ups. Where all you have to do is follow instructions (not a secret order riding position) for a ride that doesn't smash your nuts.

[jray21]

I agree that "aggressive" has a negative connotation, while "intense" has a more positive connotation. Ghostrider is extremely agressive, while El Toro is intense.

[bill_s]

"Aggressive" is a ride that used to be "intense" but is now just rough as hell.

 

This could be taken 2 ways, one that age has made a coaster worse, or that our standards have changed over time. It used to be accepted that you couldn't have intensity without some roughness, I think. In fact it was rare enough to get intense coasters that you maybe had to endorse some roughness -- there still was a difference between just rough, and rough and fun, but that was the limit. Then B&M came along and, certainly for me, there was a point I "got it" that being able to relax can allow you to enjoy the intensity that remains, and it can even be a better more artful and aerobatic ride at the same time. And now Intamin pushes even that technology to a limit....

 

Rough - ouch, never again. There was too much pain or defensive riding necessary.

 

This brings up one of my pet peeves with some coaster enthusiasts: "So-and-so is OK if you KNOW HOW to ride it." Show we a ride where specialized knowledge or techniques are required for survival, and I'll show you one lousy, wretched ride.

 

Larry speaks the truth.

 

2 words aren't enough to describe the variations, for sure.

 

As to "knowing how to ride it", there are definitely rides that the first ride is a little "expensive" in pain, but once you lick your wounds you can take that knowledge and go back and enjoy the ride again and again. And others that are just rough. Sometimes it's just a matter of knowing where to sit. It's not ideal, but I'm not going to refuse to ride a coaster I already know how to ride.

[cfc]

^Having to know assume some special sort of "riding position" outside of buckling your seat belt and making sure your lap bar is down spoils the fun for me. I'll go along with the "magic seat" idea in some cases (the second-to-the-last seat on Georgia Cyclone comes to mind).