How To Ride?

[gerstlaueringvar]

After riding so many coasters and other rides, I think a lot of people have already figured out the ways to ride certain coasters and certain rides. Here is a thread to give tips about how to avoid pain or discomfort. List the magic seats on certain coasters that provides better airtime/less headbanging/more leg room/etc are welcomed as well!

 

For example:

How to ride SkyRush to minimize the pain from the restraint?

How to brace for Boomerangs/SLC's/Volares?

Where is the magic seats on Magnum?

[gerstlaueringvar]

Maverick: To avoid neck chopping, move your head to the far opposite direction of the twists. For example, move your head to the far left side of the OTSR before the first twist, move your head to the far left side to brace for the twist after the second launch. The 2nd, 4th and 6th row gives much less neck chopping than the 1st, 3rd and 5th row. I assume the first row of each car gives more neck chopping is because Maverick is designed following head line instead of heartline. Front row's head position is lower thus your head moves in a larger radius. I could be wrong though.

 

Rough woodies: avoid body contact with the train. Lean forward and hold on to your lap bar.

 

Pegasus at Mt. Olympus: sit at the right side seats and hold on to the right side of the car to brace for the final turn.

 

First generation Premier LIM launch coaster: cross your arms and hold on to the lap bar, do not put your hands up because you would get back and forth headbanging

 

Arrow side winder element: Similar to the way of bracing for Maverick's turns.

 

Magic seat for most of Arrow Corkscrews: back row. The airtime are incredible on CP Corkscrew and SFGAm Demon.

[Stu K]

2 top tips on dive machines just relax go floopy no arms in the air just go limp the AIRTime is amazing.

 

s & s towers before launch feet back under seat and arms up after you hit the top and feel the airtime kick your feet out (like a swing) and prepare to shat ya pants!

 

Stu K

[simon8899]

Olympia Looping - and all other Schwarzkopf coasters with shoulder-clamps I persume: Make sure the clamps have no space between them and your shoulders. Also keep your shoulders pressed against them at all times. These little devils have the tendency to come down in high-G compressions making the rest of the ride uncomfortable if you not use the before mentioned precautions.

 

Fluch Von Novgorod: Keep a "stiff neck" in the lying pretzel to avoid headbanging.

[cfc]

Sometimes, the best way to ride a coaster is not to ride it at all; this is true of Boomerangs, SLCs (especially Chinese knockoffs), and Movie World's Bandit.

[Diamondbacker27]

Sometimes, the best way to ride a coaster is not to ride it at all; this is true of Boomerangs, SLCs (especially Chinese knockoffs), and Movie World's Bandit.

 

I actually enjoy the boomerang at Kings Island, it's my second favorite coaster there.

 

As said above, any coasters with lots of twists, push your head against the side of the restraint in which it is turning.

*Cough Maverick cough*

*cough Raptor cough*

[simon8899]

this is true of Boomerangs, SLCs

 

But as more of these get the new vest-like OTSRs one can ride those!

[Meteornotes]

Sometimes, the best way to ride a coaster is not to ride it at all; this is true of Boomerangs, SLCs (especially Chinese knockoffs), and Movie World's Bandit.

 

This is wise advice. Not every coaster is worth riding. Especially Bandit.

 

dt

[coasterbill]

I can only think of a few right now...

 

On Maverick I kind of push out on the straps and then hold my head back against the headrest tight when the turns come up... it's kind of a natural reaction for me and I've never had any issues with roughness.

 

On Mean Streak (like gerstlaueringvar said) the ride is much better if you lean forward and don't let your back touch the back of the seat much. This ride still sucks though.

 

On B&M hypers... arms up, legs out and off the floor (not because they're rough, just because it's more fun that way).

 

On Kingda Ka... this one is simple, to reduce roughness and to have an amazing ride, just ride in the front. No need to brace or anything, the ride is really smooth up there.

 

On Wild One at SFA, don't ride in a wheel seat. This ride is actually really good in a middle seat but pretty rough otherwise.

 

Knoebels StatosFear, arms up, legs out... get ready for the most ridiculous drop tower ever.

 

And this is the most important one... ON KUMBA, ride in the back row in the seat closest to the unload platform. You'll get pulled through every element and on the Zero G roll you will re-lose your virginity. This ride is amazing in every single seat, but that one is just ridiculous... I always get off thinking there's no way B&M actually built that coaster because it's just way too good.

[simon8899]

^reminds me of Black Mamba at Phantasialand - best seat is rear left. The first drop is full of floater air all the way down...

[goatdan]

Olympia Looping - and all other Schwarzkopf coasters with shoulder-clamps I persume: Make sure the clamps have no space between them and your shoulders.

 

I actually heard a pretty high profile designer once explain that they design the rides with the lap bars in mind, and so to get the exact ride and transitions that they want, as well as the maximum comfort, you should have the restraint closed so it is touching you, but not pounding into you.

[simon8899]

^Have you ever rode this?

 

The explanation might be true but the precautions are from riding these coasters since a kid and I heard here on the forum some complaints from first riders about the clamps coming down and bending your spine quite painfully...

[EastCoastKid]

I have the key to absolutely no pain on Skyrush.

When I rode it the first few times after it opened, I vowed I would NEVER ride it again because it hurt my thighs so badly.

The same was true with my partner - we were in agony at the brake run.

 

So, one ride, I tried something out and it has been the "secret" for both of us!

Before you pull the lap bar down, slide your butt forward from the back of the seat, so your lap bar doesn't sit on your thighs, but rather directly at your waist/touching your pelvis. That way, every time you pop out of the seat, your thighs are not being crunched into the bar.

 

It works like a charm, and Skyrush is one of my all time favorite coasters now. Behind Maverick

[tribar]

On rough coasters or coasters I think are going to be rough I stiffen up the muscles in my neck. It tends to help with headbanging. Also hang onto the restraint on rougher rides

[Projektion]

Furius Baco. Get as close to the front inside seats as you possibly can. For any other seat I all I can recommend is brace yourself and hold onto the top of the straps/ostr, instead of the handles of the lap bar section of the restraint. If you are in the last row outside seats, write a will.

[gerstlaueringvar]

Hades360: Enter Mt.Olympus, turn left, cross under Hades360's support, turn right and follow the direction to Hades360's entrance. Go upstairs, step into the last row and wait for the train to come. When the air gate opens, sit down in the left side seat of the last row for one second and leave the station from the exit right next to you. YOU GOT THE CREDIT!!!

[rcjp]

I have the key to absolutely no pain on Skyrush.

When I rode it the first few times after it opened, I vowed I would NEVER ride it again because it hurt my thighs so badly.

The same was true with my partner - we were in agony at the brake run.

 

So, one ride, I tried something out and it has been the "secret" for both of us!

Before you pull the lap bar down, slide your butt forward from the back of the seat, so your lap bar doesn't sit on your thighs, but rather directly at your waist/touching your pelvis. That way, every time you pop out of the seat, your thighs are not being crunched into the bar.

 

It works like a charm, and Skyrush is one of my all time favorite coasters now. Behind Maverick

That sounds like it could work!

I did something similar when riding Fahrenheit: my legs were already killing me because of Skyrush so they were super sensitive and on my first ride I made the huge mistake of leaning my back against the seat completely which meant the restrains would be further away from my waist than desirable and it was very unpleasant. On my second ride I did what you did on skyrush an was perfectly fine! Now I wish I had had that idea on skyrush.

 

As to other rides I used to apply this technique during B&M snappy corkscrews which consisted in leaning my head on the side of the restraint that corresponded to the direction of the corkscrew: for example, on BTR (normal version) I would lean my head against the left side of the OTSR (which is the side your head would normally hit) so that, if it is already there, you can't hit it. However, more recently, I haven't had to do anything during corkscrews and don't even remember what was the last time I banged my head against the restraint on a B&M invert.

[mike541x]

If anyone for some reason feels the need to ride Anaconda at Kings Dominion, I suggest riding in the last car, front row. Not as much headbanging but you're still gonna have to brace yourself for the stupid transition in the butterfly element.

[tribar]

Hades360: Enter Mt.Olympus, turn left, cross under Hades360's support, turn right and follow the direction to Hades360's entrance. Go upstairs, step into the last row and wait for the train to come. When the air gate opens, sit down in the left side seat of the last row for one second and leave the station from the exit right next to you. YOU GOT THE CREDIT!!!

 

Not quite how it works

[glouthan]

Back row, arms up makes for a much better ride on Outlaw Run.

[Dschu]

Bizarro at Six Flags New England. When the attendants put down your bar, push your knees up a little then when it starts you won't be getting crushed and you'll get more airtime.

[Koasterking48]

Any tips for Magnum? That ride is unforgiving to my thighs and doesn't seem to like taller people.

[Mstankow]

My tip is for any ride with a lap bar, lower your head and look down. If successful you will barf.

[gerstlaueringvar]

^^First row of each car is the place for taller people. Putting your hands between your thigh and the lap bar during the final bunny hops can reduce the pain very well. If you want more airtime, row three of car one is probably the best choice.

[B&MBoy1982]

ON B&M hypers I like the last row feet and arms extended out in front of me, and leaning forward. Try this on the first drop, and while cresting each consecutive hills.