TunaSled Posted July 11, 2015 Share Posted July 11, 2015 There is something about sitting way up in the sky just waiting to plummet to the ground that I can just not mentally handle. This is me exactly. I somehow managed Zumanjaro (I pretended I was queuing for something else) and my head nearly popped on the way up. A lady next to me points at the parachute drop across the way and says "what you need to do is ride that first, it will get you ready for this". Mind telling me how iIm going to do that, lady? we are literally halfway up Ka's structure and climbing, let me just bail out of here and ride the parachutes. Yes, something about the drop rides. Yet I adore all coasters, steel and wood, big and small. This is a very real thing that obviously many of us have in common. I could barf right now just imagining Falcon's Fury... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fraroc Posted July 11, 2015 Author Share Posted July 11, 2015 The strange part is, Falcon's Fury looks so damn cool and I'd ride it, after a good chunk of time of convincing myself to go on like I did with Mach Tower and Drop Zone at Carowinds.... I think I have a reason for that feeling, btw...I really don't think that the dropping anticipation is really fear, it's basically adrenaline in it's most primal and purest form and for some people, it's a little too much to handle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schrecken Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 I'm not a fan of drop towers either. I have ridden some of them before here and there, but in general I will avoid. My reason is that I don't like the way they startle me - IMO drop towers are amusement ride analogies to someone creeping up behind you and popping a paper bag in your ear or otherwise making a loud noise. And sometimes the loud noise still startles even if you know the person is there, as is the case with the drop tower - you know it is going to drop but still it freaks me out. And worse is the fact that most towers are just that - the ascent, and then the drop and that's it. There are of course coasters with elements that can startle and surprise, like sudden launches, hanging drops like Griffon and drop track like Verbolten (I remember being worried about both of those before my first ride because of my drop tower aversion), but all of those have other elements after the surprise that give me time to "recover". But with a drop tower I'm just sitting there once the gondola comes to a stop at the bottom with my heart beating out of my chest and no way to get rid of the adrenaline build up. That's not enjoyable to me. But with coasters that have drop-like features, the rest of the ride dissipates that for the most part. That said, while I normally avoid drop towers, I will ride the kind that bounce, like the one at Valley Fair (which was the last one I rode) or the one at Holiday World. The actions of these help dissipate the "shock" of the initial drop and not only that, I feel I get more "bang for the buck", so to speak - there is more to it than just an ascent and drop. But if I happened to be at a park with someone who really, really wanted to ride one and didn't want to go alone, I probably would bite the bullet and go ahead and ride, but I would have to close my eyes for the whole trip to help blunt the startle response. I am not afraid of heights, and normally I will look out if I am on an observation tower or even at the crest of a tall coaster, but closing my eyes would allow me to turn off the visual input if it becomes too much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IdahoKat Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 I love airtime, be it on a drop tower or roller coaster. None of it scares me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canadianparkfan Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 ^Couldnt agree more. IMO, I've been on many drop towers that provide far supirior airtime to most coasters I've done... Guess that's what I get for being stuck with a home park who's big airtime coaster(s) are new school b&ms Not sure how I'd like falcon's fury if I ever got a chance to ride. It seems like you'd get virtually no "airtime" on the ride, and with the main selling point being the crazy hang time, I'm really not sure if I'd enjoy it at all. Anticipation of the free fall on a drop tower I can handle no problem; hang time not so much. Clearly remember forcing myself onto the Larson super loop at our local carnival last year, because everyone I was with wanted to go. Hated the ride (more specifically the hang time, and made a beeline for the ARM drop tower as soon as I got off. Everyone in my group (who loved the Larson loop, and rode it at least a few more times that day) wouldn't go near the drop tower, so had to ride it alone for the whole day ... At least the airtime was good All this to say, if hang time 60' in the air on a Larson loop gave me the creeps, really not sure how I'd handle it 300'+ up on falcon's fury. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuminousAphid Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 Luckily my first ever drop tower (sort of?) was Big Shot, so I don't think anything else will phase me after that experience. It was terrifying and absolutely awesome at the same time. I cried a little. That would be my advice then, I suppose; go to Vegas and ride that, then you will become fearless! edit; forgot to mention it was at night, which was fabulous Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KBrylczyk Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 ^ I beg to differ. While Big Shot is freakin' amazing, especially at night, no S&S will ever compare to an Intamin 2nd gen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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